Henry cautiously walks up the the hut with his sword drwn and knocks on the door. [b]Hello, is there anyone in there?[b]
The door opens and you see an elf dressed in white linens. "Can I help you, travelers?"
"Greetings." Kallin introduces himself and the rest of the group.
"We were travelling to Kolli to investigate some unnatural occurrences in the area. We have found the passage blocked by a magical vine. Would you perhaps have any news of what has happened to Kolli? Do you know who has warded the area with the vine?"
"Please. We have been sent from Ardfell since we have had no word from Kolli. The last village spoke of terrible walking dead that attacked. I understand little more except that my friend Beldinar has been dragged inside the hedge. What is going on here? Anything you can tell us would be useful.
Tresmeer adopts a less aggressive stance than Henry and slips past his drawn sword to partially cover the blade from the elf, hoping to come across as a friend.
"Hmmm..." Pethorn approaches the elf eying him/her from head to toe. "Are you responsible for that dangerous mess on the road? How about all those zombies roaming around?"
"Come inside and we shall talk," the elf says, a smile on her face. She motions for you to enter. She makes her way to small round table and pulls out the chairs one by one for you. The elf disappears into the kitchen and returns a short moment later with steaming cups of tea and some tasty looking biscuits.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Solienne, servant of the Green Circle and wanderer. This is my home for but a few months a year and I have recently returned from one of my journeys," she begins, taking a seat at the table. "When I returned not a few days ago, I went to Kolli to meet with the villagers. I often do trading on their behalf for items from far-off lands, such as spices and clothing materials. Upon entering the village, I found those walking dead. My personal belief is one of non-violence. So, I blocked off the path to the village with those vines."
Upon seeing there is no threat henry sheathes his sword and follows the group inside.
"Did you find anyone alive in Kolli? Did you have a chance to look around to find survivors?"
"I saw none and the dead were upon me in such a short time for me to safely conduct a search," Solienne admits.
"Do you have any idea as to who is killing these people and raising them as undead? Also, are zombies the only undead you saw within Kolli?"
"I saw no other undead. But I am sure this not murder. There is a foul air over Kolli."
"A foul air? So something magical... like a disease is killing them and bringing them back? This does not sound good. We should return so I can report back to the priests of Pharasma. They will certainly know what to do to stem this corruption."
"I think we should deal with the problem before it spreads. If it was truly a disease this elf would have been affected and he doesn't look dead to me. It might affect the body after you die but I'm going to take the risk. Solienne, can you tell the plants to let us path forward and back? "
"The priests would certainly find any additional observations I could make to be quite useful. It would be helpful if we could go in and look around. Although, it has been a long day of travelling and I wouldn't mind resting and preparing some additional spells for the task at hand. Could we rest here for evening, and then set out for Kolli in the morning?"
Tresmeer nods in agreement.
"I wonder if the foul air is caused by some item brought back by those adventurers? It is a guess but logically there must be a reason for this coincidence. Mayhap the zombies are collecting bodies for a greater army or greater protection while Kolli grows like a cancer. That hedge is a bandage but we need to go in and find out more about the reason behind all this," waves the blacksmith.
He looks back at Pethorn and agrees, "we should get some rest if that is okay?"
"My home is open to you all," Solienne says. "It is not much but I hope you will be comfortable. In the morning, I will remove the barrier, if you so choose."
after staying the night at solienne's Henry gets up early in the morning as the sun is rising, he takes his sword from next to where he was sleeping and goes outside to practice. anyone else who is up can look out the window to see hims spinning and slashing in a whirlwind of blades, seemingly fighting an army of invisible attackers.
"Thank you Soliene. Sabre enjoyed the stay too but now it is time to face this foulness of Kolli."
"Yes, thank you for letting us share your roof Soliene. We will do our best to research the cause of this corruption."
"It was a pleasure meeting you, it seams I misjudged you. Thank you for the sharing your home with us. " Pethorn bows then fallows the others towards Kolli.
"I am glad to share my hospitality," Solienne says to you. "As you wish, I will move the brambles to allow you to pass into Kolli. I will wait for you there for a few hours. If you do not return by then, I must put up the barrier again."
You make it back to the barrier and Solienne waves her hands. Instantly, the briers retract and become inert. The elf bows to you as you walk into Kolli.
There is a thick fog along the floor of the village. It is strange because you had not seen fog anywhere else in your short walk from Solienne's hut. You take a look around and see four houses. Well, they would be houses, if these were better days. Now, they are wrecks, with broken windows and wood lying about. You see nothing else upon first glance.
"That's odd... zombies don't destroy buildings. I recommend we approach one of the buildings so we can take a look at the footprints around it to see if we can determine what destroyed them."
On the way out from Soliene's, Tresmeer's cold morning cough hacks away for a while until it is clear. Then the man listens to the elf and suggests "why not close it until we return and then open it when we return? That sounds safer."
Once inside Tresmeer nods to Kallin "Let us stay together for now until we can get an idea of what the problem here is. Kallin could a fog create shambling dead?"
I don't like all this mysterious magic stuff, I would prefer to ba able to see and touch what I am fighting.
Kallin searches the recesses of his memory for any link between undead and fogs.
"I believe the fog to be the result of what ever caused the taint here, but I do not think the fog itself is an inherent danger to us."
Kallin, since the fog still lingers from that time, may I presume that whatever or whoever made those being might still be in this place? Pethorn looks around for any signs of life or unlife.
"I guess the only way to know is to investigate closer. We should take a look at the buildings and see what has caused that damage."
Pethorn does not see anything, perhaps due to the fog.
Kallin will start heading towards the closest house on the left, while continuously scanning the fog for any sign of movement.
Kallin does not see anything moving in the fog as he moves to the house. Approaching the house, he sees that it is burnt out, anything of value turned to ash. As he makes his inspection, he feels a hand clamp on his leg. He looks down and sees a pale face looking back at him. The dead eyes and slack jaw alerts Kallin to the creature's nature, it is undead.
"The...master...The...master...calls..."
Initiative:
The zombie rises to its feet, standing at 6' foot tall. A scraggly mustache adorns its horrifying face. "The...master..."
Round 1: Zombie, Tresmeer, Henry, Pethorn, Kallin
[b]"Gah!"[b], Kallin gasps as he tries to smack the zombie away.
Tresmeer charges forwards to help Kallin. He sweeps the sickle down across its back from behind and calls to Sabre to join the fight.
The dog snaps at thin air baulked by the smell of rotting flesh but Tresmeer's sickle peels open the zombie's back.
Henry charges close behind Tresmeer, making a powerful overhand chop at the zombies shoulder.
Kallin gives Henry a respectful nod as he sees him carve off a large chunk of the zombie in a single stroke.
Pethorn remains vigilant and checks for other dangers lurking about fearing that they might have been detected by other creatures.
"Are you alright?"
As Tresmeer and Henry put an end to the zombie, the fog roils along as if it was sensing you. After a moment, nothing happens. You take a look at the surroundings, noticing only one of the houses is intact with a closed door. There is also a well in the center of the village.
"If there is any chance there are survivors, they are probably in that house. Or, that could be where the one who caused this is stay also. Let's check it out."
Kallin and (presumably) the group move to the last standing house in Kolli. With their eyes peeled for further undead, they make it to the door of the house unmolested.
Tresmeer collars Sabre and slowly walks forwards with the others to enter the building.
Kallin will first make an attempt to listen at the door for any signs of movement or talking.
Henry stands with his sword at the ready waiting to strike if something other than survivors are on the other side of the door.
Kallin sees Henry and the others ready themselves for any nasty surprises. He reaches up to the door latch and gentles pulls, trying to be quiet while trying to determine if the door is locked or not. Should Kallin determine the door is not locked, he will quickly fling the door open and stand aside.
Kallin gives the handle a quick jiggle and realizes the door is indeed locked.
Kallin will take a quick look around the house.
Kallin finds a window that it unobscured and looks inside. It appears as if the house is undisturbed, small wisps smoke rising from an oil lamp. He also happens to see a cellar door open in the far corner of the living quarters.
Kallin whispers to the others, "So what do you think is our best option. Knock on the door and hope they are happy to see us? If they are the person(s) responsible for this mess though, then... well... things could get interesting."