Chapter 20: Hungry Are The Dead

[rredmond]

Rudolph sneaks out of his cell to get the two daggers he threw and to see if there is any missile weapons in the cell directly across from him. He keeps an eye out for any Z’s that might come back for him. If so he gets back into the cell he just left and locks himself back in. He tries to be quiet but he’s more worried about speed in getting those daggers back - they are a priority. If he causes a distraction for the Z’s again that’s okay - part of the plan.

If he isn’t noticed then he will check the other cell for more stones to throw.

[Inferno]

Vicar's Head, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Four. Midday. Tuesday, November 15th, 576 CY
Cold, foggy, cloudy







In the fog-choked lanes of Vicar's Head, valiant Telkis stands over Urdur, defending his fallen friend against the horrific once-human monster that Telkis knows he himself has become!

In the wild, frightful maelstrom of sword and claw, of fury and savagery, neither foe kills the other, yet!


Actions?! (for the next two rounds please)


Map:








In the dank dungeon beneath the stone tower, Rudolf carefully unlocks his cell with its heavy iron key. As he opens the cell door, the sudden creak of its hinges seems deafening!

The hobbit rogue bursts out from his place of safety and collects his two daggers from the stone floor, all while watching to the south. Suddenly, one macabre horror lurches into view (Z1)! Rudolf bolts back into his cage and slams the door shut with an iron clang as the ghastly thing lumbers closer!

Meanwhile, out of Rudolf's sight, Ingrid is overcome by a legion of the damned.



Her urgent pleas to Trithereon are answered and Hothhil awakens from a dream into this unspeakable nightmare (+8hp). The elven warrior claws the cold stone floor for his sword, drawing the attention of the heinous, abhorrent cadavers that loom over him.

Without mercy, Hothhil and Ingrid are beaten insensate! (9hp and 7hp damage respectively) The heroes fall beneath the host of vile unliving atrocities, overtaken by a darkness absolute.



In the distance, Rudolf can hear the last of his friends' piteous cries fall silent! And then what follows chills his soul. The intolerable, bloodcurdling sounds of the dead feasting upon the living!


Actions?! (for the next ten minutes please)


Map:








Outside of Vicar's Head. Brevos and Mouser plunge through the haunted wood, shouting to summon the hordes of Hell down upon them!

Brevos finds no cliffs in the low foundations of the mountains. The ranger quickly ceases his caterwauling and suddenly races onward, trying to elude the tireless, dead men that stalk them through fog and distance! Mouser follows, literally betting his life that the grim frontiersman knows what he's doing.

The burst of speed soon strickens them, and both men have to stop and rest a while; lungs on fire, hearts pounding to burst inside their chests.

They see no shambling horror lurch out of the grey fog that surrounds them. Yet.


Actions?! (for the next ten minutes please)





Far behind them, dead men determinedly pull themselves up a thick tree in order to reach Long Bo and strangle him to death!




The druid braces himself on several stout branches and cries out for the god of Nature to aid him in this, his darkest hour of need.

Suddenly, beneath him, the tree itself answers, writhing to life!



Branches and boughs grasp like gigantic monstrous hands and hold the three dead men tight, halting their frightful, murderous ascension.

The grey druid knows this spell won't hold them for long! And the fourth unliving terror still stands below at the tree's roots, peering upward.


Actions?! (for the next four minutes please)


Map:

1= Hothhil, Ingrid, Mondegreen, Pyotr, Rudolf in the dungeons. 2 = Bo in the woods. 3 = Telkis and Urdur near the desecrated church. ? = A pack of deathless pursuers. Brevos, Mouser and another pack of deathless pursuers are off the map, in the woods to the northeast.


Non-required reading (rolls and rulings):

Initiative: Party: [1d6] = 1, Monsters: [1d6] = 2 Monsters win, except zombies which strike last in a round.
Werewolf attacks Telkis: [1d20] = 4, damage: [2d4] = 2 Misses!
Rudolf: Move Silently (49%): [1d100] = 94 Fails, but not quite a critical failure. So...
Z1, Z2 hear Rudolf? (1): [1d6] = 1, [1d6] = 2 Z1 hears Rudolf.
Z5, Z12 attack Ingrid: [1d20] = 13, [1d20] = 10, damage: [1d8] = 2, [1d8] = 5 Both hit. 7hp damage.
Z6, Z7 attack prone Hothhil: [1d20+4] = 18+4 = 22, [1d20+4] = 15+4 = 19, damage: [1d8] = 7, [1d8] = 2 Both hit 9hp damage.
Zombies save vs Bo's spell: [1d20] = 11, [1d20] = 8, [1d20] = 8 All fail.

PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 3: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 13/31
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 8/15, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Hothhil Thornbush, Elven Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: -3/20
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 12", AC: 9(7), HP: -2/22, Spells: 0/5 1st lvl and 4/4 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 19/30, Spells: 4/6 1st lvl, 2/3 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl
  Mondegreen Cindereye, Human Magic-User 2: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: -5/8, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl
  Pyotr Whitetip, Half-Orc Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 8, HP: -7/30
  Rudolf Rassendyll, Halfling Thief 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 1/12
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 6/32
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 0/9, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl and 1/1 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

• Entangle (Long Bo): Duration: 4 minutes.

Player Resources:

• Tale of Terror (the story so far)
  A Dark and Terrible World (maps)
  Blasphemous Iconography (the story so far in images)
  Desperate Struggles (clues and player notes)

[wolfpack]

Brevos whispers to mouser.

We have outpaced them but they will not ever stop to rest. We have to move on quietly their walking pace should not outdistance ours, we travel for the next 10 minutes then we will turn east.

[rredmond]

Holding back his retching at the sounds of teeth on flesh, Rudolph knows he has to keep it together if he and any of his party is going to get out of this. For the next 10 minutes he starts yelling, hoping to draw attention away from his friends. His only thought is to call for help from the hobbit god of death: Urogalan help us! he will yell over and over until he gets a group of undead near him. Then he will throw his daggers again, switching up his yelling chant: Urogalan wants you at rest!! directed toward the undead-like creatures.

Never having been much of a praying hobbit, he doesn't expect much except the attention of a horde of flesh eating creatures. Also even if only Z1 comes over, he'll be disappointed but unleash the points of his daggers at only one or two creatures, if he can't get a bunch.

rolls now?

[ravenn4544]

Mouser, exhausted from the chase, nods silently and braces himself to continue...

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

Mercifully beyond feeling or comprehension of what is happening to her body, the cleric slips into the sweet embrace of Tritherion as the walking dead feast upon her flesh. Suddenly, she is floating above her body, an immeasurably bright light appearing in the darkness in front of her! Tritherion? Is...is that...you? I had so much more to accomplish in my mortal life, but if that time has run out, then I am ready to move on. She reaches toward the light...

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur continues to lie unconscious.

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis continues fighting - it's all he knows to do - but it's hopeless. This new weapon with which he is unpracticed against a foe such as this? He flails:
Short Sword (THAC0 20): To Hit:[1d20] = 3, Damage: vs s/m [1d6] = 2, vs L [1d8] = 8
Short Sword (THAC0 20): To Hit:[1d20] = 5, Damage: vs s/m [1d6] = 2, vs L [1d8] = 2
Maybe death will release he and Urdur of this curse once and for all.

[rredmond]

Rudolph’s dagger attacks:
Thrown dagger and a prayer: [1d20+3] = 12+3 = 15 Dam: [1d4] = 1
Thrown dagger and another prayer: [1d20+3] = 12+3 = 15 Dam: [1d4] = 1
Thats bizarre and kind of interesting. Don’t think I broke the roller but would understand if you want me to re-roll that second roll.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Hothhil's moments of consciousness were but a dream. Soon he is back at the river. This time he decides to follow it upstream.

[OGRE MAGE]

I thought Entangle lasted one full Turn. Wouldn't that be 10 minutes?

Long Bo starts to wonder why he thought climbing a tree to escape from zombies was such a good idea.

He attempts to poke at the closest zombie with his spear.

Spear Attack [1d20] = 7 Damage [1d6] = 2

He repositions himself slightly and continues thrusting downward, hoping his spell remains intact.

Spear Attack [1d20] = 19 Damage [1d6] = 6

Spear Attack [1d20] = 13 Damage [1d6] = 3

Spear Attack [1d20] = 4 Damage [1d6] = 1

The druid eyes up the closest tree to his position, ready to make a jump for it if his attempt to kill the closest monster doesn't work.

[Inferno]

Vicar's Head, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Four. Afternoon. Tuesday, November 15th, 576 CY
Cold, foggy, cloudy




In the streets of Vicar's Head, merciless claws and fangs clash with steel.



Brave Telkis is defiant in the face of certain death, courageously fighting for Urdur's life as well as his own. But his sword hilt is slippery with his own blood and the dwarf-like gnome cannot strike true.

The wild feral horror barks and slashes and bites with terrifying ferocity, but Telkis's chainmail and shield defend him from the horrific likeness of what he too has become!

The brutal battle of attrition rages on!


Actions?! (for the next three rounds please!)


Map:








In the grim dungeon, behind locked bars, the sound of the loathsome dead feasting upon his friends sets Rudolf to shouting like a madman! A wretched host of putrid walking cadavers answer his cries.

Rudolf hurls both his daggers into one of them, grazing an eye and gashing a throat, but the ghastly atrocity does not fall!

The grotesque horrors pound against the bars with fearsome strength, trying to murder the last living soul in the dungeon of Vicar's Head! Then, with a sickening groan of iron, Rudolf watches in terror as the bars give way before the onslaught of the undead!




Actions?!


Map:









With dead moss clinging to the north sides of icy trees as his guide, Brevos leads Mouser north and east through the dense fog of the thick, haunted wood.

They know they are hunted by the living dead, but detect no sign of their would-be killers yet.


Actions?! (What is your destination? And Brevos, please roll 1d100. Thanks)








Clinging to his perch in the bare branches, teeth clenched, Bo repeatedly stabs his long spear downward in grim determination!




After the long, hard minutes of the merciless, grisly attack, the ensnared noxious corpse finally stops shrieking.

Then the grey druid's magic fades away and the branches holding the impaled carrion release him, sending him plummeting to earth in a wet crunch of snapping bones and spattering blood. The other two heinous undead are also freed and continue their relentless climb up the tree trunk, working to get their hands around Long Bo's throat to throttle the life from him!


Actions?!


Map:

1= Hothhil, Ingrid, Mondegreen, Pyotr, Rudolf in the dungeons. 2 = Bo in the woods. 3 = Telkis and Urdur near the desecrated church. ? = A pack of deathless pursuers. Brevos, Mouser and another pack of deathless pursuers are off the map, in the woods to the northeast.


Non-required reading (rolls and rulings):

Initiative: Party: [1d6] = 6, Monsters: [1d6] = 2. Next Initiative: Party: [1d6] = 3, Monsters: [1d6] = 2. Party wins the next two rounds.
Werewolf attacks Telkis: [1d20] = 4, damage: [2d4] = 3 Misses.
Werewolf attacks Telkis: [1d20] = 4, damage: [2d4] = 2 Misses.
Initiative for next, next round: Party: [1d6] = 3, Monsters: [1d6] = 4 Monsters win, except zombies who always strike last in a round.
Werewolf attacks Telkis: [1d20] = 13, damage: [2d4] = 4 Misses.
Iron bars Save vs three normal blows (2): [1d20] = 5, [1d20] = 2, [1d20] = 2 Two zombies break through!
Does falling zombie hit the zombie standing at base of tree? (20%): [1d100] = 45 No.

PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 3: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 13/31
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 8/15, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Hothhil Thornbush, Elven Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: -4/20
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 12", AC: 9(7), HP: -3/22, Spells: 0/5 1st lvl and 4/4 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 19/30, Spells: 4/6 1st lvl, 2/3 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl
  Mondegreen Cindereye, Human Magic-User 2: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: -6/8, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl
  Pyotr Whitetip, Half-Orc Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 8, HP: -8/30
  Rudolf Rassendyll, Halfling Thief 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 1/12
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 6/32
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 0/9, 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)
  Blasphemous Iconography (the story so far in images)
  Desperate Struggles (clues and player notes)

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis sets his jaw and keeps fighting. He’ll gut this insane priest-wolf if it’s the last thing he does. He tries not to trample on Urdur as he fights, but is absently aware that it probably makes little difference now...
Short Sword (THAC0 20): To Hit:[1d20] = 18, Damage: vs s/m [1d6] = 3, vs L [1d8] = 7
Short Sword (THAC0 20): To Hit:[1d20] = 2, Damage: vs s/m [1d6] = 3, vs L [1d8] = 6
Short Sword (THAC0 20): To Hit:[1d20] = 20, Damage: vs s/m [1d6] = 6, vs L [1d8] = 1 !!!

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur lies on the ground, as quiet and unmoving as a corpse.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Hothhil lies broken and bent across the short flight of stone stairs.

[OGRE MAGE]

Long Bo sees that it will take more luck than brains to get out of this situation.

Instead of wasting all of his magic and components on lifeless automaton's, he decides to make a run for it. As the monsters below him start to climb again, he makes a foolishly brave jump for the closest nearby tree, hoping he doesn't fall and cripple himself, only to be eaten by the zombies anyway.

Dex Check (15) [1d20] = 14

Once in the next tree, he starts to climb back down towards the ground again.

If the zombies also somehow make a successful leap to his new tree behind him, he quickly falls on his own spear.

[rredmond]

Rudolph takes a quick deep breath and charges the opening cell door. His hope is to slam it closed as he thrusts his sword through the bars to spear whatever Z is in the way.
Last ditch charge with sword TH [1d20] = 6 DAM [1d6] = 2
Hopes die, as quickly as 1HP hobbits...

[wolfpack]

Believing they have outdistanced the dead and that they will not track what they can;t see or hear Brevos continues the next 10 minutes east before turning back south to come around to the other side of the village from where they exited.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser continues to follow.. seeing Brevos start to veer back to town he cautions in a whisper, "Ho there a second -- i don't think heading back to town is the greatest of ideas.... we finally evaded these ones, why attract more? We're too tired to out run any more.."

[Urson]

Pyotr
Slumped on the floor, deep in coma, Pyotr hears his mother singing- a surprisingly gentle- sounding Orcish lullaby, barely remembered from hius childhood.

As much to show that I haven't bailed on this game as anything else.