Just Business
Log Info
- Title: Just Business
- Emitter: Benthus
- Characters: Sigrid Level 2, Kailin Level 2, Haggerty Level 2
- Place: Glenspield (Somewhere in Alexandros)
- Time: Dec 31, 2015
- Summary: The guild of explorers has a contract for a task that needs to be accomplished as soon as possible. It involves going to a distant settlement, assess the problem there, and do whatever it takes to get the job done.
- APL: 2
- Encounter 1: 1x Armoured Ogre Skeleton, CR 2
- Encounter 2: 5x Human Zombies, CR 3
(Start of story)
A messenger arrives at the place that you frequent to deliver a missive for you. In the letter, sealed with the symbol of the explorers' guild, is an invitation to a nearby warehouse where the new guild house has been relocated. You are familiar with the place and know where to find it. The invitation is very short, stating that there is work for you should you accept it.
As you arrive at the warehouse, you see several individuals stationed at the place's choke-point, all dressed for combat. They have an intense look in their eyes, as if their gaze can kill. And likely some of them do. Most of them look at you, but immediately recognize you for who you are. Just like that, they ignore you, giving you access to the area.
As you move further on, you spot other guild members strolling in the premise, doing odd end jobs only who knows what for. But most likely important. Nobody tells a murderhobo to do something inane anyways. It is too expensive to do so.
You follow a person who took a notice of your presence and ushered you to the briefing room. Most likely, this is his part time job in the guild until he gets called forth to do a commission. He opens a door for you and waves you in. The door is promptly closed behind once you stepped inside.
There are several other people in the room, either sitting down or standing or some other posture that would likely look cool in the public. All seem to have their attention focused on the man with dark red and black coat sporting a 3-day stubble on his face. Despite being rugged and handsome, the man doesn't seem interested in anyone's attention, going straight for the topic in hand.
"Alright, listen up, kill-jocks and hero-wannabes. We got something going on at the northern part of Alexandros. It seems like one of the villages there has stopped supplying us with some of their commodities. Commodities that this city needs. We want them to return to their normal activities right away or else there will be a lot of pissed-off people who will be clamoring up some politician's behind which will result with our asses getting spanked. And not in a nice manner."
He begins handing out papers which provide some intel on the location of the place, the population size, the local heads that you should get in touch with, and what commodities you should take an interest in preserving. There are other information on the sheet, but it is only the ones that are highlighted that seem to be of interest as far as you are concerned. The problem would be in remembering all the information.
"Glenspiel. A backwater village near Felwood forest has provided the city with the material known as dark wood. Don't expect me to spoon feed you what it is, you only need to know that the city needs it. We've had a good rapport with the local chief in the area. Mayor Gorlein has been the resident authority figure for some time until we lost contact. He is a dwarf by the way and he doesn't like new comers much, so you all be on your best behavior when you meet up with him. Just because you are called there to do guild's work, doesn't automagically make you best buddies."
He shifts the groups attention to the map, which shows the layout of the city of Alexandria and the location of Glenspiel. There are various legends marked all around the area between the city and the targeted village, some having the skull and crossbones mark on them.
"We want you get to the place as soon as possible, establish communication with whoever is there that can get the ball rolling again and then make sure that whatever caused the hiccup to never happen again. I mean it. We need their goods, and any delays in their transport is going to result with people's head on the chopping block. Literally."
He raises his hand which suddenly causes the lamps inside the room to dim. He pulls out something from his pocket that looks like a gem. He shows the gem to everyone and then waves his other hand over it. An image begins to get projected upwards.
"Recent intel on the area indicates some unusual energy fluctuations. Negative energy fluctuations. I don't need to explain myself what that means. You just go there and rectify the situation if you see that it is contributing to the delay in the production of dark wood."
The images projected from the gem disappear and the lights from the lamps begin to shine back to its normal level. He stows his gem back in his pocket as he nods to you all.
"I know there isn't much information here. And that is why you have been called forth. We need those materials like last year, and anymore delays in unacceptable. We are taking a risk in having you do the job, considering that hiring you is as expensive as hell. But someone wants to get the job done right away and wants the highest success probability there could possibly be in this scenario. This could be a walk in the park wherein someone forgot the shipment date and everything gets sorted. Or this could be a planar invasion of the worse kind. Either case, you got to get that village back into the business of producing those darkwood for the city. And you are going to make that happen one way or the other. The guild has a reputation to uphold, it does not take kindly to failures, no matter what the odds may be."
He draws a deep breath and sighs, having come to the end of the debriefing and nods his head to those present.
"Transport is via teleporation, care of one of the resident mages in the guild, all cost paid by the employer. It'll get you within half a day of Glenspiel. Get there quickly, solve the problem, then get back. Your money will be waiting for you here, just as soon as the employer receives confirmation that the darkwood is on its way to the city."
Work is the only explanation necessary for Kailin to put away his journal and make his way to the warehouse. Entering inside, he follows and listens carefully, taking the informational pages and reading them over carefully. He reads them quietly, trying to concentrate on how everything fits together, then folds them up and slides them into his bag. "Got it." That's about all that he says to acknowledge his end as the man with the dark red and black coat doesn't seem particularly interested in much besides making sure the job gets done correctly.
The mission organizer nods his head and says, "Now go. Time is money. Get the job done, find proof of your success and deliver it back to HQ. You'll get your money as soon as it is verified." He doesn't say goodbye, he merely leaves the room and another person steps in. He says he will direct you to where the wizard is located.
You are assisted in finding the mage who will teleport you to your destination. When you meet him, he doesn't speak to you. He merely looks you over, checks on the person who brought you in, and begins waving his hand.
"Begone!" He says, and that is the last you heard from him. The world around you begins to change and a moment of light-headedness fills you. When you get your bearings back, you are in a different part of Alexandros. Based on what you remember, you are about half a days journey to Glenspiel. You make your way there now...
(Free RP)
Sigrid shakes her head to clear it. "Well," she remarks. "They are certainly interested in getting this done fast. But not fast enough to get us closer to our destination." She shrugs. "Well, I guess we walk from here." And she'll walk in the direction we were briefed to go.
Kailin heads out in the direction of Glenspiel along with the group, his long legs carrying him quickly with his equally long stride. He makes casual conversation if others are amenable to it but little about the job itself, since they all have such little information on it. Instead, he hums a light tune to give a bit of distraction for the journey.
As you journey towards the village, you detect something perceptibly strange about your surroundings. The closer you get to Glenspiel, the darker and more mistier it gets. What is even more strange is that the trees around you are showing signs of decay, or dying. The natural critters and birds that should inhabit this area seem to be hiding... or are not there at all. As you continue to progress, the mist gets more frequent and thicker. Then, as you reach around a bend of a road, you see something large standing on the road. You don't know what it is exactly as the mist at that very moment chose to cover it. It hasn't moved since you arrived.
<OOC> Benthus says, "Perception checks, please. The group is roughly 30 feet away from it." GAME: Kailin rolls perception: (9)+6: 15 GAME: Sigrid rolls perception: (2)+3: 5 GAME: Haggerty rolls perception+2(Fam): (19)+3+2(Fam): 22
You paged Sigrid with 'As hard as you try to pierce through the fog, you see little that could help you in identifying what it is.'
From afar, Sigrid will try to detect evil on it?
Sigrid makes casual conversation, though it's a little stiff since she lives at the temple and doesn't have a very varied life. She's fairly new to Alexandria, besides. She'll pause at seeing the shape in the fog, and she squints towards it. "Can you see what that is?" she whispers.
You paged Kailin with 'You see that it is very large, and appears to be carrying something very big, like a tree trunk. And you hear what sounds to be steel plate grating against steel plate.' You paged Sigrid with 'As you give a moment to concentrate on the creature's aura, you see that it is covered in black. (evil)'
You paged Haggerty with 'You pierce into the veil of mist and see the creature for what it is. A skeletal ogre carrying a log for a weapon, covered in full plate armour.'
Kailin pauses as they come across the thing in the road. He holds out a hand as he stops, not that anyone needs to be warned - but better safe than sorry was usually his way. He whispers back and says, "Grinding metal, holding a big club... Some kind of construct. Something... unpleasant." He shakes his head slightly and says, "If you want to go around it, I'm good with that idea. Otherwise, this could be rough with just the two of us..."
Sigrid adds quietly, "An Evil one, too. I ... didn't know they could do that." She considers going around, but says, "I'm not too keen on having that running loose in the countryside, either. In the fog, maybe we can ambush it?"
GAME: Sigrid rolls initiative: 7 + 1 = 8 GAME: You roll initiative for Road Block: Roll: 6 + Bonus: +4 = Total: 10 GAME: Kailin rolls initiative: 16 + 2 = 18 GAME: Haggerty rolls initiative: 17 + 6 = 23
The mist chooses this moment to leave the area. In doing so, it reveals that which is standing on the road. It is large, true, and it carries with it a club the size of a log. It is covered in steel plate (plate armour) and it looks at the world through empty sockets from is skull face. The Undead turns it attention on the group and without preamble, begins to raise its club to attack one of you...
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Zero - Init 18.
It is now Kailin's turn! Road Block is next!
<OOC> Kailin says, "Is there a full defense option?" <OOC> Kailin says, "Yeah, I'll do that in an effort not to die in the first round."
As the mists part suddenly, he nods to Sigrid and acknowledges, "Yeah... that might have been a good idea..." He hefts his Earthbreaker off his shoulder and holds it in front of him, warily. He is hesitant to charge into something without having an idea of what he is up against and all he can hope to do is survive the first moments of the encounter in order to give himself a better idea of what they are dealing with. He crouches slightly and waits, ready to try to deflect or dodge or both.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Zero - Init 10.
It is now Road Block's turn! Sigrid is next!
GAME: Benthus rolls 1d20+7: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL) <attack on Sigrid>
The huge lumbering undead creature has chosen its target: Sigrid. It moves it swiftly despite its size and hefts its huge weapon over his head. But whatever fate there its, it has chosen that moment to intervene in behalf of Sigrin. A low lying branch snags with the weapon that the large creature is carrying and causes it to swing down with less momentum and precision as it might have expected. It misses Sigrid... badly.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Zero - Init 8.
It is now Sigrid's turn! Kailin is next!
<OOC> Sigrid says, "I will charge it and suck up the AoO. Hopefully it'll miss. Also, I need HP" Haggerty pages: Done with the page/pemit. <OOC> Sigrid says, "Also, I will give it my smite." <OOC> Sigrid says, "Oh wait, it moved to attack me? So I should just need to 5' step to hit it?" GAME: Sigrid rolls 1d20+10: (14)+10: 24 <attack on monster> GAME: Sigrid rolls 2d6+8: (4)+8: 12<damage on monster, DR bypassed by smite>
Sigrid has no fear as the horrible thing advances on her. She laughs at the danger, laughing derisively as it swings and misses her. "You'll have to do better than that!" she taunts, holding out her greatsword level. Stepping up, she swings it from the side, and slashes the thing pretty hard, though it doesn't seem to have hurt it as badly as all that.
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 23.
It is now Haggerty's turn! Kailin is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed on Haggerty ended. <OOC> Haggerty says, "I aim my crossbow and wait."
Thoroughly whelmed by the instant travel and the sensation of being summoned elsewhere, this wizard attired man and the tiny dog who still lounges in a bag to peek out from it with the cutest soulful eyes and point one of his tiny forelegs here and there as he communicates in unintelligible snorts, follow the the two martial heroes and seem somewhat lightheaded in their de-lunched state. At last, the carrier sighs and readies one of his two strung and cocked crossbows, but has to steady his hat and aim while wandering sideways through the snow. The little pug dog spits some remaining boiled stomach out and whines very quietly. Bones splinter and the skeleton is maimed some. Good so far! Somebody is singing. Or something.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 18.
It is now Kailin's turn! Road Block is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed on Kailin ended. <OOC> Kailin says, "Standard: bardic performance - inspire courage, move action: move to flank"
Kailin begins to maneuver around the giant thing and takes up his song, his voice booming out with a deep, melodious tune as he gathers his own courage to enter into the fight. He manages to remember what he can do with tactics, however and adds just a little edge to the fight in doing so.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 10.
It is now Road Block's turn! Sigrid is next!
GAME: Benthus rolls 1d20+7: (9)+7: 16<attack on Sigrid>
The large skeletal monster looms over Sigrid and attempts to pulverize her with his tree-trunk weapon. It misses its mark.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 8.
It is now Sigrid's turn! Haggerty is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed on Sigrid ended. GAME: Sigrid rolls 1d20+13: (12)+13: 25 <attack on monster> GAME: Sigrid rolls 2d6+8: (3)+8: 11<damage on monster, DR bypassed by smite>
Sigrid manages to evade another swing of the thing's tree-trunk club, this time by the good graces of Daeus, and she's a bit shaken at the near miss. She slashes back at it as it follows through with the heavy weight, though she's a bit off balance and her back foot slides as she attacks, taking some of the oomph out of her attack. It's enough, though, to cut into whatever foul magic is keeping the thing up, and it crumbles from her attack.
The path heading towards Glenspiel is once again open.
"Most excellent!" Kailin drops his song and lowers his maul. "That had me worried. One good shot from the trunk and I might not be around anymore..." He motions down and says, "I'm sure this has something to do with the commerce problem..."
Sigrid looks to the others, says, "Have no fear. The Platinum Dragon," she means Daeus, "will protect us." She nods to Kailin about the commerce, though she says, "If something like this is here, who can say what we might find in the village. Shall we go?"
Haggerty lowers his weapon and looks about, then at the ground to find obvious tracks like where this one waded along to get here or whether this big thing was installed here. The redhead flicks a few of his braids back and watches the others, "Very good work! If you couldn't hear it through the retching, I am simply known as Haggerty. It's the name I got when traveling here, anyway." He sighs to add, "Can we make some sense of the thing here, please, then march on? I do not want to dally although it is quite nice out, if we were to count the wildlife back in.."
Sigrid intruduces herself, "Sigrid Magni, Sunblade." She nods about moving on, starting on her way. "They were very eager to have us go as quickly as we could, so let's not dally here. We can search on the way back, if we need to."
Haggerty pages: Did the skeleton wander here? Is it here long? What was it made from? Is there snow or is it nasty and wet? Anything prominent to glean from the fancy armor? You paged Haggerty with 'Roll knowledge/religion, knowledge/local and Survival.' GAME: Haggerty rolls knowledge/religion: (1)+8: 9 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Haggerty rolls survival: (19)+1: 20
<OOC> Kailin says, "can I roll knowledge to help since Haggarty is investigating?"
You paged Haggerty with 'It is snow, but your survival skill still manages to give you an idea of what happened in the area. It looks like this thing (the undead) was dragged into this particular spot and animated. Those who brought it to unlife left into the direction of the village. The armour is particularly large, which means that it has been specifically made for this creature. Where it came from, you have no idea.'
Haggerty finds a leaf for himself to chew on and gets the canine some water from a puddle to wash its mouth. "Glad to have you. Indeed, let us move on, but not too fast. Charging head on is always a good idea, mind, but look at the way this poor soul's remains were pulled up here. It got animated on the spot to guard the way. Sadly, I cannot tell, if any alarms are triggered by its demise. We got to see to the burial on the way back, if there is nobody left to do it." When the little one's senses are ready again, the thin guy in the robe walks with the others.
GAME: Kailin rolls +2: (2)++2: 4 GAME: Kailin rolls +2: (7)++2: 9
You paged Kailin with 'You know very little about this undead. You have some knowledge of the area and realize that this creature is not from around this parts. That is about it.'
And so the three adventurers continue on with their mission in finding out why Glenspiel has stopped delivering dark wood. As they continue onward, they come up to the village's farm lands. The sight of dead cattle can be seen where the snow has not covered it yet. There are no creatures to be found alive as you move on. No people either. As you get closer to the village, you see signs of disturbance on the road. There is a cart on the road filled with spoiled farm products. The beasts of burden that had been pulling it are dead on where it has been attached to the cart. It looked like it has been stabbed, slashed and bludgeoned to death. The group continues even further. When then reach the village, the see that it is deserted. The group starts to search for survivors. There are none. Not even the bodies could be found. Not until they come to the village's festival ground. The bodies of the dead have been piled up into a heap. Snow has covered most of it, but it is still visible. Now you know why Glenspiel has stopped production. All it's inhabitants are dead.
Sigrid sighs wistfully. "This is unfortunate," she says sadly. "A whole village slain. Can anyone see a cause?" she asks. "I think the thing we fought could ... not have caused all this by itself?"
Kailin follows along and mentioning with a shake of his head to the others, "It could have. That thing definitely did not come from these parts. If the village was not prepared, it could have caught them unawares." He shrugs faintly and adds, "But likely you are right. There may be more that caused this and I'm not sure if we can accomplish our job with this being... as it is. We need to figure out a way to make these woods right again."
Haggerty grinds his teeth as he makes a face, "Very much unprepared. The basic reason would be money. The wood is magical and fetches quite some money, but wholesale slaughter when they could have, well, acquired the wares with a few bonks on heads means there is no sane reasoning involved here. I am new to the kingdom and the city, so I have to ask. Do we have any jurisdiction here beyond self defense and basic problem solving, please?"
Sigrid says to Haggerty, "I am a Sunblade," a Paladin of Daeus. "We /certainly/ have jurisdiction to fight a clear evil. Anyone from the Adventurers' Guild has that, in fact." She nods about making the woods right again, but asks, "Do you know how?"
Whether it is the warmth of your bodies or the sound of your voices, five of the frozen corpses begin to move. They slowly stand up and stare at the three adventurers with their death-glazed eyes. They start to lumber towards them, swaying from side to side like imbalanced puppets..
Sigrid's blade is out again, and she's exhorting her companions, "Come on now, it looks like the dead need to be reminded they're at rest." She moves towards them a little ways, and stands, blade drawn.
GAME: Haggerty rolls initiative: 19 + 6 = 25 GAME: Kailin rolls initiative: 15 + 2 = 17 GAME: You roll initiative for Zombie4: Roll: 16 + Bonus: 0 = Total: 16 GAME: Sigrid rolls initiative: 13 + 1 = 14 GAME: You roll initiative for Zombie3: Roll: 12 + Bonus: 0 = Total: 12 GAME: You roll initiative for Zombie2: Roll: 9 + Bonus: 0 = Total: 9 GAME: You roll initiative for Zombie5: Roll: 9 + Bonus: 0 = Total: 9 GAME: You roll initiative for Zombie1: Roll: 1 + Bonus: 0 = Total: 1
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Zero - Init 25.
It is now Haggerty's turn! Kailin is next!
<OOC> Haggerty says, "With clear los, I shoot at the closest moving corpse."
GAME: Haggerty rolls ranged: (12)+3: 15
GAME: Haggerty rolls 1d10: (8): 8
<OOC> Benthus says, "It hits, but doesn't do as much damage as you expected."
Haggerty inclines his head and sounds moved, awed a bit but not completely so, "You had a divine sending experience, if that is like a Lance of the Shield Maiden of Battles? Impressive, no less!" He squints his eyes when things get moving again and shoots a bolt at the incoming trouble before he first goes to pull the long stick from his back, but then choses a dagger he pulls from the pouches on his belt. The attacker's swing goes flying which is a weird and new sensation which makes it scientifically interesting, but there is no time! "They are rising! Darn it."
He did hit and made the bolt count, but not as much as the young wizard would like, because the magically transformed villager's flesh has no cardiovascular needs to bother with.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 17.
It is now Kailin's turn! Zombie1 is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed on Kailin ended. <OOC> Kailin says, "Rage and charge one." <OOC> Benthus says, "+2 for charging." <OOC> Benthus says, "And what weapon are you using?" <OOC> Kailin says, "Earthbreaker (bashing)" GAME: Kailin rolls melee+2+2: (9)+6+2+2: 19<attack on Zombie1> GAME: Kailin rolls 2d6+7+2: (10)+7+2: 19<damage on Zombie1, reduced by 5>
Kailin shakes his head to Sigrid about how to fix the woods, but before he can say anything, the corpses start to move. These aren't nearly as big as the other thing, though so he feels more at ease in taking his chances. He lifts his maul into the air and gives a roar, much more ferocious than the deep tonal song that he gave previously. He dashes forward and takes a swing at one of the rising corpse, the heavy meal head swinging in an upward arc towards his target. It scatters the bones in a shower of splinters and Kailin carries the momentum around in a circle, leaving him open and vulnerable. "I gather it starts with continuing to fight the evil that comes at us. But there's got to be something around here causing it. Something or someone."
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 14.
It is now Sigrid's turn! Zombie2-5 is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed on Sigrid ended.
<OOC> Sigrid says, "Hack at the nearest with my greatsword." GAME: Sigrid rolls 1d20+7: (16)+7: 23 <attack on Zombie2> GAME: Sigrid rolls 2d6+6: (6)+6: 12
Sigrid smiles as her allies have joined the fight. She's not as brawny as Kailin, but she's pretty big, all things considered, and the greatsword slices a zombie in two without much effort. "Someone or something, yes. And we're going to have to tell the Guild that their supplies will not be coming in soon."
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 12.
It is now Zombie2-5's turn! Haggerty is next!
GAME: Benthus rolls 1d20+6: (11)+6: 17<attack on Kailin> GAME: Benthus rolls 1d20+6: (4)+6: 10<attack on Kailin> GAME: Benthus rolls 1d20+6: (17)+6: 23<attack on Haggerty> GAME: Benthus rolls 1d6+4: (1)+4: 5<damage on Kailin> GAME: You damaged Kailin for 5 points. 13 remaining. GAME: Benthus rolls 1d6+4: (6)+4: 10<damage on Haggerty> GAME: You damaged Haggerty for 10 points. 6 remaining.
The three remaining zombies don't show any particular concern to their 2 fallen undead comrades. They just continue moving up to their intended targets and begin hitting with their arms like clubs. One manages to hit Kailin, another hurts Haggerty.
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 25.
It is now Haggerty's turn! Kailin is next!
<OOC> Haggerty says, "Nice. 5' step back. Using 'hand of the apprentice' with the dagger." <OOC> Haggerty says, "On the one which attacked me." GAME: Haggerty rolls 1(bab)+4(int): (3)+1(bab)+4(int): 8<attack on Zombie5>
Haggerty is struck and reels from the blow. The undead slams the pale man hard and he almost goes down. Reeling and struggling not to go down on one knee, he sends his dagger at the attacking corpse with a flick of a telekinetic pulse, but the weapon flies past the throat as the thing groans yet thankfully lands back in Haggerty's hand quickly. The little dog looks sad.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 17.
It is now Kailin's turn! Sigrid is next!
<OOC> Kailin says, "Rage attack one of them." GAME: Kailin rolls melee+2: (5)+6+2: 13<attack on Zombie3> GAME: Kailin rolls 2d6+7+2: (6)+7+2: 15<Damage reduced by 5>
Kailin is slashed along his arm as he struggles to get his heavy weapon back into position from his reckless, but effective attack. He whirls around and brings his Earthbreaker overhead, directing the weapon back down into the earth, just over the head of the zombie. It plummets downward and catches the zombie right in the crook of its neck. It tears downward, burying itself in the ground and taking the right half of the zombie's body with it. Unfortunately, it continues to stumble forward, undeterred, surprising Kailin with its tenacity.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 14.
It is now Sigrid's turn! Zombie2-5 is next!
<OOC> Benthus says, "Sigrid, action please." <OOC> Sigrid says, "I'll attack one of the zombies on Haggerty?" GAME: Sigrid rolls 1d20+9: (19)+9: 28 <attack on Zombie5> GAME: Sigrid rolls 1d20+9: (1)+9: 10 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Sigrid rolls 2d6+6: (8)+6: 14
Sigrid steps behind the zombies going after Haggerty, and shouts, "Come fight me!" She takes a big overhand whack at the most damaged looking zombue and pow, she hacks it nearly in half. It crumples to the ground, resting in pieces.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 12.
It is now Zombie2-5's turn! Haggerty is next!
GAME: Benthus rolls 1d20+4: (14)+4: 18<attack on Kailin> GAME: Benthus rolls 1d20+4: (16)+4: 20<attack on Haggerty> GAME: Benthus rolls 1d6+4: (5)+4: 9<damage on Kailin> GAME: You damaged Kailin for 9 points. 4 remaining. GAME: Benthus rolls 1d6+4: (3)+4: 7<damage on Haggerty> GAME: You damaged Haggerty for 7 points. -1 remaining. (DYING)
The two remaining zombies continue to attack at their targets without regards to those around them, or even themselves. One does a good hit on Kailin. The other one manages to hit Haggerty well in the head causing him to fall unconscious.
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 25.
It is now Haggerty's turn! Kailin is next!
GAME: Haggerty rolls +2: (17)+2: 19 <OOC> Benthus says, "Haggerty is stabilized."
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 17.
It is now Kailin's turn! Sigrid is next!
<OOC> Kailin says, "Regular attack then." GAME: Kailin rolls melee+2: (12)+6+2: 20<attack on Zombie3> GAME: Kailin rolls 2d6+7+2: (7)+7+2: 16<damage reduced by 5>
Kailin is smashed across the chest and Kailin turns his rage on the creature with a twist of his body. The heavy metal head follows, hurtling through the air to knock a chunk of ribs from the creature with splintering bone. But like the other, it continues forward, undeterred and angry.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 14.
It is now Sigrid's turn! Zombie2-5 is next!
<OOC> Sigrid says, "I'll hit the other one on Haggerty." GAME: Sigrid rolls 1d20+7: (6)+7: 13<attack on Zombie5> GAME: Sigrid rolls 2d6+6: (5)+6: 11
Sigrid is startled as Haggerty falls, and her urgency doubles. Sadly, she's not so experienced with the blade, and she hacks mightily, but her blow is struck from a poor balance, and though she hacks into the zombie, it's not enough to stop it.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 12.
It is now Zombie2-5's turn! Haggerty is next!
<OOC> Benthus says, "Zombie on Kailin attacks him. Zombie on Haggerty attacks Sigrid." GAME: Benthus rolls 1d20+4: (20)+4: 24<threat on Kailin> GAME: Benthus rolls 1d20+4: (3)+4: 7<Threat failed, normal damage only> GAME: Benthus rolls 1d20+4: (14)+4: 18<attack on Sigrid> GAME: Benthus rolls 1d6+4: (6)+4: 10<damage on Kailin> GAME: You damaged Kailin for 10 points. -6 remaining. (DYING) <OOC> Kailin says, "I'm down. Though I had an extra 4 hp somewhere from raging so I should only be at -2" GAME: You damaged Kailin for -4 points. -2 remaining. (DYING) GAME: Kailin rolls constitution: (5)+2: 7 GAME: Benthus rolls 1d6+4: (1)+4: 5<damage on Sigrid> GAME: You damaged Sigrid for 5 points. 20 remaining.
The two remaining badly damaged zombies are relentless in their pursuit of taking down their living opponents. One of the undead slaps a heavy hand across Kailin's face, and that knocks him down. The other manages to hit Sigrid in the arm and injuring her.
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 25.
It is now Haggerty's turn! Kailin is next!
<OOC> Benthus says, "Haggerty, is unconscious but stable."
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 17.
It is now Kailin's turn! Sigrid is next!
<OOC> Benthus says, "Roll constitution check again, Kailin." GAME: Kailin rolls constitution: (6)+2: 8 GAME: You damaged Kailin for 1 points. -3 remaining. (DYING)
The zombie swarms Kailin again, and another hit takes the breath from Kailin. The world seems to spin a monet as his Earthbreaker slips from his grip and slams into the ground heavily. He stumbles a step backwards and falls, collapsing on the ground amidst the other fallen bodies around them.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 14.
It is now Sigrid's turn! Zombie2-5 is next!
<OOC> Sigrid says, "Hack the zombie." <OOC> Sigrid says, "The one I was hacking before." GAME: Sigrid rolls 1d20+7: (16)+7: 23<Attack on Zombie5> GAME: Sigrid rolls 2d6+6: (12)+6: 18
Sigrid finds herself the only one standing suddenly, and she has a moment, just a moment, of doubt. Then it resolves, and she vows, "I will save you! Hang on!" And she takes a mighty swing with her greatsword and hacks another zombie in half.
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 12.
It is now Zombie2-5's turn! Haggerty is next!
GAME: Benthus rolls 1d20+4: (18)+4: 22 GAME: Benthus rolls 1d6+4: (6)+4: 10 GAME: You damaged Sigrid for 10 points. 10 remaining.
The last zombie senses life nearby and detects Sigrid. It moves towards her and attacks her. It swings its arm hard against her face like a bat, and connects. It leaves a big welt on her face.
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Five - Init 25.
It is now Haggerty's turn! Kailin is next!
<OOC> Benthus says, "Haggerty is... still unconscious."
Haggerty lies on the ground amidst dead parts and is closer to that state than he would like. He faintly feels the nudges of the black pug who is still sound, but trapped under his carrier, as the pummeling robbed him of all breath and hurt his body all over. On the plus side, the wizard is not eaten or bitten. Definitely a plus!
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Five - Init 17.
It is now Kailin's turn! Sigrid is next!
GAME: Kailin rolls constitution: (19)+2: 21 <OOC> Benthus says, "Kailin is stable."
GAME: Benthus advances the initiative order.
Round Five - Init 14.
It is now Sigrid's turn! Zombie2-5 is next!
<OOC> Sigrid says, "Hack the last one" GAME: Sigrid rolls 1d20+7: (7)+7: 14 GAME: Sigrid rolls 2d6+6: (7)+6: 13
Sigrid winces as the zombie scratches her pretty badly. "Definitely need new armor," she grumbles to herself as she brings her heavy sword around, and she hacks hard, cuttiung down through it's shoulder and body. It falls, and she breathes a sigh of relieff, then immediately goes to her companions, using her ability to lay on hands to bring them back around.
GAME: Benthus removes the timestop. Timestop by Benthus has left. GAME: You remove the timestop.
Kailin comes to with a slow and groggy start, looking around him. He asses the situation and pulls himself up off the ground, despite his pain. A bit of magic goes into him to cure his wounds and he gives Sigrid a nod. "Thank you..." He moves over to grab at the handle of his maul, picking it upright, but not lifting the head off the ground yet. "Always go after the injured one..." Kailin says with a smirk, still feeling the pain of the battle.
<OOC> Kailin says, "Can I cast a detect magic to see if there might be a magical cause that we can see?" <OOC> Benthus says, "Sure. Cast it." <OOC> Kailin wiggles fingers around the magic. <OOC> Benthus says, "When you do. Roll spellcraft check to get more information." GAME: Kailin rolls spellcraft: (20)+5: 25
Haggerty experiences the surge of holy energy knitting him back together while he regains actual consciousness. He shakes his head and sits up to make sure the little dog is sound and can breathe right. The beginner wizard then recalls the whole dead parts deal and senses that something got onto his clothes. He frowns and gets to his feet. When standing, the young arcanist mumbles, "Thank you, Sigrid."
Kailin glances around again and with a grunt to deal with th pain, he lifts his maul again, settling it on his shoulders. He moves over the area and says, "I'd like to see if I can tell anything of the magic in this area. Give me a few moment's please..." He begins concentrating on the area, casting his spell. His eyes go back and forth over the place, seeing the unseen as he works his magic through his senses.
Haggerty slowly shakes his head, "We cannot go. Not yet. You got the inquisition gaze, don't you? Can you see where the strongest evil is?" The pug snorts, but the stink remains, his senses much stronger than a human's typically are. The man with the besmudged pointy hat flicks his look over to Kailin then back at the holy warrior of Daeus. "Okay, I will look at the other quadrants."
<OOC> Sigrid will detect evil, then. <OOC> Benthus says, "No more evil in the immediate vicinity, Sigrid. Place is clean. Relatively."
Sigrid squints all around the area for several moments, then finally informs the others, "I can't sense any further evil. If it's here, it's buried or hidden. I don't think there's anything more here we can do other than bury these poor folks."
You paged Kailin with 'You detect a large amount of powerful magical energy in the area, though in a state of decay. It is necromantic in origin. You suspect traces of 'animate dead' is being used, but something else. Something you are not at all familiar. It is like a soul siphoning thing. Looking at the dead corspes piled up, you notice that all of them have been stripped of their souls. Ripped out would be more appropriate. Whatever it is that came here and killed all the villagers and other living creatures, it wasn't interested in anything physical.'
Kailin shivers and shakes his head, stepping back, despite the fact that there was really nothing to step back from. He continues to work teh spell for as long as he can, reading the magical eminations in the area. "Whatever it was is gone now. And it left with these people's souls. Necromancy." He says the word with a bit of disgust. "But it is gone now and has left this mess behind." He looks to the others and says, "There is nothing more for us to do, it appears, besides to report the situation. If our contractor would like to move into the area to set up an operation that would continue the logging of this wood... no one here will contest his claim."
Haggerty nods slowly, "If these.. zombies rose from the pile, it might be there, under all the corpses. Enough material of any kind blocks most magic and holy sight methods. Any practiced methods of how we should get the pile pulled apart to find out? I cannot say, sadly, other than we need to be more careful than before."
Sigrid says to Kailin, "Before we go back, I think we can bury these folks. And some may have family outside the town, who may contest the company's claim." She nods to Haggerty. "Yes, let us lay them all neatly out, and then we shall see what may be seen." She'll move over to the stack and lay the bodies neatly on the open area.
GAME: Haggerty rolls knowledge/arcane: (18)+knowledge/arcane: 18 <OOC> Haggerty says, "Bonus is +9." GAME: Haggerty rolls Spellcraft: (9)+9: 18
You paged Haggerty with 'Some really powerful stuff is being cast here. Necromantic in origin. As what Kailin had said, souls have been siphon from the villagers and other living creatures. Magic is like soul jar in appearance.'
Kailin nods to Sigrid and replies, "I will help in burying the bodies. But I have no say into matters of claims and stakes. That is for them to decide. But we have done our part to clear the wood of danger. It is up to others to continue the shipments in whichever way they work out amongst them." He nods again as he begins stacking bodies, feeling only a slight pain from the fighting. He thanks his magic for the relief as he does so, finding it to be more useful now that he has become an adventurer.
Haggerty nods slowly and rolls up the sleeves of his garments, "We have a plan. We.." He cracks his knuckles and shakes his head slowly, some of his optimism drained, which gives his words a tired ring which is no less compassionate, but all the more sad, "They.. stole the souls. Snuck them away. You know how demons can be locked away or unapologetic criminals. Put their souls into gems for as long as is needed. It is a terrible punishment. Now.. now imagine somebody did that to everyone in the village. Likely every other creature in the area, too."
(End of Plot)