The Unbeating Heart - Chapter 4

Stephan keeps watch at the back of the group as he speaks softly to the metal rod he is holding. Suddenly, it sprouts what seem to be 2 chains that weave themselves out of the black metal of the rod, and at their ends, coalesce into wicked-looking spiked balls.

The paladin moves into position and once he sees everyone else in line he waves everyone forward. He moves forward slowly scanning the ground and the tree line for signs of movement..

Syn moves cautiously to the position suggested by the others. She keeps her eyes open and her sword at the ready. She also keeps glancing behind them to make sure they aren't being flanked.

There is the sound of stealthy movement, a flash of eyes the color of urine, the stench of decay, and a hoarse voice "Bring the pretty one to the master."
Then they are upon you, a dozen ghastly creatures of decayed flesh and hungry broken teeth. They file from the wooded shadows, seeking to rend and tear you...

The paladin roars a battle cry to Kelemvor, sword arcing in for a vicious strike. His face contorts in rage and his eyes go wild with the anticipation of his chosen venue in life. His roar soon becomes a repetitive prayer as he moves closer and hopefullly makes his first strike.
DM: If thurgood makes it to the creatures he will attack and if not he will stop his advance and wait for oncoming attackers blades at the ready.

Nkosi retreats several steps and quickly mutters an incantation. He moves his arm in a wide circular motion in front of him. Then he readies his dagger for the coming attack, hoping he'll have time for one more spell.
He casts the Shield spell directly in front of him.

The creatures are closing fast. A few seconds before they get to Thurgood, a little more before they reach Slim and Nkosi. Syn and Stephan are further back. Their only weapons are long claws and broken teeth.

As the creatures near Thurgood's position, Nkosi reaches into his robes and pulls out a small hand, made of clay. His voice takes on his rough, gravel-like quality as he mumbles another incantation. He points at one of the lead creatures as the tiny hand crumbles into dust.
Nkosi casts Maximilian's Earthen Grasp, hoping that if one creature is snared, some of those charging behind it will bump into the creature and trip.

Stephan quickly stops and spins as he hears his companions ready their weapons. Seeing that there are many foes, he wastes no time in pulling out a length of cord, chanting some arcane formula, and tying it into a knot, whereupon it vanishes. Quickly, again wasting no time, he brandishes his dagger and starts to look around, seeing if they're being flanked. Stephan cast "Addition" to try and make a 10-pound log appear in the midst of the creatures, trying to make them trip as they shamble forward.

The paladin wades into the creatures swinging his sword fiercely roaring a battle cry having faith that his almighty god will protect him from the vicous claws of the creatures. As he smells the noxious fumes of the creatures memories from his past come rolling back in a vicous wave of pain. Nonetheless he strikes out against them again and again.

Syn pulls out a piece of some sticky, silvery-white substance and sings a verse.
"Web of black might, hold tight these creatures in my sight"
At the last of the verse she points at the creatures.

As the beasts advance upon you you notice that they are covered in some strange type of armor, and they draw bone weapons.
The conjured log slows them only slightly as they advance.
The one Thurgood faces is weilding some sort of scimitar made entirely of bone. Only his face and hands are visible within his armor, skin stretched tight across prominent cheeks and eyes that bulge and stare with the same yellowish tint as the other warriors.
Patches of his skin have rotted away exposing rotting muscle and pinkish bits of bone. You can tell he hasn't been dead for more than a month.
The others have been snared (temporarily) by the web spell.
You have initiative, but act quickly, lives are at stake!

The warrior keeps up his shield in preparation for the counterattack and whails into the armored undead swinging his sword with quick measured strokes to overcome his undead foes.

After completing his spell, Nkosi manuevers his invisible shield in front of him and tosses two daggers at the first creature that breaks free of the web.

Syn does a quick glance of the battlefield and then utters another verse.
Hide and Go Seek
is the game for me.
Remember not to peek.
The eyes can not change what they see,
but the sword may find what it seeks.
I just hope that it is not really me.
Syn just cast Mirror Image. She readies her weapon and stays with Nkosi and Slim.

The ghouls are hopelessly mired in the web, The arm has successfully entangled one of them in its grip.
There is no free targets for the daggers as yet.

Stephan looks back and forth, still tyring to see if there are any straggling creatures.

There are about six creatures webbed up, and one facing Thurgood. Another simply watches from the treeline.

Thurgood's blade has dug a deep, bloodless gash into the armor. The creature shows no sign of pain as it slashes at the paladin's face and narrowly misses slicing into his eyes.

Stephan tries to see what kind of creature it might be, and starts toward it regardless. He unsheathes his dagger with his free hand and begins to chant.

Thurgood's sword attack hits it high in the shoulder, severing its arm. His momentum has left him open to its atack, but the blade glances off his armor.

Since the majority are still held by the Web and Thurgood seems to be faring well in his battle, Nkosi tosses two daggers at the ghoul that's held in place by the earthen hand. Two of Nkosi's sharp daggers sink into the ghoul's flesh.

Stephan freezes for a moment, then re-sheaths his dagger. He calls out to the others while pointing at the motionless creature at the treeline:
"There is another creature waiting for us at the edge of the trees! It seems to be simply watching us for the time, but it could also be a runner for a much larger force of creatures!"
He freezes in place again for a moment, as if in shock, but the quickly shakes it off, cursing himself for wasting *TIME,* and watches the creature at the trees, slowly but surely moving towards it.

Thurgood's next attack misses, but not the attack of his opponant. He feels the blade of his opponent score him in the thigh, the bone of the weapon snapping off in his flesh. His thigh and leg go numb, but the numbness doesnt spread. It is fortunate that his leg is numb, the broken bit of bone weapon is burried deep into his flesh.

Syn looks to where Stephan indicated. "He might be the one that said something about bringing the 'pretty one' to the master."
Syn follows Stephan and watches his back.

Slim comes up behind the two of you, "There is something weird here. I dont trust this," he says. Some where he found a large stout branch that he holds on his shoulder like a club.

Stephan looks back to Syn and Slim, and seeing that he's covered, starts out more quickly towards the lone figure. However, every wary, he keeps himself tensed to dodge if something should come flying at him...or be swung at him from behind...
Stephan is keeping wary of Slim and to a lesser degree Syn. He is not anticipating that they will try to harm him, but he is staying wary about his allegiance right now.

Stephan approaches the one that is acting as the observer. As he gets closer he feels his skin start to prickle. Suddenly Slim has knocked him off his feet. He feels the man's weight pressing heavily ontop of him. Syn watches as Slim rushes up and tackles Stephan. As shocked as she is, she is unable to cry out warning.

Stephan feels the weight push into him, and tries to drop to the ground before his assailant and roll out before his attacker can pin him, then come up to his knees. If he can, he's also going to bring down his flail on the attacker's back.

Syn cries out "Slim what are you doing? Get off of Stephan", as she moves towards Stephan.
"Stephan, do you need help getting up?"
While she waits for a reply she keeps glancing around to see if anyone is going to help them and to watch and see if the Creatures are going to move closer to them.

A sudden crack and flash of light stops Syn in her tracks. At that moment she feels her feet lift off of the ground. Her body is alive with pain as violet electricity snakes across her skin. She falls forward...
She has just been hit by a lightning bolt.
Stephan take no damage from the attack (which was aimed at him) due to shorty knocking you out of the way.
"Sorry 'bout that. You okay?" he asks. Behing him you see the approaching ghoulish warriors. One seems to be holding a bone wand, and has begun to gesture with it.

Stephan picks himself up and says to Slim,
"Thanks, Shorty, I owe you one." as he hears the crackle and scream, he looks to Syn, "No..."
Wasting no time, he turns to the ghoul with the bone wand, and takes a quick look at it.
He also says to Slim, without looking at him, "I can't do anything for Syn right now, and I can't tell if she's all right, but if someone doesn't take down these creatures, none of us are going to be all right. We have one of two choices: rush them head on and attack, or fall back. Considering I'm going to pass out from hunger soon, I doubt I'll be able to run too far..."
A slight hint of desperation appears on the young man's face as he twirls the ends of the flail, keeping at ready.
He's checking to see how many creatures are approaching with the ghoul "wizard," and where the "observer" ghoul is right now. He's also looking for out-of-place creatures around behind him and to the sides. Basically, he's checking out the situation as he sees it around him.

The paladin lashes back with his blade having missed again and throws himself into another attack slashing at the creature with great fervor. Seeing the other creatures approaching, especially the magic using one he tries to hurry his attack.

He hits and drives his blade deep into the creatures belly, surely a fatal wound for any living creature. His opponant unfortunately isn't alive.
The undead pulls his arm back for a viscious swing, and Thurgood avoids it by the only means available - he lets go of his blade and drops back.
His blade is firmly wedged into the creature and will take longer than he had to free it.

Nkosi is hanging back.

Syn looks a *little* frazzled from the lightning bolt. (A mirror and comb will probably be on her list of priorities when combat is over) ;)
She continues to cover Stephen but is weary of the opponent with the lightning "rod".

Thurgood attacks with his mace.

The blow of Thurgood's mace pulverizes the creatures head, sending bits of gore spraying around him.

The paladin quickly reaches down and grabs his blade, stowing it.
The paladin reaches down and tries to ease the bone out as he looks over the body meticulously. He quietly logs everything that he notes about the body.

The armor seems melded to its flesh, and the only item of interest beyond that is the broken bone sword it still clutches in its unlifeless hand.

The paladin, trying to work the numbness out of his leg turns quickly and moves towards the tree line and the distant figure after ripping his sword out of the ghoul's chest. He moves quickly as possible towards the tree line and the distant figure.

Stephan looks back and forth towards on oncoming ghoul horde, then back to the observer. Choosing a course of action, he calls to the rest of the group.
"The observer seems dormant at this time...but I have a feeling that something is watching us through it. We have more problems with the creatures approaching us at this point, and especially the one that has that odd 'wand.' How about we take out the proven dangerous ones first?"
Stephan then turns towards the "wizard" ghoul and prepares to charge with flail flailing...

Nkosi hears Stephan and runs into the woods past him, about 15 feet to the right of the wand-wielding ghoul. Once hidden from that ghoul's view, he will cast Alter Self and change his form to that of one of the ghouls in the clearing.
Once in his ghoul disguise, Nkosi shambles toward the apparent leader. As he walks through the trees, he casts Fist of Stone upon himself.
He approaches the ghoul leader from behind, looking like another undead minion coming to his aid. Nkosi silently mutters a prayer to Anubis that his chilly "condition" will be a benefit and not a curse this time, and that the ghoul leader will not recognize him as a living being. Just in case, he manuevers his invisible Shield in front of him.
If this works and Nkosi can close to within several feet of the leader, he'll attack as soon as possible (that is, next round) with his rock-hard fist.

More intent on the coming battle the Observer fails to notice Nkosi until the last moment.

The paladin spies the ghoul behind the observer and rushes forward with loud clanks of plated armor. He raises his long red blade above his head bearing his shield before him. He swings the blade down in a wide arc to slice the creature just as it turns to regard Nkosi.

The weapon sinks into the creatures chitious like armor but you cannot tell if it did any damage.

Nkosi sees his opportunity and swings his rock-like fist, but the blow glances off the Observer's hardened skin.
Nkosi keeps the invisible Shield in front of him and prepares to attack again, hoping that the Observer will be distracted by the sheer ferocity of Thurgood's assault.