Chapter 4.2: The Dim Journey to Orlane

Dell tends to the wounded adventurers and Berthold heals Olyena and makes the last of his wounds magically disappear. Then, as Antonius and Dell begin work on interring the dead bandits, Berthold takes the bound women into the farmhouse and begins to write the letter intended for Olpert Razorsson.

Luckily the former occupants (the Jarl family) left some of their larger tools, including their pitchfork, saw, mattock, and shovel. Digging the graves would've been impossible without the mattock and shovel. Antonius is meticulous and painstaking in preparing graves properly; each grave takes a full man hour to dig, so Dell's assistance with the mattock to chop through tree roots and break up the deeper dirt halves the time.

As the afternoon sun wanes and the early twilight falls on the clearing, the cleric and the rogue are still digging. Berthold talks to the captives at length about his expectations that they will leave in the morning and head straight to Hochoch to deliver the letter to Olpert. It becomes clear in this conversation that neither of the bandits can read. In addition to the deep fear and anger they harbor to the heroes, the women have a mixture of awe and resentment for this knight with his servants and his fancy writing.

Antonius and Dell do bond over their shared labor; of the several hours they are out in the woods disposing of the bodies, five full hours of that time are just spent digging. It is not an ordeal either of them will soon forget.As night falls and full darkness descends, Antonius casts Light on a low-hanging tree branch so they can see what they're doing...and keep an eye on the last two corpses. Thankfully, they do not show any signs of movement.

Sora is a couple of hours into the first watch when the cleric dispels the illumination. He and the rogue re-enter the clearing and return the tools to the barn, hands freshly blistered and with aching arms and backs. They nod to Sora as she walks around the farmhouse, watching for movement and listening for any untoward sounds.

Inside the farmhouse, Amnestria has also created magical Light so that she can pore carefully over her books. Grallaria, usually a little dozy during the day, sits alertly on her shoulder and watches everyone with interest. Having spent most of the afternoon sharpening and oiling his weapons while staring levelly at the two bound captives sitting at the kitchen table with the wizard, Kazzak talks recipes with Olyena (he has strong opinions on what to do and what not to do in the kitchen, as everywhere else). Guilbert and Reynald do their best to not be in the way and to assist Olyena, who has made a stew out of the meat portion of everyone's contributed rations. Berthold continues to converse with the bandit women, attempting to cajole or berate them into changing their ways.

Once it's ready, everyone enjoys the meal (Olyena takes a steaming bowl out to Sora, which she eats while walking the perimeter). Afterwards, there is a feeling of warm bonhomie - even Ene and Fern seem less suspicious of the party's motives after a warm meal. Dell is starting to feel a sated torpor when Sora enters and taps him to start his shift on watch. He stretches to relieve aching muscles and then steps out into the dark night.

The moon is just rising over the treetops, helping Dell to see dim shapes of large objects so he can navigate in the dark. But there's still a danger of tripping on uneven ground.

Dell climbs back into his familiar lookout post in the loft of the barn. He watches closely, scanning from side to side, as three hours pass.

It is shortly after the third hour of his watch has completed - judging by the wheeling of the stars overhead - that Dell hears something moving in the darkness, crashing through the underbrush.

As Dell scans to see the source of the sound, a humanoid shape steps into the starlight, across the yard from the house, 30' beyond the other side of the wagon, well to the west of the path leading back to Cecily's Road. It moves jerkily, unnaturally, like a marionette, and Dell immediately recognizes it for what it is: an animated corpse. If it is one of the bodies he and Antonius buried earlier, it is not obvious, as it is coming from a different direction. He would be more certain if he could get closer and see them more clearly: signs of fresh dirt, remains of rope fibers, recognizable features and wounds. As he is assessing this, another comes out of the tree line behind the first. Then he notices movement in his peripheral vision; looking that way, he sees swaying in the tall crops of the fields to the east: something is pushing its way through the plants that obscure his view of whatever it is.

All three are heading for the house. He can stay and watch for more, he could raise the alarm, and/or he could start attacking.

Round One
(this is followed by round two)

"To arms! To arms!!" Dell yells, "The dead are coming to the house!"

Everyone else in the party can roll initiative as more twitching corpses totter into view and approach the source of the noise, moving out of the trees and around the wagon. If there are others approaching him on the other side of the house, Dell's view is blocked by the house itself.

Kazzak moves to the kitchen door and flings it open; his darkvision enables him to see the decaying features of the two shambling corpses (Dave and Dean) that have just silently come around the southeastern corner of the house from the trees and are approaching the door. There is also movement in the crops to the east: perhaps another corpse approaches from that direction? It's hard to say what it is, as the dead make no sound of breath or voice. But Kazzak is focused on the enemy in front of him; he steps up and slashes it with his longsword.
Dave takes 7 slashing damage!

Dave tries to retaliate, windmilling its rotting arms to slap at Kazzak, but its clumsy, jerky attacks are easy to avoid!
Dean comes up alongside and tries to smash Kazzak, too, but it is also unable to connect!

The two that are coming up to the front of the house (Dina and Don) can somehow tell that living things are within: they have moved almost to the point where they can attack the house!

Hearing Dell's cry, Sora wakes, runs downstairs, and opens the door: there are two undead creatures there, Dina and Don! Sora slips past them before they can get close enough to impede her progress, and she stands protectively in front of the barn.

OOC:

@WhtKnt - you can choose to have Sora attack one of these, or move past them (no opportunity for them to attack) to the barn.

Amnestria, roused by the rogue's call, rises from her studies, pulls out a seal, and uses her magic to make it shine with magical Light. Opening the shutters, she tosses the shining coin out into the yard; it lands behind Don and Dina, silhouetting those undead nicely for anyone still in the house.

Antonius rushes to the kitchen door behind Kazzak with his shield and warhammer in hand. Hearing Dell's call that the dead are coming, he growls, "Of course they are. I bury six corpses and the forest sends me six more." He casts Light on his shield, then steps out into the dark behind the house with Kazzak, Dave, and Dean. "Come then," he says grimly to his ally, already fighting the monsters in the night. "Let us see what has disturbed the Lady’s rest."

Grateful for Amnestria's Light, Dell looses an arrow, hitting Don squarely in the torso.
Don takes 9 piercing damage!

Grallaria flies out of the now-open window and circles the farm, looking keenly at anything that moves. Through her mental link with Amnestria, she thinks ::Big People Moving on Either Side of Roost and Horse Place and Tall Plants. Lots of Mice in Plants::

Meanwhile, "Reynald, my shield and sword!" Berthold is addressing his attendants. "Guilbert, get the crossbow loaded! Olyena, check out the window and tell me what you see." Olyena opens the shutters to the darkness; the southern windows look out on the forest. Reynald offers, "Shall I help you don your armor, Sir?" but the knight dismisses the idea with a hand gesture and a curt, "No time." Instead he draws his sword, casts Light on it, and issues directions, "Barricade yourselves here. If you have a clear shot at one of the dead, take it, Reynald." Wordlessly, Guilbert hands the crossbow to the boy. "Otherwise, keep watch and cry out if you see anything dangerous out there." Berthold ends his turn in the center of the kitchen, equal distance from the front and kitchen doors.

---

19 - Kazzak (12/12)
18 - The dead Dave (-7), Dean, Dina, Don (-9)
16 - Sora (12/12)
7 - Amnestria (9/9)
7 - Antonius (10/10)
6 - Dell (9/9)
4 - Grallaria (1/1)
3 - Berthold (10/11)
0 - Reynald (4/4), Guilbert (4/4), Olyena (4/4)