Letting the zombies to slowly follow behind, Lilianne pushes into the town. As your eyes become accustomed to the bright light, you notice it looks like a torch floating in the air and a daylight spell must be attached to it. Looking around you can see the undead have made the village into their home, as bodies, body parts, and blood was left after initial eating. No signs of life but more undead roam the dirt streets. Some stretch their arms out windows and such.
Getting to the center of town requires another challenge as soon six zombies surround and move into your proximity.
As you likely finish off the few zombies around you, you see the lights flicker as you hit the undead when you finish them off. There are other floating torches.
Thorn is puzzled at the torches floating around..
Signalling to the rest, he attempts to find a spot for a better vantage point, the higher the better.
Andrei looks at the torches, puzzled.
Thorn no such location really is within the village. Only one story and mostly one room buildings here. Most of the buildings are in major disrepair and some look like they may fall in upon themselves.
Nothing religious seems to be obvious about the torches. Sure a divine may have blessed the metal of the torch but there is no way to be sure.
The slow moving zombies finally reach you as others have blocked your route. They swing and you swing lots of misses but more of the horde slowly builds up behind those engaged with you.
In a slashing furry, Lilianne attempts to cut them down, but really, the cleric channeling would do the best here.
Thorn observes the zombies.
Were they reacting according to the light or independent of it.
He swings out to take down a few where he can.
Andrei takes his holy symbol in hand and waits for the right time to send out the channeled energy for maximum coverage.
Andrei easily weakens the group of undead, with a few well placed strokes the shambling horde is decimated. Others slowly approach but you have another few moments before you are threatened again.
The undead seem to just want to quench their hunger. It would seem the undead life force disrupts or is apart of the source fueling the torches magically.
The cleric holds his holy symbol for the next wave of undead to attack.
Lilianne doesn't like the looks of these torches. As the distant zombies close in, she pulls out her bow and fires a few arrows at each one. Perhaps as an effort to knock them off their standing, or to destroy them to see if it stops whatever this odd situation is.
Lilianne hits the metal torches but does not seem to harm them, also they don't move. They hang in the air about 15 feet up without supports.
The center building is the only multi room building and it has a porch. Along the banisters candles burn. No undead are there and you see the door open. Out walks a gaunt giant, he stays in the doorway and just looks at you.
Andrei holds his action until another wave of undead attack.
Thorn tries to see if he knew anything about this giant...
It continues to stare at the three of you.
Lilianne will notice this giant isn't a goblin, and so she goes back to focusing on killing the goblins and goblin dogs after her arrows didn't affect anything.
While still holding his action, Andrei gives the smallest wave 'hello' to the giant.
It's a stone giant.
The giant waves back in similar fashion as Andrie.
Lillianne does her best to cut down undead within range to excellent success.
Now with no immediate threats for a few rounds, save the stone giant who is not leaving the doorway,
Lilian we calls out, Are you responsible for these undead? What happened to the goblins that were once here?” she asks concerning the undead goblins they had fought off.
”Mission complete?”
Andrei cautiously walks over to the giant doorway and stands 10 feet from it.
"Greetîngş, şîr! My năme îz Ândreî Fîdecupe, ă clerîc of Câyden Câîleân. Ând theșe ăre my frîendş. Pleâşe wîll you țell uș your nâme?"
There are a few moving arms from within buildings nearby. There are no walking corpses in the street for the moment. Though with the nigh blinding light you can see a great distance and there are other walking corpses down the street, they won't get to you within a few rounds.
The giant shakes its head after Lillianne asks her questions and Andrei's too.
With the goblins dead, Lilianne looks to the torches and works to understand if the undead here are connected to them.
The giant is in the doorway of the building. You can see a torch at each intersection. The closest torches hover 40 feet from him.
Using spellcraft you don't identify the floating magical item.
"Are you the only living thing in this city? Also May we come in for a respite?" the fat man asks as he wondering about the mystery of this city.
Lilianne looks over this giant and moves closer. She aims to be within 30ft of this being. She places her stare upon him .
The giant shakes his head once more, closes the door after retreating into the building.
With nothing else to go on and the goblins no longer a threat, your mission is accomplished.
The warrior cleans off her blade on the grass and looks to her companions.
"A reclusive sort. I'm not sure if he's involved, but in any case, we should report back to Ethos that our mission is complete. There may be some lingering undead, but the goblin threat is gone. We might have a necromancer one now, but that's a trial for a future time. Let us head back."
Your group quickly and safely head out of town. Soon entering the forest again you begin to travel back to camp.
You return to camp without any problems avoiding all threats on your way back.
Without much opposing them, she will gather the group together and explain how they should do what they all can do in the meantime until Ethos contacts them all. At that time, perhaps some will find refuge in Absalom and beyond.
At some point, she will need to pull Andrei aside and explain to him that she needs to return to Taldan to speak with her father about the group. The Lions will also need to be informed about the behavior of this group making an establishment in the presence of dragons, undead, spiders, with an underground base, and security of the weather on all sides. Who knows Ethos' final plans? Perhaps it is for good? Perhaps it is for ill?
Ethos' eventual arrival (should it come) will also involve a detailed report of all they've experienced, the choices of Aukan to head into an unknown realm to fight dragons, the demise of the goblin clans, and the reports of this necromancer. The mission will be reported as complete and she will request some time off from further missions for travel home if possible. The matter of payment also would be required to be known at that point. What did they gain from all this but wounds and access to cursed and potentially cursed items?
At some point, she will need to pull Andrei aside and explain to him that she needs to return to Taldan to speak with her father about the group. The Lions will also need to be informed about the behavior of this group making an establishment in the presence of dragons, undead, spiders, with an underground base, and security of the weather on all sides. Who knows Ethos' final plans? Perhaps it is for good? Perhaps it is for ill?
Andrei acknowledges Lilianne need to return to Taldan, but assures her the cleric will go wherever his elf lover goes. Both Andrei and Lilianne go to face the future together.
Thorn nods and bids both the cleric and ranger farewell.
He for one would stay in this base and ensure that it remains secure. Of course one could get the feeling that the half elf would rather not run the risk of meeting his family and that because someone else calls this forest home that might play a part in his decision making.