Chapter 3.2 - Return to the Golden Grain Inn

The party waits out the day in the Dim Forest. The day is hot and humid despite the shade. The wait is long and tedious.The hours creep by. In the distance, you hear the roar of a large predator, but there is no answering challenge and nothing dangerous appears.

Finally, the light begins to fade as the sun descends to the horizon. Chase leads the way to a place to ford the Realstream, and the party makes it across before true night has fallen. The night is warm and the forest thick with the sound of twilight creatures as the heroes proceed through the undergrowth to Cecily's Road. They then proceed east in the darkness.

Chase slows, and the group confers: how will they proceed? Do they produce light for the ranger and the others who cannot see, or does Aanbo, Morton, and Theran lead the rest of them by the hands down the dark road to the outskirts of Orlane? The moon will rise in a couple more hours, and once it does, the party will be able to navigate the village at night as long as they are out of the Dim Forest where the moonlight does not penetrate.

Despite their expectations of resistance, the party meets no gate or blockade as they descend Cecily's Road from the top of the rise overlooking the village of Orlane. It is still dark, though a faint glimmer on the distant forest horizon suggests that it won't be long before the moon rises.

Leading them confidently in front, sharpest-eared Theran hears a group of people talking just as the heroes draw even with the first buildings along the road. He taps Aanbo on the shoulder, and then the dwarf hears it, too. Seconds afterward, the party sees a glow in the distance, a light approaching from the lake's shore to the east. As the light advances, the party makes out a group of eight or ten people with lanterns ambling west toward the party along Cecily's Road. They don't seem particularly alert, and have not noticed the party yet. Each is armed with at least some kind of pole arm: a staff, a spear, a glaive...it's hard to tell with the swinging lanterns.

Each of you sees this, and can decide for yourselves (unless you have a silent way of communicating in the dark) whether you are going to Hide behind the closest structure, run ahead for the Golden Grain Inn, or do something else.
If you opt to Hide, roll a Stealth check.
If you opt to run, roll an Athletics check.

A picture is worth more words than I can effectively use to describe the two groups' locations.


The party's current location is marked with the STAR.
The other group's current location is marked with a spear-toting guard token.
Reminder: private establishments are PURPLE, public businesses are GREEN, and outbuildings are BROWN.
On this close-up:
1 is the Golden Grain Inn.
2 is the bridge across the Realstream River.
3 is the Weaver's shop.
4 is the Jeweler's shop.
5 is the Slumbering Serpent Inn.
8 is the Mill.

The several buildings that are not labeled are blank because the party has not investigated them and does not know who or what lives/works there.

As the party catches sight of the spear-toting patrol ahead, they scramble to get to safety. Unfortunately, they have different ideas about safety, as they dash in different directions. Aanbo turns to whisper directions, but some of the party have already let go of the rope and disappeared into hiding. Following Aanbo's whispered suggestion, the others run down the street. After a beat, Aanbo, Theran, and Morton look at each other, realizing at the same instant that the people who are running toward the Inn (and the patrol!) can't see well in the dark. They sprint after them. While they catch up quickly, Arya's long lithe legs nearly outdistance the others, and Aanbo has to lunge to grab her and turn her onto the north street. Unfortunately, the big group is not quite fast enough, and the Orlane patrol detects some sound or motion down the road: a glint of metal, a scuff of a boot, or something similar. "Hey! There's someone over there!" one of them shouts, and they break into a run toward the party, shadows dancing crazily as the lanterns swing to and fro. "You won't get away, murderer!"

Chase lurks in a shadow and averts his eyes from the light as the patrol runs past his hiding place...and keeps running. "Over here!" There is much commotion as the members of the patrol call to one another. "I think I saw something!"

Arriving in the sheltered space between the barn and the Golden Grain Inn, Aanbo and Theran leave the others with Morton. Morton can keep a watch over them with his darkvision, but they alone know the layout of the village and are able to see their way without producing more light. "Me, too!" comes the distant shout of a patrolman. Trusting that the others are waiting for their help, the monk and the druid begin hunting for the scattered Dungeon Busters in the darkness, hoping to find the remaining dark-blind ones and lead them to their meeting place.

"No, this way!" comes the faint shout of another patrolman. Soon afterward, the other heroes arrive silently: the druid leading the rogue, the monk leading the ranger along the wall from the other direction. The voices of the patrol are moving further away still.
"Hey, help me here!"
"You're imagining it!"

Looking at the back door of the Inn, the heroes with darkvision see that the opening has been hastily boarded up. The nails could probably be pried out pretty easily, but the sound might carry a long way in the dark. "I got him! I got him!" Still, the Orlane patrol group seems to be making a lot of noise on its own, and probably wouldn't hear.
"That's ME, idiot!"
"We'd better report in..."

The party waits for a while longer and the sound of the Orlane patrol fades as it moves even further away. Quickly checking the cellar door, the darkvision-equipped PCs realize that it, too, has been boarded up.

It is then that the party realizes that Jonel is not with them.

They do a quick review: everyone split up when they saw the patrol; Morton helped Myrtha, Aanbo guided Arya. Morton stayed with the humans while Theran went back and found Ember, and Aanbo brought Chase.

The three who can see - Theran, Morton, Aanbo - take turns searching for the next few minutes, but they cannot find the sorcerer. Chase thinks that he'd be able to track Jonel down, except that it's too dark for him to see. It's a frustrating, frightening few minutes for Arya, Chase, Ember, and Myrtha, standing around in the thick darkness while their friends keep moving around, talking about their companion who has vanished. "What could have happened to him?"
"He could've been caught by the patrol."
They take some comfort in the fact that they did not find Jonel's body in their search. "So he wasn't killed."
"That probably means he was taken away," one of them suggests.
"This is just like Joseph all over again!"
One of them thoughtfully observes: "You know, when we first met him, he'd managed to get away from those undead and survived the whole night and the following day in the forest on his own. He could have just run off again and is laying low until he can see enough to find his way."
"He knows where we were going, so he should be coming here once he can see when the moon rises."

Aanbo finds that the front door of the Golden Grain Inn is not boarded up, as it was still intact when the party left. It does appear to be locked, however.

Ember feels her way to the door, finds the keyhole, and very quickly is able to trip the tumblers and open the latch. There is no bar on the door: a hopeful sign that no one is waiting on the inside.

With the help of the demihumans, everyone has soon slipped into the common room of the Golden Grain Inn. It is very dark, and quiet.

Myrtha and Chase have their exchange about light in soft voices. No one is certain that the Inn is completely empty, though there is no sound or sense of movement aside from themselves. Realizing that there's no convenient key on the inside, Aanbo nudges Ember, who understands immediately. As Theran and Morton take the hands of Arya, Chase, and Myrtha to lead them around the furniture (there are still some stubbed toes as chairs are bumped in passing) to the kitchen, the rogue finds the lock again and works her skill on the tumblers, re-locking the front door. Then Ember whispers "Done" so that Aanbo knows its time to take her hand and lead her after the others.

As they move through the common room, through another door, past the kitchen counters, through another door, and carefully down the stairs in the pitch darkness, Morton, Theran, and Aanbo observe that the Inn does not seem to have seen recent use, nor (the druid and monk notice) does it seem to have been cleaned since they left it ten days ago. The remains of the late-night meal that Derek, Hamiff, and Bertram were having when the party interrupted them still sits, moldering, on one of the tables. The kitchen air is stale and the counters are dusty. If anyone has been here since the dead bodies were collected, they haven't used any of these spaces.

Finally, the party arrives down in the basement, with a flight of stairs and three closed doors between them and the outside. All four doors leading out of this room - the door to the wine cellar, the door to the pantry, the secret door, and the door upstairs back into the kitchen - are closed. Aanbo checks the stashed weapons that he left here behind the barrels; they are gone.

Morton sees several unlit torches in iron sconces hammered into the stone north wall. Theran, Myrtha, Chase, and Aanbo already knew they were there (though the two humans can't see them at the moment) from their previous visit.

As Morton retrieves a torch, Aanbo is addressing the group: "Let's find the tunnels." The dwarven monk tests to see if his memory serves as to how to open the secret door. "Sorry, everyone. We'll be in the dark for a little while longer, bear with us." Moments after, the sparks catch the pitch, and soon all the human adventurers breathe a sigh of relief because they can see again. Aanbo pulls the wall sconce furthest from the stairs, and it shifts. With a shudder and a creak, the secret panel in the eastern wall swings open again, revealing the secret meeting room. The light shining through the opening reveals a narrow patch of the far wall with a ladder set into it. Theran steps in immediately to get a quick look; he sees no sign of an ambush in the shadows, and he's secretly relieved that their former captives Lhari and Hamiff aren't here, dead from starvation (or otherwise). The trap door in the ceiling is closed, and the heavy door in the southern wall that leads to the tunnels is closed and barred.



The newcomers to the basement take stock of their surroundings: two large support pillars hold up the floor of the kitchen and common room above. To the west, the stairs lead up to the kitchen from the center of the room. On either side of the stairs a sturdy wooden door is set in the western wall. Tables and chairs have been stacked against the southern wall with old barrels: castoffs or overflow from the Inn. Part of the wooden wall to the east has slid back to reveal a secret meeting room where Theran is standing, scanning for threats (he sees none, as described above).

Arya, Myrtha, and Chase follow Theran into the secret meeting room, the light of the torch illuminating the space. Aside from the vertical ladder leading up to the ceiling's trap door, there is a table with chairs, a bench that has been used as a counter, and a large set of shelves. Chase notices there is a bit of severed rope under the table: the ropes that had bound Hamiff and Lhari.

A heavy wooden door is set in the southern wall; the hinges reveal that the door swings inward. Rings anchored to the wall bracket the door, and a stout beam has been slid through the rings to prevent the door from opening. It looks substantially the same to Theran, Myrtha, and Chase as when they saw it last. Ember examines the door more closely; there are no signs that the door has been tampered with on this side: no wires, twine, or traces of any sticky material.

Theran cast Shillelagh as together Chase and Aanbo pulled the beam out of the rings and set it aside. Opening the door, a stale, cold funk of must and decay washed over the party. The light from the torch that Arya bore revealed a tunnel dug out of the earth, packed down hard for a floor and propped up with wooden timbers every few paces for walls and ceiling. The overhead clearance is low, maybe just a boot over two paces, so that while exploring the tunnel, the taller adventurers' hair might brush the dirt. Ember and Morton steeled themselves to venture into the unknown.Myrtha offers a torch to someone who would hold it, and steps to the front of the group.

Marching order:
1. Myrtha (17/18)
2. Chase Brandstone (14/14) with lit torch
3. Ember Heatherton (9/9)
4. Morton (9/9)
5. Aanbo Earthshaker (27/27)
6. Arya Arkon (10/10) with lit torch
7. Theran Nailo (18/18)

Assuming Aanbo doesn't rove ahead after all, this is what I've put together as a marching order, based on your responses.

Marching order:
1. Myrtha (17/18)
2. Chase Brandstone (14/14) with lit torch
3. Ember Heatherton (9/9)
4. Morton (9/9)
5. Aanbo Earthshaker (27/27)
6. Arya Arkon (10/10) with lit torch
7. Theran Nailo (18/18)

Myrtha leads the way, Chase lighting the way behind her left shoulder.

Soon enough, the passage splits into three directions: west, south, and southeast.

What do you want to do?

Chase examines the ground in the flickering torchlight. There are no discernible tracks, but there are signs that something irregularly-shaped has been dragged down each passage. It's always hard to say how long ago something like that happened, as there is no wind to disturb tracks here, so something like this might lie undisturbed for weeks, if the traffic is that infrequent.

With no further information to go on, Myrtha leads the way down the left-most branch of the tunnel (southeast). The tunnel curves as they go, so that the people in front cannot see the people in the back and vice versa. All the way at the end of the line, Theran hears a faint "snap!" in the distance down one of the other tunnels, barely audible over the noise of all the people in front of him carrying their gear in close quarters. He's pretty sure that it was not a noise that the party made; it's tough to be sure. Luckily, the uneven dirt walls alternating with wood timbers do not reflect sound very much, so everyone is fairly confident that the noise of their passage does not carry far.

Myrtha proceeds down the tunnel, the others creeping along behind her. It continues to curve gently to her right, and she arrives at another fork: the group can go left (south, though it appears to continue curving to the southwest) or right (west).

Theran and Ember hear a very faint squeak ahead of them, as of a small creature in great distress.
Myrtha is at the juncture, and, hearing no other ideas from the rest of the party, she then leads the way down the left branch. It curves around to the right, and then jogs left again, at which point it opens into a larger open space. The ground crunches underfoot; looking down, the adventurers see that there are bone fragments scattered on the dirt here. The other obvious feature is a body laying near the center of the room. Various items of clothing and other gear are scattered about among the many bones and fragments of bone.



What do each of you do?

I'd like to know where each of the characters are. It sounds like Aanbo is checking out the body, Myrtha and Theran are examining the room, and Chase is marking the wall (where? at the entrance?). Aanbo has suggested that the others retreat back into the tunnel; what are Arya, Ember, and Morton doing?

Myrtha keeps highly alert to any movement or sound from the far side of the cave, or from above her.

At Aanbo's urging, Ember steps back into the tunnel, rapier at the ready, with the light of Arya's torch on one side, and the deep subterranean darkness around the corner in the other. Arya stands at the entrance looking shocked at another glimpse of death, torch loose in her hand. Morton stands near Arya, just inside the room, ready to jump in either direction as the need arises.

Aanbo moves to examine the body, bare feet (?) crunching on bone fragments. Myrtha keeps close to the dwarf, and Chase holds his torch up so that the fighter can see the remains as well as the monk. The remains of a person lies here, and it takes little examination to figure out that the body has been half-eaten, pieces torn off by teeth and claw. It's impossible to tell what type of person it was, but the three Dungeon Busters are relieved to agree that the torn clothing does not resemble anything that Joseph wore. Judging by the smell and the state of the body, whoever it was died sometime within the past week.As the others stand guard or inspect the body, Theran moves about, examining the rest of the chamber and its contents. There are several intact humanoid bones that haven't been broken yet, though they have been picked clean by whatever hungry occupant lives here. He recognizes some animal bones: probably bovine or equine ribs. There is a single boot. There is back part of a small book that was torn in half at some point in the past. There are deep claw marks on the wooden beams that support the ceiling, and gouges in the earthen walls. There are pieces of skulls scattered about; Theran estimates that, if he were to try to piece them together, he'd find that there are at least a dozen distinct heads. It's all very nauseating.

@runekyndig -

Elsewhere, Lyrel had set out for Orlane from Hochoch along Cecily's Road a bit more than half a day behind the rest of the Dungeon Busters group. When night fell, she'd only been in the gloom of the Dim Forest for a few hours, and she made camp off of the Road well short of the abandoned Jarl family homestead.

Unshalevagoruvimue appears to Lyrel again in her dreams, and this time she doesn't think that she imagines the satisfaction in the fey's demeanor when it urges her to seek out the wizard of Orlane.

She feels well-rested and confident after an undisturbed night spent in the calm darkness, reading by the light of the campfire until she couldn't keep her eyes open and had to lay down for a deep trance conversation with the fey creature. Having not been disturbed by belligerent owlbears or the vindictive dead all night long, in the morning Lyrel feels a spring in her step, confident that the journey will continue to be this easy. Strapping her fateful sword at her hip, Lyrel sets out at a vigorous pace on Cecily's Road on this second day in the Dim Forest, but she finds herself enjoying cataloguing the various plant and animal species she observes, stopping periodically to note salient features or sketch depictions of a leaf's unusual vascular pattern or a bird's novel plumage. So when she makes camp for that second night, she hasn't managed to gain much ground on the Dungeon Busters ahead of her, but she wasn't really expecting to; her primary goal remains finding Ramne, the wizard of Orlane. Besides, why would she think it would take less than three days to reach her destination? Everything worthwhile always seems to be three days away!

That night's meditation is unusual for Lyrel. As soon as she sets aside her pen as the fire burns low, she looks up and apparently is already in the trance, because Unshalevagoruvimue is sitting across the fire from her, a twinkle in its eye and a crooked smile on its lips. Like most fey, it is mutable and ever changing, but the eyes and mouth always hold a similar expression; this time it has taken the appearance of a young, extremely handsome half-elf boy (maybe as young as 50).

She looks down and when she looks up it is morning and she is awake. She gathers up her ink, books, sword, and pack and sets out again, following the directions that she received from Larissa on how to cross the Realstream River. Larissa's information is a bit out of date, and Lyrel has to backtrack a bit. When she finally crosses, it is downstream of where the party is crossing back at around the same time. Lyrel progresses into Ramne's Grove, where she finds the Wizard of Orlane digging in his vegetable garden, singing to himself. It is mid-morning, and she has just missed the party by a couple of hours.

Examining the body, Aanbo observes a number of additional details:
- the body is so mangled it's impossible to tell how it was killed, but whatever has been eating it has been doing it over time. Some of the wounds/tears are much more recent than others, which he can tell from the condition of the flesh and the amount of ants present in each.
- the bites that were taken from the flesh are that of a hominid with teeth: a dwarf, an ape, a human, an elf...something like that, rather than another type of carnivore with teeth (canine, feline, ursine, reptile, etc) or carnivore without teeth (avian, amphibian, other reptile, invertebrate, etc).
- the remains of the clothes indicate a local, rather than a traveler: rather than the dust of the road, there are traces of white powder on the clothes, which includes part of a torn apron. The powder appears to be flour, so this was the body of a baker in Orlane, perhaps?

@runekyndig Ramne is interested to hear about the fey visions. He tells Lyrel that the help he needs is with putting a stop to the evil forces that are perverting people to wickedness in Orlane. Once they turn wicked, the people have been pretending to be good, but at night they abduct people to who-knows-where and convert the abductees to their cause...or eliminate them (he's not sure about this last part, but the fact is that some people have disappeared and never returned). He's been working with two groups: the Mayor and a few other trustworthy residents, and the Dungeon Busters who have come from Hochoch. The Dungeon Busters came through, escaped getting abducted, and had a big fight with some of Ramne's neighbors, fellow Orlane residents who were turned evil. Several people were killed, and the priestess from the temple, Misha Devi, officiated at a public funeral where Constable Grover - a good man turned evil - roused the residents into a frenzy of anti-outsider fervor. They've enacted a citizens watch that patrols the streets of the village, looking for outsiders to accuse of crimes. Meanwhile, the abductions have continued; just a few minutes before Lyrel arrived, Ramne was visited by Dorian, one of two elven strangers that came to Orlane a couple of weeks ago. Dorian explained that he and his companion Llywillan were hired by the Mayor to investigate the change in the populace, but that their house was raided last night, and the two elves barely escaped capture.

"You don't know the streets here, and it would attract attention if I changed my routine to show you around myself. Your best chance of safety is to join the other Dungeon Busters, but they left a few hours ago. My familiar has been scouting the village for me; I can have her alert us when she finds them again. I know that their plan was to come back to the Golden Grain Inn (where they were nearly captured more than a week ago) at night to explore some secret tunnels under the Inn."

Ember hears the faint scuff of something scrambling fast toward her in the deep darkness, and so is not surprised when a humanoid form appears to lunge at her.

Everyone, please roll initiative.

---

23 - Ember
17 - Myrtha
17 - The Hungry
16 - Aanbo
16 - Morton
13 - Theran
10 - Chase
6 - Arya

Lyrel lets herself be convinced to stay and keep Ramne company during the daylight hours. He has her stay in his hut as they discuss theories of magic. He asks her a lot of questions about her research and experiments: what gestures have been more effective than others, what balance between comfort and efficacy has she struck in intonations? He expresses polite interest in her sword whenever she brings up the subject, but it is clear he is much more interested in magic spells. Periodically he leaves her to go outside and tend his garden, check for spies, and put on a show of being a daffy old coot for a few minutes. Then he comes back when the coast is clear and he has communicated with Whiskers. The weasel spends the day roaming around the village, observing, and then circles back to the outskirts of the grove, close enough that Ramne can receive its thoughts.

Ramne the wizard notes Lyrel's interest in Whiskers, and, reassured by their conversation that she is an apt practitioner, he provides the materials and discusses with her the finer points of summoning a familiar. This takes the whole day: Lyrel listening, discussing, and understanding, Ramne explaining, then leaving to check on things outside while Lyrel continues the process of scribing.

At the end of it, night has fallen, Ramne has lit candles, Lyrel has added "Find Familiar" to her spellbook, and Ramne returns with a report that the Dungeon Busters have just entered the Golden Grain Inn, so she should leave now.

The hunger of the dark, round one
(this is followed by round two)

A shift of air, a whiff of decay, or some sixth sense alerts Ember to the fact that there are things coming toward her in the dark: silent, scurrying, fast. She has moments to act before they are upon her.
Ember falls back as Myrtha cries "Ember! Get behind me!" and rushes forward, shoving past Arya in the narrow tunnel just as a corpse springs around the corner. While this is clearly a dead humanoid, it is unlike any undead that Myrtha or any of the others have seen previously. Unlike the priests of the New Dawn that Aanbo and Theran had encountered in the Forest Temple, this thing was clearly not magically preserved from aging, but at the same time it is not desiccated or decayed like the undead of the Dim Forest. This thing seems paradoxically vital, and exhibits a crude cunning as it lunges for the doughty human warrior.



Myrtha's spear plunges at the creature as soon as it appears: the point pierces the leathery desiccated flesh and the thing bares its teeth, the remains of a face contorting into a silent grimace of pain.
The monster takes 9 piercing damage!

Then the undead attacks her in turn, grasping and slashing with clawed hands. Myrtha is taken aback by its ferocity as it pulls itself forward on the spear to get at her, and the claws reach over her shield to gouge her face.
Myrtha takes 9 slashing damage and must roll a DC10 CON saving throw!

Aanbo moves up to Myrtha as Arya moves back, fervently gripping her hammer. "Fall back a bit," the monk advises, "Let them get stuck in single-file while we flank the entrance!"

Seeing the thing clawing at Myrtha's face, Morton opens himself to his demonic patron, and the power of fiendish hellfire flows through the conduit he creates, erupting from the elf's outstretched hand in a wave of projected force. The blast ruffles Aanbo's hair and blows past Myrtha's ear to catch the monster in the cheek.
The ravenous undead takes 2 force damage!



Nearby, Lyrel stands at a solid wood door that had been barred with a beam. The beam has been removed, and it is a simple matter to open the door and proceed into the packed earth tunnel beyond. Stepping in, Lyrel can hear muffled, agitated conversation coming from the southeast tunnel, but the packed earth deadens the sound and she can't make out the meaning of the words.


Theran moves up behind Arya until he can lay eyes on the thing attacking Myrtha. Drawing both upon the nightmares of his past and his connection with the fungal engine of decay in the packed earth all around them, the haunted druid forms a ghostly hand in the air in front of him, which then flies corkscrewing through the air, weaving in and out of the spaces between his companions until it latches onto the monster's ghastly arm. The hand sends ghostly mycelium tendrils into the monster's flesh, draining more of its abominable health from its body.
The hungry creature takes 5 necrotic damage!

"Ember take the torch." Chase hands the flickering torch to Ember, then strings his bow as he steps up behind Theran. Through the flames of Arya's torch, he can just see Myrtha struggling with something there, and calls out to their defender: "Myrtha - keep falling back so I can get some shots off."

For her part, Mother Arkon prepares to soothe Myrtha's wounds, but can't get through the press of people to reach her.

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (8/18)
17 - The Hungry (-16, DISADV to attack Theran)
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

Round one, continued...Ember falls back as Myrtha cries "Ember! Get behind me!" and rushes forward, shoving past Arya in the narrow tunnel just as a corpse springs around the corner. While this is clearly a dead humanoid, it is unlike any undead that Myrtha or any of the others have seen previously. Unlike the priests of the New Dawn that Aanbo and Theran had encountered in the Forest Temple, this thing was clearly not magically preserved from aging, but at the same time it is not desiccated or decayed like the undead of the Dim Forest. This thing seems paradoxically vital, and exhibits a crude cunning as it lunges for the doughty human warrior.

---

23 - Ember
17 - Myrtha
17 - The Hungry
16 - Aanbo
16 - Morton
13 - Theran
10 - Chase
6 - Arya

Round one, continued...

Myrtha's spear plunges at the creature as soon as it appears: the point pierces the leathery desiccated flesh and the thing bares its teeth, the remains of a face contorting into a silent grimace of pain.
The monster takes 9 piercing damage!

Then the undead attacks her in turn, grasping and slashing with clawed hands. Myrtha is taken aback by its ferocity as it pulls itself forward on the spear to get at her, and the claws reach over her shield to gouge her face.
Myrtha takes 9 slashing damage and must roll a DC10 CON saving throw!

Aanbo moves up to Myrtha as Arya moves back, fervently gripping her hammer. "Fall back a bit," the monk advises, "Let them get stuck in single-file while we flank the entrance!"

Seeing the thing clawing at Myrtha's face, Morton opens himself to his demonic patron, and the power of fiendish hellfire flows through the conduit he creates, erupting from the elf's outstretched hand in a wave of projected force. The blast ruffles Aanbo's hair and blows past Myrtha's ear to catch the monster in the cheek.
The ravenous undead takes 2 force damage!



Nearby, Lyrel stands at a solid wood door that had been barred with a beam. The beam has been removed, and it is a simple matter to open the door and proceed into the packed earth tunnel beyond. Stepping in, Lyrel can hear muffled, agitated conversation coming from the southeast tunnel, but the packed earth deadens the sound and she can't make out the meaning of the words.

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (8/18)
17 - The Hungry
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

Round one, completed

Theran moves up behind Arya until he can lay eyes on the thing attacking Myrtha. Drawing both upon the nightmares of his past and his connection with the fungal engine of decay in the packed earth all around them, the haunted druid forms a ghostly hand in the air in front of him, which then flies corkscrewing through the air, weaving in and out of the spaces between his companions until it latches onto the monster's ghastly arm. The hand sends ghostly mycelium tendrils into the monster's flesh, draining more of its abominable health from its body.
The hungry creature takes 5 necrotic damage!

"Ember take the torch." Chase hands the flickering torch to Ember, then strings his bow as he steps up behind Theran. Through the flames of Arya's torch, he can just see Myrtha struggling with something there, and calls out to their defender: "Myrtha - keep falling back so I can get some shots off."

For her part, Mother Arkon prepares to soothe Myrtha's wounds, but can't get through the press of people to reach her.

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (8/18)
17 - The Hungry (-16, DISADV to attack Theran)
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

Round Two
(this was preceded by round one, followed by round three)

The monster attacking Myrtha seems to be weakening, either from the damage it has sustained (it is impaled on her spear) or out of disappointment that she hasn't died already.

Tossing the torch to the ground to follow Chase's example, Ember strings her bow, nocks an arrow, and, stepping into the space vacated by Arya, draws and looses a shaft that whizzes through the air to the right of Aanbo's head and to the left of Myrtha's. The arrow squelches into the monster's head, which snaps back.
The hungry creature takes 9 piercing damage, falls to the ground, and does not rise again.

Myrtha takes the opportunity to backpedal, saying "I’m making space, keep ’em pinned down!" as she wrenches her spear from the chest of the corpse. As the burly warrior-woman enters the feeding chamber, petite Arya calls upon Pelor's might, and Myrtha feels her weariness lift as the divine healing flows into her with the cleric's touch.
Myrtha regains 7 HP.



A second undead creature scuttles around the corner into the party's view, moving quickly on all fours, then springs up at the dwarven monk to claw at Aanbo in eerie silence. Aanbo is prepared, and avoids the slashing hands with ease (it reminds him, absurdly, of all the hours he spent training to dodge the 9-toothed rake at Earthshaker Abbey).

Behind it, a third undead humanoid looks with gluttonous eyes at the dwarf and Morton behind him. It tries to squeeze past its companion, but it can't quite reach far enough to touch flesh.


Locked in furious combat with the hungry undead, Aanbo continues to duck and weave, dodging the grasping, raking claws as he attempts to retaliate with his sword, but the nicks and slashes he inflicts on the monster's arms and torso do not do any significant damage.

However, behind him, Morton keeps his connection with the Abyss open, drawing upon his patron to send another shockwave of heat into the undead creature's snapping mouth.
Hungry 2 takes 3 force damage!

Moving down the passage, Lyrel sees the glow of refracted light in the distance, and things moving in front of that light. They don't see her yet, but she can see that there are three undead monsters trying to go to the light like moths to a flame (trying to eat whoever is generating the light, more likely).


Lyrel creeps up on the undead, puts her thumbs together, and spreads her hands in the darkness, quickly intoning the mystical syllables to evoke flame from the air to wash over the three foul undead abominations. She laughs with delight as they sizzle, and calls out in Imperial: "Dungeon Busters, I got your back!"
Hungry 2, Hungry 3, and Hungry 4 take 2 fire damage each!



Aanbo and the others are a bit shocked to see flames washing over the undead monsters out of nowhere, but Morton takes it in stride and responds: "It is a might bit safer on this side."

Theran summons the ghost hand and sends it flying at the undead once more, but this time the monster is ready and dodges it.

Chase pulls, nocks, draws, and looses another arrow. Once again, the ranger's aim is true.
Hungry 2 takes 7 piercing damage!

Her lustrous long black hair swaying as she moves, Arya smiles apologetically to Theran as she squeezes in next to him in order to get one of the horrible undead creatures in her sight, as she intones the ancient words: "Sacred fire, Sacred flame!" Holding the torch aloft in one shapely hand, Arya calls upon Pelor and a beam of coruscating light flares in the ceiling of the tunnel and stabs downward at the undead. "Sacred FIRE! Sacred FLAME!" Once again, the undead monster evades the attack and is not damaged by the holy light.

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (17/18)
17 - Hungry 1, Hungry 2 (-12), Hungry 3 (-2), Hungry 4 (-2)
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

Round two, continued...

Tossing the torch to the ground to follow Chase's example, Ember strings her bow, nocks an arrow, and, stepping into the space vacated by Arya, draws and looses a shaft that whizzes through the air to the right of Aanbo's head and to the left of Myrtha's. The arrow squelches into the monster's head, which snaps back.
The hungry creature takes 9 piercing damage, falls to the ground, and does not rise again.

Myrtha takes the opportunity to backpedal, saying "I’m making space, keep ’em pinned down!" as she wrenches her spear from the chest of the corpse. As the burly warrior-woman enters the feeding chamber, petite Arya calls upon Pelor's might, and Myrtha feels her weariness lift as the divine healing flows into her with the cleric's touch.
Myrtha regains 7 HP.

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (15/18)
17 - Hungry 1
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

Round two, continued...

A second undead creature scuttles around the corner into the party's view, moving quickly on all fours, then springs up at the dwarven monk to claw at Aanbo in eerie silence. Aanbo is prepared, and avoids the slashing hands with ease (it reminds him, absurdly, of all the hours he spent training to dodge the 9-toothed rake at Earthshaker Abbey).

Behind it, a third undead humanoid looks with gluttonous eyes at the dwarf and Morton behind him. It tries to squeeze past its companion, but it can't quite reach far enough to touch flesh.
Moving down the passage, Lyrel sees the glow of refracted light in the distance, and things moving in front of that light. They don't see her yet, but she can see that there are three undead monsters trying to go to the light like moths to a flame (trying to eat whoever is generating the light, more likely).

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (15/18)
17 - Hungry 1, Hungry 2, Hungry 3, Hungry 4
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

Round two, continued...

Locked in furious combat with the hungry undead, Aanbo continues to duck and weave, dodging the grasping, raking claws as he attempts to retaliate with his sword, but the nicks and slashes he inflicts on the monster's arms and torso do not do any significant damage.However, behind him, Morton keeps his connection with the Abyss open, drawing upon his patron to send another shockwave of heat into the undead creature's snapping mouth.
Hungry 2 takes 3 force damage!

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (15/18)
17 - Hungry 1, Hungry 2 (-3), Hungry 3, Hungry 4
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

Round two, continued...

Lyrel creeps up on the undead, puts her thumbs together, and spreads her hands in the darkness, quickly intoning the mystical syllables to evoke flame from the air to wash over the three foul undead abominations. She laughs with delight as they sizzle, and calls out in Imperial: "Dungeon Busters, I got your back!"
Hungry 2, Hungry 3, and Hungry 4 take 2 fire damage each!



Aanbo and the others are a bit shocked to see flames washing over the undead monsters out of nowhere, but Morton takes it in stride and responds: "It is a might bit safer on this side."

Theran summons the ghost hand and sends it flying at the undead once more, but this time the monster is ready and dodges it.

Chase pulls, nocks, draws, and looses another arrow. Once again, the ranger's aim is true.
Hungry 2 takes 7 piercing damage!

Her lustrous long black hair swaying as she moves, Arya smiles apologetically to Theran as she squeezes in next to him in order to get one of the horrible undead creatures in her sight, as she intones the ancient words: "Sacred fire, Sacred flame!" Holding the torch aloft in one shapely hand, Arya calls upon Pelor and a beam of coruscating light flares in the ceiling of the tunnel and stabs downward at the undead. "Sacred FIRE! Sacred FLAME!" Once again, the undead monster evades the attack and is not damaged by the holy light.

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (17/18)
17 - Hungry 1, Hungry 2 (-12), Hungry 3 (-2), Hungry 4 (-2)
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

Round Three
(this was preceded by round two)

Ember breathes deeply, pulls another arrow, nocks, draws, and looses at the next hungry dead in line.
The arrow sinks into the monster's shoulder.
Hungry 2 takes 6 piercing damage!

"Thanks," Myrtha grunts to Arya, then says "Excuse me, Miss Heatherton," to Ember as she steps closer to the rogue for a glimpse around the corner. Then, with a warning to Aanbo - "Head's up, monk!" - she throws her handaxe at the monster attacking the dwarf.
Hungry 2 takes 7 slashing damage and the handaxe lodges in its chest!



The hungry undead monster with the handaxe and two arrows sticking out of it - Hungry 2 - attacks Aanbo with raking claws again! It telegraphs its movements far too much, however, and the monk easily avoids taking damage.

Hungry 3 remains focused on the living in the feeding chamber and crowds behind Hungry 2, eager for its chance to taste fresh blood. It cannot reach Aanbo past its companion, though, and the monk is blocking its access to the rest of the prey.

But Hungry 4 turns and hisses at the source of the searing pain it felt moments ago: Lyrel! It lunges forward to attack her, but she manages to avoid the clumsy strikes.

Sword in hand, Aanbo runs through the basic sword katas, block one, punch, block two, kick, block three, slice, block four, stab. Each move counters a tearing claw from the undead monster, the counter-blows landing but not fazing the undead until finally the blade cuts a little deeper.
Hungry 2 takes 3 piercing damage!

Morton's eyes begin to glow red with hellfire as he maintains the connection with his patron, but it is effective: the warlock's next blast explodes the head of the wounded undead monster.
Hungry 2 takes 7 force damage and dies headless, flopping to the floor.

Lyrel, face to face with a ravenous undead creature that is close enough for her to smell the blood of some recently-killed creature on its breath, keeps her thumbs together, concentrating on the precise movements and syllables to summon flame again. Long, long years of study pay off: the universe bends to her will once more, and fire erupts from the air to engulf both of the remaining undead monsters! Not only that, whereas before her form was a little shaky, Lyrel performs the spell flawlessly this time, generating much more of an effect!
Hungry 3 takes 16 fire damage!
Hungry 4 takes 16 fire damage!



The bright flash of flame recedes, leaving the two undead seared and smoking. Manifesting the spectre of his past misdeeds, Theran creates another disembodied floating hand, which he sends to grab Hungry 3 before it can clamber of the headless body of its companion to attack Aanbo. The hand grabs it by the face and the undead monster twitches violently, then silently collapses.
Hungry 3 takes 7 necrotic damage and dies!

One undead remains, though no one in the main party can see it. Because the undead do not breathe, all they hear is a soft rasp as someone else they can't see (Lyrel) draws her sword.


Chase pulls another arrow and nocks it, ready to make another enemy sprout feathers the moment one appears.

Her almond eyes narrowed and perfect teeth gritted, Arya has been trembling as revulsion and loathing warred for dominance within her since the undead first appeared. Now her hatred for the abomination that is unlife wins out, and she grips her warhammer in one tanned fist and advances gracefully down the tunnel, prepared to deliver a finishing blow to any corpse that still shows signs of life. The first two are unmistakably dead, but as she rounds the bend, Arya gasps to see a strange elf - Lyrel - being grabbled by another unclean monster. Arya smashes at the undead thing with her warhammer, and then tries to hit it again.
Hungry 4 takes 13 bludgeoning damage!

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (17/18)
17 - Hungry 1, Hungry 2, Hungry 3, Hungry 4 (-31)
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

Round three, continued...

The hungry undead monster with the handaxe and two arrows sticking out of it - Hungry 2 - attacks Aanbo with raking claws again! It telegraphs its movements far too much, however, and the monk easily avoids taking damage.

Hungry 3 remains focused on the living in the feeding chamber and crowds behind Hungry 2, eager for its chance to taste fresh blood. It cannot reach Aanbo past its companion, though, and the monk is blocking its access to the rest of the prey.

But Hungry 4 turns and hisses at the source of the searing pain it felt moments ago: Lyrel! It lunges forward to attack her, but she manages to avoid the clumsy strikes.

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (17/18)
17 - Hungry 1, Hungry 2 (-25), Hungry 3 (-2), Hungry 4 (-2)
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

Round three, continued...

Sword in hand, Aanbo runs through the basic sword katas, block one, punch, block two, kick, block three, slice, block four, stab. Each move counters a tearing claw from the undead monster, the counter-blows landing but not fazing the undead until finally the blade cuts a little deeper.
Hungry 2 takes 3 piercing damage!

Morton's eyes begin to glow red with hellfire as he maintains the connection with his patron, but it is effective: the warlock's next blast explodes the head of the wounded undead monster.
Hungry 2 takes 7 force damage and dies headless, flopping to the floor.Lyrel, face to face with a ravenous undead creature that is close enough for her to smell the blood of some recently-killed creature on its breath, keeps her thumbs together, concentrating on the precise movements and syllables to summon flame again. Long, long years of study pay off: the universe bends to her will once more, and fire erupts from the air to engulf both of the remaining undead monsters! Not only that, whereas before her form was a little shaky, Lyrel performs the spell flawlessly this time, generating much more of an effect!
Hungry 3 takes 16 fire damage!
Hungry 4 takes 16 fire damage!



The bright flash of flame recedes, leaving the two undead seared and smoking. Manifesting the spectre of his past misdeeds, Theran creates another disembodied floating hand, which he sends to grab Hungry 3 before it can clamber of the headless body of its companion to attack Aanbo. The hand grabs it by the face and the undead monster twitches violently, then silently collapses.
Hungry 3 takes 7 necrotic damage and dies!

One undead remains, though no one in the main party can see it. Because the undead do not breathe, all they hear is a soft rasp as someone else they can't see (Lyrel) draws her sword.

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (17/18)
17 - Hungry 1, Hungry 2, Hungry 3, Hungry 4 (-18)
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

Round three, completed

Chase pulls another arrow and nocks it, ready to make another enemy sprout feathers the moment one appears.

Her almond eyes narrowed and perfect teeth gritted, Arya has been trembling as revulsion and loathing warred for dominance within her since the undead first appeared. Now her hatred for the abomination that is unlife wins out, and she grips her warhammer in one tanned fist and advances gracefully down the tunnel, prepared to deliver a finishing blow to any corpse that still shows signs of life. The first two are unmistakably dead, but as she rounds the bend, Arya gasps to see a strange elf - Lyrel - being grabbled by another unclean monster. Arya smashes at the undead thing with her warhammer, and then tries to hit it again.Hungry 4 takes 13 bludgeoning damage!

---

23 - Ember (9/9)
17 - Myrtha (17/18)
17 - Hungry 1, Hungry 2, Hungry 3, Hungry 4 (-31)
16 - Aanbo (27/27)
16 - Morton (9/9)
15 - Lyrel (9/9)
13 - Theran (18/18)
10 - Chase (14/14)
6 - Arya (10/10)

ROUND FOUR
(this was preceded by round three)

Ember pulls another arrow, nocks it, and draws, squeezing past Aanbo to follow Arya down the passage. As soon as she sees the undead monster that Mother Arkon is attacking, she looses the arrow, which flies true and takes the monster in the back of the head.
Hungry 4 takes 8 piercing damage and collapses, the animating magic destroyed.

The party waits for a few heartbeats, and then, when nothing else attacks, they begin to relax.

For surviving the attack of four ghouls, each PC gains 100 XP.

---

Aanbo (27/27)
Arya (10/10)
Chase (14/14)
Ember (9/9)
Lyrel (9/9)
Morton (9/9)
Myrtha (17/18)
Theran (18/18)

Since the tunnels are narrow enough to require moving single-file, the party smoothly shifts back into their established marching order: Myrtha in front, then Chase, Ember, Morton, Aanbo, Arya, and Theran...where does Lyrel insert herself in that line-up?

Able to see in the darkness, Morton examines the bodies of the monsters while the others are disrobing and showing off their scarred physiques (but no tattoos or spiral jewelry). There is nothing of special interest on the corpses; they've clearly been dead a long time, though unlike the other undead the Dungeon Busters have previously encountered in the Dim Forest, the magic that animated these bodies seems to have protected them from much decay: the flesh is only shriveled and the skin stretched taut, with wide staring eyes and intact teeth rather than empty sockets and gaping jaws. There is no sign or smell of decomposition, nor are there are invertebrates consuming the bodies. Their hair and nails seem to have continued to grow after death; the hair is matted with blood and the nails are cracked from scraping the broken bones of their victims for marrow. They are unclothed, and do not bear any spiral tattoos or symbols, nor do they have any pockets or containers for holding items of value or utility.

The party is beginning to get a picture for how Her people have been using these monsters, supported by the evidence of no personal belongings or valuables of any kind among the victims' remains. The adventurers were the first people to come in here with weapons and useful gear.

Once everyone is dressed again, Ember and Arya pick up their torches again as the party prepares to head back into the tunnels. Myrtha leads the way back out of the feeding chamber, each party member crunching on the bones as they move out of the room, and then they step carefully over and around the fresh corpses. They reach the first branching of the tunnels, and Myrtha and Chase proceed cautiously forward into the darkness until Ember can turn the corner and shed some light in front of them.

"It makes sense to me," Myrtha replies to Lyrel's voice behind her, then turns to Chase. "Let's go, Mr. Brandstone." They proceeded down the tunnel, Ember following behind with the light source. The tunnel turns to the southwest and proceeds for several yards, widening as it goes. The group pauses when the passage opens into a larger space with tunnels leading away in different directions. There is a dark patch of earth on the ground with a half-eaten fresh rat corpse in the middle.

---

Aanbo (27/27)
Arya (10/10)
Chase (14/14)
Ember (9/9)
Lyrel (9/9)
Morton (9/9)
Myrtha (17/18)
Theran (18/18)

Morton quiet walks along picking where he steps to make least amount of noise as he does run his left hand along the wall.