Chapter 1: A Wizard's Amulet

Ryenne hears the exchange, and seeks to put an end to this with one swing of her mace.

"Wretched fool!" she curses the wizard, worker of the undead magicks, and swings her mace hoping to make it through the shield!

Datura's arrow flies straight through the wizard, leaving nothing but a dissipating mist. With the true target revealed, Ryenne smashes the wizard's arm and can swear she hears bones crunching under the blow.

In as many seconds, Nebbleshuven finds a second half-orc skewered by his trusty blade. He just needed to warm up after all this travel

"The amulet!" Ryenne calls, as she drives her mace into flesh! "Don’t let them flee! They’ll pay for this injustice!"

Faionn hears Talon's demonic shriek even before she sees it tearing the amulet from Corian's hands. Each flap of its wings swirls up tongues of faerie fire. The instant she catches sight of those purple tongues, she thrusts her spear.

Monaghan continues trying to take down that pesky imp! He watches as Faionn's spear bounces harmlessly off its unholy skin, and then makes a series of attacks of his own!

And he strikes the imp! He cuts the hand holding the necklace, and you watch it drop to the ground!

Galdar rushes towards the evil wizard hoping to end his menace. But the magical shield proves itself too strong of an enchantment, and the warrior-priest finds himself unable to strike the man behind. Meanwhile, Corian leaps to the ground to take hold of the amulet once more!

The imp darts away and finds himself quickly by Vortigern's side. The evil wizard reaches into his pocket, partially protected by that damned spell, and throws a handful of dust into the air above himself and his imp familiar. To your utter surprise, the two of them vanish from sight!

End of Combat

The skeletons fleeing the power of Thyr and His holy vessel Ryenne suddenly crumble the the ground as piles of bones. The farmhouse is quiet now, though the stench of death is strong.

Seeing the wizard about to depart, Ryenne strikes out, more so out of frustration than any true intent to end the menace now!

After the evil wizard's escape, Nebbleshuven exhales. He suddenly remembers Olaf and rushes to the big man's side to see if there's anything that can be done or if it's indeed too late.

Olaf of Two Brooks is too dead too live. Too bad.

Upon confirming that Olaf is indeed dead, Nebbleshuven lets out a heavy sigh. "Rest well, friend. Your death has been avenged." He then gets up to look for the shovel he used earlier to dig a grave for Olaf.

The gnome was all too familiar with illusion; Datura dashes towards where the wizard once stood and focuses on environmental tells like parted grass or dust being kicked up to see if she can spot an invisible necromancer...

Ryenne stands, ready to take off into the bush if the gnome seems the idea worth pursuing. Turning to the others, she calls:

"We should rest here. Bury Olaf alongside the family. The wizard won’t trouble us tonight."

None of the wild swings meet with an invisible wizard, much to the frustration but not the surprise of those who attempted. They appear to be gone at this point. Even Datura, knowledgeable in illusions, fails to detect any sort of trace.

After he finishes digging Olaf's grave, Nebbleshuven will ask for help placing the man into his grave and then ask if anyone wants to say something before he fills in the hole.

Once that's done, he'll head into the house and start a fire in the fireplace, if no one has beat him to it.

Monaghan will have again offered the use of his shovel and helped with the interment of the late Olaf. Once they've thrown the last shovelful of earth on the man's grave, he doffs his knit cap, holds it over his breast, and begins to speak:

"I knew Olaf, proud progeny of Two Brooks, only a brief time, much as any of us. But say one thing for the MacDuffs--say they are impeccable judges of character! And Olaf, in this humble Dwarf's estimation, was a good sort. Earthy, direct, manful! He and my Pappy MacDuff would have got along like a forge and bellows, they would. And any man fitting that prodigious description is a fine man, worthy of remembrance in the hearts of his companions.

Go now--go the way of all the Earth, dear friend, and may you be gathered to your fathers at the last."

After finishing, Monaghan dons his cap once more, retrieves a handkerchief from his pocket and sniffs loudly, dabbing at watering eyes.