A thought...what about if we direct our attention towards the way they did not come from last night? It would be folly to come the same way two nights in a row, would it not? Again, I am no hunter...but just thinking out loud...
|
Ingrge nods to Jurgen and then ponders a bit over Kyra’s query. ”They’ve raided here several times; no way to be certain which way they came last night. We should probably have someone watching each way...whomever spots them first can alert the others. I’ll climb upon the roof of yonder house and watch to the north and west, towards the beach...”
Ingrge climbs up to the roof of the house to the upper right of the map, perch in the NE corner of the roof, and draw his bow. He’ll try to blend in as best he can and keep a sharp eye out for the approach of these mysterious raiders..,
Kyra will hide with Vallis, eager to learn something new.
The sun disappears from the sky, leaving the town lit only by moonlight. The night is still and quiet save for the towns namesake, the wind chimes sounding their eerie song. After perhaps an hour, Ingrge notices pale figures creeping into the marketplace. The leading form is nothing but bone and viscera, a skeleton with a long purple tongue of corrupt flesh. It points towards Adeah's perch, alerting the white-fleshed, red-eyed humanoids behind it to the gunslinger's presence, while its empty sockets appear focused on Jorgen.
24 Adeah
22 Jorgen
21 Vailis
20 Kyra
17 Blue
15 Igrge
14 Red
12 Coco
8 Yellow
Jorgen recognizes the two vampire spawn but finds his memory blanking on the skeletal horror. He does recall the common vampire weaknesses against silver and inability to enter residences uninvited. The bony hands of the lead undead clearly seem suited to smashing in doors and dragging victims out to where the vampires can reach them.
I can handle invisible...let's do it the priestess says excitedly. She then turns hewr attanetion back to the undead.
She then shoots a ray of blinding light at the chief undead.
Adeah blasts two shots into the closest spawn, causing it to collapse to the ground. The last shot blows the other spawn's head clean off! The bodies discorporate as they fall, clouds of mist beginning to creep away from the market.
24 Adeah
22 Jorgen
21 Vailis
20 Kyra
17 Blue
15 Igrge
14 Red (Damage: 31)
12 Coco
As the arrow punches into the purple flesh, the skeletal head swivels between Kyra and Adeah, before the undead monster strides to the southern building. With one easy motion it pulls itself to the roof, circling the gunslinger as its tongue-like extension wriggles in anticipation.
24 Adeah
22 Jorgen
21 Vailis
20 Kyra
17 Blue
15 Igrge
14 Red (Damage: 50)
12 Coco
The monstrosity remains standing!
Adeah steps off the rooftop away from the monster, allowing Ingrge's two arrows to punch clear through bone and guts, causing the horror to collapse into a putrefying mess.
|
"Such strange creatures... does any of you know what they are?" Vailis approaches to check Adeah is ok, then kneels in front of the bodies trying to find any hint on them.
"So, what do do next? Perhaps we can try to track the recent steps of the monsters? Take a boat and remount the river?" Vailis stands up and looks forward on what to do.
It looks familiar...maybe it's... Kyra tries to help Adeah figure out what it is.
The priest goes and tosses a bit of holy water on the fallen undead, to make sure they stay down for good. She then scans for any magical auras.
|
"It's strange to see undead working together but not unheard of. Vampires are dangerous but they have so many weaknesses they kind of need help from other creatures. For example they can't go into a house uninvited. That's probably what this big guy was here for."
"Ingre looks like he might have a trail. We should follow it while the tracks are still fresh."
|
|
Ingrge shrugs. "I have no idea what kinda undead these creatures are...but aye, I agree with Jurgen...we should follow the trail...no doubt they lead to another landing spot on the beach...
"Perhaps we should alert the magistrate and authorities before we leave here though...if they wake up to these corpses later and find us gone, there's liable to be a panic..."
Adeah recognizes the remains as a mohrg, an undead animated with the soul of a murderer bent on continuing their killing ways in death. Kyra detects magical auras on a satchel left behind by the discorporated vampire spawn.
Jorgen finds it takes a few moments to convince the magistrate of the safety before his opens the door with trepidation. The news of the undeads destruction leaves him overjoyed and cautiously optimistic.
Ingrge finds the tracks a challenge, but the knowledge of the boat landings helps when the tracks become faint. As the party draws closer to the lake shore, everyone can see a newly beached boat on the sandy bank by the moonlight.
Vailis detects no further magic along the beach, nor does his inspection turn up any clues. Ingrge looks over the boat and recognizes that it matches the local style, clearly being from the area. A brief search turns up more footprints in the sand, clearly matching the other tracks left by the undead.
Might be something in here... Ktra says as she plucks the satchel out of the pile of ooze and bones and opens it.
Two vials painted with a holy symbol of a sun sit in the pouch as the source of the magical auras.
|
|
"Let's see what those are" Vailis picks up the vials and detects magic on them trying to identify them.
"It seems we will have to take the boats and remount the river in search for their base" the half-elf asks Coco to fly up in the sky and have a better look in case he can see any hint that would help the group identify where to row.
Both of the vials contain cure serious wounds potions. Coco gazes around the lake and sees a multitude of small islands across its surface.
|
|
Ingrge shrugs. ”Searching the lake blindly, especially with so many small islands will take quite some time...if we find no clues here as to where they came from, perhaps we can ask the villagers if they’ve heard any rumors or noticed anything strange about any of these islands...”
He follows Coco’s example, trying to discern if any of the multitude of islands stands out in any significant way...
|
|
Jorgen considers what Ingre says.
"The vampires can't sleep out in the open. The sun would kill them.
They need some kind of shelter. We could ask the town's people if there are any ruins or houses out there. We could also just sail out there and see if we find anything. We should be able to see a big structure from a distance."
The islands vary in side from small bumps of earth rising above the lake surface to larger house sized platforms with a few scrub bushes to islands easily the size of the town itself. Little appears to distinguish one from another. The tracks go directly from the water along the drag marks of the boat to the town.
|
|
Ingrge ponders. "I'd prefer to talk with town folk first...that's a large lake and it could literally take us days to find anything that way...perhaps weeks...
"I noticed this boat the undead used to travel here is made in the local style...we can start by asking around town about it...who might own it or who might've built it...or perhaps who might be missing a boat...and then we can go from there..."
Makes perfect sense to me...villages it is. They might be able to open up a bit now that we have made the village safer...well, at least a bit, anyways. Kyra says after administering a blessing on the bones.
Returning to the magistrate's home, the door opens much more readily this time. It doesn't take long to explain the findings on the beach and explain what is needed.
"Simple enough! I shall accompany you around to speak with the fishers. Any boat that plies the lake is sure to be known by them."
|
|
"That is a really neat plan Ingre, let's try it out" comments Vailis before joining the magistrate.
Back at town the half-elf addresses the different fishers the magistrate proposes "We are looking for hints on who might own this boat, or where it might come from. Also, any rumors of ruins or lairs in the lake islands are most welcome"
Jorgen manages to convince a few of the fishermen to follow him out to the beach and look over the boat. "Aw yeah, that's Sarian's boat! He's one of them rangers, lives maybe a mile or so north of town. Sure hope them monsters didn't get him too!"
"Well it's right on the lakeshore, ya can't miss it. He lives out that way cause he don't like being in town. You know how them woodsy types are!"