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The day, darkened by the unnatural powers that had removed the atmosphere of the planet, was left to be nothing more than a dark blue dusk. Here were the tattered remains of a once beautiful forest. Here is where all who wished to leave Weltop had to travel, be it for companionship, to find truth or simply to understand this world better. After travelling in this forsaken forest for a few hours, the haunting echoes of your memory bring it life with the sounds of wolves howling and birds singing, you find a small glade. Impressively a small torch is burning at the centre of the glade; this is the first fire you’ve seen in days. Astounded to see your first fire in days you move closer to the torch, to find yourself in a group of other similar skeletons.
If Fileox had eyes, they'd be widening. "Fire," he mutters. "Where there's fire, there must be air. Where there's air, there could be..." He doesn't dare finish his sentence. (He doesn't consider the possibility that it could just be an everburning torch.) Gripping his morningstar, he cautiously approaches.
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If Fileox had eyes, they'd be widening. "Fire," he mutters. "Where there's fire, there must be air. Where there's air, there could be..." He doesn't dare finish his sentence. (He doesn't consider the possibility that it could just be an everburning torch.) Gripping his morningstar, he cautiously approaches.
for now just the PCs
"wow, could it be, others are alive here?"
He approaches the source of the light, his bony fingers on the hand of his sword, gripping the hilt tightly in his excitement.
Somewhat oblivious to any dangers that may be lurking at the fire he says "Ooh a fire will be nice" and heads toward the warmth the fire offers.
Aerian walks into the light, knowing the potential danger of exposure but cannot resist the warmth and comfort it offers. He kept his hood up, not to hide his features (everyone is a skeleton anyway) but more out of habit.
"My name is Aerian," says the undead elf, pronouncing his name in a melodious fashion. Making sure his empty hands are in plain sight, Aerian continues, "I come in peace. What are your names?"
Hands held out to the warmth Zerric turns his face to the new comer and says "I'm Zerric, come enjoy the warmth of the fire" with a smile, made only slightly eerie by the lack of lips.
"call me Phil, nice ta meetcha"
A smaller skeleton approaces you with the friendly greeting, draged in pieces of leather that quite honestly has seen better days, along with his sword, although you could say that about Eox as well.
"My name is Filleox Amaretle," he begins. Then his voice quavers a bit, as he blurts out "I say, has anyone here found any sign of life, besides skeletons like us?"
"uhhh..." (the echoes from his open chest cavity sound strangely muted here) "what do you mean by life? Are we dead? Or maybe a better question is why are we not dead?"
He tilts his skull slightly, almost looking like a child waiting for the answer to lifes question.
"I think what has happened is as good a question for what HAD happened," muses Aerian pensively. "I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I don't remember much of my previous life. I woke up in the sick ward of a temple in the mountains. The place was abandoned so I gathered what supplies I could find and made my way down into this forest." Aerian spreads his hands in a helpless gestures, "and now I am here."
"I was in a academy of some sort, whether as a student or a teacher I'm not sure. Everyone else was dead . . . err well more dead than me. All the books were chard, and there were no signs of life at all so I left. I haven't seen another living soul till now, with or without flesh."
"I was reaching for the most beautiful...bracelet...and then I saw a flash behind me, I thought I was caught, but the flash grew brighter and then I blacked out.
When I came to, the bracelet was gone and so was everything else"
You see him shake a little as the memory overwhelms him, and then "I wandered for a while, haven't felt hungry or thirsty at all, and figured I was dead and in Hell."
"I wandered for a while, haven't felt hungry or thirsty at all, and figured I was dead and in Hell."
"Ah, that must be it!" calls Fileox in relief. This isn't really Eox at all! We're some other plane, on which there's a dead version of our world. The real Eox lives on..." Then voice loses its resolution again. "...I think."
He hastily shakes his head. "I wasn't even in any building when I woke up, so I can't get any clue about my previous life from that. I know that I devoted my life to serving Retle. Did I work in a... church, or chapel, or something? Maybe a house of healing? I don't know."
"It seems there are a lot of questions to be answered," considers Aerian, "I recommend that we band together and seek out answers. At the very least, strength in numbers will protect us better against dangers than traveling alone. Agree?"
"yeah good idea. I have heard other creatures out there, and I don't think they are going to invite us over for dinner!"
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There is a sudden chill as the howl of an undead wolf echoes from the distant edges of the forest. The flame of the torch starts to wane, and suddenly it disappears. It isn’t difficult to spot the culprit, as he walks closer to the glade, cursing his bad luck since the world was destroyed. This man, with very thin dark skin, clad in a robe adorn with thousands of small eyes, a dark hood that hides his eyes and most of his face, and a strange staff that appears to be made of shadows etched with screaming faces steps to the centre of the glade. He walks to the ex-torch and grabs it, he utters a few words and the touch lights back up. He turns to you all and with his dark voice comments “come with me, there is a place not far from here where we who can still think meet” his voice is filled with sadness and hatred.
Zerric looks at the beshadowed stranger and says respectfully if somewhat hesitantly "I'm not really in the habit of following strangers, even ones who make as dramatic an entrance as you. Might I have your name, Sir?"
Once again, looking around at the bleak dark world he now resides in, Thraxx remembers nothing at all.
"Ugh...Thraxx dead or alive?"
Moving his hand to his face, Thraxx is about to scratch his head, when he remebers he has no skin.
"Deoudu, what happen? Why you curse Thraxx?"
Thraxx walks a ways with his new axe and armour, finally coming to a clearing of sorts in what was probably a forest of sorts.
"Hmm...Thraxx wonder if people here...people or bone people? Thraxx not know, world so dark and sad now."
Thraxx hesitates before entering the clearing, seeing a lit torch in the middle of the darkness that is now his world.
Hiding himelf into a nearby tree (), Thraxx waits to see what sort of monstrosities are drawn to the flame.
After a while, Thraxx sees a few more "people" enter the clearing, thinking still that it would be strange to think of himself and them as people anymore.
Soon, the number of "skeleton people" reaches a large enough group that Thraxx would soon be found, and killed if he did not announce himself soon. Trying to pick up the courage to speak, and not to startle them all into offence, a "man" with taught pale skin walks into the clearing, speaking to the rest of the "Skeleton people" about coming with him.
"Can Thraxx join other bone people? Thraxx walk long time and not know much about time before wake up as bone person. Thraxx alone now."
Thraxx then jumps down from the bough he was standing on, landing in a heap, but easily picking himself up and brushing off the dust.
Philip, after seeing the stranger, the first alive he has seen since the Event (as he now calls it to himself), first shrinks away from the man, then due to the distraction fails to notice Thraxx appearing behind him.
"Ahhh!" the cry escapes his mouth cavity involuntarily.
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“My name is Deseco, now I know that there be many reasons not to follow strangers, you can stay here if you want, but wouldn’t recommend it, not after seeing what ‘em wolves can do. As I said before, you’re all invited to come” he says in an unearthly voice. “oh and be on the lookout for ‘em wolves... the light will attract them” states Deseco before slowly walking away from the glade.
Zerric looks askance at Thraxx and the large ax strapped to his back then turns back to Deseco and says “No coming with you sounds fine to me. I'd hate to meet a less congenial version of our large new friend there out here all by my self.” Then he turns to the new comer and says with a respectful nod “You are quite stealthy for one so large. Welcome to our little group”
Perception check:
Aerian has noticed the large shape crouching in the bough, but did not immediately sound the alarm because he does not want to cause a commotion. The arrival of Deseco, along with the howling that signals potential danger, changes things and he is about to expose the hidden shape when it reveals itself to be a tall skeleton with chain mail and great axe. Although he looks pretty dangerous, the new arrival doesn't seem to be the bad type...
"Let's not waste time then," Aerian says as he follows Deseco.
Philip doesn't say anything, just moves to follow the tall, gaunt skeletal like guide Desesco
This man, with very thin dark skin, clad in a robe adorn with thousands of small eyes, a dark hood that hides his eyes and most of his face...
Filleox joins Philip in following Deseco, saying "Could you possibly answer some questions? Like how you lit that torch?"
Deseco turns round and answers slowly “it’s a simple spell, though in this world doesn’t work as well as it used to”
Zerric's ears perk up as he moves to follow Deseco and says "Magic has been effected by the event? How so?"
Since Aerian doesn't wield any magic, he will not join in on the conversation on magic. Instead, he keeps an eye out on the surroundings, absorbing the new details of the transformed planet.
Philip tags along silently, lost in thought. This has been so strange. And now they are talking about how magic has changed in this new world. He had always assumed magic was unimportant but, then a fragment of memory flashed in front of him, a wizened face, looking like...Father...is that his father?...
He returns to the present, marveling at the silence surrounding his body, no heart beating, no blood pumping, no air flowing in and out of his now non-existent lungs...and now there are others like him, he is no longer alone. (although the barbarian does un-nerve him).
“No, no, magic hasn’t changed, just well the spell was designed to work in a different environment than the one we have here so it doesn’t work so well... a few minor changes to how we cast it”
Zerric looks lost in thought as he follows Deseco, then muses softly to himself "My magic feels different some how . . . no less strong, but less . . . structured?" After a few more minutes of silence hew asks the party's new found guide "How many others of the 'Living' have you found?"
Thraxx follows the rest of the group, all the while trying to figure out what he was before.
What were the others in this ragtag band of morbid travellers before?
Thraxx is sure that if his memories were to come back, he would probably remember what they were, but for now, they are all "Bone People."
"Thraxx curious, where we go? Thraxx want to know if any other bone people around."
Perception check:
Perhaps it is the creepy eyes on the cloak of the mysterious nature of Deseco, but Aerian does not notice what Filleox has perceived.
Philip, noticing everyone looking at the strange guide, tries to see what is so interesting.
After musing a while longer on the change the "event" has rendered on magic Zerric peers intently at the party's guide.
Perception
Zerric asks Deseco "How far is it to where the others wait?"
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As the group starts to move away from the glade, a sudden howl paralyzes the group, a small pack of rotting zombie wolves can be seen at a worrying short distance away from the glade, you can see a total of 6 wolves though more can be heard at a distance, these wolves are by no means slow and will reach the glade in a few seconds (2 rounds). Everyone roll for initiative
On hearing the wolves (err...zombies...zombie wolves...whatever..) he draws his bow and nocks an arrow for a quick shot before the creatures (that's better) close into melee.
Seeing the closing zombie wolves Zerric casts mage armor on himself then readies his crossbow, drawing down on the lead wolf.
Aerian rushes to the front of the group, putting himself between the coming wolves and the rest of his party, whipping out his kama as he goes.
"Come on big guy!" He yells to Thraxx, "Let's break their charge!"
"Bone dogs die now!"
despite saying this, Thraxx wonders if one who is already dead and made of bone can really die again.
Filleox joins Aerian on the front line, but doesn't draw a weapon. His claws seem sharp enough.
Aerian reacts first by placing himself in front of the casters and rogue. Kama in hand, he braces for the incoming onslaught. (ready action to attack the first wolf in range)
"One advantage of being dead," thinks the undead elf as the wolves get closer and closer, "it that you don't sweat from being nervous."