Seeing the shimmering beetle appear, Martaug nods in appreciation. "Attsa fine lookin' specimen" he remarks.
Martaug's wolf sinks its teeth into the creature's shoulder, gets through the darkness, and kills it.
Seeing the vile creature fall
"Call out, friends. Do we still stand? Any foe still nigh?"
scans those nearby for wounds
Sachiko
While Urthula is out of the room, you can hear her preparing the elixirs, in some room not too far away that sounds like a combination of laboratory and kitchen.
During the prep time, you chat idly, aloud to whomever might be listening, describing what you know about the other party members. (It doesn't feel like a compulsion to talk, not exactly. More, it feels like talking about them makes you more comfortable.)
It takes perhaps two hours, until Urthula re-emergesinto the waiting room. As she enters, the smell of freshly-baked apples fills the room, and Urthula, who now wears a light purple outer kimono over a black one, hands you a small box. "The elixirs are prepared.
"Clearly, you'll need transport. A stallion waits for you outside the front door. Give it a single command, and it will obey you to its full power. Farewell, my sweet, and keep yourself safe."
And then she changes her demeanor, growing tall and threatening. "And you: that's quite enough with the madness and fury. Take care not to damage my merchandise. Are we understood?"
And the voice of your ancestor echoes back, "Understood."
And outside, there is indeed a horse, magnificent, and dark brown. He is saddled up and ready to ride.
Valdisara
All clear.
Holding her sword still at the ready, Kara calls, "I am still present among us. I am glad to see that we all stand well, for I feared what might have been, with the luck I seem to have with Silvertongue lately. Perhaps this dead flesh is not to his taste."
Glancing around wearily, to see if there is any more of these undead, and not seeing any,
I sit back down on the ground, breathing heavily from my Rage.
"Is boy safe, Validisara?" I call out, piecing together what the cloaked figure had said.
Somewhere about a half-hour later, you hear the clatter of horse hooves, approaching in the distance.
(And, despite the SRD, no, horses don't have low-light vision.)
Sachiko comes walking into sight.
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There's a lot of new information you may have noticed in the fight.
(And yes, the wight in the front yard did begin the day as Hilden's loving husband.)
(And no, the shadow does not return tonight. As to where it goes, and who it reports to, that must remain a mystery for the nonce.)
I'll be happy to answer any question you might have, and we'll assume the sun rises as soon as (a) everybody's gotten their questions answered, or (b) we reach Thursday morning, real time.
For instance: why do you think they needed Gunlar? What's an "elman"?
Why do you think the windmill began turning recently? What did Constable Wygard's morning look like?Jonash:
"By our Dark Lord! We need that boy!
Since we killed the father, and lost the damnable elman, the boy's the only one who can enter the water! Get yourself together!"
"Any of you will do! I call you now! Surrender. Join us here, now, and you will share in a great, hidden treasure. Gold! More gold than you would know what to do with! All for you if you stand by us now!"
What was the deal with a windmill...? Gunlar didn't mention one at the entrance here, I don't think, but of course,
we know the caves are connected, so if we find one running elsewhere, that'd be a clue.
"Call out, friends. Do we still stand? Any foe still nigh?"
"Yar, still standin'," rumbles the dwarf, from the rooftop above. "On me way down ta retrieve me bolts jes' now..." He looks briefly around for a convenient way down, before settling on the easy alternative of a leap to the berm.
"I've not heard no bellows on me horn, so I reckon the bramble-patch kids is safe enough. Sure enough they'll step round this way soon, now that we done all the dirty work."
Grumble proceeds to collect as many of his bolts as he can find, taking extra care to make certain each foe is well and truly expired.
Valdisara looks at the remaining Rolsens. "I think the immediate danger has passed, at least for now." Moving to the thicket's cramped and thorny exit, she says "I will go first. Stay close to me, and we will return to the house."
Martaug looks at the broken forms on the ground for a moment and shakes his head sadly. It was a damned shame that Ulfric was used so cruely by foul energies, but even worse for his family. He turns toward the thicket, patting his leg to prompt the wolf to accompany him. They walk toward the plants where Val is extricating herself.
He calls to Hilden and Gunlar softly. "Hilden... Gunlar... abide a moment longer inna saftey of da thicket. Der's mess from da fight dat needs ta be cleaned 'fore ya come out. Da tings dat came were evil mockeries'a life an' da boy, mature dho he is, don' need'a be seein' such horrors. Please, I ask as a friend."
To Val he leans closer and whispers
Valdisara
"Elman" is an archaic and regional Elvish term, borrowed from an old dialect of Taldan. It literally means "lawman," but there's a sarcastic undertone to it, like teenage hooligans would use; someone trying to impose law where the law has no business being.
Now that the fight is over- Now I remember where I left my trident. It's in the wagon. Fine bit of thinking that was.
I examine the bodies. If this is the father, I hope I'm not the one to tell the family.
This day has brought many questions.
My thoughts:
"Gunlar found the cave and 'treasures' by swimming thru water. It seems he led his Father and Constable Wyn thru the waters to it or intended to. Perhaps he's needed because he knows where? Or because he carries some mark of 'first to find'? Or can pass thru some trap a Shadow cannot."
"'Elman' seems to refer to the Constable, so maybe 'lawman'?"
"The windmill was used to drain a mine- So maybe the question should be 'Who started the windmill and which cave is it draining?"
"Wyn's day would have started with joining the Father to search, then they found trouble. Wyn was bitten, Wyn escaped. Somehow he got to town in his condition, though he had no horse nor the time to get to the Inn from here."
"Who knew he was coming here? How did he get to this farm?"
"Also, did anyone see the direction the smaller shade fled in? In his haste to depart, he may have pointed us in an important direction."
I examine the bodies. If this is the father, I hope I'm not the one to tell the family.
"Who knew he was coming here? How did he get to this farm?"
"Also, did anyone see the direction the smaller shade fled in? In his haste to depart, he may have pointed us in an important direction."
The undead are wights, and after an hour or so, they no longer radiate any evil, so they're probably safe to examine.
The first wight Grumblenaught killed and Jonash are both wearing black, knee-length pants and the poncho-like cloaks. Eash was carrying a black spear incribed with two runes alternating along the shaft. Jonash's runes go halfway along the weapon, the other spear has runes down almost its entire length.
The wight from the front of the house was wearing brown pants, a thick linen shirt, a necklace with some decorative glass beads, and solid walking shoes.
Your Heal check on the first wight Grumblenaught killed is that he's long dead, cause of death was violence. There aren't many features to make out. Given the damage to his jaw, and his lack of teeth and tongue, he was almost certainly mute. Marks around his ankles indicate he had spent much of his life in leg irons.
Your Heal check on the wight in the front yard tells you that he is very recently dead, and it's impossible to tell a cause. (There's too many wounds he suffered during the fight.) Sure looks like Ulrich.
Your Heal check on Jonash tells you he's been a wight for a great while, and has been in several fights or accidents since then. He's the thinnest of the three, thin enough that you think he might have been starving when he died. He also has a tattoo on his right forearm, of a skull wearing a crown.
Despite a typo several dozen posts ago, Valdisara sensed the shadow fleeing west.
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"The windmill was used to drain a mine- So maybe the question should be 'Who started the windmill and which cave is it draining?"
"Who knew he was coming here? How did he get to this farm?"
"Also, did anyone see the direction the smaller shade fled in? In his haste to depart, he may have pointed us in an important direction."
"This is quite the mystery, the windmill you mention is most likely the very same one that I found out about when visiting the Sage at the edge of Carrion Hill...Zosimus stayed behind to try and assist the sage in return for a map to the location...though we may have our own "map" of sorts in young Gunlar. As to why the boy was so important...it was not only the boy they were after but the farm wife as well if I heard the undead correctly perhaps it was just the forlorn yearning of the recently departed or perhaps there is more to these farmers then meets the eye.
I believe that the assailants came from the direction of the berm and that the shadow fled back that way, but to be honest I was in the house when it shot up through the ceiling so anybody's guess is as good as mine. Perhaps we should wait till morning and then take the time to do an exhaustive search of the area surrounding the house."
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the windmill you mention is most likely the very same one that I found out about when visiting the Sage at the edge of Carrion Hill...Zosimus stayed behind to try and assist the sage in return for a map to the location...though we may have our own "map" of sorts in young Gunlar.
Grumblenaught has also visited that windmill and can lead you there. It's several miles uphill to the west, on a butte overlooking a river.
Hearing Martaug's softly spoken words, Val halts her exit from the thicket temporarily and turns back to the two Roslens. "Martaug is right, we should wait here for just a moment or two."
Martaug and his wolf move back over to the corpses and helps get them put together in a better state. If anyone has a waterskin, he asks to borrow it so they can wash Ulrich up a bit before his wife and son see him. As he cleans the man, he looks at his hands and arms and under his nails to see there are any indicators of what happened to him after he left his home for the last time. He indicates that the same should be done with the other 'freshly' dead man. The well worn body he has the wolf and/or teammates drag off to the side well away from the other two. Once the bodies have been cleaned he will call to Val that they can come from the thicket.
Martaug answers any questions Hilden and Gunlar have to the best of his abilit, but will stand back and let them vent their grief as neede.
If Hilden will allow it, Martaug will offer a burial service for Ulrich. While chanting a sonnorous song about renewal and the passage of spirits to and from nature, he takes a handful of soil, pours it into the corpses mouth, takes a couple of hollyberries out of his belt pouch placeing them in as well, then pours a bit of the water to make the soil a damp bed for the berries. He crosses the mans arms and will dig a grave anywhere Hilden wishes. He will allow Helden and Gunlar to participate in the burial rite if they wish to be part of it.
"Yalka think wind-mill pump water is other try reach special thing.
But more than just evil spirits interest for old treasure. You meet living bandits on way here, you say...
Too much bad think for Yalka. Yalka go sleep now."
"This seems rather strange that they would require the boy to accomplish their goal, unless they planned on sacrificing him. I admit to being rather perplexed at this point. This is rather farther outside of my expertise than I usually go."
Kara will go back inside and change out of the dress, hoping she didn't ruin anything. Should it be necessary, she will offer up her own coin to repay Hilden for it.
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When presented with Ulrich's body, Hilden is grieved, of course, but she knows what to do. She begins setting things in order, and has her own burial rituals. "We talked about this some a couple years ago," she explains. "We both told the other what we wanted done."
Gunlar takes the sight harder. He sobs, and you get the impression that, in some dark place in his soul, he blames himself for this. He and Hilden comfort each other as they can.
Yalka, you can rest for as long as you like.
Martaug, you don't see any signs of struggle or other likely causes of death on Ulrich's body. And, as for the burial, perhaps it would be better to wait till daylight?
Kara, the dress is fine.
speaking to the group, but especially Deserach and Valdisara
"What do you make of these?"
points at spears
The first wight Grumblenaught killed and Jonash are both wearing black, knee-length pants and the poncho-like cloaks. Each was carrying a black spear incribed with two runes alternating along the shaft. Jonash's runes go halfway along the weapon, the other spear has runes down almost its entire length.
points at tattoo of skull with crown on body of Jonash
"And this."
If anybody casts Detect Magic:
Jonash's spear radiates as magic, as do the two strings of runes.
The other wight's spear is just as nicely made as Jonash's.
And Deserach:
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I will cast Detect Magic if I understand the rules right since I have it memmed I can repeatedly cast it correct? I will then examine the weapons. I don't have the appraise skill yet will be picking it up when I level but it is untrained so I will give it a go.
"I suspect the tattoos are a form of "bandit gang" identification that is common in the river kingdoms, specifically used to identify corpses
It does not take much to be able to tell the spear is magical, as I assume we all suspected, I may be able to tell more if given some time to examine the weapon."
And I will do just that. Once things have calmed down I will try and find a spot out of the way and light a candle or a reading lantern if one is available and I will examine the "black spear". In my notebook I will draw a sketch and try to reproduce the runes as best as possible annotating any thing that stands out or is interesting.
I will examine the "black spear". In my notebook I will draw a sketch and try to reproduce the runes as best as possible annotating any thing that stands out or is interesting.
Things settle down, as much as they can, somewhere around midnight.
Your native intellect isn't enough to tell you much, Appraise-wise about the spears. Detect Magic tells you that the spear carries a Transmutation dweomer, and the runes are store an Evocation effect.
As you sketch them, it becomes obvious that, along each spear, there are three runes which repeat in sequence, like "A-B-C-A-B-C-A ..." They spin around, so that's not as apparent at first glance.
--+--+--
If nobody has anything else they want to be doing tonight, we'll advance to the next day, mid-morning.
Sachiko walks up to the group thinking to herself that she is glas she missed whatever they had just been through. "I have these, and deputy Win has been given antidote" with that she produces the box and dsplays the anti-venom....
Martaug sighes and nods with a sad smile. "Dat's some measure'a good news. Maybe he kin shine more light on dis tomorrow den. Thanks fer the gift'a mercy, Sachiko. Mercy is somethin' in short supply most'a da time."
Martaug will brief Sachiko on what happened, then he will try to see if Gunlar is willing to talk. Not about where he's been or what the thing wearing his dad's flesh might have been after, but about it wasn't the boys fault and how the goodness of his father's life should be cherished and remembered. He won't force it down the boys throat, but if Gunlar wants to talk at all, he's there for the outpouring.
It's the next morning. the Rolsens have shovels, so digging a grave is no difficulty. Did you want to dig one grave, or three?
Among you, particularly the spiritual-minded, you can lay Ulrich (and the two unknown men, if you like) to their final rest. Hilden, too, has words to say about her husband, about what they'd meant to one another, and how living out here had changed them both for the better.
Gunlar simply says goodbye.
Martaug, after the service, Gunlar asks, "When I die, am I gonna turn into something like that, too?"
What are the rest of you doing during the morning?
I'll take what ever Sachiko offers, and hope I don't have to use it.
I have a flute, which I can play during a funeral ceremony if appropriate,
since I don't have any words to speak about Ulrich.
I'm all for exploring these caves, after getting as specific description as possible from Gunlar about what he saw and the layout of the caves... But I also think of what Gunlar and Hilden should do. Staying outside the caves where they can shout or signal to those inside might be safer for them and us, but they may be better off elsewhere, on a neighboring farm?, since it sounded like from the other group's encounter, there may be more than one group of bandits that's already taken a dislike to us, and the family shouldn't get caught up in the "crossfire" if they can avoid it.
Martaug looks kindly at Gunlar and beckons him to come sit with him under the tree he had hidden in the night before. He lets the wolf lay down between them so they boy can pet it if he wishes. "Gunlar, I give ya my word right now dat I'll never tell ya an untruth. Dis world's a wild place. Dere's deep history here, outside'a da past dat we know. Der's some stuff we c'n only guess at. Some'a dese secrets hold good, some hold evil. Some'a da evil ain't dead, it's just asleep wainin' ta be woken back up. "
"Der's two main reasons why folks'll go out adventurin' and riskin' life an' limb... wanderlust or responsibility. Deputy Win an' yer dad went'ta check out da caves you was talkin' 'bout outta responibility ta da community. Sure findin' a shiny box'a coin would be nice, but dey was makin' sure it weren't attached ta some bandits who was workin' mischief in da area. Or somethin' even worse..."
"Unfortunately, we don't know 'xactly what dey came up against. Win barely made it back'ta town alive. He wuz very, very lucky. Yer dad looks like he was kilt by some undead...thing. I'm sure both'a doze good men knew da risks dey wuz takin' on fer da town. Da very fact yer dad an ma had talked 'bout whut ta do if'n he died shows he understood da risks dat life carries wit it."
"It used his body ta come back here last night, but it weren't da good man dat wuz him. What happened didn't happen because'a ya. Ya might've found dose boxes, but ya weren't responsible fer yer dad's death. Da only responsibilities dat you have is da responibility ta honor yer father an' his sacrifice, an' ta understan' dat life is a fragile ting so ya best cherish it... If ya take up da mantle of adventure fer either da wanderlust or a sense of responsiblity da end may not be minstrels dancin' around singin' yer praises like inna storybooks. If ya don't go adventurin' den I doubt you'll have da chance ta meet an end like yer dad."
The paladin solemnly hears the tale of the fight when Martaug and the others have a moment to spare. The following day, she assists in the consecration and burial of the fallen. Once that is completed, she purifies herself and prays to Iomedae for the strength and courage to do what next needs done - find and destroy the source of the abominations.
Kara will add what words she can, saddened by the fact that she was not here earlier to stop this from happening in the first place, but determined not to let it go any farther. With a solemn prayer to Iomedae, that the goddess might bless her sword work, Kara readies herself for the rest of the day.
Valdisara, there's something ... strange about the consecration. It's as if the area assists with the activity, as if your power were "running downhill", going farhter, more easily, than you'd expect.
Hilden approaches Martaug, but says clearly enough for anyone else to listen: "I understand that you want to see the cave system. By providence, so would I! But you understand: I cannot allow Gunlar to go back there."
Gunlar hears this, and looks shocked. But then he looks down at his feet and nods twice.
Addressing our assembled muster, I aim for my best eloquence:
"There seem more evil here than we think. But we must stand and not leave unknown evils to strike other day, if we truly honor Deputy's bravery. Yalka ready explore cave, but where go Hilden & Gunlar? Can stay above cave, or Yalka help escort to neighbors if that good."
I also seek to learn more of the cave itself from Gunlar (& Hilden as well?), giving them a stick to draw a rough map if necessary, and learning of any other cave openings they know of. If possible, I'd like to get a general idea of the depth of the shaft Gunlar fell, and the distances he had to swim underwater, so we can know how much rope would be sufficient.
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"It is clear that we should investigate and chase down whatever evil has spawned the attack on these farmers, Yalka raises a good point though, what of the safety of the farm wife and the boy. The fiends seemed dead set on getting the boy (no pun intended) perhaps we should escort them to Carrion Hill for a short while, I would gladly put up the coin to get them lodging if needed."
Deserach spends a bit of time in the morning, most likely during the service studying his spell book and meming today's loadout.
Martaug nods at Hilden "I agree. If'n two grown men had such troubles, it ain't know place for 'im. Not yet, Gunlar. Ya can choose yer path as ya will when ya git older, but now's da time fer ya to help take care'a yer ma. She's a strong woman, but yer gonna need ta lean on each other."
When Deserach mentions escorting the pair back to town, Martaug shrugs. "I dunno, Deserach. We'd loose all day ridin' back an' forth. We're still not sure da road's safe from dem Vipers. Hilden... you got any neighbors ya can hold up with? Maybe not the nearest neighbor, but someone ya git to pretty quick'n can stay with fer a couple'a days? We c'n come past an' let ya know what we find inna caves. Travelin' through da fields'ld probably be safer right now dan da main roads."
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"It is true that it would take more time to escort the two of them to Carrion Hill but would another farmer be able to handle the trio that came upon us last night? Is it possible that they might try again and this time endanger another innocent family, is it worth the risk just to save a bit of time?"
after a slight pause
"I don't know the answer to these questions any better then you, but they are all worth considering, perhaps moving the family to another location will see them safe....but...perhaps not."
Hilden agrees with you: it's not safe to stay here during the nights.
"We'll talk to the Tannauses, over that hill. They knew Ulrich and liked his company well enough. And they're decent people. We kept their son with us when the rest of their family was sick with the measles last winter, so they might take us in for a time.
"But we'll need to be here for the labor duirng the day."
Meanwhile, Gunlar draws you a map. "I made of these for Father and the Constable the day before yesterday. These are the hills, over there, you see? You walk between those two trees, and then there'll be a boulder with some red moss on it; you want to cross on the moss side, and keep going up that path.
"There's caves all through the hills. The one that I went in, is on the north side of a hillock, maybe ten feet off ground level. It's wide at the mouth, but not tall at all." He turns to Grumblenaught, "Even you'd have to duck to get in. I had to be on hands-and-knees.
"The drop-down was about 15 feet into the cave. I think the main tunnel kept going on, but I never went that way, so maybe not. The drop was like the fall from the room of the house, so, maybe 20 feet or so before I hit the water.
"Did I tell you that the water was cold? Well, it sure was.
"I was sort of turned around when I hit the water, so I couldn't really keep track of how far I travelled from that first drop to the treasure cave. It was a ways, though."
Grumblenaught, the windmill is in that general direction, perhaps a mile farther up in the foothills.
Grumble will - after seeing that the remaining Rolsens are safe, and that Orislav is able to take care of the wounded - gather up as many of his used bolts as he can, and then find a quiet corner to grab a catnap.
Come morning, he will help with burials and consecrations as he can - given his general lack of piety, I suspect his assistance will be rendered with a shovel.
As the group discusses further plans, he will confirm that the windmill is indeed close to hand. "Sure'n I can get ye there," he nods confidently. "And the laddie has wrote a fine map, t' my eyes. Ye've got a fine mem'ry, youngster." He winks at Gunlar approvingly.
He peers at the assembled group, puffing his cheeks and blowing on his thick fingers to warm them against the morning's chill. "Now then. Which d'ye wish ta visit first, then?"
Horses, yes; wagon, not so much.
Funny thing about Sachiko: before she approached the farmstead, you heard a horse approaching from the south. But you never heard a horse leave, and there's no mount to be found the next day.
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I was looking through the Web and found a reasonable representation of the area around here.
(Oh, and if you haven't checked the Discussion thread in a while, I've posted a couple of questions there.)
Val listens as plans are discussed, keeping silent for a long while. Eventually, she adds with a frown, "And what of the one that escaped? Can he.. or it.. be tracked? We know it went west from here. I think eliminating the threat of its evil and possibly finding its source is more important than exploring the caves."
Shadows don't leave tracks, being immaterial. And, if you ever find that you can follow the trail of something because its passage is recognizable through Detect Evil after 12 hours, um, don't.
..."And what of the one that escaped? Can he.. or it.. be tracked? We know it went west from here. I think eliminating the threat of its evil and possibly finding its source is more important than exploring the caves."
Grumblenaught looks appraisingly at the tall elf-blooded lass. "The one that ran hisself away din't have any feet, darlin'." He pauses briefly, cracking a grim smile. "T'other ones though; I reckon we could surely foller their spoor back ta wherever it was they come from"
Sachiko is at a loss, lost in an adult's world, she secretly is thankful she missed the battle with the undead. She wonders about the boy and is very disturbed at how he must feel.