D&D 5E (IC) Fitz's Folly

[FitzTheRuke]

After having Qawasha rub some herbs into his ice-bear scratches, Dragonbait helped Chrysagon to bury the bodies of the ghouls. There had been some discussion about moving to the far side of the river to make camp. Qawasha considered it, but then he said, "I think it may be a mistake to cross the river. The far side of the river is known to belong to the Batri. The ghouls would have kept those Goblins from crossing the river, and they may still be afraid to do so. Either they will expect the ghouls to be here still, or they will not want to face the force that defeated the ghouls. In conclusion, I believe that unless there are more ghouls or worse, then we may be safest here."

 

[Ancalagon]

"Very well, we will stay" answered Rodrigo.

"Master Dellrack, to me please. I intend to search the camp for further clues, survivors and perhaps valuables. If you could survey the edge of the camp, there may be tracks that will help us understand what happened here better. This was not an orderly withdrawal, too much material was left behind. Beware the stray ghoul!"

Perception check around the camp: 1D20+4 = [16]+4 = 20


He looked at miss Imogen. He hoped that her condition wasn't some magical backlash from the ring... what a terrible thing it was.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Making a thorough sweep of the camp, Rodrigo again noticed (ooc: it was mentioned before, but everyone has forgotten it) the young Axe-Beak that had found itself stuck in the pig-pen. Not a domestic creature, the axe-beak was stuck; it kept trying to leap over the fence, flapping its useless wings, only to fall back into the muddy pen. It was amazing that the ghouls had not eaten it; the only explanation must be that it had not been there for long.

Leaving it for the moment, Rodrigo checked each tent, satisfied that they were now clear of ghouls and contained nothing of interest. He saw a poisonous snake, but he gave it the respect (and distance) that it was due. Finally, he checked the latrines, well-built in military style. He carefully opened each door, expecting a ghoul to lunge out. They were empty, but for the last one: The door was locked, but the lock was easy enough to break. The door opened and the smell made it clear to him what he would find. In the well, there was the body of a Templar, who had hidden there and starved, clawing at the walls, unable to get back out.

 

[Ancalagon]

Rodrigo reported to the others.

"This is very strange. I don't know how that Axe-beak got stuck in there - what should we do with it Qawasha? As far as that templar... well we should see if there are identifiers on him, and give him a proper burial, but I don't understand how he got stuck in there, or why the ghouls didn't bust in. I got in easily enough. What a terrible way to die. If we don't give him a proper burial he might come back to haunt the land.

At least there are no ghouls left in the camp - but if you see the black snake with yellow stripes, beware. My father told me how poisonous they were"

He rose his voice a little and added

"Master Delrak, did you find any tracks that could elucidate this?"

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Qawasha looked at the young axe beak and suggested, "We should give it space. There is a little gate on the side, I suggest we lure the bird to the other side of the pen, open it, and then leave it alone. Eventually it will find its way out, and in all probability, it will run off into the jungle."

Artus Cimber considered the unfortunate templar, "I suspect that he went in there to hide from the original undead assault. Perhaps he climbed all the way in to hide, or perhaps he fell in. Either way, he could not reach to climb back out and he likely starved to death. A terrible way to die, indeed. As far as the undead not finding him - he must have starved quietly. They are attracted to movement and noise. Only the most powerful sort of creature can actually sense life, or so I am told."

 

[Ancalagon]

Rodrigo noded to Qawasha. "Best we do it in the morning just before we leave then. Are you good with tracking? Dellrak hasn't reported yet, maybe the two of you could shed some more light on what happened."

He then turned to Harb "Any clue on those ghouls? If not... well we finish burying them and the templar, set camp and wait for the morning I suppose?".

He wiped his brow with his sleeve. The heat was getting to him, and the stress.

 

[gargoyleking]

The monk glanced up from his search for clues to respond to Rodrigo.

"I am no expert on these creatures. My only real knowledge is in the moment of death itself. Chrysagon would be more likely to answer any questions about the undead. That said, I do believe it best that we should burn all of the corpses as a precaution."

He started to go back to work before freezing for a moment as he realized that he'd let something slip about himself. Then went to collect wood for the necessary pyre.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

"I'm afraid we cannot possibly risk a fire of suitable size." Qawasha reminded Harb, "It will be seen for many miles and attract unwanted attention. No, we must help Chrysagon and Dragonbait in burying these vile creatures."

There was much digging, and the bodies of the ghouls were dropped in and buried, with Chrysagon saying prayers to Kelemvor that they stay there. When it was done, Dellrak and Qawasha had a look around and concluded that a wave of undead had struck the camp in the night - probably not these ghouls, but something that had come before them. The camp's defences were overrun and they had had to flee in haste. It was a testament to the discipline and leadership of the Order of the Gauntlet that it appeared that, for the most part, the retreat had been orderly. With Perne's note, the dwarf could conclude that the majority of the camp had moved upriver and had reestablished itself there.

Weed let the Axe-Beak out of the animal pen, and it ran off into the jungle. While gathering bodies to bury, the Sticks managed to pull the Templar's body free of the latrine. The Templar's armour was ruined, but he had a warhammer slung on his belt, and a pouch with five gemstones. It seemed that he must have been on guard duty at the time of the undead attack (to be wearing his armour).

"Where should we set our beds this evening?" asked Qawasha when all this was done, "We should stay close together and set a double-watch, I think."

 

[Fradak]

Chrysagon draged the bodies with Dragonbait and proceeds quickly to a minucious examination, searching for any traces of worship. Those men were members of the Gauntlet but he wanted to know their obedience.

Many followers of the Triad, Tyr, Helm and Torm were at his feet. Their body eaten and tore apart. Some of them had even become what they fought all their lives. It took some time to dig a hole big enough to bury them with their holy symbols to prevent becoming undead spontaneously. When they eventually finish, Chrysagon prepared a ceremony using his shield as an improvised altar. The ceremony he choose to perform was the Lament for the Fallen, a simple ritual altering Kelemvor to the arrival of this new wanderer on the Final Road.

If someone attend the prayer, he says some words about the Gauntlet.

"I'd like to say a few words about our fallen brothers before we return their bodies to the earth for the Endless Cycle.

Courage. The Order of the Gauntlet is the holy gathering of the forces of good. A way of making common cause against the evils abroad in the world. When evil unleashes its plague, the Gauntlet strikes hard and fast, without waiting for the blessings of distant temples or the permission of rulers. Evil must be met in the field and smashed, or it will swiftly overcome all. This is an extraordinary task that requires extraordinary strength and bravery. That's what those men acomplished, risking everything to save the realms.

Friendship. A important word to members of the Order of the Gauntlet. Those men shared a trust and a bond to their comrades normally reserved for siblings. Those men sought to become the best at what they did and looked forward to testing their mettle. They rest now at peace, their duty fulfilled.

Faith. Walking among them, you could have heard that Faith is the greatest weapon against evil—faith in one’s god, one’s friends, and one’s self.
A man told me once: I believe in my God as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else.

Death is but a part of life. It is not an ending, but a beginning; not a punishment, but a necessity.
Death is an orderly process, without deceit, concealment, and randomness.
Honor the dead, for it is their lives and deeds that gave us the world we live in today. Forgetting them is to forget where we are now, and why.

Eternal Judge hear my prayer,
Accept those immortal souls
As they are no Faithless or False,
And guide them to their final rest.

Let it be thus."

The ceremony was over. But Chrysagon thought about the Templar who starved to death and could not hold back his tears. "No one... should ever die alone."
He gritted his teeth and whispered "Why don't you give me the power to destroy this Curse?"

Chrysagon looked at the sky, took a deep breath and buried his despair inside himself.

OOC: Chrysagon cast his Ceremony spell on the Templar. Funeral Rite. You touch one corpse, and for the next 7 days, the target can’t become undead by any means short of a wish spell.

 

[Fradak]

Responding to Qawasha Chrysagon said "This temple could be a good shelter. Easy to defend."