Calendula charges in the direction Lullaby was last seen, barreling forth with her sword out until she slams into something or she runs out of breath
"Great."
Rudrik stands around waiting, figuring that she will escape to plague them later.
The pain in her ears finally subsides and Nime drops her hands to her sides. She looks about and doesn't even attempt to conceal the sadness she feels.
"Such a waste, Lullaby," she says as she takes in the two bodies on the ground. "Was it worth it?"
She moves to the nearest prone figure and touches him on the forehead.
Shenuska simply rolls her eyes, uninterested in pursuing.
"You're right Nime, a complete waste of time."
"Makes me regret using that disarming spell, really."
Calendula slams into something solid, her sword finding purchase in flesh. Lullaby cries out in pain as blood stains the grass red. Still, it doesn't seem like the wound is a fatal one. The bleeding abates--presumably, she has pressed her hands to the wound. After the initial cry, all is quiet. Calendula is unsure where the bandit has crept off to.
Neither of the fallen Roadkeepers is dead yet, and Nime is able to stabilize the pair.
Shenuska moves to examine the 'magic coin' and see whether Lullaby was lying or not.
"Leave her Calendula!" She calls, "She's not worth the effort."
The copper piece is not magical in the slightest.
Stripped of her breath, Calendula collapses against a tree and waits for the party to join her. When they do, she rights herself and speaks, "I apologize. It has been many years since I have laid my weapons on another human. I'd forgotten the chill of battle, forgotten how easy it is. I will not get carried away again."
"Killing beasts of the forest and monstrosities that shouldn't exist is one thing, but it seems so wrong to see men bear arms against one another like this," Nime says, clearly not happy with the situation. "Let's go. The sooner we accomplish our mission, the sooner we return to the village and ... "
She looks around at her friends, lingering on some perhaps longer then others.
"And do whatever else we wish to do."
Nime takes time to place her hands on her friends and pray for Shelyn's healing love on them.
"What should we do with these thugs? I suspect Audrani will want a word with them; perhaps we should tie them to a tree until we return?"
"I wouldn't waste the time or rope, but if you want." Shenuska clearly has no interest in the thugs, now that they are defeated and disarmed.
Leaving the thugs behind (whether tied up or not), you head into the Churlwood. Making your way through the footpaths and trails, you find yourselves following a network of trails that aren’t quite roads. After an hour or so, you stumble into a large clearing.
The borders of this clearing are unusual in that they are well- tended, clear of brush, and strewn with gravel to form a circular road of sorts. A single dead oak tree looms at the center of the clearing, and something silver sparkles from one of the lower branches—what appears to be an amulet hangs there. The mutilated bodies of three recently slain people wearing the armor of the town watch from Roderic’s Cove lie near the tree’s roots.
"Oh, my," Nime says taking in the scene. She steps slightly closer to the dead tree, but still keeping her distance from its branches. "If it killed them then it would be a most unusual tree."
She looks around at the others.
"Does anyone speak tree?" she asks.
"You've never stabbed a guy?" says Rudrik incredulously as he puts away his gladius. "Heck I stabbed my first guy before I was ten! He groped my sister, he had it comin'."
He looks down at the subdued thugs and says, "Given the state of affairs here in Rodric's Cove, I don't think anyone is gonna care about these guys or what happens to 'em, and there's not exactly anyone who is gonna sit on 'em if we did drag them back to town."
"I could read its thoughts if it has any. But no, I don't speak tree." Shenuska replies. "Is getting closer really a good idea?"
As Nime steps closer to the tree, a creature shambles forth from beneath its roots. This filthy, pallid figure lurches forward as if it were not entirely in control of its twitching limbs.
"Hello," Nime says. "You don't look well. Is there something we can do for you?"
"More undead? Really?"
As he complained, Theo set up another protective barrier around himself.
N response to Nime's question, the creature staggers at her and takes a big bite out of her jugular vein! It mutters and moans, blood dripping from its mouth.
It resists weapons that aren't slashing. A trailgaunt cannot cross a well-maintained road.
Unfazed by the creature's odd mutterings, Rudrik moves to try to reach a flanking position. His broad gladius slides easily out of the leather scabbard as he goes, waving the blade in a fast arc.
Nime puts her hand up to her neck to attempt to staunch the flow of blood as she stumbles back away from the creature.
"That wasn't what I had in mind," she says in a small voice.
With his magical defence in place, Theo moved in with his spear.
On the road, the cut and scarred veteran replies to Rudrik. "You misunderstand me, Rudrik. I am no stranger ta battle." She displays her scarred and calloused hand, and barely visible on the palm, the outline of a sword and shield is burnt in. The thickest and whitest scar on her hand is cut through the brand. "Have I showed you this one before, kid?" She coughs and covers her mouth with her sleeve.
"That there's a Oath Mark, pledging me as a citizen of Lastwall. The shield was burnt inta my hand when I was jus' five years old and the sword ten years later. That one means I pledge myself to die for my country, either by the orcs of Belkzen or the undead hordes of Tar Baphon. And then Iomedae called me to serve on the front lines, the battle for Good and Evil, to die at the Worldwound. Hard to ignore a call from God, I tell you hwat. So no, t'weren't my first time, Rudrik. I slayed legions o orcs and demon cultists, plunged my family's sword through the hearts of many a man. I been stabbing people since'n afore you were born. But I came here to get away from all that. Been near twenny years, and in all that time, I never needed to raise my weapon against someone with sense or thoughts in their heads."
She stares up at the sky as they walk, in silence for a time. "I was lamentin," she continues. "See, I enjoy killin more than a good person should, I figure. It makes me feel alive again. Lullaby wronged us and I wanted to bring her down, to see her pay. It was rash, and foolhardy, and I regret my actions. 'Tis not for me to decide who needs killin."
---
Calendula, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the creature, draws her sword and swings.
But her swing goes wide.
Circling the combat Shenuska draws upon her magic and channels a barrage of feeling and sensations. The cold of swimming the river, the pain of the sound burst, the anger at seeing her friend attacked. She launches them all in a wave to wash over the undead creature.
Will Save DC 16.
The undead creature does not seem fazed by Shenuska's color spray. Calendula and Theodric miss with their attacks, but Rudrik scores a good hit, slicing into the creature's back with his gladius.
The monster turns to face the half-orc, snapping and slashing at him. It manages to score a hit with a claw, cutting into Rudrik's arm and inflicting crippling pain in his legs.
Forcing through the creature's mutterings clawing at his mind, Theo kept up the pressure, aiming for its throat.
Nime looks down at her hand. "That's a lot of blood," she says, seemingly confused. She shakes her head in annoyance and steps forward to whisper to Calendula, her hand leaving a bloody hand-print on the woman's shoulder.
Nime's touch and the smell of warm blood set Calendula's own sick, slow blood boiling. With unnatural accuracy, she cuts into the creature.
Calendula slices the undead in half from shoulder to hip. The two bloodless pieces slough to the ground and it lies still.
The silver amulet hanging from the tree is a magical holy symbol of Desna. Each of the three guards' bodies still wears its chain shirt and carries a short sword, a light steel shield, and a shortbow with 10 arrows, along with a pouch of 5 gp.
Rudrik slowly puts his gladius back away as Calendula finishes off the strange undead.
"Wow. This thing got quite a few victims here."
"Those poor men," Nime says as she shuffles forward to say prayers over them. "We should lay them to rest on our way back."
Shenuska takes the amulet and examines it with a critical (and magical) eye.
Shenuska identifies the amulet as a mind sentinel medallion.
"This is the kind of item you want to protect yourselves from me." Shenuska says drily. "It will protect your against spells that effect your mind, and has some additional power to defend you if you are effected. But only once - if it has to use this second effect all its magic will be drained. Someone should wear it for now, but it might be worth selling later if we can, while there is still magic there."
"Why would I need to be protected from you?" Nime asks.
Pulling her linen vest from where it was tied to her spear, she summons water from the very air to soak it and attempts to wash some of the blood off herself.
"Unless, of course, you're secretly an assassin in disguise sent from Riddleport to murder me in my sleep," she adds. She tips her head. "If so, I won't bother cleaning the rest of this off because that would be futile."
She twists the vest to wring out the bloody water and then soaks it again and continues her ministrations. The Undine looks at Shenuska as if expecting her to confirm her theory.
The beautiful, violet-eyed human laughs, a pleasing sound. "No Nime. I'm not an assassin and Ieldana never went to Riddleport. Besides, you aren't asleep - so trying to kill you now would go against the assassin code!"
She tosses the amulet to Rurik. "Here. Try this on for size. Should help the next time we meet something scary."
Rudrik checks out the medallion and says, "What does it do?" He loops it over his neck and eyes it appreciatively. "Aside from being a nice piece of bling, that is!"
"Were you listening to anything I just said?" The psychic asks with a huff. "I'm not repeating myself just because you didn't pay attention!"
Nime nods at Shenuska's logical argument and continues cleaning herself. Once she's finished, she wrings out her top one final time and returns it to hanging from her spear.
"We still need to find the teamster and his wife," she says. "We should continue on."
"Uh, what? Sorry, busy waiting for this dumb tingling stabbing pain in my legs to go away."