Seherab sighs and lets his shoulders droop a bit. "Fine. Let's examine the room and then find somewhere to hole up for the night. In the morning we'll continue exploring and either the woman will show back up or we'll find some clue as to where she might have gone."
As you enter the room that contained the zombies, you are overcome with sluggishness and the feeling of hopelessness as miasma seems to seep from the altar in the center of the room.
This miasma was likely what empowered the zombies' strength and made them so formidible. At the end of the room, you see another pair of double doors.
Ankhef coughs a bit "They seemed a lot stronger than normal zombies..."
"Ay, Ankhef, and I think I know why..." the scholar moves into the room, paying particular attention to the tainted alter at the center.
"Brother Ankhef, or perhaps Hogan... do you have the power to consecrate an area?" Jorgan moves closer to the alter, kneeling down to read the runes and other writing etched onto the side, quickly sketching in his journal a copy of the seal dominating the front of the alter. He takes out a rag and wipes the seal and surrounding areas clean. "The Shepses family seal," he explains, "Really this should be soaked in holy water to restore this place, but I don't have those kinds of skills nor did I think to bring some holy water with me."
Ankhef responds "I could read a scroll, but do not have one on me."
"I can't do anything like that, Brother."
Seherab, looking over the next door, finds that there are no tripwires or dead man's switches and opens one of the sets of double doors. As the group of dwarves looks in, they see a 10' long by 25' wide room that leads to another two sets of double doors.
In this short hallway, you see stone statues of morbidly beautiful women clad in gowns of silk, holding staves seemingly topped with giant spiders. The fetishes of savage magical traditions dangle from thick strands that wrap their forms, even mummifying their angular faces. Each of the statues extends their non-staff holding arm with hand extended. The tiled floor is a detailed mosaic starscape.
winding between them.
As Seherab copies down the constellations and notes about the statues into his journal he comments, "I don't recognize the constellations but these statues are just the kind of beings we want on our side. They're morrigna psychopomps, a favorite of the Pharasmins. They're dedicated to wiping out forces that circumvent or corrupt the natural cycle of death and they deliver wrath to those who traffic in souls."
He closes his journal and adds, "You know, the Church of Pharasma is sounding more and more appealing every day, I must admit."
The scholar moves up to the left door and starts checking for traps. "But for the moment, let's see what's beyond here, shall we?"
After checking for traps Seherab leads the way with Hogan by his side.
As soon as Seherab moves up towards the short hallway, he sees a pressure plate on the floor, but there appears to be no easy way to disarm the 10'x10' plate in front of the next set of doors. Perhaps there is some other way to bypass the trap in the room.
Seherab rubs his chin thinking for a moment and then says, "Hogan, why don't you go back and tear off one of those other doors. We can lay it down over the pressure plate, propped up an inch or two above with some scrap wood or rocks, and then we can walk across without activating the plate. Let's try it."
Once the makeshift platform over the pressure plate is assembled, Seherab once again leads the way to the next room.
"That is clever, brother." Hogan replies doing as instructed. He stows his hammer for a moment.
The dwarfadin then places it over the pressure plate.
Ankhef sets his spear against the wall and helps Hogan with the door.
Dwizzle reaches ahead and clasps Seherab on the shoulder before the crew enters.
"One moment before we head in, good sir Dwarf!"
Seherab works to bypass the trap and Hogan lays down the door, allowing the group to cross over the pressure plate as the group moves into the next room.
The next room is a large circular hallway with various rooms branching off as well as a staircase that descends on the far side of the tomb. You find no enemies in this hallway.
"We've gotten lucky that we haven't found any more undead yet. But I don't expect that to last. Let's work our way clockwise around the outside and then search the central chamber."
Seherab leads the party to the first door on the left, checks for traps, and then leads the way in once he deems it safe.
Ankhef nods to Seherab.
The walls of this burial chamber are lined with stone biers, each holding an open sarcophagus engraved with spirals and flying night birds. Three large stone tables hold piles of books, dried food, statuettes, and other offerings to those resting here.
The Hall of Immortal Rest housed the earthly remains of Shepses descendants who served the church, but without any distinction. Following the pulse, the vast majority of the corpses interred here rose as undead and joined the ranks of the walking dead outside.
However, a vast majority is not all and you see five undead monstrosities turn their beady eyes towards the group, spying upon Seherab. These hideously malformed, hairless, pustule-covered corpses move and snarl more like an undead hound than an undead man.
Initiative:
+2 while Underground.
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Enemies (Kn. Religion) (Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Purple)
3rd: Dwizzle; Hogan; Teos; Ankhef
Seherab gulps down a vial and a force shield appears on his arm as he moves quickly into the room. "Let's hope these guys are a little easier, huh?"
Festrogs inhabit remote areas near places where they were slain. It's not uncommon for a tribe of festrogs to share territories with ghouls. Most festrogs gather in small bands, based on whatever loose affiliations they might recall from when they were alive, and choose dwellings in sunless areas easily defended with group tactics. Like ghouls, they tend to skulk about graveyards, though they prefer ones with tombs and mausoleums so they can hide during the day. They hunt nocturnally in packs, preferring open areas like plains, farmlands, or open forests where they can track down prey with few places for it to run or hide. These packs wander semi-nomadically, often traveling miles beyond their dwellings in pursuit of mortal flesh.
Ecology
A festrog is a deformed ghoulish humanoid wrapped with tight bands of muscle, so powerful it appears to have warped and contorted the creature’s bone structure. The creature bears a human-like face with an elongated skull and a tremendous lower jaw filled with serrated shark-like teeth. Driven by unearthly hunger to consume living flesh (though it will eat carrion or long-dead corpses if it cannot find fresh meat), the festrog hunts constantly. Whatever it devours merely decomposes in its stomach, giving it a slightly gas-bloated appearance. Its tainted, corpse-like flesh is disease-ridden and covered in hundreds of welted boils, some swollen to the size of a halfling’s fist.
The create undead spell can create festrogs as if they were ghasts. The caster must be able to cast contagion, have access to that spell in a scroll or other magic item, or work with another caster who has access to the spell; creating the festrog expends the prepared contagion spell, uses an appropriate spell slot, or a charge from the magical source. If the corpse to be animated died of necrotic boils (the disease that festrogs spread) the contagion spell is not necessary.
Habitat & Society
Festrogs inhabit remote areas near those places where they were slain. Most gather in small tribes, based on whatever loose affiliations they might recall from when they were alive, and choose dwellings in sunless areas easily defended with group tactics. Like ghouls, they tend to skulk about graveyards, though they prefer ones with tombs and mausoleums so the can hide during the day. They hunt nocturnally in packs, preferring open areas like plains, farmlands, or open forests where they can track down prey with few places for them to run or hide. These packs wander semi-nomadically, often traveling miles beyond their dwellings in the pursuit of mortal flesh.
Variant-Vampire Festrog
While there are no festrogs known to possess true vampirism, there are some who hunger for blood rather than meat. These vampire-festrogs may be the result of humanoids turned into vampires or vampire spawn in an area conductive to forming festrogs. They flush bright red when they have fed recently, fading to a bruised blue-black when deprived of their favorite food. Some vampires use them as “hounds” to hunt prey or guard their lairs. Vampire-festrogs given a steady supply of vampire blood tend to gain fast healing and turn resistance like their masters.
DR: Magic and Silver, Moderate
Weaknesses: Garlic, Holy Symbols and Mirrors. Also, they cannot enter domiciles unless invited in.
As the festrogs, identified by Seherab, spot the dwarf, who immediately drinks an extract to protect himself, they let loose their immense aura with a unified howl.
As they do so, the one near the back disintegrates from the sheer force of their combined powers.
As they roar, you see that their muscles and bodies warp and mutate, giving them larger bodies with more killing power.
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Vampire Festrogs (Red, Green, Blue, Yellow)
3rd: Dwizzle; Hogan; Teos; Ankhef
Ankhef peeks into the room and begins summoning an ally.
"I'll try and grab their strings when they get closer."
"I... uh, festrogs you say, Sehe-sehe-seh... oh bother, can't we just call you Rabby?"
Dwizzle advances into the room, waving his flag like a gnome-dwarf.
"My dear friends! These frog, tess... err, frogtests... will soon fall to the combined might of the dwarven defenders of Ra-Tor!"
Seherab sighs and reassures Dwizzle, "Yes, festrogs. Use silver if you've got it."
Seherab takes up position behind one of the sarcophagi and pulls out his crossbow. Luckily he has some bolts handy already coated with silver blanch. "Try to keep them off of me. I don't have a silver blade but I've got plenty of these bolts."
Hogan moves into the room and takes a defensive stance to let them come to him.
Seherab fires off a bolt that lands and sears through one of the festrog's skin, making the creature howl in pain as Dwizzle moves in and begins to chant.
Ankhef begins to cast as he tells the others of his plan.
Teos follows Hogan into the room, keeping near to Seherab and Dwizzle to act as a shield as he moves into a fully defensive stance.
As the dwarves arrange themselves, the vampiric festrogs leap into action with the bluish one running down the middle, leaping over Hogan and growling behind him as the greenish one charges in to flank the dwarf.
The other two run up the walls, clinging to the stony surfaces with their strong claws as they leap at Seherab and Ankhef.
As the creatures rush in, Hogan is the only one able to fend off the vicious, powerful charge as teeth wrap around Seherab and Ankhef's legs.
When they bite, the festrogs yank hard, trying to trip the pair.
As they rip flesh from the pair of dwarves, they gnash down on it, quickly swallowing and growing stronger. Seherab warns that their charging bite is likely their strongest attack and that the worst is over.
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Vampire Festrogs (Red @ +5, Green @ 9, Blue, Yellow @ +5)
3rd: Dwizzle; Hogan; Teos; Ankhef
Status
Seherab @ 8/34 HP
Ankhef @ 20/23 HP
Pending
Trips - Seherab/Ankhef
Concentration Check - Ankhef
Ankhef's plan goes quickly awry but he continues with step 2 anyway.
Ankhef shouts "Destroy the other ones!" to the Festerogs.
Seherab ignores the festrog in front of him and aims at one of the others not under Ankhef's control.
"Gah! These things are stronger than I remember. Try to get this one away from me, I can't reload like this!"
"Worst is over? That was quite.. errr.. how did he get through that shield?"
Dwizzle squints at Seherab, trying to ascertain if his faithful shield expired prematurely, but nonetheless, seeing Hogan in the thick of things, chooses to bolster his ally's offense and trust Seherab that with the "worst over", further damage should be minimal.
With the help of the honorary dwarf, Hogan retaliates on the undead.
Dwizzle, utilizing his reach with his spear, helps Hogan to land a devastating strike with his hammer on the uninjured festrog, nearly smashing it down in one go.
Teos lashes out with his fists on the nearby festrogs as Ankhef lets loose a blast of holy energy that engulfs the area. The former aims a strike at each of the ones troubling Dwizzle and Seherab.
He strikes the yellowish one, doing a good amount of damage to the creature, though less than Hogan, sending chunks of undead flesh flying as the festrog just attacked by Hogan falls under Ankhef's sway.
Seherab, troubled still by the close festrog, goes into total defense as the bluish one strikes out at the one closest to Ankhef.
The remaining festrogs lash out at Ankhef, Hogan and Teos, baring their sharp teeth as they try to rip out more flesh. With the first attack going out against the fallen dwarf as the other two focus on the dwarves that landed devastating blows.
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Vampire Festrogs (Red @ +5, Green @ 4, Blue-Controlled @ 21, Yellow @ 5)
3rd: Dwizzle; Hogan; Ankhef; Teos
Status
Seherab @ 8/34 HP
Ankhef-Prone @ 6/43 HP
Hogan @ 44/59 HP
Knowing that it might not be as effective but wanting to contribute somehow, Seherab takes his crossbow into his left hand and draws his short sword into his right, stabbing at the festrog in front of him!
Ankhef lets out a breath of air as the yellow festrog digs into him."Ufff." Follow by "Common Festy, step into that flank and help me with yellow!"
Once the blue festerog moves into place Ankhef will give the yellow one a stab from his prone position.
Hogan grunts as he is struck. He stands steadfast and swings his hammer with purpose.
Dwizzle cringes as Hogan's strikes connect, commenting on their efficacy.
"Great sunshafts of Ra-Tor! That certainly looked like it hurt! Although... I'm not sure a fes, errr trog? That's it, festrog! A festrog can feel pain?"
Dwizzle looks into the eyes of the adjacent monster.
"Can you? Can you feel pain?"
Seeing the one he was helping Hogan smash looking a bit glazed-in-the-eye, Dwizzle steps back and tries to contribute elsewhere.
Dwizzle delays until after Ankhef acts, choosing to help rationally, as Hogan takes another wildly powerful swing at the greenish festrog, connecting with the creature and smashing part of it, though the creature is surprisingly resilient to non-silvered weapons.
The festrog recoils as it is looking fairly beat up, but it still stands strong and willing to fight as the other festrog flanks with Ankhef and attacks in unison.
The commanded festrog sinks its teeth in, but only leaves a scratch as Ankhef's attack does exactly the same amount of damage: nearly nothing. Though it should be noted that the bluish festrog is healed by gnawing on his friend.
As the yellowish festrog still stands, Dwizzle aids in distracting the creature so that Ankhef might live, while Seherab stabs with his blade, finding a vital spot, though it is only through that bit of luck that the creature is damaged.
Teos, waiting to find the opportune moment to strike, acts now as he breaks his vow of silence to speak. "Work together!" he yells in frustration as everyone lashes out at different targets instead of focusing down a single threat.
Choosing the most injured target, Teos sends three punches at the greenish festrog, hoping to end its unlife before it can attack once more.
As the greenish festrog receives both strikes, he bursts into a fiery explosion of dust, scattering across the area.
The remaining two festrogs are bewildered by their comrade falling, but the reddish one continues to strike out at Seherab, while Dwizzle's frantically distracting spear causing it to hop onto him, nearly ripping out his throat.
The investigator falls to the ground, bleeding profusely, as Dwizzle is able to fend off the festrog for now. As the undead masticate on their hard-won flesh, you see their wounds healing.
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Vampire Festrogs (Red @ +5, Blue-Controlled @ 6, Yellow @ 2)
3rd: Dwizzle; Hogan; Ankhef; Teos
Status
Seherab-Prone/Unconscious/Bleeding Out @ -2/34 HP
Ankhef-Prone @ 6/43 HP
Hogan @ 46/59 HP
Dwizzle @ 23/53 HP
Hogan steps forward and plants his feet, bringing his hammer to bear.
Dwizzle frowns as he watches Seherab drop and takes a nasty bite of his own.
"Well... I could swear I warded 'Rabby against such strikes! Oh dear..."
Dwizzle works to mend Seherab's wounds .
But struggles, instead using his limited efforts to continue dodging the festrog's hungry maw.
"Get this... off me!"
Seeing the attack was in effective Ankhef shouts to blue
"Grab the red one!"
Ankhef then conjures up a zombie out of whole cloth
Ankhef then makes a thraot grabbing motion at yellow.
Ankhef takes advantage of the confusion to stand up and step away and shouts at Dwizzle
"Make a break for it!"
Seherab rolls onto his back and tries to use his arms and legs to protect himself.
Dwizzle moves to aid the fallen Seherab, but the imposing festrog distracts the wannabe-dwarf and his concentration breaks as Hogan takes a wild swipe at the nearby festrog, doing a moderate amount of damage, but having a lot of it resisted by the creature's tough frame.
Ankhef summons up another undead and has both his controlled festrog and the zombie try to latch on to the yellowish festrog.
The grouping of the undead lash out at each other, but none of them seem to do very much damage to each other and the bluish festrog remains ungrappled.
Teos, choosing to strike out at Hogan's target to focus down the enemies, sends two punches towards the creature.
The remaining two festrogs leap on to Dwizzle and Hogan as they try to take out another Dwarven attacker.
Hogan fends off the attack, but Dwizzle feels more of his flesh ripped from his bones and consumed by the festrog.
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Vampire Festrogs (Red @ 14, Blue-Controlled @ 6, Yellow @ +3)
3rd: Dwizzle; Hogan; Ankhef; Teos
Status
Seherab-Prone/Unconscious/Bleeding Out @ -3/34 HP
Ankhef-Prone @ 6/43 HP
Hogan @ 46/59 HP Also forgot your DR!
Dwizzle @ 12/53 HP
Hogan keeps swinging his hammer. This fight was not going to end up like the last one.
Not trusting himself to weave another spell through the harrassment of the nearest festrog, Dwizzle steps back, waving his flag as he does so.
"Continue the fight brave souls! I... I need to see the medic a moment."
Finally free of the Festerog grip Ankhef uses his last second level spell.
"Close your eyes Dwizzle!"
and casts Burst of Radiance.
Ankhef gives no new orders leaving the Zombie to continue its grapple attempts at yellow and blue to continue working on red.
zombie 25 HP, 12 AC
Dwizzle sends a blast of healing energy into his own body as he steps back from the festrogs, healing up the wounds from the biting buggers as Hogan pulverizes the head of the reddish feral corpse, sending brain matter across the room, splashing across the fallen Seherab.
Ankhef, looking to destroy all the undead, sends a blast of power into the melee as the zombie futilely tries to grapple the festrog.
The bluish festrog under Ankhef's control seems to retain his sight, but the yellowish one is now effectively blinded as Teos moves to intercept the creature and deliver a strike to sent it back to hell.
As Teos plants his fist into the chest of the last enemy festrog, Seherab bleeds onto the floor.
As the bluish festrog acts, he leaps to grapple the last enemy.
As the last festrog is grappled, he struggles to free himself, but the group quickly puts him down, leaving them in the quiet of the tomb with the only sound being their heavy breathing.
Status
Seherab-Prone/Unconscious/Stable @ -3/34 HP
Ankhef @ 6/43 HP
Hogan @ 46/59 HP
Dwizzle @ 12/53 HP
Hogan continues to smash his hammer into Red's face, his team dropping far too quickly.
Dwizzle leans forward for a moment, before his eyes widen and he snaps his fingers.
"Of course! Rabby!"
He then shuffles to Seherab and immediately applies what would be the nearly the end of his abilities to tend injuries this day.
"We should find a place to rest now, Brothers. That was too close."