After a surprisingly effective pair of hits from Gwen and Alex, the creature shudders as a wave of dark energy courses through it, and it loses integrity, falling into pieces!
Pieces of bodies, some individually and some still stitched together in clumps, spread across the lake. Some float and some sink. Those of you in the water scramble back into the boat.
Gwenifer fishes the dead crow out of the water and climbs back on deck. "Best not leave a necromancer any bodies he can possibly use."
"Where did all these limbs come from? Was this the villagers?"
"Wasn't there an island that we were trying to get to? Hope that abomination wasn't the rest of the townsfolk. Do we need a short rest to prepare to face the necromancer?" Finlogan moves the tiller toward the island.
"Let's figure that out once we get to the island. I don't want to be grabbed by any creepy undead hands while we are on this boat!"
"Unbelievable." Alex mutters, hoisting herself out of the water. "This outfit will never be clean again." She tugs on her gorget, as if trying to move her armor further away from herself without taking it off. "I agree with Teo Brissett. She is far too grabbable out here."
After a good half hour of rowing, you see a small island ahead of you. It's still rather distant, but you can make out a small wharf with a couple of rowboats moored there. The island itself is probably no more than a couple of hundred feet across, and appears mostly barren: a bit of wild grass, but no bushes or trees or structures. The peak of the island is maybe a dozen feet or so above the water line.
"Well if nothing is opposing us, let's make for the wharf. No need to make things more difficult for us. When it comes to a fight, we'll have solid land beneath our feet."
"What awaits us on the island? A crab made from the bodies of the town chickens?"
Finlogan keeps steering the rowers to the island wharf.
As you continue your approach, you notice a few prone figures, lying face-down as if in wait, on the island near the wharfs.
Perception
Perception 1d20+0
Teo was still freaked out by all those weird hands, and doesn't notice anything out of sorts as they approach the island.
Seeing nothing amiss whatsoever, you approach the island to make your landing. Just as you're almost to the wharf, four figures in dirt-covered cloaks stand up from where they were lying on the ground in camouflage, and fire arrows at you!
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Alex and Fin take some hits, but Teo manages to duck just in time!
"This is what I'm talking about! Come get some, zombie creeps!"
Gwen takes a couple of steps back in the boat, then rushes forward with a leap that defies belief, but even still she only barely manages to catch the edge of the wharf. She staggers forward, swinging he sword through the air at nothing as she finds her footing.
Alex follows Gwen's lead.
Teo casts Chromatic Orb and throws a blast of fire at one of the nonattended archers.
Spell attack
Damage
Alex takes a swim, slowing her down enough that she's only just gotten onto the edge of the wharf by the end of her turn.
Teo fires off her favorite spell, and hits her target square in the chest!
Finlogan pulls out his longbow and returns fire on the wounded guard.
Fin puts an arrow into the scorched guard!
The two frontmost guards drop their bows in favor of swords and shields, and engage Gwenifer!
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Gwen takes two hits!
The other two guards shift to get a clear shot past the melee and focus on Teo!
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Teo takes an arrow to the shoulder!
At least it isn't a chicken-crab. Alex charges at the two still wielding bows.
Gwenifer grits her teeth from the attacks and attacks back but isn't having any luck.
She steps into a corner of the dock to keep the two guards from flanking her.
Teo casts Acid Splash at the wounded archer and commands it to effect another enemy adjacent to him(assuming there is one).
Acid damage
The ladies all fail to land any hits!
Fin tosses a mooring rope to the wharf, and pulls the boat closer.
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The two guards in melee lay into Gwen!
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Teo takes a hit!
"Do not ignore me when I stand before you!" Alex tries again to hit one of the longbow skeletons. Is the third time the charm?
"This is not going well. I need to even these numbers."
Gwenifer side steps one of the undead so that it's back it so to water and shoves it off the edge.
"See you later!"
Alex swings again, but can't land a blow!
Frustrated, Gwen grabs one of the sword-wielders by the collar and throws it aside into the water!
Teo again casts Acid Splash at the wounded archer and commands it to effect another enemy adjacent to him(assuming there is one). "Work this time, doggone it!"
Acid damage
The skeleton ducks under the blast of acid!
Finlogan hops out of the boat and joins Alex and Gwen in melee, hoping to overwhelm the remaining swordsman:
But to no avail!
The guard that was sent swimming climbs back up onto the pier, soaking wet and without a sword, drawing a dagger as he approaches!
The other swordsman continues its assault on Gwen!
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Gwen is badly hurt!
The two archers continue trying to focus-fire Teo!
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Teo takes an arrow to the gut!
Gwenifer spits a mouthful of blood. "I don't suppose anyone has any healing... I'm going to have to withdraw for now."
Gwenifer takes the withdraw action and moves behind cover on the ship.
Alex follows the injured Gwen back to the boat. Opposed landings are so stupid. She wipes a fleck of blood from Gwen's cheek with her thumb, transferring some of her healing power into her at the same time. "Come here, my lovely. You are bleeding."
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Gwen and Alex retreat to the boat with Teo, though Alex takes a hit in the process!
"Let's get out of here! These arrows hurt!". She casts Chromatic Orb again to cover their retreat and throws it at the injured archer.
Spell attack
Fire damage
Teo's spell just barely gets past the injured guard's shield, striking it squarely in the chest and sending it sprawling across the wharf!
Taking your lead, Fin also disengages, snatching the rope off of the post on the way and giving the boat a good, hard push off from the wharf to begin your retreat.
As you drift away slowly with the momentum, the remaining three guards stand vigilant, but make no motion of pursuit.
"Thank you for the save, Alex. I owe you one."
"Well, that went very poorly. I guess we'll be resting elsewhere tonight. Resting on the necromancer island was probably a poor choice anyway. Should we park somewhere mid-lake or return to the town?"
"I'd prefer to spend as little time on the lake of the creepy crawly hands as possible! Let's go barricade up back in the town and try this again later."
"If the necromancer did not know we were coming before, it does now. A shame." Alex doesn't want to rest but the power that normally fills her is almost depleted and Gwen and Teo are injured.
"We should stay at the inn. It has been days since I have slept in a real bed. I would not mind a bath, either. The kitchen might have something better to eat than rations. And somewhere to wash my things..." She realizes she's babbling about things that don't matter that much and trails off.
Finlogan touches the three injured ladies appropriately and heals them.
Then, he sits down next to the tiller, "Now, if you want to rest, start rowing."
"Well basically that turned out to be an unmitigated disaster! I wonder if we might be able to sneak around to the back side of the island tomorrow. I don't know if we can find a way by those archers."
"If only we had a raven to be our eyes, we could have done just that." Alex says playfully and sits at an oar, still unconvinced by Gwen's evil raven theory.
When the ladies start rowing, the wood elf prince steers toward the town's wharf.
After the chaos of battle, your return trip to town is contrasted by the return of the eerie silence you've heard so much of since you first arrived here. Soon you are once again at the docks of the village proper.
Alex hops onto the dock and secures their boat. "Well, ladies, what now? Go back after a rest or try again tomorrow? In some ways I am drained but I still have my sword."
"I've got to rest. I'm beaten up and most of my magic is gone. Let's dock this boat, and find a place to hole up fo the night. They might send more undead at us, so we need to find somewhere safe on the mainland."
"We should try the inn!" Alex says with hopeful cheer and holds her hand out to help Teo dismount the boat.