Patchwell 19
The group heads to the observatory to follow the trail of the wheelbarrow - "why were the bodies dug up and delivered here"
Monsters:
Unknown Undead in the tool closet
3 Skeletons wielding crossbows (Exhumed skeletons)
9 Zombies (dinner guests)
According to Dunesberry
ReplyDeleteBy the Light of St. Cuthburt we have been given another clue as to the path of eradicating the Evil Cult that I have been tasked to destroy. We are making our way to an old Observatory that it is rumored to have had a delivery of recently dug up corpses.
This shall not stand.
We approach the building to see 3 doors, 1 below the set of stairs and two together above it. The building is square and two stories with a large tower behind it, doubtless the tower is the observatory. The two doors have some blue something on them and the sign of the Moon with a Mad Man's face interposed upon it.
At the bumbling of my companions (Why St. Cuthburt are my greatest battles ones that cannot be solved by smiting?) I step forward to examine the bottom door, as if I was going to put out an escape hatch, this is where it would be. The door is locked, so using the divinely provided strength, I kick it open.
What is presented to me is a small,......thing made of bone and filth, standing just past my knee, some sort of undead I believe, it resists turning so I am forced to fight it. Two of my companions "men at arms" (by their own description, though later actions would have me doubt their sand and their abilities), but they both quickly and cowardly fall back when victory does not prove to be immediate, and no amount of encouragement or shame could move them forward again. It was shameful to witness, and my soul feels tainted by their continued presence as their mewing both before and after the fight would weaken the strongest man's resolve to cling to the mortal coil.
ReplyDeleteAfter attaining a small wound, the beaste fell to some machinations of the mage(elf's?). He waited long enough to act but it is possible he was in shock by the actions of the "men at arms" and disbelief at their lack of courage effected his ability to concentrate (I feel this pain as it also affected my ability to strike true).
With the small (though apparently terrifying to the "warriors") creature dead I examined the abode it was in to find naught but a garden shed of items. Hence to the large doors on top.
It is fortunate at this time an actual warrior appeared, a great big fellow with an equally great big axe that help fell us through (what proved to be very stubborn) doors. Upon them opening we rushed in where we fought 3 skeletons who were4 shooting at us with crossbows.
Where as the appearance of the big fellow (Fang something) did seem to (slightly) embolden the "warriors" (if there was ever a looser endowment of that term I have yet to come across it), he fell almost immediately to a bolt and in anguish (perhaps love/lust) one of the "warriors", "bravely"(and lovingly) carried his body outside (while the battle raged on) because....."reasons". At leaste he did not (to my knowledge) run off with the body to perform who knows what sick carnal acts, and did (eventually) return to the fight(maybe it was a "quicky"?), I am not sure he was in anyway effective (might have been the tears in his eyes) in the fight, he did have time to fish for a compliment, (I am beginning to think he might not have had very many strong male role models in his youth) about "coming to help fight see?".
Despite all of this the Skeletons were defeated and their skulls crushed so as to not allow them to rise again. We then (in a trip that seemed to take no time at all) took the brave axe warrior (Fang Something)(who definitely had courage) to get raised and return.
We then began a search of the building, finding a letter (which is in my possession) incriminating the mine owner in this matter of the stolen bodies (though not necessarily linked to the cult, which I found both odd and surprising) and a dining room with "animated" zombies that did not seem to move, which may have been at the sight of St. Cuthburt's glory but may have been something else, I have yet to determine. Here again (except for Fang Whateverhisnameis) the "warriors" bravely huddled at the door as Fang and Myself dispatched the (maybe)Zombies. They then (bravely) decided to enter the hall (really, the terms "stunning" & "brave" kept resounding in my head over and over again at the sight of them [is one of then named Caitlyn?]). We also found evidence that someone has been living here, and is likely still in the building.
We will explore the rest of the building before departing.
Senegal looked over the valley at the Church of St. Cuthbert. A rather large expansion was in progress. He tried to remember the old cantrip for heartburn but managed only to spit out a little bile over the railing. The great Saint Cuthbert had seen fit to grant 4 resurrections since they had started adventuring, each at the monumental cost of one thousand gold pieces each. Senegal managed to scratch an itchy spot under his mask. It was a monumental amount of gold. Many tons of ore had to be mined and refined to produce that much gold.
ReplyDeleteThe normally smarmy as can possibly be High Priest had been extremely polite and obsequious when he had come by to pay for the resurrections, which had made him suspicious. But the rotten bastard couldn’t hide his glee at our misfortune as he was funding the new expansion of his church. I thought the church was supposed to support people who adventured and fought evildoers.
To top things off, the local Gravedigger’s Union and the Thieves’ Guild had an OPEN wager on whether we’d fund the next expansion of the Rectory. There was even an over under on the wager that was not flattering. Apparently, the High Priest had ordered graves dug ahead of time when we left town last. He wasn’t sure if we’d run out of money for our next donation! Senegal could feel the bile rise in his throat again. Leeches, that’s what they all were.
But the matter was serious. He hadn’t smelled anything so foul since the fire had burned his face. Necromancy was the worst evil and they were knee deep into it. There was no way around it.