"Are we too late for anyone?" The Monk looks about for anyone living
"This wasn't a very well-thought-out ambush," Eostre comments.
"Is there a way we can keep these folks from succumbing to the ghoul fever while we investigate further?"
"Ambush hasn't happened yet, survivors strung up like this was to draw us in, the ghouls to make us think we'd already won. The whole setup is to make us lower our guard." Conner spits on the ground, getting some grit out of his mouth. "It's what I'd do. Group up, no one goes anywhere alone."
"No arguments there. I'm not letting any of you die on MY watch!" Eostre replies.
Nicat stays close to his friends, asking, "Which way do we go?"
"Neither of them should succumb to the fever in the very near future, not after the scrolls. They're safe, for now."
Evelyn looks back to where the party found Katarina. "Should we bring them with us? I don't feel like we should leave them behind. It may not be safe for them."
"Let's continue toward the building after we've retrieved Katarina?"
"Sounds good, Evelyn," Nicat says, his expression grimmer than usual as he wonders what other horrors they'll find.
"I agree with the both of you. Father Zantus may have the spell-power to cure it...or at least he'll be able to keep them alive long enough that they can tough it out."
Eostre grips her glaive in both hands.
"Let's finish dismantling this trap."
"Gods, I'm SO glad Connor didn't suggest just setting this field on fire. It'd flush the ghouls out and do some damage, but those folks'd burn like Paulinus and Ameiko's dad did. We're better than Tammerhawk and Tsuto, dammit!" she thinks to herself.
"Taking them with us poses some dangers, but leaving them behind with roaming ghouls and other threats might be worse so.." He starts to let them down, believing Evelyn has the right of it
Eostre holds her glaive in the crook of her arm as she tries to help Ekan untie the two women, though she has a harder time of it with her fat fingers.
With the two sickly women in tow, the party approaches the barn & farmhouse near the centre of the corn fields.
The farmhouse itself doesn't look too out of the ordinary--it's a simple two-story building with yellow paint that's peeling in several places along the outer walls, with a small set of wooden steps leading up to a covered porch. The building's windows are pitch dark. The barn is a red building that, curiously enough, has a 12 foot high stone statue's head serving as one of the supports. The statue's head is clearly of Thassilonian origin.
The reek of death and decay becomes overpowering the closer and closer the party get to the two buildings.
...
...there's something hiding in the barn. Several somethings.
Conner follows behind the group as they move towards the buildings, keeping his sword ready rather than help with the women.
As the party approaches the barn, Nicat raises a warning hand and says quietly, "There's something hiding in the barn! More than one thing...several somethings, I'd say."
Evelyn points at the stone head and whispers: "What the heck is that? Does it do anything?"
In response to Nicat's warning, Evelyn continues to whisper: "I have an idea, but let Eostre and me check that weird statue first."
Using detect magic from a distance, Evelyn scans the statue and the barn for signs of magic.
"It's definitely Thassilonian statuary, just like what we saw on Chopper's Isle and at Thistletop. As much as it offends my sensibilities as an archaeologist, I can't really fault these folks for using it for their barn. To people who aren't scholars like me, it's basically just a large rock."
When Evelyn mentions a plan, she nods.
"I've got an idea too, but I'd need a way to cast a couple of spells at the barn's entrance without attracting the attention of what's inside."
She lowers her voice.
"I've got a pit-making spell and a grease spell prepared. Put them together, and we could set a trap of our own for these things. It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel."
"Forget the barn, check the house. If it's safe they can hide there while we clear the ghouls."
Evelyn nods excitedly at Eostre's plan. "My idea was to send multiple waves of positive energy into the barn. If you cast your pit and grease, and we then throw the door wide open, I can channel energy into the barn and lure them out."
"Or we could do that," Evelyn responds to Conner. "Though I worry the undead may come out when we leave, and either follow us or wander off some place else."
She looks at Nicat and Ekan. "What do you think? We need to decide fast, or else we'll be spotted for sure..."
”I think Evelyn and Eostre’s plan sounds awesome!“ Nicat responds, doing his best to keep his volume down. ”And then I’ll fill them full of arrows when they’re down in the pit!“
"Exactly," Eostre replies to Nicat.
Ekan nods, and points to their wizard in oracle to show he agrees
Evelyn turns back to Eostre, and motions toward the barn's door. "Go ahead then, cast your spells. Maybe you can use your guisarme to throw the door wide open, when I'm ready to channel?"
"Glaive," Eostre corrects Evelyn before getting in place. "When I cast, you'll have to be ready to act quickly. Ekan? Conner? I want you to hang by me to keep the ghouls off me if they get an inkling of what's going on and try to rush me."
As the group prepares to investigate the barn & farmhouse, a harsh growl comes from the barn's darkened entrance. Three blue-skinned, emaciated & red-eyed humanoids emerge from the shadows, their skin writhing with maggots and the repulsive odour of carrion hanging from their slavering, fanged maws!
The cornfields behind the party begin to rustle as a breeze begins to blow through...
"Eostre, ធ្វើរណ្តៅ!" Evelyn yells.
"នៅលើវា!" Eostre replies.
She pulls a miniature shovel out of her spell component pouch and waves it around as she chants, causing her tattoos to glow along with runes on the shovel, which she then sticks in the ground, causing a pit to form under the feet of the nearest ghouls.
The ghouls shriek in surprise as the ground suddenly plummets from underneath them, and they tumble head over heels into Eostre's conjured pit!
They both land awkwardly with unpleasant-sounding *crunches*. They scramble to their feet and try to claw their way up...
...emphasis on 'try'. The earthen walls of the pit are smooth and finding purchase is all but impossible for them.
There's a *hiss* of fury as the third ghoul races forward, followed by three more ghouls emerging from inside the barn. The ghoul lunges at the armoured Conner!
The undead freak's jaws bite at his neck, but he manages to get his shield in the way just in time!
The breeze picks up from the cornfields--and it appears that these ghouls are not alone. The sound of slavering beasts & footsteps are coming from the cornfields, and converging on the farmhouse...
”With the way Desna favors us, all of these ghouls will wish they fell in that hole!“ Nicat cracks, taking a few steps away to get a clearer shot with his bow.
Evelyn pulls out her buckler as she joins Conner on the front line, making sure the ghouls won't be able to get to the women the party rescued.
Placing her free hand against her chest, Evelyn focuses and channels a burst of divine energy to harm all of the undead.
Seeing Evelyn moving towards the ghoul, Conner knows he has to finish it quickly. Dropping his shield a little, he brings his sword up and over the edge to stab down into the undead's torso.
The ghouls seem to be resistant to the channelled energy of Desna's grace--but even their innate resilience isn't enough to save one of them. One of the ghouls in the pit screams and melts into ashes--the others wince as the holes in their skin glow with holy light.
Conner puts the ghoul in front of him out of its misery with one strike.
"អេវលិន!អ្នកទទួលបានមួយ!" Eostre cries as she sees the embers flutter up from the pit.
Ekan tries a flury of blows with his Kama upon the ghouls that already look wounded by the holy light. Were these living beings he'd find it dishonorable, but in this case, with undeed as targets? Better to end their freakish misery.
Ekan's kama rakes across one's face, tearing a bloody hole through its cheek and exposing jawbone, but the ghoul is still standing nonetheless.
"ល្អណាស់! ឥឡូវសូមបញ្ចប់នូវអ្វីដែលនៅសល់!"
"មើលជំហានរបស់អ្នក! Watch your step!" Eostre says, both in Aklo and Common for the benefit of all members of the party, as she reaches into her component pouch, taking a fingerful of butter and flicking it towards the approaching ghouls. She recites her spell, creating a shiny, slippery coat over the grass.
One ghoul almost manages to keep its footing, but its buddy slips and knocks both of them flat on their backsides. One tries to scramble to its feet, leaving itself wide open for Ekan's attack...
...and the other pulls itself up, steps out of the grease, and bites at Evelyn!
It stumbles too far forward and the oracle is able to sidestep it with ease.
The other ghoul skirts between the grease puddle and the pit and bites at her as well.
Only to nearly trip over its greased-up friend and stagger forward.
The last ghoul tries to climb up...
...and its fingers peek over the edge of the pit. It's on the edge, and could easily fall off.
Ekan hammers away with a kama blow
That last blow from Ekan hacks the ghoul's head from its shoulders.
The smell of death surrounds the party, and starts getting stronger--it's coming from the farmhouse now!
As the last ghoul falls, Nicat sniffs the air and says, ”Yick! What is that? It’s coming from the farmhouse. I guess we should check it out...unless someone has a better idea?“
Just in case, he raises his bow and prepares to shoot at any more undead that appear. With his bow string creaking, he adds, ”Nice work on the pit, channel and grease plan, by the way, Sis and Evelyn!“
Noticing the smell coming from the farmhouse, Evelyn figures the current fight should be ended as soon as possible. She focuses, and another wave of positive energy envelops all undead within 30 feet.
Nicat keeps up his encouraging banter, while sending a volley of arrows at the ghouls!
"We need to get this under control, Eostre watch our north flank." He advances on the nearest ghoul and brings his sword down on it's shoulder.
Nicat's & Evelyn's efforts annihilate the last ghoul mere moments after Conner slices another ghoul asunder.
With the last ghoul, for now, gone, Ekan looks about for more movement, then says "So, do we head to the farmhouse slowly? I think we'll have company soon."[/B]
"Here! This ought to help!" Eostre says. She pulls a shaving of licorice root from her bag and crushes it in her hand as she chants another spell, before zapping Conner with a beam of emerald-green light. When it strikes him, he feels increased vigor flowing through his muscles, while things seem to have slowed around him to his eyes.