Zombiepocalypse 3.5 IC

[Darth Felix]

At first you thought that the threat was merely another spell caster who thought he could handle the city guard, one more necromancer creating trouble with some artifact, with a graveyard as large as the one in Dremeth, it happens from time to time. Then, when the rumors didn't stop, as more and more undead were seen, and even worse, the living began to become infected with a strange disease that culminated in their transformation into one of the walking dead, you began to worry. Gathering some gear you made ready to leave the city and head to a safer area. If only it were so easy. As you make your dash to the city gates you take a turn onto a wide street only to be met by a blockade of guardsmen fighting off the undead. The only problem is that they're losing. Badly. Suddenly you're surrounded, the undead are on both sides, and although you're surrounded by the soldiers of the guard, they won't last long. The captain yells orders and the group retreats in formation into one of the city guard posts, and the door is barred to keep the undead out.

You look around in the dark room, which is lit only by a few torches on the wall. A few other refugees who happened to be nearby are with you, as is the captain of the guard and two guardsmen, although the captain is nursing a nasty wound, and the guardsman look close to panic.

[ghostaxe]

"Well then, looks like we won't be staying long in this city," quips Hurtel. "Let's head out before this post is too thoroughly surrounded. What's the quickest way out of the city, Captain? I can use my clerical powers to keep at least a few of them at bay when we make a run for it."

Hurtel casts Lesser Vigor on the Captain and he heals 11 HP over the course of a minute.

(OOC thread is here, so I can find it easily.)

[Fra Lippo]

Augustus at this point is still in a state of shock - in one of the corners, covered by the shadows, he curls up into a fetal position. His whole body is shaking, as if he is trying to deny everything that's going on around him.

[Nixed]

Were it not for the curs'ed up-landers and their foul magiks, Hargsin would be perfectly at ease. Small dark rooms, while not a nice cave, were more familiar than the busy streets and open air that he'd experienced since setting out on this quest. The priest of Moradin who had sent him out into the world said that he would know the task which he must accomplish once he found it. There was no doubt in the smiths mind that this was his purpose. He offered up a prayer to the creator of Dwarves as he sharpened his axe blades, waiting to be able to help.

[Koury]

A human woman, tall and thin, who looks to be in her mid 50s, stands in the back of the room, taking stock of the others in the room. Anyone who pays close enough attention to her notices a constant stream of tears running down her face.

Spoiler

Show

Corretha is currently bound to Focalor.

Binding Check - (1d20+8)[11] vs DC 20.
Success allows me to ignore Focalor's Influence

Relevent Info
Sign: While you serve as host to Focalor, your eyes constantly weep, regardless of your mood or thoughts.
Ability: Lightning Strike (Detailed on character sheet under Weapons)
Influence: While influenced by Focalor, you feel some of his inestimable grief and act morose, rarely smiling or finding cause to laugh. Whenever you kill a creature, Focalor demands that as soon as you have a peaceful moment, you take a round to say a few words of sorrow and regret for the life cut short by your actions.

[Darth Felix]

The guard captain says a short thank-you for the healing and stands again.

The best way out? Hmm... He rubs hi's stubble for a second as he thinks, The main gates might be open, and they're only a few streets away from here. If we climb up into the attic section here we might be able to get there.

He points at a ladder that leads to a trap door in the ceiling.

[Koury]

Do you have any idea whats happening? Is there nothing we can do besides try and escape?

[ghostaxe]

Hurtel considers the woman's words. "Well, I suppose you can run out there in the other direction, and make a lot of noise as you do so. That will greatly improve the odds of the rest of us surviving, and I give you my word I will say a solemn word of prayer for your noble sacrifice every morning from now on."

Diplomacy (+6): (1d20+6)[24]

"If you don't want to become a martyr-hero just yet, however, I suggest we run."

[Koury]

"Cute. I advise you to choose the manner you speak to people more powerful then yourself more carefully, friend." Corretha looks the man over. "You're the one who claimed some sort of divine power, correct? Should you not be able to affect these beasts? Cause them to flee from you or some such?"

[ghostaxe]

"Right, hence I earlier said that I could keep them at bay while we make our escape. Well then, if you refuse to be bait, I suppose I could do it, as the Traveller provides me with extra fleetness of foot. Captain, could we count on you to lead these people to safety when I lure the zombies away? Let us all meet at the bridge two miles southwest of the city in an hour's time."

[Fra Lippo]

The wizard is disturbed, momentarily, from himself by the authoritative voices in the room. He stares back and forth between the cleric and the weeping woman as they argue, breathing heavily. When there is a pause in the conversation, Augustus begins to cackle wildly, regardless of how much noise he is making. Drops of saliva spray up in the direction of the two, and the guard captain, as he directs his loud voice and vacant gaze at them.

[Nixed]

"Fightin our way out sounds better than making a run for it. " Standing and moving towards the discussion. "And a lot better than waitin here for the dead to come get us. Lets see how many we can put back to sleep on our way out.

[Darth Felix]

I'll lead the people to safety if that's what you want. I'd thank you greatly for the assistance. My men were hired to deal with thieves and drunks, not these monstrosities. As for doing something to stop the plague itself, I haven't the slightest clue what happened. In fact, I don't even know what the other guard captains around the city are doing. By the time any of us realized how bad it was it was too late to do anything but try and escape.

[Koury]

Well then, it seems we need to secure some sort of shelter, make sure we have supplies and find out what the rest of the guard is doing and if there is a plan.

Captain, it seems a number of us here are able to fight. Is there a secure location we can assist you in escorting these people to? A nearby keep or barracks or anything defensible like that? A place where others are likely to have taken shelter?

After we find shelter, we'll worry about supplies and communication with any other groups.

[ghostaxe]

"Well, get yourselves up onto the attic, and let me know when you're in position to make a dash for it. I'll cover you all from the ground." Hurtel turns to Corretha. "And if I don't make it, I'd appreciate it if you'd at least mutter a blessing for me every day."

[Darth Felix]

Gods be with you, you're brave. From the attic space we ought to be able to get on the walls, once we're up there we can either head out of the city, or perhaps try to make it to the keep. It was heavily guarded, perhaps they kept these monsters at bay.

[Nixed]

So wait. We are climbing on the roof to make it up onto the wall to escape, while you go run out the front door to distract monsters in the hope of what? Any up on the roofs or walls jump down? It seems to me that if they're being held out by the barricade now why not let them stay occupied with that and do our best to all get away unnoticed. Ifin you're lookin for an excuse to get yourself into more danger than necessary, or are uninterested in going with us that's fine but otherwise I don't see a whole heap of tactics in your tactical diversion. At least not without seeing what can be seen from the attic and getting all the information we can. .

[Koury]

As Hargsin was talking the cleric out of his suicide mission, Corretha was already heading for the attic to see what there was to see.

[ghostaxe]

Hurtel considers and says, "The idea of luring them away is so that you can escape without a train of zombies following you. Brainless they may be, they know to follow their targets. Surely we do not want to abandon our sickly and elderly to those abominations when they grow tired from running?"

[Koury]

So take up a rearguard position, says Corretha, halfway to the attic. If you truly are able to fight these things off AND want to get the people to safety, that'd be the most useful. You also just might live.

[ghostaxe]

"Alas," admits Hurtel sheepishly. "I am completely incapable of fighting. My only strengths are my healing abilities, and my ability to run really, really fast. Hence I was suggesting a distraction role, rather than a combat role, for myself."

[Koury]

Corretha stops for a second and turns to face the cleric, tears still constantly streaming down her face. She looks him over throughly.

Hmm. I had assumed you had some sort of offensive magical ability, judging by your willingness to face that horde and your lack of a weapon. You say you're quick? How about taking point and scouting ahead of us then while we get everyone up and out of here?

[Nixed]

We're planning on making a run for shelter that will soon be under siege if not already, with diminished man power and as you already pointed out injured and elderly with us, and you believe your most beneficial skill to the survival of the people we know are alive is your speed and not your god given ability to make people healthy? To keep the few fighters we have alive. Lad I can't tell you what to do, but this is nae the time for rash decisions. Where I come from we're constantly fighting off raids of some group or another. You can teach just about anyone to pick up a spear or an ax and defend a fortified position with some success. How many would you wager have the skills your God has blessed you with? The dwarf looks around, finding the captain with his gaze. Previously he had been willing to submit to the captain's lead, but his willingness to immediately go along with the flawed plan discredited him in the fighter's eyes.

"I suggest we take a look and see what the walls look like. Perhaps that route is blocked and we have no choice but to try something risky. Until we find out more about what's going on we won't know. As you said they seem to mindlessly go after targets, so it stands to reason they'd mostly be in the streets. No food on the wall, fewer of those things up there. Seems to me the best course of action is to make for the wall, bar the door, take the ladder up with us and do anything else we can to keep anything from following us, and either make for the keep or if nothing else we can find a way to exit the city from up there and regroup. We stand a much better chance against a large number on the narrow walkways than on open ground. "

He looks up the stairs towards the woman who had been headed up the ladder.
"See anything?"

[Darth Felix]

Your head pokes up into the attic room, it is rather dark, but there is enough illumination from a window in the wall to see at the moment. The room is filled mostly with crates and barrels, and doesn't look like it's been disturbed in quite sometime, judging by the level of dust on everything and the musty smell in the air. The windows look to be large enough to climb out of, and the tower does indeed connect to the wall, however it looks to be by means of a rather thin ledge that one would have to shimmy along in order to get there.

[Koury]

Yeah, a lot of nothing. There is indeed a path to the wall, however. Someone should search the barrels up here for any useful supplies.

Corretha begins leading the refugees up and toward the wall.

Hey cleric, you want to take point? Your speed may prove an asset up front.

If anyone else attempts to search the room, Corretha aids them.
Aid Another - (1d20+4)[9]

[ghostaxe]

Hurtel looks at the ledge. "There's no way everyone can balance their way across that ledge. I will not abandon the elderly and children."

[Nixed]

No reason for dramatics, no one said anything about leaving anyone behind. Help look through here and see if we can't find something to help get us out of here. Everyone aught to be able to make it if we can track down some rope or something to use as handholds or something. He looks around for help from any of the people standing around, there was no reason they couldn't aid in their own escape either.