The three shadows suddenly shift direction and drift in the direction of Unmei's magical noise. It is then you realize as the shapes once again cross the moonlight that they are actually shadows, there is little of substance to the three forms. As they approach the location of the false twig snapping they swirl around the area, searching for any sign of the disturbance that brought them forth.
Bhoors moves on the signal. Looking back with concern at the others and at the Shadows.
Dacknar slips away to the manor house. Just like when he boarded that ship crewed by haflings.
Rakdon, Bhoors and Dacknar all slip up to the east side of the manor house. After diverting the shadows Unmei, with Marquez still at her side, starts to follow not noticing an old flower pot sitting half buried in the ground. As she moves out her foot catches the pot shattering it. The crackling sound echoes in the darkness causing the shadows to immediately turn back toward Unmei's position and start rushing toward her.
Hearing the flower pot break, Dacknar spots the shadows coming right at Unmei. He sprints to get in between Unmei and the shadows.
Bhoors sees Dacknar move toward the shadows he looks to Marquez whispering, "This is gonna be fun to explain. If the watch turn up." He quietly moves to where he can support Dacknar and Unmei if violence breaks out.
Dacknar rushes over to block the shadows closing in on Unmei and Marquez. She calls on her faith for protection, while Marquez prepares to defend himself from the undead creatures. Standing hidden against the wall of the manor house, Rakdon and Bhoors seem to be unnoticed by the creatures for the moment.
Marquez looks over to Bhoors and winks. ”Not eef they don’t catch us.” The wizard then leaps in between Unmei and the shadow creatures drawing his sword and pointing it at the creatures. ”En garde!”
and 2 fire damage to an adjacent shadow.
Bhoors slips in behind the shadows and flanks with Marquez against one of the shadows.
The shadows close in around Marquez and Unmei. Placing himself between the chilling undead creatures and Unmei, Marquez deftly lashes out with his rapier imbuing it with additional energy as he strikes. The combination proves effective as the bladesinger's strikes pierces the shadow's eerie nothingness causing the darkness to swirl and flinch back from the blade as if it has actually struck a living creature.
Arriving moments later Rakdon swings his own blade to follow up the earlier strike, but the elf's blow misses, striking nothing but air.
The three creatures close around Marquez as his ghostly green blade of flame. Although nearly surrounded by the chill, cloying creatures, the half-elf ducks, dodges and spins away from the deadly tendrils of necrotic darkness seeking to drain away his life energy.
With the shadows focused on the bladesinger, Bhoors manages to sneak it and strike a blow of his own. Although the blade seems to encounter little resistance as it slides through the partially ethereal creature, it still does enough damage to cause the thing to suddenly slip apart into a bunch swirling tendrils of dark energy which then dissipate into nothingness.
and 2 fire damage to an adjacent shadow
Marquez continues his dance moving out of the shadow’s strikes just in the last spit second as if almost taunting them. It is quite impressive to watch.
The shadows let out no noise at all as they tangle with Marquez and Rakdon, which helps the fighting go unnoticed by anyone either beyond the wall or in the manor house.
Again the bladesingers rapier slices through shadow, but this time the blow seem much less effective as bits of shadow tear away but without destroying the creature as before. Rakdon's experiences the same effect as his hammer crashes through the shadowy form, but feels little resistance as the creature simply ignores much of the blow.
The first creature, resembling a large mastiff, swirls around Marquez, but is unable to breech his dancing, dodging defenses. The second shadow, more humaniod in appearance sends a tendril lashing out toward Rakdon and lands a blow on the warrior's uncovered wrist. Immediately his arm tingles with cold and death as the shadowy appendage sucks his life energy away.
Dacknar swings his great sword at a shadow
But seeing the shadows swirl around, Dacknar has a hard time getting his blade to connect.
Bhoors attacks again.
Dacknar's swing slips by the enemy while Unmei puts the blessing of Mask upon her companions.
Bhoors and Rakdon both land blows against the shadow creatures tearing away more shadow substance, but the creature's ethereal nature seems to limit much of the damage. In retaliation the creature attacking Marquez, momentarily engulf the bladesinger with its shadowy body, tendrils of necrotic energy bounce and search for a way through his defenses, which for a few moments hold against the sudden assault, but then one slips through just at the base of his neck. The necrotic energy pierces like a knife strike as the wizard cries out in pain.
The other shadow continues to lash out a Rakdon and it again breeches the warriors guard sending another surge of life draining necrotic energy running through his elven bones.
Swinging his sword to cleave a shadow into two.
Watching his blade just slide through the shadow, knowing that the hit would have taken a mans head clean off. Dacknar roars in frustration. His arms start to swell, his eyes gain a madden look about them, and his mouth forms into a snarl.
Bhoors takes a swipe at the shadow with one sword. He quips toward Marquez stay on your feet.
Rakdon, Marquez and Dacknar all feel their blades pass through the shadowy beings with no effect. Striking with his short sword, Bhoors has similar luck, but then feels a little give on his blade as the shadow creature feels the strike in some small way and pulls back for a moment and then focuses on this new threat.
Marquez easily dodges and ducks another attack from the shadow mastiff. The second creature, feeling the sting of Bhoors' blade, shift it's attention to the bard and lashes out with a shadowy arm that strikes the half-elf under the chin. As the blow lands true the bard feels the chill pain of his life energy being drained for those few moments before he's able to step away from the shadow creature's touch.
Swinging his sword again at the shadow.
Bhoors moves a few steps back and wipes some blood from his face wincing. He centers himself he seems to hum and light peaks from some of his wounds.
Unmei slips forward and jabs her dagger into one of the shadow creature engaged with Rakdon. Similar to her companion's blades hers does little damage other than draw the creatures attention to her.
Bhoors steps back and heals himself while once again Dacknar's blade is denied as his swing goes wide with the shadow slipping aside at the last minute.
But the half-orc's effort is not all for nothing as the creature avoids one blow only to leave itself directly in the path of another when Rakdon's hammer swings through the creatures midsection. Although the warrior doesn't feel the usual satisfaction that a blow like that would cause against a normal foe, he does see the creature shrink back and shiver from the hammer strike.
Marquez tries to deal a finishing blow to his own foe, but the creature once again eludes his blade.
The creature attacking Marquez continues to be unable to breech the bladesinger's defenses.
The second shadow creature, desperate to avoid Rakdon's hammer is drawn toward Mask's servant and lashes out with a nasty blow that wraps shadow jaws and teeth around the woman's neck. She let's out a brief scream as her skins turns white and her body goes void cold as the creature almost instantly drains her entire life reserves.
Swinging his sword again at the shadow.
Bhoors looks around, "We might have bit off more than we can swallow." He focuses his attention on Unemi. "Come on old girl . . . not today."
He looks toward the shadow, "You really need to lighten up."
Dacknar once again swings and misses unable to truly get his sights on the shadowy creatures in the dark of the garden. But his efforts seem to drive the creature directly into Rakdon's swing. His hammer once again connects with enough substance to harm the creature and this time it is enough to drive the undead conjuration from the material plan for good. The human-like shadow dissolves into nothingness after the warrior's blow disrupts whatever unlife was holding it together.
While the two warriors fight the remaining creature, Bhoors draws Unmei back from her unexpected journey to the spirit world. Still in danger as her eyes, flutter open, the woman staggers to her feet and moves away from the reach of the one remaining creature.
Moments later Marquez finally finds the mark with his blade and the mastiff shadow also shatters and fades into nothingness leaving the garden once again at peace and quiet with the exception of the parties own heavy breathing.
"If this is the porter. We don't want to tangle with the master of the house."
Bhoors moves back toward a hiding spot as suggested.
"Yes taking a breather would be nice. I need to check my sword, I swear it's bent."
All appears quiet outside of the manor as you stop to catch your breath and recover from your encounter with the deadly shadow guards. Lamplight still shines from some of the upper windows of the main house, but there is little else to be seen or heard at this moment.