Hmm...what have I overheard about things that might make ghosts? Tomorbataar thinks for a moment, trying to remember tales of a recent massacre or a mad necromancer hiding in the woods.
Beachead I think you are almost certainly not an expert at this. Better to wait till they finish fighting though, since they'll not be willing to talk if they're busy.
Tomorbataar votes to wait till one side is killed.
"I said 'probably' an expert! Dang, get off our back!
"But look: the losing side is the side making the water gross. If we don't act now, they'll all be gone! And the winning side wants to kill them. Once they've done so, they might disappear, and then we'll have to wait until next month!"
Beachhead votes to attack.
"Okay, probably not an expert, but maybe I'm really knowledgeable about this."
"I am pretty sure attacking them, even if we got rid of them this month, they'd just come back over the next. We really NEED to get them to accept their deaths, and move on." Ziphora refuses to budge.
We could also figure out a different solution. We could probably just build some fortifications around the water to redirect the sludge and filth somewhere where it won't cause harm. I'm surprised the humans haven't done that already, to be honest. Tomorbataar looks at the warriors, trying to determine if that plan would work. Is the sludge just running downhill or is it supernaturally attracted to the water? Does it seem to be hurting the ground it flows over or is it just dirty?
Maybe we could see a bit better if we got closer.
Tomorbataar votes to move to within 200 feet of the battle.
Ghosts! Why did I never think of that!? I'll have to look into it for when I make my undead horde.
Beachhead also votes to move closer. He still also votes to attack, but closer has to happen before the attacking can happen.
"Fortification? Against something that can pass through them like a fish passing through water?" Ziphora furrows her eyes, puzzled.
Vote to get closer
Hungry, with his expert knowledge of the undead, notes that these are not actually ghosts--they seem to be some sort of wraiths, though clearly there's some effect that's been re-creating them.
Tomorbataar seems to remember hearing something about there being a war here a long time ago from one of the humans. This does look like an old battle... in fact, looking closer, the attackers look like humans with big weapons and little armor, while the losing side look like they're equipped kind of like Sir Torlgrith's men. The corruption-stuff doesn't seem to affect the ground it goes over, just oozing towards the water.
"Hey dudes. I mean I hate to break the bad news, but you guys...urm..." Ziphora sounds hesitant for once,"Died a long time ago. I don't know if you've realized it, but you've been stuck here repeating your actions since you last died... for god knows how long. You're long due a visit to Pharasma's court, and for your own sakes, so you can find peace, you really ought to be moving in that direction."
Vote to move body closer.
Vote to move closer.
You trundle closer to the battling shades. It doesn't seem like they can hear you--at least, they don't respond at all to Ziphora's words.
Well, wait, maybe some of them are responding. Oh, they're raising their shadowy swords and charging towards you.
Ziphora throws her head up in exasperation, as she rolls her eyes towards the uncaring sky."FINE! If THATS the way I'm repaid for being nice..."She growls menacingly at them, "Then we'll have to do it the HARD way!" Lightning cackles around her and zaps everyone, giving them celerity.
With a firm "Sanctempra" Hungry twirls his entire neck into a spiral as a wave of semi-translucent energy in the shape of armor flows down him before disappearing into a barely visible shimmer.
Waiting until at least two targets are within striking distance, Beachhead lashes out from his hiding place, with his usual (but still terrifying) scream of "NINJA!"
Tomorbataar drops into a low stance with some curl left in his neck, so that when one of them draws near he can still move forward. As they close, he strikes with force, trying to stay so close that the foes cannot effectively use their large weapons. I hope this works...
As the wraith-like creatures draw closer, Hungry notices something odd--the 'winning' side of the horde behind them seems to have gotten slightly more indistinct, the beings in it hazier and less human-like.
Beachhead and Tomorbataar lash out as you meet the charging figures. Beachhead's teeth close only on empty air, but Tomorbataar's head lashes through the insubstantial forms of his foes. They dissipate as he strikes them, only to reform elsewhere.
Ziphora happens to glance at the battling wraiths behind those attacking you and notices them growing even more hazy as Tomorbataar hits those near you.
Then the wraiths have their turn. A particularly large number go for Ziphora.
In spite of the things' insubstantial nature, their swords seem solid. They bounce off of Tomorbataar and Ziphora's scales, but manage to cut into Beachhead and Hungry. They feel their life force being wounded as much as their bodies.
Mo, meanwhile, is somewhere behind you, cowering.
"I think the winning side is somehow redirecting our attacks to the losing side! Maybe they're using the losing side's juice or something" Ziphora exclaims.
She then tries to appeal to the losing side, "Cheliaxians of the old, we've been sent by Sir Tolgrith who is part of the current day Chelaxian expedition. Help us fight off these barbarian invaders and we can both be free!"
Eyes scanning the approaching wraiths Hungry lights on the one that looks the biggest and strongest. Shouting towards it, "YOU! You will serve me!"
Beachhead's squeal of pain from the wraith's attack is cut short as he is severed from the body. His head and the part of his neck still attached to it flail around like a dying snake for a few moments before going still.
And yet the body still senses his vote to stop advancing forward.
Utilizing an ancient ninja mystery that he can only ever use once (hopefully), the detached head is revealed to be a clever illusion! The real Beachhead is still attached to the body... and barely conscious due to the wraith's attack and subsequent blood loss. He makes an obligatory hasted attack before disappearning from sight.
"ninjoowwww this hurts so bad."
It's not working. We're going to get cut up if we stay here, better to retreat and try to circle round to the other ones. Tomorbataar looks distressed, and Votes to retreat
As they walk backwards, Tomorbataar, tries smashing some more, not sure if he'll accomplish anything.
"Pacem! Go see whats on the other side!"
Pacem introduces himself to the losing ghosties.And sees what there is around.
The wraith manages to throw off Hungry's attempt at control, but as it does he senses something odd... these wraiths seems connected, somehow. At least, the barbarian-looking ones. He suspects that they're actually somehow all one undead... thing.
As Tomorbataar and Beachhead attacked, the mass of barbarian wraiths grew increasingly insubstantial. Hungry, with his experience with negative energy, suspects they're depleting it somehow.
Pacem sees the losing side starting to notice their attackers getting weaker. It looks like they might be regrouping.
The wraiths seem to focus their attacks on Hungry this time.
Only Ziphora is wounded this time, however.
Seeing her brothers in trouble, Ziphora summons a horn of a plasma like substance and stabs it at the wriaths full force.
Well now...it is working! Tomorbataar perks up, glancing round once more before launching another swift assault.
Tomorbataar votes to hold still now.
I wonder if these are undead...huh...they don't seem to have bodies, so I suppose I can't get dirty...still...weird.
Hungry's eyes take on a distant look as if he's thinking.
That's odd but intriguing. I wonder...
Hungry's distant look fades as he resolutely looks at the barbarian wraiths once more.
Shouting, "YOU ALL WILL BOW TO ME!!!"
Remaining invisible (and barely attached to the body via a handful of muscles and nerves), Beachhead activates his shadow clone ability, to hopefully draw some of the attacks away from the other heads.
The wraith-like beings continue to resist Hungry's command, but they cannot resist Tomorbataar's and Ziphora's ferocious assaults. Their shadowy forms tear apart and dissipate into the air, leaving only the ghostly soldiers they had been attacking.
The soldiers look around for a moment, as if amazed at their sudden deliverance. One of them salutes you, then points at the ground... and vanishes, as do his comrades.
The vileness which had flowed in the stream vanishes with them, leaving it clear.
"You guys were pointless," Beachhead mumbles at his shadow clones as he comes out of hiding.
Beachhead votes to move the body towards where the soldier was pointing.
Thank the sun and the moon! Tomorbataar cries, looking up gratefully at the sky, they are finished, and the stream clear once more. Now we must look around to see that this doesn't happen again next month...I wonder if there's something under the ground, why else would they point?
Tomorbataar does not seem to have heard Beachhead, but examines his wounds from a distance. That doesn't look great, and I can feel the bad energies inside our body. Think we'll need to go back for some healing?
Tomorbataar votes to dig.
Beachhead does not seem to have heard Tomorbataar, but examines his wounds from close-up. "This doesn't look great, and I can feel the bad energies inside our body. Think we'll need to go back for some healing?"
Beachhead votes to dig at the spot where the ghost soldier was pointing.
"Oh god...I'm so tired...that fight really took a lot out of me...don't EVER want to do it again." Ziphora flops her head on the floor and passes out.
You lumber forward to where the soldier pointed, dragging Ziphora along the ground. Mo follows cautiously at a distance.
Looking around, you don't see anything immediately, and so start digging. Your big, clumsy feet aren't well-suited to the task, but they're strong, and soon enough you've got a bit of a hole. You see a couple of old bones poking through the dirt, as well as something shiny.
Tomorbataar blinks at Beachhead for a moment, head tilted to one side. No, Beachhead, I'm fine and don't think we need any healing. Thanks for asking. Tomorbataar's eyes go wide, however, when Ziphora hits the ground, and he examines her. That can't be good...she's probably going to wake up eventually though, she's got a lot of energy.
Tomorbataar's head sticks straight up and he avoids touching the ground. Someone should pick up Ziphora, we wouldn't want her to get caught by our feet as we dig. Tomorbataar otherwise seems content, and notices the shiny thing in the dirt, as well as the old bones. Hungry, are these the bones of ghosts? Maybe we should get the humans out here so they can give a proper burial,
Obviously we should see what the shiny thing is first...in case it's dangerous.
Tomrobataar votes to stop digging so someone can excavate the shiny thing.
Beachhead votes to keep digging and excavate the shiny thing.
Hungry looks at the shiny thing. "Hey Zip, I think if you use your special breath and I use prestidigitation, pair with Moe gently digging we can unearth the things with relative ease."
Beachhead watches the collapsed and sleeping Ziphora for a moment before speaking to Hungry. "I don't think she heard you."
Beachhead changes his vote to Hungry's.
Mo perks up. "You want me do something?" he asks, coming over and looking curiously at the hole.
See that shiny thing? Gotta get it out of the ground...carefully! And don't disturb the bones either.
He's going to hurt the bones. The ghosts will come back.
They're not real ghosts even, not if I can bash them to death.
Already dead.
Well yes, they're already dead, but if he disturbs the bones maybe they'll undie.
Undie is not a word.
Wait a second... Tomorbataar mutters to himself, looking at their feet. Is that powdered bone? Did we already disturb the bones? AHHH. Tomorbataar is scared, and screams back and forth at Hungry and Beachhead.