Drael grips his axe tightly, looking around for any sign of the creature, or of alternative paths into or out of the cemetery.
Rab-rab pinches her nose shut. "Pee-yoo!"
Min tries to climb the gate.
Then he falls back down to the ground. "Ouch!" Instead he opens the gate and walks a little closer. He looks super scared!
Layaali cautiously enters the graveyard and looks around.
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Rab-rab looks up at the gates. Neither look particularly sturdy, nor do they appear particularly easy to climb. Min demonstrates this by failing to make any progress scaling the wrought-iron. In the wake of falling back to the ground, the curious gnome sorcerer nudges the gate open; the gate opens easily.
Min dusts himself off and walks into the cemetery grounds. The oracle steps past him and further into the cemetery, peering with interest around the branches of a dead tree at the fallen warrior.
With Layaali moving into the cemetery, Razif readies his bow, takes a deep breath, and sets his arrow alight. He's still not quite sure how he's able to do this, but for now he intends to use it well.
She tries to get up the gate.
Worried for the man, she approaches and checks if he's alright.
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Razif's bow alights with fire as Rab-rab tries (and fails) to scrabble atop the cemetery gate. The oracle advances to check on the fallen body, determining that the unfortunate man is dead---very dead. In fact...
"Welcome!" the very-dead corpse's eyes snap open, his face smiling from a head clearly twisted in a position incompatible with life as a sepulchral voice slides from his mouth. The form begins to melt from a male human warrior to a desiccated corpse gowned in fire-blackened robes. "You stand in my church - Halruun's cathedral - where your souls will feed the greatest heroes of Kelmarane!”
The undead monster lashes out at Layaali from the ground.
;
The skeletal creature's eyes glow with a malevolent blue light, its mouth constantly held open despite its recited words. Its vicious claw rips a hunk of flesh from Layaali's leg.
"Ugh, we were tricked!"
Razif rushes into the graveyard and fires one of his flame arrows.
Glowing with an arcane energy, Drael surges past Razif and towards the corpse, stepping up to hopefully attract its attention away from Layali.
"AAHHHH!" Min shrieks in a panic as he runs into the cemetery.
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"Ah! This undead is a huecuva! You'll need good or silver weapons to break through their tough skin! Or... hit it really hard!"
Layaali takes a careful step back, pulls out a holy water, and splashes it all over the corpse.
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The splash of holy water sizzles with acrid smoke as Layaali sprays the huecuva's form. An otherworldly wail of pain emanates from its gaping mouth.
The huecuva quickly stands up and surges forward at the oracle, its clawed hand desperately raking at Layaali's flesh.
The former priest savagely rakes the front of Layaali's face and throat, opening a hideous gash.
Razif lets out a frustrated curse, moves closer and tries again.
Min moves over so he can see the undead bad-guy and rolls his hands over each other faster and faster. "Kskooo kskooo!" He mutters over and over. Getting louder and LOUDER! Then he thrusts his hands forward and a beam of ice shoots out of his hands!
Rab-rab hurries into the cemetery and fires a blast of wind at the bad-guy, hoping really hard that she doesn't hit Layaali! "Go, go, wind-bunnies, go!"
Layaali shrieks in pain, then staggers back a few paces , clamping a hand over her savaged throat. "If you've holy water, use it now," she croaks, in too much pain to elaborate further. She reaches into her belt pouch, but has only acid remaining. Trusting in Drael's heritage to protect him, Layaali tosses the acid at the undead.
Drael's axe begins to glow with white-hot flames as he brings down his axe in a second blow against the creature.
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In a flurry of chaos, the bloodrager slashes out with the axe of Kardswann, chopping into Halruun's flesh. It hisses at the suli as it preternaturally dodges a blast of ice and a flaming arrow (from Min and Razif, respectively). A concussive blast pneumatic force rocks it backwards, forcing it to focus on the pink-haired gnome yelling at it. Halruun draws back to scorch the air with its cursed wail, determined to siphon the life from these delectable fools.
A flaming axe blade lodges squarely through the centre of Halruun's head. The huecuva turns the front half of its head, tearing its own brain in twain as it cranes its neck to glare vengefully at the suli. At the same time, the bleeding oracle, largely defeated, lamely casts a vial of acid at the huecuva, missing wildly. A splash and hiss of the caustic substance sprays the form of Halruun's robe.
And the huecuva disintegrates into dust.
A warm sirocco blows through the cemetery, clearing the stench of decay away as if it were a bad dream. The sun crests from behind the party to shine down on the grave sites - as if it had not done so in many a cycle.
"I've... heard someone. They're asking me to pray. I'm sorry, but could you wait a bit?" Without hesitation, Razif kneels in front of the statue of Sarenrae and prays to her.
Drael breaths a sigh of relief at the huecuva's quick demise. Phew, that could have been much worse. Layaali, do you think you're able to get back to the others?
Min puts his hands on his knees and pants for a while, trying to catch his breath and calm down. "Oh, I hate this place! Let's fine Keldon -- or his body -- and get out of here! The nasty creature inside the church can wait for another day."
Rab-rab nods. "I agree! Let's find Keldon and get outta here!"
Layaali kneels alongside Razif -- though she prays silently to Vildeis. When she's done, she looks up at the statue of Sarenrae. May this holy site of yours remain unsullied, forevermore, Dawnflower.
Layaali staggers to her feet and shakes her head. "I'm fine," she croaks. "Let's find Keldon."
Layaali looks around for the likely dead man.
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Min and Rab-rab take a breather, looking around at their colleagues for direction. Min notices that Rab-rab looks less like his little bratty sister, and more like a fierce warrior. Rab-rab notices that Min looks less like a nerdy bookworm, and more like a powerful spellcaster. The two gnomes catch each other staring, and break into peals of laughter.
Layaali stands up from her impromptu prayer and staggers around to the west of the column bearing the statue to Sarenrae. In the remaining shadows of the cemetery, a broken and deflated body lies folded upon itself. A cursory search discovers a prominent tattoo along the right side of the dead human man's neck. (Slide 20)
As Razif opens his eyes, he takes a deep breath, a bit more peace of mind washing over him.
"I think we're doing the right thing here." he mutters to the group, no one in particular.
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Upon finding the dead body, he sighs. "I guess we could've seen this coming, but it still feels bad. Do any of you know what tattoo this is?"
Min looks at the tattoo. "Nope. Never seen it before."
Rab-rab hops around like a little bunny! "I wonder if I can hold that key yet! I feel super great."
Layaali shakes her head. "No, I don't recognize it."
"Should we bring his body back to the others? Or leave it here to be buried?"
"Much as I hate dealing with him, we should probably inform Garavel, and he can take it from here."
Min nods. "We should leave it here and tell Garavel. I agree."
"So be it. Come. Let's return to the Battle Market to give our report."
Drael nods, I'd rather not move him if it turns out he was a devotee of Sarenrae and would have wanted to lie in rest under her gaze.
Once the others are ready, he turns and begins to walk back towards the Battle Market.
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The gang of heroes race back to the battle market. Princess Almah stands in the centre of the stage, conferring with Hadrah as the stern-appearing guard Fixx looks on, his hand clamped on the pommel of his sheathed sword. A large number of the dead bodies from the battle stage assault have been cleared from the arena, and as the group move towards the princess, a shirtless Garavel trundles in from the northern entrance, dragging an empty large wooden slat on a rope yoke over his shoulders. He frowns openly at the adventurers before turning aside and heading towards the fallen form of Hurvank the ogre. Before he can be called, the princess speaks aloud.
"My scouts, to me," Almah's soft voice carries authority. "The major-domo has been charged with disposing of the various corpses deposited about this macabre building." Upon arriving at her place on the battle stage, Almah lowers her voice. "Report, please."
We discovered and slew a huecuva, the creature which beset your men, in the crypt up above. We left the guard's body for now, since you would know better than us what he would have wanted as his last rites.
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The princess blinks at Drael’s report.
”It would appear that I’m not being very CLEAR when I provide instructions to those who are working for me,” the Princess states clearly, and just loud enough for Garavel to hear as well. ”As I asked you before you left a few minutes ago, please bring the remains of Keldon here so that we might inter his body. Don’t instead leave his body where you found it. Do the exact opposite of that. And then come back here.”
The Princess abruptly turns away from your group and walks towards the south exit of the battle market. As you leave, you think you glimpse a smile on Garavel’s face as you go.
Drael shrugs, If you say so.
Unfazed, he turns and heads back to the crypt.
Razif mutters a quick apology and rushes back to the crypt to fix their mistake. He briefly glares at Garavel before he leaves.
Glad you can enjoy the situation after one of your comrades just died.
Min thinks for a bit. Before Almah leaves he says, "Are we renegotiating my work contract? Rab-rab and I answered a call from the Pactmasters to assist with animal tending and potion brewing. Then you hired us for scouting Kelmarane instead. Then you hired us to kill gnolls so you could claim Kelmarane. Are you hiring me to haul corpses now? Also, the graveyards down there. Why make another one here? "
"Are you going to pay me for all the gnoll killing?"
Rab-rab nods. "Yeah! I never agreed to haul dead bodies! That's gross! I'm not agreeing to do that! And neither is King Jack-jack! Not even if you did offer us that as work. Yuck!" Rab-rab sticks her little fists on her hips. "I will maybe agree to kill that monster in the church with the others though, if you pay me for it!"
King Jack-jack jumps around and kicks his little paws.
Drael shrugs, They make a strong point. I don't recall being paid for our work so far either.
He folds his arms and waits to see what the princess has to say.