Emmett just slides underneath the skeleton's claw, its black nails grazing his neck, and hacks at it with a reverse swing of his axe.
Keeping his attention on the melee, he shouts: "So?! What's going on back there!!?"
Emmetts blow swings wild and fails to hit.
Simeon, Nalun and Elidal left.
Nalun is starting to get a little jumpy but he continues assisting Ellidal's defense.
More of them...always more
Having proven useless in his attempts to assist here, Simeon calls out "I'll go see what's worrying the locals!" .
He then makes his way throught the crowd to see what was causing the commotion.
Simeon can see a group of undead making their way into the town square.
Elidals blow takes down a skeleton.
The fire on the zombie burns out . The zombie steps up and swings at Elidal.
for
Two skeletons swing at Emmett
for
for
Meanwhile Simeon watches as skeletons, and to his growing horror, the corpse of their old comrade Vigilance Hall lurches , head swinging loosely, into the square.
Rationally, Simeon wasn't surprised to see his recently dead research companion shuffling towards him. After all, he was dead, and someone or thing had caused the remains in the Restland to animate and attack the village, perfectly normal that Vigilance was among them, wasn't it , of course it was....Oh, top of the evening to you, Vigiliance , could you help me with some research on what it was like to be dead and now undead, a fascinating study it will be....
Sensing something wrong when Simeon becomes uncharacteristically quiet, Jaru glances up to see more shambling shapes moving in. Trusting the front line to hold, he advances to he next group of deadites pulling out a flask of sacred fluid and launching it at a skellie.
Thanks to Jaru's earlier fire bomb the Zombie goes down under Elidals blade.
Jaru's holy water throw against the last group of undead and the targeted skeleton falls apart under the divine cleansing power of the liquid.
Jaru also sees his old commrade and must make a will save DC15 or lose 1d6 Stability.
Emmett, Nalun and simeon can act if he can pull himself together
Simeon is shaken point so factor in -2 and if you cast a spell make a DC13 (add in shaken as well) will save. A different mechanic at play here... if you fail the will save you also fail to act, deciding to hoard your arcane power instead.
Nalun and Emmett never really knew Lament or had an emotional attachment so no special saves needed there.
Nalun sticks with Elidal, but his nerves are slipping, he wants nothing more than to run into a room and bury his head in a book. but his trembling hands don't obey his commands.
Jaru has grown inured to the animated dead. He knows in truth their spirits have already made ther way to the Spire for judgement. He shouts an answer to Elidal as he reaches from another vial of holy water. "More desecrated graves and walking corpses. Sadly, Vigilance among them. Are you well, Simeon?"
Emmett curses under his breath as his last swing missed. He lets the swing's momentum bring the blade down along his leg, then with a quick twist of the hips, he sends the blade hurling back upward.
Emmett swings and takes down a skeleton.
Nope - just waiting to see if Simeon uses an attack action as part of his round.
Simeon blows a shaky breath out as his former research partner shambles towards him.
"You are not he!" he exclaims, rebuking the attrocity that has risen unbidden before him.
Wishing to maintain some distance from the quite hostile body of his former friend, Simeon once again concentrates and causes his staff to fly out of his hand to strike at the offending revenant.
The staff hits the Zombie but seems to have no effect.
End of players round.
The last of the skeletons being held by the two warriors steps to attack Elidal, while its companion attacks Emmett.
Elidal
Emmett
The undead lumbering down the other street split to close on Jaru and Simeon... Vigilances Zombie being drawn to Simeon but not nimble enough to attack
Skeleton on Simeon
Skeletons on Jaru
End Undead turn
"The skeletons, Simeon. The skeletons first!"Jaru shouts to his disoriented companion. he steps towards Nalun chucking a second potion at the second skeleton from his left and grabbing another vial from his store.
The water in the vial cleanses the unclean influences holding it together and it falls apart. Splashed droplets smoke on the bodies of the two skeletons nearby.
Simeon, Nalun, Elidal and Emmett left.
"Argh! By Pharasma's Spiral! How many are there!!!" screams Emmett as he keeps hacking and hacking, his arms growing stiff.
Simeon watches as his staff strikes non-Vigilance with sickening thud, a blow that had Vigilance been alive, may well have injured him significantly.
However, striking dead flesh, the blow causes negligible damage.
Cursing, Simeon fends off the quicker skeleton assailing him, tearing new holes in his already torn cloak.
Swinging as mightily as he can, Simeon brings his staff down upon the collarbone of the skeleton before him.
However, he chances to glimpse corpse-Vigilance's mottled face lurching forward, and his involuntary flinch causes his blow to skitter down the skeleton's arm, doing no harm.
Emmetts blow smashes his skeleton to bits and there looks to be no others behind it.
Nalun and Elidal left.
Her attack is also sufficient to drop her foe as well... and there are none others behind it that she can see.
Nalun continues his assistance of Elidal, his nerves almost failing him. Please be done, please be done, please be done....
One of the skeletons closes on Jaru and the skeleton and Zombie tear at the wizard.
Jaru
Skeleton
Attack
Damage
Simeon
Skeleton
Attack
Damage
Zombie
Attack
Damage
Players up... note that Elidal and Emmett seem to have put down all their undead.
Jaru weathers the undead's attack and upon hearing Elidal's hopeful words, steps back switching the holy water to his buckler hand. He stands defensively, ready to parry another claw.
AoO for
Jaru and Elidal Done. Nalun, Emmett and Simeon (who I may bot) still up
Nalun follows behind Elidal once again assisting her in defending herself but he continues to be as useless as before.
Emmett is about to collapse as he notices there's no other skeleton in front of him, but the shouts from behind make him curse, and he clumsily pivots , slowly finding renewed strength.
Axe raised, he slides behind a skeleton and sends his axe crashing on is collarbone.
Emmett takes down his skeleton.
Simeon uses his hand of the apprentice to attack the last skeleton.
His staff shatters it.
The zombie continues its attack, this time stepping in close to Elidal and trying to smash her with his arms.
Players up
Players up
Jaru's hand goes to the bone spiral upon his breast and he draws upon the last of his granted holy power for the day. Vigilance is well beyond healing, but perhaps a touch of life will end the desecration of his corpse. Jaru steps up to touch the zombie.
Nalun stays behind Elidal, swinging his club to ward off the claws and blows of the undead.
He deflects a claw as it descends on Elidal.
Jaru's strike hits but fails to drop it with the divine energy channeled.
Simeon, Emmett, Elidal next
Emmett, energized by his near perfect swing, sees hope around the corner.
He slides to the zombie, not knowing the person that used that shell in the past.
His swing is in no way hindered by souvenirs of Vigilance, and connects mightily.
The blow splits the walking corpse in half.
The group sighs in relief - your trial is over - you have been successful.
Villagers exit their homes after a silent minute or two then the town square becomes a confused sea of hubbub and weeping for the slain townsfolk, four of them, as well as a clamouring for explanations, for action, for peace.
The Church is opened and a grieving Father Grimburrow, minus his senior acolyte (and looking a bit lost for it) tries as best he can to sort the mob out, as do the town councilmen, who emerge after the chaos to do what they can.
Villagers pull at you and your clothing, shouting both praises and recriminations.
Its in the midst of all this that a woman's single piercing scream is heard coming from the river... down near the monument.
The folk of Ravensgro begin to peel off in that direction.
Elidal pushes past the villagers and moves rapidly towards the screaming. Already it is ringed by a few of the farmers who stand aghast at the scene before them.
A weeping woman kneels not far from the monument, crying hysterically and moaning while on the base of a plinth stands a young girl, who you recognise as one of the kids who live near Kendra's house and who was sister to the boy who teased Simeon about being a 'Nekkidmanner' - Bianca.
Her mouth is smeared with blood and the expression on her face is one of diabolical scorn. Her right hand is dripping blood and you can see where two of her fingers are missing... subconsciously she looks down and sees the top digits of her fingers on the ground.
Gnawed off. The young girl looks like she chewed off her own fingers!
Behind her the monument is defaced by two more bloody letters. An 'A' and an 'N'
Bianca turns to you and leers.
Ahhh... Simeons friend?, the words rolling forth with a polished cadance and masculine timbre alien to the child.
As you can see, my work proceeds and what some call my 'addled theories' are being proven as FACT, the last word snapped out. You may as well give up, but then again it is the process that interests me rather than the end.
Jaru is not far behind the tall inquisitor and blanches at the sight of gnawed fingers, but his fear is consumed by a righteous wrath at the obvious work of the prisoner ghosts. Still holding a ready vial of holy water, he splashes the child. "Be gone, FIEND! Know that the foul work of the cult that released you is crumbling and soon you will be damned forever more!"
The child screams as the holy water smokes and sizzles in contact with her skin... and then the child slumps, unconscious. The woman, likely her mother runs in to gather the child up but stops before touching her, crying in confusion.
She looks to Father Toth.
She is clean?
The sight of the small child disturbs Nalun and he covers his face in horror. Why did I come here? he says in a low voice, the question more to himself than to anyone else.
She is clean?
Jaru wipes his forehead and removes his buckler as he stoops to inspect the child.
"I think so."