Company of the Random Encounter ('complete' 14 Nov 2004)

[Capellan]

"Hooberan's Stockade" by Wicht - Part 5

Staying low to the ground, Mantreus slips across to the stockade. His attempt at stealth is spoiled by his squawk of surprise in nearly ending up in the muddy ditch that surrounds the wall.

Muttering under his breath, he leaps nimbly across the ditch, then begins to clamber up the wall, determined to show the smug non-humans that a real rogue doesn't need low-light vision.

Unfortunately, in the darkness, he misjudges the distance to one of his hand-holds, and loses his grip, swiftly tumbling off the wall and down into the six inch layer of mud and slime at the bottom of the ditch.

Twinkle and Elspeth rush forward in the concern, but the bedraggled and fuming Mantreus is already dragging himself out of the ditch, cursing a blue streak as he does so.

"Just. Don't. Say. Anything." The human grits out, wiping a large clump of mud from his hair.

"Maybe it would be easier if we got a rope?" Twinkle suggests, miming throwing something up to the top of the wall. "We could make a lasso, or something."

"I've got a grappling hook." Mantreus concedes. Elspeth raises an eyebrow.

"You have a grappling hook, but no rope?"

Mantreus looks defensive,

"It was too heavy."

Elspeth's expression doesn't change.

"Stop looking at me like that. You're reminding me of Ming Li."

The three adventurers quickly attach the grapple to the rope and Elspeth is chosen to throw it up and hook it onto the wall. This she accomplishes on the first try, giving the rope a savage yank to make sure it is firmly secured. She then silently gestures for Mantreus to climb up.

This the human rogue quickly does, swarming up the rope without any difficulty at all. Maybe one day he will look back at this series of events and laugh, but - judging from the stream of invective he mutters as he goes over the palisade wall - that day is still a long way off.

The man in the tower proves to be dead. He is slumped against the wall, his head leaning back against the stakes, a longbow clutched in one hand. A quiver of arrows lies on the wooden boards beside him, along with a small pile of yellow rags.

Mantreus wrinkles his nose at the smell given off by the body, while checking for any signs of what might have killed the man. He looks to have been dead for several days, and any symptoms of the disease that slew him - if that was what it was - are gone. However, as Mantreus looks down toward the corpse's feet, he is sickened to see signs that something has gnawed through its boots and begun to feed on its flesh.

Sickened, and then alarmed, as the skitter of claws on wood warns him that he is not alone.

The rogue leaps to his feet, turning just in time to see the two large, bristle-haired rats burst out of the shadows and lunge toward him. Each is well over three feet long from nose to tail. Staring at the adventurer with filmy black eyes, the two verminous beasts lunge forward, sharp teeth nipping at his flesh.

Mantreus reels back as far as he can in the tight confines of the tower, drawing his sword as he does so, in a vain effort to fend off the creatures. As one of them bites his calf, opening a long but shallow wound, he considers throwing himself over the palisade. A snapping bite as he inches toward the wall convinces him otherwise, however, and instead he calls out for help.

"Elspeth! Twinkle! Help!"

 

[Capellan]

"Hooberan's Stockade" by Wicht - Part 6

Hearing Mantreus' desperate call, Elspeth hurls herself at the rope, swarming up and over the wall in a scant few seconds. Her swords gleam in the moonlight as she whips them from their scabbards.

Twinkle is a little slower off the mark, but climbs the wall just as smoothly and easily as her elven companion. Reaching the top of the palisade, the gnome tumbles over the iron-capped stakes and lands lightly on her feet. Her hand drops to the hilt of her sword, but she does not get time to draw it before the rats are upon them.

Driven to a frenzy by the smell of fresh blood, the giant rodents lunge forward fearlessly, targeting the two newcomers, who stand between them and the bleeding Mantreus. Both rats strike true, their incisors tearing flesh. Elspeth shrugs off the injury with little difficulty, but Twinkle stumbles back from her wound, blood streaming down her arm from a nasty bite. The injury looks inflamed and puffy, and the gnome has to fight off a wave of dizziness as the gash starts to burn.

Now protected by his two companions, Mantreus calls on his new-found magical powers and flings a bolt of energy at the rat that menaces Twinkle. His concentration is not at its best, however, as the damage from the bolt seems only to anger the creature still suffer.

Thinking quickly, Mantreus opens the familiar pocket inside his vest, and Shadow leaps free, landing on the lip of the palisade. With only the briefest glance back at its master, the cat leaps down into the darkness, and streaks off to find the others back at camp.

Despite feeling faint from loss of blood, Twinkle draws her sword and neatly skewers the injured rate. Unfortunately, the loss of its companion seems to serve only to drive the surviving rodent to even greater ferocity, and it savages Elspeth twice while nimbly avoiding every counter-attack the adventurers can throw at it. Deprived of Stormstrider's muscle and the Padre's healing magic, the companions seem to be in serious trouble.

With the others still nowhere in sight, and suffering heavily from blood loss, Elspeth sweeps out blindly at the rat. Finally her blade bites into flesh, and the foul creature dies with a harsh squeal. It's not a moment too soon, as the elven ranger's vision is beginning to blur, and her wounds are beginning to burn in the same way as Twinkle's.

As the three adventurers pause to gasp for breath, limbs shaking from the effort of the battle, their companions come crashing through the rows of berries, with Shadow a dark blur in front of them. Stormstrider clambers over the wall without a second thought, but both the Padre and Sirdros are wearing heavy armour, and balk at the climb.

"Open the gate!" the Padre gestures toward the gatehouse. As he does so, he notices the pale flag fluttering above it. Immediately, he draws a spare shirt from his pack and ties it across his mouth as a kind of primitive mask. Sirdros quickly follows suit. The protective value of these masks is, of course, exactly nil. But it seems to make the two clerics feel better.

Since he is the only healthy member of the company to have made it inside the walls, Stormstrider climbs down from the tower and walks across to the gate, eyes and ears straining for any sign of danger. Nothing leaps out at him, however, and he soon finds that the gate is held closed by only a single wooden bar, which the powerfully-built ranger has no difficulty in lifting aside.

The two clerics enter through the gate. Seeing that the group still lacks a light source, Sirdros calls upon Pelor to provide light, and them climbs up into the tower. With proper illumination, it quickly becomes clear that the body Mantreus discovered is dressed in finely made studded leather army. The deceased male also clutches a huge composite longbow in one hand. Prising the weapon free with a word of benediction for the corpse, the cleric strains to draw the string. The pull of the bow is enormous, however, and he manages to take it to only about one-quarter extension. Even Elspeth, on testing it, is unable to fully draw back the string.

"We can leave these here until we are ready to leave." he decides, receiving affirmative responses from those around him. He then climbs out of the tower, with the others following behind.

"You look ridiculous." Mantreus greets the Padre, as the three injured party members straggle down to the ground. "We need healing."

The Padre resolutely leaves the shirt tied across his face, and quickly inspects the wounds his companions have suffered. Mantreus' injury appears clean, but both Twinkle and Elspeth have wounds that are clearly infected.

"I can heal the cuts you have suffered," the cleric informs the trio, "But some of the wounds are tainted with either poison or disease. Those are beyond my ability to treat. If you begin to suffer the effects before we can return to Amberdale, there is nothing any of us can do to help you."

 

[Capellan]

"Hooberan's Stockade" by Wicht - Part 7

As best they can, Sirdros and the Padre tend to the injuries suffered by their companions. The wounds seal under their magical healing, but those on Twinkle and Elspeth remain red and inflamed - it is obvious that they are infected.

"That will have to do for now." The Padre says doubtfully. "But we should try to find out what happened here as quickly as we can, and then get you back to town, where you can get proper treatment."

Still standing near the gate, the group now takes the time to take a good look around them. To their left, they can see a large, two-storey home: easily the largest building in the settlement, except for an enormous barn at the far end of the palisade.

"How about we start there?" Mantreus points. "Whoever lives there has to be ri - important."

"A good idea." the Padre takes charge, "and from there we can easily move down each of the rows." He sweeps his arm along the grid-like pattern of buildings.

"I smell smoke." Twinkle's nose twitches. "It's coming from over there."

"There's a burned out building." Elspeth confirms, her keen eyes untroubled by the darkness.

"We'll get to it. Better to do this methodically - we might miss some buildings, otherwise." the Padre likes His Plan.

The others shrug and agree, seemingly not too concerned about the order in which the buildings are investigated.

"Blackfang. Stay. Guard." Stormstrider shows the flat of his hand to his wolf companion, then strokes the animal's muzzle affectionately before turning back to the group. "He'll let us know if anyone approaches the gate while we're busy."

"Really?" Twinkle sounds doubtful. There's a soft growl in response, and the gnome yelps and skips back from the wolf, before realising that the sound came from Stormstrider. She gives him a nervous grin. "So, how 'bout we check out that house?"

The group heads over to the building, quickly determining that the front door is unlocked. With Stormstrider and Elspeth leading the way, they quietly enter the front hallway. Several doors and a flight of stairs lead off this area, which is richly carpeted. It is obvious that this is the home of one of the settlement's most important people.

"I think we found the Hooberan household." Elspeth remarks, carefully moving forward to peer through the nearest open doorway.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Twinkle suddenly calls out loudly, causing several of the group to jump. She moves to the foot of the stairs and climbs a short way up, using the railing to keep her balance on the human-sized steps. "Ugh." She pulls her hand away from the balustrade, and the others can see that it is covered in patches of a sticky black substance. "Blood."

"There are patches leading toward the back of the house, as well." Stormstrider kneels, pointing to several darker stains in the maroon carpet.

"We should follow them." It's Sirdros who speaks, but the thought is on everyone's mind. There is no need for further discussion as the adventurers slowly filter down the hallway and into the dining room beyond. A double door with glass panels stands open in the left wall, and the trail of blood stains leads the group through and into a kitchen. Here, the floor is paved stone rather than carpets, and the splashes of blood are easier to see and follow.

From the kitchen, the group moves into what was evidently the pantry. Shelves line the walls, while baskets, sacks and barrels are stacked beneath them. One shelf is empty, with shards of pottery scattered on the flagstones below it.

"Signs of a struggle, maybe?" Mantreus asks.

"I don't think so." Elspeth shakes her head, "There's nothing else to suggest it."

"Except that." Stormstrider points at a trapdoor in the corner. Half-hidden by barrels, the door has been ripped free of its hinges, leaving a dark hole in the floor.

Twinkle moves forward and crouches to peer into the hole.

"Stairs." She reports. "Looks they like lead into some kind of cellar." The gnome straightens and backs up, keeping her eyes watchfully on the opening. It is left to the Padre to ask the obvious question:

"So. Who wants to go down first?"

 

[(contact)]

Re: "Hooberan's Stockade" by Wicht - Part 7

"So. Who wants to go down first?"

(Cue the co-ed with the t-shirt.)

C'mon Padre-- real leaders lead by example! You've got the heavy armor, right?

 

[The Padre]

Re: Re: "Hooberan's Stockade" by Wicht - Part 7

(Cue the co-ed with the t-shirt.)

C'mon Padre-- real leaders lead by example! You've got the heavy armor, right?

Just to answer your're question, I believe in leading from a position were I can control all forces at my disposal, rather than being engaged in a frontal assault.

(ie I don't have Heavy Armour, only studded leather - I have an 18 Dex and plan to use it!)

The Padre

Check out the player Report of my campaign;

In Hextor's Name

 

[(contact)]

Re: Re: Re: "Hooberan's Stockade" by Wicht - Part 7

Just to answer your're question, I believe in leading from a position were I can control all forces at my disposal, rather than being engaged in a frontal assault.

Oh, you're an officer.

 

[The Padre]

Re: Re: Re: Re: "Hooberan's Stockade" by Wicht - Part 7

Oh, you're an officer.

Scarrily enough I used to be an Infantry Officer in the Australian Army.

 

[(contact)]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: "Hooberan's Stockade" by Wicht - Part 7

 

[Capellan]

"Hooberan's Stockade" by Wicht - Part 8

Sirdros volunteers for the job of investigating the cellar, and makes his way cautiously down the stairs. These creak slightly under his weight, but seem reasonably sturdy, despite the noises. Reaching the bottom of the steps, the elf glances about, then shakes his head.

"My light spell has ended." He calls back to the others. "I will need someone to bring the lantern."

After a short - but nonetheless heartfelt - discussion amongst the others, Twinkle warily edges halfway down the stairs, holding a lantern aloft. The light splashes across the room, creating several dark pools of shadow, but also revealing a pile of bodies near the far wall.

"Four dead down here, maybe more." Sirdros relays the message via Twinkle, "No exits that I can see. Most of it looks like storage space."

The remainder of the group moves down to join the elven cleric, who gestures to the pile.

"We should give them last rites."

"Good idea." The Padre claps him on the shoulder, "Check them for valuables while you're at it, eh?"

Sirdros gives the other cleric a surprised look, then shrugs and moves to comply. Stormstrider, curious about the identities of the slain, follows.

"There are six of them. The two on top are dressed in rags - could be servants." The ranger calls back over his shoulder as he gets closer to the bodies, "Four adults, two - "

The uppermost corpses suddenly leap to their feet, biting and clawing at the two elves. Both adventurers reel back, trying to defend themselves as best they can. Even so, the creatures' attacks have some success, and both elves begin to bleed from fresh wounds.

"Zombies!" the Padre struggles to draw forth his holy symbol.

"Too fast!" Mantreus disagrees, "These are something else." He takes two steps to the side, trying to get a better view of the creatures, then gestures and speaks a word of command. A thin beam of pale energy leaps from his fingers.

Unfortunately, the novice sorcerer's aim is off, and the beam strikes Stormstrider in the back. The ranger feels a slight warmth from the ray's touch, but is otherwise unaffected by whatever magical energy the spell contained.

Sirdros steps back a few feet and raises the sun god's symbol.

"Back, foul creatures!" he cries, and Pelor's light streams out. The monsters seem unimpressed, however, and continue to surge forward toward the adventurers.

"St Cuthbert smite thee!" the Padre has more experience than his elven compatriot, and his voice is filled with the roaring power of the god of retribution. Both of the undead creatures scramble back from the divine energy, cowering fearfully against the wall.

"Now we've got 'em!" Elspeth raises her swords, eagerly.

"Hold back!" the Padre warns, pre-empting the ranger's charge, "You must not get too close or the charm may be undone. Make use of your bows!"

The others naturally see the wisdom in this strategy, and soon a barrage of arrows, sling stones and crossbow bolts are flying across the cellar. Several of the shots are embarrassingly inaccurate, but the sheer volume of fire overwhelms the two undead and batters them, lifeless, to the floor.

"Ghouls." The Padre pronounces, once he has had a chance to look at the creatures more closely. "We were lucky that Sirdros and Stormstrider were the ones attacked. The ghouls' touch could have paralysed any of the rest of us. Well, except Elspeth." He looks surprised, suddenly realising how many elves are with the company.

"What do you think happened here?" Twinkle asks.

Mantreus frowns, looking at the bodies,

"I have a bad feeling the disease killed the Hooberans, and their servants started eating them ... and turned into those things." He opines.

"I doubt it." Elspeth has less macabre sensibilities. "There's plenty of food upstairs. No reason for the servants to eat anyone." She looks daggers at the sorcerer, "And it would be more likely to be the rich eating the servants, anyway. They're used to living off the blood and toil of others, after all."

"I think the ghouls came from outside the town." Stormstrider - perhaps unwittingly - averts the imminent socio-political debate. "Their clothes are rags. They must have been wearing them for weeks."

"Right." The Padre agrees, "Now, I guess the next thing to do is take a look upstairs."

 

[Sniktch]

Well, that's one way to get the job done