What noise?? Morgrym asks
"There's some chains moving, someone struggling against them?" Kersey relays.
As you slip past the crates and boxes, hunched over and squeezing, you note that one end of the chains is wrapped loosely around the base of the mast, which is surrounded by grave goods.
Then, lunging out of the scattered treasures comes a withered, gray-skinned humanoid figure with twisted, wasted muscles and taut, rotting skin. Its irregular teeth glisten against the pulled-back lips set in its hollow, decaying face. The smell of the putrid ocean washes off of it and barnacles encrust its arms and legs. A hauberk of burnished, riveted mail hangs to its knees and it carries a tremendous axe with a long haft, the axe-head decorated with pattern whorls and with a steel edge. One eye is a baleful blue, the other an iridescent gray.
Lyraesel smells the creature coming and the team is able to react to its advance. The chain seems to have a lot of slack - it could probably chase you through the hold.
Round 1
Party <-- (yes, you all rolled higher than the enemy)
Undead thing?
”Oh. Guess this is Snorri. Explains why they moved the funeral up.” Kersey says to no one in particular as he moves up to meet the undead.
Morgrym not getting a clear view of the thing past Kersey, but seeing a ravening mass of teeth and claws.
Torag, give me your blessing
Hoping to improve their odds against the undead Ulfen, lyrasel rushes forward in the cramped space striking low as she approaches, in an attempts to take his leg out from under him.
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Alara cringes at the sight of the undead Ulfen and summons forth a layer of psychic resilience!
Bernard decides to join in despite his reservations and draws the sword I hate boats so damn much. he got earlier No damn space to jump around. and follows belowdecks. Upon seeing their newest enemy is an undead, he rolls his eyes and moves in for the kill.
Lyraesel smashes undead Snorri to the deck. He hisses and the length of chain rattles as his knotted, blue-skinned, withered legs are knocked out from under him. Sadly, the rain of attacks from the rest of the team all swing wide as he rolls first to one side, then the other, sometimes even blocking blows with the chain.
Shalelu takes her best shot, but in the cramped quarters that's difficult. Still, she lands both arrows somehow!
The arrows sink into the undead's soft flesh and seem... less than effective.
The undead scrambles back up to its feet (provoking AOOs from those in melee) and, crouched over, swings its axe at Lyraesel. There's no room to dodge as the blade gashes her armor and she involuntarily gasps.
Swinging at the undead warlord, Lyraesel's failed attempt to strike him is met with a brutal slash that feels as if the blade sears a bit of her spirit, eliciting a yelp of sheer agony. Her retaliatory swing, hampered by both pain and the cramped area, is even less effective.
”Oi! Focus on me!” Kersey calls out to the undead as he brings his hammer down again.
Feeling Torags might surging through him.
Lyraesel, move back, Kersey it is time for us to Lay Torag's might upon the fallen
He shoulders in to bring his blade to bear upon the Ghoul.
”Sure!” Kersey blithely replied.
After swinging once at the creature attacking Lyraesel, Bernard tries to squeeze and tumble his way around the boxes and other cargo to get behind Snorri and attacks him again.
Nodding, Lyraesel steps back warily to give the others room to attack.
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Morgrym powerhouses Snorri as he scrambles back up, and Kersey's strike comes in moments later. The undead nearly falls back down, letting out a horrible, dry rattling sound as the twin blows send dusty tendons and horrid bits of rotting flesh across the hold. Then Bernard slips in and seizes the moment. He squeezes between a pair of the boxes and his blade slides easily into the rotting midsection of the corpse - but then somehow he somersaults backward across the floor, ripping his sword through the undead's back. Snorri's dead lungs are visible through the slice in his back as he loses his coherence and collapses to the ground, twitching and reaching toward Lyraesel only for a few seconds longer. Bernard has, inadvertently perhaps, given Snorri the blood-eagle: The most dishonorable and horrid form of execution reserved for the most wicked of men.
With Snorri dispatched, you are otherwise alone, crouched in the hold of a ship that will, in some not-too-far-off period of time, be engulfed in flames, though you have perhaps a few minutes before you must escape to your kayaks.
From the deck above, Kelda calls down below, "How's it going down there? Everything all right?"
Bernard immediately starts rifling through Snorri's possessions, tossing anything that looks promising to Morgrym to identify as magical or not.
"Are people like Snorri supposed to be undead?"
”You mean corpses? No, corpses are supposed to stay dead. Nice moves by the way.” Kersey replies before turning back to the opening. ”Snorri was being a bit cranky, but don’t worry, we got him ready for his over the top and expensive as all hell send off.”
”You gonna be okay, Wolf?” Kersey asks Lyraesel.
Bernard rolls his eyes in disbelief that someone is actually making him play the Straight Man.
"No, I meant is it Ulfen tradition to animate their lords before lighting them on fire. Wouldn't be the weirdest funerary tradition out there, I'm sure."
"Hmm, maybe they wanted to see if he would be able to burst out of the ship and then everyone on the beach would get to fight him? Makes sense," Kersey thinks aloud.
With Snorri downed, your quick search doesn't find Ulf - looks like the guide is not here. Either he's dead or he's being held somewhere else.
Bernard's quick search turns up a lot of trinkets and crafts of dubious value, but a few small items that he squirrels away like a bronze bracelet and a silver earring.
x 10 = 290 gold piece value (trade good, not halved)
Bernard also spots a gold-inlaid winged nose-guard helm (probably ceremonial? it would be impractical in actual combat, as the wings would get hit and it would spin around and block your vision) on a box near the hatch where you came in. Estimated value is 650 gp.
In addition, Morgrym determines that Snorri's stone eye is magical.
Kelda shouts down, "Canoes headed this way! You better hurry down there!"
Shalelu says, "C'mon, Wolf, let's get out of here so you can recuperate."
Alara nods. "Yeah--we gotta go. We gotta go now."
Bernard grabs the helmet and clambers out.
"Who are they? Have we been spotted by the shore party?"
"I dunno!" shouts Kelda. "They're wearing black pajamas! Hang on, gotta get my sword out!"
You hear the sound of some scuffling from above.
Morgrym notes that Snorri's axe and chain shirt, while not magical, are both of fine (masterwork) quality.
"That hit.....did more damage than just the cut, but I'll survive." Lyrasel says as they head upstairs. "Grab his weapon too."
Kersey nods and does as Lyraesel instructs before heading upstairs with the others.
Grabbing the shirt as well. Will figure what ails you when we are not rushed.
Morgrym takes a few moments while everyone is headed up to strip the dead (Again) Snorri of his shirt.
Will be up in a minute.
As you scramble back onto the deck you see Kelda waiting with her sword as three canoes approach the ship. Just like she described, the occupants wear dark, black dyed clothing with hooded masks that cover all but their eyes.
Much to your chagrin, rather than throwing lines and grapples to the deck, the black-clad foes leap and soar through the air, somersaulting and landing on the deck of the ship. They draw forth odd spike weapons as they fly through the air, resembling a dagger with an elongated handle. It's all you can do to scramble out of the trapdoor before they are racing among you, slashing and stabbing!
Ninja
Party (so sad) <--
As the black-clad enemies descend on them, Lyraesel throws her head back, unleashing a primal, bloodcurdling lupine howl that echoes through the night, washing over those that oppose her pack.
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Two can play at this flanking game, fools.
Bernard spins around and attacks the one between him and Morgrym.
Bernard pivots and in one smooth move slams home his weapon in the ninja's back. The man collapses instantly to the deck, ruined by the unexpected counterattack.
Seeing the one in front of him go down, Morgrym steps to the side of Bernard and attempts to drive the axe head side of his Urgosh through the Ninja.
Only to have his axe head bind slightly on the ropes before coming free.
Curse this to the Pharasman Hells, this is why a dwarf should have solid land under foot
Not even bothering to switch out the weapon he had picked up for his own Kersey stepped over to attack the ninja going after their archer. ”Get away from our Hawk”
Kersey makes a heavy, full-body swipe with the tremendous axe, and the ninja does a standing backflip to evade the swing. The man lands with his blade held back in a ready position and his left hand on the ground, left leg splayed out, and you're pretty sure you hear the creaking of tendons stretching a bit too far.
Alara blinks, then focuses on the two ninjas attacking the berserker. She imagines a rainbow of colours striking them in the back, and puts a little extra into the spell to ensure it sticks!
Alara unleashes a cone of clashing colors that wash over two of the ninja. Both of them rock backward, dropping their weapons and staggering and holding their faces.
Shalelu steps back and fires twice at the ninja that Kersey nearly knocked down, but he manages to duck underneath both of her arrows. He slides slightly to the side and kicks over the burning sack, causing the oil-soaked rags to burst into flames! He lashes out with his weapon at Shalelu, moving with a sudden burst of speed, and jams the blade into her arm twice. The other ninja likewise suddenly moves with supernatural alacrity and lashes out at Bernard, forcing the rogue to back out of the way while wildly swinging his sword to keep his opponent away.
Kersey tried to round on the Ninja but can’t keep up with their sudden supernatural speed.
Lyraesel strikes out viciously, her cold iron sickle biting deeply into the black-clad figure in front of her, and angry growl sounding in the back of her throat as she sees Shalelu wounded by the other one.
Bernard shifts backward and stabs at the one between him and Kersey.
Alara points her crossbow at one of the blinded ninjas and fires!
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