Chapter 19: Ghost Town

[ravenn4544]

Mouser shakes his head "Out of the frying pan and all...." He listens to what Urdur can find out from his friends.

[ChubbyPixie]

"Warm clothes aren't going to do us any good if we can't find a place to barricade ourselves. We'll just wake up tomorrow without them again," says Telkis urgently. He'll squint at the main building in the center and try to judge whether it is a stone structure they might be able to shore up and secure. If so he'll press on towards it and encourage the others to hurry.

As he passes, he'll eye the rats Urdur is talking to. They may be burrowing animals, but they strike his as an unwholesome sort...

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo gets in range of one of the carrion birds and tries to use his magic, hoping that he still can.

Casts: Speak With Animals

"What is happening here friends of the sky? Why are there no humans left in this place? You know this isn't normal. Tell me what you know of their demise and fill me in on anything you have seen from above that was strange around these parts. Have you seen where all the townsfolk have gone? Tell me everything you know and you will be rewarded."

[rredmond]

Rudolph keeps his eyes peeled for some sort of jail where they might be able to lock themselves in for the night. He will accept whatever the last of the clothes are, pretty certain they won’t fit but hopefully provide some warmth. Where would I be brought if some sheriff or another caught me, he focuses hard on trying to identify a likely area.

[Inferno]

Vicar's Head, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Three. Late Afternoon. Monday, November 14th, 576 CY
Cold, foggy, cloudy




In the forsaken streets of Vicar's Head, the desperate, dispossessed heroes find more notices, different than before. One of them is not defaced.




Inside the dark, abandoned house, the glaring absence of its missing family weighs upon Pyotr's mind, like ghosts that haunt these empty rooms.




His arms full of clothes and blankets, the half-orc leaves the vacated home. His shouts echo down the desolate roads of the empty village. Chattering blue lips give thanks as companions gratefully don his gifts, trying to restore feeling in their shivering fingers and toes.

Then they split up.





Urdur and Mouser move toward the ghastly feasting of rats.



Urdur says, "Greetings, my friends. What happened to this place? Are there any tall folk about?"

One grisly rat replies around a mouthful of human flesh, "Death hath come to this place. And for that we rejoice. Come! Feast with us, 'friend!'" it chuckles blackly. Then: "The Humans art no more. This village is ours now. And if I were thee, I'd watch my step, lest thee soon join thine kin."





Brevos, Hothhil and Ingrid move through broken glass and enter the shattered general mercantile.



The shoppe has been violently ransacked. Brevos finds a carving knife (treat as dagger) and a good hatchet (treat as hand axe.)
(Additionally, there is a 25% chance of there being any item from the PHB p. 36 under "Miscellaneous Equipment and Items." You may roll per item. Once a roll is missed, that item can't be rolled for again.)





Long Bo moves toward the crows that peck at the hanging corpse of a woman.



The grey druid prays for the Shalm to aid him in this place of darkness and misery, though he deserves it not.
Then he croaks and caws in the unsettling language of crows: "Why are there no humans left in this place?... Have you seen where all the townsfolk have gone?... Tell me everything you know and you will be rewarded."

One crow wrests the dead woman's eyeball from its socket and swallows the horrific prize in one gulp.



It says, "The Humans hath warred with themselves and then abandoned this place. Gone into the mountains.
"Strange things lurk here still. But they art not Men.
"Now, what shalt be mine reward?"





Telkis believes the tall building in the mist to be made of stone. He presses on towards it, encouraging the others to hurry. "Warm clothes aren't going to do us any good if we can't find a place to barricade ourselves."

Rudolf follows, liking the small tower for a prison.

The gnome and the hobbit race through the wet deserted streets of the empty hamlet. Some buildings have burned. Telkis doesn't see a blacksmith. And again, there is the unsettling feeling of being watched.

Eventually, they come into the square that the stone building faces onto. It is filled with the gruesome stench of death. Broken barricades and bodies slowly being eaten by crows and rats are scattered everywhere. The shocking ruins of what had once been a ferocious battlefield are now eerily still.



The tall stone building across the grim, frightful square is not a church. One of its doors stands open.



Actions?!



Map:

X = Telkis and Rudolf. All else lie scattered between them and the graveyard road.





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: 6, HP: 7/15, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Hothhil Thornbush, Elven Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 13/20
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 12", AC: 10(8), 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: 5/6 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: 6, HP: 4/9, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl and 1/1 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

• Speak With Animals (Long Bo): Duration: 7 rounds

Player Resources:

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

[rredmond]

Happy to break the silence of this place, and keenly aware that no good can come of a split up party, Rudolph calls out to the others: I think we’ve found a safe place to hole up!

[Urson]

Pyotr

Pyotr follows the people heading for the tower, keeping his eyes open for a usable club- or other weapon. He looks at the dead scattered in the square, trying to figure out how they died.
We'll see if it is a usable prison. I can only hope...

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur searches for some useful items, such as:

Find a torch? (25) [1d100] = 4
Find another torch? (25) [1d100] = 12
Find a third torch? (25) [1d100] = 82
Find a dagger? (25) [1d100] = 1
Find flask of oil? (25) [1d100] = 81
Find flint/tinder? (25) [1d100] = 66

The gnome then joins his companions in the tower.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo

The disheveled druid sighs once he spots the group scattering around the area. He tries to warn them.

”The animals are telling me that there is something here. Something.....un-human. I strongly suggest that we stay alert......AND STAY TOGETHER?”

He tries keeping tabs on the others as he finishes interrogating the engorged crow. He pulls out the only thing he has to offer, a small handful of berries.

“This is for you, though I doubt it’s as tasty as human eyeballs” The tall old man visibly shudders once again before continuing.

“We will not stop you, or harm you, but I would ask a bit more before we move along. What direction did the townspeople take into the mountains? Is there a discernible path to follow them? What of these other things? Can you see them? Are they here, near to us as we speak? Or do they inhabit certain places here? Do they only come out in the darkness?”

After another long pause, he finally comes out with it, knowing that most animals have “the sense”.

“There is something different about our group, yes? Can you tell what we.....are, friend?”

[ChubbyPixie]

"Careful, Rudolf," says Telkis. He approaches the doorway of the stone structure, looking it up and down, trying to judge, using his gnomish abilities, whether it will be a suitable place to barricade themselves. He peers inside and listens for movement. He wonders what purpose this place might have served when this place was still alive.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser searches the rubble around the area for items that could possibly be useful - and comes up empty....

Leather Armor [1d100] = 67
Dagger [1d100] = 88
Short Sword [1d100] = 47
padded armor [1d100] = 61
Sling [1d100] = 52
Spear [1d100] = 61

[wolfpack]

Brevos will join the others in the center of town

we must find a place to lock ourselves in

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

The cleric sorts through the rubble, actually finding a number of useful items. She begins gathering them up just before she hears Bo's warning. Do they know what this threat is, Bo? Can anyone come help me- I've found a good bit of equipment, then we should all regroup.

Holy Symbol: [1d100] = 68
Rope: [1d100] = 24
More Rope: [1d100] = 65
Thieves' tools: [1d100] = 9
Backpack: [1d100] = 78
Lantern (Bullseye): [1d100] = 90
Lantern (Hooded): [1d100] = 13
Lantern (Hooded, the sequel): [1d100] = 44
Waterskin: [1d100] = 9
Waterskin 2: [1d100] = 8
Waterskin 3: [1d100] = 14
Waterskin 4: [1d100] = 41
Sack, large: [1d100] = 16
Sack, large 2: [1d100] = 49
Sack, small: [1d100] = 95
Belt Pouch, Large: [1d100] = 10
Belt Pouch, Large 2: [1d100] = 71
Belt Pouch, small: [1d100] = 26
Mirror, silver: [1d100] = 17
Mirror, silver 2: [1d100] = 78
Mirror, metal: [1d100] = 79
Candle, wax: [1d100] = 22
Candle, wax 2: [1d100] = 48
Candle, tallow: [1d100] = 16
Candle, tallow 2: [1d100] = 88
Map case, bone: [1d100] = 26
Map case, leather: [1d100] = 49
Wooden chest, large: [1d100] = 51
Wooden chest, small: [1d100] = 41
Iron box, large: [1d100] = 90
Iron box, small: [1d100] = 41
Pole, 10': [1d100] = 62
Quiver, 1 dozen arrow cap.: [1d100] = 35
Quiver, 1 score arrow cap.: [1d100] = 30
Quiver, 1 score bolts cap.: [1d100] = 22
Quiver, 1 score bolts cap 2.: [1d100] = 19
Quiver, 1 score bolts cap 3.: [1d100] = 9
Quiver, 1 score bolts cap 4.: [1d100] = 66
Quiver, 2 score bolts cap.: [1d100] = 82
Iron spike: [1d100] = 100
I rolled for everything that nobody else had rolled for on the Miscellaneous Equipment & Items list, so it looks like we've found all we are going to.

[Rusty Tincanne]

(Additionally, there is a 25% chance of there being any item from the PHB p. 36 under "Miscellaneous Equipment and Items." You may roll per item. Once a roll is missed, that item can't be rolled for again.)

Thanks Scott. But I thought it was just the Miscellaneous Equipment and Item list. If all the rolls are fine, great. Hothhil will gladly take some of that stuff. Otherwise, not.

Hothhil asks if anyone minds him grabbing the carving knife or hatchet. As other items are located, he straps on a quiver and uses it as a makeshift backpack. He places the tallow candle in it, along with a water skin. Then he picks up the rope and slings it across his body.

Hothhil places the thieves tools in the large pouch. Someone in our group knows how to use these, right? He eyes the sky outside. Let's go find the others. Quickly.

[Inferno]

Vicar's Head, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Three. Late Afternoon. Monday, November 14th, 576 CY
Cold, foggy, cloudy






The grisly crow rejects the druid's offer of berries, having developed an appetite for far more gruesome fare. He leaves the perch of the eyeless woman's corpse and alights on the ground near Bo, ripping flesh from another half-frozen corpse, and answering more questions.

"The Humans hath gone into yon mountains," the ebon avian repeats, indicating the graveyard road with a crimson beak. The heroes know that road continues beyond the cemetery. Perhaps it is the mountain pass that the Reverend Gideon Ashblood had told them about.
"The Things That Are Not Men cometh in the night... and the day. I see none now.
"Aye, there is something different about thy group. Thou art lost. And shalt soon be dead. For none who enter here leaves alive."

Seeing the druid has nothing to willingly offer, the black bird takes flight. Bo turns and finds that most of his companions have as well.

The heroes recover all they can from the shattered mercantile. Then, with the shadows of the day grown long, they race through the cold, empty streets of the forlorn town, harkening to the echoing calls of Rudolf the hobbit.

They pass burned homes, a desecrated church, and another dead woman hanging over a desolate street, But nothing prepares them for the sight of the horrific square beneath the stone tower. It is akin to the ruins of a battlefield.



Here, the wind, the cold, the snow and the rain cannot suppress the fell carrion stench of human cadavers, attracting a horde of crawling vermin and scavenging birds. The crows and rats look up from their ghastly repast at the unexpected arrival of the heroes. Telkis and Urdur hear some of the rodents chuckle blackly.

Although ravenous animals and the merciless elements have wrought havoc upon the corpses, Pyotr the warrior can find the telling marks of battle wounds. It appears to have been a blood-soaked siege on the tower, perhaps against the masters of this hamlet. The barricades around the tower are broken and beyond them lie more savaged cadavers piled high amidst a few fallen banners. There are helms, shields, clubs, spears and short swords for the taking.

Telkis creeps to the gaping black maw of the tower's open door. The gnome warrior hears no sound emanating from the pitch shadows within.



And through the grey mist, the wan sun begins to set.


Actions?!



Map:

X = the heroes.





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: 6, HP: 7/15, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Hothhil Thornbush, Elven Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 13/20
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 12", AC: 10(8), 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: 5/6 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: 6, 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)

[Urson]

Pyotr

Pyotr walks among the dead, shaking his head. Muttering Orcish phrases of respect for the dead, he collects a serviceable short sword, spear, and shield.

Armed, he joins Telkis at the tower door, but doesn't enter.

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

The cleric dons a helm and shield, then picks up a club, testing its weight in her hand.

[ChubbyPixie]

“We’ve got to get in here and shut ourselves in. I believe it’s strong enough to hold us if we can barricade the doors somehow. Ingrid, did you find a hammer? Any spikes? No...?” says Telkis, beginning to get flustered. He runs out into the street and grabs a club and shield, as well as as many short swords as he can manage. “Maybe we can jam these in the doorframes somehow, hurry!” he says as he runs back to the opening.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser doesn't like the idea of being shut in. "I don't really like the idea of being shut in like this..."

[wolfpack]

Brevos will grab a long sword and shield if he sees one. then sets about helping telkis prepare to lock them in.

I don;t like it either mouser, but I like the idea of slaughtering innocent people as a wolf even less.