Looking around for more, bomb in hand, Hemlock laughs as he gets closer to Aky and Alabaster, "Hope that wasn't our contact."
"Oh! Corpse dust! I can use that! If no other threats appear, Hemlock will bend down and collect some from the rotting husk.
"Don't breath that by the way, the negative energys attached to the dust can cause sickness."
Even undead corpses usually have some fluid to them when they're animate, with a few notable exceptions like really old mummies. It's somewhat odd that this one doesn't, though you're not sure what it means.
Al patted Aky on the shoulder. "Aky, it looks like your classes with Lorth are paying off. Not everyone can cast that spell when someone is hanging on them. You might want to go see Circe if you are hurt though."
As Hemlock came over, Al squatted down with him as he collected his dust. "It would behoove us to get back indoors. If there is one out here, there is likely more."
Hemlock pokes the cadaver carefully, first to make sure its really dead, the undead have a way of never quite being dead sometimes. Satisfied it IS redead, he begins to poke around more and furrows his brow, obvious enough for Al to notice.
"This IS odd. Not that Im an expert of undead or anything but most undead retain the biles and humors of life with them, making for a rotting gooey mess. The dead are the same I can assure of that as well. This one though is dessicated. As if all his fluids have been drained. I couldn't begin to tell you what this means though other than it might relate to those undead things we found in town. Drained before becoming undead or drained after the revivification process. Although I could see if one wanted undead servants, to keep down on the mess, draining them of fluid would be a good wa to do so." Muttering to himself, "Although the body would dry out you'd need to keep the skin supple with magic or with some natural oils, maybe beeswax..."
Hemlock pokes and prods a bit more for any other information he might get out of the corpse before agreeing with Al that they should go inside.
"I don't suppose we could carry this guy inside so I can look him over more?
Nothing naturally caused this level of desiccation and dryness.
Coughing and choking a fair amount, Akydi gets up and dusts himself off. "Ugh, I stink. That needs to be fixed" He mutters a few words and suddenly is clean and fresh smelling
He goes over to Circe "Pretty sure I'm ok, but care to double check, just in case?"
So everyone is back standing at the entrance of the temple. Circe is giving Al the lookover to check for injuries or what not.
Hemlock hears a creak inside one of the buildings. He starts and looks that way.
Then Al hears a creak from from another building.
Then another.
And another.
Everyone hears enough of these to get the idea. Lots of something is moving in the buildings.
Roll initiative.
"Are you guys sure you are okay?" Circe looks over both men for injuries, even though Al wasn't grappled...
As everyone hears all the creaks around them..."Uhm, maybe we should go inside the building and block the door for now?"
Despite all the motion in the buildings, Hemlock quickly gathers up a few bits and pieces of the cadaver for further study. "Yes. I think we need a more defensible position, as I doubt thats all the villagers waking up to thank us for clearing their town of undead."
Aky once more finds a position near a window, and looks out into the darkness.
Dash is standing next to Circe as the action with Aky and Al goes down. He is too slow to react to the creature before Aky and Al pummel it, but draws his blade after the fact. "That's a good idea Circe," he says, while slowly backing towards the church and trying to keep his eyes on all the sources of sound at once.
Al, upon hearing the multiple problems, ushered people back into the temple. "Let us get back in the building"
You see a staggering form exit one building. Then another. And another. And another. They seem to be coming out of all the buildings surrounding the church.
You have very little time to act. (maybe three rounds) What's the plan?
Dumping the cadaver bits in a pile inside the temple, Hemlock unshoulders his satchel, sets it on a bench and begins working on an elixir, his finges rummaging quickly through his collection of ingredients. You are almost certain you see him pull out what appears to be a red chili pepper and drop it into the mortar with an evil grin. Grinding up all the ingredients he pours it into a small vial, shakes it up and for a moment it glows brightly before he stoppers it. "This might help if a lot of them all get close to one another.
At that he will look around to see if there is any other way for the shambling townsfolks to enter this temple. If so, he'll try to find something to block it off or stand guard ready to lob a bomb at anything that comes in that doesn't look alive.
"Circe, I do believe your secret message giver may not have our best interests in mind."
"Well, we were only told that we would find answers here. It never said that we would survive finding those answers..."
Circe looks about worriedly as they head back to the church. "I guess the best we can do is get back inside so they can only come at us through the doors. Better than letting them surround and mob us..."
Circe stays close by Al.
Magic Missle:
Al lost all emotion from his face, his blood running cold. "We blocked the front, hopefully if we leave the back open, they will all try to come through there and we can catch them in a pinch point. This village did not look terribly big, so we may only have to fight off a hundred or two. The thing we should really keep an eye out for is the one who made all these."
Circe allows herself to be ushered by Al. "Maybe the whole town isn't undead? I mean maybe a bunch were killed and eaten before they could be turned?"
Circe realizes that her effort to brighten up their situation has just failed miserably. "Forget all I just said. Right now I just hope we make it through this okay"
The building is stone. A 3 windows on each side of the big room with pews about 15 feet off the ground. Front door is a double wooden door. The door is old, but could possibly be forced shut. There's also some stairs that lead up to the bell tower behind a small interior.
"Think there's enough room for us all up in the bell tower? It may make it harder for them to come up them at us?"
The bottom of the windows are 15 feet off the ground.
You can block the door with the pews. You can probably completely block both entrances with pews.
"Think there's enough room for us all up in the bell tower? It may make it harder for them to come up them at us?"
From the outside you think the belltower is probalby about 20 feet across and 20 30 feet tall from peak to roofline. You even think you remember seeing a bell in there.
"I'll head up there and see what the situation is. Might give me a good vantage point to take pot shots at these guys.
"Holing up in the belltower might be a good idea, but only until we have no escape if we need one"
Dash slides silently into position besides Al while activating another use his wand. "We should stand at either side of the main door for when they come in so we can cut them down between us. And I agree Aky, the bell tower should be a last resort. Just be careful scouting that out Hemlock."
The mob begins to move out of the buildings. At first they wander aimlessly. Then one finds the corpse of it's former companions. It's head perks up and sniffs the air. It's head turns toward the temple immediately. red eyes flairing within it's sunken eyeholes. The first charges even as other's perk up catching the scent. They too charge. The doors are blocked, but the scene can be seen through small cracks in the front door as well as by anyone up in the bellower.
Dash moves into position besides Al, instinctively moving as quietly as possible. Along the way he activates his wand again as he says "We should try to get on either side of the door so we can crush them between us Al. And I agree Aky, the bell tower should be a last resort. Be careful while scouting up there, Hemlock."
Circe is still staying near Al even when he moves near the door. "I'll stay near you guys for now to cast healing upon you as needed. I do have a fire spell prepared for today at least, so hopefully I'll be more useful during this fight. That one went down pretty easy, right? Just do what you did a few dozen more times and we'll be just fine."
"Will do Dash. I'm just going to see if its worth even going up there. Be right back!"
Hemlock heads up the stairs, bomb in hand.
The mob swarms the temple.
Hemmick can see from his vantage that the place is completely surrounded and then some. Based on the number of bodies vs number of buildings you'd assume that this is far more than lived in the town. Far far more. They'd have to literally sleep on top of each other to all fit.
"Uhm... wow? How about we just block the front door for now and just take them out whenever they manage to get in? Maybe they'll go back to sleep in the morning? Maybe there's a secret hidden tunnel under the church somewhere we can get out of?"
Circe looks rather worried and scared.
Hemlock yells down to the temple floor below, "There are hundreds outside! They have surrounded the temple! That's just too many to fight so keep them out if you can!"
Hemlock then looks around for some way out from the ceiling which might get us past this obvious deathtrap.
Hemlock finds a small (5X5) trap door near the roofline. You suspect it's for getting onto and cleaning the roof.
"I'm gonna suggest we barricade the doors and any other entryways. If some break through, hopefully we can kill them quick"
"Yes, that is probably the best bet." Al says as he barricades the back door with some pews.
Al and Aky hurry to barricade the front door. The mass of creatures coming fast. The last pew thunks into place at just the last moment. You can hear a multitude of fists banging the front door and through the cracks in the windows you hear the clawing and scraping of claws on stone all around the building. From his vantage point Hemmick can verify that they are surrounded.
For a moment you breathe a sigh of relief. ... Then the front door creaks loudly as flesh is pushed against the outside.
You think the door will hold for a while, but it's hard to say if it will hold all night. Also if the creatures start piling on top of each other they'll probably be able to reach the window.
"There is a hatch to get onto the ceiling if we need to get out but I don't know how much safer it will be. We will still be surrounded. I can pitch some bombs but with this number of targets I doubt I will do much to them."
"Maybe they don't climb too good? It may be harder for them to come at us in any large numbers. Are any other roofs close enough to jump too? At any rate, I think perhaps we should all consider going up there..."
The closest roof is 30 feet from edge of the temple roof. It is, however an old wooden building.
The horde begins to press themselves agains the outside as they claw where they can (Zombie apocalypse style).
Al lays down on the floor and puts his hands behind his head. He seemed oddly cool in the midst of the apocalypse. "Well, keep an eye on them. If it will take them more than an hour before they start coming in, I could use a little more sleep. It seems that there are so many of them that our only real hope is to last until sunrise where we might have a better advantage. That is, unless someone has a better idea."
"Well if I can get on the roof, I might be able to bomb the area in front of the door. Keep them off it for a bit. I don't know if they'll try to get on the roof at that point but again, as Circe noted, we hope they don't climb good." Hemlock checks his collection of clay bombs, "Looks like I have a full complement so if they are as mindless as they appear this might work for a bit. Anyone mind coming up on the roof with me as backup? I need to get to the edge by the front door to see how this might work."
"I will come with you Hemlock, maybe I can reach them with some of my firespells."
Now that the barricade is up Dash is, like Al, a bit more relaxed. He puts the tip of his sword on the ground and leans on the handle like a cane as he says, "You guys go on up. And feel free to relax a bit, Al. I'll wake you if there is trouble."
"Be careful down here guys and don't wait too long to retreat up to us if there is any trouble. I'd rather not lose any of you tonight." With a last glance at Al after that, Circe follows Hemmlock up and tries to figure out if she can safely get within range of any of them.
Any space near the front door that's big enough to cast a spell through is big enough for something to reach it's arm through. You're welcome to give it a shot though.