[h]”Place looks abandoned. We could loot it right proper. Though...if she comes back she’d be right mad. I say play it safe. Take yer ring and the tail. Leave the rest to the person who owns it. This feels like a witch’s lock to keep trespassers away.”[/b]
If we have already found the items while searching for the rats tail, Oryn will keep them. If not, he won't waste time looting. Either way, Oryn leaves the area and heads in the direction of the dwarven ruins.
"C'mon Let's go. We got what we need. Bolkvar, would you please take the lead while we still have some daylight left?"
Kali once again secures the fox from Oryn with a nod of thanks.
Survival checks to find a good campsite?
”Glad that’s over with! Can’t say it’s what I expected, but all’s well that ends well. Hopefully the worst is behind us...”
You travel another couple hours before the fading light forces you to stop. Bolkvar is not able to find as nice of a campsite as before, but he does locate a small sheltered clearing amid the trees. Kali is able to easily settle the injured fox, who wakes up as you settle into camp. It seems still too weak to run off, though it's able to nibble at any food you offer it and allows you to tend its wounds.
As the light fades, a strange glow appears from deeper into the forest, then another, and three more within visual range. A quick examination reveals some sort of glowing fungus growing on some rocks. The fungus patches give off light like torches, and seem to feed the undergrowth, which grows more thickly in those areas.
You settle into your watch routine as like the night before. Oryn alternates between peering into the dark, the distant glow of the molds, and studying his new ring. One moment of watching how the firelight plays in the yellow topaz jewel and he finds himself briefly surrounded by a small whirlwind that somehow moves through the trees, passes over the sleeping forms of his friends (hovering over Kali especially), then fanning the flames and leaving behind a thick scent of lilacs.
Bolkvar's and Mathine's watch is completely uneventful, and Rao and Kali get an hour through theirs before Rao hears the sound of footsteps amid the trees to the north. Peering through the tree trunks, he sees first one, then a second small humanoid shape pass briefly through an area of mold light.
After his watch is over, Oryn will randomly take out one of the potions from his backpack and take a sip.
Whirlwind.
The tiny sip makes him feel warm and soothed.
The fourth potion he tries is different. It’s fizzy and he can’t help the small belch that comes from his sip. He’s certain that the potion might create air for the person who drinks it.
Rao's head turns towards the shapes that he saw moving, then to Mathine to see if she also saw them. He had taken a position leaning up against his pack near the fire, but was facing outwards. He thought it was supposed to be how one kept watch, but the day was tiring and walking around in a circle for a few hours was not something that he thought would be helpful. It was possible that he could have been imagining what he was seeing, but he was not that tired, was he?
A gesture of his hand and the expression on his face conveyed that he had no idea about what it was that he had seen.
Kali is on watch with him, not Mathine.
Kali spends time feeding the little fox and changing his dressing again. She then takes a moment to check up on the group, looking for signs of illness, poison, or injury. She watches Oryn treat everyone else's wounds, and then she treats his.
It's all Mathine can do to stay awake through her own watch, unaccustomed as she is to traipsing through woods. Walking along a well-trod road was one thing, cutting through barely-traversed forests another. But the short rest she'd had during Oryn's watch had washed away more bruises and aches than she'd thought possible. Forest air really is rejuvenating, it seems...but I think little pains would have kept me up more easily, she quip to herself, fighting the weight of her eyelids.
Kali and Rao see another small humanoid shape move between you and the glowing mold. It could be a third creature, or one of the first two moving back the other way. Whichever it may be, the shapes are moving closer.
"We should wake up the others." Kali said plainly. She then shook Bolkvar awake and put her hand over his mouth as she did. When he was conscious, she whispered "Something is coming this way. Get up, but be quiet about it."
With the quick shake Oryn awakens looking for his nearby spear and whispers
"What's happening? Are we under attack?"
Oryn looks around to see if any threats are close by
"Shhh. Maybe. Stay quiet and start getting ready."
Oryn dons his armor while searching for possible threats to the group.
Sounds of crackling branches and slowly trampled undergrowth drift from the north, and occasionally a shape moves between you and the glowing mold, always in silhouette. You can’t be certain if there are a dozen creatures or two or three moving haphazardly through the forest, only seen when backlit by the eerily-glowing fungus.
You manage to kick the rest of your party awake, though nothing comes at you from the trees...yet.
Once his armor has been donned, Oryn looks carefully at the shapes moving through the forest and takes a few steps towards them hoping to get a better look. His spear is set to brace against a charge.
Your enemy, whatever or whomever it is, is slow enough that you are all awake, on your feet, and armed when an arrow flies out of the darkness, thunking into a tree trunk inches from Rao’s face. The style of arrow looks very familiar.
Another arrow relies from the trees to the north, grazing Rao’s side.
Bolkvar is up, the “Other” and the rest of you. You cannot see the archer, or any other enemies at present.
The combat map is the second slide. The circles are areas of illumination. Anything outside the circles is darkness. Bolkvar is able to see movement near the centre of the map.
”Movement. Over there.” Bolkvar pointed. He couldn’t see the enemy, but he had an idea of where he might be. ”Looks like our ‘friend’ came back for another bite. Let’s see if we can kill the wanker this time around.”
The movement is getting closer now, two small humanoid figures, reptilian in nature, moving clumsily through the forest. Bolkvar can see them about twenty feet beyond the firelight.
Everybody else is up. There are trees which could provide cover against the archer, but not enough of them within the firelight. Feel free to move yourselves. Assume there’s a tree trunk at the centre of any green blob on the map.
Oryn readies an action to fire an Air blast at the first foe he sees.
Mathine stays within the circle of the firelight, cursing her weak eyes as she peers uselessly into the darkness. Soft prayers tumble from her lips, and her sword glows faintly as she stands tensed and ready to strike.
Rao gathers power, surrounding himself with a 20-foot radius cloud of glowing fire, which illuminates one of the creatures wandering the forest. Oryn immediately blasts it with an air gust, shredding much of its flesh. It doesn’t seem to notice.
Round 2
Another arrow flies through the air at Rao. Kali tries to deflect it with a blast of cold, but is way too late. Fortunately, the archer’s aim is poor and Rao was in no danger.
Bolkvar is up.
Bolkvar tried to focus on where the archer was and to make a spear of stone spring up from the ground. While he didn’t know what it was, he at least knew that it could bleed.
The archer is not visible, even with your dark vision. Would you rather target a creature you can see?
Bolkvar’s stone slams into Oryn’s target, and the small fleshy creature explodes in gore. It’s companion is unperturbed and stumbles into the firelight. Mathine can see that half it’s flesh is rotten and she slices her glowing sword into it, taking out a good chunk of putrid tissue.
A larger, four-legged shadow can be seen to the southeast, but it hasn’t yet come into the firelight.
Zombie(s) just went, so now everybody but Bolkvar and Mathine are up.
Kali targeted the creature that revealed itself to her with a blast of cold.
Oryn is confused and doesn't understand how his attack could be ignored so easily. He sees Bolkvar's attack slam into the creature and watched it explode.
Noticing the shadow of a four-legged creature on the other side of the campsite, Oryn says
"Hey Rao, make that flame again and maybe we can see what this shadow is about."
With a shout, Mathine swings once again at the putrid creature in front of her, attempting to send it back to its rest. The light of her sword flares slightly as her blade finds its purchase.
Kali’s blast sails wide of the target. As Rao gathers power, his fire illuminated the four-legged shadow: a large deer, typical of the region, save for its obvious state of decay. Rao flings fire at it, but the shock of seeing an undead deer throws off his aim, as it also does Oryn.
Round 3
The archer once again targets the source of light, this time sinking an arrow into Rao’s thigh.
With the extra light, Mathine is able to land a solid blow on the remaining bipedal zombie, utterly destroying it.
Everybody except Mathine is up. The deer zombie will advance on its turn if you don’t destroy it but it can’t attack yet.
Kali fires a stream of cold at the zombie, hoping to stop it in it's tracks.
Kali gets things off to a good start, freezing a good chunk of undead deer flank.
Oryn recalls a story told to him by his grandfather about a zombie attack on his village. The farmers tried to attack the evil things with pitchforks and had very little success. The creatures seemed to ignore the prongs sticking through them and kept moving to attack them. Most of the villages fled and hid in the forest while a group of knights from the castle dispatched them with sword and shield.
Concerned that his air blast and spear will not be effective attacks, Oryn contemplates what to do next.
"Gozreh, how can I capture the power of the storm?"
Recalling his newly acquired ring, Oryn decides the use it to attack the deer.
"About to try something new - not sure how this is going to work."
Oryn uses the power of the ring to create an alternate attack.
Oryn’s blast goes slightly wide, while Rao scores a hit, searing previously frozen flesh.
Bolkvar is left to go.
The dwarf adds his efforts to bring down zombie deer.
His efforts aren’t of much account.
Round 4
The archer fires another arrow at the flame wizard, missing so wildly, the arrow sticks into the undead deer...to no effect.
Mathine, then the deer if it survives her attack (AC 13, touch 9, 12 hp remaining), then everybody else.
Once again, the faint glow of Mathine's sword stands in sharp contrast to the darkness of the wood as she swings it heavily through the air. But her weariness begins to catch up with her, and the sword's momentum is unchecked until it strikes the ground next to the undead deer.
The deer goes up on its back hooves, bringing its front hooves down on the ground in front of Mathine.
Everybody else is up. There’s an undead deer on the southeast edge of your firelight, and an archer hidden in the darkness to the north who is either outside Bolkvar’s dark vision, or else very well hidden.