The Sheriff leads the odd group out back. As he does, the councilman stays far back out of any possible range of Daniel. He still is loud enough to be heard, though, as he vocally laments his own suffering at the hands of so devious a thief. Caeller pays him no heed, as he unlocks the workshop, which is a stand-alone structure on the councilman's well manicured lawn.
The interior smells of wood dust and paint, and looks to be well used and in nearly obsessive arrangement. Tools are in their perfect places, and easels and wood carvings in progress show the councilman's impressive - for an amteur - work.
The Sheriff holds the evidence - a wide, roughly bristled brush - down to Daniel to smell.
Leeoli swallows his prepared extract of shielding, and then draws his short bow.
Vrilli draws his sword and looks at the contents of the pool...
"It really does look like nothing was touched... "
"Okay, Daniel. Grab the scent and see if you can follow."
She makes a couple of hand gestures as she says "scent" and "follow."
As you make preparations, forms bubble up out of the dark water to coalesce into forms nearly humanoid in nature. Though their torsos appear to be burnt, or stripped flesh, their lower bodies seem to be wispy green vapors. As soon as they form, the creatures stumble forward, their gazes hungry and filled with rage!
The Sheriff nods and follows...and to his dismay, the councilman falls into place behind him. The tiger leads the group on a swift chase of an invisible trail, never wavering or slowing its pace, even as the humans struggle to keep up. The trail leads across the road that leads north into town, and to the edge of the river. It then leads down the river several hundred feet, to a small grouping of aging, dilapidated shacks.
Dura catches up to Daniel and lays her hand on his flank. "Where to now, buddy?"
She briefly looks around, trying not to mess up or add too many tracks to the already muddy area. She looks to the others as they wait for the councilman to catch up. "I'm not sure where to head from here, Sheriff. Henrik, anything? What've you got Daniel? Still smell 'em?" She gestures with her hand and the tiger's tail whips excitedly.
Leeoli nearly retches at their appearance, strangely affected by their dual nature. Swallowing bile that reached his throat, he casts his mind back to his training. Are these impervious from normal weapons?
Leeoli drops his bow, deciding that the undead bane arrows should be saved for one of the undead prisoner's, he pulls his rapier from its sheath as he runs and attacks an dead torso just south of Anyi.
Henrik keeps pace easily with the swift tiger, surprisingly agile for a man of his bulk. "Good job... An interesting trail, to say the least," Henrik says in a hushed tone, eyes scanning for potential tracks. "If I had to guess, I'd say we're headed straight for those shacks, but I've been wrong before..."
Still somewhat distracted by her ugly and painful descent, Zazaria looks at the strange forms threatening the group. Is there no end to the scourge of Undeath in this accursed place?
Vrilli moves to attack the creature in the South East.
Zazaria and Leeoli came to the conclusion at the same time - these creatures are definitely undead, and seem to have the same sort of skin as a run of the mill zombie. No doubt bludgeoning and piercing these things will not be as effective.
Vrilli smoothly steps forward, drawing as he does. Upon reaching the southernmost creature, he cuts it down with one deadly strike. The humanoid figure falls into the dark water and begins to lose form as it...melts, for lack of a better term.
Leeoli follows suit, and punches a hole in one of the creatures, though the hole seems to only barely register with the creature, who turns toward his attacker.
Rufus steps forward to stand at Anyi's side, also drawing his weapon with the step. He slices at the creature directly beside Anyi. Alas, he slips in the water, and his strike flies by harmlessly.
The creatures move to attack as one.
Two of the creatures slam Anyi with their misshapen fists, coating her in whatever fluid seems to coat their lower halves. One creature steps towards Vrilli and hits him with its entire body, as if it were a humanoid bludgeon.
Anyi shakes off the effects of the odd ooze, and slashes at one of the beasts with her dagger.
Alas, her attack is made out of desperation, and it slashes only the air in front of the creature.
Slash them. My stab barely bothered this thing.
I have my own methods, thank you Mr. Maleye Zazaria says somewhat tartly - false bravado, no doubt - and then flourishes her symbol. Blue radiance bursts through the dank pit.
Ha! Talking to myself!
The shacks on the riverfront are small and old, but some are well built and cared for. The one that Daniel leads to, though, is not. The front door hangs in its frame, not latching, and the windows to either side of it are cracked. The building is small - no more than two or three rooms at a guess. There's a chimney extending from the roof, though no smoke currently comes from it.
Sheriff Caeller grunts. Hephenus, Gibs Hephenus - a retired soldier who loves nothing more than complaining about how the world conspires against him. He's a surly man, and has spent more than one night cooling it off in a cell after starting something in town. He reaches out and knocks...then again..though he gets no answer.
Dura squats down a bit and scratches the tiger under his chin.
"Good boy. Extra fish for you tonight."
Standing up again, she peers around trying to see inside one of the broken windows.
Zazaria's divine power washes over the huddled creatures, and three of them immediately melt down into the dark waters, whatever force that had been driving them now gone. The other two reel from the pain or shock of the power, but do not fall.
The Sheriff shakes his head. No, we don't have enough to go on right now to be breaking down the front door. We'll have to come back later, or wait till he comes back, I'd guess.
Leeoli resigned to the fact that his rapier is a weak weapon, flanks the undead closest to Zazaria, and thrusts his rapier out wickedly.
Leeoli's attack is just enough to drop the beast back down into a misshapen mass. It returns to its final rest in its gruesome way, melting into the dark water.
Vrilli, buoyed by his last successful strike strides forward confidently to finish the last creature
Vrilli slashes through the remaining creature, and it falls away into the pool, put to its final rest. In the absence of any more opposition, the chamber is eerily quiet, though the heavy breaths of exertion come from each of the living.
Everyone ok? Let's go west through the tunnel.
I will ask you to exercise caution - I'd rather not have a brawl in the middle of my town. If you see him, please follow but do not engage, alright?
The Sheriff turns to Dura. I'd ask the same of you miss, and your friend there. This Gibs fellow is a surly old bat, for certain, but he's not evil incarnate. I'd rather this be done the right way.
You progress through the narrow tunnel into a large empty chamber with four dark hallways existing it, each striking out in one of the four directions of the compass. Each is decorated with a soot-caked brass nameplate affixed to the ceiling just above the entrance. A rubble-choked stairway leads up in the middle of the room, but it is choked with rubble and impassible.
The nameplates read as follows - to the north is "The Oubliette", to the west lies "Reaper's Hold", to the south lies "Nevermore", and to the east, from where you've come, is "Hell's Basement."
There are eight skeletons dressed in scorched prisoner's robes lying on the ground.
Plenty of people are jerks that don't deserve to be mauled, she muses.
Zazaria pauses briefly to whisper an eldritch prayer, then makes a rather curt spiralling gesture with her hand before clutching her Pharasmin symbol.
See here, and here Leeoli points to scratch marks along the rubble. I suspect that these were made by prisoners who became trapped beneath the deadfall.
Leeoli looks up above his head. Let us not allow any angry spirit to cause the ceiling fall on us as well.
Leeoli looks about, trying to determine any traps or structural weaknesses in the ceiling.
With that information, You make your way south along the river. In no more than a few hundred feet, the monument can be seen, as it stands nearly twenty feet tall. Gathered at the base of it and three men, seemingly in discussion...or perhaps argument, as they stand quite a bit away from each other and are speaking with voices raised.
As you approach, they grow quiet and turn to watch you. You notice that the men are more than a bit disheveled - their clothes worn and faces dirty.
The Sheriff's brow furrows in concern and he utters under his breath. That's him.
"Down, Daniel. I don't want you to scare the guy unnecessarily."
She turns to the Sheriff. "Um, does he normally walk around in his underwear?"
As Leeoli nears the base of the stairs and begins his inspection, the group hears the creak of a door to the north, then the heavy, clattering footfalls of bony feet. From the corridor to the north, a creature emerges, and the sight of it instantly forces Zazaria to call upon her faith.
Dense and thick bones frame a humanoid skeleton with no head, and the entire form is wreathed in raging orange and yellow flames. The unholy creature holds a headman's axe, and even without eyes, it pinpoints the living invaders to its lair. As it rushes forward to bring pain upon the flesh of the living, several of the skeletal bodies about the stairs take shape and stand, intent upon their master's goals. Their bodies smoke and smolder, as if the fire of the headless axeman inhabits their bones, as well.
The skeletons move forward in a mad rush, their black eyes seeking blood. Most are in prisoner's robes, and none have weapons, so they rip and rend with their bony claws.
Vrilli is hit with two raking claws
ugh why did I choose the rapier to learn, so many years ago. So many undead are resistant to its pierce.
Skeletal horrors, I fear you not!
Actually, that thing is kind of scary. What is it?
Leeoli flicks his rapier out at the nearest skeleton.
Zaz!
Vrilli whinces and takes a half step backwards. He glances at the newly formed bleeding scratches, shoots a rapid glance at Zazaria, sets his teeth and darts forward to engage the skeletons.
Using Spell Combat...
Leeoli can see that the abomination is undead but, aside from that he has no idea. This must be some new sort of unique form.