The Unbeating Heart - Chapter 5

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.

The paladin reverses the slice of his sword in a wild attempt to slice off the head of his opponent. He observers the ghoul behind the observer fighting his own master and gets confused but he nonetheless lays a mighty slice with his sword.

Thurgood hits the creature but fails to sever the neck.

The paladin sighs seeing that his blade is having little effect on the advance of the creature. He quickly grasps the holy symbol about his neck and wraps it around the head of his mace as his shield clangs to the ground.
If the holy symbol stays on the mace for at least one hit the paladin will raise it above the things head and bring it down for a (non called shot) crushing blow.

Thurgood manages to get the holy symbol onto the mace though it slips more often than not. His shot is on target, Slamming into the beasts head. You hear a his and the beast scream, "Master! Save me!"

The paladin roars and reaches up grabbing the dangling leather straps of the amulet and tightens it again. He resets his feet and tightens his muscles as he brings his powerful muscled arm back for another crushing arc of mace and symbol. He steps forward at the begging of the undead, "Your master can no save you spawn of the grave. Return to your place of rest."

Syn takes a quick glance over at Thurgood and sees that he is pretty much destroying the Ghoul Observer with sheer might.
Steeping closer to the village ruins (to make sure that None of the party will be caught in her spell), Syn starts casting.

"Power, ancient and arcane,
Spring forth from my frame.
Let that which can not be seen,
Fly Straight at what I name.
That which once was living
Is the target of this Game."

Her spell takes shape and upon completion the creature falls to the ground shrieking and howling. Smoke rises from the body, and you watch as the flesh peels back from rotted muscles, tendon and bone. They too seem to melt away, and soon only a crumbling skeleton remanin then it too is gone, dust scatered by a gentle breeze.
Of his possessions only the bone wand and the Armor he wore remains.

Nkosi briefly worries about the "Master" that the Observer cried out to, but he thinks, "One problem at a time."
Hoping to finish the Observer off (and stay out of the way of Thurgood's weapon!), Nkosi swings again at the Observer with his rocky fist.

With the speed of a viper it dodges his strike, stepping in and under the swing. A deep breath inflates its chest, only to be exhaled in a foul smelling cloud of black gas.
Thurgood gags and chokes on fumes smelling of death and sulfer. The cloud causes his eyes to water and burn, and his chest heaves for lack of breath. He can see nothing beyond the cloud of vapors./p>

The paladin grins almost evilly and holds his breath bringing the mace around broadsided towards the mid section of the creature as it breathes towards him. The mace dutfully flys from his hand and across the way. The paladin quickly reaches for the sword at his side and tries to bring it to bear.

Nkosi, still in his "ghoul" disguise, lunges forward before the creature has a chance to attack the choking Thurgood. He strikes again at the Observer, solidly pounding his rocky fist into its back.
He then grunts, "Thurgood, it's Nkosi. Back out of the cloud." He quickly tries to see what Slim and the others are doing, but the cloud of black gas blocks his view.

Nkosi strikes the creature in the head, spattering himself with the creatures juices and ending its unlife once and for all. But not before the creatures claws rip through Thurgood's armor.
Slim is slinking from one shadow to the next, like a cat on the prowl. It appears as though he plans to sneaks up on one of the Ghouls.

Hearing the thud that was made when the Observer was killed, Syn starts to head towards the group that was around the wand wielder. Her sword is out and it glints in the light, sending little rainbow sparks as she moves in.

Nkosi reels at the stench as bits of the Observer's body cover him. He silently prays, "Geb, god of the earth, grant me your strength to withstand this."
Swallowing the bile that rises to his throat, he staggers toward the wand-waving ghoul, again hoping that his "condition" and altered appearance will momentarily confuse the creature.

He staggers foreward, but does not see the wand waving ghoul.

Stephan steps back as the wand-wielding creature is killed and the black fog appears around Thurgood. As he hears something behind him, he ducks and Syn's sword goes over his head.
"Watch it!"
He then approaches one of the two ghouls that was flanking the wand-ghoul, and swings with his flail.

he manages to smash in its skull.

The paladin coughs audibly and tumbles out of the cloud if he can armor clanking together amidst the powerful cough from the rank cloud. He tries to clamp his hand tightly over the hilt of his blade. He looks up to see the others still in battle with his most hated enemy and tries to stand.

His heart labors painfully in his chest, his lungs heave and his muscles twitch. Inch by inch he crawls foreward. Just ahead is the edge of the fumes, swirling in a light breeze that does little to disperse the vapors.
Inch by inch you crawl, inch by inch till your muscls no longer respond. Your vision is reduced to swirling blackness that slowly closes in on itself. You feel your muscles sag, your chest scrape the ground. You feel your cheek land on the soft, cool grass.

After smashing the skull of the trapped ghoul, Stephan quickly looks around to get a good idea of where everyone is, then looks to the other ghoul that was flanking the wand-wielder, and attacks!

The ghoul takes a swipe at Stephan, claws digging a deep gash into his arm. He feel a numb tingling the moment after it hits him.

Stephan suddenly feels his arm go numb, but continues to attack, wasting no time is bringing his flail around for another attack.

Still distracted by the gore and not wanting to be mistaken for a ghoul by his allies, Nkosi dismisses the effect of the Alter Self spell with a thought. He resumes his normal appearance, although his tan-colored robe is now spattered with bits of greenish-brown matter.
Nkosi worries about the absence of the ghoul "Master," but then he wonders about the injured Thurgood. He looks around, hoping to see the warrior.

There are only three ghouls left, none of them are trapped in the web. Nkosi cannot see Thurgood at all. The cloud has expanded into a larger area.

Nkosi calls out to the others, "I can't find Thurgood. We must dispatch the rest of these monsters quickly." He runs over to Syn's side and takes a swing at the ghoul she's fighting.

The monster, seeing the swing coming ducks, avoiding the blow.

Syn hears Nkosi's Cry and battles even harder.

Thurgood awakens a time later, unsure of where he is.
Around him are tall trees with white, barkless trunks. In the distance he hears the sounds of fighting.

The paladin groans and rolls onto his side trying to stand and get his bearings. He stands there looking for his blade with a few groans and then shakes his head and looks for his compatriots.

Nkosi utters another prayer to Geb for strength in his rocky fist, and he swings once more at the ghoul in front of him.
Out of the corner of his eye, Nkosi tries to catch a glimpse of the stealthy Slim.

With a final swing from slim the last ghoul is finished off.

Syn watches as Slim polishes off the last creature. I short sigh of relief escapes from her lips as she looks around the battlefield.
Syn surveys to make sure everyone is accounted for and then heads in the direction of Thurgood to see if he needs any help. She keeps scanning the forest in front of her for more creatures.
She looks around in the aftermath of the battle. Body Parts are scattered everywhere. Thanks to the hankerchief covering her mouth and nose, the smell of the rotted bodies and ichor are masked. Trying to force the mental picture of the rotted bodies out of her mind, Syn moves in the direction that she last saw Thurgood in.

Everyone seems fairly well, though they did get a few cuts and bruises.

Nkosi dismisses the "Hand of Stone" effect, then calmly brushes some of the gore from his clothes. If he is at all repulsed by the situation, he doesn't seem to show it.
The hand that was affected by his spell had been in a glove, but that glove is now ripped in many spots due to the battle. Anyone who looks closely may notice that the dark skin underneath it is discolored. It certainly doesn't seem to match the skin color of his face.
"Syn," he says looking over, "are you all right? Have you been injured?"

Syn looked over at Nkosi. "I feel as well as can be expected, I think. Now that the rush of the battle has left me I feel..... frazzled. My whole body is tingling and I seem to be having a hard time properly controlling my movement. Plus.." Syn looks around quickly and lowers her voice, "I think I smell odd now."

Stephan, wasting no time after slaying the last of the creatures, quickly walks over to the dead mage-creature's body and searches it for the "wand" he saw it use.
He answer's Syn's question in passing as he searches the body, "Minor wounds, nothing serious..."

He finds the wand. It appears to be made of rune etched bone.

The paladin starts wandering towards sounds of battle. He looks about for his weapons.

He finds it among the creatures armor.

The paladin coughs and trudges weapon drawn and ready to be swung at any ghoul that crosses his vision. He moves clanking audibly grabbing up his mace and shield dropped during battle and making way to the sounds of battle he heard.

Nkosi nods at the comments from Stephan and Syn. He mutters a prayer to Anubis, asking that the Lord of the Dead escort the spirits of the ghouls' former selves to eternal rest.
He then looks around the scene. "Where is that Slim? I don't think he was injured..."

Slim seems to be searching the remains of the ghouls, looking for all the world like a miniture doctor examining his patient.

Syn is looing for Thurgood.

She sees him on the edge of the woods.

Stephan turns the rune-etched bone over in his hands examining it, then stands and walks to the rest of the group.
"Do we have a wizard among us? I found the wand that creature used to call that lightning or whatever it did."

The runes glow a luminous azure in his hands. They seem to light and dance almost at random.

Syn walks toward Thurgood.
"Are you alright Thurgood? Do you require any assistance?"
Responding to Stephan, "I have some skill in the magely arts."
Syn keeps scanning the forest behind Thurgood to make sure that there are no more of the creatures hiding.
She also still moves a little twitchy or jerky.

She sees none, though they could be well concealed, she believes they got all of them.

The paladin shakes his head and braces his arm against a nearby tree.
He breathes in deeply and his eyes scan the ground going over the events of the last few minutes. He looks up with a half smile to Syn, "So what did that little fellow Slim say before we were so kindly attacked by those scum?"

Slim continues going over the bodies when you hear his startled oath,
"Sonuvbitch!"
You turn to see him holding up a medalion of some type.

Stephan looks up from the rune-etched wand when he hears Slim. He looks slightly annoyed that
"What's the trouble?"
He then turns back to the wand, waiting for Slim's reply.

"I know this! This medalion is the symbol of a monastary a few miles away. I bet if we searched the other ones we would find others as well"

Stephan's attention suddenly snaps away from the wand violently as all color drains from his face.
"These were...holy men?" he asks, almost in shock, then almost interrogating Slim as he stands and walks over, "What Order? Do you know?"

He looks a little startled, "Don't know. They were a reclusive lot. Took vows and such so they never ventured out much. Never had much comfort with holy types. Tend to look down their noses at guys like me."