Sir Khensu nods solemnly to Jarrith, ignoring Janis' pointed comments. He walks forward, Luminous' reins in one hand, and looks down at the body in the middle of the road. After the last few minutes, the shifter would not be surprised if the body animated and began attacking...
__________________
"We create joy." - Pirate Cat, 2006 ENnies
"...the worse thing that can happen to players is not to have their characters die. The worst thing that can happen is to have a boring game." - Mike Mearls
"Don't worry Jarrith, if it comes to that I'll see that not even ashes remain to pepper a curry rather than allow you to be disloyal upon your death."
Jarrith glances over at Janis and gives her a smirk. "I'm more afraid of you trying to ravage my body sexually after I'm dead, my dear. After all, I'd be your perfect man... body still wiggling, but unable to talk back." He then throws a mock look of seriousness to Sir Khensu. "Promise me that if I die, you destroy my body utterly. I do not want to rise again as one of these foul things, only to have Janis go hog wild on my still-quivering corpse."
He chuckles to himself and gathers his things to go.
Sir Khensu nods solemnly to Jarrith, ignoring Janis' pointed comments. He walks forward, Luminous' reins in one hand, and looks down at the body in the middle of the road. After the last few minutes, the shifter would not be surprised if the body animated and began attacking...
At a quick glance, Khensu can tell that the body seems to have been torn and beaten at, most likely by those the Six recently put down. However, its flesh shows no unusual greyness and just appears to be the normal stillness of death.
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
"Not interested," Janis says, horrified at the brutish and vain turn of the conversation, "Not ever."
Janis cocks her head at him.
" You should probably try to get out more. That kind of talk might have worked on your brothers at the order, but I assure you that it's creepier than the zombies and maggots to me," she explains.
"You're not my type," she finishes, " And if you ever concluded that I was somehow interested, then I must disavow you of that notion entirely."
Janis makes a sour face, obviously feeling ill at the idea of letting the superstitious worshipers of the Flame ogle and entertain notions of her. Yuck!
Janis shudders, more disturbed by the lame advances of her companions than the zombies.
You're not my type. And if you ever concluded that I was somehow interested, then I must disavow you of that notion entirely."
Jarrith laughs as he's finally gotten Janis to show some genuine emotion, rather than her standard cold, stand-offish, chiding self. "Now, now, my dear... is that any way to talk? I just figured that since you usually show us nothing but your cold demeanor and have nothing to say but veiled insults hurled at the rest of us... that maybe you were just being shy." He smiles as warmly as he can to the wizard. "You needn't worry... we'll just keep this sexual tension on low and bubbling quietly underneath. Unless of course your disdain for every other member of this party makes you unable to keep your flippant remarks to yourself."
"Jarrith," the shifter speaks softly but sternly as he stands over the corpse in the street. "It is unbecoming of you to mock Janis thusly. She has always kept herself apart, just as you always make light in times of seriousness. Let her be."
Sir Khensu's eyes close while he offers a short prayer for the departed. If we had the time, flame would cleanse this town.
"Selase, Jarrith. Please heal our wounds so that we can continue on to the middle of town."
Edit: Khensu reaches into the rucksack at his hip and pulls out an iron baton that glows with a silvery light. The shifter kneels and tucks the continual torch into his boot, ensuring that it will not hamper his movement.
__________________
"We create joy." - Pirate Cat, 2006 ENnies
"...the worse thing that can happen to players is not to have their characters die. The worst thing that can happen is to have a boring game." - Mike Mearls
"Jarrith, it is unbecoming of you to mock Janis thusly. She has always kept herself apart, just as you always make light in times of seriousness. Let her be."
The stalker opens his mouth as though to say something else... but then he closes it and looks at the paladin. He glances over at Janis, then glances back to Sir Khensu, then back over to Janis. Feeling her icy state, Jarrith goes a bit red and bows his head. "All right. You're right." He looks up at Sir Khensu and shrugs. "When you're right, you're right. And you... you're always right." Jarrith glances to the others and then points his thumb at Sir Khensu. "This is why he's a paladinic Inquistor and I'm just a Stalker. He's the graceful one, and I'm more of a lout."
He turns back to the wizardess and in a tone of genuine seriousness that he usually reserves for Silver Flame prayers and such, he says "My apologies, my Lady. I was brutish and churlish and you didn't deserve it. I will leave you be." He nods to her once, then turns back to the group. "Who is hurt? I do not have much by the way of spell power left, but I will help they who need it."
A quick glance from Jarrith shows that only Sir Khensu, Selase, and himself have been harmed. Khensu's are quite severe as are his owns, while Selase's are more moderate.
Selase touches Khensu and a red glow infuses his veins which are temporarily clearly seen. His wounds close significantly. [Lose blindness/deafness to cast cure serious; 19 hp healed for 45/47 hp]
"I have limited healing left, aside from my wand."
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
Daellin, who never really understood the fast-paced interplay of human relationships, and who was still mourning the wife he lost with Cyre, said nothing during the exchange between Jarrith and Janis.
"I think I have another one of those in my pack somewhere," The elf mentions, after Selase mentions her wand of cure light wounds.
Nodding coolly, Janis seemingly accepts the paladin's apology wordlessly... or ignores it, depending on your take of the mage's mood.
"Cyran know-how has protected me once again this day, " the multiple images of Janis say in disconcerting fashion at Khensu's question, the vexing images of the multicolored snake at her throat making circular bobbing motions as it hisses in agreement that threaten to make any sane person feel as if they were trapped in a funhouse.
While the others tend their wounds, she makes her way to the rear again and the many faces of Janis gently stroke the unflattering pelt of her mount, Edi.
Jarrith reaches for the tender areas of his abdomen where he's been savagely attacked, and gently feels the wounds. He throws a look to both Selase and Daellin. "I'd be happy to take some of your wand's healing if you'll give it. What little divine power I have left I'd like to save to allow me a better chance of doing substantive damage to these undead monstrosities."
OOC: He has only two Grave Strike spells remaining besides his domain spells, and would like to save them if possible to allow him to sneak attack any more of these undead creatures.
"Thank you both." Jarrith looks down at the body that Sir Khensu's already examined, then turns to the shifter. "Did you find anything on this unfortunate soul? Identification papers or such? The fact that he has not turned into one of these creatures is interesting. Selase? Would you happen to be able to recognize what he might have died from?"
He walks over to the body and looks at it more closely, including looking at it's tongue to see if it's turned black like his own has. "I know this might seem a bit gruesome... but perhaps... if the body is still fresh... we should take it with us? At the very least, we can protect it so that it doesn't rise. And if the Flame is with us... we might even luck out and find a Jorasco healer in town still alive that might be able to identify why this person hasn't risen from the dead or succumb to the disease. That kind of knowledge would be most useful, plus perhaps allow us to create some sort of antidote."
He stands back up and looks at the group. "And if not... we should get moving into town."
[Jarrith Searches the body (Khensu has only looked at it visually); Selease makes a Heal check.]
Jarrith and Selase turn over the body so it is face up. The man is plain looking, and died with a look of stark horror on his face, but Selase confirms that there is no sign of the disease that infects the town. He was obviously killed by the zombies, and the maggots had begun to feast on his legs, but otherwise the body is intact. Selase can find no immediate reason why he was not infected from her inspection.
After turning the body over, Jarrith quickly spots a silver charm in the shape of a maple leaf hanging from the man's neck. A search of his pockets also turns up some rudimentary identification papers. They bare no Sivis mark or other official marking, but the block letters (notarized by 'Burgomaster Indirovich') identify the corpse as 'Viktor Litmunova,' a carpenter.
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
"Viktor Litmunova. Huh. Well, at strange as it is to say... he's one of the lucky ones. Still human, still dead. No idea why he wasn't infected." He takes the silver charm and inspects it, wondering if the maple leaf had any signifigance as a union or trade symbol. He lifts it up and shows it to the folks. "Anyone recognize this? It's probably just a pretty trinket, but it might be a symbol of something. He's a carpenter... maybe a union group perhaps?"
Taking the charm and the papers, he stands up and dusts himself off. "Well, I for one am not going to let this man's body get mauled out here in the street. For now, I think I'll put it inside one of these buildings and lock the door so no more of these maggots can get at it hopefully. Brother, can you help me lift him?"
Jarrith goes to one of the closed doors in the street that is locked but hopefully not boarded up (F9, M5, M9 perhaps?) and picks the lock to get it open. He will then pick up Viktor's body (with Sir Khensu's help if he gives it) and place it inside said building. A small prayer will be said over the body, then Jarrith will re-lock the door upon exiting.
Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (nobility & royalty) on the silver charm?
Sir Khensu will nod and assist Jarrith in moving the body. He joins his priestly brother in giving last rites before sealing the house and preparing to move deeper into the town.
__________________
"We create joy." - Pirate Cat, 2006 ENnies
"...the worse thing that can happen to players is not to have their characters die. The worst thing that can happen is to have a boring game." - Mike Mearls
No one in the group recognizes the leaf as having any particular significance other than a sign of nature.
As Jarrith and Khensu begin to pick up the body, Daellin is notices something on the wind. Until moments before, there was a light rhythmic thumping that the elf just considered a distant sign banging somewhere---but he just clearly made out a loud *crack* and the sound of moans and swords clashing somewhere to the west!
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
Daellin tells the others what his elvish ears percieved, even with the sure knowledge that Jarrith and Khensu would be all for charging headlong into yet more danger.
![stonegod's Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: Ch. I [IC]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/iconimages/playing-game/stonegods-expedition-castle-ravenloft-ch-i-ic_ltr.gif)
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