"You okay there Big John? " Arlen asks
Looking over the Wight, you can tell he had been undead for a couple of years at least, considering the state of his clothing.
The other bodies seem to be fresher, dead no longer than 1-2 days.
You suspect they are refugees from the takeover of Phaendar. You did track one set from the roadway to here after all.
Inside the sturdy wooden cabin, the ceiling has partially collapsed, and all the furniture beyond the wight’s favorite stool has been overturned.
Dust and cobwebs cover the interior of the cabin, and many of the obvious valuables that should be here are missing. Prominent are animal companion barding racks now empty.
A single boot of masterwork quality lies on the floor, it's mate nowhere to be found.
The furniture and personal belongings are broken and smashed, but mounted over the fireplace are Keloch’s longsword and longbow.
The Smokehouse
This simple wood-and-mud smokehouse was used to preserve food for the lean winter months.
You don't think anyone in your party can cast such a spell, but there might be an reclusive witch (or possibly wizard) by the name of Veld living deep in the Fangwood that could help.
Yaron casts detect magic as he enters the cabin, and calls out the sources of enchantment he finds.
"The longbow is magical, and there's something under the floorboards... And the boot, too, which is stronger."
"Never thought i would say we should keep a single boot just in case, but. . ."
He began with a shake of his head as he and Sebastion sniffed about the place, Sebastion literally.
"Look at the little footprints, I bet anything those mites were here at some point. Blasted things. I recall something about undead being able to drain a man, or woman's sorry Fae, life force. Sometimes it goes away after a good nights rest, but sometimes needs a bit of magic to fix up. I Bet Veld could perhaps help. You know that creepy old wizard living deep in the Fangwood.... assuming he isnt all a monster too."
He began miming the look of the undead wight swiping at them for a moment.
Sor grabs the boot. "Been some looting already. Probably the mites. This is nice, though. And, hey ...those floorboards, you're right." Sor works to pry it open.
"A shame this ghast got them first." Arlen says. He eyes the sword and the bow.
"These are well-crafted" he says of the weapons. "We should make use of both of them."
"Hmm..yeah. I guess we'll see how we're doing come morning. If any of us isn't able to shake it off, we'll have to go looking for Veld." she says with a slight shudder. "I know, everything I've heard about them is more than a little creepy" she says to Darry.
Yaron says, "I wouldn't mind holding on the bow, at least in the short term. We're better off using it than not, I'd think."
The spot on the floor is apparently the cover to a floor safe. There is a keyhole but no keys to it in the cabin as far as you can tell.
"Hm. Floor safe. Gimme a second here."
Sor brings some tools out of a pouch in his belt and begins fiddling with the safe, first checking for traps.
When Sor set to work, the lock resisted all of 12 seconds before tripping open.
Inside is a collection of:
A collection of 102 crowns, one gold sovereign, 30 silver pennies and 70 copper farthings.
Two potions of cure light wounds.
One masterwork waterproof quiver.
20 masterwork arrows.
Five +1 flaming arrows.
One masterwork grappling arrow.
Yaron looks at the boot for a moment then says, "This one's either a boot of striding or springing, but needs it's partner to work."
”If that boot is magic we want the second of the pair. Hey Darry! Have your dog sniff the boot and see if his can seek the other one out then.”
He looks around for some place it might be stashed.
He sees the Cavalier looking over the masterwork sword.
”That’s a nice sword Arlen. You might be able to get that enchanted someday. It was carried through some s+++ back when he was a Ranger, you know, back during the war. If you want it, take it. I’m still partial to this battered old gal.”
John says as he lifts his seasoned broad bladed sword out of the scabbard a little ways before re-sheathing it.
”Looks like we got some coin if we can find someplace to spend it.”
Arlen holds up the scabbard and reveals its false bottom. "Could hide a potion in there; right now it just holds a bit of whiskey we can share around the campfire tonight."
--
Arlen nods to John "Are you sure you don't want it?" Arlen asks. "I've still got the axe from before."
A scowl grows across Big John’s face.
”Heck yeah I want it!”
He says moving towards the man a bit.
”Are you kidding me right now?”
The mock anger gives way to a grin.
”Share the whiskey and you can keep the sword. Heh, at least as far as I am concerned.”
To taps the cavaliers shoulder with a ham sized fist in a playful matter.
”I don’t need the axe either, but it’s a good one. Someone will want it.”
He took the boot from big john and let Sebastion have a good whiff of it.
"Can you find its friend boy? can you? get it! get the other boot!"
He began mounting up and letting Sebastion try to track down the other boot.
Sebastion indicates he has the scent, and that it leads deeper into the forest.
"Bah hold up boy... need to wait for the others."
He muttered pulling the stalwart steed back to the others.
"Boot's trail leads deeper into the woods, Bet its those damn mites who got it."
"It's nightfall. We'd be better off sheltering here, getting everyone patched up and rested." Faereith says after a moment of consideration. "Our best course of action would be to shelter here for the night."
Yaron nods, "Shelter is good, and hopefully, we can deal with the preternatural weakness the dead-thing inflicted."
”Yeah, beats sleeping under the old carpet. The local critters probably know about the dangers that lived here and give it a wide berth. Hopefully we can have some peace before they figure out we just evicted the deadbeats that were (airquotes) living here.”
”Heh, deadbeats.”
John grows a bit more serious.
”I don’t know if we can make this a home base for long though. I think we will need to reclaim what we can then do something respectful for the dead and move on. Just my thoughts though, don’t know what you guys think?”
"I don't know much about the undead but isn't it sometimes contagious? The people struck by that thing, maybe they sleep in a separate room? We got any religious types that would know for sure?"
Arlen accepts the sword and gives Big John the whiskey.
"I would guess we are safe to stay here tonight... But we should move on in the morning. We cannot linger here. "
”Well this here should clear that right up.”
John lifts the whiskey flask to Sor before taking a nip of the woody fluid. Smacking his lips he nods his head in approval.
He holds the flask to Arlen so he can partake.
”Don’t I have to be killed by the undead to come back as one? I only feel mostly dead, not dead dead yet.”. He chuckles.
”I am guessing you know about that kind of stuff Faerieth?”
”Or the acolyte from the temple might know.”
He lay back against Sebastion as he ran a whetstone over his axe.
"What a day eh boy... what a day."
He murmered to himself as he watched the others.
Yaron shrugs, "I've no idea. You'd think there'd be some sort of disease or something if that were the case."
Arlen partakes of the flask from Big John and then passes it on.
"Shall we bed down and move on in the morning?" he asks
Resting in the smokehouse (the cabin stinking of undeath), the night passed uneventfully and you rest your full eight hours.
After the morning rituals, memorizations and breakfast;
Darry's trusty mount Sebastion followed the scent deep into the forest.
Eventually you end up crouched in the underbrush, looking into a clearing surrounded by ancient trees of tremendous height.
Several mites prowl about, a couple of them standing watch on the large rock overlooking a small burrow entrance that would appear to be their home.
What do you do?
Yaron whispers, "I guess we can't entangle the ones on the rock, but if we catch the rest, those two would be easy targets for archers."
"Keep quiet boy, dont want them to know we are here."
He 'whispered' to his loyal mount while he fussed with the reins and overlooked the charging paths. They were here for a boot.
Big John looked ridiculous as he tiptoed through the tuplips to assist with the attack.
Let’s smoke these little snots, get the boot and get to the wizards house. Yaron has me freaked out I’m gonna turn into a zombie or something. Time to loot and scoot.
Reaching his spot, the big man lifts his heavy crossbow and takes a bead on the mite closest to the entrance of the lair.
Sor watches the mites carefully as he moves silently forward.
With a nod of agreement, Faerieth begins to cast a spell, reaching out to every vine, plant and blade of grass to take hold of the mites, entangling the nasty little creatures to begin the attack.
Carefully lifting a leafy branch aside to see better, Darry pulled just a little too far and it broke off with a *SNAP* in his hand.
The Mites whirled around, but it was too late; Faerieth had already cast her spell and the grasses, vines and brush wrapped themselves around the writhing and kicking fey creatures.
Only one slipped free. Squeaking and shouting, it ran for the burrow entrance.
Round 1_________________________
Players take their turn in order of posting, enemies will go last.
Yaron pops out of cover and snaps a shot at the mite that managed to avoid the gripping vines.
for
Big John snatches the release lever of the Heavy Crossbow in an attempt to stop the mite from reaching the burrow entrance, but the bolt jumped the string sending the quarrel wide.
”Damn, jerked it.”
He muttered as he prepared to transition to a second weapon.
Moving closer shield up he skirted the edge of the entangle spell cursing at the luck of not having a way to reach the mites.
"blasted things are going to pay.... eventually"
He muttered to Sebastion.
Faerieth advances from out of the brush, drawing a dart and hurling it at the closest of the entangled mites.
Round 1 completed_________________________
Yaron pops out of cover and snaps a shot at the mite that managed to avoid the gripping vines.
Big John snatches the release lever of the Heavy Crossbow, but the bolt jumped the string sending the quarrel wide.
Moving closer shield up Darry skirted the edge of the entangle spell cursing at the luck of not having a way to reach the mites.
Faerieth advances from out of the brush, drawing a dart and hurling it at the closest of the entangled mites.
[npc] Arlen took aim and killed a mite standing on the rock.
[npc] Sor slid through the underbrush, then shooting dead the other mite standing on the rock.
Mite 25 tried to wiggle its way out of the entanglement.
But it twisted itself around so that it was quite helpless.
Round 2_________________________
Players take their turn in order of posting, enemies will go last.