As you fell the last of the undead, there is a moment of calm. One of the boards reinforcing a cottage window is pried open from the inside, and the heavily wrinkled face of a purple-haired gnome woman pokes out of the window. Once she spots you, she worms her way headfirst out the window, despite a chorus of protests from inside the cottage. Eventually the tiny old gnome wriggles through the gap, landing deftly on her rear end. She bounds to her feet and addresses the party in a rapidfire voice:
“Finally! I was getting thirsty in there. Did you bring any wine? Bloody owlbears. You’d think they’d know better than to trifle with me! Is that my packhorse? I’ll settle for grog, if you have it.”
The dishevelled gnome climbs directly over the rotten corpse of an owlbear and starts rummaging through the packhorse’s saddlebags. Meanwhile, a shocked group of young Pathfinders emerge from the cottage, surveying the carnage with horror.
“Been like this for a week, you know. Nothing but undead and southeastern winds. Wretched awful smell. And me without my astrolabe. You should hear these youngsters whinge and complain. One little undead horde and they go all to pot. By the Eldest, I’m thirsty. I’d drink a flask of ink at this point! Bloody zombos did drag off one of the youngsters, though. You should hear them complain: ‘Oooh, we’re all about to die! Oh my, what’s-her-face was abducted by zombos! Oh, I don’t want to be eaten.’ And they call themselves Pathfinders!”
“Aha!” The gnome triumphantly holds up a bottle of dark red wine.
She whirls around, addressing the assembled group, “You youngsters, burn these carcasses. Bloody awful stink. You lot with the weapons, unpack this horse, build a nice fire, and pull some turnips from the garden. Then come have a drink and tell me how fat Sheila’s gotten.”
With that, the renowned researcher Ignizi Dinnelletter scuttles back into the cottage, uncorking her newly acquired wine along the way.
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Linarra pauses in the act of cleaning off her glaive's blade to raise her eyebrows at the gnome.
"Miss Heidmarch could have mentioned we'd be dealing with a gnome, or maybe I just missed that part," she says after Ignizi has left them outside.
She then eyes the 'youngsters'. "So, what's been happening here, and what were you doing hiding in that cottage? Didn't they teach you it's hardly ever a good idea to wait for the fight to come to you, especially in cramped quarters like that?"
"Here? Hm, some undead assaulted us, and one of us got dragged away by some of these undead." A young halfling responds. "You know, we have been assigned to help Ignizi with her studies, but things didn't go as smooth as expected." And they start to drag the owlbears away to burn them.
"Just come inside, we can talk more over dinner. And thank you for rescuing us."
The group of youngsters consists of: a male halfling, two female humans and a male half-elf
During preparations for the meal you get to know these young pathfinders a bit better. First there is Lemmy Monelli, a Halfling. Lemmy’s a bit of a bungler, and while he thinks of himself as a bard, and he gives you a little ‘performance’ it becomes quickly clear, that his singing is wretched. Lemmy aspires to one day be a full-fledged Pathfinder, though after the undead attack, he’s having second thoughts.
Then there is Leona Marideth, one of the two women: Hailing from Tamran on the shores of Lake Encarthan, Leona ventured all the way from Nirmathas just to study with Ignizi. She hopes to learn something in Sanos that will help her people fight the blight-corrupted fey of the Fangwood. She takes her mission seriously, and is a little put off by Ignizi’s facetiousness.
Thr male half-elf is Narsisco: This haughty half-elf grew up in the nearby town of Nybor, which is known for its large interracial population. Bored with small-town life, he journeyed to Magnimar, where he hoped to start a career as a Pathfinder adventurer. To his dismay, his familiarity with the area landed him right back in Sanos, working under Ignizi, whom he regards as a has-been.
The second human woman is Marsia Backar : She is the most starry-eyed and earnest of the group. Marsia grew up in a village in northern Molthune. As a child she loved to roam the Backar Forest (after which her family is named), and has a special affinity for the fey. Obsessed with First World research, Marsia is obnoxiously excited to be working under the renowned Ignizi Dinnelletter.
Over a dinner of turnip soup, the researchers reconfirm that one of their party was dragged off by the undead several days ago and hasn’t been seen since.
As the talk comes to the undead Ignizi speaks up: "May I ask you a favor, fellow Pathfinders. Please rescue the youngster from the undead. I need her back alive, he was special. She had a real way with fungus. And also please take care of the problem and eliminate the undead incursion. My friend Riddywipple — who lives in a hollow log a day’s march north — can likely help. You must know Riddywipple knows Sanos inside and out and will be an excellent guide."
Ignizi pauses, then asnwers: "Nobody is sure, but a rumor is floating around the local gnome communities that something is collecting bodies and gradually building a zombie army. No clue what those owlbears would have done to us?" She shrugs, "either kill all of us, or part, or dragged us all away. I cannot tell you."
"The only thing I can tell you, is that they headed north. That’s all any of the researchers know."
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After the battle is over, Lirianne carefully removes the paper cartridge she had loaded and puts it with the rest of her ammunition. Not much of a cook, she is happy to take a seat in the cottage and chat with the youngsters, listening intently to any details they or the gnome might have regarding the recent undead activity. He pointed ears perk up a bit when Ignizi mentions that their next contact lives in a hollowed log.
"I take it Riddywhipple is a gnome," Lirianne says, trying not to come across as too abrasive. "You can never tell with these magic folks, right?"
She gives Linarra a look, confirming their shared opinion of dealing with gnomes.
Ignizi looks at her and laughs, "a gnome you say? You just must tell it to him, he will probably like it, no Riddywipple is a Faerie dragon. Riddywipple has been in Sanos Forest longer than most, and knows how to stay alive in the unforgiving woods. He’s a bit reclusive and normally doesn’t help strangers, but you should drop my name to convince him."
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"A faerie dragon, huh?," she says with a shrug. "Glad I asked."
Confident in the party's resolve to return the abducted youngster, Lirianne excuses herself from the table to clean and oil her pistols and ensure her ammunition and other equipment is in good working order. If the next day is anything like today, she'll need everything to be in good working order.
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Varathon will attempt to examine the owlbear corpses before the young pathfinders burn the bodies. He will try to determine if the undead were created from magic or diseased bite of another undead creature. He will does so in a way that comical avoids touching the corpses as much as possible.
He will further cast detect magic and examine the area around the cabin for any reside of magic auras from the attack.
Following that he will aggressively clean his hands and arms and arrives in the tent for some welcome hot food. " Thanks for your hospitality Ignizi. I understand that one of your apprentices was abducted... May I ask where in the forest this occurred"
He enjoys a few spoonfuls of broth while listening to the answer then says
"Do the rumors in the gnomish communities mention any possible suspects for this necromancer?"
Varathon can not 100% determine how they were created, but thinks they were magically created.
"Here - she was tending the garden when a horde of zombies descended
upon the cottage and dragged her into the forest. Several researchers wanted to chase after Dijjit, but I knew that a rescue mission could only spell disaster."
Leona and Narsisco seem to be very unhappy and shake their heads.
But wait, I have something for you." After rummaging around the cottage for a while, Ignizi digs up several items to give to you. She
hands over three potions of neutralize poison, two scrolls of detect undead, and a small box of uncut alexandrite. She also supplies a potion of cure light wounds.
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Varathon shares his uncertain finds with the group.
"Unfortunately, we may be dealing with something more complex then a practitioner of necromancy... I wasn't able to determine how the undead were created"
Varathon opens his spell-book in a thoughtful manner and begins reading while stating.
"I suppose their is nothing to be done except inquiry with this faerie dragon for clues tomorrow"
You depart the next morning, armed with the researchers’ best wishes and instructions on how to find Riddywipple’s log. The directions are fairly simple, leading you to clear landmarks throughout the forest.
You march through the day, following a series of ravines that Ignizi indicated would lead you to Riddywipple’s fallen log. You manage to locate the log, which is distinguished by a series of distinctive carvings that adorn the trees for twenty yards in every direction.
You don’t see anyone around. However, you hear a squeaky voice about 30 feet up a nearby hillside.
As Lirianne moves towards the logs, the ground suddenly gives way
Then you hear a voice, changing directions lall the time with questions, "who are you, what are you doing, why are you trespassing
on my turf.
As soon as Varathon speaks up, the voice falls silent, and then the faerie dragon drops his invisibility and introduces himself. "I am Riddywipple, did not know you were Ignazi's friends. I am sorry, really don't want to hurt any of her friends and lead them into harm’s way." and also notes wistfully that he is not much of a fighter, making such tricks necessary. [b]"And any friend of Ignizi is a friend of mine!"
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Lirianne picks herself and her scattered equipment off the ground and brushes the dirt and moss off her coat. Her face blushes red and she winces when her full weight is applied to her twinged ankle.
"Understood," she says through gritted teeth.
As the more diplomatic or magically-inclined members of the party speak with Ready-Whip or whatever foolish thing he is, Lirianne gives a close inspection to her gear, picking specks of moss and debris from her tools and ammo.
"I will help youto the best of my abilities to Riddywipple eliminate
the undead threat, and I have a strong suspicion where the zombies might be coming from. Let me ask some of my fey forest friends for
information to see if I can pinpoint the source of the undead scourge. The best would be, if you make camp in the meantime, and spend the night near his log, and then leave at first light."
As Lirianne clambers out, she notices pair of goggles.
The night passes uneventful (and you can easily heal up)
At dawn, Riddywipple wakes you up by buzzing excitedly around your heads, chattering in his squeaky, singsong voice. He encourages you to strike camp while he tells you what he learned from his forest friends in the night.
“In the night last night, I flew over to my friendly pixie friend Pollinia, a trixie youngster who lit out with me for a bit of a fly-around, where we chatted about all the happy happenings in the forest as well as some untidy tidings. As it turns out, the carved cave near my pegasi friendlies has a new body that everybody agrees is disagreeable. The old cold cavern used to be used by humans long before long ago, but it’s been empty as a log since then.
“Now it seems an unseemly creature has wandered in from the bit of bog near Wartle and taken to torturing and terrifying the forest. The monster’s name is Marigana, and trappers chased her from her Wartle morass after she kidnapped some napping kids from the town and turned them into deadly undead. Now she’s taken up taking over Sanos, and wants to spread her terrible territory. We can make a joint journey to see the poisonous new occupant, but it will be doubtlessly undeadly.”
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Oswin chuckles a little. "Undeadly, I'll have to remember that one!"
"Lead on, friend Riddywhipple. Facing down deadly threats is something we often have to do as Pathfinders. My companions more than proved their valor to me during our fight with a pair of undead owlbears, and I have full confidence in our abilities to face the danger ahead. The Inheritor demands no less of me."
"Linarra, I would be happy to assist you. I've some experience with armor myself. Would you be kind enough to help me as well? This plate is quite cumbersome to manage alone."
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Lirianne shudders as the cold burn of healing courses through her. As much as she dislikes magic, she admits it has its uses every now and then.
"Thank you," she says to Fredrik with a nod. "Let's hope you won't need to apply your talents again any time soon."
After the first few seconds of rapid-fire nonsense, Lirianne stops even trying to follow Riddywhipple. Instead, she more closely examines the goggles she found in the ditch.
"Landed on these when I fell," she says, holding the goggles before Riddywhipple. "They belong to you?"
The thought of putting bullets into kids does not excite Lirianne. She's dealt with the undead before though, and from the looks of things undeath ain't much of a life. If anything, she'll be doing those poor folks a favor by putting them down ...
Riddywipple buzzes over to Lirianne, "what, goggles, for me? Nonono, I don't have need or wear any googles. Keep em, if you want, I don't need them at all."
Fredrik identifies then as goggles of minute seeing.
Riddywipple begins to lead you heading north. As you make your way deep
into the forest, Riddywipple tells you that they are approaching the home of his longtime friends, pegasi who might be able to offer assistance in defeating the undead. You follow an overgrown road until you reach a muddy, reedy lake surrounded by underbrush and large stones.
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Lirianne thanks Fredrik for his continued use of his magical expertise.
"Could anyone use these?," she says as they follow the faerie into the woods. "Pretty sure they'll just obscure my shot."
Lirianne keeps her eyes and ears open for movement in the trees and underbrush. If the mission alone didn't put her on edge, all this dilly-dallying with the fey sure did.
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Varathon will ask Riddywiddle about the nature of Marigana on the way North.
"Was it determined by those trappers if Marigana was a magic user? Could they tell if she was a necromancer, a priest of an evil diety, or an undead herself? I am thinking from my research of her undead owlbears she is more than a hedge necromancer"
Varathon will spend the hike asking Riddywiddle about various bits of draconic magical practices.
"None of the fey are quite sure what sort of creature Marigana is, but she has been seen with an entourage of skeletons and zombies, which leads the fey to suspect she has necromantic powers."Riddywipple responds.
As you approach, you see the silhouettes of statuesque pegasi grazing in the glade. However, as you grow closer, you see that the pegasi are covered in deep wounds and dried blood, and that they graze not upon grass, but upon the carcass of a fallen creature. The blood-encrusted pegasi turn their attention to you and clumsily lift into the air.
Initiatives:
Varathon
Lirianne
Fredrik
Oswin
Linarra
Pegasus
?
Lirianne Varathon Oswin ? Fredrik Lirianne Pegasus
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Lirianne's mouth curves into a tight frown at the sight of this once majestic beast. She takes a quick step forward, seeking the partial cover of a bush while drawing a pistol and loading it with a bullet and some powder.
"Friend of yours, Riddy?," she says, jamming the last bit of powder into the barrel.
Riddywipple looks in horror as he sees the pegasi, and tears start to appear in his eyes, "these are, were, nooooooooooooooooooo!"
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A stunned Varathon will cast Flaming sphere centered on the undead monstrosity! Reflex save of DC 16 negates the damage. He will maintain concentration of the flaming sphere.
On the next round, Varathon plans to casts Mage Armor on himself with his standard and use his move action to move the flaming sphere to attack the undead creature again (or his fellow undead creatures if they exist and he goes airborne above 30 ft). Flaming sphere can bounce up to 30 ft so if possible, he will move the flaming sphere and bounce it to hit the pegasi again. The flaming sphere's total move is 30 ft.
Linarra hears a voice, calling her (WILL save), a very captivating voice.
Lirianne Varathon Oswin ? Fredrik Linarra Pegasus
Pegasus - 9 damage
Something seems to just peek out of the water. Perception checks to notice it (with -5 due to distance) - Linarra finds it so fascinating, she moves towards it (double move).
This hideous humanoid creature has slimy, transparent skin; and a snaggletoothed, horse-like face.
ooc: just waiting for Fredrik
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Varathon notices the creature in lake. He will probably alter his plan of action next round to using his move to attempt to hit the pegasus with the flaming sphere again and using his standard to cast magic missile on the pegasus. He hopes this will bring the beast down and avoid having to deal with a seaborne and airborne threat at the same time.
ooc: DM NPC Fredrik using saling vs. Pegasus
The Pegasus lands, rest of the group can go.
Pegasus 23 damage taken
@Varathon: just did your flaming sphere, you still have your standard if you want to cast magic missile?
Lirianne Varathon Oswin ? Fredrik Linarra Pegasus