Still under the magical effects of Lara's Haste spell, the group swiftly moved towards where Barak had spotted the Undead, leaving the relieved hilltop behind where Old Gorrak had begun to apply bandages to the wounded.
The group's incredible but brief burst of speed was enough for Barak to swiftly identify the fresh tracks and the direction they led; north. A brief sprinting session had the adventurers catch up with their prey, although most of the Haste spell was now gone. Barak shouted in alarm as he spotted the foe, the trio stood ready and waiting.
A hissing figure of malevolence embodied stands here in the dark. His fine features are marred by angular cheekbones and a spiderweb tracery of dark veins across his face. Wicked-looking fangs protrude behind bright-red lips. With him are two crouching figures of leathery, desiccated flesh. Despite the light emanating from Arachiel's blade and the party's other sources of magical light, the figure cast no shadow. The two hunched creatures snarled in anger and ravenous hunger as the group approached, mostly acting on the momentum they had gained sprinting to chase...
Round 1-
Ordered Initiative-
Marcus- 24
Lara- 21
Kirilarien- 16
Barak- 14
Shadowless Humanoid & Companions- 6
Arachiel- 5
Durin- 4
Telurion- 4
Active Effects-
Haste, but it expires at the end of this round.
Enlarge Person on Durin, expires at the end of next round.
Bless, but it expires at the end of this round.
Shield on Telurion, expires at the end of next round.
Map-
Notes-
You recognize the two Undead flanking the central figure as Wights, not especially powerful Undead but still dangerous to the untested and unprepared. The creature with them is a vampire of some kind.
The vampire is a spawn- not much more powerful than the wights it accompanies despite its malevolent presence.
It is resistant to all but silver weapons and is difficult to slay- tested lore states the only surefire method is sunlight, full immersion in running water or a stake through the heart. It is resistant to channeled energy as well as ice and storm magic and has hardened skin from the reanimation process.
The wights that accompany the vampire spawn have none of these defences, other than hardened natural armour.
If anyone makes this roll, i'll provide further detail in my next post.
Action-
Lara moves to nock an arrow to her bow as she takes in the sight of the trio of undead before her.
See the other spoilers, but in addition-
You are aware that the natural negative energy that suffuses the form of these creatures is capable of slaying many in a single blow, the pure negative energy snuffing out life.
In addition, even the spawn of a true vampire retains some of the hypnotic powers of its kind; and is still perfectly capable of dominating the will of others with a mere glance.
"Watch out for the middle one! It's the spawn of a vampire, and can both bend others to its will and drain life with a touch!" Lara calls, firing a pair of arrows in quick succession at the leftmost undead ().
: for physical and fire damage
: for physical and fire damage
"Lara is right my friends" - Telurion reinforces - "Use silver if you have it, but our best chance is using some sort of sunlight. It will resist channeled energy as well as ice and storm magic" - he adds.
"Got it! shoot it lots don't let it touch you."
Barak focuses all his fire at the spawn.
Round 1
Marcus adds his words of warning to the rest, the wizard readying an offensive spell in case any of the trio can cast.
Round 1
Hovering slightly above the group, Kiri waits, her cure wand in one hand and a flask of alchemist's fire in the other.
Lara sent two quick arrows over Barak's shoulder, which both hit the left-most Undead in the chest, tearing through skin and setting it aflame. Mid-snarl, the Undead went down in a burning heap of rotten flesh and emaciated skin.
All of Barak's bolts hit the vampire spawn, his hasted hands moving in a blur as he loosed four in quick succession. The contemptous sneer of the vampire was almost unforgettable as it was swiftly and brutally wounded, the Undead bursting into a cloud of mist as its physical body was ravaged by the wounds dealt to it. The mist immediately began to fly east.
Even as the bolts and arrows were fired though, one Undead had remained unharmed as it rushed Arachiel; it set upon him before he had time to raise his sword and shield in defence, but it mattered little as the unskilled, evil thing met the full defensive force of full plate armour.
Even as the group dispatched the third Undead and the gaseous form of the vampire slunk away to the east, fresh cries could be heard from the camp left behind. The Dwarves were obviously in battle once more; but rather than just usual grim cries to their ancestors- their shouting seemed especially anguished...
Arachiel's sweeping cuts with his heavy blade ended the Undead's mockery of life before it could do him any harm. The vampiric mist was floating away to the east- but to the south, the Dwarves were clearly in battle once more...
"The vampire-spawn can wait--the dwarves need our help!" Lara says. She incants another haste spell upon the party as the previous one expires, then dashes off to the south toward her dwarven comrades.
Durin growls out angrily, A diversion, and I fell for it! before spinning and rushing back in the direction of the hilltop defenders.
"Damn!" - Telurion scolded himself. He had urged his companions to exercise more care before leaving the camp, but was not adamant about it. Their dwarven allies could now be paying the price of their recklessness.
He dashed after the others, and back to the camp, his heart tight with aprehension.
Marcus swears, pivotting back toward the camp.
I'll follow the cloud! Kiri says, arrowing off into the darkness.
The wizard swears again but his troublesome familiar is already gone.
With Kirilarien perilously following the vampire-spawn cloud into the darkness, the group raced back towards the hilltop. Lara attempted to call upon another spell of Haste, but it fizzled as she found her mental reserves too drained to transmute the group once more.
Without the haste spell, the party trampled through thin soil and the remains of brittle bones. Every heavy step yielded a slight crunching sound as a result.
The journey took twice as long and the sounds of fierce battle rang out over the eerie quadrant known as the Dead Fields as they approached. Finally getting into sight of the encampment, the view before the adventurers was a grim one.
The graveyard of the Dwarven expeditions fallen had clearly been animated for some time; and apparently the former battle brothers of Fenris' clan were now being turned against their cousins, kinsmen and comrades. The graves were ravaged and had clearly been freshly disturbed, as the flesh of the fallen was used as a vile host- the zombies now assaulting the encampment having clawed their way through the dirt to rise and slay the living. The two forces had each formed a natural battle line that was gradually breaking off into smaller skirmishes as the fallen hit the dirt on both sides.
Perhaps appalled by such grave anathema, Fenris and his men had obviously descended from their fortified position atop the hill in outrage and zealous fury as they fought to once again bring the bodies of their fellows to rest. Disturbing the fallen, especially kinsmen- was among the gravest of possible crimes to the typical Dwarf. Buried with their chainmail and shields, the Undead had clearly proved quite formidable, although they bore no weapons other than an unnatural, unwavering strength and an utter lack of morale. While several had already been slain by the time the group had arrived, eleven still stood and fought against Fenris' party.
Fenris and his men had all suffered wounds, although Gorrak and Fenris' wounds were minor in their respective enchanted armour. They occupied the centre of their loose battle line, each seeking to protect the bodies of their dead or dying (it was hard to tell at this distance) and slay the armoured zombies as fast as possible. Three Dwarves seemed to have been downed in the battle thus far, lying in pools of blood and gore...
Round 1
(Favoured Terrain Desert +2)
Ordered Initiative-
Lara- 21
Durin- 20
Marcus- 16
Barak- 6
Arachiel- 3
Telurion- 3
Zombies- 2
Fenris' Company- 1
Active Effects-
None.
Map-
Notes-
Action-
Seeing her dwarven comrades in dire straits, Lara snaps off a pair of shots at two of the undead assailing them.
Watching the others surge ahead Barak steadily moves forward, drops to one knee and takes a shot.
Barak then rises and prepares to make another trundle forward.
Durin rushes forward, his battle lust raging. His boots churn up the dirt with each step as he chugs his way back to rejoin the battle by the graveyard, gaining speed with every stride. Clouds of vapor escape through the mouth of his battle mask, and trail behind him, as his breath condenses in the cool night air. As he nears the desperate scrum at the base of the hill, he raises his hammer high...
Round 1
With few spells remaining, Marcus moves forward with Barak and looses his own shot from the heavy crossbow slung forward from his shoulder.
(in melee)
Telurion moves forward as much as he can - "They are in trouble!" - he urges his companions onward, while zapping his wand to aid them in the upcoming fight.
His eyes are focused in the area around them, looking for additional menaces - "They spew from the very ground itself! Beware of more deception!"
Both of Lara's arrows glance off the fallen Dwarves chainmail; the sturdy armor serving to protect the living as much as the dead it now enclosed. Marcus' bolt had a similar effect, but was only a glancing shot at best. Barak's bolt, too, failed to penetrate; just about punching through the chainmail but not sinking deep into the tough, animated flesh.
Blessing the party, Telurion moved forward, as did Durin and Arachiel.
With little real impact thus far on their rear flank, the zombies did not relent from their unquestioning assault on the weary Dwarven party, their former battle brothers. Unrelenting fists swung for the Dwarves, fingers, hands and wrists breaking on armour and shield meaning absolutely nothing to the Undead. Some blows got through- Kargesh almost going down under the weight of three zombies assaulting him simultaneously while the badly wounded Bereg had his cheek split open by a brutal punch. Bruitt, holding the left flank, also took a solid beating and Old Gorrak barely got his shield up in time.
Having taken the time to at least switch to axes throughout the fight, the four remaining warriors of the Dwarven force gave as good as they got despite their weariness and their comrades slowly succumbing around them. Kargesh and Bereg slew a zombie between them and stood grimly back to back, exposing the far more skilled (and better equipped) Thane Fenris to further attack at his own urging. The Thane pointed out to the approaching force and shouted, his voice rising to a bellow-
Dwerfater has not forsaken us this night, Dwarves! We will yet have the chance to avenge this atrocity!
His urgosh blurred as he expertly wielded both ends of it with renewed vigor, slaying two zombies with it in quick succession.
Round 2-
Lara- 21
Durin- 20
Marcus- 16
Barak- 6
Arachiel- 3
Telurion- 3
Zombies- 2
Fenris' Company- 1
Active Effects-
Party is Blessed (+1 to attacks).
Map-
Notes-
No difficult terrain.
Action-
Alarmed by the tide of undead threatening to sweep away her dwarven comrades, Lara continues to slowly advance, raining fiery arrows down upon the assorted undead.
Durin sprints past the first zombies to get closer to the middle of the fight before bringing his hammer down on one of the zombies engaging Thane Fenris
...as the blow connects Durin growls out,
Telurion rushes in closer to the fight, looking for a chance to make a difference - releasing his life hold on Barak, he re-establishes it with one of the surrounded dwarves.
Round 2
Hold on just a bit longer.. Marcus mutters, the wizard loading another bolt into his crossbow.
Seeing the peril his Dwaven brothers are in Barak opens fire
Firing over the gravestones, Lara's arrows sailed into the her target- it took both arrows to drop it in combination with an existing wound, but the undead eventually collapsed, its corpse alight upon the dirt.
Durin's entry into the fray was as dramatic as it often was; the masked butcher going about his work, tenderizing flesh. With a heavy swing of his maul he shattered the spine of one of Fenris' attackers.
Barak had mixed success with his bolts, one of them having been crafted poorly and misfiring from his exquisite bow. His next two bolts pierced flesh with explosive force that seemed to more than compensate for the focused heads of his crossbow bolts. With bolts having passed clean through its stomach another zombie fell.
Putting a little too much power into his swing at the expense of accuracy, Arachiel's heavy sword swing raked through the centre of the zombie's chain-mail, the central point of the armour proving sturdy enough to buy the creature time to prevent injury to its form by interposing its shield, now fighting on two fronts.
With that impressive a roll you can see that the fallen Dwarves all still live. I've taken the liberty of assuming you would save one if he was on the verge of death- which you have determined Ragnar to be. The following narrative reflects this.
Scanning the field with an expert healer's eye, Telurion saw that all the Dwarves yet lived, although Ragnar and Thulbine were both bleeding profusely, the former from fairly horrific wounds. He established a quick link to the Dwarf's own life force while quietly thanking various powers for the renowned toughness of the Dwarf folk.
The zombies did not respond at all to their new attackers in an offensive manner, instead continuing to try and bring down further warriors and thin the numbers of the able-bodied. Reinvigorated by the reinforcements, Dwarven skill, armour and shield held firm although Kargesh took another slugging, heavy blow to his face. With Bereg beside him scoring a deep blow with his axe against his foe, Kargesh went one better with an inspired and desperate display of axemanship that even the highly seasoned adventurers before him appreciated. Swaying with the brutal punch he had been dealt Kargesh staggered back as though about to crumble from the blow. Taking the bait, the zombie lunged after him- and Kargesh suddenly surged forward, headbutting the Dwarven abomination savagely to give him room to swing his battleaxe and decapitate it in one brutally effective swing. The poor warrior's face was a mixture of righteous fury and anguish as he severed the head of his cousin Tythern, a trusted battle brother and buried friend only mere days ago.
Fenris ablely slew another zombie with two twirling slashes of his double weapon, using only the axe head rather than using the spear of his Urgosh. Further west, Old Gorrak stepped back from the fray now that help was at hand and used what must have been some of the last of his magic to heal Thulbine. Gorrak's infusion of positive energy ran sharply through the Dwarf's body, mending bones in a violent rush of magically accelerated healing as air suddenly flooded into a once-battered rib-cage. Thulbine appeared to be conscious once more, albeit barely. Glomi and Bruitt had less success in their struggle but did score another glancing slash on one of the zombies facing them.
Round 3-
Lara- 21
Durin- 20
Marcus- 16
Barak- 6
Arachiel- 3
Telurion- 3
Zombies- 2
Fenris' Company- 1
Active Effects-
Party is Blessed- +1 to attacks.
Lara Luck
Telurion Life Link on Ragnar
Map-
Notes-
No difficult terrain.
Action-
Advancing slowly, Lara lets fly with another two fiery arrows at the zombies assailing her dwarven friends.
Completely oblivious to arrows flying past his ears, Durin totally surrenders to his frenzy, bringing his hammer down again...
... and again...
...while howling in righteous fury and blood lust!
Thanks for taking that choice - I must admit that was my initial intention, but I didn't think Telurion would be able to understand if the fallen dwarves were still breathing or not. Good that he did, and good that he established the Life Link with Ragnar. Do I immediately lose 5hp? Not sure when his turn would come up.
Satisfied that Ragnar's life now seems to be guaranteed, Telurion continues pressing forward, now establishing a link with Kargesh - "None shall fall whilst I am here!" - he roars.
Round 3
Marcus brings his crossbow back up and fires again at the closest undead.
(bless, in melee)
Barak steadies himself again and lets fly with another volley.
In a surge of arrows, axe, blade, hammer and a particularly effective volley of crossbow bolts from Barak, the last of the former members of Thane Fenris' expedition finally fell. Exhausted and badly wounded, the Dwarves assisted in stabilizing their comrades and bringing their stable forms back into the hilltop. Only then did many of them begin to quietly weep in anguish, pain and fatigue as the sheer anathema and horrifying ancestor desecration that had obviously taken place took its toll on their already shaky morale.
Thane Fenris himself took a watch during this activity, his lip quivering in fury as he stared out across what little he could see of the Dead Fields. The leader himself bore few wounds, but it was clear his confidence and purpose in being here had taken a mighty blow.
Old Gorrak, meanwhile, began to use the last of his divine-granted magic for the day in order to restore the Dwarves to fighting form once more. With no further positive energy to channel, he simply converted prayers and spells into healing magic- completely expending his magic in the process.
Durin sits quietly catching his breath not a scratch upon him.
Telurion decides to conserve his divine powers for the time being, which does not mean he cannot offer his assistance to the most wounded of dwarves, crouching down besides him and using his healing knowledge.
Respectful of the dwarves feelings toward their dead companions, Marcus carefully studies their remains.
Just what is going on here? Animating the bodies would have taken time and effort. Did they vivify spontaneously and if so how?
Looking carefully over the graveyard and following up abundant theory alongside application of a few minor cantrips, Marcus ascertained that the Dwarven Undead had actually been animated many hours ago- possibly even days. This meant that whoever was commanding them had chosen that precise moment to unleash them on the camp.
Gorrak spent the last of his magic healing his comrades- but although every single one of them was up on his feet by the time his energies were exhausted, every single one of them still bore wounds, varying in severity. With Telurion beginning to bandage Romni's cuts and set his bones, Gorrak saw to Kargesh; the two warriors arguably the worst off from the exchange.
Durin sat down and began to catch his breath while the Dwarves who fell began to move back to the encampment, Romni and Kargesh escorted by their respective medics.