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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1369896" data-attributes="member: 1210">A Lesson About Leaving Mysterious Holes OpenSoftly bedded down for the night, our heroes are asleep.Except, of course, for the one on watch- at this point in the night, it’s Captain Cavedwarf.The ogre’s cave is fairly cold; he’s walking around to keep warm.  It’s dark, but dwarves don’t have a problem with that.  So when he catches a glimpse of shambling movement and whirls to confront whatever it is, he instantly realizes, We should have plugged the hole back up!  He screams a warning.It’s big.The stink of rotten flesh, of corruption, rolls off the thing.  Greasy gobbets of flesh hand from old wounds.  Easily eleven feet high, the thing strongly resembles Bromworth; but where Bromworth was clearly alive, this hideous thing is clearly undead.Cavedwarf’s wolf is growling fiercely, and as the giant zombie stumbles towards our heroes (now blearily opening their eyes and gagging on the stench) the wolf lunges forward, tearing at the zombie’s leg.  Federico is barking and yipping in fear as a chorus of terrified cries and shrieks rises from the halflings.Captain Cavedwarf springs forward and swings his club, but he stumbles over someone’s blanket and almost trips.  He catches himself but almost falls, then watches in horror as the zombies reaches down and crushes the wolf, snapping its spine in an instant.  There’s a final yelp from the wolf, and then nothing more as the zombie casually tosses the body aside.  Gritting his teeth, the Captain swings again, and this time he connects, but his club barely hurts it!  Everyone else is struggling to their feet, drawing out weapons and such; It’s me and it for another few seconds, Cavedwarf gloomily realizes.“Back off, you!  Leave those kids alone!” cries the voice of Mama Flapjacks.  She’s in the corner, brandishing her holy symbol like purse held as a weapon.  She prays her faith will be strong enough to drive it away; but it’s too big for her small stature.The ogrish zombie ignores the symbol and Mama’s attempt to drive it off; it brings a huge club of rotten wood down on Captain Cavedwarf’s head.  “ARGH!” the Captain yells, staggering and reeling.  Daggers keep flying at the monster, but they’re just bouncing off or missing.  Need help here, Cavedwarf grunts to himself.Ed lights a torch.  Their weapons don’t seem to be doing much.  Maybe fire will scare it off or hurt it!  Tears streaming down her face, she pulls the torch up and prepares to strike if the zombie should come close enough.Finally a dagger lands deeply in the zombie, sinking almost to the hilt.  Trinia cheers her throw; but the zombie is so big, and her dagger is so small, that it doesn’t even slow the monster down.  Then Mama throws a handful of rocks at the monster, pelting it with several, even as it swings its heavy club at her!  With a yelp, she dodges out of the way.  Bytor and Thelonious move to flank the monster and start hacking at it, and finally our heroes start to make some headway!  Their axe and sword combo seems to deal severe damage to the zombie, and Captain Cavedwarf realizes, Its flesh is tough and resistant to my attacks, but their slashing weapons seem to work fine!  With a savage roar and a grin, he pulls out a hunting knife.Now the things is surrounded by Thelonious, Bytor, Ed (with her torch) and Cavedwarf (with a knife).  It swings at first one of them and then another, but they keep darting in and out and avoiding its blows!  More and more slashes and burns are landing on the ogre, and finally, with a whoop, Bytor lands a final flow on the side of the monster and it collapses.  Putrescent gasses rise from the corpse. “Whew, that stinks,” Trinia complains.Gasping, our heroes gather up their stuff and exit the cave.  “Let’s rest outside,” suggests Bytor.  “But first, we should go plug that hole again!”They do so.  No other horrors have yet emerged from the lower levels; so nothing ambushes them as they roll the boulder back into place over the hole.  Then they go back outside, to where they can see the stars, and rest for a couple of days.Next Time: Into the Ogre’s Crypt!</blockquote>

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