Yoltzin moves foward and catches several of the undead creatures in the arc of holy fire.
Djack, meanwhile, concentrates his attention on just one, felling the putrid fleshbag in one solid poke as the leg flies clean off.
Quince and Rocko may act, round 1
Spizz moves up toward one of the zombies Yoltzin already hit and shoots a sheet of fire at it.
"Burn, you horrid thing!"
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Elias moves with Djack, mirroring his run, slicing at one of the creatures. This time he does not pull his blows, something is very off with these creatures.
Spizz' attack damages but fails to drop the zombie ahead of him.
Quince chops into the zombie, but this one remains standing.
Rocko still to act before the zombies can attack those in melee only.
Rocko blinks in stunned amazement at the headlong rush. His first few choice words are in his native tongue and not fit for polite ears.
"Stay sharp! Dead Ones oft carry sickness and curses!"
Rocko shifts his axe to his shield hand so he can ready a javelin. He advances as much as he can with intent to throw soon.
Most of the mobile zombies stumble forward toward various members of the party. Only three are able to get melee attacks in this turn due to their inherent slowness of action.
Two On Quince:
One on Djack:
Top of Round 2, all PCs may act.
Rocko will hurl a javelin at the one that's approaching, doing his best to get some muscle into the throw.
He'll then switch his axe back to his primary hand and ready his shield. He'll slide closer to Yoltzin to hopefully provide some protection for her.
"Right behind you! Step back 'n I'll cover for you."
Rocko scores a solid hit, piercing the creature center-mass. Of course, that doesn't slow the beast much, but the physical trauma of the hit is evident.
Elias! Hold on, I'm on it!
Djack attempts to tumble away from his dance partners and come at one of Elias' from directly opposite his team mate.
Djack manages to safely tumble out of range of his own opponents and roll up about 10' away, using a large rock to lift him back to a stand. Leaning over the stone, Djack thrusts out with his blade and, though the weapon is not optimal at damaging these beast, manages to pierce its neck and rip the blade outward, destroying the undead creature.
Spizz adjusts his position and spreads his hands out to cast a more powerful spell. A quick phrase in Draconic and a large cone of flame flies forth at the two within range.
Saves:
One of Spizz' opponents burns to the ground, the other (near Yoltzin), remains active.
Elias deftly cuts with both his blades, stepping around the creature in front of him and tearing across the creatures torso.
Quince essentially carves the beast to pieces with a sequence of well-placed slashing attacks. His enemy drops to the ground.
Well done, brother! Now, my friends... He tosses a thumb at the zombies behind him.
Braving the restless spirits without an ounce of fear in order to best encompassed the whole gathering, she raised that charred skull once more. "Xenxolotl bring rest upon dredged souls."
The one directly in front of Yoltzin crumbles to dust as the holy fire washes over it. The others survive, but still feel the effect.
Only one of the creatures is able to attack, swinging it's fist at Rocko.
The creature fails to even hit the Gnoll.
Begin Round 3 (in all likelihood the final round).
Where'd these guys come from?!
Djack comes up opposite Spitzz and behind the creature nearest the Kobold.
"There is time for speculation afterwards." The elf states, touching the gnoll's shoulder to imbue him with a now familiar sense of divine certainty.
Rocko is in full agreement with Yoltzin, "Fight now, searchy later."
Rocko will make a powerful downward slice to hopefully finish off the one that just swung at him.
Rocko grimaces as he realizes something. These zombies are getting in two attacks.
"These Dead Ones swing a mite quicker than the ones I seen 'afore."
Rocko drops his opponent, leaving the two that had previously been fighting Djack before he used acrobatics to assist Elias.
Djack runs up behind the one closest Spizz, piercing its head and (barely) taking it out of combat.
Spizz steps back and casts flame jet at the remaining zombie.
Quince could conceivably still take out the one near Yoltzin before it can attack one final time.
Turning back, Quince realises that in his freshly awoken rush he's left this comrades to fend for themselves, he rushes back to stab at the creature menacing the elf.
Unfortunately, despite a solid chunk out of the back of its skull from Quince's attack, the creature manages to swing once again, this time aiming its wrath at Yoltzin.
Over the next few seconds, Djack and Rocko move in to assist Quince, and between them manage to finish the last zombie off without it harming anyone else.
The creatures do not seem to possess anything of value. They are wet and covered in a mossy slime that might form a clue as to their place of origin.
She expends a little more of her divine fire to help cleans the fester of their wounds. After re-securing the symbol of her god, she approached one of the more intact corpses to look it over. If she could determine whether or not the creature had arisen naturally or not, it would go far in assessing how endangered they really were.
"That slime should be easy enough to trace. It don't look like they covered their tracks or nothin'."
He looks a bit worried that Quince and Yoltzin both got roughed up slightly.
"You two feelin' keen to go on? Don't want to push you none if you caught something nasty that you got to shrug off."
Yoltzin can't tell the exact age, nor the source of the animative energy that brought the unfortunately resting dead to unlife, but she can tell by looking at them that they've been dead quite a while. Their clothes are such as the garments human warriors might wear beneath heavy armor.
Rocko suggests from their mossy state that they were submerged in peat. It has been known to preserve corpses far longer than they would naturally retain this much flesh.
The night was quite cold, almost low enough for water to freeze, and the day promises to be chilly and uncomfortable for travel. A high wind is coming down out of the mountains that loom ahead.
By mid-day, you've traveled out of grasslands, and the ground beneath you begins to become soft and difficult for travel. Ahead lies what appears to be miles and miles of bog, before you at last reach higher ground and the base of the mountains.
Earlier, before leaving, Yoltzin would insist on performing ceremonial rites to the deceased by cremating their bodies in a bonfire. She explains that in her culture, this was a way to help purify the body and heal the tethered soul after prolonged exposure to necromatic energies. "It's said that we have two deaths. That of our bodies, and that of our spirits."
Now, she looks ahead towars the murky bog with a level of caution. "From what Rocko gathered, the restless must've come from here."
Hmm.
Not what I'm used to. Looks a little too scary, honestly. Djack shrugs.
But if there's mystery and... treasure then, let's go save the world.
I mean, it's our duty, yeah?
Rocko will point out,
"If'n we go into that mire, that's no place for horses or a wagon. My Jitters will go, but she won't be liking it."
If everyone insists on going through the bog anyway, he'll suggest,
"I can find us a village that'll watch 'em for us, but it'll take a hefty bribe and a strong threat or five to keep 'em from turning your fine rides into dinner n' kindling."
Elias' heart sinks a little as Rocko speaks the truth he's been denying. It was the end of the road for the wagon. He puts a hand on the horse's flank.
"It'd good to try and keep 'em, if we can. She's Been good to us."
A moment later his normal joviality returns
"Besides, how else are we going to cart back our hoards of gold!"
Rocko scouts for about an hour, but can find no villages, Gnoll or human, in the immediate vicinity.
The bog is not so soft immediately that you cannot bring the wagon under the eves of the tree canopy that covers it; you easily manage to bring it to an area near a large rocky outcropping, where it will hopefully sit safely until your eventual return.
And while the horses are slowed, you find that you can lead on solid ground by walking before them. For this, Djack is grateful, as he'd hate to leave Djill to fend for herself.
Poor Spizz finds himself up to his guts in muck after an hour, and so must be carried upon one of the horses.
After two hours, you find yourselves in the middle of the bog. Your feet are getting painfully cold. Ahead in a clearing on semi-solid ground, you see an old cottage, with welcoming smoke issuing forth from the chimney.
There is a wood stack on one side of the house, along with some herbs growing in a small window garden outside the front window.
Finally, there are several footprints in the mud, of various individuals. Some are barefoot, some in boots, and one boot size obviously smaller than the other, probably an adult female.
Finally, there are several footprints in the mud, of various individuals. Some are barefoot, some in boots, and one boot size obviously smaller than the other, probably an adult female.
Finally, there are several footprints in the mud, of various individuals. Some are barefoot, some in boots, and one boot size obviously smaller than the other, probably an adult female.
"whoever lives here, they seem to attract a lot of attention. We should be cautious, but non-threatening." She reasons.
"Spizz can be non-threatening! People like Spizz!"
Without another word, Spizz walked up to the door and gave it a solid rap with his scaled hands.
A diminutive old woman, her skin wrinkled and weathered from the harsh environment as much as age. She has a stern look on her face, but when she looks down (slightly, she's not too much taller) and sees Spizz, it softens significantly. Looking up, she eyes the rest of the party, standing several meters away.
"Oh bless my soul! Travelers! Don't get too many outsiders these days, no I don't and that's a fact."
"No outsiders, but insiders?" She muses aloud. "I am Yoltzin Beneath Dark Canopies, traveling with companions Djack, Rocko, Spizz, and Djack."