Wix readies his crossbow.
What in Desna's name? ...
He stares aghast at the scene unfolded before him.
"Keep your eyes open!!! Anyone or anything moves, Shout......."
Petracleus drops his backpack, locks his sword into his gauntlet and raises his shield.....
It just keeps getting better.....
Shane stays silent, still overwhelmed with what he has gotten himself into. He mutters some words at his quarterstaff, which seems to harden. He then peers around, looking for any sign of what caused this tragedy.
@Shane - The driving rain limits Shane's visibility to the end of the bridge. When lightning flashes he can see the overturned carriage.
He don't see any tracks, though who could in this storm?
Beau steps forward towards one of the bodies inspecting it to see what has killed the man.
The cleric mutters to Desna as he looks at the corpse on the right, Petracleus next to him, continuing to look around in rain.
As Beau lifts one of the corpse's shredded arms, it starts to shudder for a moment and the halfling leaps to his feet, startled.
Two other corpses also shake. Then the three corpses split apart like overripe melons and the skeletons of the dead men claw their way out and rise to a crouch. A cold orange light gleams in their eyes and their jaws clench and unclench as if they anticipate a meal. They make no move for the weapons on the ground but flex their claws.
Initiative
S2
S4
S6
Beau
Darpan
Petracleus
Shane
Wix
Beau stumbles back quickly recovering his courage. He takes a cautions step back, out of reach of the skeleton in front of him, and begins to chant.
Sweet Song of the Spheres, grant us your divine favor that we may return these weary travelers to their final journey.
Beau's prepared spells for the day.
Level 0 - Create Water, Detect Magic, Light
Level 1 - Longstrider(D), Sanctuary
The skeleton in front of Beau rises to its feet, fleshless lips curled in a sinister grin.
"Preeeeeessssst"
It lashes out with both claws.
Beau leans backwards but the undead creature slashes his left arm and rips through his chain shirt.
A form rises up across the bridge and creakily walk towards you.
Beau stumbles back quickly recovering his courage. He takes a cautions step back, out of reach of the skeleton in front of him, and begins to chant.
Sweet Song of the Spheres, grant us your divine favor that we may return these weary travelers to their final journey.
Initiative
Skeleton 2 - 23
Skeleton 6 - 22
Beau - 17
Skeleton 4 - 15
Darpan - 11
Wix - 8
Petracleus - 4
Shane - 2
The third skeleton, struggling to get purchase on the wet bridge, moves towards the party.
I had hp and ac reversed. The skeleton's second claw attack missed, so Beau only took 5 HP (which is good, because he'd be unconscious if he took 10).
I'm squeezing in posts at work. There will be a few mistakes...
Note: Please still reference my map for your moves. Will make it easier for me to update. I plan on, at minimum, updating it before each round starts. Sometimes more, depending on how many participants.
Darpan - 11
Seeing the creatures rise up before him, Darpan lashes out with a double strike.(Skeleton 1)
Wix steps back to get a bead on the horror arising from the corpse.
His shot zips past to thunk into the wood of the bridge, doing no damage.
He shouts to Petracleus and laughs with a manic edge:
Petracleus! They're moving!
Petracleus - Initiative 4
Standard Action
Power Attack (Longsword) against Skeleton 2
Attack Roll (+3, +1 Bless);
Damage Roll (1d8+5);
Move Action
Five Foot Step to C5
"I'll hold the bridge......", Petracleus swings far too wildly against the skeletal horror that confronts him, curses under his breath and steps onto the bridge.
Try and get past me then....
Shane's turn. After he goes, I'll post in response to the last couple attacks, put up a new map and we'll start round two.
Shane twirls his quarterstaff around, and then swings wildly at an oncoming skeleton.
Reacting immediately to the skeleton suddenly standing before him, the agile monk strikes out in a flurry of blows. Unfortunately, his hands glance off the hard bones of the undead creature.
Wix, crossbow at the ready, fires at the same skeleton. His grip slick with the rain, the bolt misses, nearly nicking Darpan in the ear as it flies false.
Petracleus, moving in defense of Beau, swings mightily at a skeleton. However, fighting to keep his balance in the driving rain, his sword glances off the skeleton's arm, not seeming to do any damage.
The druid, a bit concernced that the party can't seem to harm these skeletons, swings his softly glowing staff. A shimmer of light trails the wood as he strikes with both ends. Unfortunately, the bones prove just as resistent to the staff as they did to Darpan's fists.
Skeleton 2 - 23
Skeleton 6 - 22
Beau - 17
Skeleton 4 - 15
Darpan - 11
Wix - 8
Petracleus - 4
Shane - 2
The skeletons were not slowed down at all by the party's actions and continue their press.
The Skeleton gnashes its teeth as the halfling cleric slides out of his reach. It turns to Petracleus and strikes with its claws.
It lets out an inhuman wail of frustration as its claws harmlessly bounce off of the man's shield.
Petracleus barely has time to turn his attention to the skeleton that moves directly in front of him and slashes at him.
The skeleton's attack is rebuffed by Petracleus' armor.
Beau glances at his throbbing arm.
"Focus your mind and the pain will pass. Remember your training. Focus on the problem ahead of you drown out everything else."
As the last skeleton moves into range Beau unleashes a burst of positive energy. Dozens of butterflies of light, flutter out from Beau and land on the skeletons damaging them as they land.
After unleashing the Energy, Beau slides back another step, sure that will get the skeletons attention on him.
Beau concentrates on his holy symbol of Desna as he sends her power at the undead creatures.
Will Saves
Burning holes pockmark the skeletons in front of Darpan and Petracleus and they crumble into ashes which are immediately blown away in the rain and wind.
The remaining skeleton gives an inhuman scream as the butterflies bore holes into its bones, but it remains upright.
Before the party can exult in the cleric's work, the other three corpses burst apart and three more skeletons rise from the lumps of flesh.
Darpan Init 11
Darpan again tried to strike the skeleton that has risen up beside him.(Number 1)
The monk, frustrated with his first attack, launches into an assault that first dents, then crushes the skull of the undead which had just risen up next to him. It falls to the ground in an unmoving heap.
The rain and wind hampering Wix's aim and shot, he sees another crossbow bolt fly nowhere near its target and disappear into the dark night.
Petracleus - Initiative 4
Standard Action
Attack (Longsword) against Skeleton 2
Attack Roll (+4, +1 Bless);
Damage Roll (1d8+3);
Move Action
5 foot step to D5
Petracleus ducks as a crossbow bolt flies perilously close to his head, "Hey!!!", and swings at the Skeleton again.....not pausing to see the effectiveness of his blow, he steps onto the bridge.
The warrior once again swings his longsword at the skeleton. The undead turns aside and the blade clangs dully off of what was once a shoulder.
Shane ignores technique, twirling his staff into his hands like a club and swinging wildly at the skeleton to his right.
Confident that his quarterstaff is an effective weapon against these undead, Shane clubs the tar out of the skeleton to his right. As the enchanted staff staves in ribs and other bones, the skeleton collapse to the ground like a pile of foul toothpicks.
Skeleton 3 having shed it's dead skin, steps forward and faces Petracleus. "Fleeeeeesssssh...."
The other skeleton moves foward towards the party.
Beau takes a deep breath focusing his mind once more to the familiar spell, unleashing another burst of butterflies at the skeletons.
Another torrent of butterlies descend upon the two remaining skeletons, though there seems to be less burning of the bones.
Skel 3 Init
Skel 5 Init
Skeleton 3
Petracleus tries to fend off an attack from the undead directly in front of him, but he feels claws raking across his side.
Skeleton 5
Then he tries to avoid the claws of the other remaining skeleton as it moves forward and attacks. His armor deflects this one, however.
Darpan takes a step forward and attacks the skeleton which just struck Petracleus.
The monk, sliding gracefully next to Petracleus, reduces another skeleton to bone kindlings.
Wix, seeing the skeletons have closed range on him, whips his shortsword out of its scabbard as his crossbow clatters to the ground at his feet. With a shout of Desna take you, fiend! he takes a swipe at the skeleton.
Petracleus - Initiative 4
Standard Action
Attack (Longsword) against Skeleton 5
Attack Roll (+4, +1 Bless);
Damage Roll (1d8+3);
Blood trickling from the gash in his mail shirt, Petracleus let's out a vicious roar and, abandoning any finesse, slams his sword against the skull of the last remaining skeleton.
Wix, tired of shooting bolts into the river, drops his crossbow and, drawing his blade, connects with the skeleton's left leg. The undead seems unaffected, however.
But Petracleus' sword caves in the left side of the skeleton's skull and it falls to pieces.
The group breathes a sigh of relief: the battle is over!
Kicking the bones away in disgust (with the occasional wince of pain), Petracleus turns to Beau "You alright? Looks like you've taken a pretty nasty scratch there......."
That was a wake up call....this is not a safe land. We will need our wits about us if we are going to survive....
"Darpan, that was a great display of Martial Skill......do you prefer to fight without weapons in Vudra?"
Darpan nod to the warrior. "In many places I wandered with my Holyman weapons were forbidden to commoners. As his protector I was trained to use my body as a weapon, so I would never be without a means to protect myself and my Swami. Irori gives us all the weapons we need upon birth, it is up to us how we hone them! Unfortunately I am not well trained to deal with injury."he grimaces as he sees Beau's rather deep lacerations.
"You were trained well......but, I would never be without a good blade of cold, hard steel...."
Petracleus grips his sword harder than before and turns to his friends,
"We need to look for survivors....and don't relax yet, we are not safe"
Darpan will move over the bridge to where the overturned wagon sits and start searching the area