Lost Souls of Shello

[Robert Frost]

You were hired as a group of consultants and problem solvers several weeks ago, on the continent of Tanzen in order to provide assistance to a relatively small expedition to the Island of Shello. Hired by an organization known as the Knights of Vindicta, and appointed subordinate to a man named Jordan Agral.

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The Knights Vindicta are an organization devoted to the extermination of all Undead through-out the three continents.

Tanzen's safety being an initial priority, the Knights Vindicta gained authorization from Tanzen Military to forment a strategy against the roving Undead on the continent of Shello. This base, which would be used as a staging ground to thwart Arcnus Mortis' invasion of Tanzen, would be a force of light in the Darkness, or a place of blazing white slaughter for those who would be allied with Undead. Such is the strength of the Knights Vindicta, that they desire a base on Shello, to eliminate undead.

So a call went out for the bold, the willful, and the wise, to participate in an expedition to Shello, to find a location suitable for such a base. You were those chosen, a select group of six individuals to participate alongside Knights Vindicta soldiers. Two ships were sent to a location on the Southern Coast of Shello, a ship of soldiers devoted to the cause of the Knights Vindicta, and a ship of adventurers which would venture closer to the shore.

It was stormy, the night before you reached the coast, and the two ships anchored near one another to wait till morning for the coast. Rumors abound of black sailed ships having followed your vessels the entire trip, rumors of ship ran by undead beasts and savage monsters, hounding you to prevent your task. Nothing supports the rumors, but the black clouds that lay East, the black storm clouds which perpetually flow around Arcnus Mortis are all the explanation you need as to why the crewmen would believe such rumors. There is only one other man on the vessel who is not a part of the immediate crew - a white-haired old man who you saw only upon boarding, and has remained in his room the entire journey. You were in the Mess when it started, eating your last meal before the restless night which awaits those who would venture to the coast.

With a crash of thunder, a shake rocks the entire boat, screaming voices fill the air, splashes of bodies falling into the water, and you know something is wrong. A fiery explosion is soon heard, and as you rush to the deck of a ship, you start hearing resounding words over the din of screams and howls of agony. These words are arcane in origin, no language of this world, merely a semblence of language while it is in actuality an expression of magical force. As you reach the deck you see the old white haired man, chanting words with his staff in his hand. Blue force emanates about him, forming into sigils of light that name the forces he wields. His power fluctuates, as you hear an inhuman wail fill the air, speaking counter syllables to the very words he says, with a flash of light, you sink into unconciousness.

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You awake to the crashing of the waves, the taste of water in your mouth and the smell of the sea. You see the ruined desert of Shello before you, scoured clean of life, utterly devoid of sounds normally associated with coastal creatures. No birds seem about to beckon your coming, no otters, no sea lions, no living sounds besides those of your comrades, who you find sprawled about you. You are now, needless of circumstance, on the Continent of Shello.

Everyone Besides Demented One and Jack Mann

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You see the bodies of men, further along the beach, their fallen forms belying their loss of life. You easily notice that they are dead, and as you look about, you take note that the bodies of the fallen seem to be moving again. Soon these creatures whose movement and life was stolen from them would soon rise again, as minions of the Undead hordes of Arcnus Mortis.

Initiative:

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Mara Too-Tall: 28
Simon: 26
Tarrant: 25
Tiberious: 24
Andarel: 19
Fenny: 16
Omgwin Lolhax: 15
Zombies: 5

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[Jack Mann]

"Hmm." Omgwin considered the beach, looking to the east. "This is troubling. This appears to be a beach in Shello. While Shello was our destination, I was expecting to arrive with a ship. I believe we may have been... Yes, we were teleported. I can detect the aura of the spell." He put a finger to his temple. "And I believe my memory may have been altered in the recent past. I can still feel the faint fingers of enchantment in my mind." He looked down, and picked up a burned plank. "And some manner of destructive magic has been used here recently, presumably combustive, based on the char marks on these boards. There was violence here, though I'm unsure if it occured before or after we arrived. We don't appear to have suffered any great injury, so I'm inclined to believe it happened before." One long ear twitched. "Somewhat disturbingly, there is a strong source of necrotic energy nearby. Necrotic energy is more abundant in Shello, but this goes beyond the normal background levels that I've observed in the past. I don't want to leap to conclusions, but there may be some manner of undead in the area." He shaded his eye as he looked down the beach, his back to the others.

[Vikingkingq]

"Urrgh." Tiberius gradually returns to consciousness, rolling to his feet and fumbling a dagger into his hand out of habit. Grimacing, he spits out sand repeatedly, hooking seaweed out of his mouth with his free hand. "Pteu! Pteu! What the hell did I drink...wait. The ship sank. Oh gods help us, we're in Shello and there's corpses everywhere washed up along the beach. Wake up you fools, or we're all going to die!" Home again, gods above, it looks so different now. Now, if only I knew where we were, I might be able to find a "safe" place for us to flee to...

[Robert Frost]

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You know that you are in Shello, the Southern Coast. You could probably tell more in a little while, if you went a little more inland and looked for a ruin to use as a frame of reference. Based on the stormy black clouds of Arcnus Mortis on the edge of the Eastern Horizon, you imagine you are fairly close to the East Coast of Shello as well.

[Rachel Lorelei]

Sputtering and spitting out water, Mara--who seems to have weathered the waves pretty well--pushes herself up to one knee and then to her feet. She's imposingly large (and dubbed "Too-Tall" for a reason), standing half a head taller than most men and wider at the shoulders; a big woman, like a particularly tall dwarf--broad and big-boned, and strong from a fighting career--she has an unremarkably plain face, reddish-brown hair cropped short to keep it out of her eyes, and a few small scars dotting one cheek and a hand.
Her armor--currently sand-coated and wet--doesn't look fancy, but is very well-made, thick hide and chain and a few steel plates merged together and overlapping in vital points, allowing for maximum mobility while remaining protective. Her shield is strapped to her arm, and she pulls her bastard sword reflexively, peering around.

"Y'lot alive? Reckon y'd best get up, 'fore somethin' wanders on over an' whistles up its friends. Love t'let y'nap an' all, but this's nay a picnic."
She has a voice that isn't nearly as deep as one might expect, and a country accent, thick enough to cut, that gives everything about her origins away.
"Na, Gwin, 'm nay sayin' that's nae perceptive of y', but--they're movin'. Get y'r act t'gether, folks, I'll keep'em busy."

And with that, Mara rushes across the sand, angling slightly away from the water. She's surprisingly quick for her size, covering the ground in nearly no time, but then she stumbles, her shield and sword going wide, as she starts to come to a halt. The opening is too much for the nearby zombies to resist--but then it becomes obvious that the moment of clumsiness was a sham, a con, a sucker act to lure them in; her shield pulls back in, smashing one out of the way, and she barks out a wordless battle-cry, laying about her with strong, wide cuts delivered from the shoulder, covering herself with the shield and lashing out to the edges of her long reach as she beats the zombies back.

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Moving to diagonally-up-and-right of the zombie to the right and further away to the water. Then using Come and Get It, burst 3; they all have to shift 2 squares and end up adjacent to me, if possible, which means I should be able to get five of them them there. They're all marked.
Attacks:
Zombie 1: (1d20+15)[31] vs. AC for (1d10+7)[11] damage.
Zombie 2: (1d20+15)[31] vs. AC for (1d10+7)[17] damage.
Zombie 3: (1d20+15)[34] vs. AC for (1d10+7)[10] damage.
Zombie 4: (1d20+15)[32] vs. AC for (1d10+7)[11] damage.
Zombie 5: (1d20+15)[19] vs. AC for (1d10+7)[11] damage.

If, say, 3 or more survive (e.g. are missed or aren't minions), Mara will activate Rain of Steel as a minor action, meaning each one that starts its turn next to her will take (1d10)[8] damage.

Mara makes Opportunity Attacks, or immediate interrupts from Combat Challenge, at +20, for 1d10+7; she only gets one Combat Challenge attack a round, but one movement-provoked OA per enemy. If the OA hits, it stops the movement.
If she gets hit for 8 points or more in one shot, she'll use Unbreakable, intercepting the blow with her shield

25 AC, 24 Fort, 23 Ref, 20 Will.

[Jack Mann]

Omgwin turns around and narrows his eyes. "Aha. Zombies."

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Religion - (1d20+13)[25]

"I've seen this kind of undead before. Take care, Mara. They can knock warriors to the ground, making it difficult to escape. As well, they have an unfortunate tendency to rise again when you kill them. Radiant magics are particularly harmful to them, if anyone has such."

[Robert Frost]

With a flourish of moves Mara manages to smash into 5 of the creatures, whose muscles seem to bulge and grow, their hands and fists becoming larger. Their relative size didn't change, but the strength of a creature much bigger seemed to fill their dead carcasses. The zombies flowed about Mara as though she were a rock in a stream, and growled and drooled, their faces and bodies distorting with the necrotic energies which flowed and corrupted their bodies.

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Fenny's Turn

[Vikingkingq]

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What do the brown squares represent? And what am I doing wrong with rolls? EDIT: nevermind.
History Check: (d20+8)[19]

[Regord_Silentflame]

As everyone's yelling, Fenny rolls about on the sand
"It can't be so bad, it's so warm out here..."
He mutters, rolling over, and as he opened his eyes, he saw the zombies rising. He quickly jumped to his feet
"I've always been told that dead men tell no tales, and I'm in no hurry to see these try"
Fenny takes a sprint forward, letting loose his shuriken at the closest undead, then turning on his heel and running up the beach, hiding behind a rock, his shuriken returning to his hand, ready for it's next assault.

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(1d20+13)[17] Deft Strike (Dex vs. AC, move 2 steps before attack)
(1d6+6)[12] (2d6)[7] W+Dex damage, and Sneak Attack
(1d20+18)[26] Stealth

[Vikingkingq]

"Wait, damn it!" he shouted as the fighter pelted up the beach to take on the undead by yourself. "Oh very sound tactics, split the group, assault them all by yourself, no need to come up with a battle plan or anything." Tiberius sighed and drew his rapier. "Morituri te Salutant."

The rogue took off in a light run across the beach, first cutting aside in a diagonal, then charging into the rear of the group of undead, where the fighter was now surrounded. "Thought you might appreciate some company," he quipped as he stopped his run short, using the momentum to slide forward in a lunge across the sand.

Flicking his rapier out flow, he cut for the walking corpse's spine.

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Moving two squares diagonally to right in front of Simon's position on the last map, then four squares to flank Zombie 10.
(1d20+17)[25] Piercing Strike (Dex v. Reflex, (+9 from Dex/half level, +2 from Rapier, +3 from Proficiency, +2 from CA, +1 from Nimble Blade), 1W+Dex)
[roll]1d8+12[/roll] Normal Damage, (2d8+5)[14] Sneak Attack Damage

[Robert Frost]

((OOC: I'll update the map later, just posting to help give others a chance to post while I'm at work))

With a swift footed lunge, the halflings thrown weapon bounded toward one of the zombie's swelling carcass, hitting it in the side. Unfortunately the creature's skin appears to have hardened slightly as part of the necrotic energies coallescing inside the being, and the attack seemed to have no effect.

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That attack didn't injure it. Also, Fenny, you went out of turn... so Simon hasn't *technically* gone yet. Simon's a Cleric and based on these creature's relative set up, can do a sizable amount of damage to them.

Simon's Turn

[Vikingkingq]

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Having a hell of the time with the dice roller.
Anyhoo, feel free to roll the regular attack damage
for me, but I used this:
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/dice/dice.htm

To get this:

Roll(1d8)+12:
4,+12
Total:16

[Robert Frost]

((OOC: Still waiting on Simon, I accidentally had Fenny post out of turn. It doesn't really matter in the scheme of things - the Zombies go last in the round anyway.))

The momentum of your flowing movements carries over into the blow, and with little effort flows into the zombie who ignores the blow entirely. Then, with a sickening pop and a splattering of pus, one of the muscles seems to rupture, making the seemingly ineffective weapon deal sizable damage to the beast, who now appears to be in much worse shape than before.

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You hurt it. I'll have to look at the Monster Manual on my computer at home to determine it exactly, but I believe you have also bloodied it.

Still Simon's Turn, but I'm going to allow out of Initiative Actions

[Axelgear]

((Sorry I took so long. I've had trouble finalizing my sheet and didn't realize this would move so fast. I'll be as regular as an octogenarian on an all-bran diet now and Simon's sheet is finalized))

Simon groggily awakens on the sands, his white robes soaked and his chainmail coated in sand. Slowly, he rises, looks up and bows his head slightly. Pelor had not let him drown. There was still work to be done and the Lord of the Light had let his faithful servant continue to live. Simon's work was not done here, not yet. As he notices his companions rising, he knows instantly that their wounds are minor at worst. None of them will perish, not this day.

As Simon climbs to his feet, even in his battered state, an air of nobility takes him. He pushes his robe over his shoulders like a cloak, draws his mace, and holds up his golden symbol. Without so much as a word to his allies, he starts chanting a prayer. "Pelor! Lord of the Light! Your faithful servant entreats thee! Grant me your power once more so that I might send these poor creatures to their well-deserved rest! Of this, I beg and implore thee!" Simon clasps the golden star dangling on a chain around his neck. The sun's light seems to stream down around him a little brighter and then, from the centre of the symbol, a beam of radiant light streams forth and sears the beach in front of him, melting the retinas and flesh of his target. Mort flesh is ripped away beneath a steady stream of purest golden-white light, burning it from the bone and bleaching it in the process. Simon smiled gladly, adding "Thank you, Light Above. I shall prosecute this battle at thy will."

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Walked four squares left, one square down, then cast Daunting Light

Attack Roll - (1d20+10)[19](29) at the closest zombie to Mara that's still standing. Wisdom vs. Reflex

Damage Roll - (2d10+6)[3][7](16) Radiant Damage on a hit

If the zombie hit isn't turned to ash, Mara gains combat advantage against them.

It's zombie time! Dah beh deh be deh deh beh deh!

[vargen]

Alidain

Alidain shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He slowly open his eyes and when he sees the zombies closing in on them, his mind is clear about what to do.

Alidain's bow comes up and a arrow seeks out the closest zombie

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I am still uncertain about how combat works in 4e, so please don't hesitate to correct me if/when I do something strange

Minor action: designate closest zombie as hunters quarry

Nimble Strike
At-Will ✦ Martial,Weapon
Standard Action Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Special: Shift 1 square before or after you attack
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Dexterity modifier damage.

Shifts one square left(west?) before shot.

To hit - (1d20+9)[27] vs AC

Damage - (1d10+9)[16] Cold damage
[roll=extra damage]1d8[/roll]

[Robert Frost]

With a blast of light the zombie adjacent to Tiberius and Mara explodes into a blast of light. Although it is felled for now, because of the warning that Omgwin said, you know that it will rise again next turn. It's fleshy form deteriorates from the radiant energies which flow from the cleric's Holy Symbol, Pelor's glory overtaking the necrotic forces which control the best, destroying it.

It is at this point that you notice the beasts power has reached it's pinacle, and their energies have seemed to diminish slightly, as though cut off from the powers which flow into them. Their forms shrink slightly, but not enough to make that large of a difference.

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Andarel's Turn

[The Demented One]

"Zombies? Why would they be on the shore?" muses Andarel, as he surveys the tactical situation. "Hmm. Mara seems to have gotten herself in a spot of trouble. I believe I should go help!" he says with perfect calm, before giving out a whooping battlecry and running forward.

He comes up alongside one of the zombies besieging Mara, and takes a flashy, overly-flourishy swing at it. However, the swing is also one more thing - distracting. While the zombie tries to dodge it, it leaves a perfect opening for Mara to move out of the flank surrounding her.

OOC

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Move Action: Moving left 5 squares
Standard Action: Using Leaf on the Wind to attack Z9.

Attack
(1d20+12)[30]

Damage
(2d10+5)[14]

OOC Note to Rachel Lorelai

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If Andarel's attack is successful, you can trade places with Z9.

[Vikingkingq]

OOC For DM:

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New map seems to be the map from Round 1. I'm feeling an existential crisis. Where am I? Hehehe.

[Jack Mann]

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That should be Morituri te Salutant, Viking.

"I have one radiant magic at my disposal. It merely requires the proper positioning..." Omgwin's outline blurs slightly as he moves, ending just south of the zombie Andarel had just attacked (or just south of Mara if she so chooses to move).

Brilliant strands of colored light flashed from his finger tips, seeking out the zombies necrotic flesh as a fly seeks rotting meat. The blast seeks out all zombies west of Omgwin's position.

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Using expeditious retreat to get to the square just below zombie Z9, before using color spray to hit the 5x5 area to his left.
Z1 - (1d20+10)[15] Damage - (1d6+16)[21]
Z2 - (1d20+10)[17] Damage - (1d6+16)[22]
Z3 - (1d20+10)[12] Damage - (1d6+16)[19]
Z5 - (1d20+10)[14] Damage - (1d6+16)[18]
Z6 - (1d20+10)[21] Damage - (1d6+16)[19]
Z7 - (1d20+10)[24] Damage - (1d6+16)[22]
Z8 - (1d20+10)[19] Damage - (1d6+16)[20]
Any zombie hit is also dazed. They grant combat advantage, can only take one action (standard, move, or minor), and they cannot take opportunity attacks.

[Robert Frost]

((OOC: I appologize, I would have posted last night but when I got around to it it was quite late, and my computer / this forum were quite unhappy with one another. Made my life a living hell it did, as I now have to retype the post I had written, the boards ate the post. I have a map, and after this post the initiative resumes with Mara once again.))

The battle continued as the party seemed to gain the upper hand in the fight, Alidain's arrow whizzed past Tiberius to strike the a zombie adjacent to Mara in the head, felling the creature with it's precision. Then, suddenly the blurred form of Omgwin sprints across the battlefield, stopping beside Andarel and Mara, spraying forth streams of light and color which burn all the creatures caught inside the burst. The acrid smell of burnt dead flesh fills the air, as the creatures sizzle and their bodies warp from the strength of the radiant light sprayed at them. It would seem as though the power of light weakens the very forces holding them together, and the beasts appear quite staggered from the attack.

It is then that they begin their moves, attempting to surround the warrior woman who charged into the fray. Her shield and blade slash and smack any that would attempt get past, and none of the beasts are able to proceed to the rest of the group, with only one managing to get so far as Andarel - but entirely unable to act as the power of light had weakened it such.

Although the beasts hit the spray were weakened and drained by it, those beside the warrior woman still attempted attack, their meaty fists being aptly deflected by shield and sword, the blade coming to meet each attack with a strike of her own, and as she held her ground the monsters about her were harmed by her stalwart sword and shield, any beside her being sliced and slammed away from those she would wish to protect.

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Well the radiant damaged combined with Mara's stance which damaged all adjacent monsters leaves several bloodied - I believe it's Z4, Z5, Z3, Z2 - and Z9 was killed by the arrow that the ranger shot. Mara hit several of the zombies which attempted to move past, and that ended their move as they were attacks of opportunity and any creature hit by her attack of opportunity has their movement ended. Here's what the scene looks like now:

Mara's Turn

[Vikingkingq]

"Oh good, I thought we we're going to be alone here," Tiberius quipped as Andarel and Omgwin rushed to the front.

"Look, we can't let them surround us...the undead like to flank and then pull down their victims by weight of numbers," he said, dodging a clumsy swing from a zombie. "But if we can surround them, they should be easy enough to cut down. I'm going to finish this one off, then pivot around that rock to my right to support the tall lass' right flank. Sound good to you?"

OOC:

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I too have been having one hell of a time with these forums. They seem to be down/really slow in loading for long periods of the day.

[Robert Frost]

((OOC: Reserving this post for resolving effects))

[Vikingkingq]

Tiberius nods. "Secure our right flank on the rocks, I understand. But I'll take the flank instead of the rear - wouldn't want to get cut off if things go sour!"

[Rachel Lorelei]

"Na, get behind'em an' they'll take y'down. Move the line back t''that rock!"

Mara lays about her with long, arcing slashes, cutting into zombie flesh, her shield covering her as she leans this way and that. Her blade whips into a moulinet, then rises to ward blows.

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Sweeping Blow! With combat advantage mostly.
(1d20+17)[30] vs. Z7
(1d20+17)[25] vs. Z8
(1d20+17)[34] vs. Z3
(1d20+17)[36] vs. Z5
(1d20+15)[16] vs. Z4

Damage: (1d10+7)[16]

Rain of Steel damage for the ones next to me on their turn: (1d10)[8]
Mara will use Unbreakable if she gets hit for 8+ damage, warding the blow with her shield.

[Robert Frost]

With a flurry of slashes, Mara lays into the monsters, her stance and form allowing her a mastery of technique unprecedented by lesser warriors. Training and skill seemed evident with the finesse and controlled force behind each blow, and the zombies felt the agony, none of them falling, but all of them appearing as though the next strike would be their end.

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You severely injured them. Most of the ones around her will fall soon.

Simon's Turn

[Axelgear]

Knowing most of them are weakened and seeing Mara capable of hitting many of them at once, Simon smiles gladly. Pelor has smiled on them... Swiftly, he holds up his mace, clutching the symbol to his chest and uttering a small prayer. His mace begins to glow and he directs it towards one of the zombies, a stream of purest light arcing forth. When the stream fades, a small hole is left in the zombie's hide. Then, he points again, this time at Mara. She feels a rush of heat; of life, burn within her as Pelor himself seems to touch her for a moment. Knowing then that the time to fight has come, Simon moves up to stand behind Mara, striding along the beach and raising his mace, ready to swipe at any opponent who draws too close...

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I just realized that, last round, there should've been an extra point of damage done there. Astral Fire feat. It's included in this round's attack.

Simple attack at Z4, slight buff to Mara, and he's in position to do more damage/healing next round.

Attack - (1d20+10)[3](13)
Damage - (1d6+7)[6](13)
Temporary HP to Mara - 8 temporay HP

[Vikingkingq]

OOC:

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Before I take my go, I just want to know if Simon's attack finished off Zombie 4.

[Robert Frost]

OOC:

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It doesn't hit him

[Vikingkingq]

Tiberius grinned fiercely as he parried a cut from a zombie's claws, then cut back. "Die once more, slave of Arcnus Mortis!"

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Attacking Z4, attempting to finish it off.
Piercing Strike: (1d20+17)[21] (versus Reflex)
Normal Damage: (1d8+7)[15]
Sneak Attack Damage: (2d8+5)[9]

Stepping backwards from the mutilated walking corpse, the rogue dashed to his right, disappearing behind the rocks. Corvax posed, breathing slowly through his nose, stilling his body's motion in preparation for assault.

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Shift 1 square backwards, then move two squares right to gain cover behind the rock, diagonal to Z4.
Stealth Roll: (1d20+18)[35]

Rushing out from behind cover, the Rogue dashes forward to assault the zombie to Mara's immediate right. One down, six more to go. Slashing with his rapier, he cuts for the abominations throat, throwing the momentum of his charge into the slash. "How's that for a flanking manuever?"

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Move two squares to the square diagonally left of where I am at the beginning of turn. Spend action point for extra attack.
Attack Z5, Setup Strike:(1d20+17)[20](versus AC)
Damage: (2d8+7)[19]

[Vikingkingq]

OOC:

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Good lord, a 3 and a 4? What a waste of an AP