A quick slash from Jon severs the magic that animates the zombie and it collapses to the floor.
Katigar and Ukufa cut into the remaining zombie, as Bhru comes trundling in, his armour spikes shredding flesh. Battered and torn, the zombie wavers, but does not fall.
The zombie goes for Bhru, but the doughty dwarf shakes off the clumsy attack.
Voronwe moves up and slashes at the undead.
Spinnaker Jon hustled over to a flanking position and slashed at the last walker.
for a possible slashing damage.
Seeing the remaining deader crowded by his companions and not wanting to clip a friend with his clumsy dagger slashes Kellan taps Katigar on the shoulder with the hopes that he can help guide her next strike.
With the last couple of blows, the zombie collapses into a rotted heap.
With the current excitement over, you are able to catch your breath and finish your survey of the room. The two doorways to the north lead to dank rooms, empty except for some moldering broken crates.
To the west lies a winding, partially flooded passage of mostly unworked stone.
Curious, Spinnaker Jon goes to the NE door and listens at it.
He nods.
"It's clear." He said, before opening the door.
Bhru follows Jon. He takes one of the small vials, which somehow managed not to shatter in the melee, pops the small stopper out and finishes it.
'Bleh, bitter liquid t'is is.'
The battered dwarf readies himself to open the door...
Katigar watches as Bhru slobbers down the liquid,
'No manners...'
She steadies her breath as blood trickles from her nose,
The gash above Katigar's brow begins to mend as she steels herself to move through the next door.
'I'm ready dwarf.'
Following the NE path, the party moves through the damp and slimy tunnels. You pass through a small, empty room before reaching a larger, pillared chamber with a vaulted ceiling. A pair of double doors to the SW lead back from where you came from and another set of double doors lie in the eastern wall.
Spinnaker Jon will ease on up to the eastern doors...
...listen at them,
then open them.
Deaders deaded, Ukufa moves forward to support Jon as he takes point due east;
Kellan watches as his companions sneak forward, he pauses in the door, waiting. His impulse is to train his bow on the door but he sticks with his dagger remaining quiet just inside the door.
Voronwe looks at his dagger, slightly astonished that it has struck anything.
As the Jon and Ukufa move forward quietly, he hangs back for fear of making a noise.
Pushing open the double doors, you find the corridor continues on a bit of a down slope, curving sightly out of sight. Another pair of double doors are set nearby on the southern wall of the corridor. The doors are slightly ajar, and you can hear a raspy voice coming from the darkened room beyond, though you can't quite make out what it is saying from where you are.
Spinnaker Jon quietly approached the double doors...
...stayed out of sight leaning against the wall next to them, and listened.
Kellan sees Jon move forward, and quietly moves to follow, pausing at the entrance to the hall as he sees Jon stop at the door. He too attempts to hear any noises/voices beyond.
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Jon creeps closer and manages to make what the voice is saying. It sounds like a sermon extolling the rapture of consuming flesh and how soon 'they' will rise from their prison to gorge themselves in the world above. It's pretty repetitious, and there is only ever the once voice speaking, punctuated by the occasional moan.
Jon holds up one finger to the others, then opens the door.
Bhru follows behind at a reasonable distance, awaiting instruction.
Voronwe lets the tough guys go first.
Pushing open the door reveals another undead wearing the rotting vestments of a cleric preaching to two other zombies, not that they know it.
It's eyes flare, "Come join us. Embrace the hunger."
Combat
19 Voronwe
18 Kellan
18 Bhru
9 Baddies
8 Ukufa
5 Jon
4 Katigar
The undead is Huecuva, the risen body of a priest who has blasphemed. The vile curse that animates them makes them particularly resistant, though silver and magic are able to damage them as normal.
Caught up in their success and not wanting to repeat his earlier mistake of hesitating, Kellan rushes the room on hearing the gravelly voice. He sees a zombie as he enters and pushes straight for the eastern zombie. On realizing he's among the first through the door in a room full of zombies he decides to make a brand attack from a defensive posture.
Voronwe gasps, "A huecuva, an undead, blasphemous priest! You need magic or silver to get through its tough skin."
Bhru delays.
Kellan burns one of the zombies before the creatures swarm him.
"Kellan's down! At 'em!" Shouted Spinnaker Jon as he rolled through the doorway.
He moved up and backflipped over the Huecava...
...let slip his silver dagger from it's wrist sheath into his hand, and stabbed at the undead priest.
for a possible slashing and silver damage.
Bhru charges in behind the brave, attempting to relieve some of the pressure on Kellan,
He roars as he feels his metal spikes make contact,
Seeing Kellan fall Katigar steps in behind him attempting to release him by means of zombie death,
Voronwe moves into the room and reaches out, between Bhru and Katigar, to heal Kellan with his final bit of arcane energy.
"Yeaaaallllulllughhh! Get it off!"
Ukufa moves up to the back of the grande melee, drawing her masterwork dagger as she goes
She then holds awaiting the opportunity to engage the enemy...
Bhru knocks the zombie back, tearing at it's flesh, but not dealing significant damage to the creature. Ukufa cuts away at the critter gnawing on Kellan, but it does not fall. Jon misses his strike, but the creature hisses at the sight of his blade. Kellan revived by Voronwe, struggles feebly in the zombies grasp, and fails to break free.
The creature tightens its grip on Kellan and continues to gnaw on his flesh.
The zombie struck by Bhru retaliates:
, but misses.
The Huecava swings at Jon:
, but its fear of the silver makes its swings go wide.
Waiving his shiny silver dagger about, he slashed at the undead priest again.
for a possible slashing and silver damage.
Bhru takes the opportunity to thank the Maidens before swinging at the same flesh heap he pushed back,
'By me mother's beard!'
Katigar comes in swinging and Ukufa darts from shadow to shadow, blade darting. Blows are exchanged, flesh is torn and Kellan bleeds out slowly on the floor. Zombie teeth grate against armor and filthy claws tear rents in cloth and skin alike. It's touch and go, but in the end the party stands victorious and silence descends upon you once more. Voronwe kneels beside Kellan and whispers a prayer.
Checking the bodies of the fallen, you find a gold holy symbol of Olidammara (50 gp).
After catching his breath and searching the fallen, Spinnaker Jon votes to keep exploring east.
Voronwe looks somberly over the scene, "My healing is spent and I have little magic left. We must be cautious."
At Jon's suggestion, Voronwe lets out a slow breath, "Is that east? You have a better sense of direction than me, my friend." He pauses for a few moments, "Yes, we must push on. There is no other escape."
Kellan blinks weakly as he sits up. Makes eye contact with Voronwe and whispers a heart felt "Thank you for saving me from my own stupidity..."
"I have some ability to heal left... I think I've learnt my lesson for today, I will bring up the rear and save energy for healing those more accustomed to hand to hand. Lead on Jon."
Leaving behind the fallen priest and his faithful, you press on down the corridor to the east. It slopes gently downward before opening up in to a larger chamber. A rippling pool of water reaches halfway into the room from a wall of stone and rubble. It seems that a wooden pier once extended into this pool, but all that remains now are several rotting wooden pilings protruding from the water. A man's body floats face down among them.
Spinnaker Jon allowed a Dancing Light to float up and ahead, lighting up as much as he could.
"A pier! Looks like there's boat traffic..." He started to say, before seeing the wall of stone and rubble. "Blast it." He swore.
Then seeing the body he stepped forward.
"Hello, who's this then?" He said.
Right at the water's edge, he looked down and raised his hand.
"Whoa, easy there. I see somethings moving around under the kelp here. Watch out you don't loose a toe!" He said, pointing to what he saw.
Bhru sits heavily and cleans himself of some gore as Jon surveys the area,
'Whatchy'a got there Jon..'
The dwarf gets to hit feet, and tries to yank the floating body out of the water.
Kellan can't see what Jon is pointing at but stays to the back, his brush with death earlier still fresh in his mind.
"Quite the collapse, wonder what brought it down. I doubt our friend here will tell us but can ye reel him in from shore Bhru?"
When Bhru moves towards the water's edge, a pair of dog-sized brown kelp crabs scuttle out of the water to defend their prize.
Combat?
17 Voronwe and Kellan
14 Bhru
9 Jon
2 Baddies and NPCs
Kellan's momentary caution is thrown to the wind the second he sees the crabs advancing on Bhru. He draws and fires his crossbow.
'I been cravin' crab!'