As Azmerai guards your retreat, Polonius lobs a hastily mixed explosive in the the group of animated corpses. The group becomes awash with fire for an all too brief moment, the rain has not been your ally this night, and the flames flicker out quickly. All of them back on their feet now, the mob is starting to move towards Azmerai with purpose.
Lilith's conjured light helps quite a lot, fleeting though it's illumination may be, as it zooms around the street it make sit much easier to identify your surroundings. As her mind and fingers go through the well-worn ritural of casting the basic cantrip, it grants her a moment of clarity. Her bolt of energy did strike the zombie, and looked like it was doing damage, but perhaps the creature was too thick skinned where the bolt struck for it to cause any inconvenience. Satisfied with her deduction, reality comes slamming back, and her brief escapism is replaced by the all too imminent danger the group finds itself in.
Shomari's check of the nearest small building reveals a small hut, likely someone's abode in better times. The door is half-falling off its hinges, and he can see the inside has been trashed. A glance at the other adjacent huts shows a similar story, missing or broken doors, and showing signs of having been looted at some point. His good tactical knowledge assesses their strategic defence as hopeless.
Glancing back and seeing Shomari find no shelter, Lenneth lets fly with another slingstone. This one thuds in to the mouth of one of the gnashers, breaking a few teeth and drawing its attention. It moans loudly and changes direction to come straight at her. She can feel the tension radiating from Indigo, safe for the moment but trapped in her pack, afraid for his mistress.
In the dim light of Lilith's spell, Turrey is able to see the word's 'Savah's Armory' written on the big building, as well as a sturdy looking door. He jogs across and finds the door is indeed intact, and though there are signs of attempted forced entry, scratches and gouges around the handle, a fairly complex looking lock remains in place, holding the door shut.
Lilith, having sent her dancing lights up and down the street, also sees a sign for the 'Goblin Squash Stables', though the large barn doors are open and appear to have been that way a while, so might be difficult to close. The other side of the street holds the 'Sandpoint Boutique', though the large front windows are smashed, letting the rain soak the expensive fabrics draped across wooden mannequins. She also sees a building further in, at the very limit of the range of her spell, where empty chains are hanging outside what looks to be an inn, the sign now missing. For a moment it looks like something is crouching on the roof, but as the magical radiance flashes by she can see it is a statue of a dragon, now streaked with rust. The backdrop of light from the fire combined with the rain make its eyes glisten redly, as if its crying for the fate of the town.
Polonius, panting with exertion, arrives beside Turrey as he tries the handle of the heavy door.
My short legs are not made for all this running. he mutters under his breath. They will be the death of me someday...
He sees the door is locked with a sturdy padlock and although the door shows signs of tampering, it doesn't appear anyone has forced their way in yet.
Any port in a storm...
Turrey, can you help the others keep them back? Just for a few moments, I'm sure I can pick this.
He fumbles around in his belt pouches, looking for anything he can use that is slim enough to fit into the lock's housing. In desperation he grabs his dagger and forces the very tip into the lock.
Through skill or luck or divine intervention, somehow Polonius manages to pop the bolt.
I can't believe that worked! Haha! Everyone inside!
He will walk slowly back to guard Polonius at the door. As soon as its open he will usher them all in.
Shomari will trust Azmerai to cover the door, and move in past Polonius once the door is open.
He scans the room quickly for threats, moving in as necessary if the room is too big for his eyes to see to the far corners. Assuming that he spots no foes, he'll give a loud whisper.
"Safe."
Do we manage to retreat into the building?
Turrey agrees to watch as Polonius picks the lock, standing beside him with knives ready in case the moaners get there before the gnome completes his task.
His heart races as he glances back and forth between the busy gnome and the lurching moaners, hoping he and his companions can get in before the dead get to them.
Shomari is first in, surveying the room but finding nothing giving off a heat signature. In the dim light you can make out the inside of a shop, there is a counter to one side, shelves around the walls and what look like a half dozen or so weapon racks, sadly empty. In fact the entire place looks tidy as if it hasn't been open in months.
There is a wooden spiral staircase in one corner by the counter, which goes up and down. There is another door behind the counter which is closed, and several shuttered windows which have heavy bolts slid across. As you all tumble through the doorway with the groaners on your heels, you can see the door you've come through also has heavy bolts to slide across. As you go to shut the door, several zombie arms thrust themselves through, preventing it closing fully.
With a heave and a grunt Azmerai tries to close the door, but the exhaustion is taking his toll.
Big veins show on his neck and although he pushes with all his might, he slips and nearly falls.
The zombies manage to widen the gap.
The small ball of flame Polo conjured before the bridge is still in his hand. He watches Azmerai struggle with the door and decides to help in the only way he can.
He lines up his shot and hurls the ball of flame at the grasping hands.
Shomari sees Azmerai slip and sprints back to hack at a zombie's arm with his sibat.
"Someone watch the stairs," he growls.
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Lilith fires her Disrupt Undead spell, knowing that it cannot hurt her friends, after the spell she sends the dancing light darting around the room, revealing nooks and crannies and then to the stairs, hovering like a sentry.
As she stands panting at the door she thinks about the undead resisting her Disrupt spell. [i]Nothing should be able to resist it. What was that? [/ooc]
Turrey flinches as the rotting arms reach through the doorway but he doesn't hesitate. His left dagger takes a thumb off of one decomposing hand, though his right one misses the mark.
"Ha!"
Desna protect us, there's just too many... Polo whispers.
Ben, I pray you are doing better than us. But if not, it looks like I might join you and Mother soon enough...
Everyone, we need to get upstairs! On the spiral staircsae they can only come at us one at a time and we might be able to block the stairs completely once we are up there.
Azmerai shakes his head. We close door. We must. Use what you have magic, bombs. We go up we not safe. Only door safe!"
Polonius' flames incinerate one of the grasping arms, setting fire to the ragged remnants of cloth clinging to the others as well, they wriggle and flex against Azmerai's attempt to close the door. Shomari swings his sibat, chopping another hand off at the wrist, whilst Turrey's effort dices the last remaining hand, leaving it as the sole thing in the way of the door being shut. Lilith's spell unfortunately flies wide of the mark, pouring its energy in to the wooden doorframe harmlessly. Lenneth slams herself in to the door, much to Indigo's disgust at being jostled around, but her small frame doesn't provide enough force and she bounces off and almost stumbles on to the floor.
Momentarily frozen, you all stare at the door and the sole remaining arm, the fingers writhing. Suddenly it grasps the side of the door and flings it open! Two zombies burst in to the room, one missing most of it's left arm. They groan louder and move to attack.
Initiative order:
Shomari
Zombies
Lenneth
Turrey
Polonius
Azmerai
Lilith
Shomari hacks at the zombie in front of him, but in his weariness, he's unable to connect.
The top zombie snarls and swings his one remaining arm at Shomari
The zombie arm strikes Shomari like a lead pipe, crushing his ribs with a sickening crunch.
The zombie at the bottom open his arms wide and tries to grab...
The zombie grasps Azmerai by his shoulders and holds him fast.
Seeing two zombies inside their hoped-for sanctuary and fearing more are on their way, Turrey calls out, "Hang in there, Azmerai, I'll get that moaner!" and slashes twice at the zombie's back. Despite his fatigue, the halfling succeeds at carving deep into it's gut, from both sides, nearly severing its spine.
Seeing the gnasher hold him being attacked Azmerai grabs his dagger from the belt and slashes at the gnasher holding him.
With a groan he enjoys seeing his dagger sliding in the decaying flesh and he spits into the gnashers face!
Polonius reaches for one of the many vials contained in loops on his belt. He pops the cap and drinks deeply.
Lilith's spell flows across and through Azmerai as it impacts the zombie he is struggling with. All the uncanny strength seems to flow out of the zombie's arms, and its gnashing teeth, so intent on Azmerai's neck, come to a stop as it slumps to the ground, leaving the doorway open and accessible. Azmerai can see one other zombie just outside, via the light given off by the still smoldering remains of the other one Polonius torched.
The one armed zombie snarls at the wounded Shomari, and reaches out to grab him.
In its haste to get at the tasty hobgoblin snack, it lunges and overbalances, falling prone.
Well then what does the ominious looking zombie do?
The zombie charges in to the room, moving to grapple Azmerai as he is closest to the door.
It misses its grab and stands there in the doorway, arms outstretched and moaning.
Shomari, incensed at having be bludgeoned by the monstrous thing's arm, brings the sibat up the middle in a quick slash.
With a cry of joy the half-orc looks at his workDie,die,die and rot in hell
Come on guys, please! I'm tired of running...
Polonius moves back to the stairs, suddenly afraid more zombies might be already in the armoury.
Azemerai would use it immediately so add 1 to his attack roll please
Through strained lips, Turrey quips to the latest moaner to enter "Sorry bub, this is an invite only party."
He ducks underneath its outstretched arms, reeling at the smell, and swinging both daggers at it. The first only adds another rip in the moaner's already tattered tunic, but the second severs a tendon its leg. The zombie staggers briefly but (to Turrey's dismay) doesn't seem to be badly hurt.
______________
Lilith's swiftly moving light reveals no zombies or other malicious things hovering on the stairs waiting to jump out at you. Out of the corner of her eye she does see a crumpled, pale-yellow blanket halfway up the stairs.
Shomari's blow cuts deeply in to the one-armed zombie's neck, severing what remains of the rotted spinal column and causing the head to flop down backwards, with the now inanimate body following seconds later.
Polonius checks around the rest of the room, but sees nothing amiss, certainly no one hiding in ambush.
Azmerai's powerful blow smashes down on to the newly arrived moaner, and he can feel the halberd seems to correct its path very slightly to land more firmly on target. The monster is almost bisected but is still coming!
Then Turrey steps in, going toe to toe in a dance of death, his daggers flash and look not to have done too much damage, however the cut to the tendon causes the groaner to fall down, cracking its head on the floor. The zombie body goes still, as its head begins leaking fluids on the floor.
For a moment, it is quiet, all you can hear is the ragged breathing of your companions.
*KRA-KOOM!!!*
There is a flash of light as lightning strikes nearby, and a stroke of thunder seemingly causes the building to shake. The ever present rain doubles in volume, smashing hard in to the muddy street outside. The storm has arrived in Sandpoint.
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Trying to sound calm and rational, but thinking about disease and even the idea of reanimation Lilith insists Quickly, get those bodies out!. She helps to do just that before seeing that the door is barred as best it can be and then recommends Lets move a shelf over in front of the door as well. As everyone works she notes I saw something on the stairs… a crumpled, pale-yellow blanket halfway. Its likely not dangerous, but lets take care. She recasts her Dancing Lights spell, this time producing 4 globes of light, each brighter than the single torch she had produced before. There that should be enough light to take stock of this place and make it more secure. Can we move shelves and racks in front of all the windows too? She wants to secure this level before exploring either up or down. And people were injured, right? I can help one person, thought I fear the treatment is not very pleasant…
Azmerai slams the door shut and does his best to barricade the door Finally slumping down and dragging big gulps of air he will rest for a minute. With his second wind, he looks around and starts helping to check the shop for anything of interest.
As the door slams shut and the bolt fires home, Polonius breathes a huge sigh of relief. He quickly neutralises the explosive ingredients in the bomb he had ready, his hands trembling during the delicate work.
Shomari, are you ok? I think it's best we check the rest of this place before we relax. Besides, there has to be something useful here.
He wanders back to the staircase and produces his own set of dancing lights, sending them down into the dark cellar.
I suppose it makes sense for the forge to be below and the loving quarters above. Turrey, care to join me?
As Lillith seems to be helping with Shomari would, Polo creeps downstairs.
Shelter is good, Shelter and food is gooder. Azmerai remarks to the others:"What food we left? Save house is good for snoring, but need meat too! Anyone something left?"
You are able to shut and bar the door with no issues, the large iron bolts slide in to place without much creaking, you notice they have been well maintained. There are ample shelves to drag up against each door and window.
Polonius sneaks downstairs as quietly as a mouse. His lights reveal a room roughly the same size as the ground floor, again full of empty shelves. In one corner there is an anvil, bellows and furnace set up, along with a couple of piles of broken armor and weapons.
There is a door leading north which has been jammed shut using the broken haft of a spear. In another corner is a makeshift desk on an overturned packing crate. It has a journal or ledger resting on top.