Smoog: the undead are creeping out of the temple entrance even as you approach it. A trio of zombies shuffles out toward the river's shore, within feet of your hiding spot. From this close you can see that the zombies are wearing acolyte outfits befitting minor church staff.
Sees and Thunk: When you crest the hill and look down, you see that Smoog's machine is doing its work. You can barely see the battle down below, though they certainly heard Gorlaug's Woe. What do you do?
When her party reaches the edge of the fog, Gorlaug's Wrath is brought to bear. The blast is aimed at the motion in the fog away from the flashes and bangs of the adventuring party.
There is a ground-shaking thump, like the drop of a massive stone hammer, the the fog is driven from the immediate vicinity to reveal the targets, who are buffeted by the force of the blast as a thousand tiny fists from all directions.
She intended to shout something inspiring, but the horns are taking all the breath Sees can muster. The images from her encounter with Pork still haunt her.
OOOO big thump! He says appreciatively to Sees.
The hammer gives Thunk a target and he charges Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. THUUUUMMMMP!
He leaps and lands in the middle of the foes and immediately spins whacking everyone,
for
"I'm a shaman, not a fighter, I'm a shaman not a fighter," Grick mutters to himself as he follows S-D over the top of the hill holding the skull of Azder the channeler in front of him like a weapon. Once he sees a couple of the undead his mind reaches out to Azder's spirit, oh mighty Azder, smite our foes who are naught but the minions of one of the long legs God murderer.
For some reason, Azder seems less cooperative today
Despite some reluctance from Azder, two bolts of purple lightning shoot out of the eye holes in the skull striking two different zombies in a flash of garish light. ZAPPPP!!!!
Fssst focuses for a moment on drawing fire into his hand for a weapon...
and the spike comes into being, smoldering in his fist. It's heat is banked, and the spike glows a dull red, as if it's hunger has recently been sated. The robed Immolator walks out onto the ice, striding towards the adventurers. In moments, he steps free of the concealing fog. Doing so, Fssst stops and waits to be seen by the long legs, ignoring the clamor of weapons and battle.
Pork dives into the rushing waters and slowly swims under the surface, swimming his way slowly to the zombies underneath. Once he reaches the other side of the river, he bursts out of the water and grabs the nearest zombie, with his jaws.
I spend 1 hold on Ambush strike.
Pork's attack is more severe, but not overtly magical.
Sees happens to be looking down when Thunk rears back, and...
-is able to kick a large stone out from where he was about to trip. This puts the two of them in a close cluster, but should keep Thunk out of a vulnerable position.
Flung tests his grip on his spear while wearing the gloves proffered by Thunk. Satisfied that he can still wield the spear effectively he waits to time his entrance into the temple.
As soon as the trio of zombies shuffle past him, he quickly darts into the temple entrance and quickly moves away from the door in search for cover to better asses the situation within.
Sees-Death's cacophonous blowing on the horn scatters some of the fog, increasing the general visibility for all the combatants. Shuffling corpses walking upright are gradually revealed in the disappearing fog, along with desperate humans and a thin-lipped elf woman that Sees recognized. Thunk is indiscriminate in his rampage, swinging his bone-club hither and yon. The militiamen are able to avoid his wild swinging by leaping backward, but a few zombies are clobbered. One of them is smacked right in the face by Thunk's wild swinging, sending his entire head flying into the river like a bad day on the golf course.
"Kobolds? Here?!" you hear the elf cleric shout in confusion.
"Jes' what we needed!" one of the humans shouts.
The dwarf fighter steps forward, into Thunk's spinning-death radius. He blocks the swing from the bone-club by bringing his shield up to bear at the last moment. The barbarian and the dwarf square off for a moment, all the zombies having been driven back by Thunk's whirlwind and Sees' potent sound-blasts. The dwarf narrows his eyes at you over his shield, studying you carefully, Thunk.
Lightning and flame are the harbingers of the rest of the kobolds, having made their presence known. Lightning from Grick's magic dusts two skeletons at once by chaining from one to the other, zapping them until only blackened bones remain in a useless heap. Through the fog, Fsst emerges, his weapon becoming visible first as it burns in the darkening dusk.
The fog is blown away by the breeze, though Smoog's machine continues to produce more, threatening to obscure the battlefield again in a few minutes' time. There's a momentary standoff between the three factions as they all stare each other down.
The tense moment is broken when a horrifying-looking koboldodile emerges from the waters of the river, biting down so hard on a zombie's skull that it caves in, crushing the brain inside. The zombie stops struggling and goes limp in the massive creature's jaws. More of the former temple acolytes are emerging from the river, nearly a dozen in all. Three of them are close enough to Pork that they attack him mindlessly, closing in around him to try and pull him apart limb from limb with their zombie strength!
"Hold!" you hear the elven cleric cry out in Common. The militiamen rally around her, and the fighter steps back a few steps, cautiously, still keeping his eyes on Thunk. The adventurers, seeing the kobolds engage the undead, are taking the time to catch their breath - letting their enemies fight each other just as you all thought to do.
Meanwhile, Flung seizes on the opportunity of sneaking past the most recent small wave of zombies coming out the temple door. Finding a rough alcove in the wall, he ducks inside just as a fresh group of six more skeletons, including two archers, round the corner toward the temple entrance.
There's something else with the undead. You narrow your eyes as you see it - a greenish, floating eyeball, hovering over the heads of the shambling horde. It's been following them from deeper within the temple. You can see, tethered to it exactly where the optic nerve would be normally, a small, ethereal green tether of magic, leading back into the temple. The eye, along with the fresh group of skeletons, passes by your hiding spot without seeing you. You see the eye situate itself above the temple door, watching the battle outside with interest...what do you do?
Why you in Thunk way? Thunk thump squish things!
Thunk quickly splatters the nearest zombie, hitting it in the head, which promptly goes flying off over the river and through the woods, bounces once and lands at grandmothers door.
for
The adventurers gasp collectively and back up a few steps, intimidated, when Thunk rolls max on nearly everything and completely annihilates that punk-ass zombie. The dwarf exclaims, his eyes wide, then they narrow again as he hefts his weapon and keeps himself positioned between Thunk and the humans and elf. You see some of the humans gripping their weapons with a tightness that could be ascribed to fear.
Thunk, you were speaking in Draconic, I assume, since you're not a kobold of many languages?
As soon as Flung disappears inside the Temple entrance, Smoog starts angling steam and fog into the doorway.
Hopefully this will further obscure Flung's infiltration and cause any undead who stumble out through it to be disoriented and easy prey for Hegh's sword and Porks toothy maw.
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Smoog listens for any ruckus from inside that would indicate Flung has been discovered, knowing that Flung himself will make no noise while wearing the green hush-hush gloves of muteness.
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If more undead than Hegh and Pork can handle or if the Necromancer himself comes out, Smoog will focus his steam into a scalding beam and start attacking.
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Come thump squish thing! It fun!
Pork's is covered in mud once more as he is shifted back into his normal state. He steps back with a snort as the undead swiftly close in on him. He suddenly throws out his hand and mumbles something under his breath..
*Your invocation commands something your diety represents
Smoog, you can't see what's coming out of the temple, but you can hear their shuffling, dragging footsteps and the creaking of their weaponry. There's more than a couple coming, and they're close. They're likely to discover you when they emerge from the fog any second, since your fog machine is emanating from where you are...what do you do?
Pork, you're effectively invisible to these half-dozen undead now unless you are issuing orders. They treat you as one of their own, ignoring you completely.
Smoog hears the sliding footsteps of more undead than he expected and now realizes Pork got turned around in the stream and followed the undead back over to the main battle.
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Now only Hegh and he are left on the temple side so he starts backpeddling away from the doorway and aims a stout stream of scalding death at those who emerge.
Hegh notices the magic eye, and his own eyes narrow in fury. He remembers this trick. After waiting for the most recent group of zombies to pass, Hegh walks out into full view of the eye. He makes brief eye contact with a grin, turns his head and unleashes ice into the backs of the latest group.
The two archers and a trailing acolyte freeze in place, but seem undisturbed by the sudden cold.
Hegh turns back to face the eye. He yells as loud as he can, I remember you, coward! You faced but a hatchling , yet still needed tricks to defeat me. I am hatchling no longer! I am bortaS! Face me coward, else all shall know your true heart!
*scoffs* Pork, I don't know dude! You're the one making pacts with evil goddesses of death and decay! I don't know how this shit all works! You tell me!
Pork is surprised when the undead surrounding him still for a moment He attempts to exert some control over them..
Be still. You may prove useful...
Smoog aims at the frozen 3 undead as Hegh turns to the Eye...
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spread between all 3.
The skeletons are frozen in place by Hegh's frostbreath, then try vainly to block Smoog's steam blast with their bony arms raised up over their faces. Both of you aim true, but the main body of skeletons were just out of your most effective range, so when your attacks briefly cease, they lower their arms again and begin struggling to free themselves of the ice. Wordlessly they begin to crack their frozen prisons over their feet, moving with mindless tenacity.
In the back, the two skele-archers are still able to fire without difficulty. They fire at you, Hegh! As you make to react, you see the greenish eye overhead focusing its iris on you, then Smoog.
On the river's shore, six of the dripping-wet undead that just emerged from the river are staring at Pork. Pork, you can feel a connection with the necromantic energy that empowers these creatures; a connection born of your heartbreak and suffering, that pit of hatred that formed in your heart when your Mire was murdered. The feeling of necromancy energy is completely unnatural and evil, and you feel a wave of nausea wash over you. The will of these creatures' master vies with your will as you give them a verbal command. Roll an Invocation to attempt to seize control over these thrall zombies. On a 10+, choose 4. On a 7-9, choose two. On a fail, only one.
They don't turn on you after following your command
Their master isn't aware of your theft of his undead property
They don't resist your orders
They aren't sluggish and reluctant in executing your orders
Hegh, you don't spot any from your first glance, but you haven't looked at the structure from all sides.
Hegh ignores the threat behind him, intent on his demonstration of power. Shieldbearer steps forward and raises his shield into the path of the arrows.
Hegh makes a series of incredibly obscene gestures at the eye, several involving the creative use of Felix's skull as a prop. Show yourself, coward!
This time he breathes ice at the eye.
*They don't turn on you after following your command
*They don't resist your orders
Come, protect me. We have much work to do..
Smoog backs up to the edge of his range with this crazy steam jet weaponry, and focuses the stream even further into a stout spear.
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at an archer
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Shouting over her shoulder, Sees addresses Dame Malduin in her best attempt at the sonorous Common tongue, "We may have a great many disagreements to address, should we both survive, but we have all seen too much loss in the passing days. For now, rally thy forces. These aberrations are an enemy to life itself- one we might remove from these lands if we take them in turns. If you would prefer, we can leave you to them."
To her own comrades she shouts, "Push the temple! We will make no progress without cutting off their source! Let the longstriders deal with the stragglers." and sounds Gorlaug's Woe twice to rally those of the party in need.
At the sound of Sees' horn, Hegh smiles at the frozen eye, channels his inner Thunk, and barrels through the temple entrance and any zombies in the way.
We sent him in on a mission and he is ripe for the picking, so to speak.
Grick charges towards the temple and seeing Pork seemingly surrounded by the undead calls again on Azder and his chained lightning sending the bolt flying at the zombies even as he hurries past on the way to the temple entrance.
Zapp!
Zapp!!
Grick shouts, "You're welcome Pork!" as he runs past.
Fine by me sir.
Thunk wades into the Zombies and proceeds to thump
Beard one! Thunk says he thump more than you!
for
Thunk promptly sends another zombie head chasing after the prior one.
He turns to Sees. Thunk choose thump.
Hegh, Shieldbearer helps to absorb the arrow that was aimed right for your head, but the other arrow punctures you in the shoulder and damages the way your armor fits on you. Take -1 Armor until you have downtime to repair it. Also, roll your damage to the Eye. Ice blasts the seeing spell, and after spinning around quickly to shake off the lingering icicles, the eye narrows at you, and recedes back into the defaced temple. Flung sees it flying past him, dripping some kind of green ectoplasm on the ground as it goes.
I'm not quite sure how Sees managed to aid Smoog from the river's shoreline, but somehow she rallies the Technomancer to aim true his steam gun. Fortunately, she's not close enough to any of the undead to be acted upon in retribution. One of the archers coming from inside the ruined temple is blasted apart. However Smoog has to move closer to get within effective range - unfortunately, the skeleton warrior in the lead - judging from the size of the cranium, a half-orc in life - breaks free of his icy confinement and lurches forward toward you and swings its mace at your head! What do you do Smoog?
Behind the lead skeleton, the others are gradually breaking the ice that roots their feet to the ground and shambling forward toward Hegh. The Chosen kobold quickly sizes up his opponents...
Three skeletons in tattered Acolytes robes, wearing maces. One of them's attacking Smoog, leaving two that are staring at you with empty eye sockets. One of the two original archers is still up and drawing back another arrow at you...the final skeleton hasn't acted yet, but it's staring down at the skeleton archer that Smoog blasted apart...
On the shoreline, Thunk and Grick have easily dispatched the remaining undead that aren't under Pork's command. The remaining zombies on the shore form a protective ring around their new master, but their movements are slow and reluctant - a lingering effect of the clashing of wills between Pork and the human necromancer that powered the magic within them. Grick wades into the water, moving toward the island - but unfortunately, doesn't see the legless torso zombie that was just under the river water's surface. It lunges at you and tries to bite, Grick - roll Defy Danger! If you fail, take 1d6 damage - and if you take damage after armor from the bite, roll Defy Danger Constitution.
Sees speaks well enough Common that the adventurers shift their incredulous stares from Thunk's antics to this new speaker. The only one that isn't gobsmacked of their group is the elven cleric, who clearly is used to adapting. She raises her holy symbol and blasts a corpse that was struggling to rise to its feet again, putting it to eternal rest. She calls out to the bard in clear, sonorous tones that ring out over the battlefield.
"A truce, then, kobolds, if you identify yourselves! What dragon do you serve? Are you minions of the Corruptor?"
Thunk wanders over to the dwarf
You like thump? He gestures to his two headless zombies
"Stay back, kobold! Don't come any nearer. Malduin says we're to have a truce and I want to hold to it!" the dwarf fighter, looking nervous and defensive, raises his shield and holds his warhammer at the ready as Thunk approaches him, gesturing with his weapon and speaking in monosyllable Draconic.
"I think it's being friendly, Sergeant," one of the human footmen offers in Common, cautiously.
"Why don't you let me do the thinking, genius?" the dwarf retorts, still looking Thunk over suspiciously.
Skeletons and zombies! Smoog was in for it now!
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Smoog weaves and wiggles around the lurching half-orc skeleton trying to evade the large iron mace...
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Once again the box of steam springs to life and explodes in a gout of white hot pain...
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