Thorn you know that most crows and ravens eat fruits,vegetables, grains, insects very small rodents, and carrion. etc... Elven crows eat those things but do tend to prefer the fruits, grains, and vegetables.
Also you would garner from its size and coloration it is probably a female bird.
"Koyo, koyo."
The bird echoed seeming to bob its head up and down to say it agreed that it was indeed a fine name.
"Well I'm happy she seems to like it." Nicenzia says as the bird starts repeating the name.
"Fruits, grains, and vegetables preferably, though small rodents will do in if necessary." Thorn answers.
Nicenzia and Thorn, you see four figures off in the woodline to your right, that seem off. You cant make a lot of details through the foilage but you know they are there, barely moving.
Nicenzia your elven crow suddenly seems... agitated as if something is wrong It starts to furiously caw and flap its wings about.
"There are four figures in the woodline over there, and I smell something....dead." Thorn says glancing in that direction.
Aurelain readies his bardiche and moves up to defend the cart, He takes another look.
Aye, I seem um now.
Thorn unslings her bow, keeping her eyes on the potential threats.
Nizencia prepares a ray of frost to cast when they get within reach of it if they seem hostile.
Looking puzzled, Amed asks, "What is everyone looking at?"
"Uwwnnnna"
A low grumbling moan emmanating from the woods and Koyo made a nervous sounding kek kek kek noise.
The horses too whinnied nervously as well no doubt catching of whiff of the foul smell.
Thorn likewise readies a shot at the first sign of an actual threat.
Aurelain readies his Cold Iron bardiche and advances, making sure he stays between the treat and Swena and Thorn.
As you start to approach the sounds Aurelain you come upon a curious sight. 4 zombies, in raggedy looking black leather armor turn to face beginning to shamble torwards you. After a few steps you notice rusted lengths of chain wrapped about their waist. Straining against the chain it appears they are trying to reach you, though they for the moment cannot get to you.
"This is kinda sad, not even in the afterlife did these poor souls receive freedom. What kind of spell has created these undeads, perhaps my own necromatics will one day be able to do such." Nicenzia wonders as she sees the zombies.
Aurelain laughs as he studies the chains and what they are secured to. I can likely strike them down with this reach weapon. he states as he continues to close the distance.
"I'd say it might be best to send them to Pharasma, I don't have anything to control them with so it's best to let them have peace for now." Nicenzia responds to Aurelain.
"As much as I know it's not possible to tell who crates zombies, and other undeads. But I'll be the first to admit I've never had a tome of necromancy in my hands to study so my knowledge is limited to my natural affinity with that school. But to be honest if someone had created them with magic it should have run it's course by now and returned them to corpses. Wish I could give you a better answer, perhaps their armors could tell us where they come from?"
Approaching so only one of the undead is withing 10' of him Aurelain swings his pole axe.
As you approach Aurelain you can easily follow the chain back to a tree that has the chains wrapped about it. Thats not all though, following the chain bank you can see what looks to be well a parts of a body in some undergrowth.
The 1/2 orcs powerful blow easily cuts into the first zomble and it falls to the ground the other three still moaning and straining to reach you all.
"Be careful,this could be something worse than it looks like." Nicenzia says as she carefully follows behind Aurelain and sees the body in the undergrowth.
Thorn fires on the next nearest of the standing zombies.
Aurelain will continue to cut these undead abominations down. He shows little emotion but says There seems to be a body there by the tree where these things are chained. Perhaps an earlier victim?
Quickly Aurelain (with everyone's help) dispatches the zombies with well timed strikes of his Bardiche. Once they chained up zombies well put down,allowing you all a chance to get a little closer to the body in the underbrush.
You moved to get close to the figure in the bushes when you happened to notice on one of the zombies arms a tattoo of a monkey breathing fire with dragon wings. That was the same tattoo of one of the brothers of Esmerelda that very same Buxom harrower that led you to run across Colewin to begin with. Upon closer inspection...the other zombies are more of her brothers.
Amed enjoy a permanent +1 bonus to your CMD
AS you closed with the body the very first thing you noticed was the ashen grey skin of the dead bodies leg through tears in the pantaloons. As the body was half rolled over the dead bodies face half mangled and torn brought back memories from your youth.It was Jorn for sure. He was an older fellow who left that childhood gang you ran with just a few months after you started to run with them, but he had been a member. What in the world had brought him here?
Swen enjoy a free +1 skill point
You have no clue who the ashen skinned fellow is, what you do know is that sigil tattoo on the back of his hand looks really familiar. . . though you cant place it.
Nicenzia enjoy +1 bonus to your CMD vs trip
Aurelain enjoy a 1/4 range increment on all thrown attacks
"Ha " The magus guffawed. "Serves you bastards right!" Amed turns to the others. "I know these f#<kers! These brothers nearly killed me in the desert a long time ago! They would have too if Colewin didn't come along when he did!"
Amed's face fell slightly when a thought crossed his mind. The Quadiran inspected the zombies more closely to see if one of them looked female.
"Did you and Colewin kill them when you encountered them? Could account for their state as members of the walking dead." Nicenzia asks with a wry smile looking over the now dead undeads deep in thoughts. I wonder if my necromantic heritage will allow me to raise the dead like these.
"Did you and Colewin kill them when you encountered them? Could account for their state as members of the walking dead."
"No, Colewin and I chased them off", explained Amed. "They were breathing when I last saw them; bruised and bloodied, but breathing."
"Ha, then I dare to say that these guys ran afoul some other people who didn't like them any better than the two of you. This time they just paid with their life and subsequently unlife." she responds with a hint of amusement over the situation.
Nicenzia stands next to Swen "Was he a friend or just someone you ran with as a child? Were he a spellcaster or more like a Jack-of-all-trade like you?" she asks curiously, trying to figure if the man was the source of the zombies or just unlucky and got himself chained to some.
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Swen shakes her head, "Didn't know him all that well. He was older, left the gang at around the same time when I joined. But I remember his face, and well, you don't see many other Kayal around here unless they're up to no good. Let's see if he's got anything on 'im"
Swen begins searching Jorn's corpse.
[dice=Perception]1d20+8
1d10
Thorn also take a +1 CMD bonus vs trip!
Searching the man's body you come across several pouches of herbs, strange materials, bits of crystal and fluff and the like. Signs of a preparred spell caster for sure. The dagger on his belt looks well made, though showing just the tiniest amount of rust, no doubt a little oil and time with a whetstone and it would be fine again.
He had a small pouch full of precious stones, 13 in total worth around 3 to 5 gp a peice.
The zombies were in various stages of decay, but none appeared to be female. Very old looking slash wounds were displayed about their body, clearly from before they were zombiefied. In fact the very lack of wealth displayed anywhere meant they were probably stripped of wealth before they were turned.
Aurelain adds The tatoo on the back of this one's hand, the sigal here. He turns the hand so that all can see it. It marks him as a slaver from a guild of hunters that track down escaped slaves from Cheliax. I would have killed him for his trade if he were not already dead. He adds coldly.
"At least I know you are up to no good, while also doing some good." Nicenzia says giving her a little push with her arm. She accepts the component pouch "Thanks, but I don't really use these as a sorcereress, but we can use these herbs for a hot bath sometimes." she says smiling.