How The Wicked Fall - Chapter 2

The Dead

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Previously : The Escape

PC Message
Joran

With hordes of undead failing to step form the shadows, Joran slowly calms down.
"I would not be so sure if I where you..." he says nervously... "I have seen what happened to my men... I knew coming back here was a mistake. I'd stay away from him."
But he does not seem to be ready to strike at Wynne or actively prevent the foolhardy from reaching him.
Avoiding the halfling, he steps warily toward the fallen creature, turning it over with his sword, ready to give it a strike if it rises up at him.

Richard

Richard keeps a wary eye on the woman and waits to see what happens.

DM

The dead thing on the ground is apparently staying that way, as your prodding and oogling of it doesn't seem to have any effect. It looks the same as before, tight gray skin stretched over thin bones. Sharp teeth and claws. Black ichor oozing from it's wounds. The creature is also wearing tattered and stained clothing.
The woman stands apart and then speaks, thanking you for your help. That creature took down two of her companions already. She motions back to the alley. For some reason it didn't stop though, and kept after her. She hasn't seen it before either, and doesn't know where it came from, other than out of the shadows.
With a groan Wynne shakes his head and awakens, looking about groggily.
"Please, come with me. I believe that my employer could use people of your talents." With that, the woman turns and starts to slowly walk back towards the alley.
It is then that you notice, Ash is nowhere to be seen.

Joran

Joran holds out his hand to the woman, blocking her path.
"We'll go first... if your... companions turned into such creatures as this - and I have seen things like it happen - you may not be able to confront it. Our sword arms will protect you against any sudden assaults."
He walks forward toward the alley, beckoning Raven to check out the alley.

Aren

I'm going to back Joran and Raven up if they're going into the alley.

Natty

Natty will resume station at rear guard, Bow at the ready.

Raven

Raven follows Joren down the ally, all senses alert for even the sligtest problems. "Corvus, have you seen Ash?"

Corvus (Raven's pet)

Corvus gives the impression to Raven, that he saw her silently slip into the shadows when the creature burst out of the alley, but after that he has not seen her.

Wynne

Wynne sits on the ground, head in his hands, desperately trying to get a grip on reality.

DM

The last time that Ash was seen, she was standing slightly apart from you all (as normal) when you met with Raven outside the alehouse.
The woman slows to a stop at Joran's words, and waits silently for him to catch up. When he is at her side, she starts to move forward again slowly, not advancing past him, but not falling behind either.
Aren leans down and examins the body. It certainly could be some fell creature from beyond the grave; it definately gives that impression at least.
As you advance down farther, the light gets darker and darker. Then, the woman beside you gasps and points forwards, to a huddled shape on the ground. Without warning she dashes forwards to it, heedless of danger! But when she gets there, instead of checking for signs of life, she seems to be...rifling through the pockets?!?

Aren

"Pardon me, miss, but do you think maybe you could warn us before doing something like that? What makes you think it's safe to just go rifling through people's pockets?"

Wynne

Wynne walks slowly and methodically, darting his eyes and head at every nook, cranny, and shadow.

Wynne

Wynne walks up beside the woman and hopefully sees if she finds what she's looking for.

DM

At Aren's question and Richard's approach, the woman stands up. She holds out her hand, showing some scant few gold pieces and a couple silver. She smiles wryly, and says, "Gold. No need for the dead to have it. They have no use for it." Then she saddens and looks down. "These here were my companions. Were." She seems to straighten up and looks back at you all. "Well, come on. We have to meet up with my employer before sunrise."
She then turns and heads further down the alley.

Natty

Natty keeps his position keeping watch for rear and side ambushes.

Wynne

Wynne stays in the middle of the group, still wigged out.

Raven

Raven keeps his eyes and ears open for anything unusual and takes his usual position near the front

Joran

Joran eyes the woman, then his companions in disbelief.
"You leave your comrades here? What kind of behavior is that?"
He kneels near the body.
"You do not leave the body of a fellow soldier behind.
It was a person, a human being. Not a thing to be discarded!"
He checks the body for any wounds that were caused, still wary of any sudden movements.

Aren

"Joran, they're dead. It doesn't make any differance whether she dragged their corpses out of here or not - they still wouldn't be coming back."

Joran

"And her employer will still be there after we have done what is decent.
Which is to take care these people receive a decent burial."
Joran's voice trembles with hardly concealed anger.
"If one is so heartless as to let these people lie, as if they were garbage, rather than human beings, I do not think I will feel a motivation to seek employment."

raven

Raven begins to talk in his charactaristic low whisper, more to the air than to anyone in particular.
"Joran, as much as I hate to see people not laid to rest and properly intered. If I stopped to bury all the dead I have come across in my life, I would have dug about half way to Barovia by now. Just say a prayer to whatever god you follow and let's be off."
"Let the crows and rats deal with the dead, evil is afoot and we have a hand at bringing it to an end."

Joran

"These are not the wilds of Tepest, we are in a civilized world now.
And a priest may help us stop the evil, by ensuring these poor souls will not rise again.
Walk on if you will, I will perform my duty. I will not turn my back to these souls. Not again."
He bends down, then lifts one of the dead.
"The church of the Overseer is only a few blocks away. Is anyone going to help me or what?"

Aren

"Not I. I respect your reasons, Joran, but I feel it's more important we help the living. Please be quick and catch up with us soon."

Richard

"I will help you, but we have to hurry. We don't need to incur any legal entanglements from corpses that we know nothing about."

Natty

"I will cover you as you carry them to the temple."
Natty positions himself to defend Joram and those that carry the bodies.

Joran

"Agreed to that." Joran nods.
"This should not take too long."
He swiftly walks the alley, the body limp in his arms.
"You can go ahead, if you like."
As they get out of reach of the woman, he bows to Richard and whispers "Honestly, how can you trust someone who would let her companions lie? I say we watch our backs - let us beware."

Richard

Richard nods carefully and whispers back, "my thoughts exactly."

Wynne

Wynne pulls out his short sword, still looking around nervously. He stays close to the group as you move down the alleyway.

DM

As Joran bends to pick up the body, he feels the bile in his throat rise slightly as he gazes upon the corpses face. About a third of the flesh on the face is gone, revealing bone and ichor. The ragged edges around the wound indicate that the face was possibly...bitten off.
After the discussion, Joran, Richard, and Natty all head back out the alleyway towards the Temple of the Overseer. The woman whom you have rescued sighs in exasperation and then calls out "Meet us at The Jolly Merchant; it's an alehouse a few blocks south of the Temple. That's not too far out of where we're going. My employer will want to meet you all together."

DM

As Wynne, Raven, and Aren travel through dark alleys, you notice that you are always sticking to the darker roads, the more dangerous routes. In fact, several times you have gone past a major roadway just to enter another alleyway. The few times that you have had to cross a large street, the girl leading you has always darted across quickly and only when she reaches the shadows does she turn back to motion you all to hurry on. A ways into the trip, she turns to your group as she is walking and says "I would know your names so that I may introduce you to my leader. And, if you care, what you are good at."

Raven

"My name in this realm is Raven, and if by rare chance you have heard of me, then you know of what I do."

Aren

Aren sketches a mocking bow in the woman's general direction and says-
"I am Aren Halvorsen, a mere linguist. I specialize in the languages of the Core, particularily the archaic varients of modern tongues. I used to work on several academic research projects involving the digging up of forgotten settlements - outside of those circles, I would assume I am unknown."

Wynne

Wynne responds in a rather shaken, almost timid, voice. "My name is Wynne. I am a member in good standing of the Mordentshire Cartographical Society. My primary skills lie within my trades, both cartography and as a woodland guide."
Wynne continues to walk in the middle of the group with his short sword drawn. His knuckles are becoming white from his grip on the blade. As the group walks, his eyes continue to dart in all directions.

Rina

The girl turns to address your group. "My name is...well, you can call me Rina." She gives a crooked smile that is somewhat charming as she says this. "I work for a man named Wick. We are going to meet him, as he needs your help. But first, I want to wait for your friends. We'll need them all for this job. As to what the job is, well it's not my place to say; Wick wouldn't be plea...umm. Don't worry about it. He'll tell you." She then turns to Wynne. "Little one, you can sit here and rest if you like. Or, you can travel to the Temple and meet with your friends. But I don't think they will be staying at the temple, but coming back to meet us here. You might save yourself the walk and just sit here." As she says this, she turns to stare off at the large temple.

Aren

Aren shrugs, says "Very well", and begins waiting.

Wynne

Wynne sits down on the curb. He takes his short sword and places it between his legs, resting the point on the ground. He wraps both hands around the hilt and rests his forehead on the pommel. Wynne closes his eyes, breathing deeply and slowly.

DM

The girl listens to you all as she travels and then turns back to Raven and says questioningly "I don't know what you do. Fly? Eat bugs?" She seems to be amused by this and her mouth curls upwards in an impish smile.
She continues on, and then comes to a stop near a large intersection. Pointing to a building, she speaks saying "That's the temple of the Overseer there. We'll wait here."
Looking where she has pointed, through the evening mist that permeates all seaside cities, you see it; rising above like a beacon. The great temple of the Overseer. It is an imposing structure, built higher than the buildings around it. Stone gargoyles decorate the crenellations, and they seem to peer down menacingly. Two wooden doors, each twice the height of a man stand as a barrier against the darkness of night. There is feeble illumination coming from a stained glass window, showing that someone may be inside.

Wynne

Wynne continues to move with the group, taking little head of the conversation between Raven and the girl.
After a few moments Wynne speaks up, "I don't like being out here, I need to sit and rest. There seems to be someone in the temple. Let's make our way in there."

Aren

"What are we waiting for? I thought we were supposed to be meeting someone."

Raven

Raven doesn't answer the girls rhetorical question, rolling his eyes slightly. "Now that you know about us, perhaps you can enlighten me on a few things. As in who you are and what exactly are we needed for?"

DM

As Natty, Richard, and Joran trudge down the streets with the body, you all can't help but wonder what someone would say if they saw you like this. Fortunately, it seems that people in Martira Bay are intelligent, and have locked themselves up for the night. The only sounds are the brisk clipping of your feet upon the cobblestones.
It's very eerie. All of you are trying to ignore the grisly burden that Joran holds, but your eyes keep falling back upon it's countenance. Perhaps you are all a little worried about the body moving in Joran's arms. It's said after all that the dead would rise if their possessions are stolen, and didn't that girl take the corpses' money?
As of yet, the corpse shows no sign of moving however.
Then ahead of you, through the evening mist that permeates all seaside cities, you see it; rising above like a beacon. The great temple of the Overseer. It is an imposing structure, built higher than the buildings around it. Stone gargoyles decorate the crenellations, and they seem to peer down menacingly. Two wooden doors, each twice the height of a man stand as a barrier against the darkness of night. There is feeble illumination coming from a stained glass window, showing that someone may indeed be awake to receive you.

Joran

Joran walks up to the doors. With the body(s) in his arms, he waits till one of his companions knocks at the door.

Richard

"I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with the temple of the Overseer...are they friendly?"

Joran

"Ofcourse they are!
I've been visiting here for the last few weeks.
Now just knock, will ya!"

Richard

Richard knocks at the door.

Natty

Natty stays ready to defend Joram and Richard from rear attack, the bodys animating, and ambush from inside the temple.

Richard

As Richard knocks on the door, you hear shuffling footsteps. Then the portal is opened and you see a smallish man standing in front of you in brown monks robes. He has a hawk-like nose, and brush mustache, and peering eyes. A cyst on the side of his nose stands out. He stares at you for a moment, as if trying to devour every bit of your intentions by stare alone. Then, before you can say anything he ushers you inside. "Come in, come in. What can I do for you friend? Has he got the fever? Fainted? Well, come on! Tell me, for the Overseer's sake!"
Looking around as you enter, you see that the area is a large room, with pews set up and statues arranged around the room of foreign (to you) looking people.

Natty

Natty slings his bow and put the arrows back in the quiver.

Richard

"Um...here," Richard says, and sort of pushes whatever he may be carrying at the monk...

Joran

"Naye"
Joran sighs.
"Unfortunately, these men's lives cannot be saved. they are dead.
We can only hope their souls can be saved though."
He steps into the light, showing the body in his arms.
"They were attacked by a monstrous creature. We hoped to get their bodies blessed and their souls layed to rest, lest they would rise again... to reclaim the land."

DM

As you speak your words and show the bodies to the Priest, he steps back and gasps. Then, looking to Joran he speaks "You know the beliefs well, warrior. It is an unusual thing to see in your kind. Very well. I shall perform the blessings upon the bodies, preventing them from rising and reclaiming the land. Bring them this way, and lay them down upon the tables. Tomorrow they shall be buried in the pauper's graveyard...unless" at this point he turns to look you in the eye "you wish to make...other arrangements?" You also notice his palm has snaked out, as if ready to accept coins from you, but not in such an obvious way as to attract attention.

Joran

Joran nods.
"These men are not known to me." he says, "but I will pay for better arrangements. These are soldiers in their own right, and... well..."
His voice trails off, as he lays the body down.
Rummaging in his pockets, he takes out a small donation, and presses it in the holy man's hands.
"Take good care of them, good man." he mutters.
Then he turns to leave for the door.

Richard

Richard follows hastily.

Natty

Natty follows as well, though still warry. Once outside Natty returns to defensive mode with bow out and looking for undead ambushs.

Next : The Offer

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