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Tales of the Legacy - Concluded
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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 1819020" data-attributes="member: 5203"><p><strong>Death Makes No Sound</strong></p><p></p><p>The group saw little of each other after graduation. They were allowed to stay in the Tower while awaiting their compulsory service call, but with no classes or exams to worry about most of them bent their energies to personal pursuits. Money flowed from their hands into the waiting pockets of merchants both within the Tower and in the surrounding city of Trageon. The eight companions didn’t remain completely isolated, however. They met briefly in order to divide up various items they’d acquired in their exams, and to show off their graduation gifts.</p><p></p><p>Though Kyle was not seen much outside of the Tower, his companions did receive evidence of his well being several days after graduation, when they each received a small gift of a potion or a scroll he’d made for them. The very next day, Kyle received two gifts in return; a new leather-bound book with pen and quill from Autumn, and a new set of robes, a rich forest green with golden embroidery. There was no note identifying who had sent the robes.</p><p></p><p>Lanara was also rarely seen, though in her case she was rarely inside the school. She put her graduation gift of a magical fiddle to good use, performing throughout Trageon. Though successful, her exuberance cost her in the end, as she ended up contracting a severe case of the Stygian Shakes* after a night of dancing and singing in the Undercity. Thus when the group finally received the call to assemble at the base of the Tower two weeks after graduation, Lanara came to the gathering wrapped in a heavy blanket, shivering despite the warmth that usually accompanied the month of Canith.</p><p></p><p>The group stood patiently, mingled among several other clusters of students. Part of the terms of education at the Tower was that each graduate was expected to perform a service for the school. In the case of those training as adventurers, the Tower contracted out groups to towns and villages to solve problems. Though the school kept the fees negotiated by the Tower’s representatives, the same amount was credited to each student’s tuition debt, thus easing the considerable financial burden a bit.</p><p></p><p>Kavan spotted a shiny black bird perched atop Kyle’s shoulder, and his eyes widened. “Is that a raven?”</p><p></p><p>“Yup,” he said, grinning. “Her name’s Violet, on account of those feathers over her eyes.” He pointed out a line of purple feather arching over the bird’s black eyes like a pair of eyebrows. “She’s my new familiar. Say hello, Violet.”</p><p></p><p>“Hello,” Violet cawed.</p><p></p><p>Kavan reached out and stroked the bird’s head. “You’re truly fortunate, Kyle. The raven is Erito’s totem animal.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, thanks, Kavan. And hey, I know you like to collect raven feathers for your cloak**. You’re welcome to anything Violet ends up molting.”</p><p></p><p>The group’s old instructor, Shilsen, approached the group. “We’ve hired you out to a remote logging settlement in Tlaxan. We’ll be teleporting to Fingol and crossing through the gate to Aleppi. From there it’s about two days ride.”</p><p></p><p>“We?” asked Arrie. “Are you coming with us?”</p><p></p><p>“Of course,” replied Shilsen. “Someone has to make sure the Tower gets their money. But let’s get one thing clear – I’m there as an accountant, nothing more. I’m not saving you if you get in over your head.”</p><p></p><p>Conversation waned as they stood waiting to be sent to their destination. Soon one of the Tower’s archmage instructors came by. Shilsen handed him a sheet of parchment, and after studying it for a moment the wizard began speaking words of power. Moments later, the scenery of Trageon vanished, to be replaced by a wide road leading through a vast field. Before them lay a small city.</p><p></p><p>“Fingol,” said Shilsen, as he began walking.</p><p></p><p>The city of Fingol turned out to be rather unremarkable despite its relatively large size and level of activity. It was the major trade hub between Targeth and the elven nation of Tlaxan to the east. The party proceeded almost directly to the docks, where a ferry was already waiting for them. The craft, which was propelled by a bound water elemental, made straight for the two parallel columns of stone that marked the gateway through Targeth’s defensive magical barrier***. They could see the barrier ripple before them in the middle of the river, appearing almost as a heat shimmer. They all knew well that from Targeth’s side the barrier merely acted as an impenetrable wall, but anyone attempting to enter the nation through the barrier would be utterly destroyed.</p><p></p><p>The ferry landed in the city of Aleppi, Fingol’s counterpart in Tlaxan. This city, though far more haphazard than where they had just come from, seemed to exude a friendlier, more welcoming air. The group stopped for lunch at one of the local inns. While chatting with the locals, the group learned that the major concern of the city seemed to be the rising cost of metals produced by the dwarves in the mountains. However, one old man was heard to complain about the scarcity of timber recently, which piqued their curiosity.</p><p></p><p>“So, what exactly is happening in this logging village we’re going to?” Osborn asked Shilsen.</p><p></p><p>Shilsen shrugged. “You’ll get to find out when you get there. I don’t know any more than you do.”</p><p></p><p>After lunch the party mounted their horses and rode to the northeast, leaving Aleppi behind them. They made camp that evening, and went about the business of setting watches for the night. Lanara was excluded from the watch due to her illness, as was Kyle, since it was well known that wizards required rest to prepare their spells. Kyle protested that he could take a morning watch, but was overruled.</p><p></p><p>As the sun set, Osborn and Kaven looked at the horizon at an approaching back of clouds. “Could be rain tomorrow,” said Kavan.</p><p></p><p>“Maybe,” said Osborn, “but I think they’ll hold for a couple of days.”</p><p></p><p>The evening passed uneventfully, but at sunrise something odd happened. Kavan sat on watch with Xu, keeping an eye on the surrounding forest, when he spotted a slight movement. As Kavan watched, a humanoid figure slipped out from behind a tree and moved off silently into the woods, away from the group.</p><p></p><p>“Xu!” Kavan whispered, “do you see that?”</p><p></p><p>Xu squinted at the spot where Kavan was looking, but she saw nothing save the deep shadows of dawn. The monk shook her head.</p><p></p><p>Kavan brought up what he’d seen later that morning at breakfast. “What should we do?” he asked.</p><p></p><p>“Well, whatever it was, at least it wasn’t hostile,” said Autumn.</p><p></p><p>“Yet,” added her sister Arrie.</p><p></p><p>Osborn had gone over to the tree Kavan had pointed out to take a look around. He came back after a few minutes. “I found only one footprint, of a human or elf-sized shoe. Any other tracks were well-hidden.”</p><p></p><p>“There seems to be little we can do except be watchful,” commented Tolly. “So far this creature seems content in observing us. At any rate, we should reach our destination by this evening according to Shilsen.”</p><p></p><p>They broke camp and continued their way northeast through the forest. However, it turned out that Kavan’s weather prediction was the more accurate, and soon the falling rain turned the trail to mud, slowing their progress. Despite their best efforts, they were forced to make camp yet again.</p><p></p><p>The next morning, Kavan once again saw the odd figure slip away from a nearby tree. He called out to it, but it seemed to ignore him as it vanished into the forest.</p><p></p><p>Later that morning, Osborn walked by Kyle as he sat studying his spellbook. “Say, nice robes,” the hin commented. “Where’d you get them?”</p><p></p><p>“They were a gift,” he said, rubbing the fabric of his sleeve between his fingers. “I have no idea who gave them to me. I’ll admit it’s nice to have robes that fit, though I’m not used to wearing anything this nice. I keep worrying that I’ll get them dirty.” Kyle sighed. “Oh, well, I suppose that’s why they teach us cantrips.”</p><p></p><p>The group managed to make it to their destination just after the rain stopped. They rode up to a village, deceptively large because it was so spread out. About half the buildings in town were actually constructed in the treetops themselves, connected by sturdy rope bridges. A simple wooden placard on the trail leading to the village proclaimed its name as Canyon Camp.</p><p></p><p>The townsfolk gave the party curious but fleeting looks as they rode into the village. Most of the population were either elves or humans, with a scattering of elf-touched and a mere handful of the other races. Most of the people in town appeared to be women, children, and the elderly; the healthy adult males were no doubt hard at work somewhere in the forest. The party heard the sound of a waterwheel turning, and saw the sawmill perched on the river’s edge. The river itself seemed just large enough to float the cut timber down the hill toward Aleppi, though much was probably milled in town and taken by wagon.</p><p></p><p>The party rode toward the large building in the center of town, obviously the town hall. After passing a large number of taverns and brothels, they dismounted and secured their horses outside the hall, following Shilsen inside. Just inside the door, an elven women say at a large wooden desk.</p><p></p><p>“The company from Trageon, here to see David Adi,” said Shilsen.</p><p></p><p>“Do you have an appointment?” the woman asked.</p><p></p><p>Shilsen looked around at the empty foyer. “Yes, we have an appointment.”</p><p></p><p>She flipped through a large book at her desk. “You’re late,” she said, not betraying any emotion in her voice.</p><p></p><p>“I know,” he replied. “The rain made the roads difficult. May we see him now?”</p><p></p><p>“I’ll have to see if Councilman Adi available,” she said. “You are late for your appointment, you realize.”</p><p></p><p>“I know,” Shilsen said, self-control evident in his voice, “that we’re late.”</p><p></p><p>After leaving her desk for a moment, the group was escorted back to a small office. Shilsen took a seat outside the door, waving the rest of them in. Inside a small, balding human of perhaps sixty years sat behind a much smaller desk that the one in the foyer. Several wooden chairs had been crammed into the room.</p><p></p><p>“Please sit,” he said, “and please excuse Milana. She’s always been a stickler for protocol.”</p><p></p><p>The group found seats and sat as comfortably as they could in the small office. Tolly and Kyle found that the chairs, likely of elven manufacture, were not quite wide enough for their large frames, but made do the best they could.</p><p></p><p>“I appreciate that our request for aid from Trageon was answered so quickly,” David said. “Normally this would be the type of situation I’m sure Tlaxan would have addressed internally, but the problems of one tiny logging village hardly bear the notice of the capital, thus we felt contacting your school would be the best course.”</p><p></p><p>“How is it that we can help you?” asked Arrie.</p><p></p><p>“For some time now, we have had problems with our citizens disappearing,” David said. “Some simply vanish without a trace, others are taken forcefully by their homes. We didn’t have long to wait before we found out what happened to them, though. Witnesses have started to see the same people returning to abduct more of our townsfolk, but they aren’t the same. They’ve been turning into zombies.” </p><p></p><p>The group winced in unison at the thought of the vile undead.</p><p></p><p>“We think that a necromancer is in the area somewhere, building up his forces,” David continued. “None of our searches have turned up evidence, but our resources are limited, and as more people disappear the rest of the town is afraid to go out. The attacks have begun to affect our logging operations.”</p><p></p><p>Arrie looked across the desk at the councilman. “Have you noticed any patterns in the abductions?”</p><p></p><p>“None, really. They haven’t taken any children, or any of the smaller races,” David nodded toward Osborn as an example, “but I suspect that’s only because they would make less effective troops once reanimated.”</p><p></p><p>“What has been done to prevent the attacks?” asked Tolly.</p><p></p><p>“There is little we can do. We have a town militia, but it’s only a handful of volunteers, and they’re much better suited to dealing with drunks and ruffians than the walking dead. The zombies are usually accompanied by skeletal archers that discourage pursuit. Besides, Canyon Camp is so spread out they have trouble covering the entire town.” Councilman Ari sighed.</p><p></p><p>“Don’t you have any priests here?” asked Kavan.</p><p></p><p>“We have two,” he replied. “Our priestess of Bles****, Sisz, is new to our town. She does what she can, but her strength is limited. Our other priest, Kath, is devoted to Rovenor*****. He’s been with us a while, but he’s the one who accompanies our men out when they’re cutting trees. Most of his power is tapped just performing his everyday tasks, let alone the added burden of these zombies.”</p><p></p><p>David stood up and looked out a narrow window at the nearby forest. “Should our timber production fall much further, our financial backers may decide to pull out. They may not even have to wait that long; the people here may decide it’s no longer worth the risk and leave of their own accord.” He looked back at the party. “Can you help us?”</p><p></p><p>The group looked at each other briefly, nodding. “We’ll do our best,” said Arrie.</p><p></p><p>“I wish you luck,” said David. “We’ll put you up at the Whistling Satyr. It’ll be a bit cramped at first, I’m afraid, until they can find some more space. But it’s definitely the quietest of our local houses – more of a hostel than an inn. In addition, we’ve negotiated with the Tower and will pay them three hundred gold apiece on your behalf.”</p><p></p><p>“We’d like to speak with the captain of your town militia,” said Arrie. “We may be able to coordinate with them to patrol the town tonight to improve your defenses.”</p><p></p><p>“We’d also like to speak with these priests, Sisz and Kath,” said Tolly.</p><p></p><p>“Any ideas where the zombies are coming from?” asked Kyle.</p><p></p><p>“You might try looking into the old crypts about a half-day west of here,” David suggested. “It may be where this necromancer obtained his initial supply of corpses for his vile rituals. I’m afraid no one here has had the courage to investigate them.”</p><p></p><p>“Do you have a map?” asked Osborn.</p><p></p><p>“Well, we probably have a copy of the original plans somewhere in the records room,” David said. “Though some of it night have changed. Talk to Sisz and Kath; they’re in charge of burials, and would have more first-hand knowledge of them.”</p><p></p><p>David led them to the town hall’s small records room. After a half-hour or searching, Kavan stumbled upon the map they were looking for, misfiled under tax records. They spread the old, crumbling parchment out on a table.</p><p></p><p>“This is going to be hard to take with us without destroying it,” said Kyle.</p><p></p><p>Autumn leaned up close to the wizard and said quietly, “You know, I gave you that book for a reason.”</p><p></p><p>Kyle grinned sheepishly. “Oh, yeah.”</p><p></p><p>Once they had finished copying the map, the group followed David’s directions to the Whistling Satyr. Just as the councilman had warned them, their two rooms were ‘cozy’ at best. Each had a single bed that would hold no more than two people.</p><p></p><p>“I think I will choose to sleep outside tonight,” said Tolly.</p><p></p><p>They went downstairs and out into the afternoon air. Arrie flagged down a young, rotund boy who was running by.</p><p></p><p>“What’s your name, son?” she asked.</p><p></p><p>“Cookie,” said the round-faced boy.</p><p></p><p>“How appropriate,” said Lanara, though with her voice still hoarse it came out barely audible.</p><p></p><p>“Well, Cookie, can I ask you to do me a favor?” said Arrie.</p><p></p><p>“I’ll do it for a cookie,” said the boy. Lanara had to bite her lip, or else she probably would have started choking.</p><p></p><p>“Well, how about I give you this instead.” Arrie pulled out a silver coin and held it out, then pulled it away as Cookie’s chubby fingers reached for it. “After you deliver two messages for me. If you can go run and find the two priests in town and tell them that we’d like to speak to them at the Whistling Satyr, I’ll give you this when you get back.”</p><p></p><p>“You mean Antler Lady and Big Kath?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, exactly. Now, hurry along.”</p><p></p><p>The boy waddled away excitedly, eager to earn his silver coin. As they watched him dash off, a stern-looking man in a faded tabard walked up to them. “I’m Kas, scheduler for the watch. I heard you wanted to see me?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, indeed we do,” said Autumn. “We’d like to offer our help to you and your men on tonight’s patrol.”</p><p></p><p>“Sounds good to me,” Kas sniffed. “What you have in mind?”</p><p></p><p>“Well, how do you normally conduct your patrol?” asked Arrie.</p><p></p><p>“Well, me and the boys usually start out at one end of town and circle clockwise along the perimeter through the night. What with the zombies, none of us are too keen to be caught alone.”</p><p></p><p>“Do you always follow the same predictable pattern?” asked Tolly.</p><p></p><p>“Naw, we mix it up every so often – start in a new place, patrol in the other direction, that sort of thing.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, Scheduler Kas,” said Arrie, “perhaps my companions and I could walk a patrol similar to yours, but on the opposite side of town. Would that be acceptable to you?”</p><p></p><p>“Like I said, sounds good to me. I’ll send someone with some watch tabards for you, so the town’ll know why you’re here. We’ll all meet up at sunset at the town hall.” Kas nodded and walked away without another word.</p><p></p><p>The group only had to wait a half-hour before Cookie returned, red-faced and panting. After collecting his coin, he told the group that Kath was still out with the loggers, but he’d left a message with an attendant at the temple of Rovenor. Priestess Sisz, or ‘Antler Lady’, would be coming by shortly. True to his word, only a few minutes after Cookie departed, a slightly built elf-touched woman came into the hostel. She wore a necklace of antler horn tips around her neck, signifying her status within the church of Bles.</p><p></p><p>“I am Priestess Sisz,” she said, “how may I help you?”</p><p></p><p>The group introduced themselves to the priestess, inviting her to sit with them. “We’ve been sent by the Tower in Trageon to help your town with its recent troubles,” Kavan said.</p><p></p><p>“Oh, good. I’m glad to see you came quickly. I’m happy that Kath and I managed to convince the town council to send for you.”</p><p></p><p>“What can you tell us about what’s been happening?” asked Kyle.</p><p></p><p>“Well, I’ve not been here very long, I’m sure you’ve heard. My predecessor died a few months ago, and I was sent to replace her. I’m afraid it couldn’t have come at a worse time; her skills were far greater than my own, and I have been hard pressed to serve. I have tried to remain vigilant during the night, as that is when the undead come, but by the time I learn of a new attack, they are already gone with their victim. I am left to tend the wounds of the survivors.” A saddened look crossed her eyes, and the physical and spiritual fatigue was evident.</p><p></p><p>“We are planning to investigate the town crypts tomorrow,” said Arrie. “What can you tell us about them?”</p><p></p><p>“Well, it has been a few weeks since I was last there. Ever since the attacks began, no one wishes to travel that far from town.”</p><p></p><p>Kyle opened his book and showed the map to Sisz. “What can you tell us about that isn’t on this map?”</p><p></p><p>Sisz studied the map carefully. “The structure is similar to what you have here, but there’s another chamber here, and one here.” She pointed at blank spots on the paper. Then she looked at the map again, then up at the group. “There’s more,” she said, “but I’m afraid that I have taken certain vows. I can only reveal more to those who are ordained.”</p><p></p><p>After a moment’s uncertainty, all of the group except Kavan, Tolly, and Autumn stood up and filed out of the Whistling Satyr. They loitered around the outside of the building for several minutes before the four came out again. Priestess Sisz said her farewells and started walking back to her church.</p><p></p><p>“What’d she tell you?” asked Osborn almost immediately.</p><p></p><p>Kavan looked down at the eager hin. “We swore to her we would not reveal anything to those not ordained as servants of a faith,” he said. “She revealed some secrets of her church regarding the crypts. We will be able to put the information to use, but only when it becomes necessary.”</p><p></p><p>“Oh, all right,” Osborn sighed. “What say we take a walk around town while we wait for the loggers to come back, to get ready for our patrol tonight?”</p><p></p><p>The group agreed to this plan, and spent the next few hours walking through Canyon Camp. They stopped to take a closer look at some of the homes that had been attacked by the zombies, but found nothing unusual about them. They also noticed a few areas on the perimeter of town marked by large ashen circles. Poking around the circles, they turned up bits of broken and charred bone.</p><p></p><p>“The people have probably started burning their dead,” commented Kavan, “in order to keep them from being turned into zombies.”</p><p></p><p>The loggers were returning from their day’s work just as the group returned to the Whistling Satyr. A few minutes later, a young boy came into the hostel and told them that Kath was at the Mad Paladin Alehouse, and would speak with them there. Lanara decided to stay inside and rest, hoping to recover from her bout of the Stygian Shakes before their expedition to the crypts tomorrow.</p><p></p><p>The group pushed their way through crowds of rowdy lumberjacks, who were cheerfully drinking, singing, and groping any woman that came within arm’s reach. Arrie, Autumn, and Xu were spared such treatment, most likely due to going into the tavern fully armed and armored. Kyle asked someone where Kath was, and he wasn’t hard to spot; he was an enormous, red-haired man that towered a full head over everyone else in the place. He had a large bastard sword strapped to his back.</p><p></p><p>“Evening,” Kath said, as the group approached, “I hear you were looking for me?”</p><p></p><p>After quick introductions over the noise of the crowd, Arrie got right to the point. “We’d like to know about what’s been done about the undead problem.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, you’re here, right?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes,” said Tolly, “Priestess Sisz told us about convincing the council to send for us.”</p><p></p><p>Kath grunted. “Sounds like she’d taking credits for my ideas.”</p><p></p><p>“Actually,” replied Tolly, “I find the best ideas are reached by cooperation.”</p><p></p><p>“Maybe you’re right,” Kath shrugged. “Anyway, what else do you want to know?”</p><p></p><p>“Well, what are you personally doing about the undead?” asked Kavan.</p><p></p><p>Kath sighed. “Look, I spend twelve hours a day out in the woods with these lads, helping them out and making sure none of them get killed. After that, I can’t stay up the rest of the night chasing zombies. That’s supposed to be Sisz’s job.”</p><p></p><p>“But you are obviously better equipped for this situation than she,” said Tolly sternly. “I don’t see why you could not just modify your routine to deal with the current situation.”</p><p></p><p>“Hey, I’m as worried about the zombies as anyone else, but do you think that they’re the only dangers here? Besides, Sisz wouldn’t be able to handle the strain if she took my place. I spend most of my day running from place to place to heal injuries or help with a problem.”</p><p></p><p>“What other dangers are you talking about?” asked Autumn.</p><p></p><p>“Well, recently there’s been rumors that our boys have been attacked by fey creatures from the forest. I haven’t seen anything personally, but the rumors aren’t going away. Now, normally that’s why the elves oversee our work, to make sure we don’t over-cut an area and anger the forest dwellers. Far as I know we’ve done nothing wrong, so I have no idea why the fey would be after us. But if it’s true, then my place is with them.”</p><p></p><p>The group withdrew from the Mad Paladin Alehouse to confer outside. “I don’t like him,” said Tolly.</p><p></p><p>“Neither do I,” agreed Kavan.</p><p></p><p>“Why?” asked Arrie.</p><p></p><p>“Because he should be protecting this town, not spending his days out in the woods,” said Tolly.</p><p></p><p>“But you know nothing about him, or what he does,” stated an exasperated Arrie.</p><p></p><p>“I know enough not to trust him,” said Tolly. “For all we know, he’s the necromancer.”</p><p></p><p>Arrie just rolled her eyes behind Tolly’s back and let the subject drop.</p><p></p><p>The group gathered at the hostel for a quick meal and to check on how Lanara was doing, then went to the town hall to rendezvous with Scheduler Kas and the watch. The group was handed seven hastily constructed tabards, and a rough plan was worked out for the evening patrol. The party walked to the northern edge of town, opposite the regular watch, and began walking clockwise around the perimeter of Canyon Camp. Kyle’s familiar Violet circled overhead; Tolly had suggested she fly around the town counter-clockwise in order to provide more coverage, but it was pointed out that a raven’s night-vision wasn’t particularly good, and she’d more likely end up a target of hungry owls. But since Violet had the capability of speech, they agreed that if there were trouble they would send Violet to find Priestess Sisz.</p><p></p><p>The first few hours passed with little incident. They stepped in to break up a drunken brawl, and chased off a group of young boys that were throwing rocks at a small dog. As the sky darkened, the party noticed that the streets became empty and quiet very early. They could still hear noises coming from the taverns and brothels, but when people did emerge they walked quickly to their homes, looking about fearfully.</p><p></p><p>They heard the call for help just as the first moon****** reached its peak in the night sky. The group ran as quickly as they could toward the commotion. Xu was the first to arrive, and she quickly surveyed the scene. A group of six zombies crowded around the door of a simple wooden house, trying to bash the door down. The terrified cry of someone inside could plainly be heard. Nearby, two skeletons with bows stood ready to attack any living being who came to help.</p><p></p><p>Xu decided the skeletons would have to be dealt with first, and charged in, shouting a ear-piercing kiai. Leaping into the air, her foot impacted right into the chest of one of the skeletons, crushing the ribcage into a fine white powder. The bones tumbled into a pile at her feet.</p><p></p><p>Arrie, Kavan, and Kyle arrived in time to see three of the zombies pull away from the door and head toward Xu. The skeletal archer fired a shot at her, but the monk grabbed the arrow out of the air in mid-flight. Arrie began running toward the three zombies still at the door, pulling her infamous orcish shotput out of the bag at her hip. Kavan rushed in to help Xu, slashing at one of the zombies, while Kyle summoned a wave of pure force that slammed into another zombie on Xu, pushing it away. The zombie reoriented itself, then began to make its way toward Kyle.</p><p></p><p>Xu leapt nimbly over the head of one of the zombies, coming down between it and the remaining skeleton. Two quick punches left the skeleton in the same state as its former companion. She turned to face the zombie she had just jumped over, even as Arrie’s shotput went flying and smacked into one of the other zombies’ arms, leaving it a useless, dangling sack of broken bones held together by rotting flesh.</p><p></p><p>Osborn was the next to arrive, his short stride compensated for by his natural skill at long-distance running*******. He took aim at one of the zombies by the door and fired a sling bullet at it, the steel pellet sinking deep into its gullet. Meanwhile, Arrie had thrown her second shotput, which nearly took the head off one of the zombies, while Xu pounded on her opponent, felling it. Kavan stepped back and called forth a <em>sound burst</em>, wounding one of the zombies with the blast of sonic force and toppling the one he’d slashed at before. Kyle, stepping backward to avoid getting in range of his zombie’s fists, unleashed a missile of acid, which began burning away at the undead creature’s ligaments and muscles.</p><p></p><p>Finally, Tolly and Autumn arrived, panting slightly under the weight of their heavy armor. Tolly stepped over and smashed his warhammer into the skull of the zombie pursuing Kyle, destroying it and spraying Kyle with ichor.</p><p></p><p>“Hurry up, sis!” shouted Arrie, as she unfurled her spiked chain. “You’ll miss out on the fun!”</p><p></p><p>Autumn ran as fast as she could to join the melee, but in her burdensome field plate she was too far away. Arrie’s chain whirled around and finished off one of the three remaining zombies, while Xu and Kavan rushed in to finish off a second. Osborn, seeing that the battle was as good as won, put his sling away. Similarly, Kyle and Tolly took stock of the situation, and Kyle cast a <em>prestidigitation </em> spell in order to clean the gore off himself and the Ardaran priest.</p><p></p><p>Autumn pushed herself to get in at least one blow, but just as she got within reach of the last remaining zombie, Arrie’s chain whipped out and took the head off the final zombie. Autumn, flushed and sweating from her exertion, turned to her sister.</p><p></p><p>“You could have waited, you know,” she said, her fatigue letting her irritation rise into her voice.</p><p></p><p>“Sorry, Autumn,” Arrie said. “You were taking too long.”</p><p></p><p>The group gathered at the door, and called out to whoever was inside. The door cracked open, and an older man peered out at them, gripping a pitchfork with white knuckles. When he saw that the people at the door were still breathing, he relaxed, and threw open the doors, gushing his gratitude. At the same moment, the rest of the town guard arrived, cudgels in hand.</p><p></p><p>“All clear, gentlemen,” announced Tolly. “You can haul off these bodies to be burned while we check the area for more of them.”</p><p></p><p>Nearby, Kyle had finished cleaning himself off magically, and was turning his attention to his companions. As gobbets of dead flesh flew out of the links in Kavan’s elven chain, Kyle glanced over at Autumn, who stood nearby. She had removed her helmet, and loose strands of hair clung to her forehead, still wet with perspiration. She had a look of vague disappointment on her face, a distant sort of sadness that she’d been unable to lend her aid in battle.</p><p></p><p>Kyle’s glance dropped to take in Autumn’s exquisitely designed field plate, unsullied by the evening’s fight. It was the weight of the suit that was the problem, not Autumn herself.</p><p></p><p><em>I’ll have to help her with that, somehow,</em> he thought to himself.</p><p></p><p></p><p>---------------------</p><p>* Stygian Shakes is a dreadful disease that is caught by a character whose player will not be in attendance at the gaming session. The primary symptoms are an inability to speak or take independent action.</p><p></p><p>** Clerics of Erito frequently make cloaks of raven feathers. The number of feathers is a symbol of the cleric's standing with his or her deity.</p><p></p><p>*** In recent history, the nation of Targeth was threatened by orcish hordes from the west. To defend their nation, the nation's archmages constructed a magical barrier that surrounds the entire country. One can only penetrate the barrier at one of three gateways. One of these gateways lies in the middle of the river separating the city of Fingol from its couterpart, Aleppi, in neighboring Tlaxan.</p><p></p><p>**** Bles is the goddess of fertility and agriculture, and serves directly under Erito.</p><p></p><p>***** Rovenor is the god of freedom and travel, and serves under Feesha.</p><p></p><p>****** Aelfenn has five moons, one for each of Erito's five servitor deities. There's no formal system worked out for which moons are out when, so there are pretty much as many moons in the sky as I want there to be. I also assume that Aelfenn's five moons are significantly smaller than Earth's moon. This ties in to Aelfenn's rather unique cosmology, which is a bit too much to explain in a footnote. If it becomes necessary, I'll explain it in more detail in the future.</p><p></p><p>******* (wow, 7 footnotes!) Hin in Aelfenn get Run as a bonus feat. The hin are naturally nomadic, and used to travelling by foot.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 1819020, member: 5203"] [b]Death Makes No Sound[/b] The group saw little of each other after graduation. They were allowed to stay in the Tower while awaiting their compulsory service call, but with no classes or exams to worry about most of them bent their energies to personal pursuits. Money flowed from their hands into the waiting pockets of merchants both within the Tower and in the surrounding city of Trageon. The eight companions didn’t remain completely isolated, however. They met briefly in order to divide up various items they’d acquired in their exams, and to show off their graduation gifts. Though Kyle was not seen much outside of the Tower, his companions did receive evidence of his well being several days after graduation, when they each received a small gift of a potion or a scroll he’d made for them. The very next day, Kyle received two gifts in return; a new leather-bound book with pen and quill from Autumn, and a new set of robes, a rich forest green with golden embroidery. There was no note identifying who had sent the robes. Lanara was also rarely seen, though in her case she was rarely inside the school. She put her graduation gift of a magical fiddle to good use, performing throughout Trageon. Though successful, her exuberance cost her in the end, as she ended up contracting a severe case of the Stygian Shakes* after a night of dancing and singing in the Undercity. Thus when the group finally received the call to assemble at the base of the Tower two weeks after graduation, Lanara came to the gathering wrapped in a heavy blanket, shivering despite the warmth that usually accompanied the month of Canith. The group stood patiently, mingled among several other clusters of students. Part of the terms of education at the Tower was that each graduate was expected to perform a service for the school. In the case of those training as adventurers, the Tower contracted out groups to towns and villages to solve problems. Though the school kept the fees negotiated by the Tower’s representatives, the same amount was credited to each student’s tuition debt, thus easing the considerable financial burden a bit. Kavan spotted a shiny black bird perched atop Kyle’s shoulder, and his eyes widened. “Is that a raven?” “Yup,” he said, grinning. “Her name’s Violet, on account of those feathers over her eyes.” He pointed out a line of purple feather arching over the bird’s black eyes like a pair of eyebrows. “She’s my new familiar. Say hello, Violet.” “Hello,” Violet cawed. Kavan reached out and stroked the bird’s head. “You’re truly fortunate, Kyle. The raven is Erito’s totem animal.” “Well, thanks, Kavan. And hey, I know you like to collect raven feathers for your cloak**. You’re welcome to anything Violet ends up molting.” The group’s old instructor, Shilsen, approached the group. “We’ve hired you out to a remote logging settlement in Tlaxan. We’ll be teleporting to Fingol and crossing through the gate to Aleppi. From there it’s about two days ride.” “We?” asked Arrie. “Are you coming with us?” “Of course,” replied Shilsen. “Someone has to make sure the Tower gets their money. But let’s get one thing clear – I’m there as an accountant, nothing more. I’m not saving you if you get in over your head.” Conversation waned as they stood waiting to be sent to their destination. Soon one of the Tower’s archmage instructors came by. Shilsen handed him a sheet of parchment, and after studying it for a moment the wizard began speaking words of power. Moments later, the scenery of Trageon vanished, to be replaced by a wide road leading through a vast field. Before them lay a small city. “Fingol,” said Shilsen, as he began walking. The city of Fingol turned out to be rather unremarkable despite its relatively large size and level of activity. It was the major trade hub between Targeth and the elven nation of Tlaxan to the east. The party proceeded almost directly to the docks, where a ferry was already waiting for them. The craft, which was propelled by a bound water elemental, made straight for the two parallel columns of stone that marked the gateway through Targeth’s defensive magical barrier***. They could see the barrier ripple before them in the middle of the river, appearing almost as a heat shimmer. They all knew well that from Targeth’s side the barrier merely acted as an impenetrable wall, but anyone attempting to enter the nation through the barrier would be utterly destroyed. The ferry landed in the city of Aleppi, Fingol’s counterpart in Tlaxan. This city, though far more haphazard than where they had just come from, seemed to exude a friendlier, more welcoming air. The group stopped for lunch at one of the local inns. While chatting with the locals, the group learned that the major concern of the city seemed to be the rising cost of metals produced by the dwarves in the mountains. However, one old man was heard to complain about the scarcity of timber recently, which piqued their curiosity. “So, what exactly is happening in this logging village we’re going to?” Osborn asked Shilsen. Shilsen shrugged. “You’ll get to find out when you get there. I don’t know any more than you do.” After lunch the party mounted their horses and rode to the northeast, leaving Aleppi behind them. They made camp that evening, and went about the business of setting watches for the night. Lanara was excluded from the watch due to her illness, as was Kyle, since it was well known that wizards required rest to prepare their spells. Kyle protested that he could take a morning watch, but was overruled. As the sun set, Osborn and Kaven looked at the horizon at an approaching back of clouds. “Could be rain tomorrow,” said Kavan. “Maybe,” said Osborn, “but I think they’ll hold for a couple of days.” The evening passed uneventfully, but at sunrise something odd happened. Kavan sat on watch with Xu, keeping an eye on the surrounding forest, when he spotted a slight movement. As Kavan watched, a humanoid figure slipped out from behind a tree and moved off silently into the woods, away from the group. “Xu!” Kavan whispered, “do you see that?” Xu squinted at the spot where Kavan was looking, but she saw nothing save the deep shadows of dawn. The monk shook her head. Kavan brought up what he’d seen later that morning at breakfast. “What should we do?” he asked. “Well, whatever it was, at least it wasn’t hostile,” said Autumn. “Yet,” added her sister Arrie. Osborn had gone over to the tree Kavan had pointed out to take a look around. He came back after a few minutes. “I found only one footprint, of a human or elf-sized shoe. Any other tracks were well-hidden.” “There seems to be little we can do except be watchful,” commented Tolly. “So far this creature seems content in observing us. At any rate, we should reach our destination by this evening according to Shilsen.” They broke camp and continued their way northeast through the forest. However, it turned out that Kavan’s weather prediction was the more accurate, and soon the falling rain turned the trail to mud, slowing their progress. Despite their best efforts, they were forced to make camp yet again. The next morning, Kavan once again saw the odd figure slip away from a nearby tree. He called out to it, but it seemed to ignore him as it vanished into the forest. Later that morning, Osborn walked by Kyle as he sat studying his spellbook. “Say, nice robes,” the hin commented. “Where’d you get them?” “They were a gift,” he said, rubbing the fabric of his sleeve between his fingers. “I have no idea who gave them to me. I’ll admit it’s nice to have robes that fit, though I’m not used to wearing anything this nice. I keep worrying that I’ll get them dirty.” Kyle sighed. “Oh, well, I suppose that’s why they teach us cantrips.” The group managed to make it to their destination just after the rain stopped. They rode up to a village, deceptively large because it was so spread out. About half the buildings in town were actually constructed in the treetops themselves, connected by sturdy rope bridges. A simple wooden placard on the trail leading to the village proclaimed its name as Canyon Camp. The townsfolk gave the party curious but fleeting looks as they rode into the village. Most of the population were either elves or humans, with a scattering of elf-touched and a mere handful of the other races. Most of the people in town appeared to be women, children, and the elderly; the healthy adult males were no doubt hard at work somewhere in the forest. The party heard the sound of a waterwheel turning, and saw the sawmill perched on the river’s edge. The river itself seemed just large enough to float the cut timber down the hill toward Aleppi, though much was probably milled in town and taken by wagon. The party rode toward the large building in the center of town, obviously the town hall. After passing a large number of taverns and brothels, they dismounted and secured their horses outside the hall, following Shilsen inside. Just inside the door, an elven women say at a large wooden desk. “The company from Trageon, here to see David Adi,” said Shilsen. “Do you have an appointment?” the woman asked. Shilsen looked around at the empty foyer. “Yes, we have an appointment.” She flipped through a large book at her desk. “You’re late,” she said, not betraying any emotion in her voice. “I know,” he replied. “The rain made the roads difficult. May we see him now?” “I’ll have to see if Councilman Adi available,” she said. “You are late for your appointment, you realize.” “I know,” Shilsen said, self-control evident in his voice, “that we’re late.” After leaving her desk for a moment, the group was escorted back to a small office. Shilsen took a seat outside the door, waving the rest of them in. Inside a small, balding human of perhaps sixty years sat behind a much smaller desk that the one in the foyer. Several wooden chairs had been crammed into the room. “Please sit,” he said, “and please excuse Milana. She’s always been a stickler for protocol.” The group found seats and sat as comfortably as they could in the small office. Tolly and Kyle found that the chairs, likely of elven manufacture, were not quite wide enough for their large frames, but made do the best they could. “I appreciate that our request for aid from Trageon was answered so quickly,” David said. “Normally this would be the type of situation I’m sure Tlaxan would have addressed internally, but the problems of one tiny logging village hardly bear the notice of the capital, thus we felt contacting your school would be the best course.” “How is it that we can help you?” asked Arrie. “For some time now, we have had problems with our citizens disappearing,” David said. “Some simply vanish without a trace, others are taken forcefully by their homes. We didn’t have long to wait before we found out what happened to them, though. Witnesses have started to see the same people returning to abduct more of our townsfolk, but they aren’t the same. They’ve been turning into zombies.” The group winced in unison at the thought of the vile undead. “We think that a necromancer is in the area somewhere, building up his forces,” David continued. “None of our searches have turned up evidence, but our resources are limited, and as more people disappear the rest of the town is afraid to go out. The attacks have begun to affect our logging operations.” Arrie looked across the desk at the councilman. “Have you noticed any patterns in the abductions?” “None, really. They haven’t taken any children, or any of the smaller races,” David nodded toward Osborn as an example, “but I suspect that’s only because they would make less effective troops once reanimated.” “What has been done to prevent the attacks?” asked Tolly. “There is little we can do. We have a town militia, but it’s only a handful of volunteers, and they’re much better suited to dealing with drunks and ruffians than the walking dead. The zombies are usually accompanied by skeletal archers that discourage pursuit. Besides, Canyon Camp is so spread out they have trouble covering the entire town.” Councilman Ari sighed. “Don’t you have any priests here?” asked Kavan. “We have two,” he replied. “Our priestess of Bles****, Sisz, is new to our town. She does what she can, but her strength is limited. Our other priest, Kath, is devoted to Rovenor*****. He’s been with us a while, but he’s the one who accompanies our men out when they’re cutting trees. Most of his power is tapped just performing his everyday tasks, let alone the added burden of these zombies.” David stood up and looked out a narrow window at the nearby forest. “Should our timber production fall much further, our financial backers may decide to pull out. They may not even have to wait that long; the people here may decide it’s no longer worth the risk and leave of their own accord.” He looked back at the party. “Can you help us?” The group looked at each other briefly, nodding. “We’ll do our best,” said Arrie. “I wish you luck,” said David. “We’ll put you up at the Whistling Satyr. It’ll be a bit cramped at first, I’m afraid, until they can find some more space. But it’s definitely the quietest of our local houses – more of a hostel than an inn. In addition, we’ve negotiated with the Tower and will pay them three hundred gold apiece on your behalf.” “We’d like to speak with the captain of your town militia,” said Arrie. “We may be able to coordinate with them to patrol the town tonight to improve your defenses.” “We’d also like to speak with these priests, Sisz and Kath,” said Tolly. “Any ideas where the zombies are coming from?” asked Kyle. “You might try looking into the old crypts about a half-day west of here,” David suggested. “It may be where this necromancer obtained his initial supply of corpses for his vile rituals. I’m afraid no one here has had the courage to investigate them.” “Do you have a map?” asked Osborn. “Well, we probably have a copy of the original plans somewhere in the records room,” David said. “Though some of it night have changed. Talk to Sisz and Kath; they’re in charge of burials, and would have more first-hand knowledge of them.” David led them to the town hall’s small records room. After a half-hour or searching, Kavan stumbled upon the map they were looking for, misfiled under tax records. They spread the old, crumbling parchment out on a table. “This is going to be hard to take with us without destroying it,” said Kyle. Autumn leaned up close to the wizard and said quietly, “You know, I gave you that book for a reason.” Kyle grinned sheepishly. “Oh, yeah.” Once they had finished copying the map, the group followed David’s directions to the Whistling Satyr. Just as the councilman had warned them, their two rooms were ‘cozy’ at best. Each had a single bed that would hold no more than two people. “I think I will choose to sleep outside tonight,” said Tolly. They went downstairs and out into the afternoon air. Arrie flagged down a young, rotund boy who was running by. “What’s your name, son?” she asked. “Cookie,” said the round-faced boy. “How appropriate,” said Lanara, though with her voice still hoarse it came out barely audible. “Well, Cookie, can I ask you to do me a favor?” said Arrie. “I’ll do it for a cookie,” said the boy. Lanara had to bite her lip, or else she probably would have started choking. “Well, how about I give you this instead.” Arrie pulled out a silver coin and held it out, then pulled it away as Cookie’s chubby fingers reached for it. “After you deliver two messages for me. If you can go run and find the two priests in town and tell them that we’d like to speak to them at the Whistling Satyr, I’ll give you this when you get back.” “You mean Antler Lady and Big Kath?” “Yes, exactly. Now, hurry along.” The boy waddled away excitedly, eager to earn his silver coin. As they watched him dash off, a stern-looking man in a faded tabard walked up to them. “I’m Kas, scheduler for the watch. I heard you wanted to see me?” “Yes, indeed we do,” said Autumn. “We’d like to offer our help to you and your men on tonight’s patrol.” “Sounds good to me,” Kas sniffed. “What you have in mind?” “Well, how do you normally conduct your patrol?” asked Arrie. “Well, me and the boys usually start out at one end of town and circle clockwise along the perimeter through the night. What with the zombies, none of us are too keen to be caught alone.” “Do you always follow the same predictable pattern?” asked Tolly. “Naw, we mix it up every so often – start in a new place, patrol in the other direction, that sort of thing.” “Well, Scheduler Kas,” said Arrie, “perhaps my companions and I could walk a patrol similar to yours, but on the opposite side of town. Would that be acceptable to you?” “Like I said, sounds good to me. I’ll send someone with some watch tabards for you, so the town’ll know why you’re here. We’ll all meet up at sunset at the town hall.” Kas nodded and walked away without another word. The group only had to wait a half-hour before Cookie returned, red-faced and panting. After collecting his coin, he told the group that Kath was still out with the loggers, but he’d left a message with an attendant at the temple of Rovenor. Priestess Sisz, or ‘Antler Lady’, would be coming by shortly. True to his word, only a few minutes after Cookie departed, a slightly built elf-touched woman came into the hostel. She wore a necklace of antler horn tips around her neck, signifying her status within the church of Bles. “I am Priestess Sisz,” she said, “how may I help you?” The group introduced themselves to the priestess, inviting her to sit with them. “We’ve been sent by the Tower in Trageon to help your town with its recent troubles,” Kavan said. “Oh, good. I’m glad to see you came quickly. I’m happy that Kath and I managed to convince the town council to send for you.” “What can you tell us about what’s been happening?” asked Kyle. “Well, I’ve not been here very long, I’m sure you’ve heard. My predecessor died a few months ago, and I was sent to replace her. I’m afraid it couldn’t have come at a worse time; her skills were far greater than my own, and I have been hard pressed to serve. I have tried to remain vigilant during the night, as that is when the undead come, but by the time I learn of a new attack, they are already gone with their victim. I am left to tend the wounds of the survivors.” A saddened look crossed her eyes, and the physical and spiritual fatigue was evident. “We are planning to investigate the town crypts tomorrow,” said Arrie. “What can you tell us about them?” “Well, it has been a few weeks since I was last there. Ever since the attacks began, no one wishes to travel that far from town.” Kyle opened his book and showed the map to Sisz. “What can you tell us about that isn’t on this map?” Sisz studied the map carefully. “The structure is similar to what you have here, but there’s another chamber here, and one here.” She pointed at blank spots on the paper. Then she looked at the map again, then up at the group. “There’s more,” she said, “but I’m afraid that I have taken certain vows. I can only reveal more to those who are ordained.” After a moment’s uncertainty, all of the group except Kavan, Tolly, and Autumn stood up and filed out of the Whistling Satyr. They loitered around the outside of the building for several minutes before the four came out again. Priestess Sisz said her farewells and started walking back to her church. “What’d she tell you?” asked Osborn almost immediately. Kavan looked down at the eager hin. “We swore to her we would not reveal anything to those not ordained as servants of a faith,” he said. “She revealed some secrets of her church regarding the crypts. We will be able to put the information to use, but only when it becomes necessary.” “Oh, all right,” Osborn sighed. “What say we take a walk around town while we wait for the loggers to come back, to get ready for our patrol tonight?” The group agreed to this plan, and spent the next few hours walking through Canyon Camp. They stopped to take a closer look at some of the homes that had been attacked by the zombies, but found nothing unusual about them. They also noticed a few areas on the perimeter of town marked by large ashen circles. Poking around the circles, they turned up bits of broken and charred bone. “The people have probably started burning their dead,” commented Kavan, “in order to keep them from being turned into zombies.” The loggers were returning from their day’s work just as the group returned to the Whistling Satyr. A few minutes later, a young boy came into the hostel and told them that Kath was at the Mad Paladin Alehouse, and would speak with them there. Lanara decided to stay inside and rest, hoping to recover from her bout of the Stygian Shakes before their expedition to the crypts tomorrow. The group pushed their way through crowds of rowdy lumberjacks, who were cheerfully drinking, singing, and groping any woman that came within arm’s reach. Arrie, Autumn, and Xu were spared such treatment, most likely due to going into the tavern fully armed and armored. Kyle asked someone where Kath was, and he wasn’t hard to spot; he was an enormous, red-haired man that towered a full head over everyone else in the place. He had a large bastard sword strapped to his back. “Evening,” Kath said, as the group approached, “I hear you were looking for me?” After quick introductions over the noise of the crowd, Arrie got right to the point. “We’d like to know about what’s been done about the undead problem.” “Well, you’re here, right?” “Yes,” said Tolly, “Priestess Sisz told us about convincing the council to send for us.” Kath grunted. “Sounds like she’d taking credits for my ideas.” “Actually,” replied Tolly, “I find the best ideas are reached by cooperation.” “Maybe you’re right,” Kath shrugged. “Anyway, what else do you want to know?” “Well, what are you personally doing about the undead?” asked Kavan. Kath sighed. “Look, I spend twelve hours a day out in the woods with these lads, helping them out and making sure none of them get killed. After that, I can’t stay up the rest of the night chasing zombies. That’s supposed to be Sisz’s job.” “But you are obviously better equipped for this situation than she,” said Tolly sternly. “I don’t see why you could not just modify your routine to deal with the current situation.” “Hey, I’m as worried about the zombies as anyone else, but do you think that they’re the only dangers here? Besides, Sisz wouldn’t be able to handle the strain if she took my place. I spend most of my day running from place to place to heal injuries or help with a problem.” “What other dangers are you talking about?” asked Autumn. “Well, recently there’s been rumors that our boys have been attacked by fey creatures from the forest. I haven’t seen anything personally, but the rumors aren’t going away. Now, normally that’s why the elves oversee our work, to make sure we don’t over-cut an area and anger the forest dwellers. Far as I know we’ve done nothing wrong, so I have no idea why the fey would be after us. But if it’s true, then my place is with them.” The group withdrew from the Mad Paladin Alehouse to confer outside. “I don’t like him,” said Tolly. “Neither do I,” agreed Kavan. “Why?” asked Arrie. “Because he should be protecting this town, not spending his days out in the woods,” said Tolly. “But you know nothing about him, or what he does,” stated an exasperated Arrie. “I know enough not to trust him,” said Tolly. “For all we know, he’s the necromancer.” Arrie just rolled her eyes behind Tolly’s back and let the subject drop. The group gathered at the hostel for a quick meal and to check on how Lanara was doing, then went to the town hall to rendezvous with Scheduler Kas and the watch. The group was handed seven hastily constructed tabards, and a rough plan was worked out for the evening patrol. The party walked to the northern edge of town, opposite the regular watch, and began walking clockwise around the perimeter of Canyon Camp. Kyle’s familiar Violet circled overhead; Tolly had suggested she fly around the town counter-clockwise in order to provide more coverage, but it was pointed out that a raven’s night-vision wasn’t particularly good, and she’d more likely end up a target of hungry owls. But since Violet had the capability of speech, they agreed that if there were trouble they would send Violet to find Priestess Sisz. The first few hours passed with little incident. They stepped in to break up a drunken brawl, and chased off a group of young boys that were throwing rocks at a small dog. As the sky darkened, the party noticed that the streets became empty and quiet very early. They could still hear noises coming from the taverns and brothels, but when people did emerge they walked quickly to their homes, looking about fearfully. They heard the call for help just as the first moon****** reached its peak in the night sky. The group ran as quickly as they could toward the commotion. Xu was the first to arrive, and she quickly surveyed the scene. A group of six zombies crowded around the door of a simple wooden house, trying to bash the door down. The terrified cry of someone inside could plainly be heard. Nearby, two skeletons with bows stood ready to attack any living being who came to help. Xu decided the skeletons would have to be dealt with first, and charged in, shouting a ear-piercing kiai. Leaping into the air, her foot impacted right into the chest of one of the skeletons, crushing the ribcage into a fine white powder. The bones tumbled into a pile at her feet. Arrie, Kavan, and Kyle arrived in time to see three of the zombies pull away from the door and head toward Xu. The skeletal archer fired a shot at her, but the monk grabbed the arrow out of the air in mid-flight. Arrie began running toward the three zombies still at the door, pulling her infamous orcish shotput out of the bag at her hip. Kavan rushed in to help Xu, slashing at one of the zombies, while Kyle summoned a wave of pure force that slammed into another zombie on Xu, pushing it away. The zombie reoriented itself, then began to make its way toward Kyle. Xu leapt nimbly over the head of one of the zombies, coming down between it and the remaining skeleton. Two quick punches left the skeleton in the same state as its former companion. She turned to face the zombie she had just jumped over, even as Arrie’s shotput went flying and smacked into one of the other zombies’ arms, leaving it a useless, dangling sack of broken bones held together by rotting flesh. Osborn was the next to arrive, his short stride compensated for by his natural skill at long-distance running*******. He took aim at one of the zombies by the door and fired a sling bullet at it, the steel pellet sinking deep into its gullet. Meanwhile, Arrie had thrown her second shotput, which nearly took the head off one of the zombies, while Xu pounded on her opponent, felling it. Kavan stepped back and called forth a [I]sound burst[/I], wounding one of the zombies with the blast of sonic force and toppling the one he’d slashed at before. Kyle, stepping backward to avoid getting in range of his zombie’s fists, unleashed a missile of acid, which began burning away at the undead creature’s ligaments and muscles. Finally, Tolly and Autumn arrived, panting slightly under the weight of their heavy armor. Tolly stepped over and smashed his warhammer into the skull of the zombie pursuing Kyle, destroying it and spraying Kyle with ichor. “Hurry up, sis!” shouted Arrie, as she unfurled her spiked chain. “You’ll miss out on the fun!” Autumn ran as fast as she could to join the melee, but in her burdensome field plate she was too far away. Arrie’s chain whirled around and finished off one of the three remaining zombies, while Xu and Kavan rushed in to finish off a second. Osborn, seeing that the battle was as good as won, put his sling away. Similarly, Kyle and Tolly took stock of the situation, and Kyle cast a [I]prestidigitation [/I] spell in order to clean the gore off himself and the Ardaran priest. Autumn pushed herself to get in at least one blow, but just as she got within reach of the last remaining zombie, Arrie’s chain whipped out and took the head off the final zombie. Autumn, flushed and sweating from her exertion, turned to her sister. “You could have waited, you know,” she said, her fatigue letting her irritation rise into her voice. “Sorry, Autumn,” Arrie said. “You were taking too long.” The group gathered at the door, and called out to whoever was inside. The door cracked open, and an older man peered out at them, gripping a pitchfork with white knuckles. When he saw that the people at the door were still breathing, he relaxed, and threw open the doors, gushing his gratitude. At the same moment, the rest of the town guard arrived, cudgels in hand. “All clear, gentlemen,” announced Tolly. “You can haul off these bodies to be burned while we check the area for more of them.” Nearby, Kyle had finished cleaning himself off magically, and was turning his attention to his companions. As gobbets of dead flesh flew out of the links in Kavan’s elven chain, Kyle glanced over at Autumn, who stood nearby. She had removed her helmet, and loose strands of hair clung to her forehead, still wet with perspiration. She had a look of vague disappointment on her face, a distant sort of sadness that she’d been unable to lend her aid in battle. Kyle’s glance dropped to take in Autumn’s exquisitely designed field plate, unsullied by the evening’s fight. It was the weight of the suit that was the problem, not Autumn herself. [I]I’ll have to help her with that, somehow,[/I] he thought to himself. --------------------- * Stygian Shakes is a dreadful disease that is caught by a character whose player will not be in attendance at the gaming session. The primary symptoms are an inability to speak or take independent action. ** Clerics of Erito frequently make cloaks of raven feathers. The number of feathers is a symbol of the cleric's standing with his or her deity. *** In recent history, the nation of Targeth was threatened by orcish hordes from the west. To defend their nation, the nation's archmages constructed a magical barrier that surrounds the entire country. One can only penetrate the barrier at one of three gateways. One of these gateways lies in the middle of the river separating the city of Fingol from its couterpart, Aleppi, in neighboring Tlaxan. **** Bles is the goddess of fertility and agriculture, and serves directly under Erito. ***** Rovenor is the god of freedom and travel, and serves under Feesha. ****** Aelfenn has five moons, one for each of Erito's five servitor deities. There's no formal system worked out for which moons are out when, so there are pretty much as many moons in the sky as I want there to be. I also assume that Aelfenn's five moons are significantly smaller than Earth's moon. This ties in to Aelfenn's rather unique cosmology, which is a bit too much to explain in a footnote. If it becomes necessary, I'll explain it in more detail in the future. ******* (wow, 7 footnotes!) Hin in Aelfenn get Run as a bonus feat. The hin are naturally nomadic, and used to travelling by foot. [/QUOTE]
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