Old Ways IC

[MeanMrsMustard]

Alanna either sees the magical arrows or hears the noises they make upon contact (or both).
Great. We're all gonna need some healing.

[Matthew]

Cursing the foul sorcery at work against him and knowing that flight would likely only mean death, Nathros attempts to put an end to the undead abomination before his luck finally runs out.

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Nathros, Level Two Dwarf: AC 9(1); HP 9(2); THAC0 19.

Attack Roll: (1d20+1)[20]
Damage Roll: (1d6+1)[3]

[Altair_the_Vexed]

"By Tarastia! Three magic missiles?" Talsarios exclaims."He's more powerful than I thought!"
Wide-eyed, the scholar scampers to the sleeping enemies and snatches away their weapons.

[Koren n'Rhys]

"We've almost finished him! One more volley!"
Mycah plucks one more arrow from his quiver and fires at the thoul. He sees the flash of the magic missiles, but until the larger foe falls, there is no way to get past.

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Mycah, Level 2 Thief:
HP: 3/3 AC: 6 Thac0: 19 (18 Missile)

ATTACK: (1D20+1)[7] DAMAGE: (1D6)[5]

[Nevaera]

ASHALA

Ash is thrown off by the pain of the magic missile attack from the shadows. She growls with wrath for the evil within this cave while she readies her attack.

She'll draw her bow and take aim for a moment when she can clearly see the thoul and not risk hitting Nathros.

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Nice hit, Nathros! Also, I think Brandon will get first dibs on the healing spell when Alanna can move again. ;P

AC: 2
HP: 5/11
Thac0: 17
Attack: (1d20)[12]
Damage: (1d6)[3]

Alertness DC 13: (1d20)[17]

[Tsunamiatunzen1]

The merest glimpse of the necromancer immediatly sent Artanis' vision into nothing but a red haze. His thoughts were no longer focused on the fight on hand as his anger flared throughout his entire being.

THERE HE IS! I KNOW I SAW HOW POWERFUL HE WAS BUT I CANNOT LET HIM GO UNPUNISHED! HE SHALL DIE BEFORE THE DAY IS OUT!

Any other thoughts that went on inside his head were lost inside the red haze that clouded his mind and vision and became incoherent. He fought against the spell that was holding him with all of his might even though some small fragment of what was left of his rational mind told him it was no use.

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor


Brandon screams with pain, shocked at how -different- the Magic Missile feels compared to, say, a sword blow.

Then he shouts angrily, "Run for momma, necromancer! Once we finish your minion, you die, too!"

Hurt as he is, he can still fight. Bran looses what may be his final arrow at the thoul.

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Level 2 Fighter
Hit Points: 2/10.

Attack: (1d20)[7]
Thac0: 18
Damage: (1d6)[6]

[Roland St. Jude]

The thoul falls to the ground cut open and stuck with arrows. The room fills with a bitter, mocking laugh, emanating from the far tunnel.

The thoul begins to rise, the malice in its eyes replaced with vacant hunger, and its flesh made over with a sickly pall. A zombie thoul - surely a horror never before inflicted on the Known World.

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Tied for initiative. Foes actions posted above.

[Matthew]

"Now is the time for fire," Nathros says moving away from the thoul and to a position where he is out of the line of sight of the necromancer. He recovers his spear on the way, if possible.

[MeanMrsMustard]

If Alanna was capable of motion, she'd be quaking in her boots. The necromancer's laugh nearly made her soil herself. She begins sweating in fear.

[Tsunamiatunzen1]

The necromancer's laughter only served to enrage Artanis further so that he lost all sense of rationality and a single all-pervading thought replaced that void, to destroy the person responsible for the atrocities that had been committed here and making a mockery of the lives of the dead.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

"Fire bomb!" Talsarios calls, and lights and lobs a pre-wicked flask.

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Talsarios, MU2, HP 2/2, AC 9 THAC0 19
Oil flask - (1d20)[6]

[Nevaera]

"Bran! The crossbowman! Before it happens again!" Ash shouts at him in alarm as she gestures to the only dead crossbowman. She hopes he knows what she means and wants him to do.

Ash will retrieve her sword and shield then move to intercept any attack from the zombie thoul that may endanger her party. She'll still try to stay out of line of sight from the tunnel that the necromancer is in too, if possible.

"At ME, you cursed fool!" she taunts the thoul and clanks her armor - as if it would really help.

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I don't think I'll get an attack this round again. I didn't think raising the fallen would be such a quick process. Didn't think I'd have to tank again until we pursued what I hoped would be a cowardly necromancer who was too busy hiding to help his minions. ... Rats.

AC: 1
HP: 5/11

Alertness DC 13: (1d20)[3]

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor


Bran shakes his head. "He's already dead! It takes too long to dismember."

Instead of cutting up the dead crossbowman, Bran instead uses one hand to fish a torch out of his sack. Ignoring the zombie thoul for now, he moves to the nearest lit torch, uses the flame to light his own torch, and hurls it into the darkness in the direction from which had erupted the Magic Missiles.

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I don't know if this will take only one round or not to accomplish, but Bran is acting as above.

His intention is to illuminate the darkness and make the necromancer visible and thus a target for missile fire.

[Roland St. Jude]

Nathros backs off to spot outside the line for fire from either tunnel. Alanna and Artanis remain frozen in place. Brandon manages to fish out his torch and rush to Alanna's fallen torch, which still burns and is nearest to him.

Ash remains alert to the various people about her and surmises the thoul zombie's most likely target, Alanna. She steps between the two.

Mycah fires another arrow and strikes the zombie square in the chest. {DM action}

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PCs win initiative.

Known Combatant Accounting:
Two sleeping crossbowmen
One dead crossbowman
One badly wounded Thoul Zombie
One necromancer, now unseen

Positioning:
Alanna remains fallen with Ash in front of her and Brandon behind her near her fallen torch.
Nathros has moved off in the other direction past Artanis and out of the line of sight of the tunnels.
Talsarios remains near the entry tunnel entrance.
Mycah remains near Talsarios.

[Matthew]

Realising that the thoul is no longer interested in him, Nathros hurls his hand axe at it, hoping it will turn to face him. Then, he slings his shield and grips his spear with both hands, ready to charge or be charged.

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Nathros, Level Two Dwarf: AC 3(2); HP 9(2); THAC0 19.

Attack Roll: (1d20+1)[21]
Damage Roll: (1d6+1)[6]

[Altair_the_Vexed]

"Dammit! I said, fire bomb!" Talsarios calls, frustrated, and lights and lobs another pre-wicked flask at the thoul.

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Talsarios, MU2, HP 2/2, AC 9 THAC0 19
Oil flask - (1d20)[2]
Aiming to hit the thoul-zombie.

[MeanMrsMustard]

Remember to thank Ash when you can move again…

[Tsunamiatunzen1]

Artanis only continued to rage silently at his inability to chase after the necromancer that he had marked as the cause of all his hatred.

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor


Brandon steps forward and throws the newly lit torch as far as he can in the direction of the tunnel from which had come the Magic Missiles.

He peers ahead hoping to catch a glimpse of the necromancer and thus have a target for his terrible anger.

[Koren n'Rhys]

Mycah recoils in horror as the thoul rises back to it's feet, but continues to fire arrows at the now-dead creature.
"YOU keep throwing the oil at it! I don't have any!"
Seeing Brandon trying to get some light down the tunnel, Mycah will attempt to maneuver into a position where he will have a shot if he sees the necromancer (rather than the thoul).

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Mycah, Level 2 Thief:
HP: 3/3 AC: 6 Thac0: 19 (18 Missile)

ATTACK: (1d20+1)[16] DAMAGE: (1d6)[3]

[Nevaera]

ASHALA

While remembering to keep between her frozen comrades and the thoul, Ash will charge and strike at it with hope that perhaps it will fall again soon after such a mighty blow from Nathros and an excellent shot by Mycah.

If she gets the chance to aim her swing, she'll make it the neck with hopes to make it easier to dismember later. (She would have no idea you cannot probably raise dead more than once.)

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Yay! Nathros, you are the luckiest dwarf I've ever met!

AC: 1
HP: 5/11
Thac0: 18 (Sword)
Attack: (1d20)[20]
Damage: (1d8)[3]

Ooh! Now it's rubbing off on me! :D

[Roland St. Jude]

Things continue to fly through the room, Talsarios' flask landing and enflaming an unoccupied part of the room. Brandon's torch flies end over end and lands at the far end of room, permitting a view into the first fifteen feet of the tunnel. The necromancer seems to be gone.

The thoul zombie is pummeled with blows that would stagger a moral foe, including an arrow from Mycah, but the thing lurches on, catching Ash with his mace.

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Ash -1 hp
Tie for initiative with the necromancer. Zombies automatically lose initiative. PCs turn.

Known combatants:
2 sleeping crossbowman
1 dead crossbowman
Gravely wounded thoul zombie

Positions: Still roughly the same as last round.

[MeanMrsMustard]

If this is the end, I regret nothing. If I make it, I'll have quite the story to tell my family.

[Matthew]

Nathros follows through with his action and attempts to ram his spear through the back of the thoul's head.

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Nathros, Level Two Dwarf: AC 3(2); HP 9(2); THAC0 19.

Attack Roll: (1d20+1)[5]
Damage Roll: (1d6+2)[7]

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor


Bran peers ahead and then shouts excitedly, even a bit hysterically, "I can't see the naked-mancer! He scarpered!"

He almost reaches for a flask of oil to throw after his burning torch, but then he sees Ashala get hit by the zombie, so instead he draws an arrow from his quiver.

He growls, "Fetch this, you scurvy dog," and looses it at the thoul zombie.

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Level 2 Fighter
Hit Points: 2/10.

Attack: (1d20)[5]
Thac0: 18
Damage: (1d6)[4]

[Nevaera]

ASHALA

Disheartened that the zombie thoul did not fall (and that she was injured by the big dent in her armor deepening enough to pierce her skin), Ash will swing her sword at it and hope for some luck.

If she can, she'll try to aim her fight back toward the flaming oil spot.

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AC: 1
HP: 4/11
Thac0: 18 (sword)
Attack: (1d20)[1]
Damage: (1d8)[3]

What? That's not "luck"! >.<

[Koren n'Rhys]

Mycah takes heart from the fact that the necromancer seems to have retreated, and puts another arrow to string.
"Why won't you DIE!" he screams, and shoots the thoul again.

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Mycah, Level 2 Thief:
HP: 3/3 AC: 6 Thac0: 19 (18 Missile)

ATTACK: (1d20+1)[11] DAMAGE: (1d6)[5]

[Roland St. Jude]

Nathros' spear comes up short and Ashala swings wildly at the zombie. Brandon's arrow flies wide.

Mycah strikes true, and the thoul zombie keels over, its unnatural animation at an end.

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Foes win Initiative. Seemingly out of combat, though.

[Nevaera]

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Sorry, I was trying to *preview* the post, not post it yet. >.<