Raj signals to Kendra to open the door between the dining room and kitchen. He moves quickly through and opens the kitchen door, preparing to attack the abomination from behind.
HP NL: 11 / 11
Arrows:
Hero Points: 1
Effects:
Zed reels from the surprisingly hard smashes. How do intestines hit that hard... he wonders as he gasps in pain but manages to stay standing. He closes the end of the gap and pushes through the nest of intestines, and with a cry reaches out and grabs the undead professor by the head. "Burn foul creature, you will never escape my reach!" He roars and places a glowing hand on the undead's forehead, causing a flash of light and the smell of burning flesh to fill the air. When he releases there is a smoldering symbol burned into his forehead.
Kazamir concentrates his willpower and sends one of the smouldering books flying across the room. It catches the monster squarely in the back of the head, sending it stumbling forward.
Zed seizes the opportunity. Despite his own grievous wounds he strides forward and takes hold of the thing, plating his hand on its forehead, a fierce white glow emanating from beneath. The smell of burning putrid flesh is overpowering in the narrow corridor but he maintains his hold, burning through the thing with holy power until hardly anything is left of his one time friend's face except a smashed and charred mess.
When he releases his grip, it slumps the the ground.
Kendra too falls back against the kitchen wall, slowly sliding down into a sitting position as she sees the monstrosity fall. She takes her head in bleeding hands, great wracking sobs shaking her whole body.
Zed falls to his knees in the unholy mess, shrouded in the musk of death and burning flesh. My old friend...what did this to you? He slumps over onto the wall and tries to recover his breath, placing a hand glowing with malevolent energy on himself.
The negative energy completely heals his bruises and he slowly makes the transformation back from crusader against undeath to his more pragmatic and neutral self, despite feeling so reviled on the inside. "We must make sure there are no other undead about. Also the sheriff needs to be informed and these corpses moved out."
A wind blows in through the smashed windows, carrying with it splashes of rain and a chill air.
Raj's mood is black. He glances briefly at the broken window then shoulders his way past the crowd by the stairs and heads out the door, curved blades bristling in his fists. From the porch, he looks into the darkness for any watchers - expecting to find none - then begins looking for tracks and prints from the porch to the broken window, hoping to pick up a trail before it is lost in the persistent patter of rain.
Seeing Raj coming past you with a set of odd curved blades... you're quite certain you've met him before.
Vala manages to hold back the explosion of grief she feels in the sudden quiet after the creature falls. At Kendra's cry though, she hurries past the grisly scene and wraps the young woman in a tight embrace, sinking to the floor behind her as tears begin to stream quietly from her eyes.
Zed massages his newly healed flesh and gives a grim nod to Hazel. His large studded weapon rests on his shoulder as he keeps scanning the surrounding area. "Yes, another curse that was the result of my existence. I am a living being, but my flesh reacts to negative and positive energy like my father's does. I've learned how to cast negative energy so that I could heal myself since normal healing would hurt me. I've had some...unfortunate run-ins with that in the past." He looks down. I wonder if at some point they will reject me as so many others have. Sometimes people are just too set in their categorical ways. I wonder if telling them about my fangs would prove fortuitous to my acceptance.
Rajuna keeps moving, pursuing the only lead they've got before the rain can wash it away. It's also a coldly tactical decision. If she pulls that blade, open space and darkness are more my friends than hers. He turns slowly at the edge of the porch trying to appear non-threatening. Raj makes a point of hilting one of his daggers in his belt and raises an open palm. He says tiredly, voice rough from the wringing his throat received. "It wasn't like that, Miss Hazel, but you wouldn't a' known. Doc and me - we worked together and those weren't common thugs. I'd explain it to ya... but right now the rain is wiping away the evidence of where those zombies came from, so time is precious. Now, I'm gonna follow whatever tracks there are to follow.. If you wanna come with me, I'll try to explain things much as I can. Feel free to keep that starknife pointed at me if it makes you feel better." Keeping one eye on the priestess, he begins his search.
"I will gladly accompany you,Raj" KAzamir wheezes, left hand hugged over his right shoulder and a littel bent over in pain, "But if there is anyone capable of further healing - of a more standard kind, thank you Zed - it would not be amiss. "
"I think it broke my collarbone..." he mutters, in something distressingly like a whimper.
"I'll also need a quick moment to gather more appropriate arms," he adds.
Constantin lets out a heavy exhalation. He looks to Kendra and after a few moments of scrutiny realizes that while her hands are bloody she is not seriously injured, and that Vala seems to have her emotional care in hand. He looks over the living room and the study, checking to make sure there are no further fires. He tries to move down the stairs toward the main group of people, though that proves difficult as long as people remain on the landing below.
The scholar bows his head for a moment and raises his hand, and ghostly, wraith-like lights formed of ectoplasm pulled from psychic currents form and bob in the air near him. The ghost-lights float through the air, silently wicking their way toward Hazel and Rajuna, following them as they make their way out into the rainy night.
There are obvious shambling tracks on the wet grass outside the house and in the fields behind. Three sets for the zombies and the professor. They look as if they have come from the north, from the Restlands.
"...But I am coming with you, make no mistake,"
"...I will gladly accompany you..."
Raj nods to them both, "Good, there's safety in numbers."
"I'll also need a quick moment to gather more appropriate arms,"
The Varisian glowers at the rain. "Be quick as you can. We'll be down here looking for a trail to follow." He watches the investigator leave before turning to Hazel.
"And I'm not planning to stick you, if that's what you're worried about."
"I've got plenty of worries - but that's not one of them. O' course, you did stab me once. Took weeks to recover... I'd say that gives me a good reason to be leery, eh?" Raj scours the ground until he finds the tracks. Once located, he glances at the house trying to decide how long to wait for Kazamir. "Let me cut to the chase, Miss Hazel. Doc's will said it all. He did his research to know his enemy and ...inform those better positioned to stand against it." He gives the priestess a meaningful look, "That's where I come in. Some wars needs spies, saboteurs, and thieves as much as they need knights and nobles. With the right skills and a face like mine, playing the blackguard isn't hard to sell." He gives Kazamir another minute to show up before he starts ghosting through the village following the footprints into the Restlands. As they travel, he keeps his eyes open for anything out of the ordinary.
"It's probably best to stay as a group right now. Safety in numbers. I will go with you Rajuna." He contemplates the brief conversation between him and Haze. I wonder what happened there...
Vala's voice falters as the others make ready to slip off into the night. Steeling herself as best she can, she helps Kendra to her feet and steers her to the sitting room where the will had been read not two days back. Vala fetches a blanket for Kendra, "Here, you sit tight, dear," stokes a fire, puts a kettle on, then sweeps upstairs to fetch three sheets to drape over the grisly corpses while they wait for the water to heat.
"Who could've done this? Why even, in heaven's name?" Though her questions aren't aimed at anyone in particular, Pyth watches eerily from his perch atop a bookshelf, his head cocked as he silently watches Kendra weep and Vala dote.
"the Professor’s grave you can see it is clearly disturbed though it looks like he dug himself out rather than someone else doing it. Similarly there are two graves nearby that show similar signs. There are no tracks, symbols or anything else that suggest anyone else was here"
"Sadly, in addition to the horror that this has laid on Miss Lorrimor, the incident will lend credence to the spiteful rumors of the Professor's dabbling in dark arts. "
He sighs, again, then turns to business.
"Stand watch with me a few minutes, friends. I will try to determine if there are more about."
That was... that was... the worst. Just the worst thing I have ever seen. Oh Gods, Aunt Vala, that was my Kendra gasps.
She looks down at her hands, the blood seeps from her one broken fingernail but she barely acknowledges the pain. In truth, she feels numb.
Raj considers the lack of human evidence by the grave sites and raises his estimation of the skill of the opposition. "Damn."
He glances at Kaz. "Well, there's nothing more to see here, so if you've got another way to suss things out - I'm for it." He falls silent and watchful, leaving the investigator to practice his art undisturbed.
Kazamir spends a long time searching over the graves. He picks up traces of psychic echoes around the site, but thankfully no more traces of animated dead.
The rain continues to fall steadily and the group's own footsteps on the extremely well manicured grass, it is even more exceptional to not see traces - other than the three undead - of other creatures passing this way to the graveside.
"I know sweetheart, I know." Vala's voice is soft and muted as she turns at Kendra's lament. As the kettle begins to warm, she pours some of the hot water into a bowl and comes over to sit beside Kendra. Dipping a small hand towel into the hot water, she then proceeds to gently wash the blood from her hands.
"I've never seen a more horrible or evil thing in all my life, Kendra. It's- it's unspeakable." The old woman shakes her head, her grief still reined in and under control as she cares for her dear friend's daughter.
Constantin remains at the house, alternating between standing watch with his longspear and assisting Vala in keeping Kendra well-cared-for. His distress at the situation comes through as he stands uncomfortably in one spot and looks back and forth at the wreckage of the house, then with a slight shift of position or a twitch of a hand an unseen telekinetic force takes hold and a piece of debris will float back to its initial place, or in the case of hopelessly broken materials, into a small pile near the door, ready to be swept out.
"I think this gives credence to the notion that the professor had made some enemies. I think we have a pretty good guess of who they might be."
As he sees Kendra weeping, something in his expression seems to crumble, but he leaves Vala to help Kendra through the trauma of this encounter.
"There are no more signs of the walking dead, but let me scan once more for the magic that may have animated them - if we are very, very lucky, it may tell us something about who may be behind all of this..."
Though there are no specific traces of necromancy remaining in the area, there is a strong aura of the death magic still lingering in this area.
Kaz will head to the sherriff with Raj.
"So...what? A double agent, then?"
Raj continues about his task, offering a noncommittal shrug. "Somethin' like that."
"Okay wait, if that's true, then...I basically..." she begins to giggle, "beat the tar out of you for no reason?" She bursts into laughter, though whether it's truly amusement at this new revelation or a pressure release in response to the other events that have just taken place, or both, is unclear.
"Nah, you had a good reason... you were preventing an old man from being murdered by 'thugs'."
"So, did I totally c*** up your operation that night or were you able to salvage it?"
Raj gives her a mirthless smile. "Actually, you made it easier. I didn't have to break cover to help Doc and that gut wound built my credibility. Being the newest member of the group and the only survivor would have raised suspicions. But cut up as I was, with the report you all filed with the constables... they trusted me after that."
"You two might want to swing back by the house and let the others know what we're doing, so they won't worry."
"Yep. We're on it." Raj and Kazamir head back towards town. Stopping by the gaol, Raj knocks on the door. When the Sheriff appears, the Varisian says quietly. "Sheriff, there's been a fight at the Lorrimor place. Looks like some undead from the Restlands came after Miss Lorrimor. We've got folks going to speak with Father Grimburrow about it right now and we're here to tell you as well. If you wanna see what happened, we're headed back there right now."
While waiting for the other group to return and continuing to keep watch over the house, Constantin lays the longspear against one corner of the kitchen, then gestures and puts the tea kettle back on the fire with an invisible hand.
"Tea in a minute or so, Vala," he says softly as he picks up the broom and goes to sweep out the debris from the battle.
Vala nods gratefully to Constantin and sniffles as she wipes one wrinkled finger across her eye. "Thank you, dear. And thank you for staying and not running off into the black night like a madman like the others did." She offers a wan, beleaguered smile then adds, "So are we all thinking this 'Whispering Way' Petros wrote of is behind all this?" She waves one hand nebulously in the air toward the other room where the zombies' remains lay.
The pair make their way across the Restlands, keeping eyes warily peeled for the signs of any more passing dead. They see none thankfully and soon are standing in front of the huge, imposing Pharasmin Temple. The building is stark and imposing and stands to the west of the town. The building is impressive and has a stained-glass window set in the eastern wall that depicts the judging by the Lady of Graves of Count Andachi, an infamous past ruler of Tamrivena.
The solid oak doors are closed and there don't appear to be any lights inside.
Making their way through town, the rain pounds down on the cobbled streets. Old River peers out at the pair from under the shelter of the steps beneath the gazebo before huffing and turning over and going back to sleep.
The pair are drenched to the skin and both suffering from the heavy blows inflicted by the undead.
Nevertheless, Raj steps up to the the door to the sheriff's office and pounds hard with a closed fist. There is no answer. So he pounds again, harder again.
Eventually, a light flickers within and a silhouette appears in the office window.
As the door opens, Sheriff Caeller stands looking somewhat dishevelled and disgruntled. He looks at the pair with his steady, cool way;
What is it? Don't tell me someone else is dead.
His frown deepens even more when Raj mentions the undead - this is serious business here in Ustalav and Ravengro in particular.
Undead? he growls. Hang on.
He disappears and returns a few moments later with his wide brimmed hat, leather coat and sword, now buckled securely on his belt.
Anyone injured? he says, locking the door behind him as he strides across the town centre.
Zed does not hesitate, knowing the seriousness of the matter. He knocks loudly on the door. "We must speak with you. I am an inquisitor of Pharasman and I have grave news."
Raj matches strides with the sheriff. "Three or four of us got a bit bashed before we managed to put them down... but we're all up and walking, more or less."
Vala nods gratefully to Constantin and sniffles as she wipes one wrinkled finger across her eye. "Thank you, dear. And thank you for staying and not running off into the black night like a madman like the others did." She offers a wan, beleaguered smile then adds, "So are we all thinking this 'Whispering Way' Petros wrote of is behind all this?" She waves one hand nebulously in the air toward the other room where the zombies' remains lay.
Constantin nods and says, "That's my first guess as well. It looks like they're investigating us as much as we're investigating them." He glances to the broken window and says, "Tomorrow we should see about getting some new locks and perhaps some strong window shutters." He checks the front door, squinting out at the darkness and making sure that the door stays shut, then says, "I expect the others won't be away too long." He spares a glance for the ladies, then heads into the kitchen to find a cloth so he can pick up the tea kettle from off the fire.
One of the acolytes opens the door. He is a hawk-faced young man with a beaky nose and a beard that somehow makes him look younger than he probably is. In his hand he carries a small lantern that barely illuminates the three of you.
He is about to speak when a gnarled old hand appears on his shoulder and pushes him, not to kindly, to one side.
Father Vauron Grimburrow appears in the doorway, looking every inch up to his name.
I get a lot of knocks on these doors late at night. More than you might think given how small a community we are. Makes a terrible racket inside. Pharasma Judges Us All, but she'll forgive me if I ask her to Judge the architects of this place more harshly than others, I barely sleep as it is with having to get up for a piss three times a night an what I can do without is kids banging on my door. Now, I wouldn't have bothered to get up 'cept I heard your voice. he levels one grey eye at the dhampir and you remember his grave voice at the funeral.
I know your kind, son, and if you're about to tell me you've given in to your urges and there's some young lass running around with half her throat ripped out, we're about to have a serious disagreement. says the cantankerous old priest.
Tomorrow we should bury my father. Kendra says in a numb voice, the blankets covering her like a witches' shroud. Again.
Tomorrow we should bury my father. Kendra says in a numb voice, the blankets covering her like a witches' shroud. Again.
Constantin nods quietly and says, "Yes."
He mixes the tea and pours it into a set of cups, then takes one cup to Kendra and one to Vala.
"For tonight, drink tea. We can handle tomorrow... tomorrow."
Vala squeezes Kendra's far shoulder in a one armed hug as the pair accept the cups offered by Constantin. "Thank you, dear." Tears shimmer in her eyes as she speaks, but Vala otherwise maintains her composure and holds them back.