"Careful, it could be a trap set out by the ghouls.. leave a victim tied up.. waiting for some group of fools to try to help it out.. and then BAM, ambush! Although we may have already encountered the ambush. If we're going to help the fool, do it quick before more come."
Morythine edges forward uncertainly. “Who are you?” he asks. “And why are you dressed as a scarecrow?”
"Us? Are you pregnant?" Eugeni wonders, confused by the woman's wording.
"My name is Lettie Guffman. These monsters drug us from our home last night and brought us here and did this to us after biting us," the woman says weakly. "Yes...I'm pregnant, and my husband is somewhere out here too. Please, please save us!"
As Destrina begins cutting Lettie down off the scarecrow post, everyone else hears a snap of a cornstalk being stepped on just behind Eugeni, and quickly turn to see a scarecrow that had been slipping up through the fields just in time to see it lunge to the attack!
It rushes forward furiously and snaps its jaws at Eugeni's arm, but the aasimar quickly pulls his hand back and the thing only manages to bite the wind.
__________
Morythine leaps forward to tackle the ghoul that has ambushed Eugeni, but his clenched fist swings wide.
Eugeni whirls and has fired two arrows into the ghoul before he can even think about what he's doing.
Zoli runs up at the sound of the ghoul and -- with a leap and a twirl -- cuts a deep slice into it's chest and arm. She then readies herself to ward off it's next blow, as best she's able.
________________
HP 29/32
Luck 6/8
Panache 4/4 (-1 if attacked, +1 if riposte hits & kills)
Charmed Life 3/3
Buffs zip
Eugeni's arrows are enough to drop the creature, although Zoli's blade removes its head for good measure.
Once the woman is released, and her mask removed, two things are clearly evident. First, she shares the same sickly color that the man in the Sanitarium did. Second, she has a large bite mark on her left shoulder.
"S...several days ago when they first brought us here. We've been hanging up there ever since, no food or water. I'm so hungry...what do you mean they are turning people into them?"
Grumbling and muttering something under his breath, something about 'wasting food on the dead', Darius fetches a pouch full of trail rations and tosses it to the woman.
"You know, as much as I love the scenery - what with the decaying corpses of the infected dead laying about, peppered with arrows and hacked in half with their rotting intestines hanging out - should we be really be lingering here? Is that really wise, what with the very large number of ghouls we've seen so far? Is interrogating a half-starved, half-dead woman really amongst our priorties right now?"
As is obvious in his tone of voice, Darius is impatient to move on - or at least get somewhere safer where there is less of a chance of some rabid undead mongrel popping out of a bush and ripping his throat out.
"We need to make sure there is no one else captured in the house."
Eugeni walks over to the victim, smiling at her "Lady, stay close. We'll get you out of here as soon as we can. I'd ask you to go to Sandpoint now, but I fear the journey would be unsafe." The aasimar then hefts his bow and begins walking towards the house. "C'mon y'all."
"You wound me, Destrina! Of course I'm aware slaying evil is amongst our priorities. Standing out here in the open, amongst the corpses of the recently re-dead while we discuss a timeline of events with a victim either undead cannibalism or a bit of masochistic bed-play - or both... is not. In laymen's terms, in case I'm misunderstood, we should keep moving." Darius makes a over-acted gesture dripping with sarcasm, striking a pose and pointing towards the house. "Onwards!"
Meanwhile, as he tries to shepherd the group into getting a move on it, he makes sure to remain well in the middle of the group rather on the outskirts, incase more ravenous dead show up, eager to gnaw on their innards. In addition, he holsters his rod for a moment, pulling out a vial filled with a thick, foul-looking milky tonic. He takes a second to unstopper it before quaffing it, nearly retching in the process. Finished drinking the disgusting remedy, he stores it in his pack before grabbing a second vial, this one filled with a thick, teal-colored syrup, which he then unstoppers and drinks as well, shuddering once he's finished with it. Finally he stows the vial and brings his rod back out.
The woman ravenously tears into the trail rations, though her face distorts slightly at the taste. It is clear that she is craving something else...
The group continues on, Lettie Guffman nervously in tow, and eventually make their way through the vast cornfield to the farmhouse. There, standing in contrast to the full moon, stand two buildings. The barn is the larger of the two structures, an L-shaped building constructed around a unique feature - a 12-foot-high stone head, canted slightly to the left, depicting a helmed warrior, his face as tern model of determination. Moss has grown over much of the weathered figure, making his features hard to discern.
The farmhouse itself is far less remarkable: a 15-by-20 rectangular one story home with only a single window at the front of the house, curtains pulled tight. No light appears to shine within.
As they walk, Zoli whispers to Destrina and Morythene that they should all keep an eye on poor Misses Guffman. Her mind keeps flashing back to images of Grayst turning into one of these...things. And Desna only knows what's become of her husband. He could well be one of the scarecrows who attacked us...
When they get to the door, Zoli listens carefully at it, to see if she hears anything. Then she checks to see if it is trapped or locked.
______________
Morythine heeds Zoli’s advice, keeping close beside Lettie Guffman as they hurry towards the farm. He, at the very least, knows a thing or two about unnatural cravings that don’t win you friends. He feels a twinge of sympathy for the woman, but his fists are loosely clenched, ready to strike her down should she start behaving … ghoulishly.
In a whisper, Zoli says, "Psssst! There's something moving around in there. Get ready..."
When everyone has their weapons ready, Zoli opens the door as quietly as she can manage, and then takes a curious peek.
_____________
Noting Destrina's close scrutiny of Lettie, and confident that, like most blinkered paladins, she'll have no compunction in slaying the poor girl should she do anything ghoulish, Morythine scurries over to support Zoli.
He creeps in behind her.
Zoli peeks inside the now open front door, and can see that it opens up into a small, sparsely furnished living area. It is clear that the owners of the home are not very wealthy, despite their land holdings. Inside there is just a single couch and chair, and a small table between the two that holds an unlit lantern. A small fireplace is on the western wall, the logs within long cold.
More important in the immediate, Zoli catches a glimpse of movement hunkered down behind the table. And while she isn't able to get a completely clear look, it is clear that whatever is behind there has the same grey skin as the creatures they had encountered thus far.
As the two of them lock eyes, the creature knows it has been spotted and hops up and out from behind its impromptu hiding spot and lunges for the door and the halfling lurking there.
__________
Zoli tries to bring her blade up between herself and the ghoul but it's leap is faster than she'd counted on. As its claws slash her sword arm, she freezes.
_________________
HP 23/32
Luck 6/8
Panache 3/4
Charmed Life 2/3
Buffs zip
"These things are really starting to annoy me!" Eugeni growls. He runs up until he can see into the house after seeing Zoli go stiff in place. Sighting yet another ghoul he launches an arrow at it.
Morythine is just as taken by surprise as Zoli, and his wide swings at the attacking ghoul fly pathetically wide.
Unable to help as Zoli gets attacked, Darius moves forward and prepares to launch a burning arc of fire at anything else that tries to ambush the group.
_______________________
Zoli tries to bring her blade up between herself and the ghoul but it's leap is faster than she'd counted on. As its claws slash her sword arm, she freezes.
"These things are really starting to annoy me!" Eugeni growls. He runs up until he can see into the house after seeing Zoli go stiff in place. Sighting yet another ghoul he launches an arrow at it.
Destrina rushes forward to defend the halfling, shouting "Ragathiel!". She rushes as far as she can to aid the halfling, but cannot get their in time in her heavy armor.
Morythine is just as taken by surprise as Zoli, and his wide swings at the attacking ghoul fly pathetically wide.
Unable to help as Zoli gets attacked, Darius moves forward and prepares to launch a burning arc of fire at anything else that tries to ambush the group.
The ghoul at the doorway sees its opportunity and unleashes a furious assault on the defenseless halfling. In its excitement, however, it fails to target exposed areas, and instead tries to bite and claw through her chain shirt. One of the thing's claws, however, does open a fresh wound on the girl.
Another of the ghouls burst through the window and strikes out at Morythine, but its claws get tangled up in the curtain, which it pulls down furiously.
A third comes lunging out over the top of Zoli. Morythine is able to deliver a strong punch to its ribs as it flies over head, but it lands and turns quickly. It bites into Zoli's arm viciously, and fresh blood drips down onto the dirt path.
Lettie runs off into the night, crying out in a terrified but desperate voice, "Horran! HORRAN WHERE ARE YOU!?!?"
__________
Zoli sweats in cold terror as undead monsters chew on her paralyzed body.
Unbidden, the halfling’s name blurts from Morythine’s lips as he sees her prone, paralyzed and in mortal danger, even as yet more ghouls explode out of the farmhouse.
Ignoring the curtain draped ghoul, the dhampir concentrates his attacks on the Zoli’s original attacker, grabbing its lank hair, yanking back its head and burying his fist into its face with an inarticulate cry.
"F!#@!" Eugeni swears as more of the undead appear. He reaches for a couple more arrows, feeling how empty his quiver is becoming. "Guys....arrows will be gone soon. Hang on, Zoli!"
Darius, spotting one of the ghouls, quickly pulls out a pinch of saltpeter as he begins to weave and speak the components for a spell. At the completion, he points with his rod and an arc of fire bursts forth, striking the first ghoul squarely in the face, before bouncing off and minorly burning the next ghoul, bouncing off and doing the same to the third ghoul.
(Failure)
(Takes full damage)
(Success)
(Takes only 6 damage)
(Success)
(Takes only 2 damage)
Zoli sweats in cold terror as undead monsters chew on her paralyzed body.
“Zoli!!!” Unbidden, the halfling’s name blurts from Morythine’s lips as he sees her prone, paralyzed and in mortal danger, even as yet more ghouls explode out of the farmhouse.
Ignoring the curtain draped ghoul, the dhampir concentrates his attacks on the Zoli’s original attacker, grabbing its lank hair, yanking back its head and burying his fist into its face with an inarticulate cry.
"F@#@!" Eugeni swears as more of the undead appear. He reaches for a couple more arrows, feeling how empty his quiver is becoming. "Guys....arrows will be gone soon. Hang on, Zoli!"
Destrina steps forward and lays a hand on Zoli, sending a wave of positive energy through her, healing her. She re-grips her hammer and readies herself to strike down the ghoul in front of her.
Darius, spotting one of the ghouls, quickly pulls out a pinch of saltpeter as he begins to weave and speak the components for a spell. At the completion, he points with his rod and an arc of fire bursts forth, striking the first ghoul squarely in the face, before bouncing off and minorly burning the next ghoul, bouncing off and doing the same to the third ghoul.
Suddenly, the overwhelming stench of death permeates the battlefield. Zoli can see from her position that the door on the back wall of the room opens and another of these things steps out. It calls out, "Fools! Bring it inside and away from its allies!"
Following the command, the creature at the door gives a grotesque grin and snatches Zoli up and drags her inside! Meanwhile, the ghoul half in and half out of the window continues lashing out at Morythine, but between his training and the advantageous position, he is easily able to avoid it's claws.
The one in the rear, now standing over Zoli's motionless form, calls out to the heroes outside, "Drop your weapons, or this Little One dies!"
__________
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Eugeni shouts, and then runs forward to the doorway. As he does so he grabs one of his last four arrows, and pulls the fletching to his cheek. "Leave her alone! You want to chew on something, chew on..." His words are cut off as the stench of rotting flesh hits the aasimar's sensitive nose. He rolfs up his lunch as he involuntarily releases his arrow into the floor. Noooooooooo. It's going to happen again. WHY!?!?! Seeing Zoli about to get her throat torn out, Eugeni tosses down his bow. Not like that's gonna stop me from killing you.
Bah!
|
Destrina moves around Eugeni and shouts, "Duck!" As the archer ducks, the paladin swings her hammer through the door, its head making a whistling sound. It crashes into the ghoul, smashing it into the wall, its body crumpling to the floor. The path clear, Destrina turns to Morythine and says "Morythine! Save the halfling!"