I have to admit I'm surprised to see you so afraid of someone Zveris. Castell has an almost mocking tone to his voice when he speaks to the Troglodyte. At the very least, I don't see Margret coming back to the scene of the crime. Like, er, our friend over there said, He gestures to Edgar not coming up with his name at the moment. she's done what she wants with us, if she wanted more, she'd have done it already, and am I the only one who remembers how slowly those corpses were shambling? We can outpace them if we see them coming, and we know to expect them now.
I think it's fair to say we at the very least deserve a proper burial, and if we don't find the bodies, then we leave immediately. We simply don't get ourselves surrounded as we did last time. But we cannot just leave ourselves as rotting meat in the woods, we deserve better.
Seeing Fray turn away in a manner he has become all too familiar with We should talk privately at some point.
"Right, the first threat is unlikely to be there, and if she is, we run, the second threat isn't an issue so long as we tackle it intelegently, running and attacking as required, personally even a single piece of my body would be enough for me, magic can restore it to a complete body, and from there options are opened, but I'd prefer enough to prevent her from reanimating my corpse, can you imagine that, having to fight the rotting copy of your former selves, and ovbiously getting the whole thing woul be ideal"
"We should be afraid of the thing that killed all of us without batting an eye. And why are we unlikely to encounter the witch? Because it's a big swamp? Really? Is that the best you got? And what if you're wrong? What if, this time we don't wake up in new bodies? What if we don't wake up at all? And why wouldn't our bodies already be risen? I've been fighting the undead for years, and know more about them than most of you. So please tell me exactly when you acquired this expert knowledge of yours." Sarrissa rises to her feet and looks to Merek. "Merek, my love. If this is your course of action, then it is mine to, but I tell you now, this is suicide and we go to our deaths."
"that risk is there wherever we go, for the rest of our lives a caster of that tier of power could find us and kill us with the same degree of difficulty it takes you to make breakfast, and she's far from the only person alive who's that strong! but there is no point to living a life consumed by fear, I chose to live my life actively, if I die doing so then so be it, everybody dies eventually. I'm not one to waste time dithering about. I see a problem, I take action to fix that problem. and besides, you speak as though you're the only one to have fought a zombie before, healadj, my sword was made by angles to combat them and demons,"
"The witch had no trouble finding us before, though the though of your bodies rotting in some swamp must feel unsettling. For the record... I am extremely against this idea, but once again..." Fray spreads his wings out and motions to the bottles an vials hanging from his garments. "I seem to be the most well equipped for the job. In exchange for Sarrissa's continued help... I can recover your bodies...
I don't know if you're going to want to look at those bodies the way they are right now. The insects at the very least will have already gotten hold of them for food and laid eggs in them, not to mention decomposition. I recommend something to wrap them in. Castell sighs deeply. Pausing for a moment before continuing. If you would still be willing to retrieve the bodies Fray, I will go with you. Course, it'll be a bit more difficult to, er, "raise" ourselves should we try to. Would that even work? I don't know. But, I want to be able to say I have a marked grave, if nothing else.
"I just want to know exactly where they are, and makeing it more difficult for any wannabe necromancer from animating it, powerful magics could probably return the body to life, then we could have some psion switch us into the body."
”I just want a chance to put my body to rest. I can't stand the thought of that witch raising it and it attacking innocent people.”
"Clairvoyance is a spell more powerful than I am able to cast."
"Well, we're wasting daylight sitting here bickering. If we go now we can likely be back before it gets dark. This is my path, this is the way the winds are blowing for me. Stay here if you like, come if you want. I'm going to either destroy my body or give it a proper burial."
With that, Edgar grabs his pack, heads for the trap door and starts to climb down the ladder.
Agh, this idiot... Castell leaves to follow Edgar, actually glad on some level that someone is forcing the point.
"If Castell is going, I'm going too.
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All day bickering? It's been, what, 20 minutes? Merek thinks to himself.
Well, better not let that fool go on his own, he thinks as he grabs his bardiche and follows.
Merek says to himself, Who's the bigger fool, the fool who walks into death or the fool that follows?
Castell calls ahead You have my sword. If I can get it. Turning behind looking at those who have not chosen to leave yet What's it gonna be ladies? Cause we're heading out.
Fray perches at a window before leaping out and taking flight. He flies down to the base of the tree and waits for Edgar to climb down. "I'm more than capable enough to retrieve the bodies myself. I don't need you slowing me down or alerting the witch. I would appreciate help at the edge of the swamp though, if my activity does draw the attention of any nasties... and I shall require help transporting all of the bodies back. By the way...do you have a blanket of some sort? Touching rotting corpses isn't exactly my idea of a day in the park. "
Fray perches at a window before leaping out and taking flight. He flies down to the base of the tree and waits for Edgar to climb down. "I'm more than capable enough to retrieve the bodies myself. I don't need you slowing me down or alerting the witch. I would appreciate help at the edge of the swamp though, if my activity does draw the attention of any nasties... and I shall require help transporting all of the bodies back. By the way...do you have a blanket of some sort? Touching rotting corpses isn't exactly my idea of a day in the park. "
"What's your plan?" Edgar asks as he starts walking...
...towards Crossroads, and not the swamp, either out of habit, or due to being distracted.
"Are you going to carry them out one by one?"
Fray perches at a window before leaping out and taking flight. He flies down to the base of the tree and waits for Edgar to climb down. "I'm more than capable enough to retrieve the bodies myself. I don't need you slowing me down or alerting the witch. I would appreciate help at the edge of the swamp though, if my activity does draw the attention of any nasties... and I shall require help transporting all of the bodies back. By the way...do you have a blanket of some sort? Touching rotting corpses isn't exactly my idea of a day in the park. "...towards Crossroads, and not the swamp, either out of habit, or due to being distracted.
"Are you going to carry them out one by one?"
Hey, where ya going?! Castell calls from the treehouse to Edgar, having been reminded to grab some of the skins laying around for transporting the bodies. He decides to grab one for each body.
Someone's going to have to carry some of these. He starts to slowly make his way down from the trap door, having trouble keeping the skins in one hand, and climbing with the other.
"We are going to our death" she replies to Castell.
Where else would monsters be going she thinks to herself.
Zveris stays where he is for a while. He sighs and gets up, following everyone out after pulling the rope up and closing all the windows, etc.
"Why am I doing this? I don't have a body to go back for..."
He mumbles to himself.
At least it was daylight. Not that the swamp ever saw much daylight, but better than totally and completely pitch black.
"Ok. If we do this, we do it fast, and we do it quiet. I don't want her showing up just to turn me into something worse. We'll be lucky to find them at all, let alone all of them. So when I say we need to go, we go. Alright?"
He scans the group, looking for objections.
Hey, where ya going?! Castell calls from the treehouse to Edgar, having been reminded to grab some of the skins laying around for transporting the bodies. He decides to grab one for each body.
Someone's going to have to carry some of these. He starts to slowly make his way down from the trap door, having trouble keeping the skins in one hand, and climbing with the other.
"Oh... I... sorry, usually when I head out from Teacher's home, It's towards Crossroads. Habits die hard I guess. Toss me those hides, I'll carry them."
Zveris stays where he is for a while. He sighs and gets up, following everyone out after pulling the rope up and closing all the windows, etc...
He scans the group, looking for objections.
I don't recall us electing you as the leader, but if you plan on leaving at the sight of a pointed hat or boils, you're welcome to, I can't blame ya. If we don't find any bodies, then I'm fairly certain our plan was already to leave quickly.
"Oh... I... sorry, usually when I head out from Teacher's home, It's towards Crossroads. Habits die hard I guess. Toss me those hides, I'll carry them."
Castell hands the hides to Edgar. I appreciate the temporary home, but we aren't going to follow your pack logic.
"I will fly over the swamp to locate the bodies. It shouldn't take more than two or three trips at the most if I work fast." Fray says as he stretches out his wings.
"I'm not a leader. I don't expect to be. But I'm good at sensing danger, and you're the first people I've cared about in a long time."
He swings on his adapted armor coat, taking a moment to adjust his back spikes into it.
with frey's speed, assuming he does fly there, he gets there first. What he sees below is indeed the bodies, but also the witch herself sitting quietly among them, for whatever reason.
...aaaaaand turning around
Fray flies back to the edge of the swamp where the party is approaching.
"My sincerest apologies. The witch seems to have... taken a liking to your corpses..."
Why do I always have to be right? I hate it when I'm right. That's it, from now on I'm only going to think happy, positive thoughts. No more bad stuff, only good things Sarrissa thinks to herself. She turns to look at Merek and mouths "Now what?" as quietly as she can.
My sincerest apologies. The witch seems to have... taken a liking to your corpses..."
Hmmm, did she notice you?
Why do I always have to be right? I hate it when I'm right. That's it, from now on I'm only going to think happy, positive thoughts. No more bad stuff, only good things Sarrissa thinks to herself. She turns to look at Merek and mouths "Now what?" as quietly as she can.
Merek understands and sympathizes with Sarrissa's frustration. He doesn't bother to lower his own voice, but he doesn't speak loud enough to allow it to echo through the swamps.
We've allowed them to try to find their bodies. The is nothing we can do. We must leave these lands. We must say goodbye to our homes and venture into a new life. And we must stay away until we are strong enough to stop her - for no one here will grant us the opportunity to grow even if it means their own safety.
To do the most good, we must walk away.
With that, he offers his hand to his wife and turns to walk away from the swamps - towards their original destination: the Lizardfolk camps.
Why do I always have to be right? I hate it when I'm right. That's it, from now on I'm only going to think happy, positive thoughts. No more bad stuff, only good things Sarrissa thinks to herself. She turns to look at Merek and mouths "Now what?" as quietly as she can.Merek understands and sympathizes with Sarrissa's frustration. He doesn't bother to lower his own voice, but he doesn't speak loud enough to allow it to echo through the swamps.
We've allowed them to try to find their bodies. The is nothing we can do. We must leave these lands. We must say goodbye to our homes and venture into a new life. And we must stay away until we are strong enough to stop her - for no one here will grant us the opportunity to grow even if it means their own safety.
To do the most good, we must walk away.
With that, he offers his hand to his wife and turns to walk away from the swamps - towards their original destination: the Lizardfolk camps.
So you're going to give up too... Castell states under his breath.
Does anyone object to cremation?
He begins to make his way over to the bodies after getting an answer.
Give up? Give up what? A few pounds of flesh lying on a swamp floor?
Do not be so attached to your body, my friend, it's your spirit that the gods care about. And if the gods have deemed that we change our flesh to what we wear now, so be it.
Despite his words, Merek will not stop Castell from lighting the swamp afire.
Give up? Give up what? A few pounds of flesh lying on a swamp floor?
Do not be so attached to your body, my friend, it's your spirit that the gods care about. And if the gods have deemed that we change our flesh to what we wear now, so be it.
Despite his words, Merek will not stop Castell from lighting the swamp afire.
You disappoint me Merek. Cas manages to force himself to make eye contact for the first time in three days then asks What happened to conviction? I have a plan after all. I'll ask one more time, does anyone object to cremation?
With a tear in her eye, Sarrissa says "I do not object to cremation...but we should leave as soon and as quickly as we can. I do not wish to encounter the witch again so soon. Merek is right about our spirit. May the healing fire burn bright."
I'll ask one more time, does anyone object to cremation?
"None here, so long as you aren't placed at risk because of it. What are you planning?"
"we should probably run as soon as you start though"
Merek rounds on Castell.
Conviction? This was a fool's errand from the start, Castell, Merek says as he jabs a finger towards him.
You want conviction? Try praying a bit more. try coming to the church more often. Try devoting yourself to protecting everyone - anyone! - rather than earning an extra silver bit at the bar. Try...
Merek snaps his jaws shut with an audible clack once he realizes that he is being insulting.
He drops his hands and lowers his head.
He drops down to his knees and gets eye level with Castell, I Apologize, my friend. If burning the bodies is what you need to move on and heal, then burning bodies is what we must do. But we must do this intelligently. We must distract her or...
Merek pauses to think for a second. He recalls a certain incident from the previous day, where the witch cried out in pain. Smiling, he looks towards Fray.
Or we must enlist the help of a certain flying, bomb-throwing, fire loving, self-indulgent bird.
Merek rounds on Castell.
Conviction? This was a fool's errand from the start, Castell, Merek says as he jabs a finger towards him.
You want conviction? Try praying a bit more. try coming to the church more often. Try devoting yourself to protecting everyone - anyone! - rather than earning an extra silver bit at the bar. Try...
Merek snaps his jaws shut with an audible clack once he realizes that he is being insulting.
He drops his hands and lowers his head.
He drops down to his knees and gets eye level with Castell, I Apologize, my friend. If burning the bodies is what you need to move on and heal, then burning bodies is what we must do. But we must do this intelligently. We must distract her or...
Merek pauses to think for a second. He recalls a certain incident from the previous day, where the witch cried out in pain. Smiling, he looks towards Fray.
Or we must enlist the help of a certain flying, bomb-throwing, fire loving, self-indulgent bird.
There you go, now we're both thinking the same for once, seems strange that now of all times that would happen.
Of course he thinks I do nothing but waste my time. I guess I was wasting my breath too trying to tell him about the reasons why. Stop that, focus, this needs to be finished.
Fray, can your bombs do the trick? If not we'll go with plan B.
"I usually leave plan be to be the bomb, if for no other reason than the alliteration"
"I usually leave plan be to be the bomb, if for no other reason than the alliteration"
Fair enough. I can respect alliteration.
Merek rounds on Castell.
Conviction? This was a fool's errand from the start, Castell, Merek says as he jabs a finger towards him.
You want conviction? Try praying a bit more. try coming to the church more often. Try devoting yourself to protecting everyone - anyone! - rather than earning an extra silver bit at the bar. Try...
Merek snaps his jaws shut with an audible clack once he realizes that he is being insulting.
He drops his hands and lowers his head.
He drops down to his knees and gets eye level with Castell, I Apologize, my friend. If burning the bodies is what you need to move on and heal, then burning bodies is what we must do. But we must do this intelligently. We must distract her or...
Merek pauses to think for a second. He recalls a certain incident from the previous day, where the witch cried out in pain. Smiling, he looks towards Fray.
Or we must enlist the help of a certain flying, bomb-throwing, fire loving, self-indulgent bird.
Fray cracks a sly smile as he was already adjusting his bombs. "I'm on it." he states plainly. His wings fold out and a burst of wind kicks up dirt as he takes off towards the swamp.
The witch is still there, among the bodies, for whatever odd reason.
Fray flies high over the witch and the bodies, enough so that he can make an escape before the bombs actually land. As he reaches for a few bombs, he suddenly remembers the pain he suffered just before being reincarnated.
I shall have to make sure I am nowhere to be seen when these drop.
Fray circles around so that he's flying towards the group, with the witch along his path.
I know they said fire... but for good measure...
Fray removes a vial of acid from his pack,and prepares to drop it along with 3 bombs. Accounting for any wind resistance, he drops the bombs and acid a bit before the witch to account for his movement. As soon as the bombs are dropped he flies as quickly as he can towards the others.
The bombs strike around, setting the bodies on fire, and melting thier skin. The witch is caught in this, and snarls, looking up, before she squints her eyes and smiles a wicked smile, vanishing from sight entirely.
"While he's doing that, we should be either running or charging into battle, we stay here, we die,"
"While he's doing that, we should be either running...
Sarrissa doesn't wait for Chris to finish his sentence. She moves to snatch up Castell in one arm and turns to look at Merek. "We should go...now"