Chapter 18: A Fate Worse Than Death

[rredmond]

Rudolph grimaces, wipes off the blood, as best as he can, with the snow. He bundles what clothes he can around him to stave off the cold, and quietly, without smile or quip, follows the crew hopefully to their items and safety.

Can Rudolph help with the tracking, being a hobbit and all - if so, he will.

Constitution 14 = 1 HP plus chance at second HP [1d100] = 98

[AleBelly]

Mondegreen searches about frantically, saying not a word to anyone else.

"We must get back to where we were" he cries frantically...

Extra HP? 1-5 yes [1d10] = 3

[Inferno]

The Haunted Wood of the Dark Mountains, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Three. Morning. Monday, November 14th, 576 CY
Cold, foggy, cloudy







The lost heroes awaken from one nightmare and find themselves in another, far more horrific.

From their mouths, they spit blood that is not their own. Mouser is in shock, utterly lost and confused. "We must get back to where we were," cries Mondegreen frantically.

Ingrid, Pyotr and Urdur weep in shame and use bitterly cold snow to wash away the grisly crimson from their hands and mouths. But the stain of guilt cannot be erased. Ingrid sobs, "We should return to the Ashblood Colony and make sure that they are safe! ...Make sure that we haven't..."

Long Bo the druid goes quiet. He wonders whether his god has forsaken him, or if He yet will. Gruesomely, he cannot identify the source of the small bits of bloody flesh between his teeth. And he finds no animal life in sight; the heroes' bestial selves must have frightened it off. Then his thoughts turn blacker still.

Hothhil valiantly tries to salvage some glimmer of hope. "We are cursed, but only at the full moon. We can still do good when in these bodies. Let's fetch what is left of our things and be on our way. We can discuss strategies to keep ourselves in check as we walk."

In despair, Brevos tries to follow the inhuman, wolflike tracks they themselves had made last night, in the hopes of finding some way back to the unholy black altar in the haunted wood, and their lost possessions. The forlorn ranger is certain he has found the trail.

In anguish, Telkis urgently follows Brevos, avoiding eye contact with the rest of his blood-smeared companions. Rudolf follows and then, so do the others.

As Pyotr searches for materials with which to build a fire, they trek through the eerily quiet forest in stunned silence, consumed by thoughts of darkness and woe.



Soon they are shivering uncontrollably. With each passing hour, they know time is running out. The sun will set and the moon will rise. The spectre of the coming transformation, an unspeakable transgression upon their very beings, weighs upon them, haunting them.

By late afternoon the tracks are gone, if ever they had found them. They realize with bleak, crushing certainty they are still hopelessly lost in the cursed wood of the dark mountains.



Then suddenly, through the endless trees and mist, the heroes notice a motionless figure ahead... standing, seemingly waiting for them.

They cautiously advance upon it and its shape comes clear. With grim resignation they see it for what it is:

Death, come for them at last.



For some, it is a welcome relief.

But it soon becomes apparent that this macabre form is merely a stone statue. The heroes spy tombstones nearby. They have found a cemetery, a large one that extends beyond the fog-smothered boundaries of their sight.




They pass through the graveyard...




....come out the other side, and find themselves atop a wooded bluff looking down upon a town.

It is afternoon, but the misty village, easily twice the size of Briarsgate, is strangely quiet. The cold, ragged, hungry heroes cannot see a soul.


Actions?!





PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 3: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 11/31
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 7/15, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Hothhil Thornbush, Elven Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 13/20
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 16/22, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl and 4/4 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 18/30, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl
  Mondegreen Cindereye, Human Magic-User 2: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 2/8, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Pyotr Whitetip, Half-Orc Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 9/30
  Rudolf Rassendyll, Halfling Thief 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 5/12
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 10/32
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 4/9, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl and 1/1 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

• None currently.

Player Resources:

• Tale of Terror (the story so far)
  A Dark and Terrible World (maps)

[ChubbyPixie]

“Let’s get into shelter, get warm and barricade ourselves inside - spike the doors - or by some other means that ...paws can not manipulate,” says Telkis urgently, trying not to think about his lost weapon, his most prized possession, much less his sense of self. He begins scanning for a stone structure, something that could hold them, as well as a blacksmith where they might find tools to seal themselves in...

[Rusty Tincanne]

Hothhil agrees. Yes. He wonders aloud if they have found ruins of Vicar's Head, the village they were told about by Reverend Ashblood.

[rredmond]

The usually jovial hobbit looks up more emotionally weary than physically, from his feet. He nods and Rudolph adds, "yes, let's go down and make ourselves safe from harming others. Otherwise the oncoming moon will make the decision for us."

[Rusty Tincanne]

As they pass through the cemetery, Hothhil takes note of the names, and dates, if there are any.

[Urson]

Pyotr

Pyotr has regained some composure as they traveled. He nods. Da. Ve go down undt make a safe cage.
With that, he begins picking a way downslope, not waiting for further agreement or discussion. As he goes, he looks glumly at his feet, wondering if he'll have any toes at all when this disaster ends.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser likes the idea of shelter - what choice do we have really? He doesn't participate much in the group conversation as he is really trying to remember what has happened. There are many gaps in his recent memory. Everything is..twisted...since the encounter at that unholy altar in the dark abyss. He breathes the crisp air gratefully....

[OGRE MAGE]

Finding no thick hair or animal hide in his mouth, Bo fears the worst. Could they have made it back to the village in wolf form to feed on the innocent? Were the villagers they met there truly innocent? Searching his mind, he finds only more questions with no answers.

He keeps his eyes peeled for any sign of the groups animals, particularly Sephus, searching the foliage for any sprigs or berries he can use for spell components as they travel.

He searches for animal signs around the area where they stop above the abandoned town. If he finds none, he reluctantly follows the others.

[wolfpack]

Brevos moves down ionto the village looking for signs of life

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur joins the others in the search for an appropriate prison for the cursed group. Along the way, he looks for signs of mice, rabbits, or similar creatures. If he sees any, he stops to talk with them.

[Inferno]

The horrific proceedings will not relent. They continue in... Chapter 19: Ghost Town