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Ingrid backpedals, hoping to find her voice again in the mystical silence. All the while, she holds aloft her triskelion holy symbol and recites the blessings to banish the wicked undead.

Pelias will fight to get to the front of the scrum, swinging his sword of justice. In the silence, any words he proclaims are his alone to know.

Attack with long sword (THAC0 19) [1d20] = 12, damage [1d8] = 4

Telkis yells at the top of his lungs ("...") and wades in, trying to position himself between the skeletons and the less sturdily built of the party. He's happy to finally have someone to fight about whom he feels no compunction smashing to bits. He is, perhaps, too excited at the prospect, and manages to connect with none of the many potential targets...

Ingrid considers backpedaling outside the mystical silence so that she can banish the undead.

She quickly realizes this is futile and wades into the fray holding her triskelion holy symbol aloft in one hand and brandishing her mace in the other. She lashes out at the nearest abomination.

The Church of Merikka (21)
Village of Briarsgate, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Seven. Night. Saturday, October 22nd, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, misty







In the strange, otherworldly absence of sound, an unholy legion of the living dead surge forward in a merciless wave of destruction with the single purpose of murdering the heroes that their skeletal remains will join the damned, forsaken ranks of Briarsgate.

In that horrific onslaught, Moogeye and Pelias are quickly wounded by grisly, dead hands that strangle, claw and slash. (-6hp, -5hp respectively)

Beyond the dead men, Misha Devi, once a selfless servant of Briarsgate and of blessed Merikka, utters blasphemies unheard, a forbidden entreaty to the evil, higher powers of Hell and beyond.



The air seems charged, arm hairs stand on end as if before a strike of lightning. The energy builds and breaks as a stone suddenly strikes her ribs; a well placed shot loosed by the Grey Mouser that disrupts her concentration and the black spell she was weaving.

Long Bo retreats and finds his voice beyond the edge of the sonic abyss. He yells and waves at the backs of his deafened allies, trying in vain to tell them. The druid hurls an oil flask but the distance to the doorway, and its low height, prevents him from getting the correct trajectory to sail it over his allies. The flask hits the stone wall over the doorframe and explodes, raining shattered glass and oil down upon Avril, Ingrid, Mouser and Telkis, soaking them in the flammable liquid! This gets their attention.

Avril moves to Bo at his urgent request, and after his words of caution and counsel, the half-elf angel of mercy says, “You dear, sweet, man. Thank you.” Then she draws steel and enters the fray against the macabre things of nightmare.

Telkis instinctively drives his enchanted bludgeon deep into the gut of his enemy before remembering his enemy has no gut.

Pelias’ blade, in a whirl of steel, shears right through a hideous limb whose hand was strangling his throat! Its owner (S5) keeps coming!

Grothnak swings his polearm on a horizontal trajectory and the fearsome blade passes clean between two broken ribs of a marauding horror. Had his target been a man, Vadok would have eviscerated him.

Neither Avril, Ingrid nor Moogeye can land a blow against the frenzied maelstrom of bones and malice.

The tolling church bell is gone from their ears but can still be felt in slow, rhythmic vibrations deep in the floor.


Actions?


Map: One square = 10 feet.


Rolls and Rulings (non-required reading):



PC Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 10/10, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/2: AC 5, HP 10/10, Spells: 1/1 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 25/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 15/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 1/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 14/22, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 1/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 5/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 10/19, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 23/28

PC Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.

PC Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

Grothnak smashes a skeleton with the flat of his halberd.

Vadok (Halberd +1) (THAC0 18): [1d20+2] = 17+2 = 19, Dmg [1d10+4] = 7+4 = 11 (S/M) [2d6+4] = 5+4 = 9 (L)

Moogeye keeps herself anchored on her flank, fighting the foe in front of her. She keeps herself close by Telkis so that they can continue to push through the enemy line without causing a gap in their own.
EDIT:

Long Bo slaps his forehead in embarrassment after dousing his friends with oil. He decides against his original plan of producing a handful of flame to toss at the black witch.

He instead begins waving his arms and hands again, this time chanting magicks of a summoning nature. He conjures a swarm of flying insects to form inside of the room. Once the spell is complete, he takes a step forward, towering over the Grey Mouser in front of him. He points his long, boney finger at the evil cleric, directing his insects as to who they should be attacking.

Casts Summon Insects

I'm assuming that Bo could still hear the bell ringing?

Ingrid Esthof:

Seeing the others form a wedge, Ingrid takes her place within the ranks and smashes the nearest boned nightmare with her mace.

Pelias, angry he was hit, and angry that his blow did not crumple his foe, swings much harder. And much wilder.

Telkis, stops thinking and does his thing, the sequence coming automatically - swing, duck, jab advance.... Not since the goblin tunnel incident had he employed the wedge tactic with his teammates to bludgeon his way through his foes, and it felt good. Except for the part where Glaurin got his head stove in. Still, a good time.

The Church of Merikka (21)
Village of Briarsgate, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Seven. Night. Saturday, October 22nd, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, misty





BONG!

Beyond the eerie territories of sonic death, Bo the druid fervently voices invocations to the spirits of nature.

BONG!

Halfway through his plea, he hears the commotion of men deep below in the spiral stairwell behind him. Steeling his concentration, he finishes his pious entreaty to the Shalm. In answer to his prayers, a black swarm of buzzing flies suddenly manifests before him!



B-!

Bo steps forward into the soundless void, and points his long finger at Misha Devi, former priestess of Merikka.

The dark insect cloud bears down upon her like a pestilence. Spiraling, twisting, but it suddenly halts, unable to penetrate the vile sorcery of the pentagram of protection that encircles her.



The writhing plague of insects surrounds her at a distance like a crawling, unholy halo. She begins weaving another infernal spell in return!

Mouser slings a second stone at her, hoping to interrupt her witchcraft again, but the missile hurtles wide.

Between Misha Devi and the heroes, the temple antechamber had become like unto a charnel house, filled with an army of the dead; breathless, gruesome foes, the piteous victims of the Enemy given new, malevolent purpose.



Into that inexorable wave of ferocious, dead men, the heroes strike!

Telkis hammers a ribcage, shattering it and the spine beyond! (S2)

Grothnak cleaves open a living cadaver from the clavicle to the hip (S4), ending its unnatural existence.

Ingrid's iron mace bludgeons a jawbone clean off, but the macabre corpse does not fall. (S3)

The blades of Avril, Moogeye and Pelias are unable to find purchase, glancing off undead skulls and bones.


Misha Devi, devoted servant, caring midwife, gentle healer, was gone. She had been perverted, transformed, replaced.



She succumbed, as everyone inevitably did. As the heroes would. As the world would.

Her most deadly spell torn asunder when she was struck by Mouser, the fallen priestess invokes fell powers to coax another enchantment into being, to prevent the little thief from interfering with her magicks again. And the grey druid.

Unheard magic words are spoken. The air is charged with electric potential, and a pitch veil falls like the shroud of death. Mouser and Bo are plunged into absolute darkness. They are now blind, deaf and dumb.

The other heroes can see, but the spectral, shadowy abyss hovers just at their backs. Before them, chill dead hands from beyond the grave lurch forward, reaching for them, grasping, clutching, bruising, breaking. Avril, Moogeye and Telkis are too intent on dealing death to evade it. Each are wounded by the fell necromantic horrors (-6hp, -3hp, -5hp respectively), Avril and Moogeye gravely.


Actions?


Map: One square = 10 feet. Bo and Mouser don't know the perimeter of the darkness.


Rolls and Rulings (non-required reading):



PC Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 4/10, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/2: AC 5, HP 10/10, Spells: 1/1 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 25/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 15/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 1/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 14/22, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 0/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 2/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 10/19, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 18/28

PC Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.

PC Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

Grothnak keeps chopping at skeletons.

Vadok (Halberd +1) (THAC0 18): [1d20+2] = 17+2 = 19, Dmg [1d10+4] = 6+4 = 10 (S/M) [2d6+4] = 6+4 = 10 (L)

Seeing Moogeye close to being overwhelmed to his left, Telkis redoubles his efforts. He knows there's nothing for it but to keep hacking away and hope they come out ahead. He aims for a pelvis and swings:

Moogeye holds her ground until further aid can arrive, knowing that at this point to retreat would spell her end.

The situation is desperate. Pelias shouts words of righteous anger at the priestess and continues to hack at the skeletons.

Ingrid maintains her resolve and stands her ground. She aims at the closest skeletal foe and swings.

Long Bo feels more and more helpless as time passes. Now unable to see, hear, or speak, his actions seem limited. Knowing this, he attempts to quell this latest threat of advancing troops, hoping to eliminate even more threats at the party's rear.

He points for his repelled insects to change direction, willing them back towards himself and beyond the doorway, out into the hall. He tries to get them to assemble at the very top of the stairs in hopes that they will thwart whomever is coming up, about to attack the group from behind.

He almost shouts out to Mouser before remembering that it would be futile to even try. Instead, he moves about 20 feet backwards, away from the battle. He squats down in the darkness with his back against the north wall of the hallway. Once there, he braces himself, awaiting and hopefully listening for anyone advancing towards them from the stairs. He jams his spear head into the wall at about 1 foot off of the ground and holds the shaft out into the hallway, bracing it with his legs. He hopes this move will trip up anyone advancing into the darkness towards the action.

There he waits, silently praying to the Shalm for courage against the multitudes of horrors that fill this once beautiful temple, hoping for favor in battle.

The Church of Merikka (21)
Village of Briarsgate, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Seven. Night. Saturday, October 22nd, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, misty





Within the church of evil, Pelias shouts words of righteous anger that are instantly swallowed up by the hungry silence.

Misha Devi, corrupted priestess, soundlessly utters forbidden words, imploring her unspeakable master to curse her with eldritch powers, dark and unearthly.

Her grisly legion of skinless revenants continue their unrelenting savagery.



Murderous skeletal hands are beaten back with weapons and shields, but Ingrid and Avril suffer grievous lacerations. (-5hp and -3hp respectively)

Telkis' morningstar splinters a pelvis, uncoupling femurs and vertebrae, collapsing a heinous thing into a pile of dead bones. (S11)

Grothnak splits a silently screaming skull with one savage chop of Vadok. (S9)

Moogeye slips in a growing pool of her own blood and almost loses her balance. Ingrid swings wild and also nearly falls beneath the undead onslaught.

Pelias misses a ghastly, one-armed carcass, and Avril's long sword flies from her slippery, blood soaked grip. She tries to say something to Pelias but cannot.

Then Misha Devi completes her unholy magic spell.
Telkis, Ingrid and Grothnak feel invisible, serpentine tentacles, writhing from somewhere beyond the fragile veil that Men call reality. Binding, ensnaring, constricting; they work mercilessly to hold them prisoners against their will!

Telkis, Ingrid and Grothnak: please Save vs Spells. If you fail, you needn't post an action.







Deep within diabolical enchantments that devour all sound and light, Long Bo points his bony finger west at the spiral staircase, magically commanding the summoned insect plague to withdraw.

He wedges his spearhead into a timber post as a trip line and moves west, reemerging back into the world of sight and sound.

"-ONG!"

Mouser is already there. "This is coming apart. I want to help the others but I don't want them to accidentally cut me to ribbons in the silent darkness."

BONG!

A commotion in the nearby spiral staircase draws their attention.



BONG!

Mouser and Bo step into the top of the marble stairwell.

BONG!

Above them, a hemisphere of impenetrable darkness hovers ominous and unnatural. Above that, the druid's buzzing insect swarm undulates, illuminated by moonlit stained glass in the stairwell.

BONG!

Below them, barking hounds and shouting, hooded men with torches ascend the spiral stair!


Actions?


Map: One square = 10 feet.


Rolls and Rulings (non-required reading):



PC Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 1/10, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/2: AC 5, HP 10/10, Spells: 1/1 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 25/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 10/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 1/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 14/22, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 0/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 2/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 10/19, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 18/28

PC Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.
  Summon Insects (Long Bo): Duration: 1 round.

PC Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

Grothnak is held.