Tears to Thousands (Part 3)
The group of oruch lie dead at your feet. Their dire warnings given proof in the shadows that had risen up to consume them. Now you will perhaps never know the truth of the matter. There is one warning left that you can discover the truth of however. That there are more like them. More ourch who are geared for war and driven by the shades in their steps to burn and destroy.
So you head forward, moving as quickly as your feet can carry you. You press onwards until you find another group of ourch, and these ones... are currently burning down a farmhouse. Their shadows move and writhe underfoot, but have not consumed them... /yet/. What's odd however is that amid the group of three ourch are three smaller forms. They look like... elves? Not Charneth elves either, but rather these are tanned-skinned elves with leaves growing from their hair and branches protruding from their clothes growing leaves. The elves are standing back from the ourch with their bows readied, but not attacking the oruch or doing anything to stop them.
GAME: Merek rolls knowledge/local: (2)+7: 9 GAME: Iskandar rolls knowledge/local +2: (11)+5+2: 18
Merek looks to the elves while they arrive to the place, then he takes a moment to shift his longcoat about him, and he frowns as he can't make what they are, looking then to the orks also. "There has to be a way to save them all, I will honor his memory," he then takes a moment to look at his amulet.
The man begins to walk forward to where the elves as well as oruch are, then he calls to them within their own language, "I offer greetings to you all!" he exclaims.
Iskandar follows closely behind Merek, and then pulls alongside him. The adventurer has his own bow ready, but lowered. Last time he made the mistake of attacking before he had all the facts. This time he's willing to wait. It appears too late to save the farm in any case, and - he fears - likely too late to save the Oruch as well.
Having done everything possible and suffering yet another setback failure, Lysa has sheathed her blade and just follows the group quietly now. Where once she thrust herself forward with every waking moment... now she just falls silent and moves listlessly.
Selerik follows along after the others. When the combat got going he was... Well, he wasn't helpful, that is for sure. Now it looks like there is going to be another combat, and he can't help but look like someone trying to figure out a puzzle box. How to keep this one from going poorly? For now it seems to be just observing and being non-threatening.
GAME: Selerik rolls sense motive: aliased to Perform/Oratory+7: (4)+25+7: 36 GAME: Merek rolls diplomacy: (19)+15: 34 GAME: Merek rolls perception: (16)+13: 29 GAME: Iskandar rolls perception: (14)+11: 25 GAME: Lysa rolls perception: (6)+7: 13 GAME: Selerik rolls diplomacy: aliased to Perform/Oratory+7: (19)+25+7: 51 GAME: Selerik rolls perception: (18)+14: 32
As you draw closer you realize something odd about the elves. All of them have what seem to be grevious wounds. Cuts and bruises and marks that look as though they should have killed them. One has a cut across the breadth of his chest so deep that you're certain it hit bone. Yet none of them are making any effort to cure or even bandage the injuries. All weapons come up as you draw close, but the soothing words of Merek and Selerik cause the weapons to lower slightly.
"You all should go. The dead rule this place." One of the elves speaks up and another one jerks toward you. One of his companions grabs him, seems to struggle to hold him back "I recognize you adventurers of Alexandria, and warn you. We are all dead here. Dead and walking still. What little remains of us begins to fall away."
"I can't hold him back forever!" The elf holding back her companion cries out to the one speaking to you, struggling to hold on while the oruch finish burning the farm to the ground. As if the fire isn't fast enough they use their weapons to cut into the wood, shoving and heaving to make the work go faster. Mindlessly.
"What is being the -cause- of this undead eruption?" asks Lysa softly. "If we can be destroying that, then we can be putting the dead to rest."
Before arriving, Merek does turn to Lysa while he pulls the woman to face him a moment by the shoulder, his scarf adjusted so he can speak from it, "Listen," he begins with a husky drawl, "We can't protect everyone, and you won't always succeed in it, in fact you will fail more than you win, but what makes each moment worth that, is when without you, there wouldn't be any success. Those moments, work for those, for when you do, I learned it in the war, when the Queen came, Eluna has given me the wisdom, and Daeus' given you his blessing also. Now let's work together, and we'll succeed. You worked day and night to find me, well, I thank you for that."
The man shifts his scarf upon his lower face again while he makes his way to the orks as well as the elves, his longcoat shifting about. "Yes, that might be the case, but we didn't come for you... We came for your masters." He then exclaims to all that can hear, "Shadows of the past, Ancestors, enough is enough. No more will you bid all of them do your work, you should come and face us your own selves, not hide behind a people who you consume with your work!" He then asks the others, "If you lead us to the source, if they show themselves to us, we can save you all."
Selerik does a subtle play of hands and a small bit of prose that might be mistaken for supporting Merek, rather than a spell. "If you but let us shed our eyes upon what must be seen, we will know it for what it is."
GAME: Selerik casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 10 DC: 16
Iskandar frowns and eyes the farm. "Whoever is behind this - do they have something against the farms? Or are they just in the way?"
"If we knew the cause we would have destroyed it ourselves though it would surely kill us. As you can see... we are no longer among the living." The lead elf motions to their body, which holds a deep puncture to the chest. A blow no mortal could have borne. "We have no knowledge of how we were raised from the dead, no memory of our lives before. Only a... hunger that we can not sate." Cold eyes flicker toward the elf being held back.
Meanwhile the last of the farm has been decimated. Only a little of it remains and that seems enough. Wordlessly the oruch turn to you and one of them lets out a battle cry in ourch. "Watch yourselves! They are not as they seem either! Our arrows do nothing to slay their spirits!"
"Winter's mark upon their skin. A scar cut deep, but is it evil's kin?" Selerik steps behind his fellows, tutting lightly as he scans the orcs and elves.
GAME: Merek rolls knowledge/arcana: (18)+9: 27 GAME: Merek casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15
Merek seems to think a moment, as he looks to the mark, "... Ownership? Well, this is powerful magic, but we can do it, let's take'm all on without killing them, let the spirits that hold onto them know we're here to save them, whatever the cost. Turn back if you don't think you can win this one, but I won't let us be deterred." He then weaves a glowing shield about his form, while he twirls a staff and places that against the ground while he shouts back, in Yrch, "Come then, meet the might of the servants of the gods on this field!"
Iskandar looks surprised. Then he recovers. Now this is his kind of diplomacy. He slips his bow back in its case on his back. Then he moves after Merek, fists raised and ready to fight.
With a sigh, Lysa shakes her head and reaches to yank her sword from its scabbard without much grace. She stomps forward, a scowl on her face as she faces these undead. "Fine." she remarks, "I will be being fighting these undead. And then more, and then more. We -will- be being finding whomever is behind this... today.... and putting a stop to it."
GAME: Selerik casts Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 10 DC: 19
Selerik continues to pace behind his allies as he hums to himself. The cover helps conceal him as he starts the arcane gestures, pointing towards one of the orcs as he finishes. "Though life is fickle magic is not, and though winter chill beckoned it too shall be not."
The oruch roars and his companions step right up with him, letting out blood-curdling roars of their own. The sound becomes a mournful howl and the three ourch fall over... and yet standing there is a semi-transparent image of them. The spirits howl their rage and the writhing shadows follow the ghosts rather than the individuals who had fallen to the ground. Now you know what manner of dead these are. You've heard of them recently. Howlers. The spirits of sleeping oruch enraged and sent forth on a mission to kill. They rush you all headlong.
At the same moment there's a... Shadow. One that peels off from the fire and becomes the figure of a man. A tall pale-skinned man with brilliant green eyes and black hair. He stands at the edge of the fire and watches the ghosts charge you with an air of distinct interest. More than one of you recognizes him instantly. He is the same vampire which has been plaguing Alexandria. The question is... what is he doing here?
GAME: Merek rolls 3d6: (11): 11 GAME: Merek rolls knowledge/religion+3: (16)+7+3: 26
"You all, best the spirits... They will return to the owner when we've won," Merek tells all of the others, while he takes a moment to focus all his will, longcoat twirling about while he channels energy from the holy plane into the Howlers. He looks to the place he sees the face of the vampire, "We're coming for you, and you won't keep winning! You won't take any more of the people!"
The vampire in question tilts his head at Merek then lets out a low grinding noise that's barely audible above the howls of the spirits. He doesn't seem inclined however to move from his place to take anyone anywhere.
Meanwhile the elf who was moving toward you seems to fall into convulsions and his compaions all go to his aid. It seems that for the moment they will be of no aid to you.
GAME: Iskandar rolls 10: (19)+10: 29 GAME: Iskandar rolls 2d6+9: (8)+9: 17 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+11: (11)+11: 22
Selerik claps his hands together. "Now everyone you've dealt with this before, no reason not to be confident we can't deal with it again. Shadowy murder beasts, old hat." Is he convincing himself? Hopefully. He repositions, giving the shadowy vampiric figure a friendly gesture. Polite acknowledgement, don't enter their space. True of small skittish animals in the woods, dragons, and most creatures that can murder you without trying.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d6+1: (2)+1: 3 GAME: Lysa rolls will: (9)+11: 20 GAME: Lysa rolls melee+9: (2)+9+9: 20
Iskandar moves up besides Merek and punches one of the shadowy figures with a two-handed hammerblow. "Hah! They -can- be hit!" He scans the fight quickly. "But that probably means, they can hit us too if we're not careful!"
The moment the vampire makes his appearance, Lysa goes from steely to... well more steely. She narrows her blue eyes and clenches her sword handle a bit more tightly before she just turns and with a bit of a grin.. starts charging towards the vampire. "Mighty Daeus be being with me!" she calls out as she goes. She gets a glancing blow from one of the spirit howlers on the way, and she growls as she swings... though apparently the sudden rage throws her aim off.
GAME: Merek rolls melee: (2)+5: 7 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+11: (5)+11: 16 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+11: (8)+11: 19 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+11: (6)+11: 17 GAME: Lysa rolls will: (5)+11: 16 GAME: Merek rolls will: (19)+11: 30 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d6+1: (3)+1: 4 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d6+1: (6)+1: 7 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d6+1: (4)+1: 5
The howling spirits attack viciously, their hands passing right through armor and into the flesh of those that they attack and leaving behind the chill of the grave.
GAME: Iskandar rolls will: (6)+4: 10 GAME: Merek rolls ranged: (5)+7: 12
"Come back! We have to," Merek watches then as Lysa makes her way to the form of the vampire, then he tries his best to throw a spear of light into the Howler which comes to him and strikes at him, distracted a bit. He winces, then he steps back so he can work from there, while he places the front line folk before him also.
Neatly the vampire had evaded Lysa's attack. "Such passion." That grinding noise again. "But I did not come here to play with you." Instead he neatly steps backwards, drawing her closer to the fire.
GAME: Iskandar rolls 12: (6)+12: 18 GAME: Iskandar rolls 7: (5)+7: 12 GAME: Selerik casts Gallant Inspiration. Caster Level: 10 DC: 18 GAME: Selerik rolls 2d4: (6): 6 GAME: Iskandar rolls 1d6+11: (2)+11: 13
Iskandar feels the Howler's attack -through- his armor. And though he somehow manages to shrug off the harm, he blood boils with fury. Gritting his teeth he swings his fists at the creature. It's only with the timely aid of Selerik that he manages to connect.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+10: (10)+10: 20 GAME: Selerik casts Unadulterated Loathing. Caster Level: 10 DC: 19 GAME: Lysa rolls melee+9: (11)+9+9: 29 GAME: Lysa rolls melee+2: (20)+9+2: 31 (THREAT) GAME: Lysa rolls 2d10+42: (13)+42: 55
Lysa's weapon strikes the vampire, actually managing to hit him which catches the man by surprise. In fact the blade bites into the vampires neck, spilling blood all down his front, but rather than seeming swayed by her attack she only seems to catch his interest.
-TBC