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C12H22O11
2007-12-11, 01:30 PM
A crowd has gathered outside Smithy's house while you waited. They all jump, and look away when you open the door, but it's obvious they were listening at the window. You catch a few furtive glances - some hopeful, some panicked, with that look a doe gets, staring down the shaft of an arrow already loosed. They all try to look busy, but you're quite certain there's no reason that this particular stretch of cobblestones needed nine people to sweep it today.
No one talks as you walk through the streets, not even Gregor, who mutely hands you your packs, already prepared. Ask any of the villagers about Tommy on a normal day, and you'd hear words that a dwarf would find offensive - everyone still talks about that time he got into the bakery and mixed riversand into the flour. Today, though, the village is strangely silent without his mischievous laughter, and there are more damp eyes than not.
At the Southside Gate - little more than a large door set into the earthworks, really - Samuel wrests the oaken beam from its iron holders and swings the gate outwards. He gives each of you a grim nod as you pass through, and your stomachs collectively sink as you realize he gave that same nod to Mrs. Winchester's family at her funeral a few months ago. As the last one through glances back, you see the timber door swing silently shut. Smithy makes good hinges, there's no doubt about that. With the briefest scrape of wood on wood, the door comes to rest, and you hear the muted clunk... clunk of the bar dropping into place once more.
The sun is low in the sky, a dim orange orb hiding behind the wisps of icy cloud hanging overhead. Ahead of you, the road cuts through harvested fields, mirroring the nearby river's meandering course. You can barely see the crumbling spire of the old church a few miles down the road, one broken fragment of stained glass winking crimson in the fading sun. To your left, across more fields still strewn with unburnt chaff, you can see the Old Road shooting arrow-straight towards the forest, and disappearing into the knotted gray trunks and their knotted black shadows.
The wind gusts, and a few brown leaves swirl across the sky. It's going to be a chilly night, and it's going to be a long one...

OmegaDamien
2007-12-11, 03:45 PM
I take a moment to quietly go through one of my preferred mantras in an effort to calm my emotions. Once I feel in control I glance around at my companions. We seemed like an ill fitted ragtag bunch of heroes, but we're all the town had. I think of the last moment I saw Tommy. I had just gotten him from Smithy's who caught him trying to sneak off with his hammer. I had sternly warned him the dangers of giving into your wildest whims. I wish he had listened. I look down the trail and wonder where he could have gone. I look around for anything to indicate where he could have gone.

Jastonius
2007-12-11, 04:36 PM
Junior ponders for a moment, looking somewhat quizzicly at the man dressed in robes. Hmm, I wonder if he is as the others from the monastery. "Well, what are we to do? There are many butts to be kicked!" Junior then awaits a response with a giant, goofy, open-mouthed smile. A smile so large it would seem he could eat a chicken whole.


[{OOC: Patrick what is your name?}]

sprklemajik
2007-12-11, 04:57 PM
Sam smiles in return. I do believe its time for us to get a move on. Any time wasted may be a second too late. I only hope it isn't already too late. I wonder what I'm actually getting myself into here...

TheGreatJabu
2007-12-11, 04:58 PM
Marcus Lyron

Before he trudges out of the gate, Sergeant Marcus of the town guard gives Samuel a stern look. "If we come back, don't you open this damned gate until you've seen me cut my arm. The dead don't bleed. Got it?" Assuming the man acknowledges, he gives him a solemn nod and trudges out the gate. Looking around at the others from the village, he can't help but feel a bit of anxiety. Look at the discipline of this bunch. At least from what I've heard, their skill outweighs their appearance. In reply to the hulking priest, Marcus speaks. "Don't suppose any of you are trackers? A good hound wouldn't hurt our cause right about now. Sadly, the village lacks such a commodity."

C12H22O11
2007-12-11, 06:03 PM
The wind picks up again, whipping through the trees and over the tops of the village houses, just barely visible above the wall. Leaves tumble across the hard, cold ground, their staccato skitter blending with the soft moan of the rushing air, making even the wind itself seem tired and hopeless. At the edge of a nearby field, a murder of crows takes flight, cawing indignantly at the sky. A few moments later, the crows have vanished into the darkening sky, and the wind has died down. Nothing moves, living or dead, and only the faint sounds of life from the village behind you give any depth to the oppressive emptiness of the fields spread out in front of you.
Those of you who pay attention to such things know that this is not the first time that Tommy has run off, whether on some imaginary adventure, or for the more pragmatic goal of avoiding punishment for some misdeed. He usually turns up on his own within a day or two, but if not, he's always found in one of two places - a small grassy clearing a ways into the forest, or somewhere in the vicinity of the abandoned church. Usually, though, he has sense enough to stay inside the village when the living dead are about.

OmegaDamien
2007-12-11, 07:05 PM
Jezreel nods to his companions, never being one for many words when few would do. Seeing the signs of courage in his comrades eyes gives him pause for hope.
"I believe we should check the church. As dark as it is, if he got frightened thats probably where he would go."
Jezreel motions out in the general direction of the church.

Jastonius
2007-12-12, 02:52 AM
Junior blushes when the lady speaks back. "We can do as the lady thinks." Junior says as he looks towards Sam with a sparkle in his eyes. "I would say the Jazzareal might have a good idea, though." Junior then remarks, while mananging to completely mispronouce the monk's name. "We should find the little stinker for a spanking; he has caused the village enough trouble."

sprklemajik
2007-12-12, 10:13 AM
Marcus, I'm not the best tracker, however I will try to keep watch for any sign that Tommy has been nearby. You gents keep your eyes open as well. Sam slowly begins walking in the direction of the church, and pauses after a few steps... turning to make sure the group was going to follow her. When she sees the group start moving, she plods ahead, looking for any hint of Tommy.

C12H22O11
2007-12-12, 11:20 AM
The church is but a few miles distant, and it does not take long to reach it on foot. Even so, it is nearly dark when you reach it - that eerie time after the sun has set, but before the sky has darkened. It is difficult to see, as the still dimly-lit sky above casts enough light to confuse your eyes, but not enough to penetrate the shadowy darkness growing around you.
It is easy enough to make out large figures, though - The crumbling, abandoned church building, the twisted and battered bars of the wrought iron fence around the church grounds, and the matching iron gate hanging by one hinge, stuck, but still free enough to move slightly when the wind gusts. Its slow swings break the silence every few moments with the painful skreeEEEK! of old, dry metal. Through the closely-spaced iron bars, you can see - mostly because the darkness is a little bit deeper in some places - that one side of the oaken double door into the church itself stands partially open, the wind sighing through the rotted and dusty planks still held mostly in place by their ornately worked iron battens.
Off to one side, with a high wall built of the same dark granite as the church, stands the graveyard. There are no iron bars hanging in the gate of this wall, but you can clearly see the silhouette of the twisted hinges, evidence that some great force wrenched the gates from their mountings. The dark iron now lies trampled in the dirt beside the wall, mostly buried under old leaves and the same cold, dry dust that fills the churchyard.

OmegaDamien
2007-12-12, 12:09 PM
Jezreel takes a moment to take in his surrounding. Taking a breath, he lets his sense guide him as his eyes wonder over the scene, trying to absorb every sound and sight to pick up anything that could be out of the ordinary. After noticing the gate missing from its hinges, I proceed forward slowly and cautiously. Heading toward the door of the church.
"I'll take a peak inside and see if I see anything. You guys watch my back."

TheGreatJabu
2007-12-12, 06:45 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus continues to march along in-step with the others, resting his halberd on his shoulder and keeping a wary eye out. He doesn't care where they search first - if the fool boy is dead before they arrive, there's nothing he can do about it. He locks his jaw grimly at the thought, and continues on in silence.

When the group arrives at the old church, Marcus can't prevent the cold chill from creeping up his spine. He does his best to rationalize it away. Damned wind - it's cold enough this time of year as it is. Marcus had never had much cause to be a religious man, but the empty and dark feeling this old site had always given him seemed almost supernatural in origin.

Either way, this place always put him on edge. He grips his weapon in both hands - and mentally scolds himself when he realizes that he's nervously choking up on the handle. When the boxer mentions heading in to scout the place out, Marcus begins glancing around cautiously to decide for himself if he liked the idea of splitting up. He was about to give his consent when he sees a soft blur of movement from beyond the walls of the graveyard. A jolt of adrenaline through his system makes his interjection come out a bit more forcefully than he intended.

"Hold! There's...there seemed to be something moving in there - with the graves."

Jastonius
2007-12-12, 07:12 PM
Junior stares at Jezreel's back, and proclaims: "Heh, I am watching your back, get it!" Junior grins at his witty commit looking at his companions as if for approval, which is cut short by Marcus' comment. Junior then looks in the direction pointed out.

sprklemajik
2007-12-12, 08:39 PM
"Shh... I think I saw something too, although I'm not certain." Maybe I'm just spooked, Sam, you need to calm down. Loosing your head will not help this situation at all... Sam readies her weapon, almost as if against her better judgement. She takes a deep breath and steadies herself, preparing for the worst. "It could just be Tommy playing in the graveyard."

C12H22O11
2007-12-12, 10:18 PM
Whatever was moving in the graveyard is out of sight now, and there's no way to tell from here if it was real, or just the shadows playing with your mind. Shadows... as you think about it, you realize that there aren't any shadows anymore. The sun has chosen to finally slip far enough below the horizon that night has truly fallen. It's very dark, and it'll be at least another hour or two before the first moon rises.
At least the wind seems to have settled down, so it'll be easy to get a torch lit.

OmegaDamien
2007-12-13, 12:17 AM
As Jezreel reaches the door, peering in he sees a humanoid shape off in the distance side of the church, approximately 80 ft away. At first he thinks it might be someone just taking up temporary residence here, but the head turns and gazes back at him. Jezreel feels a spine tingling chill as he realizes that instead of eyes this creature had glowing green orbs. He realized too late that the light behind him was casting a pretty obvious shadow into the church. Jezreel curses himself for his foolish error and pushes the door open, backing slowly down the step and holding his quarterstaff at the ready.
"Careful gents. Looks like we got undead. There is a ghoul or something in there. It had glowing green eyes. Keep your eyes sharp. Smiley, why don't you try to get a torch lit so we can have some light."
Jezreel gestures at Junior then returns his gaze to the doors of the church. Now that the sun was down he had lost sight of the fiend, but knew he was there somewhere.

TheGreatJabu
2007-12-13, 01:26 AM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus's eyes close to slits as he attempts to peer through the darkness of the room. Great. There are walking dead in this wretched place. He kneels down facing the door, and pulls his pack off his back and down onto the ground in front of him. He spends a few moments foraging through the bag to pull out a torch and his flint and steel. Marcus takes a few seconds trying to strike a good spark to light it. "We may need another light source - if trouble arises, I'll have to drop mine. I'll take point." With his flambeau in one hand and his halberd resting on his shoulder, Marcus will lead the way into the monastary once another person has a light source ready.

OmegaDamien
2007-12-13, 12:42 PM
Jezreel reaches back and grabs the torch from Marcus. Quickly returning his gaze to the door.
"I'll take it. It won't hinder my abilities much. Just keep an eye open on that gate. We don't know how many are lurking around here."

TheGreatJabu
2007-12-13, 11:27 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus nods to Jezreel and hands off the torch. He hadn't heard much about the man, other than he was a fierce boxer and seemed to subscribe to one of those weird philosophies from abroad. Either way, the man realized that Marcus needed both of his hands to be good in a fight, and was willing to help him out. Seems like I can count on him to be looking out for me - that's a good start.

Marcus holds his weapon out in front of him. "Alright. Get another light going for the rear, and let's move in. Stay close so we don't get separated. The dead won't find us easy prey if we can avoid getting split up."

With that, Marcus begins to proceed slowly into the darkened church. He takes slow and careful steps to avoid any unnecessary haste or ruckus (and to keep from getting ahead of the sources of light).

Jastonius
2007-12-14, 03:43 AM
Junior makes a noise to himself. "Whoops, I forgot..." Junior chants to himself, "Lumos", as the spell "light" is cast on his shield. Then Junior follows Marcus inside. I have never seen the living dead before. Even when I learned about them, they didn't seem this real. Junior thinks to himself and shivers.

sprklemajik
2007-12-14, 07:53 AM
Sam tightens her grip on her weapon, and watches Junior cast light. Dummy.. You can do that too. Hopefully one day you can quit panicking and prove you're actually going to be helpful to this crew sometime... Sam follows the rest of the group into the church, trying not to make a sound and draw any attention to herself.

C12H22O11
2007-12-14, 12:15 PM
Everyone edges cautiously through the decaying door, weapons and eyes at the ready. Once inside, the flickering torchlight and silvery glow of Junior's shield reveal a room strewn with broken pews and fragments of timber. The church benches must once have been arranged in two straight rows with an aisle down the cneter, but only the barest hint of a path remains now, threading through piles of wooden debris and rotting tapestries. Shattered and crushed glass glitters from the floor near the windows, and here and there can be spotted the metallic glint of some small object or another buried amongst the rubble.
The tableau is oddly quiet until your ears adjust to the lack of natural sounds indoors, at which point you all begin to hear the slow scrape... crunch. scraaaaape... crunch of something moving slowly and erratically through the ruined church. With a final slow scraaaape, something lurches into view at the shadowy fringes of the torchlight. It might have been human, once - or possibly even dwarven, or a particularly runty hobgoblin. Whatever it used to be, though, it's quite obvious that it's been dead for a long time. Decaying black skin still clings to greenish-gray flesh in some places, but in others you can see clear down to dry, brittle bone. Worms and maggots crawl through gaping holes and glistening entrails, some falling off with every step to lie squirming on the floor. The zombie moves slowly forward, but you realize that it still hasn't noticed your presence - it's staring at a space a few feet to the left of the group, and heading in that direction. Sam, even though she was the last one through the door, is the first to recover from her shock.

[OOC] Cue battle music!
Initiative order:
Sam
Marcus
Jezreel
Junior

sprklemajik
2007-12-15, 07:10 PM
Sam moves toward the creature and swings her weapon.

C12H22O11
2007-12-15, 08:01 PM
With a sickening wet thud the quarterstaff slams into the zombie's dangling left arm, but apart from dislodging a writhing mass of maggots, it seems to have no real effect. The undead horror, seemingly oblivious to the attack, takes another dragging step forward without changing direction.

TheGreatJabu
2007-12-15, 08:04 PM
Marcus Lyron

As the lady rushes past him towards the monstrosity, Marcus is unable to react in time to stop her. He shouts at her as she rushes past. "Wait, hold! We all move together!" He snarls as she rushes on, and he shouts over his shoulder to the others.

"Stick together! We move as one - let's go!" He waits a moment for the others to understand the plan and will begin to move towards the creature once Jezreel and Junior are ready.


Hold initiative until Junior acts - then begin moving towards the zombie.

sprklemajik
2007-12-15, 09:05 PM
Oh... okay, guess we should have talked about this before?

[OOC: Hi guys, sorry I've been the holdup. I'm just now getting back to the apartment. We went to ATL all day yesterday for Jeff's work's party last night, and then house stuff this morning, then a wedding. Now it's time to play some rock band!! w00t! :) ]

OmegaDamien
2007-12-15, 10:36 PM
Jezreel moves along side with Marcus, quickly closing in on the creature. He delivers a quick combo starting with a kick to its face followed by a jab to the side of its face, ending this combo almost to the opposite side of Sam. Keeping the fire away from his comrades. As he is moving he shouts over his shoulder.
Keep an eye on our rear Smiley. We don't want anyone sneaking up on us."

Jastonius
2007-12-15, 11:56 PM
Junior rushes forward to the zombie, screaming as he is running, and swings at the rotting carcass. "It's time to meet my friend PAIN!"

C12H22O11
2007-12-16, 11:29 AM
The zombie continues forward with a few more slow, shuffling steps, seemingly still unaware of its surroundings. Then, almost as one, the remainder of your group takes action. Marcus and Jezreel advance cautiously, torch and halberd held out in front as if to ward off danger. Junior, on the other hand, rushes forward and slams his hammer into the zombie's chest before the other two can react. With a brutal crunch the hammer hits home, leaving a large round indentation in the zombie's ribcage and sending gobs of a greasy gray fluid spurting through the air. Jezreel, who was already in mid-swing, hits only air as the zombie reels backwards from the sheer momentum of Junior's charge. Marcus, on the other hand, uses the longer reach of his weapon to maximum effect, managing to completely sever the zombie's left arm in a shower of maggots and rotting flesh.
The zombie, finally taking notice of the intruders, turns slowly and swings a surprisingly well-aimed roundhouse at Junior's head. Junior, still off-balance from the ferocity of his assault, manages to get his shield up just in time to deflect the blow and save himself from the shower of dead gray ooze that sloughs off the zombie's fist on impact.

Round 2 order:
Sam
Junior, Jezreel, Marcus
Zombie (badly wounded)

sprklemajik
2007-12-16, 01:17 PM
Sam readies herself and waits for the others to attack so that she can aid the party.

OmegaDamien
2007-12-16, 05:09 PM
Jezreel slips around Sam and uses his momentum to throw him into a sharp spin, bringing the hell his foot up under the zombies head. Ending in a defensive stance facing the front of the fiend.

TheGreatJabu
2007-12-16, 09:00 PM
Marcus Lyron

Now that the unit has swarmed over the creature, Marcus decides to end this fight as quickly as possible. Thrusting his weapon down towards the zombie's legs, he attempts to get the hook in place and tug with all his might, bringing the abomination tumbling over to the ground, where his allies can pummel it mercilessly.

OOC:
Standard action - Trip attempt on zombie: Melee Touch Attack: [roll0] If hit, opposed Strength check (Marcus at +3)
Move action (only if Trip fails) - scramble to draw out handaxe from belt

sprklemajik
2007-12-16, 10:37 PM
Sam begins to swing her quarterstaff at the zombie, trying to end this battle as quickly as possible so that the group can continue its search for the missing boy. "And this one's for Tommy!"

C12H22O11
2007-12-23, 01:00 PM
Jezreel's kick connects with the zombie's chin, or whatever was left of it after the years spent moldering in the cold earth. With a wet tearing sound the zombie's head tears free of the few brittle tendons still holding it on and tumbles off into the darkness somewhere. Sam's staff follows up with a well-placed jab, toppling the headless corpse over backwards. The body lands with a thud and makes no attempt to get up. In fact, it does its best to pull Marcus down as it goes, snagging on the billhook of his halberd and dragging him forward a few steps before he can disentangle the weapon from the defeated monster's legs.
The only sound to be heard now is the snap and crackle of the blazing torch, filling the silence of the abandoned church and drowning out the rush of blood in everyone's ears.

TheGreatJabu
2007-12-24, 08:10 AM
Marcus Lyron

Once the shambling monstrosity fell over and ceased to stir, Marcus begin struggling to extricate his weapon from beneath the body. His difficulties in freeing the weapon only serve to further his irritation, and he angrily addresses the priest and the woodswoman.

"What part of 'stay close' wasn't clear? We're lucky there weren't more - we could have easily been running headlong into a dangerous situation. I won't have you run off and die foolishly if I can prevent it. This town's lost enough life already. Now, can you try to stick together, or would you rather us lop the heads off of your corpses to prevent you from rising once the dead claim you? Those are our options."

With a frustrated yank, he pulls his weapon free and rests it back on his shoulder, giving the two a stern glare.

OmegaDamien
2007-12-26, 11:36 PM
Jezreel takes a moment to himself, his eyes closed. He hears Marcus's justified exclamation, but at the moment he is more focused on calming his rapidly beating heart. After a moment, he feels his breath coming to a steady pace and he looks around the church.
"Marcus is right. None of us are experienced enough warriors to throw ourselves into harms way without careful consideration. That creature seemed to be looking for something earlier, or heading somewhere. We should have a careful look around."

sprklemajik
2007-12-28, 09:49 AM
Sam paces along the floor, trying to calm her nerves. She's screaming inside, never having taken a life. Although technically... He was already dead. And remember, the undead is an abomination against nature.... Just calm down.

"I apologize Marcus. It was just all the excitement... I'll try to hold back from now on. Look, if we follow the zombie's path back, I think... Is that a doorway? Should we follow it or look around?"

TheGreatJabu
2007-12-28, 12:37 PM
Marcus Lyron

After Sam's apology, Marcus feels a few pangs of guilt. Hell, the girl's not a soldier. Why should she know how to fight? He looks down at the corpse that had previously been assailing them, and his guilt is removed. If I don't teach them myself, they may not live through this. He looks back up to face the woman, but he isn't able to lift his eyes off of the ground. When he speaks, the fire gone out of his voice. "It's just the safest way." He pauses a moment to wipe the congealed gunk from the zombie's body off of his weapon, then looks back up at the group. "Yes, let's move out. We can't expect that Tommy will try to speak up or find us while these creatures are about, so we'll need to try to sweep the area clean if at all possible. Let's make sure that this area is secure before we try to move further into the church - if we ever need to make an escape, we don't want a shambling horde waiting for us."

OOC:
Spot! [roll0]
Listen! [roll1]
Search! [roll2]

C12H22O11
2007-12-29, 11:05 AM
The flickering torchlight, combined with the silvery glow of Junior's shield, illuminates roughly half of the derelict church at any one time. Working together, with a steady stream of inane commentary from the large cleric, you thoroughly search the rubble and peer into all the dark corners in the main room of the church.
After several minutes of searching, you're certain that there are no more undead in this particular section of the building. It's obvious that bandits and scavengers have picked the church clean over the years, as the only object you find that might possibly have any value is a battered and bent brass candlestick.
Sam is correct in noting that the zombie seems to have shuffled into the main room of the church from some other place, as there is a clear track of squirming insects and putrefecation that leads back to a small doorway located behind the altar. Thrusting the torch into the passageway reveals that it continues back farther than the flame's glow can penetrate, and while the hallway is a good eight feet wide near the altar (perhaps having once served as a closet or storage space), it narrows considerably after that. If you wish to explore it further, you will be forced to travel single file.

The close confines of the hallway will impose a -2 penalty to attacks made with Large-size weapons (halberd, quarterstaff), although a reach weapon will still have reach to the front or rear.

TheGreatJabu
2007-12-29, 04:08 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus peers down the darkened corridor and frowns. Perfect place for an ambush. He rests an arm against the crumbling, old wall as he sizes up the situation and realizes that his halberd will be a bit cumbersome in these tight quarters. Great. Another time that I've been forced to wish that these things come with some kind of carrying strap. If worst comes to worst, I can just drop it. He stands back up straight and attempts to wipe off his now-dirty arm for a few moments.

Once finished, Marcus lowers his large weapon to point it straight down the hallway. If he can't swing with it, at least he can still use the spear-portion of it. "I'll stay on point. Jezreel, behind me, Sam behind him, and Junior at the rear. I'd ask you to scout ahead, Jezreel, but the torch would give you away. For now we'll just have to continue advancing as a group. Everyone ready?"

He waits a few moments for everyone to signal their preparedness (or lack thereof), and assuming there are no objections he begins a slow and careful march down the hall.

OOC:
Standard action - Full Defense
Move action - Move at halfspeed

OmegaDamien
2007-12-29, 08:27 PM
Jezreel stands beside Marcus as he cleans his arm. Before Marcus heads in, he places a hand on his shoulder.
"Marcus, these close quarters won't hamper my combat effectiveness. Why don't you let me go first. If danger comes I can either try to slip past it or ease back behind you. My training at the monastery has left me adept at slipping through dangerous encounters."

TheGreatJabu
2007-12-30, 08:35 AM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus opens his mouth to object, but stops himself. I don't want to admit it, but he has a point. He scoots to the side to let the boxer pass, and mutters awkwardly. "Be careful."

sprklemajik
2007-12-31, 07:20 PM
Sam lines up as requested by the soldier. She thinks he might be warming up a little bit, but it might also be her imagination as well. Sam readies her weapon as best she can, realizes it won't help much along the tunnel area. "I can carry the torch to help free you gentlemen up?" Speaking in a tone that is more of a question than a statement.

Jastonius
2008-01-02, 12:32 AM
Junior stops picking his nose for a second to realize that his comrades have left him standing of the desecration of a human body. Heh, we thwunked him. Junior then runs after the rest and walks backwards gaurding the rear. "Undead stuff...I don't like this. Let's find Tommy, Thwunk the baddies, and..." Junior trails off seeming as if he forgot what else to do. Then he snaps into place gaurding with his shield.

OmegaDamien
2008-01-02, 10:53 AM
Jezreel leads the way down the narrow passageway. Knowing that thieves and various brigands have often used this church for shelter, he moves forward cautiously, not knowing what little surprises may be in store for this party.

C12H22O11
2008-01-04, 01:27 PM
The cold stone hallway is about fifty feet long, arrow-straight, and narrow. You suspect it leads directly behind the main portion of the church, but without looking outside, you can't be certain. Regardless, the hallway terminates in a small rectangular room lined with shelves and a pair of plain wooden armoires. The ceiling here is a regular height, which seems a tad bit cramped after the openness of the church itself, but it's relieving to realize that you won't have to worry about anything dropping on you from the rafters.
The shelves are in surprisingly good condition, although they have been picked bare. Thieves have even gone so far as to wrench several objects from the wall - you can see the cracks and holes in the stone, but they offer no clue as to what was once mounted there. The only object of note in the room is a pile of what appears to be the disintegrating remains of an ornate rug, pushed up against the back wall. You surmise that the rug must have once covered the entire floor, hiding the trapdoor that is set into the floor. The wooden cover has been lifted out of the hole in the floor, and shows scrape marks where it was pushed across the stones to its current resting place a few feet away. The trail of zombie debris starts at the edge of the hole, and you notice a few maggots crawling across the decaying rug.

OmegaDamien
2008-01-04, 03:39 PM
Jezreel takes the torch and shines it down by the hole, peering around inside.

C12H22O11
2008-01-04, 03:41 PM
A series of stone steps twist downwards in a spiral. You cannot see more than a few feet down them because of the curvature of the stairs. If you wish to explore further, you will have to walk down the steps.

OmegaDamien
2008-01-04, 03:44 PM
Jezreel stands back, looking thoughtfully down the hole.
"There appears to be a stairwell spiraling downwards. We should probably go down, but I have a bad feeling about it. Shall we proceed down in the same order?"

sprklemajik
2008-01-05, 07:15 PM
Sam shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot, contemplating the dangers of being so enclosed without being able to see ahead. "I... I don't mind following" Sam says sheepishly.

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-05, 07:51 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus squints as he attempts to peer down the dark stairwell. I don't like this... In response to Jezreel's question, he responds grimly. "Same formation. Keep a sharp eye on every corner."

OmegaDamien
2008-01-06, 09:56 PM
Jezreel doesn't like the idea of going down an unfamiliar winding stairwell with undead about, but if Tommy is down there then we need to save him.
"Ok well then unless smiley there has any objections then lets get to it."
Without awaiting a response Jezreel shines the light in front of him, listening carefully for any sound, and eases himself down the stairwell slowly.

C12H22O11
2008-01-06, 11:10 PM
The stairs spiral downwards, and you follow them single-file, slowly and with great caution. By the time you get to the bottom, you're no longer sure which direction you're facing, but you seem to have gone at least a dozen feet down. The air down here is cool and damp, and smells of mildew and age.
The staircase has led you to a small square chamber with three other doorways. Only the one to the right still has a door, as the other two have fallen from their hinges and lie in splinters on the flagstone floor. The opening to your left appears to be nothing more than a storeroom, with the remains of shattered pots and vessels strewn about the floor, under a thick layer of dust and filth.
The room straight ahead has only a pile of rotting fabric in the corner, and a few jagged shards of a mirror clinging to the wall, but you guess that it might once have been someone's sleeping chamber.
Whatever part of the zombie was leaking must have started at some point on the staircase, as you can see no signs of its passage in this room.

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-06, 11:39 PM
Marcus Lyron

Once the group has determined that the two open rooms possess no threats, Marcus sets his eyes on the closed door sealing off the third chamber. He walks up to it cautiously and stands to the right side of it, listening intently for a few moments. He waves the others over to him.

"Let's make sure this room is clear before we bother searching the area thoroughly. Priest...'Smiley', let's you and I open it. We're the most protected, and I'll need your muscle if this thing is barred on the other side."

Jastonius
2008-01-07, 09:10 PM
Upon hearing the word priest spoken, Junior snaps to attention. "Is it thwunkin' time? Oh...and my name is Junior." Junior stands next to the fighter and obnoxiously mimics his stances as if it would help in some way.

OmegaDamien
2008-01-08, 11:39 PM
Jezreel stands near the other gentlemen, standing back from the door a couple of feet unless something busts out.
"Before we do this, is everyone agreed? I mean I don't hear anything on the other side other than some dripping water."

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-09, 03:03 AM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus nods to Junior as the two ready themselves for whatever may lie ahead. Not taking his eyes off of the door, he 'whispers' back over his shoulder to Jezreel - the loss of volume makes his voice sound even more gruff. "We can't afford to leave a possible flank exposed. Ready, Father Junior?"

Marcus slowly draws in a deep breath and pushes hard on the door, pulling his weapon up to attention and readying himself for the worst.

C12H22O11
2008-01-09, 12:35 PM
The door screeches open on old, rusty hinges. Surely, the sound it makes is loud enough to wake the dead - if they weren't already awake, that is.
The door finally thunks against a wall and stops, hanging open. Peering inside, you see that the front portion of this room is much like the one opposite it - a small storeroom of some sort. This one, however, has no back, as the cut stone blocks give way suddenly to the raw limestone and dripping stalctites of a natural cave. The dripping water sound, you now see, is coming from a small waterfall feeding a clear, cold pool. The edges of the pool have been artificially built out of the same mortared stone blocks as the rest of the church, and a few intact jugs sit immersed in the water, presumably to keep them chilled. The excess water drains out through a hole in the back of the pool, back into the rock, and out of sight.
You realize with a start that the light from Junior's shield is pulsing, slowly at first, but then with increasing speed. It brightens one final time, and then goes completely out, signalling the end of the spell's duration. The only light left to you now is the torch, still blazing against the darkness of the cave, which extends farther back than the flame's glow can penetrate.
As you stand there, adjusting to the loss of half your light, you hear a familiar sound: scrape... crunch. scrape... crunch. scraaaaape... crunch. A pair of faintly glowing green spots float into view from the depths of the cave, and with a tortured "uuuuuUUUUUUUHH!", the eyes begin advancing towards you with the same unsettling scraaaape... crunch as before.

Distance to Zombie: 50'
Turn Order:
Dennis
Jason
Patrick
Tessa

OmegaDamien
2008-01-09, 02:37 PM
Jezreel steps to the front since he is holding the only remaining light. He keeps his eyes locked on the approaching fiend, but tries to listen for any other sounds.
"Ok group, like last time, spread out some so we can attack it from multiple side. Keep your eyes open for anything else"

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-10, 03:54 AM
Marcus Lyron

Remembering Father Junior's previous impulsiveness in combat, Marcus steps forward to fill the frame of the door with his body, preventing anyone from passing. He lets his weapon droop down low to the ground in front of him and keeps his eyes locked on the putrid-smelling horror before him. He shouts loudly, sending his voice echoing through the chamber and the caves beyond.

"More light! Step back and space out! I'll knock it over then fall back to join the formation! Move!"

With that, he keeps his arms held down, waiting to jerk the hook of his halberd into the back of the creature's knees when it draws close enough.

OOC:
Move action - 5' step to block off doorway
Standard action - Ready a Trip attempt when it gets within range (+3 Melee touch attack followed by +3 to Trip attempt itself - no AoO)

Jastonius
2008-01-10, 02:47 PM
Junior compresses into his feet as though it looks like he might leap through the warrior and the door. "Man with the pole! Crap what is your name...Marcus! I am ready to thwunk." Junior continues to stay in this position while the zombie lurches forward.

sprklemajik
2008-01-13, 08:44 AM
OOC: I was waiting on Patrick, but I'll just assume he waits on this turn.

Sam steps to the side and begins speaking in Druidic, she casts light on the end of her quarterstaff, so it looks similar to a torch. "Okay guys, I'm ready to move."

C12H22O11
2008-01-14, 01:06 PM
As you all fall into position, the zombie slowly shambles into the pool of light cast by the torch and Sam's glowing staff. This zombie is older than the previous one, and decidedly less moist. You can see dry grayish bones showing in many places, and the entire lower portion of the zombie's face has sloughed off, revealing a filthy jawbone that seems to grin at you with a grim malevolence.
The zombie moves slowly, and it is a few more seconds before it comes within Marcus' reach, but when it does, he strikes. He hooks the beak of his halberd behind the zombie's leg and pulls, sending the zombie tumbling to the ground. His follow-up attack, however, merely glances off the horror's exposed ribcage, striking a shower of sparks from the stone floor but doing little else.
With the zombie on the ground, however, it is a simple matter for Junior to step forward and shatter the zombie's leg with his warhammer. Jezreel follows up with a pair of well-placed kicks, snapping a few of the monster's brittle ribs with the second.
Sam steps forward as well and raises her staff above her head to deliver the finishing blow, but succeeds only in wedging the non-glowing end of her weapon into a crack between two stones in the ceiling. The stave is firmly stuck, and while the light still shines brightly on the battle, it will take several precious seconds to free it.
The zombie, for its part, tries to grab Jezreel's legs and pull him down to the floor, but Jezreel easily dances out of the way of the clumsy attack, kicking at the zombie's arm as it gropes towards him. The kick lands, but a blow that would bruise muscle and crush tissue in a living opponent has little effect on a dead one.

Round Two, fight!
Also, Tessa, kudos for politeness, but Patrick was actually the first one to post. We were waiting on you. :smallsmile:

OmegaDamien
2008-01-14, 01:58 PM
Jezreel aims a couple of quick kicks at the prone zombie. He drives his foot into the sternum and then brings his foot quickly upward into the fiend's "jaw." At the same time he tries to keep out of its grasp, dancing lightly around before and after the blows.

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-14, 03:12 PM
Marcus Lyron

As the graceless creature shuffles into range, Marcus heaves back hard on his weapon and sends the monstrosity tumbling over onto its back. Not a moment later, the others spring forward and begin waylaying their foe. The swift and coordinated actions of the group give Marcus his first feelings of confidence in this unit's ability to succeed. In the midst of the melee, he grins. As the undead abomination is battered by the attacks of the others, the guard lifts his halberd up and brings it crashing down square into its torso with all of his might.

OOC:
Standard action - Hit 'em! Power Attack of 1! +2 to hit, 1d10+5 damage

C12H22O11
2008-01-14, 03:33 PM
Marcus' powerful blow lands true, neatly bisecting the zombie's torso and putting an end to its horrid un-life. Already committed to the attack, Jezreel's kicks merely slide the zombie's upper half a few feet across the flagstone floor, leaving a trail of gore and decaying flesh. This battle, too, is over, and the silence comes rushing back.
With a startling CRASH!, Sam's quarterstaff dislodges itself from the ceiling and clatters to the floor. The cave ahead now appears clear, and without the zombie's hideous gasping to drown it out, you can hear the faint stir of air moving somewhere in its depths.

Jastonius
2008-01-14, 06:55 PM
Junior looks at his friend with the pole. He remarks generally, "One Thwunked, who knows how many to go. No need to stand around in the dim light shuffling the feet. Lets look around."Junior then inspectsthe room in which they are in.

OmegaDamien
2008-01-14, 09:48 PM
Jezreel wipes his feet off onto the floor as best he can then resigns from the task with a look of mild disgust. After a quick glance around the room he decides to investigate further down the tunnel.

"We should move down the tunnel. He is obviously not here and I don't want to waste time investigating a decaying corpse."

He looks down the tunnel and begins to move slowly in that direction.

sprklemajik
2008-01-15, 07:18 AM
Sam hurriedly picks up her quarterstaff and tries to quiet her heart. "Sorry about the clatter guys, guess there's no need to try and be quiet. Although I have heard that zombies have the same memory span as a goldfish. So maybe they will forget that we're here... " Sam winks to the group and follows them along the hallway.

OOC: so just for my future knowledge, if there's an order to the action (like initiative) we still just all post willy nilly? :) I'm not trying to be annoying, I'm trying to understand how it works so I am not the hold up anymore.

OmegaDamien
2008-01-15, 09:55 AM
OOC: Justin doesn't seem to care much what order we post in, he will roll the attacks in the proper order. However, I think doing it in "correct" order for now on (*hangs head in shame*) will be much less confusing.

sprklemajik
2008-01-15, 11:25 AM
OOC: I didn't mean it that way. I just want to know so I can do it right from now on.

C12H22O11
2008-01-15, 11:24 PM
Junior looks around the room, but apart from the two half-corpses, it is the same as when you entered. Opening the clay jugs found in the pool reveals only a sticky dried residue. Whatever was once stored here has long since spoiled, leaked out, or been otherwise lost to the inexorable march of time.
Exploring the cave proves more fruitful. A few dozen yards down the tunnel, you can feel a cool, fresh breeze blowing. It soon becomes obvious that this cave opens onto the outside world.
Sure enough, another few moments of walking bring you to the mouth of the cave. It is overgrown with tree roots and rushes, but you can clearly see a few patches of night blue sky through the tangle and hear the sound of the river lapping at its bank.
You push through the rushes, and onto a small pebbly beach. The remains of a few wooden posts stick up from the surface of the water, slimy and rotten. It looks as if there was once a small pier at this beach, but other than the decaying pilings, no trace remains.
Turning around, you see that a towering oak has grown up over the cave entrance. It looks ancient, and was probably growing there before the church was even built. One thick root twists down the side of the embankment to the beach, and it looks like there are steps or handholds of some sort carved into it, leading up. You can't see what lies at the top, but it's a short climb, no more than ten feet.
Off to either side, the rocky beach and bank quickly disappear into the river, so there is nowhere to go but up.

Jastonius
2008-01-16, 02:43 AM
"Well, here goes." Junior climbs up thinking to himself. I sure do enjoy climbing. I wonder sometimes if maybe I am related to a monkey. Junior makes his way up and waits on the others.

sprklemajik
2008-01-16, 07:35 AM
Sam notices how much more fresh the air feels than usual after being in the stale death air of the caves only minutes before. "I think I hear some more zombies... but if the only way out of here is up, let's get a move on, just be careful when we make it to the top. Junior, can you guard the way for the rest of us once you get there?" She waits patiently for Junior to get a small head start so she can stay out of the way, puts away her quarterstaff and begins to follow him up the tree roots.

OmegaDamien
2008-01-16, 10:46 AM
As Jezreel exits the cave and examines his surroundings, he glances back inside and realizes this is just the kind of place that junior would love to be at, letting his imagination go wild as he plays. He shakes his head slowly and glances up the way they are about to go. He sees a sudden movement and nimbly moves up the bank to close to Junior.

"Careful Smiley, I saw something moving at the top of the back. Some flash of white. Everyone, be on the ready when we get up there. Marcus, perhaps you should bring up the rear in case something comes out of those caves."

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-16, 02:05 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus rolls his shoulders a few times once they exit the cave, and exhales loudly. It's good to have a little room again. I don't care much for such tight quarters. After popping his neck a few times, brings his attention back to the others. In reply to Jezreel's question, Marcus nods in the affirmative. "Agreed. I'm a good climber, so if there's trouble down here once you've all gone up, I should be able to follow quickly."

Marcus stands guard at a spot where he can watch both the exit of the caves and the group's ascension, but only gives an occasional glance towards the others' climbing to determine when it's clear for him to go.

C12H22O11
2008-01-16, 09:01 PM
Junior is the first one up the makeshift ladder, and finds it very dark at the top, as his shield has been unlit for several minutes. Fortunately, the glowing tip of Sam's staff pokes up a few moments later, providing enough light to see what's nearby.
The tree clings to the corner of the graveyard, its own roots forming the wall that stops the soil from sliding away into the river. There is no stone wall here, as the tree and the river together keep anyone from approaching the graves. Farther down, the wall reappears, though you can only barely see it in the blue-tinged darkness.
As Sam climbs to the top to stand next to Junior, her light spreads, revealing a few crumbling headstones and the unsettling sight of freshly-disturbed graves. It looks as though something has recently crawled out of more than one of the plots.
As Jezreel reaches the top and stands up to look around, and Marcus straps down his halberd in preparation for the climb, you hear a something rattling. It resembles a fortune teller's bones, but with a sinister cast to it. A trio of skeletons step out from behind a large stone monument, their eyes glowing with the same pale green light as the zombies. They jangle and clatter noisily as they advance towards you, but they move unencumbered by rotting flesh, and close the distance more quickly than the lumbering zombies you have faced thus far. One of them seems to have noticed you before the rest, and is at least a dozen feet closer than the others.

Dun dun DUNNN!
Turn order:
Jezreel
Marcus
Sam
Junior

OmegaDamien
2008-01-17, 09:45 PM
Keeping careful watch on the closer skeleton (dodge), Jezreel quickly moves toward it. He starts his attack with a hard kick toward its abdomen so that he can close in and deliver a hard jab to its face.

"Ok folks lets stay close together. None of us wants to be caught surrounded by a few of these things."

C12H22O11
2008-01-17, 10:09 PM
Jezreel's kick lands squarely on the skeleton's ribcage, shattering the old bones like a bundle of sticks. The skeleton reels sideways, one arm falling to the ground amid a shower of bone fragments. Suddenly, one of the other skeletons joins the fight, moving a good deal more quickly than any of you expected. With a dry rustle of old joints and dark magic, it claws at Jezreel's face, but Jezreel easily dodges the clumsy attack.

Skeleton 1: Injured

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-18, 03:23 AM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus was just reaching up to begin his climb when the clamor of the battle above reached his ears. His blood surges and he scurries up the surface, his weapon swinging violently as it dangles loosely on his back. His long, muscular arms help him quickly ascend, and soon he has hoisted himself over the edge. The sight that awaits him makes his heart beat even faster. More undead have risen to attack his allies; this time their appearance is far more sinister. Rather than a plodding animated corpse, these monstrosities are nothing more than bone, some kind of evil energy, and pure malice.

The view gives Marcus pause for a brief moment, but the plight of his comrades urges him out of his shock. He pulls himself up to his feet and steps forward to the front line of battle, reequipping his weapon as he approaches.

sprklemajik
2008-01-18, 07:21 AM
Sam stays close to Jezreel, nodding in agreement to stay close. She notices Marcus's approach and feels a little sense of relief. At least we're all still together. She swings at the already wounded skeleton with her quarterstaff.

Jastonius
2008-01-18, 07:30 PM
Junior screams out loud enough to wake the dead. He then swings his hammer at the animated skeleton. "Take that you...THING!"

C12H22O11
2008-01-18, 10:07 PM
Sam's glowing staff finishes what Jezreel's foot started, knocking the first skeleton into a pile of jumbled bones that stay where they have fallen. Junior follows up by swinging his hammer in a crushing overhead blow, turning the second skeleton into little more than a pile of dust and tiny white shards.
Only one skeleton remains, and it steps forward, oblivious to the death of ts comrades. It swipes clawed fingers at Jezreel, tearing into his flesh and leaving bloody furrows in his arm.
Jezreel replies with a fist of his own, caving in the skeleton's skull. The light in its eyes flickers an goes out, and the skeleton hangs in the air for a brief second before collapsing into a pile at Jezreel's feet.

Without the distraction of imminent death, you have a chance to look around the graveyard. There are quite a few disturbed graves, even in the small area you can see clearly. Some are marked with simple headstones, or rotted wooden planks, while there are even a few ornate marble obelisks and statues that have not escaped being unearthed. There are far more open graves than the half-dozen undead you've encountered thus far.
Somewhere off in the darkness, you hear a raven caw. It keeps calling, over and over again, setting your nerves on edge. And underneath the sound of the raven, somewhere in the dark, you can hear the faint scraping of something digging, clawing at the earth...

OmegaDamien
2008-01-19, 11:06 AM
Jezreel takes a moment to let his heart slow. He needed to remain in complete control of himself if he is too get through this alive. He takes a moment to scan the graveyard, feeling shiver go down his spine as he notices the number of empty graves, hoping that his party doesn't stumble onto a small horde of undead in our endeavor to save the boy. Despite his efforts to remain completely calm, the scrapping sound, like someone digging at the earth, causes his heart to beat a little faster.

"TOMMY. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WHERE ARE YOU?"

sprklemajik
2008-01-20, 12:37 PM
Sam steadies herself on her weapon, clearly shaken by the newest attacks. "I think we should keep moving, this is certainly not a place we want to waste time. It sounds like there may be many more... well, like we're about to have quite a bit more company soon." Sam doesn't leave the group but looks around, searching for some safer ground to stand on. "Tommy, if you're out here, we've come to take you home, please come out".

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-20, 01:01 PM
Marcus Lyron

Once the battle is over and Marcus has a chance to view their surroundings, he can almost feel the bile crawling up the back of his throat. The graves...there are so many that are empty! "Let's move. If the boy was here near these creatures, he'd already be dead. If he wasn't, we've got to keep searching. Either way, we shouldn't stay here."

C12H22O11
2008-01-20, 05:30 PM
Jezreel's shout startles the raven into silence, and whatever was digging stops as well. All is silent as Sam and Marcus speak, but as the group turns to leave the graveyard, a whisper cuts through the quiet, turning your blood to ice and stopping everyone mid-stride.
"whatssssssssss... tommeeeeeeee..........."

OmegaDamien
2008-01-21, 06:40 PM
Jezreel feels his stomach churn at the sound of the whisper from...whatever it is. He had hoped for a response, but was not expecting it to come from a voice that seem to carry with it this feeling of foreboding. He scan's the graveyard slowly, trying to pick up on any detail he might have missed.
"Who's there? Do you know where the boy is?"

C12H22O11
2008-01-21, 07:19 PM
boyyyyy...? boy isss tommeeeee? isss lost?
You catch a glimpse of something moving behind a headstone, but it's just outside the pool of light cast by the torch and Sam's staff, and you can't make out what it is.

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-22, 02:42 AM
Marcus Lyron

The sudden voice puts Marcus on full alert. He defensively raises his weapon and steps to interpose himself between the sound and his allies. When it seems that the unnerving speaker seems to have some interest in communication rather than combat, his heart begins to calm again. Marcus still isn't exactly ready to trust someone or something that he met in the graveyard of an abandoned church. He speaks, and his voice carries the edge of distrust that he feels.

"Yes, we're looking for one named Tommy. Step forward into the light, so that we won't have to be looking for you, as well."

C12H22O11
2008-01-22, 07:39 PM
"no lookssss for usss...... lights stingsss usssssss..."
Something slinks into the light, low to the ground and covered in dirt. It moves smoothly, and for a moment you almost believe it's human, until you notice that its skin is gray and shrunken, its clothes are tattered and rotting, and its eyes glow with the same foul green light as the other undead you've encountered. It stares at you for a few moments, cringing away from Sam's illuminated quarterstaff, and then shuffles a few steps backwards, to just past the limit of the light's reach.
"meat... we wantssss meatssssssss."

Jastonius
2008-01-23, 01:51 PM
"Does anyone have any meat?" Junior asks to his friends? Then he turns to the grey skinned thing and says "Is chicken alright with you or would you prefer beef?"

sprklemajik
2008-01-23, 02:34 PM
"Vegetarian here... sorry." Sam finds this process a little unnerving. I'm sure he's not interested in either... probably wants.. well... human. Sam takes a step back.

OmegaDamien
2008-01-23, 10:14 PM
Jezreel takes a deep, calming breath, letting the tension from the situation leave as he exhales. Then he cautiously steps toward the fiend, trying to stay alert for any signs of danger from it or the surroundings.
"You want...meat. Well we might be able to give you some meat if you could perhaps tell us what is going on here. Why are there so many ...of your kind around?"

C12H22O11
2008-01-25, 10:37 AM
"our kind issss... born here. many other placessss, yessss, but here isss one of manyyyyyy... you looks for one who is ssssmaller, yesss? ssssmaller and sssstil warm, you seekssss....?"

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-25, 01:50 PM
Marcus Lyron

The words of their disturbing informant make Marcus bristle. "Yes, and he damned well better be warm, with all his 'meat' intact when we find him! If you say you're 'born' here, who created you? Maybe he'll know where the child is."

C12H22O11
2008-01-25, 06:05 PM
The creature is silent for a moment, as if puzzled by something Marcus has said. "you createsss ussssss... from you we comessss, in the ground and outsss again... we could find boy, easssy to find, very warm boysss yesss... we could find for meatssssss...?"

OmegaDamien
2008-01-25, 10:07 PM
Jezreel considers this a moment, an idea coming to mind that does not settle particularly well with him. Finally he steps up to the creature and gazes unblinkingly into its eerie eyes.
"If you can guide us to the warm boy and ensure his safety, we'll arrange for you to get some meat."

sprklemajik
2008-01-26, 08:16 AM
"What?! What kind of promise is that? Meat for them? Maybe we shouldn't speak so hastily." Sam is in shock. She whispers to Jezreel, "You don't think they'd be satisfied with a calf do you?"

OmegaDamien
2008-01-26, 04:04 PM
Jezreel leans back and whisper just so that his companions can hear.
"I just want to find Tommy. We'll give him meat like we promised, if he doesn't like what we provide then..well... we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Keep your eyes open though because this could easily be a trap."

Jastonius
2008-01-27, 11:50 PM
Junior looks at the two and says, "Yes! We have lots and lots of big meats! Moo-cow and pig and maybe even a chicken or two!" Junior waits for a response from his companions or the thing in the ground.

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-28, 03:32 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus is positively seething at the prospect of having to ally themselves with the wretch before them, but he realizes that the risk of the creature's betrayal is worth an improved chance to find the boy alive. He remains silent, but continues to glower at their new 'acquaintance'.

OmegaDamien
2008-01-29, 06:12 PM
"So its agreed."
Jezreel can not help, but notice the sour expression on everyone's face. He didn't blame them. Personally, he too would rather have nothing to do with these creatures, but Tommy's life was on the line and he had to try anything.
Turning back to the creature he fixes him with a hard gaze.
"Ok we're agreed. If you can lead us to the warm boy then we will see to it that you get some meat."

C12H22O11
2008-01-31, 12:16 PM
"yesss... we will findsss the warm boy. you stay here, we will bring him to youssss... yesss, bring him to yousssss...."
You hear the undead slink off into the night, muttering something to itself, while from all around the graveyard come the sounds of skeletons clattering and zombies shuffling in the same direction. There were apparently a good deal more undead hiding here than you first suspected.
Somewhere far off in the distance, a wolf howls, and is answered by another. Their calls echo through the darkness, ringing in your ears for long seconds after the wolves themselves have gone silent.

TheGreatJabu
2008-01-31, 02:17 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus scowls and speaks lowly to the others. "Let's follow him. If we stay, we'll be surrounded by more of his kin. Even if he's telling the truth, I don't want him to be responsible for bringing the boy to us - he'd probably make a meal of him and never return!"

sprklemajik
2008-01-31, 04:54 PM
"I agree Marcus. The wolves howling, they have found prey to hunt. Since we aren't the prey and they wouldn't eat undead, there is something else live out there they are hunting. It could be Tommy or someone else in need of help. We need to hurry. We also need to be wary... I'd rather not do harm to the wolves if we can avoid it."

OmegaDamien
2008-01-31, 11:42 PM
Jezreel ponders the situation for a moment before he responds to his comrades.
"Ok its agreed. We'll follow, but we need to be careful not to threaten them. I hate working with undead, but I think I would hate more to be eaten by them After they overwhelm us."

Jezreel turns in the direction that the creature left it leads the way in that direction.

OmegaDamien
2008-02-01, 12:21 AM
OOC. Apparently I am a 3rd level human cleric (lawful good). With strength, dexterity, and wisdom of 13, constitution and intelligence of 15, and a charisma 12. Apparently I was a dead balance between lawful and neutral and human and gnome (interestingly enough).

Not sure how reliable this thing is, but it was interesting.

C12H22O11
2008-02-03, 10:11 PM
The undead shuffle along in the same direction, ignoring you except to move around you when you get in their way. At least a dozen zombies and almost twice as many skeletons shamble through the graveyard gateway, following some unheard command. Once past the rusted and mangled gates, they split off in different directions, moving in small groups up the road, down the road, and across the barren fields.
You see no sign of the undead that spoke to you earlier. It is either a close match with the zombies, or it has evaded your notice. Without seeing which way it went, you have no way of knowing which group to follow.

Jastonius
2008-02-03, 11:39 PM
"Hmph, which way did he go?"Junior comtemplates for a while. Well there is only one way they are going. "Lets follow the group for now." Junior then waits for his companions.

OmegaDamien
2008-02-04, 10:59 PM
As Jezreel sees that the groups are splitting up he frowns. He really didn't want to wait for them to return, but he also hated the idea of following one group only to find out that its the wrong one. He turns to his companions.
"We have to decide fast which group to follow. I don't like the idea of splitting up, but I like even less the idea of missing our best chance of finding Tommy. Any thoughts?"
As his allies ponder for a moment, Jezreel turns back to the undead mass and calls out:
"Which one of you did we make that deal with?"
Worth a shot he thinks to himself.

sprklemajik
2008-02-05, 07:11 AM
"Do you think they are searching for him as a group and will return to us? If the undead we have spoken with will not reply, I think we should follow the group heading toward the howl of the wolves," pointing to the direction she thinks the howls came from. "Whatever they have found is in imminent danger."

TheGreatJabu
2008-02-05, 09:36 PM
Marcus Lyron

Every one of Marcus's senses was screaming at him. Everything was wrong - very wrong. There's just so...so many dead. I've never seen so many at once! We're surrounded! The nervous edge to his voice is obvious. "We can't stay here. We'll do the boy no good if we're dead, which we're GOING to be if we stick around, surrounded by these flesh-eaters! Let's get back outside of the church in a hurry! We'll make a plan later!"

OmegaDamien
2008-02-06, 10:06 AM
Jezreel was also feeling very uneasy about their current company, but it seemed like the best shot of finding Tommy. Wondering aimlessly certainly hasn't proved overly fruitful yet.
"Easy Marcus, I know this is an awful position to be in, but its our best shot right now. Lets just pick on group and follow them. We might as well follow Sam's advice. I have no idea who we spoke to earlier. Lets follow the group to the wolves. We should probably stay alert to any indication of danger though."
Aside from the group of undead surrounding us he thinks gloomily to himself.

sprklemajik
2008-02-09, 09:19 AM
"The wolves, I think they are in this direction." Sam points the way the howling originated, "we need to hurry or we won't make it in time." Sam waits on a response from more of her teammates and then starts walking quickly in that direction, watching nervously the undead around her.

OmegaDamien
2008-02-09, 04:14 PM
Jezreel sighs to himself. The last thing we really wanted was to be surrounded by undead din the middle of a pack of frightened angry wolves. However, its possible Tommy is with the wolves. At this moment a thought occurs to him...

"Group, I think that the undead are just looking for things that are alive. The one we spoke with didn't seem to understand what a boy was, only that he was warm. We should follow the group that is not heading towards the wolves because they seem to have sensed something else. If you want to split up let me follow this other group by myself. If things get dangerous I can bolt out of there probably quicker than any of you."

Jastonius
2008-02-16, 07:47 PM
Junior's gut has always told him well, and now his gut says to not split. "Lets just pick a direction and all go that way. We need to stay together. What if the dead things start to not like us?" Junior looks to Marcus, and tells him informatively "Don't you worry, we are warriors of butt-whoopery, and we do not let the dead things hurt us. Lets go!"

sprklemajik
2008-02-17, 08:07 PM
Sam stops and turns towards the group, "Alright Marcus, where are we going?"

OmegaDamien
2008-02-17, 09:25 PM
Jezreel realizes that he can not count directions and seeing that there are actually THREE directions that the undead are going and travels off toward the wolves with the other groups, keeping note of the other directions that the zombies are going. He follows the group as we travel towards the howling wolves.

TheGreatJabu
2008-02-18, 12:22 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus looks warily at the hulking cleric. "Not all of us have such impressive faith to protect us; we have to rely on armor and steel, and I don't want to have to test them against a horde of biting teeth and slashing claws." Shooting glances at the many packs of undead wandering away, Marcus quickly processes the situation and, at Sam's prompt, makes up his own mind. "We should follow the forest priestess to the wolves. If these mindless ghouls can't detect us, we have no reason to believe they can find the boy. Those wolves, on the other hand, seem to have taken an interest in something that direction."

OOC: Is the howling of the wolves coming from the direction of that forest clearing that Tommy likes to play in?

C12H22O11
2008-02-21, 12:47 PM
With no need to match the shambling gait of the undead, you quickly outpace them, heading for the woods and the still-howling wolves. Even moving at speed, though, it takes you over thirty minutes to reach the edge of the Darkwood.
The treeline is dark and foreboding, a stark contrast to the moonlit open field that leads up to it. You're almost a quarter of a mile away from the main road through the forest, but you can spot several narrow game trails a few yards into the bushes and brush that fill the edge. Sam points one out, and everyone pushes through the hard, bare branches. Most pass easily, but the sticks and limbs scrabble across the cold steel of Junior's shield, sounding eerily like the clatter and rattle of the skeletons you fought earlier.
Once on the game trail, you can move a little faster, though you are still slowed by the winding, twisting course and the hard black tree roots that frequently arch across the path.
The wolves haven't howled in several long minutes now, but you press onwards, heading towards the last sound they made. Your torches flicker with a gust of wind, and in the brief second of darkness that results, you notice a few beams of moonlight shining through the trees up ahead. Then the wind dies down, and the red glow of the torches washes out the moonlight once again. A few more minutes of circling and doubling back, and you see why the moonlight was suddenly able to penetrate the dense canopy overhead: you've reached Tommy's favorite clearing.
Here in the open, the wind gusts more strongly, and your torches gutter and go out in a few seconds. With the moon shining brightly into the clearing, you still have enough light to see, though everyone coughs and squints for a few seconds as the smoldering pitch on the torches throws of a thick cloud of acrid smoke. This, too, is quickly blown away by the wind, and you are able to see clearly again.
A grisly scene reveals itself under the wan blue light of the Swordmoon. Several human bodies lie on the frozen grass, near a small hill in the center of the clearing. None of them move, and as you get closer, you can see that they've all been savaged by animals. Judging from the pair of wolf corpses near one of the human bodies, you surmise that the wolves were responsible for this, although there do not appear to be any live wolves in the clearing at the moment. One of the wolves has had its belly torn open, and it still glistens wetly in the blue light, with a small ribbon of steam streaming from the wound. It's obviously dead, but must have died a very short time ago to still be that warm.

TheGreatJabu
2008-02-21, 01:58 PM
Marcus Lyron

The quick pace through the woods combined with the chill of the night air kept Marcus's weariness at bay. For the typically early-rising guard, it had already been a long day and it promised to grow longer still.

Any self-pitying thoughts were banished when the group arrived at the grisly scene. From the looks of it, there had been a fierce battle between this group of men and the pack of wolves that they had heard howling from back at the old temple. Who were these men, and what devils possessed them to be out here tonight? He goes up close to examine the corpses for their dress and armaments, trying to determine who they were or where they came from. One piece of information gleaned from his search is immediately apparant.

"Some of these are still warm. Whatever happened, it happened very recently."

OOC: Search check? Knowledge: local? Just roll a d20 and tell me if I know anything about these dead guys.

C12H22O11
2008-02-21, 02:27 PM
As Marcus inspects the bodies, both beast and man, one thing becomes immediately obvious. The wolves are, indeed, still warm, and must have died no more than ten minutes ago. The human bodies, on the other hand, are cold, and the bluish tint to their skin comes not from the Swordmoon's steeley cobalt glow, but from the fact that their skin is hard and frozen - the phrase cold as the grave comes to mind unbidden. Several of the men show signs of decay, and all are clad in mere rags. These must have been zombies, you all think, looking about at each other with a growing sense of unease.
But why would the wolves have been fighting the zombies?

OmegaDamien
2008-02-21, 09:12 PM
Jezreel takes a moment to slowly look over the scene. Once it becomes apparent that none of the bodies are Tommy, he begins to search the area for any sign that the boy had been there. *search* While he searches he wonders how all of this happens.

"Hmm. I wonder if the zombies attacked the wolves and the wolves fought back. Perhaps the other wolves left once these were defeated. Does anyone see anything to suggest that Tommy had once been here?"

sprklemajik
2008-02-22, 07:40 AM
Sam wonders around the site, looking for some clue. She feels as if she's missing something important... for the scene in front of her does not yet make sense.

C12H22O11
2008-02-25, 02:32 PM
The grass in the clearing is a dull, dark blue under the moonlight, and it crunches as you walk across it.
The first four human bodies that you find are rotted, crumbling things, although you can still clearly see the damage done by the wolves: a savage bite mark on a snapped neck, an arm stripped to the bone and torn from its owner, a belly torn open to reveal entrails like dusty old ropes. The fifth and final human body, though, lies farther down the clearing, and the wolves are both within arm's reach of the corpse. As you move closer, you discover that one of the wolves still has its jaws clamped around this undead's neck, as if it died bringing the creature down. Both wolves have been clawed and flayed, and some of the frozen blades of grass nearby are coated with blood, glistening black in the moonlight. It looks as if they did most of their dying here, against this one rather well-preserved undead.
Looking around, you realize that there's a small hillock at this end of the clearing, just at edge of the trees. It's difficult to see even from a dozen yards away, and it must have looked just like the shadowy edge of the forest from farther back. A closer inspection reveals a small tunnel of some sort - perhaps a large badger or something exotic has been using this as a home. The entrance shows signs of digging by the wolves, and judging by the soft dirt exposed, it was done recently. Sam squeezes her shoulders inside to get a better look, and finds the hole widens slightly. Tommy would have been able to fit in here, although he would have barely been able to turn around once inside.

sprklemajik
2008-02-25, 08:29 PM
Sam yells, her voice distorted by the tunnel, "Tommy?! Tommy, are you still in there? Please, we're here to help you." She waits inside the tunnel, listening for any sound that could possibly signal that Tommy might be nearby. If/when she doesn't hear anything, she squeezes herself back out of the tunnel, bringing the shoe back with her. "It looks like he may have been here recently. I don't think I'm going to be able to get any further into the tunnel. I.. I don't know what else we can do."

C12H22O11
2008-02-26, 03:22 PM
Sam's shouts go unanswered, which you all decide is not a very good sign. When she emerges from the hole with a child's leather boot, your spirits sink even lower. It's hard to tell in the moonlight, but it looks like the leather itself is stained a darkish blue - and you remember that Jenna was yelling at Tommy a few weeks back for playing 'Hiders and Finders' and trying to conceal himself in a crate of blueberries.
The boot is slimy, and smells foul. It looks like it has been bitten or chewed on as well.

TheGreatJabu
2008-02-26, 10:10 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus was about to say something when Sam reemerges with the child-sized boot. The words die on his tongue, and although the darkness hides it from the others, his face flushes red. A soft, rhythmic crunching noise begins to emit from the ground near his feet - a glance shows that Marcus is twisting the butt of his weapon into the ground back and forth. The damn boy...always looking for trouble until it finally found him! The grim-faced guard wanted to say something bitter, but he stopped himself. If he couldn't even fool himself with his anger, why would anyone else believe it?

OmegaDamien
2008-02-26, 10:38 PM
Jezreel approaches Sam with an unreadable expression on his face. He slowly reaches out and take the boot, clearly recognizing it as Tommy's. For a moment he feels despair creeping in, but he pushes such thoughts away firmly. He would not accept Tommy's death until he had seen his dead body. He glances around the scene and addresses the group.

"It looks as though Tommy WAS hiding in there at some point, but possible got pulled out. He is not here so he must have been taken somewhere. Do you see any tracks leading away from here?"

Jastonius
2008-02-27, 01:06 AM
Junior ponders for a minute, scratching his head and concentrating. "Guys, the slimey stuff might be from the dead things." Junior then waits to see the others' responses.

sprklemajik
2008-02-27, 07:54 AM
"I would guess that the wolves were possibly trying to get to Tommy, and then the undead were as well. I can't imagine a wolf would bite into a shoe covered in this... this slime." Sam starts looking around for tracks away from the badger hole. Focusing more than likely for an undead trail, secondly looking for where any remaining wolves might have gone. "I'm not ready to give up and say Tommy is dead either, other than a slightly damaged shoe, we've not seen anything that suggests that he's even been harmed... yet."

C12H22O11
2008-02-27, 10:57 AM
There are two other game trails that leave the clearing, and Sam is easily able to find tracks at both. The first trail is the closest to the group of dead zombies, but has only wolf tracks. Judging by the different sizes of the tracks, it looks like at least three different wolves entered the clearing. There are no wolf tracks leaving the clearing from this trail.
The second game trail is only a few yards from the small hill where you found Tommy's boot. There are clear wolf tracks that appear to be the most recent, as they're on top, but the other tracks underneath are more difficult to recognize. It appears to be a barefoot humanoid, but the humanoid was either dragging its feet as it walked, or it was dragging something else behind it. Sam is unable to tell anything more from these tracks, as the cold hard ground did not do a good job of taking them, and she is only familiar with identifying tracks, not following them.
The Swordmoon is now high in the sky, and the Kingsmoon has finally crept past the horizon. With the cold blue glow of the Swordmoon and the smaller but brighter gold of the Kingsmoon shining together, you can see a little more clearly, and most of the colors around you have returned to their normal appearance.

TheGreatJabu
2008-02-27, 02:29 PM
OOC: Assuming Tessa explains/shows that to us to expedite the posting-process...

Marcus Lyron

Marcus grinds his teeth in anger. "It's this one, the second trail! Whether he's alive or dead, it's the only option! Let's get after them!"

sprklemajik
2008-02-27, 02:45 PM
"We should move quickly." Sam begins following the trail, her pace varies, while getting caught up in the thoughts of Tommy and possibly not getting there soon enough and she begins hurrying along, but remembers that she's part of a group, she slows and stays closer to the others.

OmegaDamien
2008-02-28, 09:11 PM
Jezreel realized that there was little chance that Tommy was alive, but he was determined to see for himself. He couldn't go back to his brother without knowing for sure what became of his nephew. Finding him dead would be hard, but not so hard as years without ever knowing for sure. Saying nothing to the party he looks down the trail for a moment before taking off with the group.

C12H22O11
2008-03-03, 03:13 AM
With both moons out, it is easy enough to follow the game trail, although you find it impossible to follow the tracks themselves. This trail twists and winds as much as the other one, following the lay of the land more than anything else. You're moving at a good walk, but you know that you're not moving as fast as you would across open ground. As the minutes drag on with no sign of wolf, monster, or undead, you begin to consider your position. If the undead have Tommy, your better speed should allow you to catch up quickly. If the wolves got him, though, there's no way that you could hope to catch up to them in the Darkwood at night without some way of tracking them.
Luck is on your side tonight, it would seem, for after a few more minutes of stumbling through branches and tripping over tree roots, you break out of the forest and into the open fields and farmland. In the blue and gold light streaming from the twin moons, you can see a hunched figure a few hundred yards distant, carrying something slung over its shoulder.
As you rush towards it, you notice that there is a small army of undead heading towards the figure from the opposite side. The figure shows no signs of slowing, and it looks like all three groups will reach each other at roughly the same time.

TheGreatJabu
2008-03-03, 03:42 AM
OOC: Okay, so the zombie-looking thing with the body slung over its shoulder is "a few hundred yards away". How much further, then, are the other approaching groups? Do they seem really close to the kidnapped, or would it take them a decent amount of time to join up?

C12H22O11
2008-03-03, 09:47 AM
It is difficult to accurately gauge the distance in the moonlight. The solitary figure is a good deal closer to the horde of undead than you are to it, but you move faster than either. As you draw closer, however, it becomes obvious that the figure's head start has given it enough of a lead that you won't catch it before it meets up with the large group of undead. The figure closes the last few yards to the zombies while your party is still about thirty feet distant.
From this close, though, you can tell that the figure is carrying a limp bundle about Tommy's size. One bare foot pokes out from under a ragged piece of cloth, but you can't make out any further detail.

OmegaDamien
2008-03-05, 08:31 AM
Jezreel curses himself for not taking the initiative to run after the fiend sooner. With his speed its possible that he could have reached it first. He looks across towards the horde and considers their options. *tries to get an estimate of the number.
"How many undead do you think there are?"

TheGreatJabu
2008-03-07, 02:46 AM
Marcus Lyron

With no time to spare, Marcus shouts to Jezreel as he begins to charge forward. "Too many! Grab the boy and run!" His feet pound hard into the earth, kicking up dirt behind him as he sprints towards the zombie he suspects is carrying Tommy. Marcus roars as he closes the gap with the creature, brandishing his weapon. It looks as though he intends to run it through with the spear-tip of his weapon, but at the last moment the weapon twists around in his hands. The halberd zooms past the head of the walking dead and is swiftly pulled back - with the hook aimed right for the throat.


OOC: Charging TRIP ATTEMPT! I was afraid I'd end up lopping the kid in half if I made a regular attack.

Melee Touch Attack at a +5, Opposed Strength check at a +3

sprklemajik
2008-03-07, 09:07 AM
"Go, and grab him, I will help all that I can from here." Sam moves forward a step or so, and begins to prepare herself to cast the entangle spell. She steadies herself and waits on the group, hoping that they can grab Tommy and make a swift retreat. Be calm Sam, the last thing you need is to time this incorrectly and snag one of your own, in this case it's much better to be too late than too early. As soon as they start to be in the clear, she will try and slow as many of the undead down as she can to aid her group's escape.

OmegaDamien
2008-03-07, 05:11 PM
Jezreel is somewhat startled by the fact that Marcus had the same idea he had, but he quickly followed behind him. His pace was light and easy, trying to keep an eye open for any zombies moving toward him, but for the moment he keeps his focus on the one carrying the boy (*i.e. set him for dodge*) He stays slightly behind and to the side of Marcus as they both approach, preparing to grab the boy as SOON as he was free. As they near he calls out:

"Don't be foolish here. As soon as we get the boy everyone fall back. Its doubtful that we can handle a group of this size."
Though he honestly didn't really know as his combat experience was limited.

C12H22O11
2008-03-08, 01:08 AM
Marucs rushes forward, weapon at the ready, and succeeds in hooking the halberd's blade on the zombie's neck. He plants his feet and hauls the polearm back, overbalancing the undead and sending it toppling to the ground. It lands on the frozen ground with a sickening crunch. The bundle flops to the ground next to it, a few inches away from the undead.
Jezreel dashes in and grabs Tommy's limp body, and only barely avoids the prone undead's grasping claw as it reaches out. An angry hiss accompanies the movement, and you realize the monster is trying to rise.
Marcus stands guard while Jezreel tosses Tommy over his shoulder and turns to run, and then Marcus follows close on his heels. The undead rises and starts to move forward, but struggles more with each step until it stops altogether. With another angry his, it reaches down to tear at the cold, hard roots and grasses that have entwined themselves around its legs, but it makes little headway against the tough plants. The rest of the two dozen or so undead are similarly bound, and unable to move when they finally begin to act.
The last thing you see as you run across the uneven ground are the undead trying to tear the plants out of the ground with their hands. You don't turn around to look again, because sprinting across the hard, rough furrows of the farm fields takes all your concentration. If someone were to break an ankle, or trip and fall, it could mean disaster for the whole group...


Fortunately, everyone makes it safely away from the undead, and back to the road. You can't all keep up the breakneck speed indefinitely, especially not after having already run the game trail a short time ago, and so you all gradually slow to a walk. It is as you are all walking, headed back towards the village, that Jezreel shifts Tommy's body to his other shoulder - and hears Tommy groan softly.

OmegaDamien
2008-03-08, 02:49 PM
While they walked along the trail, Jezreel was feeling slightly numb inside. He has given it all he had, but apparently it hadn't been enough. He was grateful for Marcus's decisive action and was trying to find the proper words. When Tommy groans he nearly drops him right there. Quickly he lowers the bundle to the ground and pulls the boy out.

"Tommy, can you hear me? Are you alright or do my ears decieve me?"

C12H22O11
2008-03-11, 07:11 PM
Tommy's skin is cold and clammy, and there is an unhealthy bluish-gray tint to his skin. He doesn't respond to Jezreel's question, but he does make a feeble effort at moving his head towards the sound of Jezreel's voice.
You are still about a mile from the village, and it's getting colder with each passing minute.

OmegaDamien
2008-03-11, 11:01 PM
At first Jezreel is filled with a small hope. He felt sure that Tommy was dead, but here he was, showing obvious signs of life. However once he realized the tint to his skin, and the blank expression in his eyes he knew that Tommy was gone.
"...they've turned him...What do we do? Should we take him back and hope that there can be some cure for him?"

TheGreatJabu
2008-03-12, 02:51 AM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus takes a few moments to even out his breathing after the long run. When Tommy begins to stir, he turns to look and observe the boy. The kid looks like he's freezing. What was he thinking, going out without layers?

When Jezreel makes his claim, Marcus's heart rises up into his throat. After a second he manages to swallow the knot out. "...now, let's not get hasty. Maybe he's just cold. Does he have a pulse?"

sprklemajik
2008-03-12, 06:44 AM
Sam steps in and offers to help. "Please gentlemen, let me examine the boy. Yes he has a pulse, but he's very cold." She takes off her cloak and wraps the boy in it, she also casts a healing spell on Tommy. "We need to get him back to the village as quickly as possible. Maybe it would be best if two of us walked with the boy and two walked a little further ahead watching for the undead. Truth be told, we've asked them to find the boy and they may still be on the pursuit. He'll be much better off the faster we can get him to town and into the care of a doctor."

OmegaDamien
2008-03-12, 12:02 PM
Jezreel looks at each of his companions as he contemplates what the druid said.
"I agree. Let me continue to carry Tommy since we are kin. Marcus, why don't you and smiley here stay a little ways out front. Lets get back to the safety of those walls as quickly as possible. We'll decide what to do when we arrive."

TheGreatJabu
2008-03-12, 02:52 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus blows out a huge sigh of relief when Sam examines Tommy and gives the group the good news. When the woman wraps the child up in her cloak, Marcus does feel a little guilty. He pops out the clasp holding on his coarse, tattered fur cape and somewhat rudely tosses it back at Sam. "It's cold out."

Abruptly he turns away and addresses Junior. "Let's get going, Father. It'd be good if we can find a few of those monsters on the way back; carving them up would keep the chill off."

With that, he begins leading the group back towards town, keeping his eyes and ears open for trouble. Still, his efforts to remain vigilant couldn't fully supress the immense relief and satisfaction he felt knowing that their efforts had been successful.

sprklemajik
2008-03-13, 06:48 AM
Sam looks almost startled when Marcus tosses her his cloak. She fumbles as she tries not to drop it. This is hardly the same man we started out following. He's almost... kind. Sam puts on Marcus' cloak and begins the walk alongside Jezreel.

C12H22O11
2008-03-20, 12:10 AM
The healing spell Sam casts brings some of the color back to Tommy's skin, but he doesn't regain consciousness. Sam's cloak helps to calm his shivering, but he's still getting colder every moment you remain in the frigid outdoors. Marcus begins to feel the bite of the cold soon as well, but he shrugs it off and keeps walking back to the village with the rest of the group, moving enough to keep from getting too chilly.
The village looks almost abandoned from the outside, with the gates barred shut and the road empty. You can see thin trails of smoke, flickering a dull orange as they rise from several of the braziers that you know are out of sight behind the earthworks.
It's not abandoned, though, as someone answers your shouts by unbarring the South Gate and pushing open the stout timber door on silent hinges to let you back in.
Things begin to move faster once you're safe inside the gates. Tommy is rushed to a healer, someone finds his mother, and most of the village is awakened as the news spreads. Everyone stands huddled around the fountain in the square, waiting for some news from inside the healer's home.
It is as you are all standing there, listening to the other villagers talk, that Petey comes running up, red-faced and out of breath.
"Uhh, mister Marcus, sir, I think we'll... uhh, I mean we do, uhh... we could really use some help on the, uhh, on the wall... it's... can you come? Please, uhh, sir?"

TheGreatJabu
2008-03-20, 01:23 AM
Marcus Lyron

The walk back to town chilled Marcus to the core, but he carried on unflinchingly. The fulfillment of his task filled him with enough of a warmth to continue. He lead the band on until the path before them finally became the familiar route over hill and vale to their humble little town. As they closed the distance, Marcus waved his arm in greeting and as per his own instructions, pricks a finger and displays it to the gatekeeper (whether it's visible in the current lighting or not). Upon entering the town, Marcus finally steps aside for the others and allows them to handle the rest of the rushing about, dealing with the townsfolk. Marcus trudged into the town square and took a seat on the ground, asking for nothing more than a blanket.

Marcus continues to sit there, watching the events unfold around him until he spots another little townboy running up. The lad's message instantly sets his heart to beating quicker. Damn! If the dead followed us here, I may have just doomed us all! He bolts to his feet and sprints to the city wall with all haste, calling no alarm along the way to avoid panicking the rapidly-assembling villagers. The second he reaches the watchtower nearest the gate, he clambers up to address the watchman. "What news?!"

OmegaDamien
2008-03-20, 11:58 PM
As the make the trek back to the town, Jezreel feels the cold begin to ebb away at his strength, but for the sake of Tommy he pushed it from his mind. Not too much further, he thought to himself. As they reach the fort, Jezreel feels Tommy being quickly taken from his arms and rushed off the healer. He notices that the boy that had approached Marcus seemed very upset, but he could not make out what was said.

He takes a moment to shake the hands of each of his companions, thanking them for their help in saving the boy.

"If any of you need any help, please look me up. I'll be here for a few days, but then I shall return to the monastery once Tommy has recovered. For now I must talk with his mother."

Jezreel heads to meet Tommy's mother as she approaches, giving her a calming reassuring gaze and gently patting her hand.

"We think he'll be fine, though I am no doctor. He is with the healers currently."

C12H22O11
2008-03-26, 10:06 PM
At the town square
Jenna squeezes Jezreel's hand tightly. "Thank you so much... I owe you everything. I hope he'll... that is, I hope the... oh, I hope he'll be ok... thank you again!" She squeezes tighter, and you can tell that she's still very upset.

On the wall
Marcus follows Petey to the southern embankment, rushing silently past short lanes of empty homes and cold, quiet streets. A short scramble up an earthen ramp brings them to the top of the 10-foot embankment. Petey grabs a torch and lights it at the brazier sitting near the top of the ramp, and then tosses the lit torch over the short timber palisade running around the perimeter of the wall.
"That's... they're, uhh, look out there, it's... I mean, uhh, mister Marcus, they're all... well..." Petey stammers as the torch sails through the air like a fiery comet. It slams into the ground in a shower of sparks, and the flame gutters for a few seconds before flaring back up. In the sudden red glare, you see at least a dozen undead backing away from the torch. One of them steps forward, and you see its dry shriveled face for just long enough to recognize it before it stomps the torch out with a blackened and shrunken foot.
An angry hiss cuts through the darkness, followed by the cold whisper of the undead 'leader' you recognized a moment earlier. "meatsss not firesss, warm onesss.... you lies! we will take your meatsss for ourselvesssss...."

TheGreatJabu
2008-03-27, 02:38 AM
Marcus Lyron

As his eyes follow the glow of the torch through the sky, the flash of its impact confirms his fear - the Undead lurk right outside of the village. Marcus recoils and prepares to shout the alarm when one steps forward to apparantly address him. He whispers to Petey as the creature begins to shuffle forward. "Go and get the others I just returned with! Tell them only that we need to speak, and send them here. A silver coin if you can keep this from the rest of the village, lad. Go!"

Leaning back over the battlements, Marcus speaks down at the creature addressing him. "Begone, wretch! No one offered you any-" His mind flickered back to the old church graveyard where they first encountered a speaking zombie. What was it that was said?


"You want...meat. Well we might be able to give you some meat if you could perhaps tell us what is going on here."

DAMN! Damn, damn, damn! If not for the darkness of the night, the anxiety on Marcus's face would be clearly visible from well over twenty paces away. "Wh...what are your terms? Do you...do you remember who made the deal with you?"

C12H22O11
2008-03-27, 09:53 AM
"Yes... yessir, right away!" Petey scrambless off down the ramp to find everyone else, leaving Marcus alone at the top of the wall. The darkness deepens as a cloud scuds across the Swordmoon, leaving everything bathed in the glow of the Kingsmoon. In the warm golden glow, everything seems strangely beautiful, but only for a moment. You realize with a growing dread that the small horde of undead all have weapons now. Most of them carry large rocks or crude cudgels, but a few have axes and you see at least one carrying a longspear. Worse, they have begun shuffling towards the South Gate, weapons and tools held high as if to strike.
"deal was meat, warm one! we will take the meatsss that are owed usssss!"

Meanwhile, back at the square...
Petey comes running up, out of breath again, and red-faced in the cold. He leans in close to whisper to each of you, but there's no disguising the trembling squeak his voice gets when he's panicked. Everyone within earshot hears him speak to Sam: "It's... mister Marcus, he's.... on the wall, I mean they're on the... no, wait, they're outside it, I mean... hurry! Quick, please!"
Most of the villagers back away with looks of fear on their faces, but Smithy steps forward with a scowl on his face. "What's this now? What are you stammering about, Petey?"
Petey turns an even brighter shade of red and swallows a few times before speaking again, this time in a forced whisper that's still no quieter than before. "The undead! They're... they're out there, so many of them! I left... Marcus, he told me to come get the others, there's no one else on the wall... he said to get help..."
"You WHAT?! You left him on the wall ALONE?! Petey, you... grrahh! Come on, we have to get over there to help him NOW!" Smithy bellows and rushes off, returning a few moments later with a bundle of spears. He tosses the bundle at Jezreel and then turns his massive frame towards the wall, feet pounding down the cobbled street.

TheGreatJabu
2008-03-27, 10:13 AM
Marcus Lyron

The glint of light off of the metal in the hands of the dead made the hair on the back of Marcus's neck rise even FURTHER. This palisade won't last long if those things have the cunning to focus their axes on one spot! I've got to stall them!

"Wait, wait, wait! We can get your meat; we just need more time! We're bringing it now, but..." What's an excuse they would buy without saying 'we'll come get it ourselves'??

"But they're fixing it right now. They're making it extra-good! So we need a little while longer!"

sprklemajik
2008-03-27, 10:53 AM
Sam hears what petey has said. A chill runs through her. Here's what we get for making deals with the unnatural... She walks over to Jezreel and whispers, "Jezreel, they are... well we promised them meat. Is there a cow or... some farm animal that we could buy and sacrifice to save this village? It's disgusting to have to sacrifice nature for something so... so very unnatural. But the villagers shouldn't have to die for our mistake..."

OmegaDamien
2008-03-28, 06:15 PM
Jezreel at first is not paying particular attention to Petey as he begins his ramble, keeping his attention on his sister-in-law and her motherly worries. However, as soon as he hears the word undead he turns his attention to Marcus. A deal is a deal, he thinks to himself. He turns to Sam once she is finishes.

"Well the lives that can be saved is worth the sacrifice of a couple of livestock. My main concern is that it might no be quite the flavor they were looking for. You and Smiley go back to the wall and stick with Marcus, perhaps some of your nature craft will come in handy if they lose patience. I'll ask around the town and see if I can gather a couple of animals. Take these spears with you and pass them out to any able body villager thats willing to fight. Smithy, you help me find something to appease these things."

Though they may not have a choice in the matter. He takes a spear for himself, though it feels a little awkward in his hands. It did feel similar to the hoes he used at the monastery, but knowing how different its purpose was made it feel more alien to him. Jezreel begins to ask around the village for any animals that they may be willing to part with.

C12H22O11
2008-03-29, 01:58 PM
At the wall
The undead all stop in place, as if considering your offer. "meats were promised, not dry cooked foodsss... we will wait, but not forever. meats soon, or we will take what was promised usssss..." The voice sounds angry, but the undead lower their weapons in unison and shuffle backwards a few steps. They mill about aimlessly, a scant dozen yards from the South Gate.
Despite your fervent hopes, however, the next thing to arrive at the wall is not a cartload of meat, but Smithy, who comes barreling up the ramp with a spear in one hand and a massive hammer in the other. He skids to a stop next to you, and surveys the scene below, his scowl as hard and cold as iron. "What in blazes are you waiting for?" He turns, and bellows over his shoulder at Petey, who is struggling to maintain his balance while carrying an armload of throwing spears up the ramp, " Fetch some firepots and a few torches! No, no, bring those spears up here first, lad - we can't hold back zombies with rocks and prayers!"
Smithy snatches up the bundle of spears in one bear-like hand and then gives Petey a not-so-gentle shove back down the ramp. He tosses all but one of the spears to the ground, and then turns around and hurls the one he was still holding towards the huddled mass of undead.
Time seems to slow down as you see the shaft, its sharp steel tip glittering golden in the moonlight, sail in a gentle curve towards one of the zombies in the center of the group. It shoots through the zombie's chest with a sickening wet sound, and the zombie lets out a low moan as it topples backwards.
The rest of the undead turn to stare at the wall, and you hear an angry hiss as dozens of pale green glows focus directly on you.

Away from the carnage...
Smithy is already down the street and out of earshot by the time Jezreel turns around to address him, so Jezreel is left with no choice but to search for 'meat' on his own.
Jezreel spots Robertson, the town butcher, by the fountain, talking to a few farmers. If anyone had any meat, it would be him.

OmegaDamien
2008-03-29, 02:20 PM
Upon seeing Robertson by the fountain, Jezreel quickly heads over to speak with him. He had never particularly liked the man. He was typically a bit rough around the edges and tended to be extra hard on Tommy when the boy's antics interfered in the butcher's life. Still, he was a decent fellow and Jezreel did respect him.
"Robertson, I know this seems very unfair to you, but do you have a couple of animals you could part with. We tried offered them meat, bt they want it fresh and warm. I am sure we could convince the villagers to offer you some recompense once things settle down. Just think about the lives that could be saved."

TheGreatJabu
2008-03-29, 02:40 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus felt a bit of relief AND worry as he saw Smithy clamoring his direction. The man was a stout warrior and he was glad to have the back-up, but that meant that the village had probably been alerted. Marcus had preferred to avoid the panic. As Smithy comes jogging up, Marcus begins to brief him on the situation. "There's a band of undead outside. They're not here to fight; they're looking-" His jaw gapes open as he watches the spear fly from Smithy's hand and into the assembled creatures beneath them. "No! We were...we were in parlay! They're here because they were promised meat! We found them when looking for Tommy, and one of those things spoke to us. It offered to help find him - I didn't trust the thing, but the others did. Later, we discovered that the dead HAD found him, but I feared they intended to eat him. We grabbed the boy and ran back to town, and now they say they're here to collect their dues. Think, Smithy: what would cost the village more lives? A battle with these armed, and apparantly somewhat intelligent beasts, or surrendering a few livestock? It's not my place to decide, and you know I'll support your choice."

OOC: Not sure if what I'm saying requires a Diplomacy check (since I'm not strongly advocating either side - just trying to get him to see the other point of view. Either way, the modifier is a +2.

C12H22O11
2008-03-29, 08:52 PM
Fresh Meat!
Robertson raises his eyebrow when you speak to him, an expression of disdain evident on his face. "Meat? For those... things? You know we had a crap year. Can't eat a sick cow, hafta burn 'em, and we had a lot of sick cows. 'Sides, why would they just go away if you throw a couple steaks at 'em? That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time, har!" The farmers start laughing too, and up close, you recognize McGuffey and Swenson, both well covered in gray woolen cloaks. They're both laughing just as hard as everyone else. "Look, Jezreel, I know you mean well, but it's just a couple o' undead. We've burned worse before, and we'll burn worse again the way things are going. Pass me a spear there, and I'll head up to the wall and start stabbin' these things myself. That'll do more than trying to feed them things. C'mon, boys!" They all grab spears and head down the street, laughing and joking the whole way.

One small wall vs. a platoon of zombies
Smithy has already bent to pick up another spear, but as Marcus relates the events of the last few hours, he stands slack-jawed, making no move to use the weapon. Finally, when Marcus has finished speaking, Smithy notices that his mouth is open. He closes it, and, still holding his hammer, runs one hand through his hair with a look of genuine puzzlement on his face. "Son, that's... I've never heard an undead speak before, but I've heard rumors. Even if it's true, that doesn't change anything... they still tried to cart Tommy off themselves, and they're still standing down there with weapons. Besides, you know as well as I do that Robertson already salted down all the cattle... the only thing we've got left behind these walls are a few goats and Walstein's hogs. After the poor harvest we had, we can't spare those animals for... for a bunch of frozen corpses. Look, we're safe up here. We've fought off more undead than this before."
Smithy turns to look out over palisade, where the undead have begun to spread out and back away. "We'll burn 'em all, and that'll be the end of that. I bet the talking ones crisp up just like the rest, and I haven't met the monster yet that came back from ashes." Petey chooses that moment to stumble up the ramp with a basket of firepots.
Alaric, the vilage glazier, was fortunate enough to have learned his trade from a Lyndian master many years ago, and it's been said that there's no one more skilled at glasswork within a tenday's walk. He doesn't get much call for skilled glassblowing during the summertime - mainly decorative pieces, and the occasional special marble for some child's birthday, but come autumn, he starts blowing thin, fragile glass orbs the size of Smithy's fist. Filled with lamp oil and stuffed with a rag stopper, they become firepots, shattering on impact and spreading burning oil over everything within a few feet. It usually takes a while to dry out a zombie, but fire is the best way to ensure that the dead stay dead.
Smithy waves Petey off to the side, but not before grabbing one of the firepots from the basket and lighting it at the brazier you're standing next to. He holds the firepot out at arm's length. "It'd sure be nice if we could make a deal with those things, but I'm not about to think we can trust 'em. If you want that on your head, you're welcome to try, but I have t' think they make an awful nice target all bunched up like that." He hands you the blazing firepot and takes a step back, staring at you with arms crossed.

OmegaDamien
2008-03-30, 08:27 AM
After Jezreel had finished speaking his piece to Robertson, he knew that it sounded a bit ridiculous. Still though, he had never dealt with intelligent zombies and there was no real way to tell how a fight with them would turn out. He follows along after Robertson and the others as they make their way toward the wall.
"Listen gentlemen, The reason they are here is they actually helped us find Tommy, believe it or not. The deal was that if they helped us we would give them some form of meat as recompense. I know it sounds crazy, but these are not your typical zombies. These are intelligent beasts with the capacity to talk. We could probably beat them, but I would not be suprised if they manage to take a couple of us with them. Do you want that on your conscience? Besides, when have you seen zombies ARMED?"

They reach the wall as he finished and points out to the band of undead who are carrying a variety of weapons. He realizes at this point that nothing could probably convince the farmers to part with there last few livestock and he catches eyes with Marcus and shakes his head as he wonders slowly over.

sprklemajik
2008-04-01, 08:35 AM
After speaking with Jezreel, Sam hurries to the wall to be of help in any way that she can. She feels guilty knowing that she and her companions have brought this on the village. It's too late now, we must fight and protect the people.

TheGreatJabu
2008-04-01, 10:32 AM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus is left standing there, cold glass in hand, pondering the next move. He scowls quite visibly. Sure, swat the hornets' nest with a stick, hand it to me, then take off running. He casts a quick glance down at the increasingly agitated gathering of monsters at their earthen embankments. Even if we give them what they want, nothing's to stop the bastards from coming back tomorrow night, and the night after. He starts to reach out his other arm for a torch, but hesitates. ...but Jezreel gave them his word. And they seem to have ACTUALLY abided by it!

With a growl of exasperation, he snuffs the wick and lobs the unlit firepot back to Smithy. "You know I've hacked down these things alongside you plenty a'night, Smithy; but not this one. Jez...we...made a deal with the things, and for Gods-know-why they abided by it. If they ever return, all bets are off. But for tonight...I have to try to honor the word of the unit."

He quickly turns back to attempt to placate the undead. "We...it wasn't our intention to strike you! Your presence frightened the villagers. We're still getting your meat, and once you have it you can leave."

OmegaDamien
2008-04-01, 06:32 PM
Jezreel leans close to Marcus so that only he can hear.

"Marcus, I tried to find some meat for these guys, but the villagers aren't willing to part with their precious few livestock. I would like to keep our word, but I don't the villagers seem willing to battle these things. I tried to make them understand that these aren't the usual band, but to no success. It looks like we will have little choice, but to fight these things. Don't feel any guilt about the promise. It was I who made the deal with them."

TheGreatJabu
2008-04-01, 09:05 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus remains unnaturally still for a single second after Jezreel passes on his comment. Then, with startling volume, the guardman cries out in frustration. "Damn it all! GYAAAAAGH!" He angrily snatches a firepot out of the basket near his feet, lits the wick in the nearby brazier, and chucks it down at the clustered undead.

Man, Marcus is going to be freakin' pissed for a while. :smallsmile:

Hurray, rolling for Initiative!

OmegaDamien
2008-04-01, 09:40 PM
Jezreel feels mildly guilty about having to break his end of the bargain, but it could not be helped. He wasn't about to let his guilt slow him in defending his hometown. He quickly follows Marcus's lead and picks up an oil lamp from the basket, lighting the end with a nearby brazier and chucks it into the crowd of the undead, a little off from where Marcus threw his.

C12H22O11
2008-04-02, 01:51 PM
Smithy takes the snuffed firepot and stares at it unhappily. He looks like he is about to reply, but he closes his mouth and waits while Jezreel whispers to Marcus. When Jezreel is finished, Smithy takes a step forward, as if preparing for a short speech, but he is interrupted by Marcus' shout, and stands with mouth agape as the firepot hurtles into the mass of undead. You all hear the oddly musical crash! of shattering glass, and then feel a rush of heat as the splattered lamp oil goes up in flames. Several of the undead have been thoroughly drenched in the stuff, and they stagger towards the wall covered in flames, but the rest back away from their burning brethren, almost as if they're afraid to catch fire themselves.
Jezreel's firepot follows a few moments later, with similar results. Then Smithy throws a pair in quick succession, and sddenly everything is chaos.
The few undead that escaped being drenched in oil actually turn away from the village and begin shambling off, but not before you see a now-familiar figure shake its fist in your direction. Above the bonfire roar of burning corpses, you can barely make out an angry whisper as the figure backs away. warm ones always lie... we will be back, with many more! we will have MEATSSSS!
The rest is just cleanup. A few more firepots from everyone seals the fate of the undead below, and Robertson and his friends show up with buckets of water to douse the palisade and door. A few of the less-flamable skeletons make it close enough to the gate to hack at it with axes and swords, but the arm's thickness of iron-banded oak is barely even scratched. Marcus and Jezreel dispose of the skeletons quickly, using the length of spear and halberd to strike from the safety of the wall, and Junior helps by throwing his hammer down at them, although this leaves him with nothing to do afterwards but carry buckets of water. Still, the fight lasts all night, and by the time the last zombie has ceased squirming and burned into a pile of ash, the horizon shows the warm red glow of approaching dawn.
You all stand for a moment surveying the carnage, and one by one, people begin leaving. Most mutter about getting some sleep, although a few head to check on Tommy's condition first. Finally, only the four of you and Smithy remain on the wall. Smithy turns to Marcus, his face dirty and his eyes red from lack of sleep, and speaks, "Marcus, I have to admit there might be somethin' to what you said earlier. I've been fighting these things since I was tall enough to see over the palisade, but I've never seen them act that organized. Usually they just come up a few at a time, all night long, from every side of the village. And there usually aren't that many of the buggers until the end of winter, right before the first thaw... I sure as hell wasn't expecting that many this early in the season." He turns to look out over the scorched field, slowly revealing itself as the sun broaches the horizon, and chews on his lip for a few moments. "I'm a little bit worried. There's got to be some explanation, but I'll be damned if I can figure it out."

OmegaDamien
2008-04-02, 05:14 PM
As Jezreel poked and bashed at the skeletons with the halberd he swiped from one of the guards, he did feel a little guilty, coming from a combination of breaking his promise to the undead and bringing this problem onto the villagers. As he heard the escaping zombie's cry to return, he didn't doubt that. they would return in greater numbers.

Afterwards, he remains next to Marcus and Smithy. Now that the undead were taking care of he begin to feel weariness creeping in on him. However, he pushes it from his mind as he had so many times at the monastery during his training. He listens to Smithy express his concerns and leans in to add his piece.

"I feel somewhat responsible for bringing this upon our town. I am not sure how, but I will try to determine the source of this new behavior in the undead. For now though I think it best if we get a little rest and meet a little later to discuss the situation with a fresh mind."

TheGreatJabu
2008-04-03, 02:37 PM
Marcus Lyron

It had been a long day, and the night was longer still. Once the adrenaline had stopped being pumped through his body from the skirmish with the undead, Marcus felt physically and mentally drained. It was all he could do to keep his eyes fixed on anything for longer than a few seconds. The hours of wakefulness, combined with the still-lingering smoke made his eyes feel sandy and burned. He stood out on the wall, leaning heavily on the haft of his halberd, and he did his best to listen to Smithy and the others in the aftermath of it all.

"There was...the talking one, the leader. Whatever. It said something when we first met it. Something about how its kind are 'being born' in the graveyards. It didn't say anything about a master. It's like...like they're appearing of their own accord. I don't know what we can do to stop the flow of them. If they've learned to organize, I fear that after tonight we will be the objects of their wrath."

C12H22O11
2008-04-07, 04:10 PM
Smithy looks thoughtfully at all four of you as Jezreel and Marcus speak. "A leader? You think one o' them is some kind of new undead we haven't seen before? Hrm... I suppose it's possible. If it is, we need to do something about it. Bah... what am I sayin', we all need some sleep first. Come talk to me tonight after you've all grabbed some shut-eye. Whatever kind of fancy undead they've got hiding out there is still afraid of daylight, I'd wager."
With that, Smithy turns and shuffles off to his home, leaving your small group alone on the wall with the sunrise in the background.

sprklemajik
2008-04-07, 05:10 PM
"Well, I guess we should all head home for the day. Do you want to meet up at dusk at the smithy's?" Sam shuffles from foot to foot, trying to stave off the exhaustion that's been creeping into her bones for hours. "I know I need to rest soon."

OmegaDamien
2008-04-08, 09:39 PM
Jezeel bids Smithy farewell as the burly man heads off to his home. He turns back to his companions and nods to Sam.
"Yes we certainly should meet later to discuss these events. The idea of intelligent undead leaves me concerned. Plus their anger at this village is largely my fault. I am going to check on Tommy and then get a little shut eye. I'll see you both at Smithy's place later."
And with that Jezreel bids his companions good-bye and heads off to find Tommy.

TheGreatJabu
2008-04-09, 12:16 AM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus wearily nods his head. "Yes. Let's...let's get some rest. I fear we have more long nights ahead." With every muscle in his body sore, every joint aching, and every ounce of energy sapped, Marcus trudges back to his place of rest. Before collapsing onto his cot, he manages to toss off his armor and clothing to splash himself with a little water. He certainly carried every scent of that long day with him.

OmegaDamien
2008-04-10, 11:50 PM
Jezreel heads off to speak with Mirelda, the town healer about Tommy's condition. Now he really felt the weariness creeping in. His whole body was sore from the days activities and he felt his control over his mental state slowly slipping. He was just glad that he had trained his body to endure hard times. Upon finding his mother sleeping safely at his side, he is relieved. If she is allowing herself to sleep, then he must be in the clear. He drags himself back across the village to his brother's house and lays upon his sleeping mat, falling quickly asleep.

C12H22O11
2008-04-11, 11:43 PM
You all get some much-needed rest, and awake feeling much better. You've definitely learned a lot since the day before, and it almost seems like a different year when you get up.
The town streets are quiet and empty as you walk towards Smithy's, but you can see people whispering in the alleys.
It is late afternoon by the time the four of you reassemble, although Smithy is still a bit bleary-eyed when he finally emerges. He munches on a piece of ham rolled up in a slab of pumpernickel for a while, then sits down, putting most of his weight on a spare anvil stand. "Well, I'd say we're in a bit of a bind. There's this 'leader' zombie you all say you saw, and I believe you, but I wish I didn't. If that's all that's got these things all riled up, well, I'd love nothing more than grabbin' my hammer and headin' out there with you to beat it to a pulp. But I somehow doubt this thing popped up alone, wherever or however it got here, and if we smash it to bits, we might never figure out if there's more out there like it."
Smithy takes a huge bite out of his hamroll, and chews it thoughtfully. "Normally I'd send Mirelda or someone else off to the city to dig up information, and let some o' the guard boys take care of the zombies the old-fashioned way, but after this morning, I'm not letting anyone leave the village without an escort. Thing is, we don't have enough able-bodied guardsmen to hunt zombies, escort sages, and still guard the willage, even with you four thrown in the mix. I'm not about to short the wall guard, so that really leaves it up to you. I'll go talk to Mirelda, if you like, but... bah, both these plans are weaker'n a pig iron nail. Any o' you got a better idea?"

OmegaDamien
2008-04-12, 09:30 AM
Jezreel's rest was a little short, but incredibly deep. He had never exerted himself quite so much before as he awoke, he felt his muscle tight and sore. After a simple meal he took some time to stretch out his joints. He didn't want his soreness to impede on his flexibility or speed. He heads over and joins the others at Smithy's place, aware of the tension and gloom that seemed to settle on the village. Once Smithy has his say, Jezreel thinks for a moment before responding.
"One thing is certain, we can not leave the village unprotected, especially which things the way they are. Do we have any ways of magically contacting the city for information or asking them for troops? Or perhaps we could try to hire out a group of mercenaries, though I am not sure our town is in any position to afford that expense. If we could contact the city by magical means or perhaps with some messenger birds, the four of us could go searching for the zombies while the rest of the guard remains here. I think s smaller group like the four of us would be less likely to be noticed and more likely find some answers."

TheGreatJabu
2008-04-13, 01:19 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus wakes to the all-too-familiar sensation of a numb and tingly right arm. Damned cots... He sits up and begins to wriggle his fingers about, trying to get the blood flowing back into the limb. The cots never slept comfortably, it seemed like. Not like you get paid to be comfortable. You've got a job to do. With that, he rises and puts back on his clothing and gear. It still somewhat reeks of the grime and gore of the slain zombies - an unpleasant reminder of the job that he knows will inevitably come. Once armed and armored, he walks down to the tavern and gets a cheap bowl of...whatever the hell they're serving today. It seems like bread pudding with a few sparse pieces of meat and vegetable interspersed. Marcus took in a large spoonful and found the taste to be amazingly bland. "Hmm. This is good," he says to the proprieter. Marcus considered it an omen to his destiny as a soldier that his tastebuds preferred bland, unflavored tastes to anything more exotic.

After finishing three bowls of the stuff, Marcus was finally ready to meet with Smithy and the others. He listened to the speakers in turn, then provided his own piece. "I think your plan is the right one, Smithy. We don't know a damned thing about what could make the undead change as they have. We need answers before we try to rush off and fight something we know nothing about. I think sending us to the city with one of the sages may be our best recourse. I'm worried, though, that if these things are getting smarter, will the towns defenses hold? It may be smart to set the people to digging a trench around the wall. It'll give them a task to keep them from being nervous and idle, and it certainly couldn't hurt."

sprklemajik
2008-04-15, 04:03 PM
Sam hurries in about halfway through Smithy's speech, she spends the first few minutes looking at her shoes... acting a little sheepish for being late. Maybe I could manage to show up when everyone else does... Jeeze Sam, spend a little more time on your hair why don't ya? Sam fidgets, trying to listen to Smithy, but continues to pace nervously. "I know that the town will be in danger, but if we leave the zombies may follow us rather than attack the town. We made and broke the deal with them, so their primary enemy should be us, not that I could guarantee that their new intelligence would necessarily reach that level of thought. I think we should leave. If there's even a chance that we can lead them away, we need to try. We can escort the sage, but it's almost dark. We need to start moving soon."

OOC: Can we leave Junior to help guard the town, or will we probably need him to help us? I mean, he's only an attack roll in either way...

C12H22O11
2008-04-17, 03:19 PM
Smithy finishes chewing the last of his meatlog, and gulps down a mouthful of water from a wooden cup as Sam finishes speaking. "Hrm, well, sending a messenger animal would be nice, but last I checked, no one here was talented enough to cast that spell. 'Sides, I doubt they'd bother to send a message back anyway - what do they care about some crazy farmers out in the wilderness? No, if we want to find something out, one o' us is going to have to go and do the legwork themself. Marcus, I like your idea - I'll get some o' the boys to start digging after you leave. I'm going to start making some poleaxes, too... I know, I know, I used to tease you for using such an odd weapon, but you really held your own against those undead last night, and the spears just don't do a whole lot against those fleshless skeletons." Smithy pauses, and takes another swig of water before continuing, "I'll talk to Mirelda; don't you worry about leaving until the morning. I'm not about to send her out at night even with you there to protect her, and I doubt she'd want to leave Tommy yet anyway. You two leave your weapons here for the night - I can sharpen yours, Marcus, and I've got a few lengths of darkwood I found in the shed the other day for yours, Sam. Jezreel, I'll have something for you in the morning too, don't you worry. Oh, and Junior? I'd like you to stay here and help protect the village. If something goes south on the walls, your healing spells will come in handy, especially with Mirelda gone. I suppose that's it... go get some more sleep, and meet me back here after breakfast tomorrow."
Junior nods his head in agreement, although it's obvious from his expression that he has no idea what he just agreed to, having spent the entirety of Smithy's speech staring at some clouds overhead. When Smithy makes no move to speak to Junior any more, Junior wanders off, muttering something about 'pretty birds' while looking up at the sky.

OOC: Yes, Junior will be staying in the village, where he will climb on buildings, fling poo at passersby, and occasionally do something useful.

TheGreatJabu
2008-04-18, 02:42 AM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus didn't care much for relinquishing his weapon, but he knew that cleaving through solid bone and dead flesh had doubtlessly taken a toll on the halberd. After a moment of hesitation, he handed over his polearm to Smithy. Now that the course of action was laid clear, Marcus felt a little uneasy. Not with the plan, but with the current moment. He'd just woken up, and now he was being told to go back to bed until the morning. He scowled to himself, feeling restless. I can't just waste a day like that. After standing around shuffling his feet for a few minutes, Marcus grunted to himself and went to pick up a shovel. He sets himself to beginning the trench himself - right in front of the gate. He continues on his work past sunset, under the watchful eye of those on the wall. Under the light of the rising moon, Marcus finally ceased his work once physically exhausted. He tosses the shovel to the ground near the inside of the town wall, and walked over to the tavern. He had one last heaping bowl of gruel, then went out back with a bucket of water. Marcus expected that it'd be a long time before he had a chance to clean himself up a little. He cleaned himself as best he could in the cold night air, gave himself a shave, then returned to his bunk to enjoy one last night of 'safe' rest.

OmegaDamien
2008-04-18, 12:42 PM
As they part ways for the night, Jezreel, too, felt a little restless. He knew he should try to rest while he can, as the days ahead do not show many chances for it, but there was a great deal of tension and anticipation in the air. He resolved to spend the afternoon performing some basic exercises. He wanted to keep his limbs nimble and didn't want to wake tomorrow stiff and sore. Afterwards he set himself up beside Tommy's house, watching the sunset as he meditated, both on the situation and his new companions. Marcus, seemed a bit rough around the edges, but he was hearty and battle hardened. I can probably trust him to not make readily put us in danger. Sam too, seemed to be a very capable caster and certainly had a sharp head on her shoulders. As for Smiley, I am personally glad that he is remaining here. He seems a capable cleric, but he was slow witted and didn't trust him to NOT make matters worse if they happen into a tight spot. After checking on Tommy again, he explains to his mother their plans and takes some time to wash up. Finally, an hour or so after sunset, he returns home and decides to try and rest until morning.

sprklemajik
2008-04-21, 09:03 AM
Sam returns to her home, quietly and timidly, fearful of what new adventure she will face in the morning.

C12H22O11
2008-04-22, 01:23 PM
The new morning dawns clearer and colder than before, and you are all forced to bundle up to keep warm. You meet at Smithy's again, and get there just as he's finishing his breakfast. He scrapes a few last bits of fried egg from his plate, the toasted bread making an oddly metallic sound as it drags across the surface. That was one of Smithy's quirks... all his dishes were solid iron, not just his pots and skillets. It frustrated his wife to no end, trying to keep them clean without getting them rusty, but Smithy made all the dishes himself, and swore that the iron kept a man strong. 'Dirt dishes are for dirt farmers, if ya ask me,' he'd tell anyone who asked. It must have done something, because no one had ever beaten Smithy in an arm wrestle - well, not right-armed, anyway.
Mirelda is already there, sitting on a bench near the window and looking out across the town square. She remains quiet as you all enter, not even seeming to notice your arrival. Then again, she might have nodded off in the warm morning sun streaming in through the clear panes of glass. She has the look of someone who has stayed up through the whole night, with gray hairs out of place and her embroidered shawl uncharacteristically wrinkled.
Smithy sets his plate down on the table with a loud [/i]clang![/i], which awakens Mirelda with a start, and pushes back from the table. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he threads his way through you all and pushes open the door to his workshop. You all follow him through the doorway, Mirelda the last one through as she slowly gets to her feet with a sheepish smile on her face. "C'mon then, hurry up. I've got something for each o' you, like I promised last night." He gathers up a pair of objects bundled in roughspun wool, and a small woolen bag lying nearby. The biggest bundle goes to Marcus, while the smaller one is obviously Sam's quarterstaff. Smithy finishes by handing the bag to Jezreel.
Marcus' bundle contains his halberd, but in place of the nicked and scratched blade from the battle two nights before, there is a gleaming and razor-edged blade of blued steel. "It's the same blade, Marcus, but I re-tempered it and gave it a good sharpen and polish. I added some weight to the butt end, there, gives it better balance and all. Hope it works for you... Sam, as for yours, that's a new staff there, but I had it cut to the same size as your old one. It's been balanced, too, and I know how you treehuggers hate metal, so I left off the banding. Mirelda here thought up using the tangleweed fibers to reinforce it instead - you probably know how tough they are, I don't need to tell you that." Sam's new staff is made of darkwood, such a deep shade that it is almost black. The center length of the staff has a crosshatch pattern carved into it for better grip, and the ends have been tightly wrapped in the glossy gray tangleweed fibers to keep them from splintering. It's a bit heavier than Sam's previous weapon owing to the darkwood's dense and close grain, but it has been well balanced, so it's not tiring to use. Smithy scratches his head and turns to look at Jezreel. "Yours was a little harder, boy... I'm not sure if you can use 'em, but I did my best... hope you like 'em, anyways..." Jezreel's bag contains a pair of full length leather gloves, but as he pulls them out, they remain somewhat stiff, and don't move like leather. "Those've got steel plates on the back of the forearms, and some steel ribbing on the other side. There's pieces sewn into the fingers and the back o' the hand, too, but I left the rest leather so it won't bind on you. The steel's all wired together under the leather, too, so you don't have to worry about the plates shifting around on you. It ought to give you a little more force behind your punches, and you can block blades and the like with those vambraces. Plus, they look like regular gloves, so you can wear 'em around town without causing a stir. Oh, and they're suede lined on the inside to keep your fingers warm, what with it being winter and all.
"Now, on to business. Mirelda says Tommy'll make a full recovery and be up and around in a day or two, so she's agreed to go with you. Jenna can take care of him from here on, and we've got Junior in case anyone needs major healing, so we should be alright. We both agreed that you should leave immediately, and Robertson fixed you up some packs and supplies to take with you, so that's taken care of. You're to take Mirelda north on the river road, all the way up to Gardamere, and take her to the Archives there. They know her there; she shouldn't have a problem getting in to look at their tomes. Stick around there for a while and see what she turns up - won't do us much good to have her find something out and then not make it back here with the answers. If there's anything else you need before you leave, just ask for it... everyone knows what you're doing, and we've all agreed to help where we can. If there's nothing else, you'd best be heading out soon... it'll be a close call to make it to the Gold Fish Inn in one day, with Mirelda slowing you down a bit."

OmegaDamien
2008-04-22, 07:25 PM
After satisfying himself on a simple breakfast of bread and Jenna's famous peppered cheese, Jezreel heads into the cool morning making his way toward Smithy. On the way he stretches out his various joints, glad that he had taken some time yesterday to work out some of the kinks. He meets up with the others at Smithy's place, watching without expression as he finishes his food and has his say. He smoothly slides the gloves immediately onto his hands, flexing his fingers to test his flexibility. He jabs his fist into his palm a few times, trying out the power and getting use to the feel of them.
"Thank you Smithy. This is a good gift and I will use it to the best of my ability. Now, lets depart, we don't want to waste any light today because, as you said Smithy, we will be cutting it close as it is to make it before dark."

sprklemajik
2008-04-22, 08:04 PM
Sam takes her staff from Smithy and beams at the beauty of it. "Thank you. Its amazing." She moves the staff around in her hands, testing the weight and balance of it. "I do not have need for anything. I am ready to leave." She looks at the rest of the group. Should we take a half hour to compose ourselves and meet at the gate for our walk? I agree that we should hurry along. Once again Smithy, thank you. "

Sam walks back out into the village and heads home to store her old staff. Waste not want not. I guess if I lived near family I would spend a little time telling them of my trip. That makes everything a little less complicated. Sam's "isolated" life makes for a simpler existince. Surrounded by a village, but days travel from the family and people she knew, she finds the same comfort of family in the semi-strangers she sees daily. Her home is located on the outer edges of the village and she has few acquaintences and even fewer friends, but she's content with the life she leads.

She wanders back outside finds a quiet spot under a group of trees and steadies her nerves. She waits a few minutes and walks to meet her group.

TheGreatJabu
2008-04-22, 10:17 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus rises in the morning a short while after the sun. He'd had an odd dream the previous night, considering all that he'd seen in the past couple of days. His dreams always seemed to be colorless, as though they sought to match the man's inherent lack of imagination.

He dreamt that he was walking down a stone hallway - something like the inside of a castle or large church. There was a worn carpet on the floor beneath his feet, and ornate tapestries hung from the walls, illuminated by nearby torches. There were armed guards standing watch about every 8 or 9 feet, shod in metal armor and faces obscured behind helmets. Marcus walked past them with a sense of, strangely, impatience - for some reason he knew that one of them was supposed to strike him as he passed. He had no clue which, however, and continued on walking. Each guard he passed made him more frustrated; rather than fearing the blow, he was angered by the fact that he was having to wait. He started to trot forward and still no blow came. In anger he began to sprint. He passed guard after guard, yet the hallway kept stretching out before him and still no attack came his way.

When he was just about to shout angrily in his dream, he woke up in his cot grinding his teeth. Feeling even more restless than usual, he rose, dressed himself, and headed out for his day. Lacking his usual weapon to train with, Marcus began to roam along the wall of the village. He'd stop and inform each wallguard about the trench that would need to be dug around the town in the upcoming weeks, and advised them to spread the word. When he was well and bored with that task, the guardsman ate a heavy breakfast and walked over to Smithy's to check on the status of his weapon. He arrived (oh so coincidentally) at roughly the same time as the others.

Marcus was unable to pay rigorous attention to Smithy's monologue once his newly-refurbished halberd was revealed. His immediate thoughts went to taking the blade outside to begin testing it at full-swing, but he satisfied himself for the time being with rocking the weapon back and forth while getting accustomed to the counterweights. When Smithy and the others stopped talking, Marcus added his two cents on the small portions he had actually heard. "Yes, we should leave as soon as possible. Still, unless those mindless things learn to use bows before the sun sets, not a hair on Mrs. Mirelda's head will be touched." He stares at the slight reflection his weapon's blade was casting. "I can promise you that." With nothing more than an approving nod towards Smithy concerning his work on the weapon, Marcus walks outside to get his traveling equipment and begins testing out his halberd. He starts with slow and smooth swings and then swaps to quick back-and-forth movements to determine how quickly he can change its momentum. He keeps practicing until everyone has gathered and finally takes a break. Marcus casts a flat look at Sam. "I'll be needing my cloak back. Have you gotten yours back from the boy yet? You don't want him running off with it on his next suicidal misadventure."

sprklemajik
2008-04-23, 06:32 AM
Sam hands Marcus back his cloak, "yes, I've got mine, it is in my satchel. I retrieved it earlier. (magically) I do believe we are ready to leave."

OmegaDamien
2008-04-23, 08:30 AM
Jezreel thanks Smithy again and leaves to test out his new gloves. He fines a nearby oak and proceeds to give it a few jabs, watching small chunks of part break off. The feel of the steel in the gloves against his knuckles would take some getting used to, but he had to admit that this gave his punches a little more zing. After seeking out a replacement quarterstaff (as he had left his other at the church) he returns to wait for the others.

C12H22O11
2008-04-24, 01:23 AM
With everyone assembled, you are ready to leave. No one is here to see you off - not like last time. Only a few villagers glance your way as you step through the open gate. Robertson doesn't even look up from his shovel as you walk past, intent as he is on the short section of trench he's started digging.
Mirelda is surprisingly fit for someone past their prime, and you make good time. She uses her staff as a staff, not a third leg, and while she is for the most part silent, she occassionally points out some herb or plant by the roadside, explaining its healing properties or the flavor it would add to a soup.
The road stretches onwards, winding and twisting to follow the curve of the river. The slosh of water against bank provides a steady, relaxing background to your seemingly endless footsteps, and the hours seem to melt away. Noon passes, a quick lunch eaten without stopping, and on into early evening in what seems the blink of an eye.
It isn't until you are rounding a bend, where the road skirts the edge of the river to avoid a small hill, that you finally happen upon something that breaks up the monotony of your travels. You have a few moments' warning as you hear a very deep-sounding bellow from the other side of the hill, but you are completely unprepared for what meets your eyes as you turn the corner.
A little over fifty feet ahead is a large block of what appears to be ice sitting square in the middle of road. It is taller than any of you, and looks to be a perfect cube, although the corners are rather rounded, as if they've begun to melt or sag. It is backlit nicely by the sun hanging low and orange in the evening sky, and you can see several dark objects suspended inside the block. Most puzzling of all, however, is that there is a hairy, short human swinging a pair of mismatched axes at the block. The blows both land home, carving a pair of glistening chunks from the side of the object. The hairy man then dances back a few steps, leather clothing flapping comically as he moves, and lifts the axes up in a guard position - almost as if he is afraid the cube will try to retaliate.

OOC: Go Ben, Go!

OmegaDamien
2008-04-24, 10:50 AM
During the walk Jezreel keeps to himself, walking himself through some mental exercises designed to improve discipline and alertness. Still, after a couple of hours he felt his dedication to the task ebb and he listened with mild curiosity as Mirelda pointed out the various plants and their uses. He had never particularly cared for herbology, but at this point he was willing to listen if it meant keeping his mind alert.

When they each the strange cube blocking the road, Jezreel pauses a moment, wondering how a giant block of ice could exist here and more importantly who put it in the road. And then there was this strange hairy man. If he didn't know better he'd say the man was trying to carve the ice, but he sure had an odd way of going about it. Jezreel continues to approach the man and calls out to him.

"Hello there. Don't worry about us we don't intend to harm you. What exactly are you doing?"

TheGreatJabu
2008-04-24, 11:47 AM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus had remained silent for the majority of the journey. Although he had always wanted to be able to go out and see the world, he was out of his element. He was used to protecting and patrolling the area around the town only; this was his first real opportunity to travel any distance. His unease made him feel hyper-vigilant, and this amplified his usual unsociability.

This continued until the time at which the sounds of some type of struggle could be heard. When Marcus laid his eyes on the "battle" ahead, his reactions shifted through a series of feelings that, in hindsight, might seem quite bizarre. He was initially amused by the image of a man trying to cleave into a giant lump of ice. Then, he was confused as to how such a large frosty shape could have gotten to this point. From his confusion he then felt an urgent sense of alarm. "No! Stay back from him! Look at the man - he's clearly mad! Let's go around him as discreetly as we are able."

Neb
2008-04-24, 05:29 PM
It'll take all day to hack this thing to pieces. How the giant slime got there in the first place, Gordy could only guess. It was one more thing on the list of troubles in the area. Grunting, he slashed at it again, taking care not to get stuck. At least the cold has made it less dangerous.

In the distance, Gordy became aware of some travellers. Panting, he took a step back from the wounded cube and stared them over for a moment. An odd party. Maybe that big fella could help me out.

"Best step well around friends, this slime is deadly. Unless you care to lend a hand?"

OmegaDamien
2008-04-24, 08:30 PM
A slime? Jezreel had never had an encounter with such a creature, but from the few descriptions he had seemed to fit the image before him, though he had expected something a little...slimier. He nods to Marcus, but continues on toward the hairy man, though a little more cautiously. He stays just outside arms reach of him and keeps alert (OOC: Sets Ben for my dodge B^))

"Slime? Aren't slimes a bit less solid? Can we just hack it apart like this or does it require any special touch?"

Jezreel eyes the "slime" curiously.

sprklemajik
2008-04-25, 03:55 PM
What is this craziness? But this man doesn't look dangerous. "Although he doesn't look in danger, maybe we should help him." Marcus's chidings from the last adventure ring loud in her head. Sam stays with the group, but takes a few steps towards the stranger.

C12H22O11
2008-04-28, 11:37 AM
With a series of loud CRACK sounds, like a frozen river breaking up in the spring, the huge cube shudders forward a few feet towards the leather clad human, who jumps back a few paces to avoid being crushed underneath. Another few pops and cracks accompany the cube's next movement as it thusts some sort of protrusion from its surface and swings it at Jezreel's head. Jezreel, his attention on the human's sudden leap backwards, fails to notice the cube's attack, and is hit square on his shoulder, knocking him backwards.
You notice that the cube's movement has caused numerous fragments to spall off its surface, and the material exposed no longer resembles ice, but some sort of thick, clear jelly.

Neb
2008-04-28, 10:19 PM
Cursing, Gordy turns back to the cube, axes swinging. [OOC: Full power attack]

OmegaDamien
2008-04-29, 07:12 AM
Upon seeing the man jump backwards suddenly, Jezreel realized what was about to happen a split second before the blow was struck. He stumbles forward under the blow, and feel a sudden numbness go to his arm and shoulder begin to go numb where the blow had landed. Plus, the ooze remaining on his cloak began to melt and eat its way through. He focuses his attention on the block now (OOC sets to dodge) and moves several feet away, pulling off his cloak before the acid eats all the way though. He curses himself for his foolishness and yells a warning to the others.
"Stay back people. Don't let it touch you. My body is numb from the blow and I think it is spreading."

TheGreatJabu
2008-04-29, 02:04 PM
Marcus Lyron

Although Marcus began to become frustrated with the group's attempts to deal with this seemingly-unbalanced woodsman, the sudden movement and following attack of the...geometric shape...catch him completely by surprise. He'd never even HEARD of a block-like monster, much less expected to see one on this journey. When Jezreel reports that he is beginning to feel numb from the blow, Marcus's worries compound. Hefting up his weapon, he shouts back to Mirelda. "Keep far back, Mirelda! Sam, have that critter of yours keep a sharp eye on her! There could be others!"

With that, Marcus hustles forward to get at the creature's...rear? He swings with all his might at the voracious volume.

Voracious Volume = gelatinous cubic meters! OOC: lolEdit: rofl
Move around to whateverydy-dever to flank, full Power Attack! Improved Trip lol

sprklemajik
2008-05-01, 07:15 AM
Sam moves Mirelda away from the mess and leaves her owl to spot and watch for any other danger. After Mirelda assures her that she will stay away from the fight and call for help immediately if she senses any possible threat Sam returns to help the others. She eyes the cube warily and moves to check on Jezreel and determine whether he needs healing, or if his damage has stabilized.


OOC: is my owl out and about during daylight hours?

OmegaDamien
2008-05-03, 10:02 AM
*** JUSTIN SAYS****

Gordy takes a quick step forward, close enough to the cube to swing both his axes at it. With such a large target, accuracy is not an issue, and Gordy is able to put his full weight behind each blow. He uses the axes as if chopping at a log, carving a pair of deep cuts at an angle to each other. A light sucking sound accompanies his axes as they pull free, and then a large wedge-shaped section of the cube begins to slide towards the ground, sliced free by Gordy's powerful attack.
As Jezreel backpedals and Sam moves to check on him, Marcus moves forward and lands a powerful swing. The gleaming blade of his halberd cuts through the cube's gooey form with ease, and he splits off an entire corner of the monster, leaving it to quiver on the dusty surface of the road.
Mirelda remains safely out of the way, with Sam's owl flying a slow circle overhead to watch for any new danger.
The pieces separated from the main body of the creature slowly lose their form, almost as if melting, and leave nothing but spreading puddles of moisture in the dirt. The cube itself has now lost over half its original size, and you notice it shudder as it attempts to move forward again. The attempt fails, however, as the creature's lopsided form is too unstable to move, and so it is forced to spend several moments redistributing its mass, which gives everyone time to move in for another attack.

Sure, Tessa! Familiars and animal companions are actually just an abstract concept that floats above your character's head and provides a bonus. It's kinda like a cartoon thought bubble, in that it takes up no real space, but can still be punctured by stray arrows. :smallamused:

OmegaDamien
2008-05-03, 11:44 AM
***Not Justin says *****

As Jezreel recovers a bit from the blow, glad that the numbness was dissipating. He watches as Gordon and Marcus bash chunks of the creature all over. After seeing the creature's failed attempt to move, he steps up with this quarter staff to assist in dispatching the thing before it had a chance to recover. Pulled up his quarter staff to help him keep his distance he attacks with two quick blows with each end of the staff.

sprklemajik
2008-05-06, 06:26 AM
Sam, after seeing that Jezreel's injuries are not serious, joins in on the attack to the cube with her staff. She tries to be careful to stay away from the cube, nervous about the harm it has already caused Jezreel.

Neb
2008-05-06, 06:04 PM
Man eating slime-cubes shall not travel the roads while Gordy draws breath!

[OOC: Full power attack]

C12H22O11
2008-05-07, 08:13 PM
Gordy is the first to take advantage of the quivering cube's inability to move, swinging both axes at it once again. His first strike cleany lops the top off the creature, but his second cuts only air as the creature sags suddenly and begins to lose its shape.
Jezreel finally unlimbers his quarterstaff, stepping in to finish the creature off by flipping pieces of it away with the ends of the staff. By the time Sam gets close enough to strike, the creature is little more than a wet puddle on the road. Sam refrains from attacking, and wisely so, because Jezreel's staff is sizzling and smoking in a rather unpleasant manner. A few moments later, Jezreel is left holding what is essentially a large stick, as both ends of the quarterstaff have been dissolved by the sticky, acidic goo of the monster's body. Strangely, the iron banding on the ends of the staff seems untouched, having fallen in a small pile on the ground as the staff melted.
The creature has lost its form in death, and collapsed into a sizzling puddle. You can see several metallic objects in the center of the goo, but getting to them may be a bit of problem, as the puddle is several inches thick and still gelatinous enough to resist soaking into the packed earth of the roadway.

OmegaDamien
2008-05-08, 10:36 PM
As Jezreel finishes off the creature, taking care not to get any of the remains on himself, he jumps back startled as his staff falls to pieces. As the metal braces fall to the ground, he kicks them around a little with his foot, as if checking to see if they'd break or dissolve. He glances casually at the small pile of metal objects in the cube's middle. He turns back to the hairy man, staring down at him cautiously.
"Sir, I must ask you a question and please answer me honestly. Are you, a gnome?"

sprklemajik
2008-05-09, 06:50 AM
After the battle Sam goes out to Mirelda and walks with her back to the group.

"Jezreel, you know that's impolite, shame on you. I'm sorry sir, he's just curious, he's probably never seen anyone like you before. We are sorry for distracting you from your... activities. We are traveling into the city, is it likely that we may run into more of these cubes or is this the first you have seen? As you can see, we don't have a lot of weaponry that can do harm to a creature like this." Sam indicates the damage the creature has done to Jezreel's weapon.

Neb
2008-05-09, 05:29 PM
Gordy turns to stare at the skinny man. He thinks I'm a Gnome? After a long, awkward moment, Gordy says, "Those are smaller". He returns his attention to the puddle of goop with an uncomfortable frown on his face.

"Metal will do fine for a gelatinous cube, but such a creature shouldn't be on the surface. There could be more." After another silence, Gordy turns to the group and says, "I'll go with you. I need some things from the city."

TheGreatJabu
2008-05-09, 10:33 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus leaves the others to their introductions as he continues to prod at the seeping pile of their foe's remains with his weapon. He'd never seen such an obscure creature, and truth be told, he wasn't positive they had 'killed' it. He continues to poke his weapon into the larger portions of goop left, attempting to make sure none of the smaller pieces would begin moving on their own.

Jezreel's question concerning the woodsman's race caused a brief pause in Marcus's work, followed by a somewhat bewildered look from the guard towards his comrade. However, he shakes his head and continues his autopsy.

OOC: If it just so happens that there's shiny treasure in them thar pieces, let me know!

C12H22O11
2008-05-09, 10:48 PM
Marcus' prodding with the halberd does little more than stir the gooey mess at first, but after a few minutes of searching, his blade snags on a tangled and unidentifiable mass of metal that he is able to remove. The metal might be some variety of chainmail, although it's hard to tell under the jelly-like coating, which will need to be removed before the item can be handled safely.
As Marcus turns away from the ooze, however, he notices a few glints of yellowish light from another part of the puddle. There appear to be a number of small golden objects trapped in the creature's body, but the halberd proves ineffective at retrieving them. Some other method will have to be found.

Neb
2008-05-10, 09:00 AM
"Water from the river could help, if you have something to carry it in." But, ignoring his own advice, Gordy licks his lips and squats beside the puddle; he attempts to use his axes together to pinch the mail and lift it.

e: Fortune smiles upon Gordy, as he lifts the chainmail with his axes! He gingerly carries it to the river to wash off the harmful gunk clinging to the links.

OmegaDamien
2008-05-14, 08:51 AM
"Thank you for clearing that up sir. I have never met or seen a gnome before, but I know I hate them and everything they stand for."

Jezreel watches the rest of the group work on the puddle for awhile, not sure of how best to help. Still feeling a tingling sensation from the creature's blow, he keeps his distance for awhile, not wanting to risk getting any more of that gel on himself.

"We would need a LOT of water. I am not sure we could carry enough to here. Have you tried using your axes to knock a little trail to the center free?"

sprklemajik
2008-05-14, 02:02 PM
Sam can feel herself starting to calm down after all the excitement. When she feels like there is no further danger, she walks over to Jezreel starts thoroughly checking his wounds and casts a healing spell.

[ooc: level 1 healing spell-someone roll it plz]

"I don't think I have anything to help with the investigation of this creature or its shiny metal leftovers. It sure would be nice to find a bucket lying around. " Sam wonders around, mostly aimlessly, looking for a bucket or pail that would help to carry water.


[ooc: putting toxic ooze into the river. Shame on you ben! pollution! Captain planet will come for you--other question, when did we come upon a river?]

C12H22O11
2008-05-14, 03:47 PM
Gordy manages to drop the armor unceremoniously into the river, where the ooze quickly dissolves and is replaced by a much less harmful coating of river mud. After another thorough shaking in the water, the mud washes off as well, revealing a somewhat unusual chain shirt. The metal is completely rust-free, which seems odd given that it has likely spent a fair amount of time inside the creature's acidic... stomach. It also has an odd finish - not shiny or soot-blackened like most chainmail, but a soft, pale appearance, almost like frosted glass.
Sam's healing spell leaves Jezreel with nothing more than a nasty bruise, making him feel much better about the whole ordeal. There is, unfortunately, no bucket.


...You're to take Mirelda north on the river road, all the way up to Gardamere, and take her to the Archives there...


The road stretches onwards, winding and twisting to follow the curve of the river. The slosh of water against bank provides a steady, relaxing background to your seemingly endless footsteps, and the hours seem to melt away. Noon passes, a quick lunch eaten without stopping, and on into early evening in what seems the blink of an eye.
It isn't until you are rounding a bend, where the road skirts the edge of the river to avoid a small hill, that you finally happen upon something that breaks up the monotony of your travels. You have a few moments' warning as you hear a very deep-sounding bellow from the other side of the hill, but you are completely unprepared for what meets your eyes as you turn the corner.:smallbiggrin:

OmegaDamien
2008-05-15, 08:34 PM
Jezreel looks up at the sky, very puzzled for a few moments. Finally he turns to his companions who all still seem to be trying to determine the best method of getting the objects in the creature's remains.
" Did anyone else hear this voice in the sky say "river" and "water" over and over again? Perhaps the ooze did more to me than I thought. Anyway since we're next to the RIVER, lets just use the water in our skins to clear a way and refill them several times until we can reach the middle."

sprklemajik
2008-05-16, 07:05 AM
"Great idea." Sam follows Jezreel and carefully dumps her waterskin right behind him, helping to start a path towards the middle of the goop. She then turns and walks to the river to repeat the process several more times.

Neb
2008-05-21, 06:49 PM
When Gordy gets a good look at the chain shirt, he sits down heavily on his large rump, surprised. "Huh. Doubt this will fit me."

C12H22O11
2008-05-21, 10:35 PM
Skin after skin of water slowly washes away the corrosive goo, revealing a decent-sized pile of gold coins, a plain silver ring, and a large number of ordinary-looking rocks. Apart from those small items and the chain shirt Gordy is still holding, there is virtually no trace of the creature that you just defeated.
With the mess now gone, there is little left to do but continue on towards Gardamere. Gordy follows along, feeling almost like part of the group now, and continues to hang onto the chain shirt.
It takes only a little while longer to reach the city, although the sun has nearly set by the time you arrive. Gardamere makes an impressive sight as you approach. The reddish glow from the setting sun bathes the city's eastern wall in crimson, lending the cold granite a cheery warmth. Silhouetted against the dimming sky are the twin square towers of the Archives, standing as part of the wall. Some say the Archives were built before the wall, some say after, but all agree that, taken together, they are one of the oldest structures still in use. The wall has been standing for so long, in fact, that the river has moved several hundred feet from the wall's original endpoint. A second, lower wall has obviously been added on at a later point, and updated every few decades or so. A clean line where mortar and brick abut the cold granite, and a slightly less regular line farther down where the brick changes to a pale yellow sandstone, all slowly jumble into the latest section composed mostly of woven rushes and daub.
The gates are still open when you arrive, and the two guards on duty wave you through with polished spears and bored looks. Mirelda speaks up once inside, breaking her usual silence to address the group. "I'm glad we made such good time, even with that... thing we encountered, but I'm afraid there's little use in heading to the Archives tonight. It has been a while since I was here last, but I remember a nice inn a few streets from the Archives... oh, what was it called... the green something... Green Lantern, that was it! Of course, our new companion might know somewhere better, so I'm open to suggestions."

TheGreatJabu
2008-05-22, 01:39 AM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus found himself casting somewhat hopeful glances towards the newly-acquired suit of armor that had been discovered in the innards of the strange goop they had battled on the trip. The sheer creepiness of wearing something that had been INSIDE another creature just rubbed him the wrong way, and he spent much of the remainder of the trip contemplating just exactly how gruesome it would have been to be the person who had no doubt been wearing that armor at the time of their demise. The presence of the new, strange man in their caravan didn't discomfort Marcus as much as the above-mentioned line of thinking, so he was able to put him out of mind for the moment.

Upon arriving at the city, Marcus's first reaction was to examine the guards who were on duty. From a distance, he scoffed to himself. "Spears. How boring." When the group had made it into the town and the plans for the evening were being discussed, Mirelda's suggestion to leave the choice up to their bearded stranger left the guard wondering. He speaks up abruptly, and sounding somewhat gruff.

"This Green Lantern of yours sounds fine, Mrs. Mirelda. We can't properly have this stranger here choose our destination when we don't even know his name! There's but one way to deal with him, now." Marcus walks over to the man slowly with a grim look on his face. His weapon begins to shift about in his hands as he approaches. When Marcus stands right before the man, he then rests his halberd in his left hand and holds out his right. "Thanks for the help. I am Marcus Lyron." Although it would take a great imagination to describe his expression as friendly, it was certainly much less dour than usual for this moment.

OOC: May the friendly Gruff-Off Competition begin!

OmegaDamien
2008-05-22, 07:29 AM
Upon finding the small stash of coin in the center, Jezreel takes his cut and quickly stores it. As a monk, he had little use for coin, but having never travelled much, he figured having a little coin on hand might be wise. As they began their journey again, he noticed that the hairy man was traveling with them. For awhile, he kept his distant, still uncertain whether or not to believe that this man was indeed, no gnome. As it was, Jezreel was still not sure what a gnome was, just that he despised and feared them. Damn dreams, its a wonder that I can sleep at all. In the end Jezreel decided to accept that this fuzzy fellow was not a gnome since he'd been so helpful during the fight.

Upon hearing Marcus's comment about the boringness of spears Jezreel turns and replies, "A true warrior needs only his own body and his wits."

As they reach gate, he is surprised when Marcus actually offers his hand to the man, uncertain as to whether or this was his attempt at friendliness or just another way to size up their new companion. Either way, he steps up next to Marcus and dips into a slight bow.
"And you may call me Jezreel."

sprklemajik
2008-05-22, 12:46 PM
Sam offers the stranger his share of the coins, and introduces herself. "I'm Sam. You did most of the work out there, would you like the ring as well? We can have it identified tomorrow while we're in town. We all know each other fairly well, would you mind telling us a little about yourself? It might alleviate some of the concerns my fellow travelers have." Sam nods in Jezreels direction. "He truly means no harm."

As the travelers make it in to town Sam once again tries to mediate any harshness from her colleages. "It probably would be best to go where Mirelda will be most comfortable. You don't mind do you? If you'd prefer to stay somewhere else, we could meet up with you in the morning."

Neb
2008-05-22, 06:54 PM
Gordy takes the coins appreciatively. He looks at the druid lady for a bit, creasing his fore head. "I am Gordan, though most people call me Gordy. Uhh..." Gordy thinks for a bit longer and then thrusts the chainmail at her. "I don't think this will fit me. Perhaps one of your group could use it. I will take the ring if it doesn't interest you."

Gordy is still unsure how far to trust these strangers, but he decides that he will stick with them for the time being.

"If you'll be traveling again soon, I wouldn't mind going with you, if you would have me. Though I wouldn't mind staying in the city for a bit either. I've never been inside the Archive."

sprklemajik
2008-05-23, 06:37 AM
Sam takes the mail shirt from Gordy and hands him the ring. "I think we'd be happy to travel with you. We certainly could someone with your skills, and it probably would ease Marcus's nerves to have another warrior in our midst. Here is the ring. Marcus, would you like the mail shirt, it will not do Jezreel or I any benefit. We will be in the city for at least part of the day tomorrow. Depending on how long it takes Mirelda in the morning to search the archives we may have to wait until the next morning to head back to our town. However we will not be staying long in the city, our town is in danger and we cannot bear to leave it for long."

Sam turns to follow Mirelda to the inn. "I would say it's about time to have some dinner and turn in for the night."

OmegaDamien
2008-05-23, 09:59 AM
Jezreel steps out from the group in the direction that Mirelda indicated.
"Well little guy, you CAN handle yourself as so long as you are truly not a gnome then I bear you no ill will. We can all get to know each other a little better at the inn. Lets drop off our gear and get settled." He pauses to let Mirelda past him, since she knew where the place was.

C12H22O11
2008-05-26, 12:02 PM
Mirelda walks past Jezreel, leading your small group into town a short ways before turning east down a main road. You thread your way between merchants' stalls and shopfronts as they close down for the evening, avoiding the middle of the street where huge wagons rumble over age-worn granite slabs. A few persistent vendors shout at you as you walk past, trying to sell their last wilted vegetables or a few pieces of cold, greasy meat leftover from lunchtime.
The road leads directly to the front steps of the Archives, but Mirelda cuts across the busy street a few blocks beforehand and heads into a smaller sidestreet heading north. The rest of you cross as well, causing a wagon to come to a creaking, groaning stop. The driver of the wagon lets off a string of some foreign language in a very irritated voice and shakes his fist at you, but the wagon stays put for the moment. The entire team of horses snorts and shies away as Gordy walks past, perhaps mistaking him for a small bear.
A few short blocks down the sidestreet is a large wooden lantern hanging from a protruding beam, set with large panes of dark green glass. In the shadowy twilight cast by the surrounding buildings, you can see a light of some type glimmering inside the lantern, although it does not waver or flicker like a true lantern flame would.
Mirelda pushes open a stout double door that has been intricately carved with an image of the lantern it sits beneath and walks into the inn. She heads straight for the bartender, ignoring the pimple-faced boy standing by the door, and begins speaking to the bartender. As noisy as the bar is this close to dinnertime, you are unable to hear the conversation, but you see Mirelda turn and gesture at your group, to which the bartender responds by slowly shaking his head and crossing his arms. Mirelda reaches across the bar and smacks the bartender on the forehead - no easy feat, given that stands a good foot and a half taller than her. The bartender steps backwards with a look of shock, but then grins broadly and vaults over the bar, embracing your village healer in a huge hug while they both shake with barely-contained laughter. The bartender then walks towards your group with hand outstretched in greeting, still smiling. "Ho, travellers! Mirelda here tells me you all are in need of a room for a few nights. Far be it from me to turn away my ol' schoolteacher and her companions - there's rooms upstairs if'n you're tired out already, but if not, dinner is on the house, and I'd sure like to sit around and hear what all the village folks have been up to. Gar, it's been... what, ma'am, eight years? Nine? Anyways, name's Orrin, and you all let me know if there's anything else you'll be needin' whilst you're here. Pleasure to see how some of you youngsters have shaped up, hah!"

OmegaDamien
2008-05-27, 09:30 AM
Now that introductions were out of the way, Jezreel follows Mirelda as she leads them through the town. After passing the vendors, he seriously contemplated going back for that cold, greasy piece of meat, feeling a bit adventurous as well as hungry after a long day of traveling. So distracted was he that he didn't notice the wagon until the driver was already shouting at them in some strange tongue. He eyes him suspiciously and leans toward his companions as they walk away.

"Do any of you recognize that language? Do you think it was gnomish?"

At the tavern while Mirelda was talking to the barman, Jezreel was sure he recognized the man, but he could not quite recall when. Perhaps he had come through the monastery at some point. It wasn't until Mirelda introduced them that he finally remembered Orrin. He reached out to shake his hand.
"Hello Orrin, I'm Jezreel. I think I speak for everyone when I say that a nice meal is just what we need right now."

Neb
2008-06-01, 10:21 AM
Gordy introduces himself and then stares at the innkeep, thinking about food

sprklemajik
2008-06-03, 09:29 AM
Sam walks over with the innkeeper to a table and begins speaking kindly, hoping to gather any information that he might know about the undead. "Thank you for offering a meal and a place to stay. We will only need a couple of days shelter at most, then we must hurry back to the village. We've had some strange encounters with organized undead and must rush back to help our home. Have you heard anything about this oddity from travelers that have passed through your inn?"

TheGreatJabu
2008-06-05, 10:12 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus continues to march in-stride with the others. He remains quiet and vigilant with one single exception; he breaks his silence a moment to tell Jezreel to "Forget about these gnomes for at least a day."

When they arrive at the inn after their walk and are introduced to the barkeep, Marcus settles himself down at a table, glowering at anyone who might be construed as being too close. If he succeeds at unnerving a few of the other patrons away, he gestures to the newly-cleared area for his comrades to sit with him.

OOC: GRUFF! [roll0]

Neb
2008-06-06, 05:53 PM
Gordy helps in gruffing out their table.

(1d20+1)[19]

C12H22O11
2008-06-06, 10:51 PM
Marcus and Gordy's combined glare does indeed keep most of the inn's patrons from sitting down near them. Before Marcus can actualy wave anyone from the group over to his table, however, Orrin himself leads the rest of the group over and seats them all at the mostly-vacant table. He waves at one of the serving girls, motioning for her to bring a few plates from the kitchen, and then leans forward, elbows on the tabletop. "Alright then, what's this about? You're the third person inside a' as many days that's let slip about some scary new kind a' undead. At first I figured it was just some ignorant farmers what hadn't ever seen how those monsters make for villages and the like in winter, but I know you, Mirelda, and you wouldn'ta hiked yourself all the way up here over somethin' like that. Way I see it, the only thing you'd have here that you dinn'a have back at the village are the Archives. Am I right?"
Mirelda smiles wistfully, and leans in over the table. "You always were the bright one, dear boy. I never understood why you didn't take that old mage up on his offer... oh, but that's said and done and in the past. Ahhh, you're right Orrin, there is something strange going on. There's something organizing the undead, and it's apparently intelligent enough to speak. I was hoping there might be something in the Archives about this. I remember some vague legends about more powerful undead, but I always thought they were just legends. If you've been hearing about this from others, too... what have they been saying, Orrin?"
Orrin rolls his eyes and takes a large gulp of the straw-colored ale that has suddenly appeared in a glass near his left hand. "Heh, like I said, thought they were some yokels that dinn'a know what they were jabberin' about. Didn't pay much mind to it, but it sounds about the same as your tale... smarter undead, and them using tactics and strategy, or at least tryin' to. I don't know how much use the Archives'll be for you, ma'am, as I've already taken a looksie myself, and dinn'a find much of use. I didn't look too hard, though, so might be you'd best head over in the morning and try for yourself. In the meantime, though, enjoy the dinner, and get some rest, all of yah! No one ever solves anything on an empty stomach, I always say!" Orrin pushes back from the table, making room as a mousy-haired serving girl slides a steaming platter of meat and onions onto the table, followed by a basket of warm, crusty bread.
You all go to bed that night feeling well-fed and welcomed. The night is thankfully uneventful, and you wake to the smell of bacon and fresh biscuits. Orrin and Mirelda are hunched over a small table when you head downstairs, talking in hushed tones. They finish before you all, and Mirelda lets you know that she'll be spending the day in the Archive's vaults before leaving. With breakfast out of the way and Mirelda safely delievered, there's not much left for you to do but explore the town, and perhaps do some shopping.

Suddenly, Jezreel thinks he sees a gnome run by the window. Then again, maybe it was just a hairy child.

OmegaDamien
2008-06-10, 07:55 AM
Jezreel jumps back a little and points at the window with a focused look on his face."Did you guys see that? I can't be certain, but I think a gnome just ran past the window. If there are gnomes around we best tread carefully. I don't know much about them, but I am sure they are tricky little monsters. So what shall we do with our time?"

As he says this he walks over to the window and peers out cautiously, checking up and down the street to try and locate the fiend.

OOC: SPOT CHECK!!!

Neb
2008-06-10, 05:34 PM
Jezreel's paranoia about gnomes starts to really wear on Gordy. His already furrowed brow furrows in on itself, creating an impressive and rarely seen "double furrow". Gordy is quite fond of gnomes and loves to visit them when he can.

OOC: how much gold did I get from the coins we found in the cube? I'm broke at the moment

TheGreatJabu
2008-06-10, 07:52 PM
Marcus Lyron

Marcus comes down that morning in somewhat new attire - he successfully managed to work up the nerve to try to wear the chain shirt they recovered from the innards of the ooze-monster the day before. It was still a little unnerving for him.

The guardsman took his seat at the table with little more than a nod to the others before beginning to quickly and efficiently spoon the food into his mouth. He pauses for a moment when Jezreel bolts to the door to look for "those damned Gnomes of his", and soon returns his attention to the table. He scowls as he sees Gordy the woodsman's impressive double-furrow at Jezreel, and he launches his own counter-scowl to reduce the effectiveness of the other man's gruffness upon his fellow villager.

When he's finished his breakfast, Marcus leans back in his seat and folds his arms over his chest. "I don't need to buy anything, but I don't want to sit around here all day. We should ask around to see if anyone else has heard tales of these new undead."

Using my Improved CounterScowl ability from my PrC. [roll0]

Neb
2008-06-10, 08:41 PM
Gordy meets Marcus's stare and scowls back!

[roll0]

Neb
2008-06-10, 08:53 PM
OOC: lol i just critically scowled

Gordy, frightened by his face's response, immediately drops his scowl, feeling the muscles tensing up to dangerous levels. Sweating, he excuses himself outside and heads out into the city. Its not too often he gets to visit all the merchants and vendors, and Gordy has discovered that he has a weakness for the useless nick nacks that they sell. He wanders about, looking for anything interesting.

C12H22O11
2008-06-11, 11:33 AM
Jezreel peers out the window, just in time to catch a glimpse of a short and somewhat hairy figure disappearing around the corner at the end of the lane.
Gordy's triple-furrow relaxes just in time to avoid serious damage to his facial muscles. In the air between Marcus and Gordy, a faint dark spot wavers for a moment, then disappears, and the room seems to grow just a slight bit brighter, as if a cloud had moved away from the sun.

PMs are being sent!
Also, good job Ben. Your character just barely passed his Fortitude save to avoid permanent disfigurement!

Neb
2008-06-11, 06:53 PM
Gordy takes in the sights of the city, stopping to inspect all of the wares for sale. He decides to spend some silver on a fancy belt knife, having lost his last good knife over a month ago during a friendly game of bear wrestling. Gordy feels a bit uneasy about the riverstones on its hilt, knowing that his father wouldn't approve of such a wasteful feature, but Gordy appreciates their beauty.

Gordy is then confronted by a cloaked stranger and led down an alley way. The man reveals to him a magic rope for a good price, keeping his voice down. Gordy seems oblivious that this might be hot merchandise.

Gordy thinks long and hard about the rope. It definitely intrigues him. His face remains still as he stares at it, unaware of the uncomfortable length of the silence. He clears his throat once, giving them impression that he's about to speak, but then he simply stares some more.

Suddenly he reaches into his pockets and pulls out the coins."Thank you." He takes the rope and says the magic words a couple of times to watch it transform, quite pleased with his purchase.

TheGreatJabu
2008-06-14, 05:31 PM
Marcus Lyron

After several hours of roaming around the city, speaking to many people of varying levels of savory-ness, Marcus finally seemed to make some headway. If the tales of the dockhands were to be believed, the undead around this area seemed to have become more organized recently - but still leaps and bounds away from intelligent. Marcus's brow furrowed (a new habit picked up from associating with the wrong people) at the men's jests concerning their desire to keep their little 'game' hidden from the city guard. Their activities didn't sound particularly illegal to him, but Marcus was always automatically suspicious of anyone who acted as though they had something to hide.

After leaving the dockhands, Marcus begins heading back to the Green Lantern to meet with the others and inform them of their invitation to the bizarre soiree.

sprklemajik
2008-06-14, 08:12 PM
Sam spends some quiet time alone in the evening, gathering rest and quietly containing her thoughts, hoping to gain some inner calm about leaving the villagers alone to defend themselves. I guess the ...sort of... good news is, the undead could have followed us here instead of returning to the village tonight. Sam tries to steady herself, but the unnatural always disturbed her more than anything else. After calming down, she returns back to the restaurant in the inn and waits on night to fall, waiting to go to sleep until she is somewhat sure there will be no undead issues tonight.

TheGreatJabu
2008-06-23, 10:13 PM
Marcus Lyron

When everyone has assembled back at the Green Lantern Tavern, Marcus is leaning against a wall, staring out the window until everyone has settled in. "While I was out, I managed to earn us an invitation to a...strange little party this evening. Apparantly there are some sailors down by the docks who make a game of toying with undead who lurk around the city. They've commented that the creatures seem to be getting smarter, yet they see no threat to their little games. I think we should keep an eye on them to make sure they don't do anything foolish."

sprklemajik
2008-06-25, 01:24 PM
"Well let's head out, although if Mirelda doesn't mind, I'd prefer she stay here in case of danger. Taunting zombies; this sort of activity seems... odd."

OmegaDamien
2008-06-26, 07:10 AM
Jezreel stands fom his seat at the table, obviously trying to determine the best way to say what he needed to. He swallows the piece of bread he'd been chewing and follows it with a sip from his cup of water before beginning.
"As you may remember, earlier I thought I saw a gnome sneaking past our the window. You each may think I am crazy, but I followed the little person to a run down house in another part of time. I have never seen or heard a gnome before, but I am convinced that this little person was in fact a gnome based on the descriptions I have heard in the past. Well regardless of what it was, I did clearly overhear a mage pay him to keep an eye on Mirelda while she's at the archives. Unfortunately he stumbled upon my hiding place and while I was running he may have gotten a clear view of me."
He pauses a moment to take another drink from his cup and trying to determine if the others believed his story or thought him mad. Judging from the looks he got from Marcus and Gordy, it was probably a bit of both.
"Clearly Mirelda must still look in the archives, but I believe we should stay with her and stay alert for any danger. As far as I know this gnomish fellow did not get a look at me"

sprklemajik
2008-06-26, 08:49 AM
Sam stands dumbfounded at Jezreel, sure now that he has certainly lost his mind, but then slowly begins to understand. "Oh... another part of town. I thought at first you meant you had time traveled while chasing this ... gnome. Looks as if it wouldn't be a good idea to leave Mirelda to search for danger, it appears danger has found us. Well, I don't mind staying with Mirelda if some of you would rather go and see the undead tonight. I think I would probably draw attention to the group around the docksmen anyways. It might be best if we went 2 and 2. Any volunteers?"

TheGreatJabu
2008-06-26, 01:41 PM
Marcus Lyron

"I don't think I would serve well as a guard to Mirelda while she studies. Whoever is interested in her seems to be the subtle, shifty type - and I am not a subtle man. I'd be surprised if I was allowed into the archives fully-armed."

Neb
2008-06-27, 08:13 PM
Gordy stuffs his face while he listens. He chews with his mouth open. Tormenting undead sounds like fun, but Gordy decides he'll stick with the group for now.