Four days ago you left ill-fated Illmarsh, and your minds rebel at remembering the horrors you faced there.
Four days of hard travelling along the winding coastal road to Caliphas.
You were met at the gates of Thrushmoor by the Bishop of Versex. Looking somewhere between awed at having been visited by his goddess and insulted at being used as a mere messenger he stopped the guards from allowing you entrance.
"Oh no - Thrushmoor is not for you. The Lady of Graves appeared to me in a dream last night, telling me to meet you at this spot with two gifts and a warning."
At a word healing energy washes over you, dispelling your tiredness. At a gesture five pharasmin novices, each leading a fine fresh horse, come forward.
"I was told to tell you this: "
No such dignitary awaited you as you approached Vauntil, and you slept a pleasant night in an inn bed - until a cadre of summoned fire elementals sprung upon you and the inn was near destroyed in the conflagration.
Last night you camped in a muddy hollow a hundred yards away from the road while thunder crashed and freezing rain and sleet left you little comfort.
You are three hours out from Caliphas. The sun is almost down behind you and the overcast sky that has threatened more torrents all day still glowers a threat above you.
Behind you, far away, is a sound somewhat like the baying of hounds, or the howlign of wolves, or the screaming of men - like these, but not. Something different. Something worse.
A minute later the sound recurs - closer now. Much closer.
This close to Caliphas the winding road has become a highway. Twenty feet wide of good - if rain-slicked cobble stone. Fallow fields lie to either side of you.
Ahead is a bridge across a crack in the earth, the sound of a swift stream coming faintly from the bottom. The bridge is good solid stone, and twin antler-headed stone sentinels impassively guard each end.
Holding his huge hammer in one hand and absent mindedly fiddling with the mountain lion tooth necklace around his neck, Reknarok stares at the road behind them.
Something stalks us - he growls, swinging his weapon, testint its balance.
Can you make out what it is?
Perception:
Initiative:
I don't like the sound of that at all. Something sinister is afoot.
Seamus glides quickly down from his horse and lands on the ground smoothly.
He helps Mitsy down from her horse as well, touches her shoulder, and she transforms. Her face remains unchanged, but her humanoid legs are replaced with the lower body of a lion, and two extra arms form into place.
Seamus hops up on her lion back, patting it as he does.
Seamus reaches out to grab the reins of their horses and begins to scan the countryside.
”It's good to be back, Seamus,” Mitsy communicates telepathically to her master.
She draws her weapons from the bag at her waist, twirling them habitually to feel the weight. Then she too scans the surrounding area.
initiative.
"And so the wild of this land struggles against true civilization. We must bring forth true strength, companions, and defy these creatures of the dark."
Knowledge Religion +5 to identify monsters.
Jennix dismounts from his horse. He looks toward the sound trying to discern what is coming for them.
After discerning what he can, Jennix turns to familiar at it's customary spot on his shoulder. Fly Shadow, tell us what is coming
Shadow Wing flies off Jennix's shoulder to go see what is coming and communicate back to its master.
The raven will fly high and return to Jennix as soon as it sees something. The raven will communicate by empathic link until it gets back to the bridge, upon which it will speak to the party from the air. (Speaks Elven)
"You fight creatures of the dark, Morrack, and I'll fight all those who try to kill us. Either way, they die, and we live. That's what I'm going for."
Seamus chuckles nervously.
I hope I sound more confident than I really am.
We are still a couple of hours distance from Caliphas, which limits our options regarding this one - however I would suggest not simply staying out here in the middle of the road - I believe we have time to chose our grounds if a battle is forthcoming.
Reknarok surveys the surrounding area for acceptable spots for cover and hiding - he pays particular attention to the area surrounding the bridge edge - mainly the sloping terrain.
He laughs at Seamus' comment - That's my lad! he winks at the halfling - A fight is a fight, as long we stand side by side, we will prevail.
To Morrack he nods adding - Yes brother, whatever is coming our way, will not pass any further. Still... I believe whatever it is, it travels for us, and will not be wishing to pass us by.
"Creatures of the dark, evil-doers in the light, the Golden-Fisted-One's might will come down on any and all interlopers who bar our way. These necromancer gul-drik will not succeed."
Morrack casts heroism on himself (duration 110 minutes, +2 attack/saves/skill checks), and draws his axe.
"Very well, let us choose a defensible location to repel these foes!"
“I've got a pretty good way of making anywhere defensible”
Seamus and Mitsy disappear from view.
“I'll have a haste ready for everyone when something comes into view. It certainly can't hurt to move a little more quickly.”
If the situation allows, let me cast a fireball, before you close on the enemy. Jennix looks around. Where is that damned raven
"I can drop some fire down as well, assuming we see it coming from a distance. Let's hope we do.
He helps Mitsy down from her horse as well, touches her shoulder, and she transforms. Her face remains unchanged, but her humanoid legs are replaced with the lower body of a lion, and two extra arms form into place.
How are you transforming her?
Yes, Morrack & Reknarok should be closer to the bridge, I believe.
Do not stand in their path, Jennix! At that speed they'll flatten you!"
Someone should get me flying... Reknarok mumbles under his breath.
Squinting into the remains of the sun you see a black horseman riding a black horse, behind him are a pack of 12 hounds. Noticing the speed they approach at you realise they must be supernatural, but something else seems wrong. Is it a child or gnome riding a warhorse? It is not till they ride past one of the skeletal trees you just passed that you realise their scale.
The horse must be ten, twelve feet at the shoulder! The Hounds the size of a normal horse! The horseman himself is a normal man - until you realise he rides with no head!
Squinting into the remains of the sun you see a black horseman riding a black horse, behind him are a pack of 12 hounds. Noticing the speed they approach at you realise they must be supernatural, but something else seems wrong. Is it a child or gnome riding a warhorse? It is not till they ride past one of the skeletal trees you just passed that you realise their scale.
The horse must be ten, twelve feet at the shoulder! The Hounds the size of a normal horse! The horseman himself is a normal man - until you realise he rides with no head!
You know that howl - you heard it once, far away, and were told "The Wild Hunt rides tonight!" Unwilling to leave it alone you investigated where you had heard it, and found a single, cowering survivor. From his insane testimony and the damage they had caused you deduced that a pack of twisted undead abominations, with the form of giant hounds, had come through. From the space between footprints you discovered that the survivor's terrified tales of hounds running down fleeing horses with ease had been true.
The survivor also said the merest bite had been enough to leave their victims paralysed.
You have tentatively placed them as a ghoul variant in the undead taxonomy.
Shadow Wing sends you a brief image of a black horseman riding a black horse, trailing a pack of hounds. There is fear in his mind - they travel faster than anything but a diving eagle. It is not until you can triangulate with your own senses that you realise their scale.
The horse must be ten, twelve feet at the shoulder! The Hounds the size of a normal horse! The horseman himself is a normal man - until you realise he rides with no head!
Shadow Wing sends you a brief image of 12 hounds trailing the nightmare huntsman.
One of the most terrifying of undead is the Dullahan. Creatable only by the darkest magic, and on par with a lesser lich, the Dullahan is a remorseless unstoppable hunter. Once it knows your name, nothing can stop it finding and killing its target. It wields a burning flail of its own spine, delights in taking heads, and is rumoured to be all but unkillable.
Almost comfortingly you identify the horse as a "Standard" Greater Nightmare, or Cauchemar. While it can breathe choking smoke, fly and travel the planes it is nowhere near the greatest threat this night.
Abadar favoured you with a nightmare last night. A nightmare of twisted ghoul hounds. Fast as a diving hawk, and large as a horse.
The hounds from your dream sounded just like that.
As he moves purposefully to meet the charge, Reknarok comments to the others - What the...? I see a headless horseman, riding atop a gigantic horse, and on his toe, hounds... as big as horses... Brace yourselves - man the front line with me!
Jennix steps over to G6/7 and casts Chain Lightning centered on the lead horseman.
Jennix yells out to his party.Beware they are undead, the leader is a Dullahan on a Nightmare. Followed by twelve undead hounds. Do not use names. The horse can shift through planes.
Undead, you say? The light of the First Vault will shine our way!"
Preparing himself to receive the oncoming undead horde, Morrack declares judgement on them, while also calling for strength from Abadar.
The Horseman grips his flail and whirls it around himself in a flaming circle. The Hounds near him bay and howl as if going mad.
"What's that Mitsy? A headless horseman? I guess it's time to drop some fire."
Seamus quickly draws a wand from his belt, stretches it out towards the oncoming horde, and a tiny ball of fire shoots from the tip of the wand.
"Let's see how they like that!"
DC 20
Dullahan: Reflex
Nightmare: Reflex
Hound1:Reflex
Hound2:Reflex
Hound3:Reflex
Hound4:Reflex
Hound5:Reflex
Hound6:Reflex
Hound7:Reflex
Hound8:Reflex
Hound9:Reflex
Hound11:Reflex
Hound12:Reflex
Rally
Hound3:Reflex
Hound5:Reflex
Hound6:Reflex
Hound9:Reflex
Hound12:Reflex
Dullahan makes. Takes 16 (total 34)
Nightmare makes. Takes 16 (total 38)
Hounds 5 & 12 make. Take no damage.
Hound 10 out of area.
Hounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 take 33.
H1: 33
H2: 33
H3: 33
H4: 71
H5: 0
H6: 33
H7: 33
H8: 68
H9: 33
H10: none
H11: 77
H12: none
The fie and lightning of Jennix and Seamus take their toll on the Hunt. Ironically it is the last hound who is destroyed, the tail of the lightning leaving him convulsing as the fireball strikes home.
The Hounds come forward in a black wave, then split around the two figures in the road, churning the fields like galloping horses
Jennix mutters a few incomprehensible words and points at the Dullahan. Missiles of magical force issue from his hand and streak toward the headless thing.