Day Nine. Early morning. Monday, October 24th, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, foggy
Glistening green death rises from these forsaken marshes, come to kill the heroes of Briarsgate.
"There are too many of them. We should fall back before they flank us," Hoom counsels as calmly as he can manage.
Pip retreats to Urdur's side as he feels the living ooze eating through his shirt! An eerie, wet chill touches his flesh!
Wanting to burn it off Pip, Urdur opens his waterlogged pack and finds his torches soaking wet.
"Gods damn it," says Mouser as he pulls a torch from his pack and gets it alight. He holds it between Hoom, Urdur and Pip, staring with alarm at the horrendous translucent mire wriggling upon Pip's chest. "One of you do it!"
Ten feet away, Grothnak unflinchingly fires two more arrows. They sink to the feathers into a rotten chest, both impaling an unbeating heart. (Z4) But the dire corpse doesn't stop.
Long Bo weaves another incantation, bringing the power of nature to bear against the unnatural. Moments later, four wretched carrion are ensnared by the druid's living prison of writhing, grasping flora! (S7, S8, Z7, Z8) They join the ghoulish chorus of dead men whose screams echo across the silent bog.
Telkis mercifully shatters the horrific remains of Avril's dead father with a fell handed morningstar strike. (S1)
"Thank you, Telkis... For doing what I could not." Avril says. She reaches for her father's ring but hesitates. She dares not touch the crawling green that coats the lifeless bones of her beloved parent, even as they are swallowed up by the dark swamp water. Avril grabs her hand to stop it from probing those black depths.
The slime finds purchase upon the end of Cranach, and Telkis looks for higher ground. 15 feet behind him, a tree rises from the water. 45 feet to the southeast, a fallen log. (see map)
Ingrid's iron mace misses a noxious living skeleton (S2) and her right foot gets stuck in the thick slimy mud beneath the icy water. (Fumble: Take no movement next round)
Brevos' green tainted blade whistles between the broken ribs of a grisly carcass as the ranger retreats another 15 feet.
Noble Pelias tries to drive back the vile hellions with the holy might of Heironeous and finds to his horror he has no power over them in this place of absolute evil!
Suddenly the emerald infestation of hateful undead turns as one and glares with bottomless malice at Ingrid Esthof.
And then they lunge for her.
A pair of ghastly green cadavers (S4, S6) lacerate and bludgeon Brevos who blocks their path to Ingrid, grievously wounding him! (-10hp)
Two more heinous revenants fighting to reach Ingrid (S9, Z9), try to claw their way through Grothnak. One draws blood from the half-orc's side (-5hp), transferring some of the unnerving viridian slime onto Grothnak's armor!
Another verdant dead man (S2) labors to carve a path through Pelias to Ingrid's flank but the paladin's shield turns back those murderous talons.
A trio of revolting slimy carcasses breaks through and reaches Ingrid (S10, Z4, Z10) but none can breach her defenses nor lay a grasping dead hand upon her pale throat.
Actions?!
Map:
Each square = 10 feet. White = PCs. Red = Monsters. Green E = Entangled. Black X = Dead.
Rolls and Rulings (non-required reading):
PC Status:
- Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 9/10, Spells: 4/4 1st lvl
Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 7/27
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC 5, HP 15/15, Spells: 1/1 1st lvl
Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 21/28
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 11/16, Spells: 3/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
Hoom Feethos, Elven Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC 3, HP 10/12, Spells: 1/1 1st lvl
Long Bo, Human Druid 3: Move: 9", AC: 6, HP: 17/22, Spells: 3/5 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 1/1 3rd lvl
Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 3: Move: 9", AC: 2(0), HP: 28/30, Laying Hands: 1/1
Pip, Human Monk 2: Move: 16", AC: 9, HP: 10/12
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 21/28
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 2: Move: 12", AC 6, HP 6/6, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
- Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.
Entangle (Bo) x2: Duration: 9 rounds and 8 rounds