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Hinata's pebble flies wide of the yellow skeleton's skull.
Yizzik's grand battleaxe shatters a few more bones, covering the skeleton in cracks. Somehow, it remains standing, but only just.
The blue skeleton has some crushed ribs after Glorgrim's weapon slams into its torso before crumbling to dust.
Blue stands up and strikes at the now-unarmed Glorgrim, bringing its massive dwarven weapon down on him, but leans too far to one side.
"I'm fortunate ta be fightin' with such mighty warriors, worthy of being guards, even..." Erna remarks as she goes in for another attack on yellow but again fails to connect any hits.
Green goes in for a last ditch slice of lizard kebab, but again fails to pierce Yizzik's armor or skin.
Yellow has no luck either, as its aim is off and its weapon merely kicks up some dust from the ground.
Round 3
Bold may act
Vingold, Hinata, Yizzik, Glorgrim
Blue (-18)
Erna (-22)
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Green (-33)
Yellow (-8)
Yizzik would grunt with each hit at his person, doing his best to keep the skeletons focused on him. His more beastial side showed, his teeth bared and angry reptilian hisses escaping to keep the skeletons attention on him. He'd follow up by an angry swing of his axe, his primal force behind it each time.
Hinata would hurl another stone at the yellow monster if it was still standing after Yizzik's attack and blue if not.
Vingold moves forward to get in range and tries to trip the last skeleton with his whip.
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The blue skeleton watches Vingold's whip as it swings through the air. It lifts its bony legs up in time to avoid.
Yellow stumbles and near falls as Yizzik's weapon cuts cleanly through another few ribs, littering the ground in bone shards.
Hinata's pebble smacks the yellow skeleton straight in the center of its skull, nearly sending the skeleton onto its back.
As Glorgrim lifts another stony weapon from the ground, the blue skeleton strikes at him but again misses.
Yellow does the same. The weapon connects with his shoulder, and a crack in the stony flesh forms, blood pouring out of it.
As the blue skeleton lifts its weapon back up, he's hit with a hard smack of Glorgrim's hammer, sending tremors through its bony body.
Blue retaliates with another swing at Glorgrim, but its weapon bounces off the stone-like flesh.
Noticing its apparent injury, Erna lays into the yellow skeleton with both handaxes, but she can't seem to land a hit.
Although nearly turned to dust, the yellow skeleton takes another swing at Yizzik, stumbling at the last moment and missing him by a long shot.
Round 4
Bold may act
Vingold, Hinata, Yizzik, Glorgrim
Blue (-32)
Erna (-22)
--
Yellow (-31)
Vingold tries another trip!
"Father of dragons! Help return these bones to the dead!" Yizzik would growl out, the skeleton he was facing seemingly far too stubborn to go down. He noticed it turn and hurt one of his friends, the beast angrily shining to try and finish it off lest it try again to hurt his companion.
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Vingold's whip sails through the air, wide of the skeleton, but Yizzik's angry blow sends the skeleton back from whence it came.
As Glorgrim reaches for another stony hammer, the last skeleton goes in for another opportune strike. It misses, and Glorgrim retaliates and smashes the skeleton into dust.
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Erna immediately drops her axes and runs over to Luther, pouring a potion into his mouth. "Luther... Guards! Bring him to the temple!" Two dwarven guards scurry over and carry him off. "I knew that cousin of mine would get in ta some kind of trouble, but this..." She shakes her head.
Mayor Bensik catches up to the group, out of breath and in a panic. "I've ordered everyone to return to their homes and secure themselves against any possible more undead incursions. Dozens of members of the town guard have gone missing, and it's no coincidence that the blacksmith also has not returned. What is the meaning of this?!"
"We haf ta do something. The gate guards were to stop any threats. It seems these fiends used the Festival as an opportunity to sneak in..." She clenches her fists tightly, feeling responsible for not preventing this from happening.
Bensik turns to you. "You've done well to dispatch these undead fiends. In light of that, and of your performance at the Muddle, you seem like you could help us out." She has a desperate look in her eyes, fearing that their humble town is in danger, even moreso at such a joyous time of year. "Please... Please help us! We will provide you with a generous sum of gold pieces if you investigate where these undead came from and why they're taking our people. And please, rescue as many of our citizens as possible!"
Doing the good work and getting paid for it? Sounds doubly good! Vingold smiles and puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You can rely on us."
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Erna turns to look at the tattered uniforms that had fallen from the skeleton's bodies. "Good eye, miner. That insignia... That's the symbol of the Firebrand Legion." A puzzled look covers her face. "Why would undead soldiers be wearin' it?"
After some further thought, you recall that the flaming axe head is the symbol of the Firebrand Legion, a group of local heroes in Davarn. Based out of a subterranean fortress several hours east of the town, they patrolled the underground roads and fought against threats from the Darklands.
The Firebrand Legion was disbanded when many of their number—including their leader, Lady Delbera Axebringer—perished while repelling a larger duergar force 40 years ago.
Members of the Firebrand Legion swore their fealty to their commander upon her weapon, a legendary axe called Firebrand, said to be blessed by the dwarven god Torag.
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"Well, I think ya all better ask around town for more information. I'll come with ya. Someone must 'ave seen somethin'." She motions to her guards. "Keep the square safe, and be on the lookout for more of these fiends."
Erna accompanies the party as they quickly run through Davarn, speaking to whoever they can, looking for answers.
So many people were crowded into the market square that the rest of town was all but abandoned.
All of the missing are related to the late hero, Lady Delbera Axebringer, who spent over a century defending Davarn from foreign threats.
All the skeletons' victims were seen being dragged down Taggun’s Crawl to the east, which connects to other dwarven cities, but the tunnel is hazardous and unpatrolled beyond Firebrand's Redoubt.
At least one person remembers seeing a bizarre stranger skulking around the east side of town earlier that day—a slight, hooded woman whose feet clopped like horses' hooves.
Yizzik did his best to talk to those their group found around the town, learning what he could. Thankfully, his climbing and combat skills had impressed many a young dwarf, making his appearance mean nothing in terms of talking. Again, he thanked the gods at how accepting dwarves could be once you proved yourself. "We'll need to learn more of Lady Delbera if we're gonna figure out the motive behind these attacks," he surmised to the group from what he had gathered.
After she was sure the fight was over Hinata would gather up her rocks or find suitable substitutes should the need arise again.
She'd try her best to ask around town but wasn't able to get much more than Yizzik.
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Erna grimaces, then shoots Glorgrim a glare. "Aye, he does, but he's in no condition ta be interrogated!"
"I asked a few people, and I heard from that infamous gamblin' lord Vampa that all the skeletons' victims were seen bein' dragged down Taggun's Crawl to the east. That's 'at tunnel, and it connects to other dwarven cities, but it's hazardous and unpatrolled beyond Firebrand's Redoubt. I used to visit my great-aunt there many years ago..." She sighs.
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Erna continues her thoughts, "If they were goin' down that way, I can tell you what lies at the end. That Firebrand's Redoubt is an old fortress that marks the farthest eastern influence of Davarn. We patrol about as far as 'at. My great-aunt, Lady Delbera Axebringer constructed it decades ago... She built it after her adventuring career, as a place to store her trophies, and also as a forward position from where she could defend Davarn."
"I know it was assaulted by the duergar sum 40 years ago... Delbera and her band, the Firebrand Legion, were able to drive 'em out, but many members died defending it... Even her." She lets out a long sigh as her childhood memories resurface. "I dunnae what's there now, but those that died during the duergar assault were entombed there."
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Glorgrim listens in silence, nodding as she speaks. When she finishes, "Well, I guess tha' answers tha' then. They might 'ave been entombed, but they walk the earth once more." He strokes his beard, "The question now is, who or wha' raised them an' sent them after yer kin? An' more importantly, why 'aven't they come fer you?"
He let's out a sigh, "Well, I'm all fer trudging through caves an' fightin' skeletons an' duergar, but perhaps after we get a bit a' rest? Or a' least a pint."
"We should hope duergar are the only wicked things working such foul magic on the fallen Axebringers. This type of foul magic usually has a much more wicked puppetmaster pulling the strings. Let be on our guard when we go down to cut them," Yizzik would add, placing his shield on his back and axe holstered for the moment. They had fought a fierce battle, and death seemed a possiblity on the horizon. He would have to be ready, giving a silent nod at the thought he would protect his comrades however he needed.
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"Wrong place at the wrong time..." Erna shuts her eyes. "Had I not been guardin' the mayor and watchin' my cousin more closely, they probably would've tried ta take me too." She opens them again, and looks determined. "If you're gonna go to the Redoubt, be careful. Who knows what's in there. I'm gonna stay here and continue ta investigate and I'll be on guard should one of 'em bony beings return."
And with that, Erna departs and heads back towards the Market Square.
"If whomever is causing this has taken over the fort we should try to approach at night to avoid being seen for as long as possible." She knew any kind of attack would be difficult on a place built to be defended but sneaking in might give them an edge even if it meant not using her bombs for a while.
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After stopping at a shop to pick up some last minute items, you turn in at the Lucky Imp to grab a pint and then head upstairs to rest for the night.
In the morning, you head east to the gates to the tunnel, and just past there, you notice another four dead guards.
Other than that, the trip through Taggun's Crawl is uneventful. The tunnel is well-maintained, but it doubles back on itself repeatedly, and so the entire trip to Firebrand's Redoubt takes about two hours using Erna's advice on how to get there. Down one of the ancient lava tubes branching off from the Crawl, the building is carved directly into the basalt of the mountains in the shape of Lady Delbera's favorite weapon: her double-headed flaming axe.
A dwarven-built wall surrounds a courtyard cut into the cavern. Grand doors depicting dour, dwarven faces and angular glyphs stand beyond that open space. The metal doors to the redoubt are ajar, twisted and bent by brute force, and a line of light spills out from the opening. Statuary of dwarves decorates the courtyard, some of them showing signs of recent vandalism. The walkway from the main gate to the front door is littered with debris from the broken statues and overturned benches.
You stand in the walkway just before the front doors.
Standing before the ruined doors and broken statues, Yizzik takes the lead to shield his group from whatever might be hiding in wait or traps that had been left behind by the vandals. His curiosity is what drew him to the light spilling out, but he did his best to remain cautious and vigilant for whatever might be hiding and waiting for this exact moment he was walking in to.
Hinata stops to examine the bodies. "Do undead use posions? We might be dealing with more than a necromancer."
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Glorgrim would have coated himself in stone as soon as they were far enough from Davarn that it would go un-noticed except by those around him. In a gravely voice, "Well, we aren't goin' ta find tha' out waitin' around out 'ere, now are we 'inata?"
He moves past her and follows behind Yizzik, looking around at the craftsmanship and the vandalism. "Rust an' corrosion...", he swears under his breath.
(an extra +2 if stonecunning applies)
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Glorgrim notices a few recently discarded sturdy clay bottles with dregs of a sour-smelling ale inside.
Four stone columns stand evenly spaced in a square in the center of this foyer. Closed double stone doors matching the outer doors stand opposite the entryway. Narrow slits line the walls that run the length of the room. The stone tile floor and walls are scarred with the signs of a battle long past. Three gray-skinned dwarves lie in dried pools of blood in the middle of the room.
Examining the room on their way in, Glorgrim, Vingold, and Yizzik are startled as the smell of leather and blood overtakes their senses. Something doesn't feel quite right here, as a very faint outline of ghostly figures just barely begin to form ahead. Glorgrim and Vingold are quick to react.
Glorgrim
Vingold
Spooky thing
--
"Hmm, that seems off." Vingold takes out one of his many wands and taps Yizzik with it.
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The haunt manifests as a ghostly image of four armored dwarven soldiers bearing crossbows appears in front of you.
An armored, elderly dwarven woman materializes behind them, bearing a resplendent axe, and levels a dour finger at the intruders. She orders, "Drive these ashen-faced bastards back! Drive them out!"
The four ghostly dwarves fire their crossbows at their closest targets: Yizzik and Glorgrim.
Even flat-footed, Yizzik is able to dodge both bolts flying at him.
The last two bolts slam into the stone wall created by Glorgrim and shatter it into pieces.
Vingold, Glorgrim, Hinata
Haunt
Yizzik
Hinata defaults to her bombs hurling them into the crowd of specters hoping to hit them all while they were clustered.
"How do we fight these? They can ignore pretty much everything I have." She would take to the nearest cover while awaiting orders.
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Hinata's bomb lands and explodes on red image of a dwarven warrior. Shrapnel flies into the air and tears through the other three. The three bloody gray-skinned corpses on the ground also have the remnants of their flesh torn by the flying fragments.
The images don't react at all, but with a loud sssssshhhhh, they vanish into thin air, and suddenly, a thrumming chant of dwarven voices sounds through the hall, swearing, "And in the blaze of both, find eternal strength."
Hinata stares kind of confused that they went down so easy but after Glorgrim comments she snaps back to reality. "Uh yea I guess."
Yizzik takes a moment to breath a sigh of relief, pleased that Hinata was able to take care of the horrifying occurance. His tail would give a smack at the ground before he started moving, exploring around the room rather then dealing with the corpses of the fallen duergar. Dwarven ghosts and skeletons promised foul tides ahead for the group if it was left to the lizardfolks opinion.