The long road to Lothilawyr [Updated 7/23]

[Look_a_Unicorn]

A great start to this story hour.
Was wondering, playing with only two PC's do you intend to run a diplomacy/intrigue based campaign, with less lethal combat?

 

[drnuncheon]

A great start to this story hour.
Was wondering, playing with only two PC's do you intend to run a diplomacy/intrigue based campaign, with less lethal combat?

(thinks back on the orcs...and what's coming up...)

...probably not.

J
next time I'm playing a dwarven barbarian, I tell ya

 

[DiFier]

we should play this friday. I hope to have finished last sessions update before we play again.

Well with cyberstreet getting screwed over by it's upstream provider I will not be able to update the stoory hour before we play tonight. only 2 sessions and I'm alreay behind

 

[DiFier]

It took 15 or 20 minutes of climbing up the steep stairs to get to the buildings below the enormous temple. The temple above loomed almost as it were about to slide down the mountain and come crashing into the complet below. The Complex was a large flat patio set into the side of the mountain. To the right and left were facades set into the stone. They were idential and similar to the gate house below and temple above. but with propped open paper window. The monk, who had introduced himself as Sinji, took them to the facade on the right. He opened the door and they entered a short hallway with walls made of paper. He walked a few feet and slid a wall to the left. There was a large room beyond lined with wooden benches and tables. Sitting at the tables were a few men who didn't look like they were monks at the temple. "this is the common area. At seven we will serve diner" He closed the wall/door and continued along the passage. at the end was a wooden staircase that led up. "You're rooms are above. There are very few visiters right now so you can have rooms with windows. The baths are also on this level." He showed them to their rooms.

"thank you." said Ciramar, "We would like to speak to the . . .abbot, if he is not to busy."

"The Obuna is not here right now but I will see about aranging a meeting with the Sobuna"

After Sinji left, they each decided that the baths were a good idea to get the caked mud and dried blood off of them. They each discovered that the wounds they sustained in the battle the night before had healed totally. After they had returned to thier rooms and changed into clean cloths, Arsindis tapped on the paper wall to Ciramar's room. "Ciramar. . . ?" When he opened it she continued "Were you healed from the battle last night?"

"I don't remember being healed but I have no wounds to show for the battle."

"Strange. Well lets go down to the common area maybe we can get some clues to where we are from the people there."

"While where is important . . . I think that when may be important. as well"

 

[Drusilia Nailo]

Just don't do what some other story hour writers from your neck of the woods have done and leave us hanging with our heroes facing off against a defiant would-be goddess mermaid and you'll keep me coming back to read more.

Doh. I feel bad about that. Someday, maybe, when I only have fifty writing projects going on at once, I'll try to finish that up... with lots of embellishment from me, since I didn't take notes.

Di'Fier - keep up the good work. It's a very fun game to play (and playing a paladin gives me a chance for something a little different from Dru!) and fun to read about as well.

 

[DiFier]

"we've been here for a week" the merchant said motioning to a quiet man sitting next to him. "We're on our way to Toji but with the problems in Emei we decieded to stay here rather than travel throught the village."

"what problems?" asked Arsindis.

"Is Emei the village beyond?" asked Ciramar gesturing toward the east wall.

"yes" said the man answering Ciramar's questions first. "As for the problems. Well. . ."

A voice behind them answered. "zombies. The entire village is infested with them. It's been that way for almost half a month."

Ciramar and Arsindis turned and looked at the man. He was a little younger than they were and taller than most of the people they had met today. He wore a brown cotton robe and black knee length trousers. His long black hair was tied back behind his head and wrapped in a single cord. on the ends of the belt that was wrapped afound his waist was an embroidered green leaf. Protuding to the sides from the small of his back were the handles of two short swords.

"Ah, our zombie hunter" said the merchant, "He can tell you better than I"

The man looked at the man and then continued. "I have heard your story. I believe that you have come here to help us with the zombie problem. The other's are late. I have been here four days."

"Others?"

"Yes my speciality is zombies. but I am still not a witch hunter. Perhaps I will never be. my master has been sick for many months and he sent me here in his place. There are 4 more witch hunters comeing . . .Masako Ry, Hida Tenkazu, Otomo Renshi, and Akishino Ji . . . but they are . . . late." The merchants seem impressed with the names. "You two were brought here by fate we must take care of the zombie problem. They only spread."

The paper wall slide aside and sinji entered the room and greated Arsindis and Ciramar. "The Sobuna can see you now."

He led them out of the building and across to the patio to the other building. they assended a stair case and walked out onto a balcony there was a small bald man in a long black robe. He was reading a scroll and a second man in sleeveless leather armor and with a large scroll tube slung over his shoulder. The bald man said thank you and the other man left.

"Welcome."

"thank you for seeing us on such short notice" Replied Ciramar.

"it is not a problem. . . "

"We are . . . "

"travelers" arsindis finished his sentance.

"Lost travelers. from what I hear" He raised his eyebrows "I am Ti. You are Ciramar the
Wu jen and Arsindis the warrior of good."

"We have traveled a long distance . . .or well. . We were not anywhere close to this area last night. We were attacked by orcs and a dense fog rolled in and when it cleared in the morning our traveling compainions were nowhere to be found and were were in a different place. "

"I know." he laughed at their confused looks "the advantage of paper walls." his mood became more somber. "It is good that you have arrived today. I have just recieved bad news." He held up the scroll "The four witch hunters are not coming. They were each ambushed as they traveled here. Hida Tenkazu and Masako Ry are dead. Their bodies desecrated. Otomo Renshi lives but only with the capacities of a child. Akishino Ji Is missing, his ontorage is dead. I believe that it is fate that you have arrived here today."

Arsindis enchanged a look with Ciramar. "We Will help you with your problem."

"Yes, We would not want the zombie hunter to deal with this alone."

He turned to Sinji "Please go get Kyodai" the monk left them.

Ciramar turned to the Sobuna. "Have you heard any stories, legneds, of mists transporting people great distances?"

"I'm afraid I'm not much on stories but our libraries are vast and we have many srcolls from long ago. I will have Sinji search for stories that seem to apply."

"thank you"

When Sinji returned with kyodai, Ti sent him to search the archives. He let Kyodai read the scroll from the corruior and then relayed the info that Ciramar and Arsindis had decieded to help him.

"thank you" said kyodai "after dinner we should plan. We will leave early tommorow morning."

 

[DiFier]

The small band of hunters and temple guards traveled along the road toward the village. About four hours from the temple there was the first evidence of zombies. In the road and scattered in the brush immediatlly nxt to the road was the remains of about 12 zombies. They had been hacked to pieces. They each made guesses as to what had destroyed them. but the answers was not obvious.

after another two hours they ran into five functioning zombies. They were easily taken care of. Four were dead before they got close. The fith had been trampled my Arsindis' horse and cleaved in half by her sword.

The zombies all wore white porcelan masks with awful faces, dour pouts or unnaturally happy grins. It may have been an improvement over regular zombies but the masks were unsettling, especially the happy ones. Kyodai said that the masks were part of the raising process and that only natural occuring zombies didn't have them.

the term naturally occuring zombies bothered both Ciramar and Arsindis. Kyodai must have seen it on their faces because he added "It is rare to get one around here. We are far from the pit." Arsindis and Ciramar exchanged glances, they were not sure that they felt any better.

The zombies had been wearing rotting clothing one carried an unburning lantern another a farmer's pick. They shambled along the road as if they were traveling to the temple.

The rest of the trip to Emei was uneventful. Lithindhoran scouted along the trail from the sky. They could see the village, and what
appeared to be people moving in the streets. The village sky line was dominated by a large fortified building along the river, at the center of town.

Lithindhoran had flown high above the village and then sketched a crude map. She told them that the road went through a cemetary and that there were two guards crouched behind markers and one "guarding" the entrance to the cemetary.

Ciramar again cursed his neglecting the school of illusion as they decieded that they dirrect approach was as good an any other.
The cenetary had been decimated. almost all the graves had been dug up many still containing the long burries skeletons of the villagers. Some graves were totally empty.

As they approached the cemetary. one of the hidden zombies gets up and runs toward the village as if he was scared or informing a supervisor of an attack. It moved much faster than they expected and disapears into the village.

After dealing with the 2 remaining guards they looked down the road and into the village. The zombies seemed to be going about their buisness. Zombies shambling along carrying packages and shopping at the market. Zombies seeming to have conversations. pulling carts. coaxing undead animals along the road.

It was creepy. an it was made worse when Kyodai said. "I've never seen anything like this before"

 

[DiFier]

The zombies ignored them, mostly when one of the temple guards strayed too close to one it flipped out and attacked him. The zombie was easily delt with and the other zombies ignored everything.

"I think that if we keep our distance, we can navigate the streets with out dealing with every zombie." observed Ciramar

"Lets just hope that they all don't suddenly notice us." added Arsindis.

"I think that there are too many here for us to deal with easily." Noted Kyodai

Arsindis paused for a moment. She concentrated and felt the evil around her. there was a strong presence of evil that eminated from the direction of the keep in the center of the village. "We should head for the keep. There is an evil aura coming from it."

"that would make the most sence. Someone evil enough and brazen enough to turn an entire village into zombies wouldn't hide. They would take the most important spot in the town."

The keep was a large complex with a multi tiered building next to the river the entire complex was walled with a high wall. The front doors each 10 foot wide were slightly ajar.

"I hope I can fit my horse through those doors with out opening them any further."

As she said it a group of fast moving, masked zombies turned the corner and charged at them.
___________________________________

Edit: some how the second half of the update got deleted. I'm not sure what happended to it. I'm gonna have to retype it, but not right now

 

[DiFier]

The street was narrow and the zombies were in perfect formation the zombies in the front weilded long swords and the ones in the second row had spears with long sword like blades. they crahsed into the group with an uncaring freocity. But they stood. Arsindis and kyodai struck back and the groups began trading blows. It wasn't until Ciramar summoned two celestial dogs which attacked the zombies from behind that the tide turned. The sudden attack from behind gave Arsindis the chance she was waiting for. she raised her holy symbol and The remaining zombies ran pursued by the dogs.

They quickly advanced to the doors of the keep and opened them. Arsindis and kyodai saw a woman, a living woman, walking toward them. no one else seemed to notice her. She slid along the narrow passage way. She wore a red and black kimono and carried a fan. She had a black mask covering her nose and mouth. but her eyes were alive. She approached Arsindis a look of pleading in here eyes. She opened the fan and jabbed the sharpened ends into arsindis' armor the fan bounced off harmlessly off of arsindis' platemail. The woman looked surprised as she staggered back slashed by arsindis' sword and her horse's hooves. She turned and ran, blood pouring from mulitipule wounds.

Arsindis reached up and flipped onto her horse as she began galloping towards the woman. they cuaght up quickly strinking the woman a number of times. Before they turned the corner of the narrow open passageway Ciramar yelled to Arsindis to command the rope of the horse to entangle the woman. he then cast a spell on the rope. The woman was trying to pull a potion from her robe and struggling to pop off the stopper. but Arsindis was right behind her she commanded the rope to entangle the woman and it did so as the horse stopped before slambing into the dead end wall the woman jumping for the top of the wall but instead being entangled and slambiung to the ground.
____________________________________________________

"She is a memeber of the scorpian clan." said Kyodai "I doubt that we will get any information from her."

The woman sat on the ground un moving showing no emotions. ignoring the treats and promises they used to tery to get her to talk.

"We will take her to the temple" sais Ciramar. "We will be able to get information out of her there."

They left the village with out incident and headed back toward the temple.

 

[DiFier]

Arsindis continued to lecture the woman. Ciramar enveied her blank stare, perhaps she didn't understand them. Ciramar Wished he didn't have to hear the lecture. He checked on her bounds again. She had almost Worked her self free. Ciramar tightened them down again and wispered to the woman "On no, if I have to listen to this so do you." He called over Kyodai to check on the knots he had tied just in case and then continued walking he began thinking about their mode of transportation here. The fog had been odd but not magical. It had either caused their travel or masked it. He had asked the spirit trapped in his staff if it had know anything about this but it had not. He hoped the temple would have something useful.

Arsindis had stopped. Ciramar looked around he recognized the location from when they had been traveling to the village this morning. It was where they had seen the remains of zombies. Ciramar was about to say something, when Kyodai put his finger to his lips and pointed into the forrest. Ciramar saw only trees.

Out of the corner of her eye Arsindis had seen something, something glowing. Out in the forrest. As she stopped she saw Kyodai drop into a crouching position. She could barely make out a figure of a man. He was half hidden behind some trees standing just back a ways in the forest. In his left hand he held a glowing axe.

"Hello?" Arsindis walked to the edge of the road, "did you kill these zombies?"

Nothing for a second and then "yes."

"Were there any other zombies traveling along this road?"

"No"

"Why did you Destroy these zombies"

"the residents of these parts needed my protection from them. "

"We are traveling from the temple beyond. We will be returning to the village tommorow to destroy the zombies there, would you like to acompny us tommorow?"

"No"

"You don't want to help us?"

"what goes on in the village and the temple is not my consern."

Arsindis moved partialy into the forrest she got a better look at the creature. Dark skin and horns it wore a blue robe and a rice hat. The trees were still blocking the right side of the creature. Or . . No. The creature didn't have a right side. It was split straight down the middle the rightside wasn't there, yet it stood as if supported by the missing leg. She looked down at Kyodai and then turned to Ciramar who was still squinting into the dense folliage. when she turned back it was gone.

"What was that?"

Kyodai shrugged, "guardian spirit? I guess."

After they described the spirit to Ciramar he asked the spirit in his staff what it was.

"It was a Doc cu'o'c, a territorial guardian spirit that protects a piece of property and cares not for any area around it. They are extermely dangerous if they view you as a threat."

They continued toward the temple. discussing the Doc cu'o'c and wishing that they could give the scorpian woman to it.
___________________________________

As they aproached the the fire gate of the temple of the the elements they noticed something was wrong. The guards were not at their posts. They ran to the gate. The guards bodies lay strune about each looked as though they hadn't known their attackers were there.

At the Air gate the guards were also slaughtered one clutched a horn. At the Water gate one of the stone dog statues was shattered 30 feet from it's base. the earth gate was similar. They hurried Toward the gatehouse.

At The gatehouse there was signs of a struggle. A body they didn't recognize. Three men apperanetlly some kind of fighters. They wore simple peasants outfits but with armored leather vests. They had been shot with arrows.

The gates to the temple were open. they found a 4th dead attacker in the gatehouse.

"We should cut off their heads just in case", said Ciramar. Kyodai's sword flashed in the light of the setting sun and he chopped off the one's head.

Green puss poured out of the neck. one of the Sohei threw up. Ciramar covered his nose and with out touching the puss inspected it. He thought for sure that he saw finger tips inside the neck of the fallen . . . thing.