Arg! Doc, stand still. Sorry... I guess that's not reasonable.
Zindarel sprints out to the left to get better shots out from behind the good Doc before dropping another bullet in and firing at the next approaching zombie.
Booker raises his scattergun and takes a shot at the enemy at the back
Then he takes a swing and tries to push away Zombie that stays in front of him as he reloads his rifle
Then he takes another shot at the
"Well, this is too close for comfort." Doc remarks dryly as she shoots Yellow point blank in the face. She follows that up with two reloading strikes, first stabbing at yellow with the bayonet and reloading Problem, then swinging Solution's reinforced stock at it and reloading in one smooth motion.
And that didn't go like I planned.
Zindarel moves to get some better targeting, and fires a shot at the smallest zombie. In an act of what must have been mercy, she lays it out flat dead with a hole in its head.
Booker tries to fight off the corpulent and disease ridden former Madam, but inadvertently discovers the pustules on the other greenish tinged zombie explode when hit with pellets. Sickening bright green fluids splash out on both Booker and Doc making them almost feel sick to their stomachs. He tries to push the zombie away but the partially limp figure proves impossible to shove correctly and stays in place. Another shot at the big zombie releases more stinking fluids from the green one.
Doc takes out the putrefying zombie with a single headshot that lays it out flat, preventing if from decaying flesh further. The next two attacks versus the pustule covered one prove to be futile attempts at hitting the disgusting enemy.
Zakzak also moves away from the enemies and then fires a shot at the green zombie. One of the knivees digs into the head of the zombie, spraying shards of metal and pus and other fluids all over Doc and Booker.
With their numbers rapidly dwindling, the final two zombies, the former Madam Scothwel and her daughter close in on the group and take swings at the two people standing in front of them.
++++++++++++++++
Zakzak 39/39
Booker 37/38 3 DC16 Fort saves vs. Sickened
~~~~~Round 3~~~~~
Zindarel 30/30
Doc Featherton 21/32 3 DC16 Fort saves vs. Sickened, 1 DC 16 Fort save vs. Disease
Zombies
Yellow HEADSHOT
Green HEADSHOT
++++++++++++++++
Current map
Ohhhh I feel sick! Doc takes a step back beside Zindarel and violently projectile vomits onto the zombie in the pink dress. Twice.
Zindarel smiles as her target goes down swiftly.
You know, this is almost too much fun.
Her expression turns more serious as she approaches the nearest table and takes aim at the "performers" on stage.
But, eventually all shows must end...Zakzak, what is your critique of tonight's entertainment?
Right as she steps forward to set her aim, she stubs her toe on a nearby chair and her bullet speeds off to the side and ricochets off of the corner of the stage framing.
Booker begins to feel bad. He looks at the creatures in front of him and he puts the part of his gun into the brazier. Then he takes a swing at the pink zombie
Then he moves to the corner of the room.
Doc withstands the first splash of illness, but the further splashes just get her skin crawling. She tries to go off to the side to puke but she can't seem to get enough fresh air.
Zakzak gets some distance and fires on the former Madam, hitting her and making her grunt in pain, especially as his knives cut deep. Some slice Booker just a little however.
Zindarel takes a shot at the far performers, but her aim is so far off due to the twisting stage decorations she misses that half of the building entirely.
Booker doesn't have the stomach for bodily fluids feeling queasy from the first splash, It doesn't prevent him from burning the Madam however and getting some good distance away from her.
The actors still keep into their revelry, seeming to miss the bullet that was aimed their way.
Madam, however, howls and charges at the big man again.
++++++++++++++++
Zakzak 39/39
Booker 28/38 DC 18 Fort save
~~~~~Round 4~~~~~
Zindarel 30/30
Doc Featherton 31/32
Ms. Scothwel -21
Pink Delayed Headshot
++++++++++++++++
Current map
Welp. Time to puke some more.
"Ugh. Well, I feel better. You got that one, Booker?" Doc checks in on her pal, who's squaring up against the gray clothed zombie. He looks as sick as she felt moments ago. She strides forward to get closer to the stage, but can't bring herself to abandon her friend. Turning back at the last moment, she fires Problem at the zombie threatening Booker. "Never mind. Just puke. You'll feel better."
Zakzak fires a set of knives at the former Madam and slices up Booker some, before firing a series of knives into her head. At the same time Doc finishes rectching to clear her system and fires a headshot from a slightly different angle. Booker, covered in her brain matter gets sliced slightly again from the knives, but is ultimately saved.
As soon as the former madam goes down the two actors on the stage stop moving and stare at her prone form. In unison they shriek.
++++++++++++++++
Zakzak 39/39
Booker 34/38 DC 18 Fort Save
~~~~~Round 4~~~~~
Zindarel 30/30
Doc Featherton 31/32
The ACTORS!
Ms. Scothwel Double Headshot
++++++++++++++++
Current map
Oh, well, now they notice their critics. Time to deliver the review! Mine may not be as forgiving as Zakzak's...
Zindarel remains where she was and again takes aim at the "lady" in the fancy dress.
Seeing the brain spatter on his clothes Booker throws up
But seeing his own vomit does not make him feel better. This time he throws up at the zombie
Then he smashes him with his gun "Why are you still here? Can't a man get some privacy when he is throwing up?!"
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Zindarel takes a shot at the undead thing that hasn't quite extracted itself from the stage. She proves herself a more than capable sniper, loding a bullet into the head of 'lady' Aldthistle. Her head comes snapping up, hole still present as she gives the woman a vicious grin. "I won't die so easy sweetie... You'll make a NICE, PRETTY zombie!"
Booker tries to retch up his heaving stomach but he just gets up bile twice and fails to clear his system.
The second formerly male acting undead on the stage strides forward towards the rest of the group, taking a protective positioning before he casts a spell. Dark energies rise around him before he tosses them at the former woman behind him.
She breathes in the necrotic fumes, the hole in her head stitching together.
'Lady' Aldthistle dances closer to the group her grin wide and malicious. "Oh, look two absolultely beautiful women! You dears remind me of me when I was younger and still believed in Pharasma's LIES about life and death! You two could make this very, very easy! Just sit down and watch our play!"
++++++++++++++++
Zakzak 39/39
Booker 34/38 3rd action from round 2
~~~~~Round 4~~~~~
Zindarel 30/30
Doc Featherton 31/32
‘Lady’ Aldthistle -11
Mr. Aldthistle?
++++++++++++++++
Current map
"I gotta learn to shoot blindfolded." Muttering wryly, Doc steps swings Problem's bayonet at 'Lady' Aldthistle and reloads in one smooth motion, aims a shot at her head, then tries to stab her again as she reloads.
Zindarel's face turns to disgust as the undead actor attempts to flatter her.
Eww. That's not going to work.
She lifts up her mithral tree and fires directly into her face...
and reloads to try again.
Booker moves to the middle of the room and reloads his scattergun, he looks at Doc "Do you have her handled?"
He raises his scattergun and shoots
Doc gets a single stab in before the 'Lady' turns hissing at her and blocks the rest of her attacks.
Zakzak fires at the lady and misses by just a little bit, but she and everyone around her takes some extra metal bits as they fly.
Zindarel then fires a bullet straight in the hole she put in the woman's head again and finally, finally blows her head to bits. She topples over, dead.
As she dies, a wave of harmful negative energy washes out of her body, bathing everyone in the energy.
He second shot misses the man still standing.
However, Booker is more than ready to step in and fire a very nearly deadly shot himself leaving some small holes all over the body of the man.
The man gives a scream as his partner's head explodes. "MY WIFE! YOU WILL DIE!" He rushes forward and stabs out with a dagger for a moment before then plunging a hand of harming energy into his holes and healing himself.
++++++++++++++++
Zakzak 39/39 DC 20 Basic Fort save
Booker 24/38 DC 20 Basic Fort save
~~~~~Round 5~~~~~
Zindarel 30/30DC 20 Basic Fort save
Doc Featherton 31/32DC 20 Basic Fort save
‘Lady’ Aldthistle Finally headshotted
Mr. Aldthistle? -7
++++++++++++++++
Current map
"Well timed!" Doc thoroughly appreciates the demise of "Lady" Aldthistle, especially since it occurred before she could attempt to make good on her gruesome promise. Dashing around the table, she engages the remaining "intelligent" zombie and does the ol' shoot-then-stab-and-reload.
Zindarel smiles at the accuracy of her shot, but it soon fades from her face as the wave of negative energy comes over her. She doubles over very momentarily as it comes with a warm wave of nausea.
Steeling herself, she reloads and takes aim at the husband.
Doc is able to resist the worst of the blast of negative energy and instead engages the final not-zombie-looking undead. She puts a hole in the mister with her gun and then stabs another one in with her bayonet.
Zakzak isn’t as lucky with the energy and starts to feel the worse for it. He fires a shot at the last undead, hitting once and hurting it and Doc and Booker. His second shot does as much damage to the undead as to his companions.
Zindarel also proves vulnerable to the wave of negativity. She fires an accurate but not pinpoint shot at his head and gazes down the side of his skull.
++++++++++++++++
Zakzak 35/39
Booker 22/38 DC 20 Basic Fort save
~~~~~Round 5~~~~~
Zindarel 26/30
Doc Featherton 27/32
Mr. Aldthistle? -23
++++++++++++++++
Current map
Booker feels the life being pulled out of him. He takes a swing with his weapon
The stock swooshes before the enemy so he takes another swing.
This time hitting straight in the head, so he tries the third time
Booker is able to slam his reinforced stock into the head of the last undead, one last time, it bashes the man's head in and the undead releases a wave of negative energy over the room.
Booker looks at the fallen creature and reloads his gun, just to be sure.
"Is that all? What were those creatures?"
"Ow. That sucks." Doc glances around the room. All the zombies are finally still. "Looks like we've cleared this area. Let's patch ourselves up and check out the Director's house next door, just in case."
Excellent job Booker. She nods at him, relaxing her own mithral tree.
Then, look around, she muses that they've found the source of the waves of zombies.
So, this performance became the city's infection. It is too bad. It will be a long time before they trust the theatre again.
"My question is: How'd they kill the entire audience so efficiently? --Ugh! Zakzak! Don't splatter that zombie offal on me! Kick those things against the other wall!" Doc gives a good-natured half-smile at the gleeful goblin and shakes her head at his antics.
Zakzak starts to kick zombie heads around as Doc patches people up. The little ball of energy proves too hard to keep still and thwarts the good Doc’s attempts at bandaging him. Everyone else however is easily patched up and ready to fight again.
After a bit of time, the group heads back out. There’s very few zombies on the streets now, after having shot most of them earlier. A few headshots and the group is in the director’s house. The place proves to be a huge storage space full of crates of various stage supplies and makeup as well as a small amount of living space. Other than a few jars of pickles and some expensive cheese squirreled away for a special day there’s little of import here.
Heading back outside, some of the braver residents of the neighborhood have started to venture out onto the street. Martelle has a giant club with the words ‘Drink Limit Enforcer’ carved into it. She goes around bashing the heads of any zombies whose head is still intact. A few of the braver patrons of the bar follow behind her with a few shaking pistols in hand. From the other house Rickard and Maggie emerge. Rickard has a heavy pistol in one hand, carrying it with the ease of a trained marksman, though the excitable Rosie leashed to his other hand might not help anything. At the sight of her newest, bestest friend Zindarel, Rosie bounds forward dragging her master along with her. Maggie, having changed from her formal gown into some cleaning clothes, gives the pair a smile as she hefts a bucket, mop and some cleaning rags. She then surveys the gore strewn place with a determined look.
After a few seconds to talk (or run from the dog), there’s a sharp, commanding whistle. Rosie sits down immediately as Rickard reflexively salutes in the direction that the sound came from. From the south a squad of shieldmarshals covered in gore fall into formation across the road behind a woman in a leather duster with a close shaved head. “Pardon me,” the woman calls out in a voice that doesn’t seem particularly concerned with whether she’s pardoned or not. “I am Sergeant Kashenvale with the shieldmarshals of Alkenstar! Can anyone tell me what happened here?”
As the eyes of the night’s survivors turn towards the ragged group of heroes who fought through the zombie legions, Sergeant Kashenvale follows their gaze. With a wry smile, she raises a hand in greeting. “Seems like perhaps you’re the ones who did our job while we were otherwise occupied? Come along then, you’ll need to file a report if I’m to get you a commendation and some payment for your efforts.” As she finishes the statement, Sergeant Kashenvale begins directing her soldiers about the square, dispatching some to take statements from witnesses and others to assist in cleaning up and locating the missing. Maggie immediately takes over the later group, proving she can pull just as much of an air of command as the Sergeant.
The Sergeant gives everyone a closer look, as she moves up. Her eyes widen for a second at the sight of Doc and then shakes her head, ”Should have known that someone with a degree of infamy would be involved. Now, can you tell me what happened here? You aren't in any trouble... yet.”
The Sergeant gives Zakzak an inscrutable look, before asking in the best approximation of goblin dialect he's heard from a longshank, she's clearly questioned more than a few in her lifetime. "Zakzak cause things to make BOOMS or BOOMS after zombies come? Zakzak know who makes zombies?"
Booker looks relieved that shieldmarshals have come, they usually are more reasonable than zombies.
"Something has happened in the theatre, we met there some different kind of undead that looked like they conducted some ritual to create undead."
Zindarel nods and continues Booker's explanation.
Being sharpshooters, we were able to thin their numbers from afar and make our way from the tavern to the theatre.
She pats the barrel of her firearm at its mention.
Thankfully the rate of their creation did not overcome what we could suppress as we entered the theatre. We don't really know how the performance took this dark turn, but perhaps your follow-up investigations will find clues to help explain motive.
"Apparently Lady Aldthistle was the ringleader, but she was undead as well. She and her male companion had minds of their own, unlike the rest. They were dancing on the stage when we entered, and caused more of the dead to rise to attack us. We checked out the director's house for clues about how all this got started, but didn't find anything."
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The Sergeant nods in understanding at each of the group's input. "So, to reiterate, you fought off some zombies in the Powder Keg and then hopped from building to building before taking out some zombies in the square with sharpshooting and then raiding the theater. It seems likely that Lady Aldthistle or her husband were the ringleaders... That makes sense. I'll need you four to come into the offices to get your statements. Doc, I promise I won't arrest you for that botched kidney transplant and five counts of theft you have outstanding."
If everyone follows her to the station, Sergeant Kashenvale takes formal statements and with some bartering and what sounds like a heated discussion with the commissioner behind closed doors, comes back beaming with a Letter of Commendation for everyone. "We've ordered medals too but those will take a week or so. These papers and the medals will get you free room and board at any shieldmarshal's barracks and a one time bounty of 100 gold pieces. I was also able to twist the commissioner into granting a pardon for any past misdemeanors, but any future ones are still on your heads. I also hear from Martelle you've got free food and drink at her place for life."
She hands over the papers and another with a date for the award ceremony for the medals. "Now go get some food from the Powder Keg, I promise it'll be better than the slop here." She levels a look at Doc before continuing, "And TRY to stay out of trouble."
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"Doc, I promise I won't arrest you for that botched kidney transplant and five counts of theft you have outstanding."
Doc looks skeptical, but knows full well that causing trouble now would be point-blank-stupid. She goes along, but remains on edge until hearing that the commissioner granted a pardon for past misdemeanors. "Can I see that in writing?"
Once assured, a cocky-on-the-surface-hiding-copious-relief half-grin pops onto her face. "Hey Booker! My feet aren't tingling anymore. Whaddya say we stay awhile?" Tossing her bag of bounty coins and snatching them out of the air with a satisfied jingling sound, she heads for the door.
She levels a look at Doc before continuing, "And TRY to stay out of trouble."
Turning back with her signature cocky grin, Doc replies: "Hey. It's me."
The commissioner narrows his eyes at Docs asking for a written agreement before gruffly adding, "Wouldn't be legal without that, so course ya can."
As she leaves the building, Sergeant Kashenvale gives a small eye roll and warns, "Don't think I won't arrest you!"