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Dec 17, 2022 3:23 am

Dec 17, 2022 3:23 am

Eddisham almost reflexively bows to the commander. "My name is Eddisham," he answers. "Nice to meet you -" he tries to be cheerful but is a bit too intimidated by this somber fellow. "I have been wondering, as I think does our feliform friend" - he nods toward Shmautz - "why is it that you encourage folk such as ourselves to hunt down the undead outside the fortress? What is the enmity between you and them?"

Ferran Martinel

Dec 17, 2022 4:29 am

Dec 17, 2022 4:29 am

Ferran Martinel

The commander gives a formal bow in return and somehow conveys a sad expression on his gaunt spectral face. I do not encourage destroying the undead. I would prefer they simply be released but the nature of the undead magics makes this difficult. I understand the clerics of the new gods have some power to restrain them but the nexus ritual that awakens the undead has not located making breaking it beyond your high cleric and wizard. The undead are our former country men, or at least the bodies of them. As I understand it not all undead have their sourls returned to them, as we have had done to us. I believe you were sent to destroy them to keep their numbers down and as a form of initiation or trial.

Dec 17, 2022 9:38 am

Dec 17, 2022 9:38 am

"But is having them destroyed on your behalf as well, or are you just tolerating it?

I'm perplexed by the situation ..."

I recap the situation with the cemetery, the fortress and the different parties we've met so far.

Dec 17, 2022 1:14 pm

Dec 17, 2022 1:14 pm

OOC:

What I wanted to say: Shmautz wants to know more about the weird situation. There's the Camp where we've landed, the island (?) we're on now, the attack from the undead, the cemetery, and the fortress. Also I'd like to know more about Ferran Martinel.

Commander Ferran Martinel

Dec 17, 2022 9:41 pm

Dec 17, 2022 9:41 pm

Commander Ferran Martinel

Turned his eyeless sockets filled with flickering motes of ghostlight onto Shmautz the commander replies I never asked your people to kill them but neither will I forbit it. Their state is lamentable and they should be released as they may. If this is done through violence so be it. It would be better to find the cause of their continued formation and remove it, thereby stemming the tide of their creation.

OOC:

The base camp is on one side of the river and run by the Expedition. Its stated purpose is archeological. They are looking for the wealth and knowledge of the Dawn age. The fortress is on the island which is almost to the far side of the river. The Expedition leaders and fortress commander have no formal agreement but they both acknowledge that the continued creation of more undead is not a good thing.

Commander Ferran Martinel

Dec 18, 2022 12:58 am

Dec 18, 2022 12:58 am

Commander Ferran Martinel

As you ask additional question questions the commander tells you a bit of his story When the ritual to raise the dead her on the island was first enacted by the necromancers, servants of a power from the Dawn War, they used a tool from the Dawn age and tied their ritual to the magic of this fortress. Both the tool and this fortress survived what I now understand you call the Shattering almost completely intact. By basing their ritual on this fortress they were able to tap into its enchantments that draw energy from the world around us. This ensured the ritual would be maintained long after they completed it.
However one of the enchantments of the fortress ensures that as long as we maintained our honor even death was no barrier to maintaining our oaths. Thus we were created free of their control and many of us retain much of our memories of our lives. The other undead from the cemetery are former citizens of the city we swore to protect. While we will ensure they do not harm the fortress, as we are sworn to do, the men under my command have of mixed feelings about destroying the forms, cursed as they may be, of those we swore to protect. And I, I have not made up my mind.
The first of your comrades that came here disrupted the that initial ritual and slew the necromancers that were here at the time. However the ritual has not failed completely, due we suspect to a secondary ritual believed to be in the cemetery, causing the cemetery to continually bring forth more of those that should remain at rest. The magics of the fortress maintain us here as well. Again my men are not united in their desires and I have not made a decision on whether to seek means to return to our rightful slumber or if there is something else we must do before we can do so. The fact that the fortress magics and our honor are both keeping us here in this state and both are dedicated to the defense of the Mortal Realm and the People are the crux of our dilemma. If simply destroying the other undead and what remains of the ritual or even the fortress itself would fulfill out oaths then we would feel compelled to do so. Yet all we feel compelled to do at this time is Guard and Wait.

Dec 18, 2022 4:01 pm

Dec 18, 2022 4:01 pm

Eddisham attends to the captain's story with intense interest. He is not forgetful of the dragon's instructions. He almost thinks that he can feel its unseen mark pulse in his palm.

"Then would ... if we were to find a thing in the cemetery that drove these undead, it would not bother you to have us destroy it?"

Commander Ferran Martinel

Dec 18, 2022 6:03 pm

Dec 18, 2022 6:03 pm

Commander Ferran Martinel

A thoughtful expression is conveyed and the commander replies after a moment Disrupting the source of the spell creating the undead is important. If another ritual circle is all that is involved there is not concern other than what object or surface the circle is made upon. I leave it to your judgement and will not hold you responsible for things you do not know of or understand. I only ask you look and think before brashly destroying things.

Dec 20, 2022 1:00 pm

Dec 20, 2022 1:00 pm

Eddisham turns to his comrades. "I think that we should rest here - an evening more or less will make no difference to the situation - and then tomorrow morning go out into the cemetery looking for the thing that causes the mindless undead to rise."

Dec 20, 2022 3:38 pm

Dec 20, 2022 3:38 pm

After asking any additional questions you are escorted back out and show to the smithy. The heat from the magical foirge spreads warmth throughout the smithy. Yet somehow you still feel a slight chill deep within. Nevertheless your talk with the commander calmed your hearts and worries enough to let you rest, though it is agreed that keeping a watch is a good idea "just to stay in practice". Early the next morning you wake, eat and set out.

Where to?

Dec 20, 2022 5:43 pm

Dec 20, 2022 5:43 pm

I stretch like cats do.

OOC:

Did the resting restore the HP?

"
Aaaaahhh. That rest was good. And the breakfast as well.

My friends, before we get out into the cemetery, just a few things that I still have on my mind.

The guys in the expedition camp pay us. For 'cleaning' the area and find 'stuff', right? But they've not explicitly said, that cleaning equals killing. If you can manage to end whatever the reason for the undead is, we still adhere to our contract. Additionally we do Commander Martinell a favour? This could also be beneficial for us. And if we don't act like complete morons, we maybe can achieve all that without getting from one battle into the next. Because, let's be honest: there will be a moment where we might not be as lucky as yesterday. And I don't want get get seriously harmed.
What do you say?

We can discuss this on the way to the cemetery - maybe it's safer at this time of the day.
"

Dec 20, 2022 8:05 pm

Dec 20, 2022 8:05 pm

OOC:

Yes you are healed. A full nights rest, at least 6 hours, will heal all wounds

Dec 20, 2022 9:22 pm

Dec 20, 2022 9:22 pm

Eddisham smiles at Shmautz, and also slow-blinks his eyes in the way that most felines appreciate. "I think you speak good sense," he says. "I did not intend to churn through an endless sequence of undead. Evading as many as we can, while searching for their cause, seems wise."

OOC:

Previous night, Eddisham asked Commander Martinel what kind of signs, i.e. physical characteristics or manifestations, might point toward a ritual circle of the sort the commander mentioned; also, would there be particular types of materials or architecture that would be more favorable for making such a circle? Is there a minimum or maximum size for a ritual circle?

Dec 20, 2022 10:14 pm

Dec 20, 2022 10:14 pm

A ritual of this nature that keeps changing would require someone to constantly change and/or renew it's energies. A small temporary site could be created each time the spell was cast allowing it to move around the cemetery. However when the clergy and wizard from the base camp came to disrupt it they found no signs of this in the cemetery. This leaves the alternative, a larger more complex ritual that can be changed as needed. It is likely underground somewhere but they have not found any entrances to underground facilities in the cemetery. The fortress has some but it has been searched thoroughly, both by the guardians as well as the cleric and wizard from your camp, declaring it free of any outside influence at this time.
The commander suggests looking for any hidden passageways underground and any structure large enough to house stairs as a good point to start your search.

Dec 23, 2022 7:05 am

Dec 23, 2022 7:05 am

I blink back at Eddisham and feel, that I am in good company. This makes me confident for the coming day.

I constantly try to have an eye on the environment to avoid being suprised by the undead or getting into an ambush.

"
Where shall we start? Let's say we're looking for a party of human-sized beeings. They might be a handful and maybe - I don't know much about magic and wizardry - they need some tools. So they'll have some luggage and guys who carry it.

Whatever the entrance might look like, it must have a certain size. Even if it's hidden.
Maybe Master Deggs' friendly little lizzard can help us finding such spots?

So, y'all. What do you think? Which building or part of that cemetery we are about to inspect first?
Together, with all our skills, I'm confident, that we can find something!
"

I turn around to the party and purr.

Dec 26, 2022 5:18 pm

Dec 26, 2022 5:18 pm

From what you saw of the cemetery there are few structures out of the water that might possibly have room inside, all being single room mausoleums. A couple of the structures in the river are much larger and even have multiple stories. These would definitely be able to hold a full ritual circle.

Dec 29, 2022 5:14 pm

Dec 29, 2022 5:14 pm

"It seems like we need a boat," Eddisham says. "Unless the river is really shallow."

Dec 29, 2022 7:38 pm

Dec 29, 2022 7:38 pm

The river has obviously worn away at the ground around the submerged structures but only slants gradually. You could wade out quite far, dozens of yards at least, to the north and east. The slope is steeper to the west, towards the swift currents in the rivers middle. Most stretched on the western edge on the submerged cemetery are in ruins as the river citing wages them away.

Jan 2, 2023 11:54 am

Jan 2, 2023 11:54 am

I raise an eyebrow.

"

Water? Yuck!
This really is no friend of mine. There's a saying in my tribe: Don't go deeper than you tail's length.

"
... and I turn my head and take a look at my back.

I turn around to the party and purr.

Jan 2, 2023 11:56 am

Jan 2, 2023 11:56 am

OOC:

So, is Scmautz a lynx type cat, with a 2 inch tail? LoL

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