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Your ability to take things in stride does you credit. Folk are impressed with your good humor.
At this point, most of the major events of the day are done. Now only the winner of the race remains to be decided. Folk begin gathering at the finish line to cheer on the racers.
A figure comes around the bend in the road, prompting a cheer from the crowd. That cheer quickly turns to gasps and exclamations of shock and alarm. As the lithe young woman continues toward the green, blood can be seen running down her tunic. Her eyes seem glazed and her face is fixed in a look of panic.
Erius, you attempt to calm the girl down, with little success. Another young man comes up and speaks kindly to her, but to no avail. She is simply too frightened and her account of what happened is incoherent.
About this time you realize that there should be other runners coming across the finish line, but this is not the case. The race itself seems to have been disrupted by something, obviously dangerous, but at this point you have no clue as to what.
Your mutual queries are simply answered by the girl's panicked babble, sobbing, and a trembling hand pointing back toward the path from whence she came.
Folk nearby are becoming concerned, and a ripple of uncertainty begins to spread through the crowd.
All right, so at this point Erius, Remy, and Iliana head out of the green in the direction Elaine ran in from. Some of the other villagers take on the task of calming the girl and tending to her wounds. The three of you move into the trees bordering the western edge of the green, weapons at the ready.
Meanwhile, Ren lopes out of the inn, taking the road out of town, which heads west, then bends northward, alert for any sign of the dangers reported by the townsfolk.
At this point, Ren has not sighted any sign of danger, just dead leaves stirring in the breeze. Further up the road he sees a copse of trees to his right, and a mown field to his left, a lonely scarecrow hanging limp from his post in the field.
Erius and Iliana move into the trees, looking for whatever attacked Elaine. There are no immediate signs of danger, however you note droplets of blood on the leaf litter beneath the trees.
Ren makes his way up the road to the copse, his attention occasionally drawn by the scarecrow. At one point, its head lolls over, as if following your progress, but certainly its only the effect of the wind upon it...
Entering the trees, you wince at the crunch of leaves under your feet, taking care to step as softly as possible. You lay your hand on one gnarled trunk, the moss upon the bark still bearing summer's green. As you round the trunk, a faint smell is carried to your nostrils, something out of place in the familiar fall scents...somewhat dank and foul...then a rattling noise and a crunch of leaves catches your attention.
From behind a nearby tree a claw of yellowed bone, followed by a grinning skull. Before you is a skeleton, old, yellowed, and crusted with grave dirt, walking under its own power. Mere paces away, you can see worms writhing amid the soil that clogs one of the eye sockets. The other is empty but for a faint, flickering light. As it senses you, it raises its arms, clutching at you with outstretched, bony talons.
Steeling himself, Ren slashes at the undead thing before him. His first attack goes wide as the skeleton ducks under his swing, pressing in on him. The second blade connects, but merely scrapes across the sternum.
The skeleton again lashes out, raking at Ren's chest and face with its talons. The bony digits on one hand scratch down his armor without effect, but the other hand tears cruelly down the side of his face and neck.
The monastery itself is known as Green Hill, a small, oddly round landmark that lies in a long, narrow valley some twenty miles north of the village of Three Oaks. From the outside, it is not much different than the grass-covered barrows that are commonly encountered in out of the way places in these mountains. However, upon entering through either of the two evenly spaced doors, the difference is apparently. The interior of the hill is hollow and carved of stone. Beneath the main chamber in the hill itself are other rooms, clustered and descending some sixty feet into the earth below. It is here that the monks rest, meditate, and keep their duties.
Among these duties has been the guardianship of several relics, things from ages past. Some of these are held in anticipation of the time when the Great Mother's wounds heal. Others are things of vile nature that are kept here against rediscovery. In the hands of the corruptible, they could pose even greater threat to the land and its inhabitants.
Unfortunately, one of these has been stolen. A great tome, bound in humanoid flesh and bone, was taken recently. While you and many of the younger acolytes were off acquiring supplies from a nearby gnomish settlement, the Hill was attacked by undead. In the aftermath, several of your brothers and sisters were injured; your master, Abbess Liandra, is missing. Brother Shale, the ranking member of the order, is attempting to make things right. Upon your group's return the followin g day, search parties were sent to find some sign of the invaders or their prisoner, but without results.
You have been given the assignment to travel to the House of the Pearl, a secret shrine to Daena, the moon goddess. It is hoped they can divine what has become of the Abbess and the tome. Whoever perpetrated this crime knew what they were after; it is certain that they are intent on some foul purpose and need the book to fulfill it. You must travel swiftly, and with the Green Lady's blessing will find answers that will help set things aright.
Young man steels himself, trying to remember all that his father taught him. He becomes the wolf behind the mask.
1d20 + 2; 1d20 + 2
Ren falls into the rhythm of parry and slash, attempting to find an opening, some weak spot on this thing. Taking an opportunity, he brings his main hand kukri up in a broad high arc, following through with a lower slash from the offhand weapon--an attempt to possibly cut through its spine below the ribcage. Unfortunately, the carpet of leaves beneath the trees conceals a root. He stumbles and both strikes miss their mark by a wide margin. One strikes a small, low-hanging branch with enough force to sever it from its tree.
The skeleton presses its advance. Again, it lashes out with its bony claws. This time a wide swipe from its left arm is unavoidable. It tears through Ren's soft leather leggings, leaving gouges in his thigh.
Erius, Illiana, & Remy:
Erius:
Ren: Ren stands his ground, fighting on and looking for an opening. As the skeleton makes a wide slash, he ducks under its arm, then comes in with a hard, downward chop that bites into bone with a crack. Unfortunately, the blade in his off-hand does not bite, but simply scrapes ribs.
As Ren is breathing a sigh of relief, staring down at his fallen foe, the sound of footsteps stirring dead leaves attracts his attention. Looking up, he can see three more walking skeletons in the trees ahead, about thirty feet away, moving in his direction. They stride through the trees with eerie grace and murderous intent.