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26 Patchwall, 580 CY, Delcouth (Still!)
Before leaving the town, we discussed our next move. Should we stay in town tonight or should we wait until tomorrow? Isaac says we really aren't here for the town, but to improve Prince Herrell's standing. He argues that by improving the Prince's lot, we improve ours at the same time. We eventually decided not to stay in the town for the night, but to rest and plan our stay slightly better.
Ryvvik arrived in camp after completing a task set to him by Voliker Minn was introduced to him and we all went to eat. Over dinner Oliver asked a few questions of Minn, and she said she's from Errantkeep, and may or may not have family there. She was still evasive to date.
Minn: Oliver is a close friend of Galen so I will spare him any ill will, still I do not appreciate being held in such suspicion simply because I do not wish to reveal my personal past to a hostile stranger… This one will have great difficulty if he doesn't learn to trust.
Isaac's Story of Delbin of Delcouth
Delbin of Delcouth was dabbling in the Black Arts: Summoning a creature from ages past, known as Tehlei the Slayer. Witnesses said he used three artifacts in his ritual: The Hands (gloves), the Skin (cloak), and Heart (amulet) of Tehlei. After the summoning ceremony in the town square, Delbin was apparently possessed by some fell force.Isaac does not think that Delbin is still in Delcouth, but probably somewhere to the north, in the Adri. Darcius suggested that the town's affliction may be a side effect of the summoning.
Minn: A story of dark ambition leading to self destruction, not a new theme but a classic. I feel a ghost story coming on…
That Night
Those on watch that night, Isaac and Oliver, heard strange noises inside the palisade. Digging noises, as though many things were digging together. Given what we knew of the inhabitants of the town, we were pretty sure the undead were up to something. Isaac convinced Oliver (fairly easily!) that the noises required investigation. But first, we had to notify someone (likely not Cedric, we DID want to go into town) so we grabbed Ryvvik, who decided to come along. And off we went, without telling anyone after all. We climbed over the wall and snuck into town.Minn: This is possibly the single most careless thing I witnessed these people do. They are lucky they did not join the cursed town folk.
After getting everyone safely over the wall and setting a rope that we could climb up, we ventured into the darkness with lantern turned down low. Our hearing led us to the main road where a group of four living dead were excavating a pit and moving earth into the nearby houses. Feeling we'd discovered something worth mentioning we decided to return to camp. Unfortunately for us, another of the living dead had come up behind us and launched into an attack. Ryvvik blasted it with a bolt of pure white light. Oliver charged it, hoping to open a path past it. But luck was not with him. The loose earth of the road proved treacherous and he fell headlong in front of the thing. It raked his back but only scored a grazing hit. Ryvvik fired another of the pure white bolts and was surprised by the dead diggers who came at us from the other direction. We bolted for the wall, hoping our path wasn't blocked by an army of these evil creatures. Little did we know we would be faced by something far worse than undead monsters: our companions in camp roused by the commotion in town. Cedric healed us up after a stern lecture and a lot of head shaking.
Minn: I must say I appreciate Cedric's wisdom, despite it's often crotchety deliverance. Though St.Cuthbert is not a deity I pay homage to, I am thankful for any common sense he can knock into people.
27 Patchwall, 580 CY, Delcouth (Forever?)
As soon as the guards opened the gates we went back to the site of the previous night's discovery. The hole was filled in. Ryvvik dug down a few feet and lo and behold! A skeleton. Cedric was finally convinced that bodies were there, after firmly insisting Ryvvik was somewhat loony for digging up a road. Ryvvik had a theory that the dead might be searching for something, but Isaac hit upon the idea that they may be hiding underground, waiting to rise up on a command from someone. The roads all through town were torn up as though the whole area had been gone over with a mattock.
Minn: It was obvious that some intelligence was behind the activities of these undead. My only fear was that we might not be able to handle anything powerful enough to control a village of the dead.
Ryvvik, Isaac and Cedric sat in the town square theorizing and postulating . Cedric thought Delbin's soul may be stuck here after being cast out of his body in the summoning ceremony. While we were sitting talking Galen came to the stage and began scrawling new graffiti on the stage: "Burn Baby Burn". We were all pretty surprised to see smoke billowing out of a building on the far side of town. Galen had lit the Order of the Ravens Chapterhouse afire. We all looked on helplessly as the building burned.
Minn: Sigh, sometimes I wonder what goes through Galen's head. On minute he's acting reasonable and rational, the next he's setting fires.
The act seemed to have a galvanizing effect on the group and we put a plan into action.
Still, you can't argue with results.
"The Plan"
We built three ramps at the walls, making them difficult to climb for shambling corpses. We hoped. We are going to wait in town until nightfall and see what happens.Oliver and Darcius' Amendment to "the Plan"
Sit on top of a roof directly across the town square. Make sure an escape route was available and board up the windows so nothing can climb out of them. Long poles to push anything climbing up off the walls.The amendment was adopted shortly before dusk and four escape routes were made off the roof and we hid behind the roof's peak until something happened. And Boy! It sure did.
Sundown
As soon as the sun set, a shimmer rippled out from the stage and shadows seemed to take on a life of their own. People seemed to materialize and the standards became whole. But all the images seemed ethereal, lacking substance. The stage became as new and the lantern we'd placed near the blood spot flew into the darkness.A figure materialized over the stain on the stage. It was a tall bearded man in a strange cloak and wearing bracelets on his wrists. He appeared to beckon for something and bent down. He stood up holding an amulet and put it on. He launched into a stirring speech, promising to bring forth a powerful tool from the past and bring a new age of power to Delcouth.
He began a highly complex spell of summoning to call forth this tool. He probably assumed this tool would be bound to his will. As he finished he staggered and the bracelets became skeletal hands over his own, the cloak became a patchwork of flesh, and the amulet became a shriveled blackened heart. The heart crushed into his chest, leaving a dark cavity in his chest as the cloak formed itself around his body. The skeletal hands shredded his own hands and replaced them. He fell backwards, apparently unconscious, but quickly stood up ands seemed composed. His skin and hands remained changed and he had a gaping hole in his chest. He relaxed and solidified slightly. The banners returned to their original state of disrepair and the stage faded back to what we knew it as.
Minn: I believe this was a manifestation of the events leading up to the death of Prince Delbin, I would also surmise that this stage was an anchor of some form for his spirit, being the place of his death. It would be interesting to know the details surrounding this ritual and what exactly he was trying to accomplish.
He beckoned toward the city and the undead began to rise and surround the stage. He sent a few off into the town who returned later. Another two collapsed into a heap and a new pair arrived, attired in Raven Knight livery. They were armed and armored and likely would be troublesome later.
Minn: The fact that two collapsed before the new two arrived makes me think that this ghost still had a limit to the amount of undead he could control, by the looks of it, less than a dozen.
Darcius abruptly broke our rapture with a sudden lunge of his sling shot. To our chagrin, the bullet passed through the spectre and thudded off into the black.
Minn: Brawn before brains, the credo of this man.
The spectre of Delbin spoke.
"Ahh, so they have come."
To this Galen replied, "There is nothing you can do. I am beyond harm coward." (Not so original in retrospect but it sure seemed cool at the time)
Minn: I would expect a little more originality from a bard, but I suspect it was more bravado than anything.
Battle ensued, with Delbin firing first. Two small bursts of light struck Galen in the torso and two hit Darcius. Ryvvik stood and fired off a volley of his own missiles and ducked for cover. Delbin's return volley unerringly sped back to strike Ryvvik. Ryvvik fired twice more in the face of Delbin's attempts to dominate his will. The damage must have begun to tell because the shade brought a cloud of fog to mask the stage.
Minn: I've always found it best to keep out of sight whan the magic starts to fly. Maybe not most brave of tactics but I believe one should know ones limits.
The group jumped down inside the garden of the house we'd stationed ourselves on top of and prepared to face the creatures outside. Cedric blessed Darcius' mace and muttered prayers over all of us. Oliver leapt off the roof as the rest of the party charged into the town square. Galen sang a song of courage and we charged headlong into the mist. Almost instantly, we were all assailed by a wave of fear. Only Darcius, Cedric and Oliver mastered their fear sufficiently to continue forward while the rest fell back, out of the fog. Delbin conjured a rolling ball of fire as soon as we neared the stage and propelled it at Oliver first then flailed it towards Darcius, knocking him right out of the fight. Cedric closed on the shade and called on the smiting power of St. Cuthbert (miasma anyone?) and struck at the image. His blow passed right through it. He then used his god's name to turn the gathering undead, forcing them away from the stage. Delbin's shade was completely unaffected and his next move was to freeze Cedric in mid-stride on the stage.
Minn: This ghost was powerful but likely couldn't stand up to a magical assault. It seemed to be picking off the magic users first, so it is a good thing for Ryvvik that he didn't enter the fog.
Meanwhile, outside the mist, the others could hear vague noises from inside the mist and steeled themselves to face the ghost's defenders. Isaac charged into combat with the armored zombies and a few other restless dead. Galen went to work with his rapier and mace, de-limbing walking corpses. Aided by yours truly.
On the stage, only Oliver remained mobile. He snatched up the blessed mace and swung at the ghost. It connected solidly, almost shattering the image, but it solidified. The fireball returned, but Oliver dodged it and swung again and again. The ball of fire couldn;t seem to catch up to him until he slipped and it rolled right up his back, scorching his flesh and knocking him unconscious.
Minn: I was able to see through the fog using a mariner's chant used to guide boats back home. I saw Oliver get in trouble and told Isaac where he could find him, and where the rest of the party could find Delbin.
As this happened, the fear that affected our companions seemed to waver and vanish and they leapt to aid their friends on the stage. Isaac dragged Oliver out from under the sphere of fire. Galen leapt on the stage, searching frantically for Delbin's shade, eventually cornering it. Isaac snatched the mace up from the ground and leapt into the fray, while Ryvvik blasted at the ghost with bolts of pure white light. The ghost reacted by raking it's spectral claws across his face and arms. At the same time, the spell that held Cedric seemed to lose it's power and he swung out at the spectre. Again his mace passed through it. Ryvvik fired again this time shattering the image into a million shards. Ryvvik collapsed, exhausted.
The group almost involved itself in congratulatory cheering when Minn reminded us that we may not be done. There were undead out there somewhere and in her stories, the restless spirits sometimes could be dispelled but not put to rest until it's hold on the mortal world was destroyed. With that in mind, the remaining mobile members of the group set to work breaking the stage into kindling. We waited for morning kept warm by a roaring blaze in the town square.
Minn: I was worried because the ghost had a focus, the stage. From the stories told by my people, when a spirit is so closely tied to a area or object, one cannot be destroyed without destroying the other. Since the stage reformed with each night I thought the ghost might also reform if we didn't destroy it's tie to the world. In my experience it is better to be safe than sorry.
