Dawn, Readying 21, 591

The fellowship emerges from the cover of the jungle and reenter the city, they find it covered in mist. It is hard to see more than 15’ away. The city is silent except for the calls of birds echoing from the treetops. They arrive at the villa without incident – though they can only see it dimly in the distance.

Fingol leans over to Lady Rain, “Do you still have your flute? Perhaps you could announce our presence. I’d hate to startle their watchers.”

Rain chuckles and with surprising speed has flute in hand from what appears to be a pocket of some sort on her right thigh. She stands slightly in front of the ensemble and begins playing a very uncharacteristic bright celebratory tune

(Think Eine Kleine Nachtmusik – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U1Qg_0GzU8)

As Rain plays, Adalwulf begins praying and with his silvery sun disk
in one hand, lays his other upon Rain’s back. It is a light touch, but
Rain feels the tingle of protective divine magic. “In the name of
Pholtus may you be protected from evil, and may you be given sanctuary from harm. It will be hard to attack you for half a minute, but neither must you attack. Use the time well to begin negotiations.”

As Rain is playing the flute and Adalwulf is casting protection spells
on her, Drago senses magic around the entrance to the villa and even
within the ground before the entrance. Both are feint, but the former
is some kind of abjuration while the latter is necromantic. If Rain
steps within 15′ of the entrance she will be standing over the
necromantic magic within the ground.

The heavy oaken door fronting the villa opens with a creak and one of
the armored Deathwalkers steps out to issue a challenge in Amedi, “Who is there? What do you want of the Deathwalkers?”

Lorindel whispers, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Drago mutters, “Sendu mesaghon!” To Rain he whispers, “Death magic in the ground within 15 feet from villa. Don’t get that close. Some other magic around the door too… Not sure what.”

Rain whispers back “thanks.”

She then addresses the Deathwalker in Amedi “Good Morning, I am Lady Rain and request to speak with Patriarch Tavismok of the Deathwalkers regarding prisoners of war we wish to return to him. Would you be so kind as to inform him of this.”

The guard replies, “Prisoners?! What prisoners are these? Where are you from Lady Rain? Who is your lord? Who is the god you bow to?”

Rain continues evenly “Previous captives of the gnolls, poorly guarded by you and taken by them. I am from Westkeep and bow to no god. Now please deliver my message to Patriarch Tavismok.”

The guard: “Who are these captives? Show them to me before I trouble our patriarch.”

Rain: “I will show you one.”

Turning her head to the fellowship she says in common “Let him see one of them.”

Fingol goes back in the ranks and gets Olavi.

The guard: “Olavi, you are known to us. Is it as they say? Did they rescue you and others from the gnolls?”

Fingol moves to muzzle him if he has to.

Olavi says, “It is true. They saved four of us from the gnolls.”

The guard considers this and then says, “Don’t move. I will inform
Patriarch Tavaskmok that you wish to speak with him.”

Rain turns briefly to Olavi, “Thank you, Olavi” then returns her stance, waiting for Tavismok.

The oaken door is pulled shut and the fellowship hear a bar being
moved into place. After many long minutes the bar is pulled back and
the door opens again. Just as Newt saw him before in Ulpu’s memories,
Patriarch Tavasmok steps forth in full Thracian armor beneath his
black robe and cowl. In one hand he holds a large scythe, and in the
other he grasps a silver death’s head amulet. In a reedy voice that
nevertheless resonates with menace he announces in Amedi, “I am
Patriarch Tavasmok. Do you come to return our people and offer
obeisance to the Dark One?”

Rain produces a polite smirk as she mentally wills her brooch to aid in this transaction and says “I am Lady Rain of Westkeep. Well met, Patriarch Tavasmok. I am afraid we have not come to offer anything to your dark one, only to offer an exchange of prisoners. Our purpose here is to find and return those taken from Cypress Hill. I am offering an exchange of our prisoners for yours, simply put.”

Tavasmok snarls and spits out, “How dare you presume to make bargains with me! Die slavers!”

At just the moment, Indranil and the others who are hiding in the
rubble feel their skin prickle and a stench of sickly sweet corruption
washes over them. In the fog they hear something or several
somethings, the probably source of the stench, padding towards them.

“Everyone withdraw!” shouts Fingol. “Father Adalwulf, watch for
undead.” Fingol leads Olavi away. (GM: So Fingol is withdrawing,
dragging Olavi with him. Olavi is still bound I am assuming.)

“Fingol, now is not time to retreat! Attack him while he is in the
open!” shouts Indranil.

Drago nods his agreement but otherwise remains silent. He watches for
approaching undead.

Rain retreats – darting away back into the mist and then turning to
the side. She draws her rapier and dagger as she goes.

“Can anyone conjure up a breeze to rid us of this fog?” asks Lorindel.

Howling as they come, cadaverous hairless Deathwalkers in loincloths
and skeletal warpaint lunge out of the fog behind the fellowship. They
are armed only with inhumanly sharp claws and teeth and their eyes
glimmer redly as though lit with the fires of the pit.

Drago pushes his way past Grim and Morgyrm shouting the incantation,
“Disrompu nemortajhon!” He points to the creature loping towards
Lorindel and hits him square in the chest with a ray of shimmering
white light. The creature rears back hissing – it’s chest burned black
by the light. It futilely holds up its hands to ward off Drago’s
attack and then changes direction to take down the reptilian sorcerer.
Lorindel maneuvers to get a shot at it before it reaches Drago but his
shot misses its head by inches. Then Grim and Morgrym jump in its way
and begin hacking at it with their axes. Desperately the creature
claws and bites at Grim, who holds it off with his shield. Its
overpowering stench however, overcomes Lorindel and Morgrym who back
off wretching. Grim breathes through his mouth and focuses on his
shieldwork.

Indranil, draws his sword and settles his shield into the guard
position while turning to meet the attack and calls out to Aatu,
“Attack!” He lays into the ghastly creature while yelling, “We are
under attack by the undead.”

Adalwulf rushes to the back of the fellowship and presents the silver
sun disk of Pholtus to the advancing undead. “Go back – you ghastly
spawn of netherworld!” They quail at the sign of Pholtus and their
skin begins to char and blacken. With a shriek, the creature clawing
at Grim’s shield actually evaporates into nothingness.

“Moradin!” shout the dwarves as Rogi, Bodan, Hilric and Grumar charge
past Adalwulf to hack at the two creatures remaining.

Aramek, peering into the fog but seeing nothing, takes a moment to
cast Mage Armor upon himself.

Newt nocks an arrow to her bow and wait, hearing the advance of the
warriors in the fog ahead.

“Father Adalwulf, turn those undead. Everyone withdraw, now!” Fingol
continues to manhandle Olivia away from the villa.

Indranil cries, “Sir Fingol! Call us to formation and lead us unto
battle! Now is not the time to withdraw! We will lose any chance of
saving Newt’s mother!”

The dwarves, meanwhile, succeed in cutting down one of the two undead
in their rear, but they are quick and tough and the last one continues
to fight on, and succeeds in laying its claws into Grumar. Tough as
they are, even the dwarves are beginning to get sickened by its
carrion stench and they are forced to give way. Seeing that he must
once again call upon the power of Pholtus, Adalwulf again presents the
silver sun disk and cries, “Away – back to the darkness with you!”
With a final shriek of fury it evaporates and the way of retreat is
cleared.

Indranil moves to the side of Fingol to close ranks. The others move
back as well, maintaining their relative positions.

GM: That includes Drago who is behind Aramek now.

Newt retreats with the others. Off in the fog she sees what appears to
be one of the armored warriors. She looses an arrow at him and sees it
strike home in his thigh. The fighter grunts and stumbles.

Fingol takes a deep breath and then shouts, “All, hold here! Archers,
target the warrior in banded armor. Indranil, cast Entangle at the
scythe.” He then shoves Olavi at Uldar saying to the dwarf, “Take
him.”

“Sir Fingol, I do not have Entangle ready. I am saving Summon Nature’s
Ally and Magic Fang for Tavosmok to aid a flanking attack.”

Indranil tucks his sword under his left arm while he calls forth Magic
Fang and lightly touches Aatu’s head to imbue him with the spell while
he stands within arm’s reach of Fingol to provide mutual support from
each other’s shield and arms. He then regains his sword with his right
hand and crouches ready for the attack. “Aatu ready… we target the
leader in front, and then we will move towards the cleric.”

The fighter pulls out Newt’s arrow and calls the charge. The
Deathwalkers yell as one and come running out of the mists. It does
not go well for them. Aramek draws his wand and fires a scorching ray
that burns through shield and chest of one approaching warrior. He
drops but the one behind him leaps over the smoking corpse and thrusts at the half-elf sorcerer with his spear, only to find the tip forced away by the invisible force of Aramek’s mage armor.

Morgrym cuts down one with his axe, as does Dognar. The Deathwalker leader is struck again by Newt but Grim cuts him down with his axe before he can reach her. The second ranks of warriors strikes but the shieldwork and armor of the dwarves is proof against them. Only Dognar is pierced, and it is only a small scratch that he suffers.

“Archers, focus on the cleric!” shouts Fingol. “Indranil, break off
and join Rain. Find Saeva.” Fingol, shield set and morningstar drawn
advances on the Deathwalkers and crushes in the head of the
Deathwalker attacking Dognar.

“Aye Cousin, the Goddess be with you!” Indranil breaks off moving to
find Rain. “Aatu, with me!”

Drago jumps in front of Aramek with shield and sword in hand, saying, “I’ll save you, Master.”

The dwarves and warriors continue to trade blows, the dwarves
inflicting vicious wounds with their axes. Then the warriors give way
and fall back into the fog in an attempt to return to the villa.

Fingol calls out, “Charge them! Get them before they enter the villa!”

Aramek takes down one of the Deathwalkers with another scorching ray from his wand. Lorindel appears again out of the fog to loose another arrow at the retreating warriors, but his arrow is stopped by the shield of his target. Drago is the only one able to catch up to the
warriors and he cuts one down with his sword. Newt looks for a target
but there are too many friends running in the fog between her and the
Deathwalkers. Unfortunately, the more encumbered Keolanders and
dwarves are unable to catch up with the lightly armed and armored
Deathwalkers, and eight of them are able to get back inside the
relative safety of the villa.

Adalwulf, Grim, Morgrm, Dognar, and Uldar rush the door of the villa before it can slam shut, but they are too late. Then the ground beneath their feets begins churning, and rotting furry claws begin thrusting themselves out of the earth all around them.

Aramek sees what is happening at the villa door and yells, “Ho, Feko!”

“EEeek!” With a shriek of surprise, Newt digs in her heels, halting her progress toward the zombie field. She looks around for a blunt weapon, hoping to pound a nearby zombie before it can free itself from the ground.

Fingol yells “Swords! Use swords against zombies!” Remembering his fights with the undead in the mound.

This scene is still unfolding.