Zombies - definitely zombies.
They lurch forward, not hurried, just determined, their arms outstretched as if trying to steal the life they themselves have lost. Behind them, two more zombies emerge from the ship.
Karia begins her now familiar sing-song chant, the rising and falling cadence bringing comfort and courage to face the undead horrors.
Corliss moves to stand next to Corin, his fingers twisting skull and crossbones of Besmara that he wears, just as he does while using his healing magic. He points at the advancing creatures, and they stagger momentarily as he invokes the power of the Pirate Queen.
The zombies continue to stagger forward, their advance unhalted.
Sizara swings her sword at the zombie, shouting out a loud roar like a giant cat of the jungle. She puts all of her battle rage into her attack.
Sizara cleaves the rotting skull of her assailant in two, and the corpse falls lifeless to the ground in front of her.
Corin waits patiently, sword ready to strike, but at the last second the zombie's lurching gait causes it stumble unpredictably, and the man's blade whistles harmlessly over its head.
The zombie recovers its step, and swings a powerful blow at the ranger.
which he barely avoids in time.
Sizara
Corin
Zombie 1,3,4
Karia - can post
Corliss - can post
With Sizara dropping one of the undead, Corliss feels comfortable enough to take a step forward to make certain all the zombies are within range of his next channel.
(Will DC 12 half).
With Sizara dropping one of the undead, Corliss feels comfortable enough to take a step forward to make certain all the zombies are within range of his next channel.
[dice=Corlis Channel Positive Energy to Harm Undead (#2 of 7)]1d6 (Will DC 12 half).
The zombies writhe in a mindless parody of pain as the positive energy tears away at the dark foce animating them.
Karia steps up to (B2) and shoots at Zombie X3.
.
Despite the slow-moving target, Karia's shot goes wide, thunking into the rotting hull of the Grog Dog.
Sizara - can post
Corin - can post
Zombie 1,3,4
Karia
Corliss
Corin takes advantage of the zombie's off balance charge to strike back.
Sizara quickly moves closer to the zombie, still raging like a wild cat as she swung her sword at the zombie.
In a one-two attack, first Corin slashes the zombie facing him across the abdoment, before Sizara, stepping forward, removes its head with a mighty swing.
Both combatants look up, panting, to see the other two zombies almost on top of them, moving deceptively quickly depite their shuffling walk.
One barrels into Corliss, flailing wildly with its rotting arms
and sending the man reeling with a mighty blow.
The other zombie crashes into Corin
but the ranger easily avoids its blows.
Sizara
Corin
Zombie 3,4
Karia - can post
Corliss - can post
Karia drops her crossbow, moves quickly to A1 and casts Cure light on Corliss.
Next round she will draw her rapier and move to attack if the others haven't dealt with the Zombie.
As Karia's healing magic takes effect, Corliss's eyes uncross and focus again on the monsters before him. He takes a short step back (z1), and again clutches at his holy symbol. Again, a wave of positive energy washes over the zombies, causing large chunks of flesh to fall away, and leaving their putrid skin sizzling.
Sizara - can post
Corin - can post
Zombie 3,4
Karia
Corliss
Corin cuts at the zombie which just presented such an excellent target.
"Sizara, flank!"
That does indeed drop the zombie, and Corin moves round into flanking position.
Sizara lets out a loud roar as she charges the last zombie swinging her sword.
Again, the raging elf, fury in her eyes, brings her blade crashing down on the undead creature, slicing diagonally across its abdomen, and casting it down.
After the burst of activity, there is only the quiet sussuration of the waves, and the cry of the jungle birds.
After the surprisingly powerful slam from the zombie, Corliss's vision started to dim as his senses reeled. Then he heard Karia's voice and felt his strength surge. His eyes cleared and he beheld the pretty bard who'd just healed him back from the verge of unconsciousness. Though he felt the urge to say something witty or charming to her, he instead opted to just give her a brief but heartfelt nod of thanks.
Corin takes stock of the others and seeing that they are mostly intact waves them toward the gap in the Grog Dog's hull as he stalks silently in that direction.
Corliss tries his best to follow Corin silently, though his efforts are hampered somewhat by his lightly jangling chain shirt which occasionally taps softly against his buckler.
The Shipwreck
The distinctive low moan of a zombie comes from the wrecked hull, and the group keep expecting another assailant to appear at any moment, but it does not.
Creeping up to the hull, Corin risks a quick glance inside. The interior of the wreck is dark, and smells of rotting wood, rotting flesh, and rotting seaweed. At one end of what must be the collapsed cargo hold, a few chests, crates and barrels have been stacked, although whether by the shipwrecked sailors, before the zombie curse took them, or by the zombies themselves in some sort of vestigial remembrance of their previous lives, it is impossible to tell. In any case, one of the larger crates appears to have fallen, trapping another zombie underneath. It moans and thrashes at the sight of the living, but cannot move or rise.
"I'll keep lookout if one o' you want to silence that thing," Corliss whispers in the direction of Corin and Sizara.
Corin nods. He moves cautiously, wary of stepping through a rotting board.
Upon reaching the zombie he says a quick prayer to Ondisso before putting the thing out of its misery.
Karia starts scanning the hold using Detect magic.
Karia completes the incantation that lets her perceive magic, and is astonished at the result - the whole shipwreck seems to be magic. Then she turns around and recognizes her mistake - the whole of Smuggler's Shiv - the air, the water, the very soil - is permeated with a faint mixture of different magics, swirling in rainbow colours around it. It isn't overwhelming - she would still be able to tell magical items for instance - but it is there.
She has never heard of anything like this before.
"Smart cookie!" Corliss says to Karia as he realizes what she's doing. Staying near the bard, Corliss looks for valuables the old-fashioned way.
Sizara aided in the search of the ship.
"Well, that was a flop!" Karia says, looking around with a dazed expression.
She goes back to the old fashioned method as well.
Searching the ship isn't difficult, as there isn't very much of it left. Of three barrels that once contained rum, only 1 is unspoiled and drinkable. A crate contains what might once have been bolts of calico, although the water and time have rendered them a mouldy mess. An iron cooking pot and a tripod from which to hang it are in another crate. A third small crate contains half a dozen glass bottles packed in straw, all marked "EXPLOSIVE! HANDLE WITH CARE".
Finally there is a locked chest that has to be pried open. In it is a fine suit of leather armour, a couple of pouches containing various pipeweeds, two tiny glass vials of an iridescent liquid , a wooden case containing what is obviously a wand, a copy of Guide To The Best Brothels in Port Peril (With Over 100 Pictures!) and, wrapped in oilcloth, a rather beautiful, sharp and well-made cutlass.
The wand, armour and cutlass all glow to Karia's vision.
"Any idea what these are Corliss?" She asks him, pointing out the magic items to the party.
She also looks through the Guide curiously, one eyebrow rising with interest. "Hmmm, interesting..."
Corliss examines the teeny vials of iridescent liquid, sniffing the stuff experimentally.
He also claims the book from Karia, flipping through some of the pages as he examines it. "I might be able to get some use out o' this."
Before anyone can comment, he grins and adds, "For medicinal purposes only! Might jog a lost memory...not that I likely frequented such dens of disrepute before me accident."
The vials are doses of Shiver, a powerful addictive drug that cam cause vivid, psychedelic dreams. Shiver addicts are notorious for losing all sense of fear, which can often lead them to extraordinarily gory and fatal accidents.
"A wand, a suit o' leather armor, an' a cutlass, luv," Corliss quips. "Clear stuff's called shiver, a psychedelic drug--addictive, with no good medical use that I'm aware of."
"The one with the trapeze looks very intriguing!" Karia grins back at Corliss.
Nodding seriously at his claims of never visiting such dens of disrepute. "Of course not Corliss. No place for such an upstanding gentleman."
In which case, the omnipresent magic reminds her a lot of how Azlanti magic is meant to look.
Karia is bothered by the rum. Do we want to take this back with us?" She asks, thinking of Aerys and her alcohol problem.
Sizara smiles as the others pointed out that the armor and weapon were magical.
When Corliss mentioned the shiver the elf quickly said, "Well if this shiver doesn't have any use we might as well get rid of it. I highly doubt any use can come of something that causes you to...well be reckless to the point of getting killed."
Sizara then asked Karia, "So you can...see magics?"
"The rum will give Aerys more time to ease her symptoms until we can find a cure. We can also use it to disinfect wounds and maybe add it to water to make it safe to drink. I agree, lets burn the shiver. There shouldn't be any need for such a vile concoction. Lets see what material we can salvage from the wreck if anything. Any rope, canvas, or wood we can reasonably pry off that hasn't rotted."
Corin casts a look back out at the water.
"Quick as we can. I don't want to be stranded out here if we can help it."
Karia starts shifting anything salvageable back to the raft.
@Corin. Ok. Maybe Jask knows more about magic items than we do? He is a Cleric of Nethys."
@Sizara. "Yes I can see magic, anyone who uses magic can do so. This whole island has the touch of Azlanti magic over it in fact."
"Didn't the Azlanti die out thousands of years ago?"
"Didn't the Azlanti die out thousands of years ago?"
"Yes, but their magic was strong, and it lingers in places where they built." She looks around at the island, "Who knows what could be buried here after thousands of years has worked on it?"
She laughs, "I started this voyage because I wanted to be there when a long lost city was discovered, ironic really!"
"Certainly something to think about. Maybe you can tell us what you know about the Azlanti around the campfire?"
With one last look around Corin sighs and looks back at the top of the cliff.
.
"OK, lets get back up there."