Each of the party members dispatches their prey with a single strike, quickly putting and end to the battle. Father Emil rushes to the side of the wolf and heals its wounds, getting it back on its feet. Once it is up however, it doesn't differentiate between Emil and the mites and lashes out at him in anger, frustration and fear. It grabs a hold of his left thigh and digs its jaws in deep, shaking his leg back and forth and ripping open a huge nasty wound on his left leg. Despite ripping and shrredding Father Emil's wound, the wolf won't let go of his leg. When she rips open an artery, blood begins to quickly pump from his leg and all over the muzzle of the wolf. . The cubs bark and howl, running over to their injured family and unsure of what to do.
On the ground in between the mites is a sack that looks like it was recently dragged into the den. Looking inside of you find 50 feet of spider silk rope, a bag of caltrops, a healer’s kit, clothing dyes, three bolts of cotton cloth, eight sewing needles, a pair of scissors, four spools of thread, a shaving kitUE, two potions of pass without trace, a fancy dagger, and one strange looking boot.
Jillian steps over and touches Father Emil on the shoulder after seeing the wolf tear into him, but seeing he was still conscious and would be extremely upset if she just killed the animal, she let Erastil's blessing flow through her into Emil.
"If you can't calm the animal we will have to put it down."
Emil grimaces in pain at the wolf's attack but is able to keep himself composed enough step back from the reach of her fans and says, "Lions and Lambs abide," places his hands by his temples with fingers outstretched, and then brings his palms together with fingers pointing up. A magical mist spreads out 30 feet, which the wolf and cubs inhale. It contains soothing smells that each animal associates with peace and safety. "Easy there mama, you're all safe now," he says softly, hands free of weapons.
When Jillian heals his thigh wound, he lets out a sigh and says, "Bless you, child. That helps mightily."
The wolf is in no state of mind to resist the calming sensations emitted by Father Emil and the pups haven't developed that sort of willpower quite yet. The crazed look from the protective parent disappears as the animals tension melts and relaxes. The anxiety from the pups is replaced by confusion temporarily just before they decide it's playtime and they begin to jump and bite on each other, rolling around on the ground together.
Caspan stays away from the dangerous mongrel as it bites Emil, her nerves already rattled for some reason.
Dumb dog. That's what happens when you get too close. They're good for guarding, but not much else ... though I guess the little ones are cute.
He looks through the items on the ground.
"Ha! Dumb things have just one boot! Guess someone's missing its mate somewhere," he says, tossing the strange-looking footwear back over his shoulder.
”I think we’ve done a really good thing here. Let’s get the momma and her babies on their way, all safe and sound. Those pups are sooooooo cute, aren’t they? I’d love to have an animal of my own,” Wren swoons at those little cuties rolling around, frolicking in the woods. For a little while, she forgot the severity of their current situation and was just happy watching the wolves.
After they left, she helped the others search the mites for anything the group might be able to use to help the new community.
"That's a girl, everything's all right," Emil coos and relaxes as the wolf calms down. He activates his ability to speak to animals and says, "Rest now, I'll heal you up soon." To the pups he adds, "Stay close. Your mama will be better soon."
After seeing to it that none of the mites is clinging to life, he sends out healing energy, grateful for the healing it does to his leg as well.
He sees a little improvement and sends out another.
One more time.
This time the power of Erastil opens up and he feels his own wound heal completely.
"Let's find another place to camp, just to give her and her family some peace and quiet."
Emil then concentrates, puts his hand to his forehead, and says, "Erastil provides." A small cluster of lights that look like fireflies appears around his head for a moment and then fades as he remembers seeing some willow trees and says, "Let's see what we can manage to take the chill off'n us tonight."
Emil gathers a number of willow boughs, weaves them into ropes and locates a grove of young birch trees, climbs a tree until his weight bends it down and he ties the upper limbs another tree to keep it bent over. A few more times and he's fashioned a cozy little pavillion that will keep the chill of a group of people.
After constructing his pavilion, Emil's mood seems lighter, for the activity reminded him of his youth, when he would do the same thing just for the fun of being carried up and down by the flexible trees.
He glances at the sky and remembers he intended to use magic to forecast the weather, as he did regularly to manage his farm and warn the community about storms approaching. He then remembers that his forecasting sticks are at his farm. He shakes his head and looks around for Steff Moss, whom he knows is an accomplished wood carver.
He explains to Steff what he wishes for her to construct. He gathers some birch sticks of the appropriate length and explains that he requires some of the bark removed in rings to create divisions of the stick, and then various symbols carved into the intervals.
"I've got a little coin to pay you for your labor if ya like, but can ya carve this up for me? It'll mean I kin tell when it'll rain and when it'll be clear."
If the roll he made previous can be used for constructing shelter instead of foraging, he got a result of 25 which is boosted to 29 by the spell.
"I've got a little coin to pay you for your labor if ya like, but can ya carve this up for me? It'll mean I kin tell when it'll rain and when it'll be clear."
Steff seems taken aback when Father Emil offers to pay her for the labor. She reaches forward and places a hand on his shoulder and says softly, "We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you and the others. I'm happy to do my part and help out." She asks a few more questions on specifics of what he is looking for and then gets busy making it happen.
When Father Emil gets the finished sticks and sets off on casting his spell he gets the impression of periods of sun and a fresh breeze with mild temperatures. Towards the end of his reading he picks up on overcast skies and a slight dip in the temperature.
Meanwhile, Wren finishes searching in and around the wolf den and uncovers that the mites weren't carrying much on their bodies and that the majority of their treasure was in the sack. Each mite was carrying a dagger (x8) and 6 darts (x48).
While he sticks are being carved the rest of the survivors put in the remaining work required to finish with their herd, finalize shelters and take care of the food. The watch is established and everyone beds down for the night.
The group awakes during the third day in the woods with some minor aches and pains from the lack of a comfortable bed and controlled temperatures. While there are still a few complaints from the group, they are few and far between and the morale seems to still be high.
"Annon allen, Father Emil." Selde said quietly. A prayer to Erastil also on her mind. It was a small thing, what they had done, but a sorely needed bright spot in a forest of darkness.
I’d love to have an animal of my own,”
"We'll probably have a lot of opportunity..living in the forest..for me to help with, but only if you'd like..." Selde meant to offer to help Wren find an animal companion, but jumbles her words before quietly trailing off.
Selde put the finishing touches on the lean-to she'd been constructing. The branches in the area weren't as good for guiding away water, but it would do. Flipping her hood back up, Selde went in search of her brother.
"Um, Thael, I noticed you haven't been sleeping well in the shelters. So I made a lone shelter for you. It won't be as warm without other people, but it will be quieter." She said softly in Elvish.
At the end of their second day after fleeing Phaendar, the group manages to bring in three more sheep, though hunting and foraging are less successful than might be hoped and the refugees cut slightly into their stores a bit.
Thanks only to Thael, Selde and Father Emil's resourcefulness and magic , 24 people pass the evening in some comfort, but a handful still sleeps fitfully under the stars.
Caspan shrugs as they gather to discuss their direction for the day.
"What d'you have at your house?" he asks Father Emil. "'Cuz there may be people with axes to the north, and that'll help in case any more hobgobs find us."
|
Thael thanks Selde for the separate shelter. Though they were heading for a logging town, it was the sawing of logs all night that had kept him awake.
How can Aubrin snore that loud? Honestly! he wonders.
"Annon allen!" he says back to his sister in elven by way of thanks. Though the two had different elven grandfathers, they had learned some phrases even when they were young, and had occasionally spoken to each other. Thael admired everything elven, and enjoyed speaking in this refined language with his sister.
Later, as they are discussing their next destination, Thael finds himself in agreement with Caspan.
"I concur with your assessment," he says. We need to connect with more people. This logging camp could provide us with needed supplies. Further, they could be in real danger. We should warn them immediately."[/b]
Emil thanks Steff for craftsmanship and takes the stick to a clear bit of ground. He holds them loosely in his hands, closes his eyes, transfers them back and forth in his hands to randomize them and concentrates on the spell. He casts, which causes a small magical cyclone of light into which he tosses the sticks and the spell scrambles them as they fall. Emil studies the sticks for a full minute, noting the alignment of symbols and bars until the meaning crystallizes in his mind. He pronounces his report. "Weather's not gonna be a problem for a couple of days at least. Thank Erastil fer that." Before picking up the sticks, he calls Austin and Mia over and explains how the arrangement is interpreted.
In the morning, he again does his ritual of planting seeds and preparing his spells. When the day's route is discussed, he offers, "The parables of Erastil teach that we should never own anything we couldn't leave behind. If it's out o' our way, then it's not worth any delay to pick up a few blankets and tools. Let's push east. Did our scout return with any news from the home front?"
With the decision to head for Gristledown instead of the farm, the party sets off to the east. After about three hours of steady movement through the rough terrain, they pick up the smell of smoke and know that they are close to their destination at last!
Confusion and then panic sets in quickly however because as the party approaches Gristledown, they smell heavy, acrid smoke in the air. The leaves of the nearby trees are beginning to turn yellow. Most of the buildings of Gristledown have been either removed or are just smoldering wrecks, leaving only two charred walls of the longhouse with the bloody, flayed skins of a half-dozen former residents tacked to them as a warning to others who would stand against the Ironfang Legion. In the center of the camp are what appears to be hastily piled bodies which look like a mass grave, except that the earth is stained with blood.
As the party approaches, six bloody skeletons, still in bloodstained farmers apron, pull themselves out of the earth, and turn their hollow eye sockets on the party. As they move towards you, it's particular that their bones seemed to be covered in blood.
One of the skins on the wall pulls itself free and moves towards the party. This floating creature looks like a hollow skin. Its upper half is intact, but its lower half is in tatters.
These skeletons are especially dangerous breed known as bloody skeletons. A bloody skeleton is coated in a slick layer of blood and gore infused with negative energy. This gore allows the skeleton to reform and heal itself.
A shredskin is a wretched undead creature created either when a humanoid is skinned alive to be preserved as a trophy or otherwise killed in a terrifying way that leaves much of its upper half unharmed, such as being dissolved feet-first in acid. A fragment of the creature’s soul animates the skin and seeks vengeance on those who created it, all the while trying to find a comfortable body for it to use as it did when it was alive. A shredskin may attack on its own and try to squeeze the life out of a living humanoid to use it as a body, or it might control another undead such as a skeleton, zombie, or ghoul, covering it like a morbid costume. In either case, it abandons its borrowed body if it finds a better one or the old one is destroyed.
Selde has Nur put some distance between them and the undead. The skeletons were a horrifying enough foe, but the skin sent a shudder down Selde's spin. Little as she wanted to, she studied the horror's movements before loosing an arrow.
Selde's shot flies wide of her target, disappearing into the distance somewhere.
Thael's premonition of a horrendous battle could not be more fortuitous. The 'skin' bursts forward through the air with blinding speed and only stops when it finishes zipping forward and tries to take a bite out of Caspan's neck, but misses.
The skeletons ahead all follow in suit and burst forward towards the party, charging with their handaxes. Four skeletons burst ahead in a wall of a line and swing towards Jillian and Caspan with their axes which Caspan manages to avoid. Jillian however can't time her reflex properly and both axes find purchase in her midsection . The fifth charging skeleton breaks off and swings his axe towards Thael's head, but comes up short. The final two skeletons move quickly ahead and try to enclose the party in from the sides.
HP 21/21
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 19
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +0 (+2 resistance bonus to recover from a continuing effect)
Unbreakable Survivor 0/1
Martial Flexibility: 0/4
Effects:
"Get away from me!" Caspan grits out, punching the nearest skeleton right in its disgusting skull.
Caspan's first strike shatters the skull of the bloody skeleton in front of him and all of the rest of its bones collapse in a heap in front of him. His second strike smashes into the flying creature to his north east. When damaging the flying creature, it looks like Caspan's strike was split between the physical creature flying in front of him and the skin that was wrapped around it.
Wren shrieks in horror at the awful scene. At seeing the undead her voice raises yet another octave. ”Green Mother please guide our strikes to put head poor wretches out of their misery!”. She then moves 20’ to her immediate left, trying to keep from being boxed in.
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Selde starred in wonder at her brother's power for a moment before loosing another arrow at the flesh horror.
Emil has heard of the bloody skeletons, but the other flying skins are new and frightening to him.
Emil has his shield on and draws his blacksmith hammer, figuring it will be more effective on bone than his scythe. But while all of them are within range of his positive energy, he sends out a wave to try to damage the unholy blight.
As he draws his hammer, he moves to Caspan's flank to keep the dreadful things from hitting him from both sides.
Emil's burst injures all of the surrounding creatures slightly, though the skin seems to take more damage than the skeletons do.
Thael's blast of fire sends two more skeletons to the ground. In addition to knowing that the bloody skeletons are undead, he knows that they are resistant to channelling, immune to cold damage, are strong against everything but bludgeoning attacks and are deathless.
Selde's arrow strikes its target and injures both the skin creature as well as the body it is inhibiting.
S=6+4
"With no meat ta cut, yer best option is to beat these ... things with a stick or a rock!" Emil calls out, hefting his hammer for emphasis as he watches the former residents stagger or float toward him, barely keeping his last meal down.
Jillian obliterates the bloody skeleton before her, shattering dozens of bones as her greatsword cuts right through the center of the undead creature. After the skeleton drops, she steps 5' forward into its position, south of the other skeleton nearby.
With the casting of Wren's spell, the skeletons that are on the ground in this area that you are fighting begin to smolder. This is a sigh that they will not be getting up ever again.
The two remaining bloody skeletons slash at their targets with their handaxes, Father Emil and Jillian, but both party members prove too difficult to hit. The flying shredskin however both bites and scratches Caspan with the body of its host
Emil glances at Jillian as she cuts the skeleton in half. "That works too," he quips before directing a blow with his blacksmith's hammer at the skeleton in front of him.
"Rest now!" he says with sadness at the suffering that doubtless caused these abominations.
Father Emil's hammer shatters the skeleton's head and causes it to obey his request and take a permanent rest, crumbling to the ground.
HP 15/21
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 19
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +0 (+2 resistance bonus to recover from a continuing effect)
Unbreakable Survivor 0/1
Martial Flexibility: 0/4
Effects: Bless
"Creepy sheet! I warned you!" Caspan says, continuing to punch at the thing that just attacked him.
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Trying to replicate her trick with the mug of ale from several days earlier, Wren uses her mind to pick up an arm bone from one of the fallen skeletons, and toss it at the strange skinned creature with her mind.
Ranged attack
Damage
Selde guided Nur around the melee to attempt to get a clear shot of the skin horror.
Unfortunately attempting to keep clear of her allies caused her shot to go wide, sailing off in to the distance. The frustration of her shot faded as Wren magically tossing a skeleton arm through the air brought a small smile to Selde's face.
Both of Caspan's wild punches miss the creepy sheet unfortunately, as does Selde's shot. Wren's bloody skeleton femur bone however, flies through the air and smacks the skin's host upside the head.
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Jillian takes a swing at the remaining skeleton.
She smashes into this skeleton as well.
Caspan's first strike shatters the skull of the bloody skeleton in front of him and all of the rest of its bones collapse in a heap in front of him. His second strike smashes into the flying creature to his north east. When damaging the flying creature, it looks like Caspan's strike was split between the physical creature flying in front of him and the skin that was wrapped around it.
Jillian shreds the skeleton as easily as the last, shattering it and then quickly moving into flanking position with Caspan on the last remaining enemy. The skin tries to bite and scratch at Caspan twice with its claws, but only connects with one claw. It tries to reach out and grab the brawler and nearly succeeds just as Caspan pulls back in time.
Selde too hastily drew another arrow, failing to knock it properly. The arrow flopped to the side as she tried to loose it, causing her right cheek tinged with embarrassment. She prayed that no one had noticed.
Emil shivers at the sight but also feels his righteous anger rising. He draws positive energy into his hand and touches Caspan to heal his wounds.
Wow, that was a surprise, Wren thought, seeing her plan actually worked. She hadn’t expected to actually hit the creature! Emboldened by her aim, she tries yet again to strike it with another prime piece of skeletal remnants.
Ranged attack
Damage
With only one undead monstrosity remaining, Jillian takes advantage of her positioning with Caspan to strike at the bizarre floating half-man creature.
Both Wren and Jillian land solid hits on the creature, though it's difficult to determine how much of the damage is actually affecting the skin wrapped around the corpse it is using. It does appear that both are being injured from the attack.
HP 21/21
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 19
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +0 (+2 resistance bonus to recover from a continuing effect)
Unbreakable Survivor 0/1
Martial Flexibility: 0/4
Effects: Bless
"Thanks!" Caspan grates out as Father Emil heals his wounds almost as quickly as they appears.
"As for you!" he growls, turning to the skin, punching it twice more. The first blow doesn't even come close as the big man is still turning back from thanking the priest, but the second lands with a solid thump.
Caspan lands one punch and Thael manages to barely sneak in a hit with his sling, narrowly avoiding hitting Caspan in the back of the head in the process.
The skin retaliates and lays into the brawler with all three of its attacks, biting, scratching and clawing twowounds on Caspan (4+2=6 damage). The skin tries to desperately grab Caspan again, but once more the brawler appears to be too quickly and slips out from within its grasp.
HP 12 (or 15?)/21
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 16, CMD 20
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +0 (+2 resistance bonus to recover from a continuing effect)
Unbreakable Survivor 0/1
Martial Flexibility: 1/4
Effects: Bless; Dodge
"Gah! Get off'er me, you stupid thing!" Caspan growls. "You want to grab me? It ain't gonna be that easy!"
[i]Just like back in the alleys. Keep moving, don't let it hit you...[/o]
He seems to shift his feet, more ready to move out of the thing's way, and throws another punch.
Seeing the horror continue to tear into Caspan Jillian says a brief prayer to Erastil. Erastil please give me the strength to end this fiend and put this tormented community to peace. She swings her blade once more at the creature putting the force of her faith in the divine into the attack.