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Why can't any of these places be infested with kittens or something?
@Beast:
"I don't suppose there's another large, muscular creature in the area, that someone might mistake for you? Called 'The Other Beast', maybe?"
"Not that I know of."
"Alright. That was a joke, by the way."
"It sounds like it might have been some kind of illusion magic, but I guess there's only one way to find out..."
On the way to the Sanctuary, Azrin takes a moment to recall the special abilities and weaknesses of ghouls.
Ghouls are particularly nasty undead creatures, with a paralyzing touch and nasty disease accompanying each of their three weapons: Their agile claws, and powerful bite.
They also retain the intelligence they had in life, making them cunning foes who aren't unwilling to take advantage of a paralyzed opponent's helpless nature.
Azrin relays this to his allies.
"I can hold back the disease and paralysis, but only so many times. And I can't do anything to help if I get paralyzed."
"Bulldozer, you're immune to paralysis, right? I'm going to need you to keep me safe, or else none of us are walking out of there."
"I won't have to be guarding you if I kill 'em first right?"
"That's what I like to hear!"
You head off, through more swamp, this time 3 miles to the north of Lepidstadt.
After hours of walking through depressingly gray marshland, you arrive. The sad remains of a broken building lie on a spur of land juttinginto the river. The burnt timbers of a large house sag into the undergrowth of nettles and thistles. Nature is taking back this charred ruin, as if trying to erase dark memories. Nearby, a small cluster of gravestones jut from the weeds.
Azrin examines D1.
Azrin's eagle eyes pick out two things of note in the charred rubble: A 3 foot wide hole leading down a 15 foot shaft, and an iron box. Unfortunately the lock is fused shut, but could be busted open by an exceptionally strong person.
Bulldozer and Ezekiel manage to pry the thing open.
Inside, are a bunch of burned papers.
"I can't make sense of these. But let's hold on to them, and I'll try something tomorrow."
Azrin closes the box and carefully puts it in his backpack.
Then he looks down the hole.
Unless you have a rank in the skill, that spell doesn't work.
This is a 15 ft. deep shaft that leads into the cellar.
"Bulldozer, you're first, buddy."
Bulldozer jumps down the hole.
The hospital’s damp cellar, escaped the fire remarkably unscathed. A pair of large water casks sits beneath the entrance shaft to climb upon. The cellar itself is some 15 feet high, and is a mess, as the remains of Brada’s workshop have been flung about and otherwise thrown into disarray. A ghastly trophy made of burnt heads dangling on chains from an iron candelabrum hangs from the ceiling near the shaft.
Of more pressing concern are the creatures crouching in each corner of the room. Bulldozer, in his haste, had forgotten Karl's warning about Ghouls lurking in the swamps around the Sanctuary.
Had he descended more slowly, he could have noticed the creatures when he passed below the hole and first gained a view of the inside, but alas he did not.
Ezekiel (19)
Ghoul (19)
Bulldozer (14)
Ghoul (11)
Azrin (11)
Ghoul (9)
Ghoul (7)
One of the Ghouls gets a drop on Bulldozer, and charges in.
When it does so, Bulldozer is assaulted by a horrific Stench, sickening him.
The creature bites Bulldozer, but he is thankfully immune to its paralyzing ability.
Bulldozer withdraws and flies straight up the hole, landing right back where he leaped from.
"So fellas, what did I miss? You might want to firebomb that cellar before we go on."
"Nothing much. You stink."
Bulldozer does a Standard Withdraw and can make it to the top of the hole, but not quite all the way out.
Bulldozer does a Standard Withdraw and can make it to the top of the hole, but not quite all the way out.
"So fellas, what did I miss? You might want to firebomb that cellar before we go on."
"I'll do the next best thing."
Azrin casts Consecrate on the area around the hole.
You hear a scratching sound coming from inside the cellar.
"They are going to come up here soon. Perhaps through hole, perhaps through earth."
Ezekiel prepares for combat, bracing his hammer to attack the first ghoul he sees.
Azrin casts Communal Protection from Evil and draws his crossbow.
Bulldozer flies up out of the hole, remaining hover 10 feet above the ground and readies his Dergar for a Power Attack while taking advantage of his weapon's reach.
As if playing a sick game of whack-a-mole, a ghoul pops its head up through the ground underneath his feet, and Ezekiel attempts to smash its head in with his hammer.
The Ghast is smashed.
However, the other 3 begin popping up one by one, faster than he can act.
Two appear next to Azrin, and another pops up by Ezekiel.
Bulldozer swings his Dorn Dergar at the first that pops up by Azrin.
But doesn't quite manage to drop it.
The Ghasts then attack.
The ghouls pop up, biting Azrin HARD. What's worse, he's paralyzed by the second blow, stiffening and freezing in place. Thankfully, Ezekiel is missed, meaning Azrin still has a chance to be saved.
"I'm gonna drop on these rotheads like a f*#~ing piano!"
Bulldozer flies over to the Ghast directly the left of Azrin and directs a Power Attack to his head.
Bulldozer swings at the ghoul...but misses.
Ezekiel smashes his ghoul, and fails to get the other.
One of the ghouls tries to kill Azrin.
Ezekiel tries to stop him.
And succeeds! The ghoul is smashed into the dirt.
The second also attempts, and Bulldozer tries to stop him.
...But unfortunately does NOT succeed in stopping the creature from biting into Azrin's throat.
Azrin breathes his last...
The ghoul begins to feast, obviously feral from hunger, oblivious to the fact that his companions lie dead around him.
Ezekiel smashes the creature's bones to dust, avenging his companion, but too late to save him.