Bruenor,  despite his better judgment,  set his sword on a nearby table and tried to physically pull the undead fellow on his friend.   It was difficult,  as touching the thing felt like reaching into a maggoty grave.  His disgust kept him from getting a good grip

OOC:
07:35, Today: Bruenor Sedricson rolled 11 using 1d20+3.  Strength

The Jade Rose Inn



Haazheel can see the shadowy forms of the lurching undead through the thickening mist, and places his fireball in the middle of them, making certain to miss the door of the inn.  The fire blooms and illuminates the mist, bringing with it a stench of burned seaweed and rotting flesh as several of the shuffling forms drop to the ground, inanimate!



Bruenor cannot quite get a grip on the slippery, soft flesh, but he does attract the undead's attention.



The undead's distraction and the bloom of fire beyond the doorway as Haazheel's voice rings out on the street is enough for Volsh to rip himself free of the undead's grasp.

Thunder darts in again, this time getting his teeth on the trailing net and pulling hard enough to send the undead thudding to the ground!

Rand continues to chant encouraging words as the undead swipes at Thunder, missing him by a hair.  Beyond the doorway, there are still some moans in the mist; though Haazheel's spell had killed some, more seem to be coming!

--

The Wanderfoot Gambling Room



The hostess gives a tiny, tight smile, quickly gone, before she answers.  "The mist, good sir, has brought some... unwelcome visitors to the streets.  And large concentrations of people tend to attract them.  It is better for people to return to their safe homes, rather than deal with such... unpleasantness.  Right this way, sir."

She gestures for him to walk towards a door at the back of the room, ushering the rest of the table to follow.

Vish scampers off, using coats or skirts to hide himself until he can get out the door and let darkness hide them.  Then he begins his run towards the Jade Rose Inn.



"Just up the road from the town.  I have a nice little manor house on a cliff above the harbor," Firvian said.  "I don't need a shopfront for the goods I usually trade in."



"It's not the first time," the Lady sighs.  "Though, granted, sometimes it is more of a political situation, bit of unrest, or sometimes a stampede, once an incursion of birds...  Either way, they know to keep us safe. We do lose a lot of money to them regularly, after all. But it sounds like the mist could be hungry tonight, which is certainly a cause for cutting the night short."

"Someone ought to quell the Ship's Graveyard more than once in a blue moon, that's what I say," Pelas mutters.

"Volunteering, Pelas?  Let us not stand here and chat, but get to the carriages before we get to see the results of that neglect up close," Firvian says, walking briskly towards the exit.  The staff members are gathering the small groups of people, and then opening the back door (with caution, the bouncers watching warily) and hustling them into a waiting carriage.  The carriage whisks away, the door shuts, and the staff wait until they near another carriage before repeating the process.

Prreet weaves his way amongst the crowd, using the tables and chairs to hide himself as much as possible as Averdante and Dellas' group moves closer to the doors.

"Are you staying in an inn?  On a ship?" Firvian asks.  "Because if it's an inn, I may have to offer you some hospitality, because I believe Inn Street will be not healthy to traverse."

---

The Secret Cove



Once closer, Lantamori's vision can see the light from Farian's mace illuminating the scene of Buno and the two treefolk attacking Farian and Sir Aberlayne.  Buno is in the doorway to the hut, one treefolk is next to Farian (a scorch mark on them) and the second treefolk is perhaps ten feet away from Sir Aberlayne, who is lying on her back, the ground wet and slick-looking underneath her.



Narthian's aim is true, and the bag splats right at the figure's feet.  With a growl, the figure sways, and Narthian realizes his foe his stuck to the ground for the moment.  When Narthian talks, the figure snaps their hooded face to stare at the elf.

"I'll pay you more than whoever is paying you to look the other way.  It'd be easy, ye just never saw me, eh?  I can tell you right were some good stuff is, and I'll be on my way before you know it," he says in a low, harsh voice.



The searing ray of light burns the treefolk with the dagger, making him scream in pain as the divine light crisps his flesh!  Though still standing, it's clear he's in a lot of pain.

Sir Aberlayne doesn't even try to get up, but just rolls sideways and chops hard at the treefolk, laying open their calf with a swing of her axe!

The burned treefolk retreats and throws a dagger at Farian, but it flies past her, missing cleanly.  The one by Sir Aberlayne screams and limps backwards, frantically downing a small vial of liquid from their belt.  From the doorway to the hut, a bolt flies out at Sir Aberlayne, but sails right over her head, and Buno can be heard cursing his foul luck!

Although annoyed that his normally powerful grip didn't seem to help much, Bruenor was nonetheless grateful beyond measure to be able to let go of the filthy walking corpse.  Grabbing his sword with deft, practiced hands, he let it catch aflame again and hacked at the creature with renewed vigor.

OOC:
02:12, Today: Bruenor Sedricson rolled 20 using 1d20+10.  1st power attack.
02:13, Today: Bruenor Sedricson rolled 11 using 1d8+9.  1st power attack damage.
02:14, Today: Bruenor Sedricson rolled 1 using 1d6.  1st flame damage.

02:13, Today: Bruenor Sedricson rolled 16 using 1d20+5.  2nd power attack.
02:13, Today: Bruenor Sedricson rolled 17 using 1d8+9.  2nd power attack damage.
02:14, Today: Bruenor Sedricson rolled 5 using 1d6.  2nd flame damage.

Haazheel looks to see where the undead seem to be bunched up enough for another fireball to be effective. He is heed in this by Mystique, who flies up for an areal view.

Not sure how the situation had escalated, the elf reslung her bow and pulled her silver dagger.  As no one seemed to have spotted her yet, she tried to keep it that way as she moved toward the most vulnerable of the tree folk.

tly.

Farian advances on the seared treefolk and swings her mace, landing a glancing blow.

16:23, Today: Farian Raymellie rolled 19,4 using 1d20+7,1d8+3 ((12,1)).
This message was last edited by the player at 21:25, Thu 20 May 2021.

"Oh? What kind of good stuff?" Narthian says with a slight dip of his bow, feigning interest to buy time.

Bluff? 16:27, Today: Narthian Goldleaf rolled 15 using 1d20+1 ((14)).

Dellas looked up to Dante in expecting glance, curious if they were moving along with the crowd or wanting to get back with the others. He then glanced about the room, finding Kelvren and just nodding for him to stay put hidden within the rafters. Vish he felt already scurried away.

With a one part jovial and one part hunger, the now wolf man pounces on the undead, jabbing his spear down as fast as he can.

OCC: I'm assuming that it is within a 5' step. If I have to take a 5' I will, but I rolled both attacks just in case.

16:54, Today: Volsh son of Vor rolled 17,12,12,9 using D20+10,d8+5,d20+5,d8+5.  Attack/damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:41, Sat 29 May 2021.

Feeling a touch of concern at Firvian's words regarding the hazard to the inn, Dante glances down at Dellas. "At the Jade Rose. We have companions from our ship there." Although if the inn is at risk, and they had been talking about a ship's graveyard, was their ship safe? Were their friends at the inn in greater jeopardy, or the ship? "Will the undead go after our ship?"

He expected they gambling room would rather not have anyone around attracting an attack, because things could easily go missing in the chaos of a fight, but was there any reason to expect that those at the inn hadn't simply barricaded themselves inside to wait it out?

At the Jade Rose Inn



Bruenor slashes the prince's sword down once, twice, and finally beheads the undead, leaving a smell of scorched seaweed and rotting fish in its wake!



Mystique dives low through the mist and you turn towards where he indicates, seeing vague, lumbering forms through the reflected flames against the night vapor.  With another incantation, Haazheel can sling another fireball through the groaning crowd, illuminating more undead and causing another handful to crumple to the ground, burning.



While the undead at his feet is quite inert, the flare of flames from outside illuminates the others who are stumbling up from the harbor. Volsh can run outside, Thunder at his heels, and take on the nearest of the undead foes.  With the firelight you can see more than before, and Volsh and Thunder can go after a waterlogged undead wearing a tricorn hat of a pirate captain, one eye socket covered by a silvery eyepatch, the other gaping and empty, a ragged red coat around the sopping flesh of his body.  Thunder is able to knock the captain down, and Volsh's spear Widowmaker finds a home in the undead's belly!

Rand moves up closer to Bruenor, a log of firewood in his hands, continuing his encouraging chant...

--

The Wanderfoot Gambling Room



Firvian shakes his head as their group moves up to the door.  "Drusilla, dear, where is the trouble concentrated tonight," he asks the hostess in a low voice.

"Upper end of Inn Street, sir, I'm afraid.  Apparently someone wasn't heeding the warnings.  There's sounds of a tussle down that way, and we'd rather get our customers away from any unpleasantness," the woman says.  There's a knock at the door, and she opens it quickly, gesturing for Firvian, Averdante, Dellas, the Lady, and Pelas to get into the waiting carriage.  It's a bit of a squeeze, but as Dellas and the Lady are not very big, it's doable.  The door us pulled firmly shut, and the horses begin to pull with a will.

"Well, with that in mind, I can offer you all the hospitality of my home for the night," Firvian says.  "The Jade Rose Inn is sturdily built, and should be able to weather this storm without problem.  Ah, in regards to your ship, I doubt it will be attacked, if it is mostly untenanted.  Those that haunt the night often go for concentrations of people, hence part of the reason we are being scattered."



Kelvren is happy to perch and watch - it is his purpose, after all.  As the carriage begins to move, Dellas feels a surge of fear from Vish, and gets the sense that there are dangerous, unnatural things on the streets.

--

The Secret Cove



Moving like a wisp of fog herself, Lantamori eases herself behind the burned treefolk so quietly she doesn't even disturb a twig.  The treefolk, focused on their own pain, doesn't seem to notice her at all.



Farian moves in from the other side, her mace adding to the treefolk's obvious pain and illuminating the mist around her.

Sir Aberlayne gets to her feet, swinging her axe and using the top of it to punch her treefolk in the belly, knocking the wind out of them!

The winded treefolk limps backwards and downs another potion, fading from view!

The burned treefolk bends slightly and throws a handful of dirt into Farian's eyes, which hits squarely! 

From the direction of the hut, a bolt flies towards Farian's illumianted form and strikes her armor, but fails to penetrate, leaving nothing behind but a bruise.  There's another curse from Buno, and a sound of retreating feet.



"Coin, wine, jewelry, few bits of magic.  Two firkins in the back of the room I just came from, and a cedar jewel chest on top of them.  That's the best of it, and it can be moved quick enough.  Leave me be, and I'll tell you how to disarm the traps on 'em," the hooded figure says quickly, head moving side to side as if looking for another ambush.

Haazheel looks and moves as suggested, and makes a gesture while intoning


He asks Mystique to return  to a lookout position.

00:21, Today: Haazheel Thorn rolled 28 using 7d6 ((5,3,5,6,2,5,2)).

Coming up behind the treefolk, Lantamori attempted to thump it on the back of the head with the pommel of her dagger.

OOC: Nonlethal sneak attack against flat footed.
Lantamori rolled 12 using d20+6-4 with rolls of 10.  Attack from behind!
Lantamori rolled 24 using 4d6+1d4+1 with rolls of 6,5,6,2,4.  Sneak Attack Damage with dagger.

"Those all sound nice," Narthian replies. "But you know that we are not here for any old treasure. We are looking for something truly valuable..."

Narthian readies a Faerie Fire spell in case the slime ball works himself free.

Thunder rips at the downed undead.

Thunder! 20:43, Today: Narthian Goldleaf rolled 17,3 using 1d20+7,1d6+2 ((10,1)).
This message was last edited by the player at 01:44, Fri 04 June 2021.

Farian intones a spell, hoping to get rid of the fog and, potentially, reveal the other treefolk. She does not bother to move out of combat range of the tree folk that she and Lantamori are now flanking.

Casting Dispel Magic as area affect centered 21 feet away (to prevent dispelling her own protective magic), around where the other treefolk was last seen.

Concentration vs. 10+damage taken: 21:01, Today: Farian Raymellie rolled 28 using 1d20+17 ((11)).

Dispel check: 21:03, Today: Farian Raymellie rolled 18 using 1d20+7 ((11)).

Gripping his sword with grim determination,  Breunor rushed outside

Haazheel sees a group of six undead. He extends thre fingers and

Scorching rays, one, two, three
Now do a good job for me!

09:41, Today: Haazheel Thorn rolled 33 using 12d6 ((4,6,3,3,2,1,3,4,3,1, 2,1)).

Damages: 16, 10, 7

A howl of triumph as Thunder pulls the sodden being down. Continuing the pack tactics, he stabs down twice in rapid succession while growling and thick drops of saliva drips from his extended jaws.

Full: Attack twice
09:53, Today: Volsh son of Vor rolled 19,9,21,8 using D20+10,d8+5,d20+5,d8+5.  Attack/damage.
Total of 17 piercing and magical damage

If there is a place on the carriage's exterior where Prreet can get a secure, unnoticed seat, Dante will direct him there, to keep that bit of advantage. If not, he'll have the stone cat return to his usual perch on his shoulders just before he climbs into the vehicle himself.

This is risky, he knows, but Dellas is a skilled and often overlooked wizard. They've found a part of the smuggling ring, and Firvian might be hard to find later, if he gets too suspicious. Settling onto the padded bench seat, Dante looks across at Dellas. Is he willing to follow this through now, or does he look as if he'd rather they take their chances in the street to return to the inn and check on their companions?

Dellas looks back one last time, then turns towards Dante and Firvian "Well that does sound most dangerous. Lets get to some safety." As he clambers up next to Dante.

Outside the Jade Rose Inn



Haazheel's rays of fire streak out from his fingers, one sizzling to harmless steam as it brushed one waterlogged walking corpse, but two more finding their marks, searing the sopping flesh!




Bruenor, seeing the flames illuminate a half-dozen more staggering foes, rushes to aid Volsh and Haazheel, quickly attracting the attention of one of the undead and he charges towards them.



Volsh makes quick work of the pirate captain and whirls to face the last five of his foes.



Thunder targets the nearest undead, which fails to trip under the wolf's assault, but has a mouthful of waterlogged flesh ripped away by Thunder's powerful jaws!

Rand runs after Bruenor, shutting the door to the Jade Rose Inn behind him, and pulls out his dagger as he follows his new companions, continuing his encouraging chant!

Two undead stagger forward to swipe at Volsh, but their blows make no impact on his armor.  Two more lumber ahead to claw at Bruenor, one scraping his filthy claws against Bruenor's breastplate, but failing to find purchase, the other tangling himself in his own net.  The one Thunder is fighting, however, rips deeply into the wolf's fur, spilling hot blood onto the cold, slick cobblestones.

--

The Streets of Rooton



Prreet, from the images he sends, his able to leap onto the cargo area behind the body of the carriage and slip mostly out of sight.



"Indeed, I am not up for fighting through the haunts of the night to get to my own bed when yours are quite comfortable," the Lady says, and Pelas nods in agreement.

"Fair and fair.  Then, my old and new friends, let us head home for the evening," Firvian says.  He thumps on the roof of the carriage, and when a small hatch slides open, allowing the driver to hear, Firvian says, "Take us to Woodview, my good man."

"Will do, m'lord," the driver says, and slides the hatch shut again.  The carriage picks up the pace, the hooves the horses clicking rapidly on the cobblestones.  Soon enough the sounds transform into hooves on dirt, and the carriage tilts in a way that means you are climbing.  With the mist and darkness there's little to see from Rooton other than the occasional lit window or torch on the street, but nothing very far from where you are.  You travel for perhaps twenty minutes before the carriage comes to a halt.  The door opens, revealing a courtyard in front of a wood and stone manor that sits high above Rooton, likely looking out over the harbor.  A half-dozen servants stand with lit torches to illuminate the way and assist everyone from the carriage, revealing the fine carvings on the walls of stylized birds and beasts.

Soon enough everyone has been ushered indoors (the entry hall with its tapestries of scrolls and flowers, and small potted trees) and set down in a comfortable hall with a large fireplace, lit against the damp chill of the night, several lanterns providing adequate light.  There are no hunting trophies upon the walls, instead there are a few more tapestries of various pedigrees from prominent families of Low'verok, several bookshelves with a wealth of books, folios, and scrolls in cases, a number of living trees and potted plants, as well as a few colorful birds in large cages, mostly dozing.  Curiously, the walls are also adorned with the occasional glass-topped case with a quill or glass pen in it, labeled with a name.

The furniture here is either well-carved wood or stuffed leather, both elegant and comfortable, with small tables about for both lamps and books.  Pelas, the Lady, and Firvian settle themselves by the fire, and wine or cordial is offered all around.

"My servants are seeing that rooms are set up for all of you.  Once I get a chance to catch my breath a bit, perhaps I'll see if I can hunt down that text for you, Averdante.  After all, our night was interrupted, and if we cannot cheat one another at cards, perhaps we can expand our minds in the pursuit of knowledge," Firvian says.

The Lady laughs and Pelas shakes his head.  "Oh save us from too much knowledge!" she declares.

"You'll have to excuse the pair of them," Pelas says, shaking his head.  "They do so like to meddle with newcomers for their own amusement."
--

The Secret Cove



"Bleeding hell, it's gettin' to be so's a man can't make a dishonest living anymore," the Boss snaps, and reaches, slowly, back inside and grabs a tiny barrel, even smaller than a firkin, and thrusts it in the dirt.  There's a faint thud within the barrel when it comes to rest.  "The ring yer godly girl wanted, it's in here.  Now, if m'lordship pleases, I'll be going," he says, and goes to walk deeper into the woods.

As the cloaked figure attempts to finish his transaction, Buno suddenly emerges from the door, crossbow at his side, looking frantic.  "Boss!  Boss, they got the twins and I think they're after-"  Buno stops almost comically when he sees Narthian standing there, then frantically digs for a knife sheathed at his side!



Silent and hidden in the mist, Lantamori's surprise attack connects with precision, knocking the treefolk face-down in the forest loam, unconscious.



Farian's cascade of magic washes over the area, suddenly leaving the formerly-invisible treefolk now quite visible indeed!  Sir Aberlayne takes advantage of Farian's spell and smashes the butt of her axe into the treefolk, knocking them to the ground and seemingly out like a snuffed torch.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:39, Wed 23 June 2021.

Yelling an old fashioned battle cry, Bruenor rushed at the nearest undead,  sword swinging in a wide arc.

OOC:
03:44, Today: Bruenor Sedricson rolled 18 using 1d20+10.  1st power attack
 03:45, Today: Bruenor Sedricson rolled 6 using 1d6.  1st fire damage .
03:45, Today: Bruenor Sedricson rolled 11 using 1d8+9.  1st  sword damage .

03:44, Today: Bruenor Sedricson rolled 9 using 1d20+5.  2nd power attack .

Narthian completes his Faerie Fire, targeted to outline the "Boss" with a vibrant green sheen, and including Buno if near enough. "You misunderstand," Narthian says, giving Buno a warning glance. "The object is wanted, but we want to know more, specifically how it came to be in your possession. Run if you will, but you are marked and my wolf brothers will soon be on your heals."

No saving throw. Area of effect is only a 5' radius.

"Now what?" Lantamori asked of Farian as she hadn't exactly understood how the transaction went.

Haazheel, keeping away from harm, assesses what to do next.