Ret-Con: Upon hearing the screech, Gitana found herself irrationally terrified beyond control. She fled as fast as her snowshoe clad feet could carry her.
Hedrak zapped his wand for added protection, and waited.
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Norde rushed forward and attacked, but the grey one was able to feign a simultaneous attack, then dodge out of the way of his blow.
The spellcaster's hands glowed, and it uttered a phrase that seemed similar to the one from before. A moment later and webs sprang up around the central party group. They were slower than the ones before, however, and didn't catch anyone. Then the enemy closed in from all sides.
Norde managed his distance to each foe well, avoiding almost all the blows from both sides, until the spider thudded into him, nightmarish fangs piercing between his mail.
Norde decided to take out the creepy spider first...
x3
... and then took a 5' step to the south.
The greyskin that had closed in on Zordt landed a nearly perfect blow to the skull.
Zed reeled back from the blow, gasping and creating space. He nearly lost his song as he stumbled out of the webs, haphazardly firing off arrows at the one that wounded him.
Gitana continued running in fear, struggling to regain control her actions.
Finally, she mastered her fear and stopped, ready to turn around to head back into the fight.
Hedrak steps ahead with arcane energy brimming from his weapon. He swings hard.
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Zordt and Hedrak both landed solid blows, but neither was quite able to drop their foe. Zordt's foe stepped forward, attempting to press him into a tree, then landing a heavy blow when Zordt tried to weave away. Norde was attacked on two sides, but once again managed his distance well and avoided most of the attacks directed at him. Hedrak deftly redirected his foe's strikes, only to be blindsided by a ball of freezing cold ice thrown by the enemy spellcaster.
Hedrak grunts his teeth against the pain and attacks again.
----------
Zordt once again stumbled away, nearly collapsing into the snow. He brought up his bow, and delivered a deadly accurate shot to his assailant.
Gitana runs as best she can in her snow shoes. After a few tentative strides, she falls into a rhythm and steadily speeds up. Only slightly out of breath, she gets back to the battle site, stopping just short of the webs. She looks around to see where she is needed most.
Norde took a swing at the enemy to his north...
x3
Zordt managed to fight off his foe, desperate shots eventually finding their mark. Elsewhere, however, the enemy proved too fast and tough for the others to land a solid blow on. You hated to think what might happen were foes such as these to come up against poorly armed, untrained villagers.
Hedrak missed an attack, then recovered too slowly, which left him open to a counterblow. He received a heavy blow to one of his arms. It still seemed to work well enough, for the moment. He managed to avoid the spellcaster's attack, this time. Norde also missed, and was struck several times in retalliation.
The spellcaster is casting snowball. That's also what it cast last round.
Zordt turned his attention to helping Norde, firing off one arrow into the snow then another one into the creatures throat.
Having spied the arrow stick out of the throat of the enemy to the north, Norde turned his attention to the one east of him...
x3
if that dropped him, then Norde moved East and got right up in the face of the spell caster. I will move Norde, as I suspect that did drop the bad guy.
Gitana was horrified to see her friends so battered and still facing so many enemies. She prayed fate would smile on their efforts once more. More than that, she moved up to Zordt and tapped him with the healing wand.
Without a moment's hesitation, Hedrak swinged again at his foe.
----------
The once-human in front of Hedrak continued fighting, not totally aware that you had vanquished nearly all of them. However, the half-orc was able to deflect its attacks. The spellcaster stepped back, trying to get some distance from Norde, but to no avail. It used its wings to brush snow into his face, creating an opening to resolve a spell. Norde, however, did not notice any ill effects.
It is casting Unshakable Chill.
Zordt had really started to getting used to aiming for the neck, as a few more deadly aimed arrows come out.
Unimpressed with the creature's efforts to get away, Norde pressed his attack on it...
x3
Zordt finished off the spellcaster, allowing Norde to focus on the last remaining fighter, who he quickly dispatched. No foes remained standing.
Having finished off the enemies the webs disappeared, freeing Will and his horse. Will was holding his hands up to his ears, crying, a pained look on his face.
The spellcaster looked somewhat familiar to both Hedrak and Zordt. Perhaps this was the one who had attacked you when you had spent the night with Rose.
One of the ordinary greyskins had a pack which contained a large purse filled with strangely minted gold and platinum coins.
"Damned bastards" - Hedrak spat at the corpses around them - "I wonder how many more we need to kill before they give up" - he added with a snarl, then turned to Will.
"No need to be afraid Will - we have put them down. Again"
Norde went to Will, "see, they die quickly enough. Have you been keeping a running count? Am I ahead of Hedrak you think?"
Gitana just approached Will and hugged him close until both their hearts began to beat more slowly. Finally she relaxed her hold and looked him in the eyes.
To everyone she said, "I'm sorry I ran. Something in the sound seemed to override my self-control and before I realized what was happening, I was way down the road."
She then approached Hedrak, covered in bloody wounds. "If I may, ..." she said and applied a healing hex.
Having done all the healing she could do for the day with hexes, she offered to apply healing from the wand to bring down the newest wounds.
"If we can locate another healing wand in town, we should try to buy it. At this rate, this will be used up before we get to Khel Zhed."
Zordt, breathing heavily, grinned through the blood. "Ha...ahah...got 'em." He wobbled a bit, then went over to Will. "Time for a break I think. Yeah, use up what you can on that, I'm totally spent." He grinned at Will and clapped him on the shoulders. "A warrior spirit! Even when one of us hardened fighters broke and ran - reasonably I may add, it was a scary situation - you had the heart of a lion and held your ground! Ah if only we all had your courage Will!"
Will seemed a little shaken, and didn't respond to Hedrak. The half-orc told him there was no reason to fear, but that had to be a lie. Will's parents had been murdered in front of him, could he ever be safe again? He at least seemed to hear what Norde had to say, though he didn't respond. Norde's question required him to remember what had happened over the past ten days, and he was having trouble thinking clearly at the moment.
Zordt had a better handle on the situation. He focused on the immediate surroundings, and his joke went over well. Will laughed for a moment, then stopped crying. He was still clutching his hands to his ears, however. Gitana thought he was doing a little better for the moment, but that he would have trouble if he didn't get some rest soon. Even if he did, he might not have much energy left to resist should he be...influenced.
"Can I have a pair of earplugs to wear, in case that happens again?" Will asked quietly.
After leaving the site of the battle, the group quickly made their way to the walls of Burkesville. There were tracks from a herd of reindeer grazing outside the walls, and numerous other signs of civilization as you approached. It wasn't hard to get into the town, unlike the small villages you had passed on the road, the people here didn't fear strange creatures that skulked in the woods.
Gitana promises Will they will find him some ear plugs.
She uses more charges from the wand just to ease the pain of the wounds and to make everyone more presentable before going into a town.
Will apply healing to worst off until all are near 4 which will heal with bedrest.
To Norde
To Hedrak
To Hedrak
To Norde
To Hedrak
To Hedrak
To Norde
To Hedrak
To Zordt
To Hedrak
To Norde
Hedrak still needs 4, Zordt 4, and Norde 0.
wand down to 10 charges left.
The town of Burkesville was large, certainly much larger and nicer than Gringham had been. Once, in the days when this land had been more heavily populated, many expensive things had been built here by the dwarves, and some still stood to this day. There was a solid, high stone wall, white washed and guarded at regular intervals. A huge, well paved road, set here and there with marble stepping stones and lined by concrete sidewalks, led straight through the center of town and back the way you had come, towards the river. As you walked into town, you passed first by the houses of people who worked out in the woods, hunters, farmers, and herders, then through a series of inns. Then there was the public bath house, a large and open building with several smoky chimneys. Then there were more houses, larger and more nicely built, interspersed with various shops and services one would expect to find in a town. In the center of town were a number of large temples, as well as the houses of the more well off families and the town's mayor.
You had arrived in town at about midday, so the bathhouse was relatively empty, though a few people still entered from time to time. There was a small wooden map outside which gave you a layout of the bathhouse. You would enter a small room filled with open cubbies in which you would leave your stuff. There was no way to guarantee that your belongings would not be stolen unless one of you waited with them. After that, you would go through a series of bathing rooms, the first full of cold water, the rest increasingly warm and steamy. After that, there was a small, open courtyard. In the summer perhaps you could play handball or other games, though you guessed few people were using the outdoor space now. That also meant the bathing rooms would be packed.
There were a number of taverns and inns, and it was difficult to choose one over another. Some were built in the dwarven style, low, of granite or marble. These had stone bars inside set with deep, bowl like indentations that would be filled with wine as the sun set. Others were wooden, with tables and chairs set and kitchens deep in the back where food would be prepared out of sight. Still others had dirt floors, large, open fires beside long wooden tables and high, intricately timbered ceilings. The pricing for rooms was fairly similar, a single silver per night per person for the cheaper ones, and a single gold per night per person for the nicer ones. Wherever you decided to stay, you could guess that it might be noisy and hard to sleep until late in the night.
The temple was not the largest one around, nor the nicest. It had a solid porch faced with slabs of marble, though here and there the stone was chipped away to reveal the concrete beneath. There were also a pair of small marble columns beside the front door. They were not particularly thick, and you could see that they had been assembled from small drums of marble rather than all hewn together as a single solid object. The front door was open, and led into a small open foyer where a thickly robed priest sat reading a book. "Can I help you?" He asked kindly, looking you over carefully.
Gitana's frown lines faded as the group entered the city. The stress of the journey had been building and she forced herself to exhale fully and inhale slowly to further relax. "Let's find a good inn. I think we can spend the gold to get a quality room with a secure door. We can clean up a little and then start checking for places that might buy what we have to sell and locate those which might be able to sell us things we need. I will try to find another wand of healing. I'll start at the temple. The only other things I might try to find are scrolls of useful offensive spells I could cast when my own prepared spells run low. But if you can get some better armor or something like a cloak of resistance for Will, that would be gold better spent."
Once settled, Gitana visited the temple to Saranrae. When the priest greeted her, she said, "Good fortune to you. I am Gitana and I am helping escort a young boy who is in need of an exorcism. If that is beyond your power, we would be happy to donate gold to your temple if you can provide us with a wand that can heal wounds. We are facing many enemies on the road to Khel Zhad and we need the grace of the goddess to survive."
"I will come with you Gitana. I know you can handle yourself, but pretty ladies attract attention in cities."
"I will stay here" - Hedrak grunted, plopped himself down heavily on a chair, and ordered some food and drink.
The private bath house was located near the center of town, where more of the wealthier families lived. The entrance seemed nicer, with solid marble columns and a tiled mosaic. A large man, solidly built and thickly wrapped in dark robes, barred the entrance. "Greetings. I regret to inform you that strangers are not welcome here, as this bathing house is reserved for the gentlemen of town." He folded his arms. "I can't let you in unless you have the approval of another member."
Perhaps you could meet a member at a bar and they could take you with them for their evening bath?
It took about an hour of searching around to find a good inn. Your rooms were located underground, beneath a dwarven style bar. There were spits of meat roasting on a fire, but they wouldn't be ready to eat until later. There were a few other patrons, who like you had been served leftover stew from the lunch meal, which had just ended.
The priest was kindly, and welcomed Gitana inside. "An exorcism? I hope the boy lives through it." He brought a flabby, bald man down to speak with her.
"Good afternoon, traveler. I hear you are in need of aid." After you showed him the letter Sister Benedicta had written to you, he agreed to help. "We have a few wands laying around. I will accept a donation in return for one." He provides you with further details.
"I have heard a story, secondhand, about grey children that skulk in the woods." The man smelled faintly of powder and sweat. It was warm inside the temple. "I've heard they tempt villagers with false coins, and seek to ensnare travelers on the road." He smiled faintly. "Have you heard anything about these...people?"
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Gitana did not bring Will with her to the temple, wanting to see for herself what services they might offer before exposing him to any poking or prodding by clerics. If they indicated they might be able to do something for him, she can fetch him later.
Gitana inspects the wands, and indicates she will donate enough to secure the wand with 50 charges at spell level 1. "We have enough to cover that, but I will return with the donation when I can travel with some of my companions for security. Thank you. I am able to do some minor healing but we have endured some ferocious attacks during our journey and a fear we may again when we move on."
"I have heard a story, secondhand, about grey children that skulk in the woods. I've heard they tempt villagers with false coins, and seek to ensnare travelers on the road. Have you heard anything about these...people?"
"We have encountered some who have grey skin and emaciated seeming forms, although they prove to be quite strong. They do not appear to be children, and they have simply attacked us, no false coins or attempts to lure us into danger. They travel in the company of large spiders and some have spells and a damaging shriek. They are imbued with terrible cold. Heat and fire are especially harmful to them. I believe they are part of an evil cult that originated in the mountains."
"Will, time to relax for a moment with some good food" - Hedrak nodded at the child - "I will order us some bread, cheese and boiled eggs. That will get your strength back up. And a light ale" - he added, looking around for a serving girl or boy.
"I will return with the donation when I can travel with some of my companions for security."
"Very well, return with your donation when you are ready. Shall you be staying in town long?" The priest frowned as Gitana's description did not match the one he had received. "Interesting, I wonder how I came to hear what I did." He tapped his fingers absentmindedly, thinking. "I hope you manage to reach Khel Zhad safely, the roads are treacherous this time of year." He made a holy sign with his hands.
----
Hedrak ordered, although there was no bread available, he had some old bread in his pack. When the food was brought out, Will's face soured. "Can't you order something a bit more...fresh?" He didn't seem like he would be willing to eat the food you'd given him without some convincing.
"Ok, so we will stick with the cheese and eggs to start with" - Hedrak nodded at the servant, accepting the food - "What else do you have today? We are hungry like wolves" - he added.
"What else do you have today? We are hungry like wolves" - he added.
"There's leftover stew from the lunch hour," said the serving boy, a short human who looked to be in his mid teens. "If you're looking for something special, we've got a few different types of fish we could prepare. And there's the Aktuq we've been saving, a dessert dish made from frothed fat, frozen raspberries, and clean white snow." He set your drink on the table in front of you, placing a glazed mug of warm water in front of Will.
The boy drank the water, but refused to eat the eggs or the cheese. It seemed that Will's indignance wasn't related to any issue with the food, which was perfectly good. The cheese was fragrant and delectable, the eggs just barely runny in the center. There was something about the way he had glanced nervously around the room after asking for something fresh that stuck in your mind, though you couldn't quite be sure what.
"Very well, return with your donation when you are ready. Shall you be staying in town long?" The priest frowned as Gitana's description did not match the one he had received. "Interesting, I wonder how I came to hear what I did." He tapped his fingers absentmindedly, thinking. "I hope you manage to reach Khel Zhad safely, the roads are treacherous this time of year." He made a holy sign with his hands.
Gitana agreed with the cleric about the roads. "There is one other way you might be able to help," she said. "I understand clerics and priests can cast a spell that makes it harder for evil ones to do harm to those protected by it. Might you be able to provide the same benefit in a potion? We could increase our donation if such were available."
Gitana took her leave, puzzled by the rumor the cleric asked about. She decided that she would spend some time talking to locals about the question of strange creatures at the outskirts if she had time. She returned to the inn with Norde to share the news about the availability of the wand .
When she learned about Will's recalcitrance regarding food, she talked with him, trying to find out what was bothering him.
"We can see if we can find other food when we go out to sell some of the items we have gathered after our fights. What would you like?"
"I understand clerics and priests can cast a spell that makes it harder for evil ones to do harm to those protected by it. Might you be able to provide the same benefit in a potion? We could increase our donation if such were available."
"Yes, we have such potions, or we can make them at your request."
She decided that she would spend some time talking to locals about the question of strange creatures at the outskirts if she had time.
Gitana took some time to ask around, hearing a variety of tales about the strange grey creatures. The story the priest had told her was oft repeated, as was another version in which there were no grey men at all, only horrifically large spiders whose legs stretched from tree to tree. In another version, the grey men were the ghosts of those who had fallen into the river during the winter months, returning to drag the living to a watery grave. Still another tale circulated in which there were no monstrous creatures in the woods, only villagers wearing ash on their faces completing some kind of strange ritual. It was clear that few, if any, in Burkesville had actually encountered the Greyskins, and that the rumors being repeated were not based on actual fact.
By the time Gitana and Norde returned it was nearly full dark, and the inn was becoming packed. The spits of meat that had been roasting earlier were cut into, and the counter was filled with wine. The crowd was mainly dwarves, who ate and drank heartily before beginning a deep song of earlier days.
Will had been stubborn. Gitana couldn't be sure, but there was something in the way his eyes glinted and the way he was ashamed that convinced her there was something evil at play, though the boy assured her that he was acting normal.
"We can see if we can find other food when we go out to sell some of the items we have gathered after our fights. What would you like?"
"Could you get me a fresh animal, a rabbit or man or deer, and bring it to me in our room, uncooked?" He glanced quickly around the room, then up at Gitana with his small, glassy eyes. "It doesn't have to be the whole animal, a piece will do."
"There's leftover stew from the lunch hour," said the serving boy, a short human who looked to be in his mid teens. "If you're looking for something special, we've got a few different types of fish we could prepare. And there's the Aktuq we've been saving, a dessert dish made from frothed fat, frozen raspberries, and clean white snow." He set your drink on the table in front of you, placing a glazed mug of warm water in front of Will.
"The leftover stew will do" - Hedrak nodded back at the boy, then turned his attention to Will - "This food seems fresh enough - what do you mean exactly?"
"This food seems fresh enough - what do you mean exactly?"
"Just something that's not so..." the boy shrugged, glancing around the room. No one seemed to be listening. "...cooked."
Hedrak paused and stared at Will for a few more seconds, studying him carefully - "Certainly you are not talking about raw food child?"