Somberly, the party carries the corpse of their fallen comrade up the spiral staircase to the mansion above.

As one, they stop. Were they hearing things, or was that music?

That was definitely a string instrument.

As they emerge, they find Sir Einhard's horse (that you feared was lost, stolen by a goblin) and Sasar's mule, standing entranced with ears facing forward, facing a foppishly dressed individual playing a lute.

Still carrying the lifeless body of the fallen thief, Sir Einhard paused at the sight of the stranger with his horse. "You there! What are you doing with our steeds? Identify yourself or face a fate similar to that of the thief in my arms."

Brother Brodd looked on in wonder at the man playing the lute for the animals. The music was quite enchanting, so he didn't wonder why the animals listened.

Regdoc obliged Chomper by allowing the large guard dog go sniffing around the burned out house and grounds. "Don't burn your paws. Following the Sacred Path won't be easy if you can't walk..." Chomper didn't seem to care for the oldster's advice.

Regdoc searched around to see if a shovel had perhaps survived the inferno. If not, he agreed that a cairn would be in order. "Amalrik, why don't you and Thud begin gathering what stones you can find. I'll look for something to dig with."

"Chomper! Get over here and guard me you mongrel! I don't know why I put up with you running off and chewing on rancid goblin corpses. Don't you dare lick me with that tongue! I know where it's been!"

Yagi admires the stranger's form of attire.

"Hey Mistah Wong, hooman playing funny thing mebba you sing wid it and start band?"

Thud walks up to the fellow and grins. "Hey, there fella. Nice lute. I'm Thud, and this is my gang. Can you play us a funeral dirge? We have to bury a friend of ours. Her name was Izzy."

In reply to Einhard (msg # 2):

"Oh, calm down, Einhard," said Creston, following close behind the knight. "You can't steal and play the lute at the same time. Those zombies sure have you on edge."

Amalrik tends his wounds as best as possible, quite well beaten up. Then begins looking for suitable rocks to use.

Alietra was around as well, wiping vine-zombie goop from her blade.

Well, don't everyone thank me all at once, for killing *two* of your enemies!  she thought uncharitably.  Or, whatever the hell happens to a zombie when you gouge its spine out.

Ah, she knew she'd gotten lucky. And they hadn't even seen her in the shadows, probably.   And, they'd lost one of their own, that was so sad...

Bard?  That got her attention.    She'd been named after a character in a bard's song...some princess with a healing heart, and a magical castle, or such crap. Her parents were kooks!  She'd known quite a few bards and minstrels in her previous gig as a barmaid.  Lots of fun to have around, yep...

Sasar let the others do the talking while he looked on to this bard  to see if it was a set up for an ambush.

Satisfied nothing was going on, he helped Thud carry and load the metal on his mule. I’m

"Ahhh, there you are!" Brodd says to Alietra. "We want to thank you for helping with the zombies, sadly, we lost our stealthy person in the attack. She was well skilled! I am called Brother Brodd, how are you known?"

Einhard looked at Creston, "What? It looks to me like he's using his charming music to lure our mounts away. Pretty music doesn't make a man harmless." He glances back at Alietra "Are you with him?" he asked as he pointed toward the bard.

"Yes, I know him!  Watch out!  He's got a molotov cocktail in his lute!!"
  She waved her hands. "Haha, only kidding!   Not seen him before.  I came out here expecting a winery, and found this crazy combo of cursed burial ground and really bad gardening.   What's the story with his place, anyway?" 

She eyed Brodd, and figured this was the holy man, and maybe their leader, too.  The 'Brother' bit confirmed the first of those.

"I'm Alietra.  Ali to most. I can move around pretty quietly, when I need to.  I used to work in a library," she lied.  "You had to be quiet.  Also, sometimes the locks on the scroll cases would jam, and you had to jimmy them.  Sometimes, somebody would get out of hand, 'cause they couldn't find the right scroll, and you had to take them out from behind." She shrugged. "So I've learned a few things."   

The young bard comes out softly strumming a sad tune on his lute, keeping an inconspicuous eye out for his coin purse. The song was intended to lament the loss of a dear friend.

"I don't know the whole story, perhaps someone else does?"

"Alietra. Sir Einhard, here," he said with a slight nod of his head, the best he could do with Iffy's body in his arms. "Your aid back there is appreciated. I don't think any of us really know much about this place. We were on our way to find the Baron's daughter, my niece, and ran in to some goblins overrunning this place."

He walked over to his horse, laid Iffy's body across it's rear haunches, and shook out his arms. "Ahh, she's heavier than she looks." He turned to face the young bard. "Thank you for calming my steed and the mule. Apologies for my initial reaction. You know how it is when the adrenaline is pumping."

Einhard turned to address the growing crowd of potential adventurers and spoke loudly so all could here "We are looking for my niece and should any of you newcomers wish to join us, I will tell the Baron of your good deeds. I am certain he will reward you for your assistance. But first we must bury our fallen, and then we shall be on our way shortly should you care to join us."

Should we bury her with the family in their cemetary? Or just build a cairn over her off to the side over there? he said pointing to a corner of the yard. "I don't know if it will be rebuilt or not."

"I think we should bury her on ground already hallowed for that purpose. Judging from all the destruction, she may be the last person to ever be interred there."

"I tend to agree with you, it would be best in the family cemetary." he nods agreement. "I suggest we spread out a little bit and find it, no doubt it is close about the house."

In reply to Brother Brodd (msg # 11):

"I am Harald, a bard from the college. A pleasure to meet you. It is a shame to hear that one you were closed to passed away."