Niaqun focuses on his spirits and change the one that he is attuned to (Circle of Spirits to get back Earth's Bile). Then he focuses and grabs Thurgan axe,
"May spirits guide you!"
Despite the increased number of opponents, Galimus sees little need to change tactics that worked so well the last time.
He once more fills himself, Thurgan and Grump with energy from the Forge of Creation, causing them all to glow faintly with that light focusing on the tips of blades and claws.
The zombies break through the storage room and one of the windows in the retail area.
--Round 1
Thurgan (51/51, shield 20/20, AC 21, runic weapon, vitality 1d4, fatigued) / Grump (32/32, AC 19, vitality 1d4, fatigued)
Lawric (33/33, AC 17, fatigued)
Red Troop (-0)
Blue Troop (-0)
Galimus (37/37, AC 19, vitality 1d4, fatigued)
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, fatigued)
Thurgan and Grump move into position - keen to ensure one of them is between the cleric and any oncoming tide.
Thurgan raises his shield
|
Lawric stands perfectly still in the middle of the empty room, unmoving in the long silence before the storm of combat.
Exerting his will against the night, the shimmering emanation around him expands... spreading order outward like ripples through still water.
He turns his head slightly, eyes drifting to Thurgan and Grump.
Without a word, he bends fate around them.
The Lady’s blessing settles on the faithful
◆ Sustain Bless (+10ft)
◆ Guidance Thurgan
◆ Guidance Grump
HP: 33/33
Hero Points: 1
Halfling Luck: 1
Focus Points: 2
Spell DC 19, Attack +10
Cantrip: Guidance, needle darts, prestidigitation, shield, vitality lash
1: Bless, Command, Fear
2: Calm, Cleanse affliction
Fount:
Active conditions: Spirit Sense, Fatigued
Everyone prepares for the invasion.
The Red troop begins squeezing through the window, and then re-forms their formation inside the room.
The Blue troop begins pouring through the retail windows, and dozens of arms reach out for Grump.
--Round 1
Galimus (37/37, AC 19, vitality 1d4, fatigued)
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, fatigued)
--Round 2
Thurgan (51/51, shield 20/20, AC 21, runic weapon, vitality 1d4, fatigued) / Grump (32/32, Reflex vs -7, AC 19, vitality 1d4, fatigued)
Lawric (33/33, AC 17, bless 25', fatigued)
Red Troop (-0)
Blue Troop (-0)
Thurgan stands his ground and swings his axe in broad sweeps!
Attack vs Red
Damage slash+vitality.
Attack vs Red
Damage slash+vitality.
* Strike
* Strike
* Command animal
Grump
Ref
The bear gets hit, the bear gets mad.
Attack vs blue
Damage slash+vitality
Attack vs blue
Damage slash+vitality
* Attack
* Attack
Niaqun lashes the troops with vitality
Than he focuses on the ground which begins to boil with lava
Galimus creates a resonance in his body then throws it across the distance between him and the blue man group of undead where it reverberates and explodes.
He then uses some of the reverberations to protect himself.
|
|
Lawric waits as the dead pour through the shattered boards, their moans filling the air like wind through a crypt. He stands his ground, eyes fixed on the first to breach.
Only when they are close enough to threaten the others, does he move.
“COME NO FURTHER.”, his shrill and strained voices pierces the silence.
A wave of white-blue light erupts outward from him, washing through friend and foe alike. The living feel warmth surge through their wounds; the dead recoil as the same energy burns through their hollow frames.
*** 3 action Heal
Thurgan and Grump hack away at the dozens of zombies swarming. Thurgan's slashes are so effective that the whole group is pushed back.
vs DC 18, 12 vitality
vs DC 18, 4 fire plus 3 bludgeoning plus area
vs DC 19, 5 sonic plus area
Niaqun lashes with a wind from Creation's Forge, and then earth and fire. Zombies fall by the dozens, rhythmically percussing on the floor as the Blue Man Group starts stomping their feet. The noise hurts them, though.
--Round 1
Galimus (37/37, AC 19, vitality 1d4, fatigued)
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, fatigued)
--Round 2
Thurgan (51/51, shield 20/20, AC 21, runic weapon, vitality 1d4, fatigued) / Grump (32/32, Reflex vs -7, AC 19, vitality 1d4, fatigued)
Lawric (33/33, AC 17, bless 25', fatigued)
Red Troop (-45)
Blue Troop (-64)
vs DC 19
vs DC 19
Lawric unleashes a wave of healing, but Red seems unaffected.
Red pushes through the door, swarming around Thurgan. A flurry of fists punch at him from all sides.
Cyan swarms around Grump, pushing towards the rest of the crew, their fists flying everywhere.
--Round 2
Galimus (37/37, Reflex vs -7, AC 19, vitality 1d4, fatigued)
Niaqun (39/39, Reflex vs -7, AC 20, fatigued) / Bird (15/15, Reflex vs -7)
--Round 3
Thurgan (51/51, Reflex vs -15, shield 20/20, AC 21, runic weapon, vitality 1d4, fatigued) / Grump (32/32, Round 2: Reflex vs -7 then +9, Round 3: Reflex vs -7, AC 19, vitality 1d4, fatigued)
Lawric (33/33, Reflex vs -7, AC 17, bless 25', fatigued)
Red Troop (-45)
Blue Troop (-75)
Galimus' eyes roll up in his head, showing the whites as he releases his conscious hold over the assorted psyches making up his personality.
When they lower, they are covered in white, only the faint images of his pupils and irises showing.
"Ha ha! Yet more of the lurching undead with which to contend!" Galliard declares, stabbing with his spear.
Then Shields himself with occult energy.
Thurgan continues chopping away!
Reflex
Attack vs Red
Damage slash+vitality.
Attack vs Red
Damage slash+vitality.
* Strike
* Strike
* Command animal
Grump
REROLL Ref
This round roll Ref
And a third roll Ref?
The bear gets hit again, the bear gets madder.
Attack vs blue
Damage slash+vitality
Attack vs blue - crits work?
Damage slash+vitality
* Attack
* Attack
|
|
Lawric focuses on the cluster of undead pressing against Thurgan. He extends one hand toward them.
“RETURN TO YOUR GRAVES.”
A line of pale energy lashes through the horde, cutting into the rot that refuses to rest.
He lowers his hand, draws a steady breath, and whispers a quiet phrase under it.
He calls the Lady’s clarity to his own mind.
** Vitality Lash
* Guidance (self)
Galimus tries to jab with his longspear, but only knocks off tiny bits of flesh from the swarming bodies.
Thurgan makes wide slashes, visibly mowing down several squares worth of creatures. Grump slashes at Blue, dispersing the remaining zombies.
vs DC 19
Red seems unaffected by the lashes.
--Round 2
Galimus (30/37, AC 19, vitality 1d4, fatigued)
Niaqun (39/39, Reflex vs -7, AC 20, fatigued) / Bird (15/15, Reflex vs -7)
--Round 3
Thurgan (36/51, shield 20/20, AC 21, runic weapon, vitality 1d4, fatigued) / Grump (29/32, AC 19, vitality 1d4, fatigued) Grump 1 action
Lawric (30/33, AC 17, bless 25', fatigued)
Red Troop (-69)
Blue Troop (-93)
Niaqun turns around and repeats his destruction with vitality and flames
Again the ground begins to boil with lava
vs DC 18
The ground boils with lava, and the remaining zombies melt into the ground, clutching at Thurgan in vain.
An eerie calm comes over the house again, and the heroes are left with nothing but the sound of their breaths.
---
|
|
When the last of the noise fades, Lawric steps carefully over the scorched floor. The air still hums with heat and the stench of rot.
He stops beside Galimus without a word. For a long moment, he just looks at him—expression unreadable. Then he reaches out, resting two fingers against the oracle’s shoulder. A faint, sterile glow passes from his hand into the wounded flesh.
When it’s done, he withdraws his hand, turns, and walks back across the room. He lowers himself to the floor, cloak wrapped tightly around him, and closes his eyes.
He does not say goodnight.
Choose an affliction on the target, such as a curse, disease, or poison. If it has advanced past stage one, reduce the stage by one. This reduction can be applied only once to a given case of an affliction, with the case ending when it's completely cured. Although the reduction can't occur again, heightened versions of this spell attempt to counteract with each casting.
Once more Galimus wrestles an aspect of his personality back into the collective of his psyche as the last of the zombies is dismantled.
He nods his thanks to Lawric as the little cleric bestows a healing blessing upon him.
"It will be dawn soon and, by all accounts and evidence, the undead are worse at night. We should get some rest. Thurgan and Grump need it the most and while they're sleeping in, the rest of us can look about reinforcing this place. There's no telling how long we're going to be here or how long it will take us to deal with whatever is causing these undead to rise," he says.
After the fight Niaqun goes to sleep ... "Wait me in 2 hours give or take"
6:40 am: Sun rises, and the smell of burning flesh briefly wafts across the town. Thurgan goes to sleep.
7:40 am: Niaqun finishes daily preparations. Galimus and Lawric wake up, refreshed.
8:40 am: Niaqun returns with materials for one reinforcement. Galimus and Lawric finish their daily preparations.
11:40 am: Niaqun, Galimus, and Lawric return with materials for 9 reinforcements (10 total).
12:00 pm: Thurgan wakes up, fully rested.
1:00 pm: Thurgan finishes daily preparations.
Exploring the town in the morning, Niaqun, Galimus, and Lawric swing by a few other sites.
---
Erastil's Table (Church)
Facing the road, the building’s facade stands like an empty mask. A bow symbol, with its arrow pointing down, remains above the once-grand entry, covered in soot and ash. Barely visible beneath the grime, the lintel bears an inscription reading, “All are Welcome at Erastil’s Table.”
Charred timbers rise from the crumbled walls of this ruined structure, giving it the appearance of some great beast whose flesh has been stripped to its bones. A great fire consumed this place, obvious from the blackened walls and melted lead pooling along the base of what must have once been beautiful stained-glass windows.
The doors leading into the shrine, both front and back, are closed, although the double doors in front have been so badly burned that anyone can easily break through to enter what’s left of the building. All the doors had been jammed closed with simple iron pitons, and even after several weeks, a faint odor permeates the air, acrid and unnatural. It smells like alchemist's fire.
Just inside the back door lie the blackened bones of three people who, from their clothing, were priests who served this small community.
---
Jacra's House
This modest home looks similar to all those surrounding it. Inside, the furniture has been tossed about, and there are clear signs of a struggle. The kitchen floor is partially collapsed, with a narrow hole leading down into the depths below.
What sets Jacra’s home apart from other houses is the number of bird perches throughout, many of which are surrounded by droppings and the occasional raven feather. The books in this home mostly cover arcane subjects such as the nature of magic and research into boundaries between worlds. While the library alone is easily worth 100 gp to a collector, Jacra’s spellbook is not among the items here.
What can be found here is a scrap of parchment on the writing desk, hastily torn from the clip. It reads, “... xt. Do not come for me or this town. By the time you get this, we will already be dead. I love you, my dear friend. Take care of Coal. That old bird means the world to me.” Jacra’s name is signed at the bottom of the letter.
---
Fiorna's Spring
Burbling up from underground, this massive spring sits high above Fiorna’s Faith and runs down the hillside, through the village, and then into the woods to the south. The body of a human man bobs in the center of the pool, prevented from floating downstream by his cloak, which is snagged on a rock.
---
Lady's Hill (graveyard)
The hill to the west of town bears one striking feature: a large cemetery accompanied by a small shrine and mausoleum. A simple stone path winds up the hill to the graveyard, worn smooth by countless steps made to honor the dead.
Though rain and mist shroud the cemetery, it’s clear something is amiss. The soil has been upturned in several places, and many of the headstones lean at dangerous angles or have fallen to the tumbled earth.
A simple signpost next to the path reads “The Lady’s Hill,” below a spiral symbol, which Lawric instantly recognizes as that of Pharasma, the Lady of Graves, she who passes judgment on those who travel into the Great Beyond.
The three decide it would be best to return with Thurgan.
Breakfast is a noisy affair; the sounds of tearing meat and clinking armor fill the wreckage of the general store. Thurgan eats beside Grump, tightening straps, checking his shield, and running a whetstone along his axe until it gleams.
“Lawric will need us today. We’ll keep the clergyman safe so he can do the Lady’s work” his gaze drifts toward the Hill in the distance, “The restless dead here need their sleep… and he’ll see to it they slumber"
Grump snorts in agreement, rising to his paws, ready for violence.
|
|
Lawric studies the body for a long moment before extending his hand. The water stirs at his gesture, rippling outward. A corner of the cloak tears free from the rock, and the corpse drifts slowly down the spring.
“IT ISN’T A FINAL REST,” he says quietly, “BUT IT IS REST. NO ONE SHOULD BE LEFT AS POISON TO THEIR OWN.”
⸻
The next morning, Lawric moves in silence— even for him. His motions are deliberate, almost meditative, as he prepares his things. The hard light in his eyes never fades; determination has taken the place of rest.
“HER WORK NEEDS DOING.” It’s the only sentence he offers. A brief nod passes to Thurgan and Grump... something old, practiced, understood without words.
When the party steps off toward the hill, Lawric falls in behind the orc as naturally as a shadow finding its source.
HP: 33/33
Hero Points: 1
Halfling Luck: 1
Focus Points: 2
Spell DC 19, Attack +10
Cantrip: Guidance, Needle darts, Prestidigitation, Light, Vitality lash
1: Bless, Bless, Santuary
2: Dispel Magic, Cleanse affliction
Fount: Heal, Heal, Heal, Heal
Active conditions: Spirit Sense
The exploration of this idyllic village would almost be relaxing - it is quiet and peaceful after all, without the noise and chaos inherent in people - were it not for the blatantly unsettling and terrible reasons for that quiet and peace.
He's not a religious man, but it doesn't take much to guess what happened at the church and to kill people seeking sanctuary in that way only seems cruel.
He spends some time in the library at Jacra's house, admiring the collection and savoring the feel of knowledge at his fingertips.
"Would we have come if we had seen the whole message?" he says to no one in particular when he sees the scrap that remains.
He shakes his head in disdain at the corpse in the spring, not because of the disrespect to the body. It is only meat on its way to dust now, after all. But because of the implications for those who still live (including himself.)
He helps Lawric, if necessary, though makes a note to ensure the body doesn't get stuck anywhere else in the flow of water, later.
He absolutely won't enter the graveyard until everyone is together.
"Well, there's your problem right there," he comments.
As they trudge back up the path later, he loads his crossbow and checks to make sure his spear is in place and ready for action.
"Be careful around open holes," he says. "We've seen at least two places where something has tunneled in to attack and we don't know how many tunnels may be under us."
At the church:
The pitons were jammed in from the outside, locking the people in as the building was set on fire.
At the spring:
Moving the body out of the spring is trivial. The heroes can even climb into the water and just lift it out, so long as they don't drink it or have open wounds.
--Graveyard--
The footpath leading up to the cemetery is well worn, with neatly kept stone stairs making it easy to ascend even in the pouring rain. Atop the hill is the cemetery, a small shrine to Pharasma within, and a separate mausoleum to the north for those who could afford a more monumental final resting place.
Tombstones jut from the ground at odd angles, and the thick grass turf has started to tear in places, giving the impression that this used to be a quiet resting spot and the desecration of an otherwise holy place has been a recent occurrence.
Nine graves in the cemetery have been disturbed.
Five of these graves appear to have completely sunk into the earth. From each of these, a hole leads down into the darkness below, it appears they were exhumed from below.
The ninth disturbed grave is toward the back of the cemetery and appears to have been dug up much earlier. Black roots covered in an oily residue surround its hole. Of all the graves in the cemetery, this one has the most recent headstone, reading, “Harlo Krant, Merchant and Councilmember of Fiorna’s Faith, b.4678 d.4722.”
Niaqun discovers several black candle stubs positioned around the burial site, along with a small leather pouch. Inside the pouch is a single black
onyx gem - a gem that is used as components in rituals to animate the dead. The single gem is likely the last of many that were consumed in the ritual.
At the bottom of the grave is a coffin, but it looks like it was exhumed and then hastily tossed back into the hole, and then partially buried. Uncovering the coffin might take an hour with your hands, or less with the appropriate tools.
--Shrine--
The long building next to the graveyard is a shrine to Pharasma. While the base of the building is made from stone, the walls and roof are wood and straw.
Inside, two rows of pews lead up to a simple dais with a stone plinth bearing Pharasma’s symbol, giving a place for the living to pay respects before burial. The doors to the shrine have been torn open, and its interior is covered in filth.
In one corner near the entrance, the floor has collapsed entirely, a hole leads down into the darkness.
In a small alcove behind the dais, a simple stone font stands filled with clean water. This is the only place in the entire shrine that hasn’t been defiled. The font is filled with holy water, which can be carefully collected into up to eight vials.
Sitting on the lip of the font is a silver chalice; the spiraling base transforms into a flight of whippoorwills that circle the cup.
--Mausoleum--
Just north of the shrine, connected by a simple walkway, is the town’s only mausoleum. It once held over a dozen bodies, those with enough wealth to pay for a more opulent burial. The now-empty room is a mess of broken stone hatches, shattered caskets, and scraps of ruined funereal clothing.
Thurgan fishes the body out of the river so that Lawric can administer the rites to allow the soul its rest - but wraps it in his blanket to carry it to the graveyard for a proper resting place.
***
Thurgan also gathers the holy water from the font "This may come in handy"
Religion
"Nice cup, looks pretty mundane"
***
Survival
"Looks like the place has already been raided"
|
|
Earlier
Lawric kneels beside the body Thurgan pulls from the current. The rain patters softly against the river’s edge as he studies the face, expression unreadable.
“NAME KNOWN OR UNKNOWN?”
After the answer, he pulls a small, water-stained book from beneath his cloak and opens it across his knee. He writes carefully, the ink catching in the damp air—names where there are names, a small mark where there are none.
He traces a spiral in the mud beside the corpse, then places a hand on the brow.
“THE LADY OF GRAVES SEES YOU. YOUR PATH IS CLEAR. GO WITHOUT REGRET.”
He waits until the current carries the body downstream, watching in silence until it is gone. Then he closes the book, slides it back beneath his cloak, and rises to follow the others.
---
---
Lawric moves slowly through the graveyard, the rain dulling every sound but his steps. At each disturbed grave, he kneels long enough to study the soil and broken wood—then pulls his small, water-stained book from beneath his cloak.
He writes a name.
“THREE FROM ABOVE,” he says quietly, eyes on the torn coffins. His shrill voice pierces the quiet of the desecrated chapel and grounds.“THEY WERE FRESH, AND TAKEN WITHOUT CARE.”
He moves to the next cluster of graves, the ones that have sunken inward. Another pause. Another name entered.
“FIVE FROM BELOW. THEY WERE PULLED BACK INTO WHAT CLAIMED THEM.”
Finally, he stops at the last grave, fingers tracing the slick black roots.
“HARLO KRANT,” he reads, adding the final line to his record. “LESS THAN A YEAR IN HER KEEP.”
He closes the book and looks toward the shrine.
“THEY ARE ACCOUNTED FOR. NOW WE FIND WHO UNACCOUNTED THEM.”
He lifts the chalice, holding it up his eye. "A RELIC OF THE LADY. WE MAY USE IT" he mentions, looking toward Galimus as he speaks.
At last, he pauses stoicly, looking across the damaged and desecrated graveyard and shrine. His already pitched voice cracks with something close to emotion.
"SO MANY NAMES. WE MUST FOLLOW THOSE RESPONSIBLE INTO THE PITS"
Galimums follows along, more worried about being attacked than investigating as Lawric proves quite adept. He keeps his eyes on the horizon but also on the holes, his crossbow at the ready.
He nods as the halfling makes his proclamation regarding the chalice. "Only a fool refuses the tools provided by the gods," he agrees.
After they have explored everything he returns to the shrine and the hole in the floor.
"If we go in here and there's trouble, we can return to the surface in the shrine where you have power," he says to Lawric and Thurgan.
"Yes, time to descend" Thurgan looks a touch excited at the thought of taking the battle to the undead.
Niaqun heads down "I do wonder what travels underground raising the bodies...."
The heroes descend carefully down into the tunnels, which are tall enough to stand in, but not much more. Some appear to have been dug by tools as part of a network of crypts, and some with claws and teeth to connect places.
The heroes reach a 5-way intersection and make a sharp left, then another 4-way intersection and take the leftmost passage. This ends up being a loop, so they return and travel down the next most left passage.
A small chamber has a hole in the ceiling.
Up ahead, the passageway is blocked with a cave-in.
Survival
"No point going up, may as well keep clearing tunnels"
Niaqun looks at the hole but makes not much of it so he follows the others ...
"I can send Pica to explore it ..."
Galimus squints up at the hole in the ceiling and does some calculations.
"Well, if worst comes to worst, we can just get out here. I'm pretty sure we're past the mudslide here," he says, confidently.
"Whatever is coming for us isn't coming that way," he says, pointing at the collapsed tunnel. "We can come back to that one after we finish checking the other tunnels."
Pica reports that, 20 feet ahead, there's an important-looking chamber. There's an altar in the middle, and several chambers off of the room holding prisoners - who are still alive!
When it becomes evident that the group has decided to clear the collapsed tunnel, apparently the right choice given the fact that there are living people on the other side, Galimus simply looks expectantly at Thurgan.