Starting with the bodies:
Most of the bodies lie pierced with tiny needles and shards of ice. All of the bodies, with the exception of the captain have been stripped of armor and weapons.
The temperatures inside the winter pocket are considered cold (approximately 30° F during the day, and 10° F at night). Every hour spent in the wintry conditions requires a Fortitude save (DC 15, +1 per previous check) to avoid taking 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. Those who have taken nonlethal damage from exposure suffer from hypothermia (treat as fatigued), and if this condition is not remedied, they also suffer from frostbite (Core Rulebook 442). If the PCs secure cold-weather outfits before leaving Heldren, they receive a +5 bonus on Fortitude saves against exposure to the weather while adventuring in the forest.
Additionally, within the edges of the Border Wood, 6 inches of snow cover the ground, reducing overland travel rates by half. During combat, entering a snow-covered square costs 2 squares of movement.
The ice statue-
The remains of the Taldan captain tasked with escorting Lady Argentea from Zimar back to Oppara stand here as a gruesome statue, his slain body mostly encased in ice. Unfortunately, the captain's body is no longer intact, as pieces of him now lie in blocks of slowly melting ice at his feet.
Upright Carriage-
The decorative chasings on this expensive carriage bear the marks of Taldan heraldry, as well as damage from the many arrows fired in the battle that took place here. A spear has been wedged between the handles of the carriage doors to hold them closed.
You hear muffled sounds coming from inside the carriage.
Roll init for the surprise round. The rest of the party can roll init for Round One.
You have one action.
As Seamus moves through a threat zone on his withdrawal one of the zombies takes an AOO
"Stand still!" screams Caan at the nearest zombie before charging it.
While Seamus is looking around the site, Paletress wanders the area searching for tracks to follow.
Hearing his exclamation about a possible live one, she tenses and pulls her falchion. The Mercenary did not speak of anyone else making it out of the fight alive.
Sparhawk grunts, having been staying with the horse on the cart and keeping watch for movement, cursing as the abominations emerge. "Get back!"
He shoots his crossbow at one of them, then throws it down and runs toward Seamus, drawing his bec de corbin as he does.
"This way, Seamus!" he shouts as he tries to cover his withdrawal with the polearm.
"Hey, I think I found some traaaaa..."
She sees Seamus struggling with his new entirely-too-clingy friend and goes wide eyed. Falchion in hand she rushes forward and swings at the nearest zombie.
A high pitched cackle escapes from her, and it turns into a half laugh half snarl mid swing.
"Hey, I think I found some traaaaa..."
She sees Seamus struggling with his new entirely-too-clingy friend and goes wide eyed. Falchion in hand she rushes forward and swings at the nearest zombie.
[dice=Falchion attack]1d20 + 3; 2d4 + 4
A high pitched cackle escapes from her, and it turns into a half laugh half snarl mid swing.
Autumn casts mage armor and moves up.
The zombies attack Caan and Paletress.
Paletress' laughter takes on a frenzied quality and jumps a whole octave at the impact of the zombie's slam. Her eyes go ice cold, and the rictus grin on her face takes on a strongly malevolent aspect.
She brings her falchion around for another swing...
Sparhawk moves in to try finishing it off.
After cleaving it in twain, Sparhawk sighs, "Best be on guard searching the rest of this."
While looting Lady Argentea's carriage, the bandits missed a small jewelry box under the seat, which can be found with a successful DC 15 Perception check. Lady Argentea's signet ring is still inside, as are a pair of earrings worth 25 gp, a set of pearl-inlaid bracelets worth 90 gp, assorted gold and silver necklaces worth a total of 75 gp, and one sapphire pendant worth 50 gp.
Al . Wrecked Carriage Rohkar's bandits already looted this overturned carriage. Two of Lady Argentea's handmaidens lie dead inside. Treasure: The broken chests and boxes strewn across the ground contain the handmaidens' spare clothing, including three courtier's outfits worth a total of 90 gp.
Caan groans as the last zombie drops. "Quite a blow! Ah, to have fought them in life. That would have been something."
As Caan dusts himself off, he casts 'Detect Magic' on the area.
"I'll be fine by tomorrow, thank you Seamus."
Sparhawk nods, "Burial, but a quick one. No use letting the captives die while we sit burying those already dead."
Paletress spends several moments recovering her composure while pulling her falchion from the side of the carriage, still pinning the upper portion of the zombie's torso. When her laughter finally dies away, she shakes herself momentarily and turns to Seamus.
"Seamus, might I suggest that the next time we find a roomed barred from our side with shuffling sounds inside, heh heh, that we mayhap call inside first to see if they are not things that had good reason to be locked away?"
She wipes zombiegook from her sword by drawing it across a dead horse while the others search around for treasure.
"Bloody ew. Now can we look after the tracks I found? Either Lady Argentea is as big as a rhinoceros, or she made the bandits work for every inch they dragged her."
Sparhawk makes a face at the idea but shrugs and nods, "Ground is probably too frozen to dig into now anyway. Let's get to it."
He helps arrange the bodies in the collapsed carriage and set the fire.
Paletress looks over the armor and weapons to determine what they might be. She will test any straps to see if they survived the prolonged freeze.
Caan shrugs, looking over the captain's things. "I suppose I could use the breastplate. No need though!" He grins, lifting up part of his robes showing some slightly rusted chainmail.
Caan is shocked when he hears that Paletress was injured too, making his way over. "For the end... For the end..." Chants the cleric, channeling energy with a small burst of light.
Paletress eyes the breastplate speculatively, while nodding thanks to Caan for his healing. "Though I could, heh, use the extra protection afforded by that armor, it would slow me even further than we are presently. Heh, I like to be mobile. From the looks of things, I'm the only one other than Caan who knows how to wear such, heh heh, bulky attire.
It would be up to you lot I suppose. Do you want me fast or better, heh, protected?"
Caan takes a moment to say a few words over the pyre.
"I don't normally do this. People rarely seek Groetus for comfort or reassurance, but perhaps more of them should.
When I could not bear to see the horrors of this world, he took away my sight. When I could not bear what I had already seen, he helped me forget and lose myself in him. Groetus, take away the pain and doubt and loss of those departed, and grant them (and all who pass!) a clean slate in the hereafter. For the end to come."
The half-orc looks up, relieved as though a great weight had been lifted. He smiles as he pops another sweet into his mouth.
"You found a trail? The hunt continues then!"
"Caan's armor is also burdensome, so as a party we will still be moving at the same speed. Heh heh, I suppose I can handle the breastplate if there are no other objections."
She nods over to the area just past where the captain-statue was. "The tracks are over there. Either it doubles as a naval dry-dock or the attackers, heh heh heh, carried something away that was REALLY wriggling."
As it enters the full expanse of the Border Wood, the trail passes through a small clearing among the taller trees before continuing uphill and out of sight. A large chest lies half- buried in the snow, apparently dropped or discarded by those who hastily passed this way.