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Joey tries his best to alert the others to be careful, but his frustration most likely is only expressed as angry breathing noises.
I'm never taking movement for granted ever again. I'm never taking talking for granted ever again. I'm never taking muscle cramps for granted ever again. Damn - I don't this feeling of vulnerability!!
Maria waves her hand at the creature in a dismissive manner, and says "Dormir!"
[dice=Knowledge (Religion)]1d20+9
Since you made the knowledge check, you know this creature is not among the living. A sleep effect will probably not have any effect. I'll allow you to change your action if you wish.
Top of round 2:
Initiative
Joey: [paralyzed]
Dave: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Valda: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
"It": 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Maria: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Isagoras:
-------------WW------------------------------
_________GJD________________M____S
_________V_______________________I
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The creature takes a solid slash from Dave's sword. Maria's card misses, embedding itself in the brick wall behind the creature.
Valda's action.
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Deliver Touch Spells (Su): At 3rd level, when the cartomancer uses the Deadly Dealer feat with a card from her spell deck, the card is not destroyed and gains the returning weapon special ability.
In addition, the cartomancer can deliver a touch spell with a thrown card. This uses the Deadly Dealer feat (see below), except the attack is resolved as a ranged touch attack and the card deals no damage of its own. This ability can be used with any card (not just one from the cartomancer’s spell deck).
With a muttered curse, Valda shifted back so she could get the monster with blasting a friend, and then opened up on it with a spell-enhanced round. She did not want to end up in Joey's position.
Valda's shot downs the creature. A few seconds later, Joey pops out of his paralysis as a black furred cat jumps down off the roof and onto his shoulder.
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Exaggeratingly gasping for air and leaning upwards - as if he was unable to breath during his immobility - Joey begins patting himself and savouring the sweet sense of movement once again until he's met with the cat's landing.
Startled, he turns his head expecting another attack and shouts, "NO! NOT AGAIN!! I WON'T - Ooooh! It's just a kitty! What's you're name, little one?" Reaching a hand up to pet the stray, he takes it into his arms, and soon begins pondering about its curious behaviour with hopes that the cat isn't rabid. Though something about the cat seems familiar - as if this were perfectly natural.
Rising to his feet he turns and thanks the others. "If it weren't for you guys, I doubt that I would've made it... Let's not think about that! Thank you, really."
Stacey: "What...what the hell was that thing! You guys...you didn't just kill a person, right? But it...it's already dead. Has been for days. What does this have to do with the message from Marilyn?"
"I don't know, for sure," Valda replied, reloading her gun as she looked at the dead thing. "This is one of those wierd bits of magic that happens. It's probably some kind of undead, but..."
"Not a problem, Joey." Valda smiled at him for a moment. "Although now we've seen you as stiff as you'll ever get, it's all downhill from here."
"My tío warned me about ghouls but never thought I'd actually see one..." she says, visibly a bit scared.
Dave Shoves the blade thought he things skull, just to verify death. "Piece of s@@!... Joe, you alright? Nice cat."
A sound reaches your ears—a persistent metallic clang, like someone banging on a pipe with a hammer. It seems to be coming from the west.
Turning away from his comrades to hear the noise, Joey narrows his eyebrows and sats the cat down. "Yeah, I'm fine - and Valda's right: I would happily cut off a finger if it meant never being like that again... but whatever that noise is - doesn't sound like they're doing okay."
He then faces Stacy with a serious look and answers, "I think we're about find out what Marilyn's message has to do with all this... Or we're going to have another fight on our hands... One way to find out, right?"
Seeing Valda reload promts him to check his gun's ammo despite having not even fired it, and he steps to Maria with a whisper, "Are you alright? That.. thing.. Christ, it really was frightening.. At least we know they these cucuys can die - all we have to do is stick together. If you need help, don't ever think we don't have your back." Tilting his head back he calls out to the rest, "Because we're a team! And a damn fine one too!.. Even if Isagoras runs behind the building at the sight of danger! he ends, teasing the wizard.
Kneeling down to pet the odd black-furred cat, Joey suggests to the group, "So, are we all ready to move towards this sound? Or any other ideas?"
"If I say 'no' can I go home without feeling awful about the next person to be eaten?" Valda sighed, heading for the sound. "I mean, sure, I'll feel even worse if I get eaten, but only for a few minutes."
"Being eaten is the least of our worries with these things." spoken in a deadpan voice as she follows Valda toward the sound.
Chuckling, Valda replied, "This is where I make an 'eating out' joke and see how many of the guys get a horribly confused look, isn't it?"
"Only thing to be confused about is how you'd know anything about that yourself." He's tempted to complete his clearly well worded burn with finger pistols and a zing, but he's simply too cool for something so juvenile.
Dave turns to Maria, readjusting his shades. "You seem to know something about this thing, care to tell the whole class before we go wandering off to trapsvile?"
"They're demonio necrófago, or ghouls in English. If they even scratch you, chances are you will become one yourself. Hence, being eaten is the least of our worries." she explains, looking directly at Joey when she says the word 'scratch'.
"Wait- turn into one of them?" A flash of concern flickers across his face, as he looks to Joe. "Hope you can tell us there's a cure for that."
Joey's expression drops as his lack-of-colour seems to fade even more from his already pale face as he turns to meet Maria and Dave's gaze.
"Pinche hija de la... OH! I get it! You're just joking! Haahaha! Good one!" The investigator tries to play it off to steel his nerves against a rising sensation of anxiety building within him. "...You're joking, right?"
Holding his arm up, he checks the scratch left on his forearm and places his hand over the wound. The very idea of becoming like the monster they had just defeated left him feeling more frightened than he was when left immobile.
"...Christo... I'm going to become like him now, aren't I?"
"How's your immune system? I don't so much mean to scare you, other than the fact that they are scary. Magic might be able to cure it, otherwise you just have to let it run it's course and hope it doesn't kill you."
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"It's... uh.. Well, it could definitely be better. I've always been prone to infections and fevers growing up - was quite the weak lad growing up.."
The more he seems to think about how compromised he is, the more he feels himself becoming sick. Joey can feel the blood running cold through his veins as his chest tightens against his lungs. Sweat can be seen forming on his brow as he runs a hand through his short hair, leaving it slightly disheveled. He may as well already start running around as a mad man and attacking innocent people at this rate with how grim his future now seems.
"Ohhh, God.. I'm feeling shaky.. I might be turning already - don't let me hurt anyone! Put me down if there is no cure - I'd rather die than terrorize people that have done no wrong..."
As he begins his dramatics, he notices the cat pawing at his leg - and for some reason he could almost tell that it knew he was worrying. As if they had some sort of empathetic bond.
"Oooooh, look! Even this kitty knows that I'm dying!.. Wait, no - it's just trying to calm me down? Well how can I stay calm at a time like this! When this fiendish infection tears away at my very humanity! Come, little kitty - let me pet you some more before I am lost forever."
Kneeling down to return the cat to his arms, Joey pets it - quickly seeming to fine with his mind distracted - and dorkishly whispers, "I'm going to call you Blackfur because your fur is black! If you're nice and I don't turn into a ghoul, I'm taking you home with me - would you like that? I'm sure you would! What are you doing in a nasty place like this anyway? Poor thing!
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Isagoras, hearing no more gunshots, meanders back to the party, and hears only the last part of the conversation. "You realize that if you do turn into a ghoul the cat will be the first thing you eat."
He turns to the West. "Let us perambulate in the direction of the setting sun to discern the origins of yon cacophony."
"Well, that's depressing," Joeys says with a huff. "You're right, though - we need to see what's making that noise. Could be Marilyn - could be a monster, only one way we'll ever know for sure."
You head off down a street called Elm, that runs perpendicular with main to the western edge of town. You find it sounds like it's the last house on the right, an old stucco model single story ranch, circa late 40s/early 50s. The sound is coming from the back.
The backyard is surrounded by a thick, overgrown hedge that clearly hasn’t seen a trimmer in years. Inside, the grass is long dead in the desert from lack of watering. A board swing sways slightly from a rusted playset. By the back porch, where a rusted screen door hangs askew, a pipe runs up the side of the house. There’s movement in the
shadows.
Please make perception checks.
Dave keeps his thoughts to himself about Joe's possible condition, as he looks about.
Isagoras shouts a warning (I can't even pretend to mimic the dialogue) that there are more ghouls.
Dave:
Isagoras:
Joey:
Maria:
Valda:
ghouls:
HHHHHHHHHG____
HHHHHHHHHG____
HHHHHHHHHG____
HHHHHHHHHPP___
HHHHHHHHHPP___IJ
HHHHHHHHHPP___DVM
HHHHHHHHHPP___S
HHHHHHHHH_____
HHHHHHHHH_____
Usual legend. Everyone's first initial is their position, S is Stacey, P is porch, H is house, G is ghoul.
Looks like the badguys go first. Fortunately, they have to more than 5' step, so no full attacks this round. One steps up and claws and Isagoras. The other, Joey. The third moves in behind but does nothing.
Claw on Joey:
Claw on Isagoras:
Need a Fort Save from Isagoras if 13 hits FF.
HHHHHHHHH_____
HHHHHHHHH_____
HHHHHHHHH____G
HHHHHHHHHPP___GG
HHHHHHHHHPP___IJ
HHHHHHHHHPP___DVM
HHHHHHHHHPP___S
HHHHHHHHH_____
HHHHHHHHH_____
"Nope." Valda moved into position, raised the heavy pistol in both hands, and opened up on the ghouls with another shotgun blast.
Once again, Maria throws a tarot card at the nearest ghoul. Maybe someday she'll actually hit something...
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Isagoras takes the blow with a warriors stoicism, and remains unmoved by the enemy's sojourn.
He takes to take a 5-foot step back so he can cast safely and summons an eagle. "A minor spell for a minor foe."
It starts attacking the Western most ghoul.
HHHHHHHHH_____
HHHHHHHHH_____
HHHHHHHHH____G
HHHHHHHHHPP___GG
HHHHHHHHHPP__E_J
HHHHHHHHHPP__IDVM
HHHHHHHHHPP___S
HHHHHHHHH_____
HHHHHHHHH_____
And you didn't roll damage and it's too late now so neaggghh. =)
Fortunately, it's never too late:
Claw to Isagoras:
On the other hand, you made your save, that's the important part.
And Maria hit something with her card! Given the map, I'm going to say she hit the same one Valda shot; total of 8 HP damage to one.
Still waiting on Dave and Joey for round 1.
Dave moves up a step, aiming for the damaged ghoul.
Overkill: Dave drops it like it's hot.
There are now 2 ghouls left. Joey's action.
__________________
__________________
__________________
HHHHHHHHH_____
HHHHHHHHH_____
HHHHHHHHH____G
HHHHHHHHHPP___G_D
HHHHHHHHHPP__E_J
HHHHHHHHHPP__I_VM
HHHHHHHHHPP___S
HHHHHHHHH_____
HHHHHHHHH_____
Unable to get a clear shot with the pistol, Valda fired a snowball instead.
Waiting on Joey for round 1, I'll post ghouls tomorrow for top of round 2, one way or the other; after that, Valda's action, above, in round 2.
Seeing the familiar sight and immediately remember what happens if they scratch you, Joey deftly dodges the strike and calls out, "NOT THIS TIME, FIENDS!!!
Raising his pistol towards the Ghoul five feet away from Dave, he lets a bullet fly.
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Nicely done. Joey's hit downs the one damaged by Isagoras' eagle, followed by Valda's, which finishes the last creature off. Man, you guys are taking these things to school.
The banging has stopped, and no more of the creatures seem immediately forthcoming.
You find the normal items of "value" one might find on a few-years-old corpse. A couple wallets with a total of $100 and some expired credit cards, a cheap digital watch, and some really old cell phones.
As far as clues, the only thing you could really pick up (aside from general knowledge about ghouls) will require Perception first, followed by Knowledge/Nature.
Anyone with the appropriate skills is free to aid another or try on their own.
Dave keeps his sword at the ready for a little while longer, before sheathing it once more. "Not as tough when they don't leap out of windows at unsuspecting Joes. You alright there Izzy? Looked like one hit ya."
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Isagoras looks at the wound, almost as if it was an afterthought. "Aye. Beseems the beast did wound me. 'Tis not a blow mortal, but 'tis a hit! A most palpable hit! Or so sayeth the bard. Hmmm. I have found a treasure of some small worth." After the mention of worthless money, continues his study of the undead.
"Not much, but at least it buys us gas."
Joey sighs in relief that they managed to fell the ghouls before any of them could do any serious damage, and scolds himself for not having a strong immune system like the mighty Isagoras. "Hail, the Light what brings Order! Respite graces the soul knowing if fate's most ill where should I succumb to the disease of undeath's curse, I shall do so with merriest company! The graves doth quiver from the wrath of the might of our combound intellects!"
Kneeling next to the wizard, he helps inspect the corpses with his pistol drawn - just in case - thinking, I've seen way too many zombie movies to do this unarmed.
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Dave suddenly points his sword at Joe. "It's too late, he's already one of them! He's speaking in tongues!"
Isagoras easily notices the bits of meat stuck in the creatures' mouths. A cursory examination reveals it to be most likely human flesh. The odd thing is, it seems to have been shredded before it was eaten.
Atlas2112
Phylotus
