Parting shot.
The beast ignores your arrow and flies away towards some distant hills.
Take a look around, find a place to camp if its late in the day, otherwise continue on.
You feel that where you are not would be a good place to rest. You don't have to start a fire and you can't imagine many threats would be in the hunting ground of the creature you just drove off.
Alternatively you could continue on for about a third of day's travel.
Keep on moving.
You follow the river for a few more days before leaving it to continue West along the edge of the Chitterwood. You know at some point you should come upon Gillamoor and that if you come to another river you will have gone entirely too far West.
After a couple of days along the wooded border you make out what appears to be a patrol of soldiers, maybe 20 or so. A few are on horse but most are on foot. You think they see you as well; they are about a quarter mile away.
Move towards the patrol.
The men of the patrol catch sight of you and take a defensive posture, with bows drawn and weapons at the ready. They don't seem that concerned with just one man, but clearly these are veteran troops and not taking any chances.
As you get closer one of the soldiers on foot moves out from the group and approaches you; about 15' away from the group and an equal distance from you he addresses you, clearly uncomfortable-Greetings sir. You are entering a military quarantine area and should turn around and head....somewhere else. The village of Gillamoor is off limits for the time being on account of plague.
So all may hear:
“You needn’t worry, I carry no plague, Torag's grace protects me from such things. Who has the command here? I desire to enter the city to see if I can offer aid to any living therein.”
One of the men on horseback ride forward. Clad in plate with a heavy shield he appears to be in charge of the detachment of troops. The look on his face indicates that your speech has clearly impressed him.
I'm lieutenant Dansk and am in command of this squad. The town is under strict interdiction and while I cannot allow you entry I will bring you before my superiors if you wish it. They will hear your case, although I doubt that you will persuade them to let you enter.
"Thank you Lieutenant Dansk, I am called Ang and I would very much appreciate being allowed to speak with whoever might allow me to enter the town."
Indeed. I apologize that we have no extra mount for you sir, but clearly you are used to walking and I'm not sure how you would use...THAT...atop one anyways. Do you need water or a rest or are you ready to travel?
"Ready to go Lieutenant."
The lieutenant and his squad escort you a few miles to a large military camp situated at the top of a low hill. Your best guess is that there are maybe close to 500 troops stationed here. Form the looks of it, most of them are on patrol at any given time, doing their best to maintain the quarantine of Gillamoor. You can make out the small town several miles away, visible from the vantage point of the camp. A few patrols are making a wide circuit around the town.
Lieutenant Dansk gives a few orders to a man you guess to be his senior sergeant who leads the patrol towards a cooking area. Dansk then motions for you to follow him as he leads you towards a well-appointed tent. Wait here., he says before entering the tent. A few minutes later he comes back out, and motions for you to enter. Whatever you have to say had better be important.... Clearly he is nervous about what comes next.
You enter the tent to find a few men looking at a map on a table. One, with a severely weathered face, looks up at you in barks out in a raspy voice-Well, what is it?
Addressing the weathered face man.
"Sir, I am called Ang, Lieutenant Dansk prevented me from entering Gillamoor. I want to go in and offer help to any survivors and perhaps determine what is the cause of the illness. I am immune to diseases and have some small skill in healing so perhaps I can do some good in there. I can also be a pair of eyes for you in Gillamoor and can report back to you what I find which I suspect may be of use to you. If I am wrong and I'm not immune to the disease then I will die, no loss to you. What do you say?"
Does Ang notice anything else in the tent or about the men, do any look sick?
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Everyone in the room appears quite healthy, although the looks on faces give you the impression of weariness, anger, and frustration.
The weathered looking many chuckles throatily, Well Kurnisk, looks like I owe you a bottle of Cantavian red after all; apparently Abadar will provide. Well met Ang, I am Colonel Rodak and I've been tasked to keep whatever infection plagues Gillamoor localized to the town. What you described and your set of abilities is exactly what we could use just about now. So far all we know is that the few infected that have left Gillamoor are unable to be cured through divine or other magics and that after about a week of being sick they die and rise up as savage zombies. We have done our best to keep everyone in the town and there have been no reports of further infection in the surrounding areas. We have talked to the leaders of the town, from a distance of course, and it appears that most of the townsfolk have barricaded themselves inside their homes and are trying to wait it, whatever the hells 'it' is, out. I can't send any of my men in to help so anything you can do would be appreciated. You recognize that if you go in we won't be able to let you go anywhere else for at least a week, but more like a month?
"I understand Colonel. How long has the town been cut off and what are the names of the town leaders? If I find anything out where should I come to talk with you, at a distance?"
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We have had the town under quarantine for just over two months, but I believe they have been dealing with this infection for the better part of five months. Their sheriff and most of his deputies were apparently early victims to the violence. We have been dealing with under-mayor Berlew and Deputy Charra. I meet them every three days about a quarter mile in front of the main entrance to the town.
"If I am successful then I will join Berlew and Charra. Anything else I should know before I depart for the town."
Just that we have not been able to determine how the disease is transmitted and that the zombies are like nothing we have ever seen. They aren't slow, they are FAST and STRONG. More like demons if you ask me. Your god be with you paladin. I don't think you will find much other help in Gillamoor.
“Thanks.”
Head into town.
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Dansk leads you out of the tent and gathers up a few men before walking with you towards Gillamoor-It's a brave thing you are doing, although maybe it's just because you don't what you are going up against. I've see these things up close. They are...like nothing I've ever seen. Fast, deadly, and largely immune to most damage; at least whatever we can throw at them. Our initial patrols were just small squads, maybe a dozen men at most. They did nothing more than slow the creatures down and allow for another group to arrive and finish it off. In the meantime most of the first patrol would be killed or badly wounded.
None of us are trained for this and the priest's magic does not seem to have any effect on them for all that they are 'undead'. Now the clergy ride with us just for healing and we are sending out the under-mages that are available or troops with plenty of burning oil.
As you get about a half mile away from the town Dansk points out a tree that appears to have been smashed by a bolt of lightning that is half-way to the town-That's where they meet the town leaders every three days. The last meeting was just yesterday.
He pulls his squad up-This is where we part ways Ang. Desna with you and may Torag guide that hammer of yours.
You bid him farewell and continue on in towards the town; as you make the outskirts there are a few buildings. Everything is quiet as you look them over. Two appear firmly boarded up while a third's door has clearly been smashed inwards, claw marks and blood visibly apparent.
Head to the building with smashed door.
Detect evil when in range.
Whatever evil occurred here is old and faint. A quick look inside shows a simple home that has been thoroughly ransacked but not looted. Given the large blood stains, you determine at least two or three people met their end here, but there are no bodies. The smell is quite rancid as there are several small globs of rotting intestine scattered throughout.
Move over to check out the boarded up buildings.
Are the buildings boarded from the outside or the inside?
The first boarded building you approach is clearly boarded up from the inside. You can see multiple claw marks and several of the boards are cracked but no broken. The smell of death (decomposing corpses) wafts from inside.
Check out the third building.
The third building you approach looks very similar to the second-boarded up from the inside and signs of an attempted entry clearly visible. As you get closer the smell of fermented death wafts across your nostrils. What was at first nauseating, has quickly become a near familiar scent.
You move up to one of the windows an peer in through some cracks in the barricade. As you do so, something violently smashes into the other side of the barricade. You can hear a screaming snarl from something within struggling to rip the boards loose and get at you!
Might as well see what I'm up against
Does it hurt the creature?
You see no change in the creature's attempts to break through the barricade and it appears unharmed by your divine energies.
It continues to rip at the boarded window and is able to pry some of the wood loose!
Does Ang have any additional knowledge about potential weaknesses or strengths of the creature? Waiting for it to break out to fight it.
The creature fits no description of anything you have ever heard about before. From what you can see through slats in the boards it was once a human male. Now it has multiple open sores in its flesh that ooze a light green ichor and it has over pronounced claws and fangs that appear to have a strange hardness to them.
It rips its way through the remainder of the barricade and rushes towards you. You act first.
Hope this thing knows how to die
The thing that was once a human man of mid-age rushes straight into your hammer blow, apparently shrugging off a portion of the damage.
It rips at you:
DC 20 FORT save or become sickened for 2d4 rounds
The thing dodges your hammer with lightning reflexes, no longer off balance from making its way through the barricade.
stand still so I can crush your skull
-15
The creature nimbly slides to the side of your swing and tries to rip through your guard.
-2 hp
The creature tries to evade your swing but mostly manages to dance into it; again some of the damage does not translate.
It rips at your arm:
-5
The creature clings to you arm, spoiling your swing.
-20
You land another hit and the creature finally looks much worse for wear. It comes on undiminished frenzy.
-18
The deadly creature shakes you with its fury. There is an angry glint in its eye that makes you think it may not just be a mindless beast.
Hero’s Defiance to save my ass.
The instant before you are reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, you can expend a use of your lay on hands ability to heal yourself as if you had used lay on hands, plus an additional 1d6 hit points. If this healing brings your hit point total above 0 hit points, you do not fall, and may continue to act. If you have no more uses of lay on hands this spell has no effect.
-20hp
The burst of divine energy guides your hammer and you crush the skull of the ravening creature, ending its threat.
Exclude creature.
Search the creature and building.
-1
You make your way through the now shattered barricade and quickly explore the abode. From the looks of things it appears as if a family of six used to live here. You guess the inhabitants all became infected and succumed to the plague. Then one (oldest son apparently) reanimated and largely consumed the remains of the other corpses. It seems as if the creature then just lurked about the house approaching the boarded up windows and doors when it heard sound outside.