Eve joins the combat in round 2, the mass of skeletons shift and move towards her en mass. By round 3 Eve is surrounded,
Either way, Rouqar will take down 24 skeletons in the 10 rounds.
Renia looks up at the flying newcomers. "Are there any more of the constructs? They seemed to be in control of this fodder. We should kill them quickly."
Closer to the fort...
When they are joined by someone that is not invisible to the undead Rouqar moves close and channels to damage the skeletons.
damage in a 30' radius. Will DC 16 for half damage.
"We're invisible to mindless undead like these. Are you just working to destroy these? Or do you know where their commander might be?"
As the skeletons move towards Eve, Rouqar moves to channel destroying many of the undead as some were weakened by Eve's whip.
The skeletons are wiped from the board within the minute.
With the destruction of the last skeleton in this horde Rouqar looks around at the living, potential allies. "This was a strange battle. Skeletons are mindless, and those big things didn't act with intelligence. Who is creating such hordes and just sending them out? The hordes sent by the Way were usually escorted by the necromancers that created them, and sometimes with intelligent undead or shades."
Realizing he was mostly just rambling he sheathes his rapier to introduce himself. "I am Rouqar of the noble house Surtova of Port Ice. With help and guidance of Cayden Cailean I have been destroying undead across four countries, chased by the Way as they seem to believe some prophesy indicating that I will somehow destroy their organization. Personally, I'd be happy to do exactly that. But I haven't a clue how I am supposed to do that."
"If you're willing to help us destroy the other hordes, perhaps we could delay for a few minutes while I ask Cayden Cailean to allow me to cast the Greater Invisibility from Undead again? I could cover all of us that way so we could tear through the mass of mindless undead like a scythe through wheat."
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With the last skeletons smashed, his pegasus lands, and he waves to the living. Coming in he offers up, "We did take out a pack of intelligent ghouls. Though they could hardly make the skeletons let alone those beasts." He motions towards the corpselords.
"I like your thinking Rouqar, I am Loarin Valeguard, wandering cleric of Sarenrae, healer of my companions."
The horde of undead rove around mostly in packs. Half of them seem to stand around the corpselords around the fort. A likely place that a necromancer would make as its home.
Rouqar reaches over his shoulder and pulls a large wooden tankard from him pack and grins. "As Cayden would never say 'No' to the Dawnflower I'm not to be saying it to one of her clerics. So who would your companions be then? I'll just need a few minutes of praying and we can all get over to the fort and destroy the slaves of whatever necromancer lives there." He says a quick prayer and his mug fills with ale, then focuses on it to pray for the needed spell.
Eve is curious about the introductions and formality.
I'm Eve.
I don't believe a necromancer lives there, at least not by rights. People may need assistance though, danger is afoot.
The 8 foot tall, black-armored, insect-like humanoid shrugs as it pats the flanks of the nearly pony-sized, green furred dog panting on the ground. "We haven't seen any living people, just abandoned buildings. And with how many skeletons are around..." it trails off, not wanting to say out loud that it seemed like the entirety of the town had been turned into undead.
"Have you seen any survivors?" The creature holds up a clawed hand to ask Roquar to wait. "How long will it take us to get to the fort from here? It might be better to cast the spell when we get closer, Roquar."
When Rouqar finishes his prayers he glances around. "If there are any survivors they are well hidden, or prisoners." He glances to Renia and replies, "True. The spell has a long duration, but there is no point wasting it."
Looking at the aerial mounts of their new friends he asks, "Will your mounts be willing to stroll along on the ground with us? Or will you be doing aerial surveillance? I can cast a fly spell. But it would only last a few minutes."
We are approaching from... there. She points.
A few more friends coming this way. We haven't been close enough to put eyes on survivors.
Eve looks up to the flying horses. Wish I could tell you, I'm a guest on that noble steed's back... I think they prefer the air, though.
I'll walk with you.
Rouqar nods and turns toward the horde of undead around the fort. "Good enough then. I can cast the spell on seven. Perhaps the steeds should stay aloft when the destruction begins." With that said he starts toward the fort.
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He would have quickly replied, "My other companions are Koldur of the Axe, Flouncy a sorcerer halfling, and Beorn a bow master. Currently Beorn is taking the day to summon his animal companion with the others watching him."
"They may choose to help in the fight if they knew they couldn't be seen by the undead. They hate them as much as most of us, myself not included."
He walks in stride with Rouqar towards the undead.
There are roving packs of zombies around town, they seem to be looking for something.
Separating from the town not many undead are in your path before getting near the fort. Now you see a wave of undead flesh. Within sight of the closest horde you cast the spell allowing everyone a full round of actions or more before anything attacks.
I have no way to hide, I need to wade through them... easier if I have a fighting partner or two.
"Yourself not included? You don't 'like' the undead do you?"
"Personally I don't hate the mindless undead. They are simply tools created by casters for some twisted use. They should be destroyed just to return the bodies to the ground so the natural cycle can resume. The intelligent undead that have their own goals are worthy of hatred, based on their actions. But again I hold my actual hatred for the creator of the creatures. I have been hunted by those that would use such creatures for too long, and have finally gained sufficient power to take the fight back to those creators. I hope to stamp out the evil that they try to impose on the world."
"Everyone watch for any undead that move toward us. That would indicate intelligence directing them that were able to see through the spell. Otherwise the spell lasts for 70 minutes so we should have plenty of time to tire out our sword arms chopping through this horde!
He grins at Yvla, "Stick with Renia and me then. We should be cutting through this horde like a hot knife through butter!"
He means he hates them the most. I'll pick off any stragglers and cover your backs.
Hearing Yvla's clarification Rouqar gives a nod and smile to Loarin. "Well then, let's get to destroying these foul creatures!"
"And remember while you are picking off stragglers to watch for any intelligent ones."
About 20 rounds in...
About 40 rounds in...
While Loarin leads by shield bashing some of the mindless creatures aside, Rouqar simply moves in stabbing and pushing his way. He's tempted to add more powerful magic to the mix but is concerned that the masters of the horde have to be somewhere nearby.
Rouqar points to the figures on the rampart and calls out a warning to the group.
You are a good 100 feet away with the elevation, if they were on the ground only 80 feet. So at the 20 round point do you change your tactics at all?
Rouqar grins at Loarin's words. "Well, as much fun as it is crushing the skulls of these things.... Maybe cutting the head of the snake is better! And before he gets some assistants and start slinging magic at us. How many can your pegasus carry?"
"It looks like they're casting a spell or summoning something! Stop talking about it and stop them!"
"I can cast a Dimension Door spell and take up to two with me? Perhaps the pegasus could take to the air as a distraction? Who will go with me? Renia and who else?"
Rouqar nods and waits just long enough for Loarin and Eve to get to their pegasus. "Ready Renia? And ready your companion."
He reaches to touch the two and transports to the rampart where the observer was. "Hello."
Renia nods at Rouqar. "Let's go fight something smarter than a skeleton."
Ready as I'll ever be... Do you know any more about this... infestation.
Up into the sky the pegasus fly. As the dimensional portal opens up behind and adjacent to the figure in black robes that seems interested and now confused as to where you went. You also see other black robed individuals around the fort.
Eve immediately detects for evil and if they are evil, silently strikes twice with her glowing starknife.
Rouqar considers the figure in black robes. He had been watching the skeletons being disassembled and hadn't done anything, yet. Was he one of the creators of the mob? They didn't know for certain. Just to be sure he changes his tactics from a lethal flurry of attacks to something a bit more strategic....
"I don't suppose that you have a really good reason for the undead mob out there? Good enough to keep you alive?"
Rouqar took Renia and his hound through the dimensional door spell. Presently Eve is on top of a pegasus flying towards the figure. Probably get there in Round 3.
The hood of the black figure drops down revealing no eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It hisses at you as it is tripped.
As Renia is disoriented from the spell, the figure taps a finger upon its staff making an emerald glow bright. A portal opens up below the creature and is gone... you see down on the ground a similar black and green portal appears and out he comes, then he stands up screeching. The other figures respond in kind and screech exposing long sharp claws or staffs of twisted flesh. Even after the short teleport the figure is about 30 feet from you and is the closest one.
Rouqar is surprised by the creature's departure, but nods that it definitely is tied to the undead mob and should be destroyed.... "Well, that dispels any doubt!"
He studies the creature trying to figure out what he can do. "I only had one of that spell...."
It's a 20 foot drop from the wall to the interior, then another 10 feet forward, easily leapable.
28 arcana: They appear to use shadow magic to travel but you believe it destroyed a gem on the staff so there is a good chance they are limited.
30 religion: Tattorlorn
Create Spawn (Su) A humanoid that dies while under the effects of isolate (see below) rises as a tatterlorn in 1d4 rounds.
Forsaken (Su) Living creatures have difficulty noticing or even gazing directly at a tatterlorn. Against living observers, a tatterlorn gains a +8 racial bonus on Stealth checks and always has concealment (20% miss chance). A tatterlorn’s attacks of opportunity against any creature affected by this defense always resolve as if the target were flat-footed. True seeing negates this ability. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Isolate (Su) As a swift action, a tatterlorn can isolate a living creature from the world. The target must be within 10 feet of the tatterlorn, and can resist being isolated with a successful DC 20 Will save. Regardless of the saving throw, a single creature can only be targeted by this effect once every 24 hours. Isolation persists for 1 minute, during which time the isolated creature treats all other creatures as if they had the tatterlorn’s forsaken ability, and all living creatures treat the isolated character in the same manner. An isolated creature cannot take the aid another action, nor can it benefit from this action. Worse, an isolated creature becomes nearly overwhelmed with sensations of loneliness and neglect, and becomes increasingly convinced it is without purpose in the world. This causes a creature to take a –4 penalty on all attack rolls, skill checks, ability checks, and Will saving throws. This effect of isolate is a mind-affecting effect, but all other effects are not. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Description
Tatterlorns spawn as a result of slow, preventable deaths witnessed by multiple indifferent onlookers. Given these circumstances, tatterlorns are most often found in large cities, especially in nations such as Cheliax, Katapesh, or Nidal. In these places, the urban poor can succumb to starvation or exposure on the street while passersby pretend not to notice. As they were ignored and invisible in life, so they are in death. The eyes of living creatures subconsciously refuse to linger on a tatterlorn, making direct observation almost impossible. This is not true invisibility, however, and a tatterlorn can be seen in peripheral vision.
Filled with rage at their unnecessary deaths and at the callousness of the living, tatterlorns stalk the areas where they died, looking for lone victims. They rarely kill in combat, preferring to subdue victims and keep them somewhere to watch them starve or succumb to the elements. When faced with multiple dangerous opponents, tatterlorns prefer to use their isolate ability on physically weak enemies before employing hit-and-run tactics.
Most disturbing of all are the unexpected relationships that form when tatterlorns encounter attic whisperers. Seeing attic whisperers as kindred spirits, tatterlorns sometimes create unholy families with these undead children, sharing lairs in abandoned buildings or sewers. A tatterlorn multiplies through the abduction of children, whom it transforms into attic whisperers to assuage its unending loneliness, often causing mass hysteria in cities as children go missing. Tatterlorns heading larger families sometimes advance by taking class levels in rogue, becoming devastating combatants.
Considering what he knows about the creature he glances at his companion and explains. "Intelligent and very dangerous undead. We shouldn't separate. But, if we can catch them I think we can destroy them." He pauses to look Renia over and nods. "With my equipment I total about a hundred and eighty pounds. You look far stronger than me. If I cast fly on you do you think that you could carry me while we chase that one? I don't mean like a mount of course, just grab my shoulders and lug me down to the ground there? What do you think?"
It was already a cloudy day and quite a few gray clouds. The clouds right above the fort seem to begin to swirl as if a mighty tornado was forming. The clouds quickly darken and you see some lightning strikes which is quickly followed by the *boom* of thunder.
There are many puddles about, most of the courtyard is turned mud. Then you notice it a hand, a face, a leg and other body parts in the mud.
The clouds continue to circle around above your heads.