Brian:

So it looks like if everyone can alloc 2gb this map is going to be fine.

Brian:

I may actually start testing what map elements take more RAM though...

Brian:

but that is for the future. Do you remember where we left off?

Brian:

Very good, and If I'm correct we left off just at the end, before anyone had a reaction other than the guy getting a band-aid.

Brian:

Do you do anything in particular in the wee hours of the morning, or do you await the boss man's waking?

Brian:

alright, roll toughness, and add 2 from Cairlo helping you.

Brian:

ohh hey, you move to daily bleeding. The wound is healing fast.

Garen:

Hm? You mean these things here? *points towards zombie corpses* Those were the undead.

Parthil:

You're saying you really saw the dead come to life?

Garen:

Well, I didn't exactly see them come to life ... but at night these things attacked us.

Parthil:

And if I speak to the priest about this? What will he have to say?

Parthil:

I don't belive in wives tales. Did you find them in the river?

Garen:

These things were alive and they did attack us. Ask us a million questions and we will still give the same answer.

Parthil:

I won't be asking any more. We need to take the deceased to town for a proper burial, and your priest can ask whatever questions he or she desires.

Parthil:

Eat your breakfast boys, this is going to be a long day.

Brian:

The four of you are assembled with stretchers to carry the dead back. Kent suggested covering them with a blanket, but nobody volunteered to spend the next four months sleeping under a dead man's shroud.

Brian:

And unless you do something odd, you return to town.

Brian:

It's only a short way towards the church before a crowd gathers to see what you're dragging in, and Mayrn comes forth

Garen:

Father Maryn, good that you're here. We ... we were attacked by living corpses at night. And now we are seeking a proper burial for them. *mumbles* Maybe that'll make sure they don't stand up again ...

Parthil:

I found my workers with dead bodies outside the cabin. They claim to have seen the living dead.

Father Maryn:

I know Garen well; I would like to speak with him in private.

Father Maryn:

The rest of you, take the dead to the graveyard and I will hold a funeral at nightfall.

Father Maryn:

Garen, I was hoping you would be an example out there...

Father Maryn:

It is exceedingly rare for the dead to rise. Only the church of Nerul even has that power, and they don't even have a church here.

SyRaX:

do I know anything related to living corpses / undead / zombies?

Brian:

Nothing at all, besides the very occasional tall tale.

Brian:

people know what "undead" refers to, but few think it's real.

SyRaX:

was there any particular description of these "things" you gave me last time?

Garen:

Look, I have no idea what causes the dead to rise. And before yesterday I would've laughed at anyone who told me they saw or even fought living dead. But I can tell you with absolute certainty that what I saw and fought were undead. If you believe me or not is up to me, I can't change it.

Garen:

Yes, it's a scary thought that more dead could rise anytime, if they did it once ...

Father Maryn:

The dead don't just rise for no reason. It doesn't work like that.

Father Maryn:

I assume you've never heard how they raise a corpse?

Garen:

I've only heard the usual scary tales you tell children.

Father Maryn:

Someone has to rend a soul back from the afterlife, and force it back into an incomplete shell. There's people in there.

Father Maryn:

*pauses* I'd offer to let you stick around and pray here, but I realize you're not of the faith.

SyRaX:

Parthin or whatever his name is is the guy in charge right?

Garen:

Thank you for the offer, but I have to agree. *pauses* I think ... I think I'll just take this day off, if Parthin allows it. If you find out anything more about these undead, I'd like to know. I'll do the same for you.

Father Maryn:

Very well. You want to talk to him or want me to?

Father Maryn:

I can always say you're spiritually unfit or something *winks*

Garen:

I think it's best if you talk to him, you're someone he will definitely trust.

Father Maryn:

You got it. I'm going to prep for the funeral first, but feel free to run off.

Father Maryn:

I got a hunch he's not looking for you right now.

SyRaX:

what're my options besides going home to relax and sleep?

Brian:

Depends on what your objective is. You may just want to nap off your wounds for all I know.

SyRaX:

I mean, it's not like I'm hiding anything and need to make sure that the other guys tell the same story as me

Brian:

somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, you hear a knock on your door.

Old Bard:

*trying to sound different, but you can still tell* Is this the apothicary? My sister grows ill...

Garen:

*gestures towards parents* I'll see what this man is up to. *walks towards door*

Brian:

It's him alright, and he gives you a gesture to come outside.

Old Bard:

I'm so sorry to disturb you in the night like this...

Garen:

*whispers* Nope, not a clue. Talked to Father Maryn about it and he didn't know much either.

Old Bard:

*whispers* Ok, I want you to meet up with me the moment you leave in the morning. I'll be in the shed again.

Brian:

You lie in bed for but a moment, before you hear a cry from outside.

Brian:

I promise at some point in this campaign you will get to fight a battle properly

SyRaX:

by the way, how do you handle move actions out of vision?

SyRaX:

like, I can only view inside my house, can I still go to somewhere specific outside?

Brian:

I mean, you can walk to places you can't see at the start of the walk, that's fine

SyRaX:

can I make a perception check to know where the sound came from?

Brian:

you could here him calling form outside, and that spot is in LOS of the doorframe

SyRaX:

oh btw could you add a lunge attack similar to the charge attack you wanted to add ages ago?

Brian:

I should do that. Need to get that backlog written of features to add again

SyRaX:

btw does anything magical like ioun stones and the ogre strength gauntlets exist in this setting?

Brian:

not in a small village like this. Might be different in Shavorne...

SyRaX:

may I just say that that's awfully close to a PoE character's name and I assume by chance?

Brian:

your sword slashes deep, loosinging the structure of this...thing.

Brian:

he casts divine shield on you, and now you have +4 to WAC by the might of Torg

Brian:

the other zombie takes a double shamble action, and now it's your turn.

Brian:

at the end of the round, another villager shows up and calls out to you

Human 32:

The monsters are swarming the temple! you have to stop them!

Brian:

at end of round, zombies will now roll to try and break in the door

Brian:

The bard is now suspending his init until further notice

SyRaX:

would I know of any house that has one or more weapons in it?

Garen:

*turns to bard* Get yourself a bow in one of the houses, quickly!

SyRaX:

btw do you intend to hurt multibuffers by making the drain instant or would it be okay to do that only when the effect wears out?

SyRaX:

but the buff is affected by the initial numbers, right?

Brian:

but if the stat goes down between prayers, they are differnt buffs for each

Brian:

you hear shouting as he literally breaks into the nearest house.

Brian:

your turn at 9. You also observe the villager is cowering behind you.

Brian:

one's going to proc an attack of opportunity, if you want to spend the init to take it

Brian:

and luckily, running is something this fat guy seems to understand

SyRaX:

wounds for zero are not cancelling RF, right? just making sure

Brian:

it's still up, as long as you keep wounding for at least 0

Brian:

Zombies were so much better under the old rules when they were stupid tough meat sponges

SyRaX:

tfw there are more than 8 melee enemies so you can't be hit by all at once 8) pro strats

Brian:

ok, free action to attack the next guy with -2 to each

Brian:

and you actually could have been doing this with every zombie kill because of how zombs work

SyRaX:

oh, zombies don't have the stand up test but just go down when they hit 0 in all phys categories?

SyRaX:

well, I didn't know they had a WAC for 11 but thanks for telling me

Brian:

I'll switch places with the one I thought you were hitting

Brian:

alright, maybe these guys can be a threat after all...

Brian:

I was doing the damage on 3, so it was faster to swap tokens

Brian:

Assuming your init never falls below 3 it's just going to be hand off now

Brian:

in this version of the rules it's free for undead fighting

SyRaX:

it's so weird to read that after you've grown up with the new meaning of cringe

SyRaX:

like, the defiling thing probably means that we are building the sawmill on some holy place, probably on that of this undead church thingy

SyRaX:

and I'm not sure, if I accounted for it perfectly all the time

Brian:

ok, so then that was end of round, and now we are on start

Brian:

parts of your muscles are actually dangling a little. You disgust yourself to look at, only some mold away from the beasts you fight.

Brian:

Put one hand (or both) on the blade, and help yourself swing. It's not as stupid a tactic as it first sounds.

Brian:

but your you, it's just a last ditch effort as you try to ignore the pain.

Brian:

well, that's top of the round, and it's time for bard to bard

Brian:

I'll just add that bleeding tag back to your character sheet...

Brian:

and you either have to leave Maryn to his own devices, or fight three more bastards in front of the door

Brian:

alright, want to sit and watch as some NPC battles happen?

SyRaX:

btw why is a hunter's village full of people not wanting to shoot stuff from far away?

Brian:

there is a reason, namely that other zombies are causing trouble in other places

Brian:

You probably should have had a hunter or two providing supporting fire.

Brian:

at this point, you need to hope Maryn pulls out a can of awesome, or you explode up before running out of toughness

SyRaX:

just remind me whenever I have to do a bleeding roll

Brian:

ok, bleed again, but add +5 from the bard aiding you.

Brian:

alright, he exactly kills the zombie, and begins to drag you to safety

Brian:

so roll the same bleeding check for the next hour, and you may re-attempt the check to stand as a check to wake up

SyRaX:

but to be fair, I should've been unconscious way earlier

Brian:

but first let's see how bad your wounds get before he gets things under control

Brian:

1 one damage, then go ahead and roll for the next hour

Brian:

yes, but at this point you get one check to try and recover because a day has passed since you started to be wounded. Also toughness, but with a +3 from the bards wis+empathy

Brian:

you might heal from this, or turn some damage permenant until a priest heals you

Brian:

alright, now 24 hours more of bleeding until you either go to daily bleeding, or the next recovery check takes place

Brian:

want to take a break here, while I determine what happens to Mayrn and the others in this attack? I might also have to think out what happens for the next couple days if Mayrn isn't forthcoming with the healing.

Brian:

if you wish you may take another 24 hours to try and get back up at your new damage total. You are no longer bleeding at all.

Brian:

24 tries. I would reccomend the AdBsT format, but up to you.

Brian:

Alright. Father Mayrn isn't hanging around when you finally come to your senses, but the bard is.

Old Bard:

You were hurt badly though. Had to bring you back here.

Garen:

The inn, eh? Hope y- you had some drinks on me. *nervous laugh*

Old Bard:

And it's going to hurt a while. The spirit of our lord really went through you there...

Garen:

Yes, I felt his power in my body. I was unstoppable and then- ... black.

Old Bard:

But you survived the battle, and it was only the first.

Old Bard:

Our enimy won't have long to lick his wounds, either.

Old Bard:

Isn't it obvious? Nerul is the only one who can make the dead rise like this.

Old Bard:

He is the only faith in Gorwood, and they persecuted Torg relentlessly.

Old Bard:

The king may not know about us, but the church is trying to snuff us out before we get started.

Garen:

Let's not jump to conclusions ... It's okay to suspect someone, but we shouldn't act on it before we know it for certain.

Old Bard:

How much time do you think we have to wait? You've seen what those beasts do.

SyRaX:

can I do an INT roll or smth to see if Garen thinks what I think?

Brian:

Garen is smart enough that you can just play him as you desire.

Garen:

Before we do anything, I want to find something out ...

Garen:

They said called me "defiler" and I think I know what they mean.

Garen:

The only thing that makes sense why they would say that is because the sawmill we are trying to build is on some holy plot of land or a graveyard or something.

Old Bard:

Out of all the saw mills in all the land, this is the one that made the dead rise?

Old Bard:

And it just happend to be in the town where Nerul's foes are?

Garen:

It is a stretch, but I would like to check, if it's true.

Old Bard:

I think that delay might put us in a lot of danger.

Old Bard:

Talk to Maryn, tell them how the majority of the beasts came after us, both Kordites. He'll give us blessing to march north and confront the Nerulians in Glenswood.

Garen:

And why did they also try to break into the church of Pelor then?

Old Bard:

Clearly the priests responsible for this doesn't care about the lives of the innocent. I imagine it's hard to control a mob of the undead...

Garen:

Look, I'm just saying we need to consider our options, before we do anything rash. I get your thoughts but I think we should investigate that.

Old Bard:

I just don't want to see yourself ambushed alone while barking up the wrong tree.

Brian:

that you will have to decide for yourself. You can't stare at a man and read his soul, only tell his disposition at the time.

Brian:

So do you keep talking to him, get up and wander around, keep resting?

Father Maryn:

I've heard of wood spirits being upset, but the dead?

SyRaX:

Was there anything built on that plot of land a few hundred years ago? Any graveyard or something? Maybe it was a battlefield of some sort?

Garen:

Was there anything built on that plot of land a few hundred years ago? Any graveyard or something? Maybe it was a battlefield of some sort?

Father Maryn:

The first or second goblin wars may have had a battle there.

Father Maryn:

This place saw no action in the civil war, and not too much is known about king Henric's rule or the times before.

Father Maryn:

Few scholars were writing things down that far back

Father Maryn:

I certainly don't know of a graveyard by the river. That would contaminate the water...

Garen:

I don't know ... I would like to check the sawmill's surroundings out, but I'm afraid I'm too hurt.

Father Maryn:

Also, I would like to keep my best warriors here.

Garen:

Okay ... I'll just step back for a little while and wait for my wounds to heal.

Father Maryn:

Alright. I'll be back with more of Palor's light tomorrow. You're amung those I need at full strength if whatever is spawning these beasts spawns more.

Brian:

Over the course of the following day, Gethlin sends everyone from the sawmill back, for their own safety.

Brian:

That happens to be one healing light's worth, so Mayrn heals you for the rest

Brian:

Either way, two more undead, one a skelleton, are reported shambling into town, but they are dealt with before you even get anywhere near them. Everyone is very on edge now.

Brian:

And word has finally reached the king, it appears, or at least a duke. Gethlin couldn't leave his village, but the messanger he sent came back with a knight, and a town meeting is called in town square to discuss events.

Sir Ephnyr:

So the undead have attacked twice, but didn't hurt anyone the second time? Is that correct?

Sir Ephnyr:

And on those grounds, you disobeyed the king's orders, and withdrew from our construction?

SyRaX:

is there stuff like 1on1 combat for your pride/honor and you don't get convicted, if you kill someone in these duels?

Brian:

sometimes, sometimes not. If you challenge someone to a duel and they accept, that's considered the end of the matter, but if a human wants a trial by combat for a crime aganist an elf, that's not gonna happen.

Sir Ephnyr:

As is cowering whenever our foes show agression. Has the local church of Nerul been investigated?

Father Maryn:

Well...there's glenswood. But why would they have trouble with us?

Sir Ephnyr:

An apt question. I hoped one of you would have a clue. Townsfolk, any ideas?

Sir Ephnyr:

Alright then. You will return the workers to the mill, and guard it personally, do you understand?

Old Bard:

Sir Ephnyr, Garen is still hurt from before. I ask he be given some more time to rest up before returning to work.

Sir Ephnyr:

*turns to crowd* But the kings orders are your first priority, do you understand?

Sir Ephnyr:

Alright, that's all. I will ask the duke for further knights to guard you on my next trip.

Brian:

he gives a nudge to Ephnyr, who is going around asking villagers about details of the attack.

Garen:

He doesn't seem that bad. Nothing short of what I expected, atleast.

Father Maryn:

Fair enough. Just hope we get more knights. I'm not as good with a stick as I thought...

SyRaX:

I'd really like to know more about the elves and this knight but I have a feeling he doesn't want to talk

SyRaX:

I guess I'll try to approach the bard unsuspiciously in the next few hours

Brian:

He's taking a sit in the half-finished house that hasn't been worked on since the attacks upset the flow of life. Nobody would be suspicious if you approached him there...

Garen:

Did you want anything from me when you glanced at me back then?

Old Bard:

I wanted to know if you were going to take the chance to bring Nerul to justice.

Garen:

What do you mean? He already suspected them and we don't know more.

Old Bard:

You saw more of these beasts than anyone else, and you heard what they said.

SyRaX:

intuitively, would I think that the elf might know more about the town here than Father Maryn?

Brian:

presumably the elf doesn't know much. He's an elf, presumably from the capital.

Old Bard:

I recall them saying that Kord is a false god, don't you?

Old Bard:

Would you prefer to wait until they find out the truth? That the undead are hunting us for our forbidden beliefs?

Old Bard:

Believe it or not, the reason they are after us is because they want Torg's message stamped out.

Old Bard:

I do have doubts. But I'm not a judge. I can't just arrest all my suspects and wait until I'm absolutely sure everything is in order before acting. Nerul is the most likely attacker, and they have the means to kill us given enough time.

Old Bard:

Just sitting here doesn't get us any closer to being free of these attacks.

Garen:

I don't know what to do. But if we attacked Nerul's followers and it turned out they weren't the ones behind this, what're we supposed to say? Sorry?

Old Bard:

We will say the king gave foolish orders, and ought to be overthrown.

Old Bard:

Sir Ephnyr's been taking quite an interest in you, you know that?

Old Bard:

Well he is. In fact, I hear he is going to offer for you to aid him as his man-at-arms, and take you with him on his quest to rid the land of these foul beasts.

Old Bard:

If I were you, I would take the chance for adventure.

Garen:

See you later, friend. I'll go to sleep for now, it was an intense week.

Sir Ephnyr:

I heard you've slain near a dozen of these beasts.

Garen:

I guess as long as my arms don't fail me, I'd slay a couple dozen more.

Sir Ephnyr:

I can't just leave the people to fend off this menace forever. I need to gather militias from the surrounding towns to defend this place, and your testimony might convince them that these attacks are really happening.

Sir Ephnyr:

And I want a man-at-arms at my side, when I investigate for any Nerulian activities.

Sir Ephnyr:

If you feel ready, I'm prepared to swear you in today, and we would be riding off tomorrow.

Sir Ephnyr:

Alright then, meet me at the temple of Pelor at sundown?

Brian:

Cool, then when you arrive at the church, Maryn is already there.

Father Maryn:

Well don't put the name of Ensiph to shame, will ya?

Father Maryn:

But yeah, I'm super cool with seeing you off.

Father Maryn:

You're alright with doing this in the witness of Pelor? I don't know if Ned from the Kordians actually knows how to do the man-at-arms ceremony.

Garen:

I'd love to be knighted by you, Father Maryn. It'd be an honour.

Father Maryn:

Garen, I gift you to the service of his majesty, king Issold Glistar, first of his name, and to the service of Sir Ephnyr. Do you swear to be the sheild at his back, and the spear by his side?

Father Maryn:

And do you swear to never dishonor, betray, or disobey him?

Garen:

*looks at Ephnyr and takes a tiny break before saying* I swear.

Father Maryn:

And, before Pelor, do you accept the burden placed upon you by the bestowal of this knights honor on to your shoulders?

Father Maryn:

Sir Ephnyr, do you find this man worthy of your honor?

Father Maryn:

They may your future be long and noble. Depart as this knight's honored servant.

Garen:

Thank you, Father Maryn. Look after this village while I'm gone and stay awesome!