Othniel's Tyrant's Grasp I

[Othniel]

Boneyard

"Oh, you aren't dead. Not yet, at any rate. We may be able to help you rectify your present circumstances, actually," said a disembodied voice. "Oh, excuse me. We forgot to make ourselves visible before speaking. I do so apologize." Materializing out of thin air was a looming black skeleton wrapped in the wings of a giant black raven. A vulture-like mask of polished ceramic gazed balefully from where its skull should be. Without a gesture, a wickedly curved scythe appeared in its elongated fingers. Upon the shoulder of the skeleton sat a strange songbird wearing a plaster mask.

"Thoot, put that away. It won't be needed." The voice seemed to come from the raven.

In a blink, the scythe was gone.

"Oh, isn’t this a meeting of obvious fortuitousness! Here you are, and here we are. My name is Umble, and my silent companion here is named Thoot. We mean you no harm, despite the strange harmaments you seem to have already suffered. Yes, yes, this is the land of the dead, and no, you aren’t dead yourselves. You seem to be something of a special case—you seem a touch too vitalitinous for this place."

The bird peered closely at the party, cocking her head to one side. "Ah, there is a wonderment! Your hearts have something lodged inside them. Something that’s brought you here, but kept you from doing so in the orthodoxiumous fashion. I cannot help but ruminate: what has caused your strange condition?"

Spoiler: Umble and Thoot

Show

Spoiler: Knowledge (Planes)

Show

Spoiler: Henrietta, Vesper, Bellas, Gilbert

Show

You identify the larger of the two figures as a Vanth Psychopomp. Stern, silent, and cloaked in ragged black wings, vanth psychopomps serve as stoic guardians of Purgatory and watchers along the routes of the dead. A vanth looks like a black skeleton with ravenlike wings and a mask resembling a vulture’s skull.

Also known as reapers, angels of death, or amzranei, vanths protect the departed from those wishing to eat or steal their mortal souls, recapture escaped souls trying to flee their assigned fates, and are death’s foot soldiers against whatever would disrupt the natural cycle of mortality. They may also guard the dead and death’s assets, such as forgotten cemeteries, unattended mausoleums, and sacred groves.

A vanth weighs 400 pounds and stands 8 feet tall, though its slumped posture means it can look most adult humanoids in the eye. Vanths are ancient creatures, perhaps predating the current gods of death, and are rumored to be ascended souls of a distant world of death-worshiping soldiers. They rarely speak or show emotion and their hollow voices carry unnaturally far. A vanth’s scythe is a badge of its station, reflecting its role as a harvester of souls. It features symbols in a language that was already lost when the death gods claimed Purgatory.

Most outsiders scorn vanths, as the psychopomps have no concern for law, rightfulness, or personal gain—only duty. Vanths view any outsider visiting Purgatory as a potential threat, and stalk angels and demons alike.

You know that vanths have several SLAs, such as at-will Greater Teleport and Invisibility, and possess a fear aura. They wield wicked adamantine scythes.

Spoiler: Vesper, Bellas

Show

The smaller of the two you identify as a Nosoi Psychopomp. Nosois eagerly fill the roles of clerks, scribes, and messengers in the bureaucracy of the hereafter. They record the circumstances of each mortal’s death, any judgments for and against its soul, and its final destination along the Outer Planes. But unlike more tireless, mechanical outsiders, nosois are also prone to powerful whims, boasting contests, and petty theft.

Mortals recognize nosois in their roles as messengers, counselors of troubled or disbelieving dead, and guides along the River of Souls, and some ancient texts refer to them as scribe psychopomps, death’s messengers, and yanakeion.

Many large and well-tended graveyards or catacombs play host to a nosoi who tends to the newly passed and keeps a watchful eye out for the looming taint of undeath. Nosois’ bodies take the form of mortal songbirds—usually crows, sparrows, and especially whippoorwills—though like all other psychopomps they wear graceful, elegant funerary masks that accentuate their sharp beaks and empty eyes. Many also craft decorative artificial tails from small bric-a-brac that trail behind them as they soar through the Boneyard.

Nosois are typically measure about 1 foot in length, though their tails may double or triple that length. They are deceptively heavy, weighing between 10 and 15 pounds.

Nosois possess at-will invisibility and the ability to shapeshift into ravens or songbirds.