Chapter 2.1b: Search Party (Hochoch)

Having left with the blessing of the legendary heroine Cecily Raptor and directions to report in to the new Dungeon Busters hall in the town of Hochoch, new recruits human cleric Lady Arya Arkon, human fighter Manthis the Mask, and halfling barbarian Rosemary Flitwhistle have been traveling together on various country roads through southern Keoland for days now. The weather has been warm during the day and the skies clear with many stars at night. There aren't a lot of people living in the countryside; they've passed half days without meeting another person on the road, though they have sometimes seen isolated crofters weeding their fields pause and give a wave as they pass. The three adventurers have had plenty of time to get to know one another during the trip. The land seems...safe, and part of them is restless with the thought that maybe there won't be work for them in such a placid corner of the land.

But as the sun begins to descend from midday on the fourth day, sharp-eyed Arya spots a darker line on the horizon to the north: the shadow of the Dim Forest. Soon enough they see the smudge of distant structures between them and the vast line of trees: the buildings of Hochoch and the wall surrounding it. The plains give way to the orderly rows of crop fields and fenced-off areas for grazing stock.

Within half an hour, they have continued up the south road to the point where it becomes a street in the town itself. Off to the east is the tower of a Temple, and not far beyond it, the wide, gently flowing Realstream River. They have to make a series of turns to maneuver around rows of houses and shops to arrive at the south gate in the town wall. Asking directions, the trio are met with smiles and good wishes as the townsfolk direct them to the Inn of Eternal Rest, where they can meet with Olpert Razorson, the chief of the local Dungeon Busters operation.

Rosemary looks up to Arya. "We should talk to the Jarls." She turns to Mantis. "Do you think we should touch base with Olpert so he knows where we're at before we escort them?"

When the family finishes its obeisance at the different altars, they are delighted to meet new Dungeon Busters. The father, Abel Jarl, clearly has the rustic trait of using such hyperbolic praise that a cynic might think it sarcastic. But no, he appear genuine. "Glorious Ladies and Magnificent Sir! It is my utmost honor to be graced with your presence! It is to the Dungeon Busters that we owe the life of our son, Devek! Show honor to the Awesome Ones, Devek!" Devek, a human child of perhaps 10 years of age, tugs at his forelock and falls to his hands and knees. "My thanks, Tremendous Worthies!" Abel introduces his wife, Elista ("May honor forever shine upon you, Golden Ones!"), his pre-teen daughter Abella (she gives a crude curtsy with a "My delight overwhelms me!"), Emiless (a girl somewhat younger than Devek, who sinks to her knees and prostrates herself with "You're brighter than the stars!"), young child Torren (who just falls on his face and murmurs something extravagant into the floor), and toddler Wenderly (who tries to bow but trips and just stares at the three of you with big round eyes). Like many rural folk, the Jarls clearly feel awe (and a little bit of fear) at seeing nobility, and anyone with more than a couple of seals to rub together is nobility. They also clearly have narrowly averted tragedy through the efforts of your fellow Dungeon Busters, and they are absurdly, almost embarrassingly grateful...which may make sense if they haven't experienced anything like that kind of support from powerful people before now.

Hearing the offer of an escort back home, Abel and Elista exchange a quick glance and then smile and bow deeply. "We would be honored!" The kids are very excited to get to stay in town for another night, and the younger ones babble happily at the adventurers as the group makes its way back to the Inn of Eternal Rest. Wonderingly, little Torren asks Arya: "Are you a princess?" and Emiless shyly asks Rosemary "Are you a queen?" Meanwhile the other children are agog at the size of Manthis' immense sword. "I bet you've killed hundreds of giants, High Lord!"

Back at the Inn, Olpert Razorson immediately sees the PR benefit of helping these poor crofters even more. So he calls over Devane Thornhill, the Inn's human proprietor, and bids him to prepare a feast for the Jarl family and the Dungeon Busters in town. His human wife Soraya, the halfling server Tap, and the the doddering ancient elf Cook immediately throw themselves into whipping up a large supper, which arouses the interest of the pretty young human woman that the party briefly saw earlier, Lienne, and her crowd of admirers. Soon more and more people are introducing themselves to the new trio of adventurers:
Thacogygax, a tall dragonborn who speaks only broken Keolish
Xana Beren, a cheerful gnome woman who makes most people uneasy somehow
Sara Stone, a human woman with a massive greatbow
Albertus, a young and somewhat formal human knight, who recognizes and greets the Jarls immediately
Durren Elderblade, a human steeped in Elvish culture who speaks with an affectation of medieval Keolish (think Shakespearean English)
Kragga Moonweaver, a charming and talkative half-orc with an encyclopedic knowledge of many topics
Karliel, a half-elven bard who immediately starts trying to get people drinks and to join him in various choruses of songs
Klak and Morgran, two dwarves who both seem ready to celebrate though they couldn't be more dissimilar otherwise: one is a paladin, the other is a pirate

The celebration continues into the night. The Jarl family is dazed by all the attention, and Abel and Elista are a little embarrassed to be garnering so much attention, though the younger children take it in stride. Manthis performs a sword dance to the delight of the children (and the obvious appraising admiration of Lienne).

The next morning, the many members of Dungeon Busters in Hochoch rise and gather in the Inn of Eternal Rest's courtyard for a briefing with Olpert Razorson. With young children, the Jarl family is already up and dining as the group gathers, but they are eating at a table near the fireplace and Abel and Elista tactfully keep the younger children from getting too close to the gathered heroes. Olpert begins to talk to the thirteen people, but then stops himself. "Durren," he says, addressing the overly formal young man in the archaic armor, "Would you please treat Miss Vereel to a breakfast meal? She's looking a little peaked from lack of sustenance." Durren rises, performs an elaborate bow, and offers Lienne his arm. She takes it, and with many a backward glance, she is escorted back into the Inn's interior.

Olpert shakes his head. "That woman...she seems determined to spy on everything we do." He rubs a hand over his face, and then addresses Arya, Manthis, and Rosemary. "As you just arrived last night, you may not have realized it yet, but Lienne is...a handful." The dwarf Morgran interjects: "Aye, she is that, and a gossip to boot!" There are nods and murmurs of assent from all the others except for the dragonborn Thacogygax, who seems confused. "The woman is a boot...?" Little gnome Xana pats him on his massive, scaled elbow. "I'll explain later." The shaggy half-orc Kragga addresses the three new Dungeon Busters. "One would think that being young, pretty, and charming would be enough for her, but Lienne has realized that she gets even more attention if she can share news. If you want information spread through the whole town, tell Lienne that information in confidence. But if you want to keep a secret, you must never let Lienne know."

Olpert nods. "Thank you for putting it so clearly, Kragga. Now that that - and prying ears - is out of the way, let's get to the day's business. Before I assign tasks, does anyone have any leads for more work?" The collected Dungeon Busters murmur and shake their heads. Sara speaks up: "There's always hunting monsters in the Dim, but no one has asked us to do that, as far as I know." She looks around, and the others all shake their heads. Olpert sighs. "I know you want to form a group to hunt that owlbear, Sara. Right now I want us to focus on jobs where we are seen to be helping people who request our help. I want to start making the transition from heroes...to heroes for hire. It's the only way that we're going to drive business in the long term. I've told you before that I am confident that merchants will hire the Dungeon Busters to kill that beast once regular trade resumes between Hochoch and Orlane. But to get there, we have to help restore trade on Cecily's Road.

"Right now there are two issues we know of that are interfering with trade on the Road: bandit activity, and whatever is going on in Orlane. It's true that no one has hired us to do either of those things, but if we can eliminate those problems, there will be a lot more travel and more business for us. Most of you here have been working on the bandit problem for the past four days, while Reptile, Myrtha, Chase, Theran, and Aanbo went to find out if there's any truth to the rumors about Orlane. Albertus, you've been talking to the prisoners, and you told me something that you discovered last night. Would you tell them what you told me?"

Soon after, the three heroes meet the numerous members of the Jarl family and confirm that they're ready to start the journey home. The younger children chatter and point out various buildings and landmarks in the town, as if they themselves were intimately familiar with the community, rather than on their first visit to the town themselves.

The Realstream River is broad and placid here, with a long stone bridge that runs across it from Hochoch on the west bank to the various farm plots on the east. Cecily's Road quickly turns northeast, toward the thick woods that are the Dim Forest. The day is bright and warm, the sky is clear, and the Jarl family members are all reunited and returning home at last. The air is festive, but the going is slow as the young children are quick to tire of walking.

At first, little Wenderly is fascinated by Arya's singing and is content to toddle along by her side. But soon enough, his little chubby legs get weary, and his father Jarl picks him up and sets him on his shoulders. At a glance from Elista, Abel moves to walk on the other side of his wife. "Illustrious Lady," Elista remarks with a smile, "If it is permitted to ask you: how is it that someone so beautiful has dedicated her life to Pelor, rather than finding a husband of your own and starting a family?" She looks at Emiless and Devek, who are both staring shyly at the hero. "I beg forgiveness if I have offended, Magnificent One. But you seem to have a way with children. Have you thought about having any of your own?"

Meanwhile, as the Dim Forest grows ever closer, Torren has approached Manthis. "Mighty One, you sure are strong!" Manthis recalls that the little boy had been especially enthusiastic in his applause when the fighter had demonstrated his sword skills at the Inn of Eternal Rest in Hochoch.

Amused at the spectacle of the farmwife interrogating the acolyte, it takes Rosemary a moment to notice that the Jarls' eldest child, Abella, is walking meekly by her side. "Yes, child? What is it?" Rosemary is hoping that the preteen girl wants to ask her about baking, or possibly wants to cadge an extra pastry, rather than coming to her to ask for some sort of advice on puberty (which her attitude suggests might be the case). "Glorious Hero, I've been wondering..." ::Here it comes...:: Rosemary winces internally, but Abella surprises her.
"E-exalted Empress, when did you know that you wanted to be an adventurer?"

The party follows Cecily's Road and enters the Dim Forest well before midday. The dirt of the road is hard-packed from decades of travel, but you can see that the forest is slowly trying to reclaim the road: weeds and grasses have sprouted at the edges and in deeper ruts, allowed to grow because the traffic on the road has dwindled almost to zero. The trees' canopy is thick overhead, casting the road in shade; the air is cool and moist, refreshing after the heat of the hike to get this far. It feels calm, peaceful, and old. It is strange to think that the woman who hired you, Cecily Raptor, walked these same woods hundreds of years ago, blazing the trail that became this road that bears her name.

The journey continues uneventfully, though Wenderly ends up getting carried more than he walks, with Abel and Elista trading their youngest back and forth. Abella sings for a time; she has a pleasant enough voice, and the rest of the family sings accompaniment at times. Not long after entering the forest, the family stops for a meal, and afterward you all continue on further east. By the end of the day, the singing has stopped. The family is exhausted and the children are irritable, squabbling with each other or sulking.

Finally, a little while after sunset ("Not far now," Abel keeps assuring his exhausted children), everyone brightens when they see the little trail leading off of the Road: the path to the Jarl homestead! The older children's pace picks up, and Elista smiles in relief, handing Wenderly (who is completely asleep and limp like a rag doll) back to her husband. "Thank you for your company, Exalted Ones. Our home is far, far too humble, but would your Majesties allow us to provide you a meal and a place to sleep tonight?"

Elista is pleased at this response and looks fondly at her husband Abel, who is carrying Wenderly on his shoulders while trying to lift his arms with Devek and Torren clinging on to his wrists.

Torren tires of the game and returns to admire the towering warrior Manthis (from the boy's perspective, Manthis is a giant). Sure enough, when the fighter offers his sword, Torren tries and fails to lift it with his spindly arms, but it is certainly an experience he won't forget. "He's a protector!" Torren informs his siblings. "I'm gonna be a protector, too!"

The children perk up at seeing the familiar sight of the path leading to their home, and Elista hurries ahead with them. By the time the party arrives at the forest cottage, there is a warm glow of light in the windows. Devek is bringing firewood in from the shed, Abella is hauling in a bucket of water from the well, and Emiless has lit several lanterns while their mother is kindling a fire in the kitchen fireplace. Abel bids Torren prepare places for the heroes, and he pulls out chairs for them at the one table. Meanwhile, Abel carries Wenderly up the very narrow staircase and returns a minute later. Soon enough there is stew bubbling on the fire and the group enjoys some mead and cheese while they wait for the hot meal to cook.During the meal, the younger children Torren, Emiless, and even Devek yawn and begin to doze until Abel sends them away from the table to get to bed. Elista notices how preteen Abella is looking at Manthis with big eyes and gives her the task of clearing the table and scrubbing out the wooden bowls. Then Abella, Elista, and Abel all help move the chairs and table to one side before bringing out straw mattresses for the heroes. "Awesome Worthies, we do not have a separate room for your rest, but do make yourself comfortable here." Indeed the room remains quite warm from the fire that has burned down to coals; a fine testament to how well Abel built and maintained the cottage over the years.

The next day dawns. What do you do?

As they prepare supper, Elista is clearly impressed that Arya gets her hands dirty with something as mundane as food preparation, but the class difference between them is so great that the Jarls never stop addressing the heroes with hyperbolic honorifics like "Dazzling Magnificences" and "Astounding Zeniths." It's a familiar custom that is peculiar to rustic Keoland. The heroes had heard about the practice, but might not have heard it or even believed it before arriving in Hochoch.

After the meal, Manthis delights everyone with his flute music, and Abella sings improvised songs to his melodies. They are familiar, classic songs in Gorna and Niole Dra, but none of the Jarls have ever heard them until now, and the heroes find Abella's invented lyrics both awkward and charming. She beams with pride, and gets rousing applause from her parents.

After this entertainment as the other children retire to sleep, Rosemary continues her conversation with the eldest Jarl child, Abella. Rosemary is relieved to find that it isn't just a crush that is driving Abella's curiosity about adventuring - though it is true that she does ask a lot of questions about Manthis' romantic prospects and sighs when talking about Quest Damoran (another Dungeon Buster who visited the family previously). Mainly, she clearly has a romantic view of a life different from the one she has known: going wherever her whim takes her, exploring far-off places, commanding respect, and earning a fortune for herself and her family through valiant labor. This last one seems to be a particular motivation: the girl peppers Rosemary with a lot of questions about what it's like to be so rich; the idea of paying someone else to prepare a meal to eat in a restaurant is what she sees is the very apex of luxury, much less buying clothes made to order by a seamstress! The girl is agog with the direction her life has taken recently, since her brother nearly died and these benevolent demigods appeared and gave them a taste of what it's like to be Important. What she's not realizing is the uncertainty of adventure: the constant danger that could end your life any day, the lean times when you have to steal or go hungry, the suspicion and prejudice that meets armed mercenaries in many towns, the horror of killing to stay alive. Abella eats up any stories of adventure that Rosemary shares but clearly the tales of hardships endured make little impression on her.

Rising before dawn as is customary, Rosemary begins to work on the daily bread. She's just finished mixing the batter when Abel and Elista arrive, tip-toeing down the stairs. Abel leaves quietly out the door. Elista is clearly astonished that another one of the "Fantastic Paragons" is getting her hands dirty in their humble kitchen, but she quickly begins to work alongside the halfling hero in preparing more food. One by one, the older children Abella, Devek, and Emiless appear (Abella looking very drowsy) and begin their routine morning labors: fetching water, gathering eggs, replenishing the firewood, and so on. They continue in this way for a while, moving as quietly as they can around the sleeping "Glorious Masters."

Then, despite sleeping soundly through all of this activity, Arya's eyes suddenly snap open, wide awake and knowing as she always does when the sun will rise. She makes her way outside and looks critically at the arrangement of buildings and trees in the Jarl homestead. It's just as she thought when she looked at it last night: they're all too close together for Pelor's first rays to reach the ground anywhere here. So she lets herself into the barn and emerges a few moments later, grunting as she heaves a crude ladder out with her...

So it is a few minutes later that Abel, Devek, and Emiless stop and stare in wonder at the sight of Lady Arya, somewhat disheveled and with straw from the thatch roof in her hair, standing atop the barn with her arms outstretched as the first rays of the sunrise slip between a tiny gap in the thick tree canopy to precisely bathe her in a golden glow. The three of them are down on the ground in the darkness, while she shines above them like a beacon. None of them have ever seen anything like it. Less than a minute passes, during which the sky lightens and Arya finishes her morning prayer. Then she climbs down again like nothing has happened and takes the bucket of water that Devek filled from the well and performs her ablutions.

Inside, the food is ready. Manthis has awakened, and he and Rosemary have rolled up the mattresses and moved the table back to the center of the room. Manthis and Arya begin donning their gambesons (the padded armor layers that go under chain mail), assisting in tying each other's laces. Abel returns from the fields and rouses Torren and Wenderly as Elista and Abella begin to heap food in bowls for each of the ten people in the house. Everyone eats, and the Jarls (particularly the children) ask excited questions about what adventures await the heroes next. After the meal, Rosemary covers any impatience she may be feeling with helping clean up while Manthis and Arya resume putting on their armor, strapping on and tying the chain coats, sleeves, and shoulders of their mail.

Eventually, everything is ready, and the three heroes take their fond farewells from their country hosts, who escort them back down the path to Cecily's Road once more. The family continues to wave as you walk east on the road until distance and slight undulations in the path block them from view.

The trio of Manthis, Rosemary, and Arya continue down Cecily's Road for hours. It is cool and quiet in the Dim, and it is a little weird to see such a large path slowly getting reclaimed by the forest for lack of traffic. In relief that their ordeal was over, the Jarls had told the heroes in great detail about Devek's misadventure at the ancient temple (though to be honest, they know next to nothing about what happened after he fell asleep) and the rest of the family's experience of being tricked and abducted by Jonbon the bard. They talked with glowing admiration about the fellow Dungeon Busters, and it is interesting to hear how others view the people that the trio had met in the past couple of days (though they still haven't met Joseph, Aanbo, Reptile, Theran, Ogbar, Chase, Quest, or Myrtha). One of the Dungeon Busters, Sara, had talked with great animation about the savage owlbear roaming the Dim, too. But the three newer Dungeon Busters do not encounter any lurking kidnappers, ferocious beasts, or ancient Pae worshippers trapped in an eternal curse. The Forest seems quite pleasant, so far.

But it is a long hike with few distractions and not a great amount of variety. As evening approaches, the party begins to discuss how soon they should look for a place to make camp. Do they look now, using the last hours of daylight to set up a comfortable camp, or push on for a couple of hours and get that much further before stopping? Or, if you're feeling in a hurry, you could continue into the night...

Cecily's Road follows a gentle incline, sometimes going up a bit, sometimes down, but overall the party has been gradually climbing in elevation all day. The three heroes agree to look for a place to camp while there is still dim daylight illuminating the forest floor. They split up, looking in different directions, but staying within easy earshot of one another. At this point, the Realstream has meandered away from the relatively straight road, and so there is plenty of terrain to cover without even getting close enough to hear the river.

Arya finds a rocky promontory: an ancient upthrust of granite that eroded more slowly than the surrounding terrain. The result is a hill of mossy stone, 10 or 12 paces higher than the land around it. Cracks have formed at points in the rock, and those have filled with leaves and bracken, forming soil in which ferns have sprouted. A scraggly oak tree has managed to root itself at the top, leaning over the edge. Other trees and shrubs grow out on either side, forming a protective ring about a clearing at the base of the hill. It's ideal, and the party finds that others have used this place as a camp site in the past: a ring of stones shows where fires have been kindled in the past. The thick layer of leaves makes for a soft place to spread out bedrolls, and it's dry and sheltered from wind in the lee of the rock.

While the others set up and gather firewood, Rosemary ranges a bit further to forage for edible plants and fungi. She's collected a healthy amount of miner's lettuce along with some berries by the time the sun is setting...when she comes across the body of a dead mule.

OOC:
How far is the mule corpse from the camp?

As Arya finishes her prayers, Manthis finishes lighting the fire. As the party settles down for the night, Rosemary offers pastries, berries, and miner's lettuce to augment their meals. Smoke from the fire drifts up to the sky as the first stars are appearing in the sky. Some bats emerge from crevices in the rock and begin swooping and wheeling in the deepening twilight overhead. A fox shrieks in the distance. Moths flutter at the edge of the firelight.

The cheery light of the campfire flickers on the faces of the adventuring trio and up the surface of the rock face behind them. It's a good thing; Jonel would not have found them without the light. An evening breeze blows through the forest, soughing through the trees. Embers fly up from the fire, glowing briefly and then cooling into darkness, and the smoke twists into momentary vortices. But as the breeze dies down, the rustling noise of the foliage around the camp continues.

Recognizing the rotting stench that she smells, Rosemary shifts her heavy paddle to one hand and with the other hands out lavender to each of her companions to mask the smell. Jonel peers into the darkness and sees five humanoid shapes moving at the edge of the firelight and the glint of metal on bared blades. Jonel joins the others by the fire, and Manthis steps forward to face the threat with his greatsword in both hands. Unarmored, Arya grabbed her warhammer with fearful determination.Everyone, please roll initiative as the undead mindlessly approach.

---

Arya (10/10)
Jonel (7/7)
Manthis (11/11)
Rosemary (13/13)

Round one
(this is followed by round two)

The flickering of the firelight glints off of metal bits - weapons, bits of armor, metal studs in shields - half-seen through the foliage. The only sound is the rustling of leaves, and the party is struck by how horrifying animated corpses are - not just from the stench of rot, but of the complete silence with which they move. There is no speech, no breath, no communication of any kind: just dead flesh and bone moving beyond all reason.

There are five humanoid figures silently approaching the campfire that you can see.As the foul, silent figures approach, Manthis moves protectively in front of Arya and prepares an attack on the first monster to move in range...

"Don't worry, sir. I've got your back," Rosemary assures Jonel, stepping up next to the newcomer, and prepares to paddle the first undead to move close enough as her blood begins to boil with the battle madness (Rosemary Rages)...

Stepping into the firelight, five dead humanoids in various states of decay come into the clearing. Each bears a weapon it carried in life: one has a falchion, two has a dagger, three has a club, four has a short sword, and five has a staff. Each wears the tattered remains of their clothing, the attire rotting just as their flesh is. They also each clutch something in their other hands defensively: a rotted log, a mossy shield, a broken branch, a small wooden wheel, and part of a picket fence (each is wielded as a shield). Their eyes have been plucked out by scavengers, and insects crawl across their exposed flesh, eating the animated corpses. Unseeing, silent, the five grotesque monsters move to attack.

Four is the first to move within Manthis' reach. The warrior slashes at the corpse, but the rotting thing deflects the blow with its wheel (the prepared attack misses).
One creeps up to Jonel, bringing it within reach of Rosemary, triggering her prepared attack. Rosemary wallops Undead One; the baker's paddle smashes part of the corpse with a satisfying crunch.
Undead One takes 12 bludgeoning damage.
"LEAVE. HIM. ALONE." She feels her blood boil with fury as her rage intensifies.

Arya lashes out with her warhammer, smashing aside the picket fence the animated corpse is using as a shield, and brings the hammer down on its shoulder with a crunch. Undead Five takes 8 bludgeoning damage.

Jonel grunts and hits One with a Firebolt, flame jetting from his hand into the chest of the foul monster. If anything, the smell gets even worse.
Undead One takes 4 fire damage.
Jonel then steps behind Rosemary. "If you don't mind, I'm going to stand back here." (Neither One or Two use their reactions to attack him as he goes).

---

20 - Manthis (11/11)
9 - Rosemary (8/13)
9- Undead One (-16) Two, Three, Four, Five (-8)
6 - Arya (10/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7)

Round one, continued

As the foul, silent figures approach, Manthis moves protectively in front of Arya and prepares an attack on the first monster to move in range...
"Don't worry, sir. I've got your back," Rosemary assures Jonel, stepping up next to the newcomer, and prepares to paddle the first undead to move close enough as her blood begins to boil with the battle madness (Rosemary Rages)...

Stepping into the firelight, five dead humanoids in various states of decay come into the clearing. Each bears a weapon it carried in life: one has a falchion, two has a dagger, three has a club, four has a short sword, and five has a staff. Each wears the tattered remains of their clothing, the attire rotting just as their flesh is. They also each clutch something in their other hands defensively: a rotted log, a mossy shield, a broken branch, a small wooden wheel, and part of a picket fence (each is wielded as a shield). Their eyes have been plucked out by scavengers, and insects crawl across their exposed flesh, eating the animated corpses. Unseeing, silent, the five grotesque monsters move to attack.Four is the first to move within Manthis' reach. The warrior slashes at the corpse, but the rotting thing deflects the blow with its wheel (the prepared attack misses).
One creeps up to Jonel, bringing it within reach of Rosemary, triggering her prepared attack.
As the first undead strides forward, Rosemary wallops Undead One as it moves to attack Jonel. The baker's paddle smashes part of the corpse with a satisfying crunch.
Undead One takes 12 bludgeoning damage.
"LEAVE. HIM. ALONE." She feels her blood boil with fury as her rage begins.

@direhalfling - make your attack roll and let me know if Rosemary has become ENRAGED. In future, feel free to include the roll and damage when you declare the action.One attacks Jonel. It hacks into the adventurer with its falchion.
Jonel takes 5 slashing damage.
Two plunges its dagger into Rosemary.
Rosemary takes 2 piercing damage (reduced by Rage from 4).
Three will attack either Manthis or Rosemary (rolling randomly). It attacks Rosemary, striking the baker with its club.
Rosemary takes 3 bludgeoning damage (reduced by Rage from 6).
Four attacks Manthis, but the warrior evades the shorter blade.
Five attacks Arya, but the cleric shows her contempt for the undead by avoiding any contact.

---

20 - Manthis (11/11)
9 - Rosemary (8/13)
9- Undead One (-16) Two Three Four Five (-8)
6 - Arya (10/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7)

Arya lashes out with her warhammer, smashing aside the picket fence it is using as a shield, and brings the hammer down on its shoulder with a crunch. Undead Five takes 8 bludgeoning damage.Jonel grunts and hits One with a Firebolt, flame jetting from his hand into the chest of the foul monster. If anything, the smell gets even worse.
One takes 4 fire damage.
Jonel then steps behind Rosemary. "If you don't mind, I'm going to stand back here." (Neither One or Two use their reactions to attack him as he goes).

---

20 - Manthis (11/11)
9 - Rosemary (3/13) (I will correct this as needed if Rosemary's actions affect this outcome)
9- Undead One (-4) Two Three Four Five (-8)
6 - Arya (10/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7)

round one, completedAs the first undead strides forward, Rosemary wallops Undead One as it moves to attack Jonel. The baker's paddle smashes part of the corpse with a satisfying crunch.
Undead One takes 12 bludgeoning damage.
"LEAVE. HIM. ALONE." She feels her blood boil with fury as her rage begins.

Note that, due to her Rage, the damage on each of the two hits on Rosemary is halved, so she takes 2 and 3 damage (5 total), respectively, rather than 10 total.

Round two
(this was preceded by round one, followed by round three)Despite having two other monsters near him trying to kill him, Manthis bravely attempts to distract Undead Five from its attack on Arya. The various blows from the others throws off his aim, and Undead Five is able to evade the greatsword.

Rosemary's shout of "GET BACK!" is followed up by a furious series of swings with the heavy paddle at Undead One, but none of them connect with the eerily-gliding corpse.

Undead One attacks Rosemary. The falchion bites deep into the little barbarian.
Rosemary takes 3 slashing damage (reduced by Rage from 7).
On the other side, Undead Two attacks Rosemary, stabbing the dagger into Rosemary.
Rosemary takes 2 piercing damage (reduced by Rage from 4).
Undead Three chooses its target between Arya and Manthis. It focuses on Manthis. The club flicks out and over the warrior's greatsword before he can block it, hitting him between the eyes with a blow that makes his head ring.
Manthis takes 6 bludgeoning damage (4 plus the 2 crit damage).
Undead Four attacks Manthis. Dazed by the blow to his head, Manthis is unable to dodge the stabbing short sword, which plunges up into his armpit.
Manthis takes 7 piercing damage and collapses, dying.
Undead Five attacks Arya, its staff twirling silently in its decaying hands. One ends bats her warhammer aside just enough for the other end to swing around and smack her hard in the side.
Arya takes 3 bludgeoning damage.Arya retaliates against Undead Five, striking back with the warhammer so hard it passes through its head. Something about the damage exceeds the ability of the animating magic to keep it together, and the headless corpse falls.
Undead Five takes 20 bludgeoning damage and falls inert (destroyed). The air was thick with the stench of decay and blood. One undead had fallen, but at a terrible cost. Arya saw that she and Rosemary were battered and bleeding, and Manthis lay dying. "Run!" Arya shrieked, her voice cracking. "It's hopeless! We have to survive to warn the nearest town!" She bolted, her feet pounding against the earth as she fled past Jonel.

Horrified and in pain with blood pouring from the gash in his chest, Jonel murmurs the words over his cupped hands to cast Fog Cloud. Mist billows out from his hands and envelops the campsite. Unseen, the sorcerer moves away, finding the cliff face by touch and putting his back to it. Everything within the fog is heavily obscured, which means that there is no line of sight and all sight-based attacks in the fog will have DISADV.

@KidEnnui - let me know if I have to position of the cloud right or wrong from what you intended. I will adjust it if it's wrong.

---

20 - Manthis (0/11) DYING
9 - Rosemary (3/13) Raging
9 - Undead One (-16) Two, Three, Four, Five
6 - Arya (7/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7)

Round two continued...Undead One attacks Rosemary. The falchion bites deep into the little barbarian.
Rosemary takes 3 slashing damage (reduced by Rage from 7).
On the other side, Undead Two attacks Rosemary, stabbing the dagger into Rosemary.
Rosemary takes 2 piercing damage (reduced by Rage from 4).
Undead Three chooses its target between Arya and Manthis. It focuses on Manthis. The club flicks out and over the warrior's greatsword before he can block it, hitting him between the eyes with a blow that makes his head ring.
Manthis takes 6 bludgeoning damage (4 plus the 2 crit damage).
Undead Four attacks Manthis. Dazed by the blow to his head, Manthis is unable to dodge the stabbing short sword, which plunges up into his armpit.
Manthis takes 7 piercing damage and collapses, dying.
Undead Five attacks Arya, its staff twirling silently in its decaying hands. One ends bats her warhammer aside just enough for the other end to swing around and smack her hard in the side.
Arya takes 3 bludgeoning damage.

---

20 - Manthis (0/11) DYING
9 - Rosemary (3/13) Raging
9 - Undead One (-16) Two, Three, Four, Five (-8)
6 - Arya (7/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7)

WIP...

Arya hp 7/10

Attack five for 20 dmg?

Round two continued...

Arya retaliates against Undead Five, striking back with the warhammer so hard it passes through its head. Something about the damage exceeds the ability of the animating magic to keep it together, and the headless corpse falls.
Undead Five takes 20 bludgeoning damage and falls inert (dead again).

Round two continued...

Rosemary's shout of "GET BACK!" is followed up by a furious series of swings with the heavy paddle, but none of them connect with the eerily-gliding corpse.Arya destroys undead five.

Horrified and in pain with blood pouring from the gash in his chest, Jonel murmurs the words over his cupped hands to cast Fog Cloud. Mist billows out from his hands and envelops the campsite. Unseen, the sorcerer moves away, finding the cliff face by touch and putting his back to it. Everything within the fog is heavily obscured, which means that there is no line of sight and all sight-based attacks in the fog will have DISADV.

---

20 - Manthis (0/11) DYING
9 - Rosemary (3/13) Raging
9 - Undead One (-16) Two, Three, Four, Five
6 - Arya (7/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7)

@DireHalfling - I'm sorry for the confusion! After stepping behind Rosemary, Jonel was next to the fire. Then he cast the spell, and moved north of the center as you described; that brings him up against the cliff face. But that may be my misinterpreting what you wrote:
Does "Bottom of the Fog Cloud" mean the lowest point of the sphere, so that the center of the cloud is over his head, like in this picture (this is what I took you to mean):or does "Bottom of the Fog Cloud" mean the southernmost edge of the sphere, so that the bulk of the cloud is a hemisphere to the north, like in this picture:Let me know which you meant, and I will correct/adjust the record accordingly.

Also, if you thought he was against the cliff face, where do you want him to go? Up the cliff, or northeast along the cliff?

The air was thick with the stench of decay and blood. One undead had fallen, but at a terrible cost. Arya and Rosemary were battered and bleeding, and Mantis lay dying. "Run!" Arya shrieked, her voice cracking. "It's hopeless! We have to survive to warn the nearest town!" She bolted, her feet pounding against the earth as she disappeared through the fog cloud.

After destroying Undead Five, Arya runs past Jonel. Undead Three does not use its reaction to attack her as she leaves.

Then Jonel casts his Fog Cloud.

That's the end of round two.

Round three
(this was preceded by round two, followed by round four)
Manthis writhes, bleeding, on the ground.
Manthis has one failed death save.

"Why won't you die... uhh... again?" the barbarian baker cries, swinging her paddle at unseen enemies in the fog. Rosemary blindly steps to the north, and Undead Four, unable to perceive the movement, does not use its reaction to attack. It is unnerving for the heroes, moving in the thick fog, knowing that the completely silent undead are in there with them...somewhere. Confident that the blinding fog will conceal her even if she makes noise. Rosemary faces the approximate direction where she last saw Jonel and, remembering that Arya was the only one to introduce herself to the man, calls out to the newcomer "Follow Mother Arkon. I'll get Mantis." Enveloped by the fog, Undead One strikes out blindly in a random direction.
It savagely slashes the fog directly south of it...right where Undead Two stands! Unfortunately, it misses!
Undead Two, unaware that it was just attacked and standing at the very edge of the fog, chooses a direction to enter the cloud (there are four possible directions. 1 is west, moving clockwise). Moving directly towards Rosemary, it stabs with its dagger at the barbarian when it feels resistance! Rosemary is stabbed, her rage reduces the damage, but it is still enough to drop her in her tracks!
Rosemary takes 3 damage (reduced by Rage from 6) and falls, dying. Jonel hears the meaty slice and the thud as something heavy falls to the ground nearby.
Undead Three enters the fog in a random direction (there are three directions: 1 is northwest, moving clockwise), moving 10' to the northwest. It bumps into the cliff face and attacks it savagely with its club. Jonel can hear the thwacking of wood on stone nearby.
Undead Four moves north toward the fog, and then chooses a random direction just as Undead Three did before it (3 possible directions, NW is 1, moving clockwise). Running into Undead One, Undead Four blindly attacks with its short sword. The sword catches Undead One unawares!
Undead One takes 5 piercing damage and is destroyed!Arya calls upon Pelor's might and shines his light in the darkness. But it does little to soothe her panic, as she's all alone. Moving cautiously around the fog bank, she screams into the night, hoping the living will hear her and somehow the undead won't: "Follow my voice! We can't defeat them now! We have to retreat, regroup, and fight another day, with reinforcements!" To her horror, she sees two things: the decayed, moldy boots of one of the undead half-seen in the mist (Arya can see a little bit of Undead Two, though it cannot see her), and her stalwart companion of many days, Manthis, dying just a few paces from her. He's clearly in desperate need of healing or at least stabilization.

Hearing Arya's voice, Jonel creeps cautiously through the fog toward her...and his toes bump up against Rosemary, writhing at his feet. He cannot see who it is, but he can tell it is one of the living women, as she is still audibly breathing. It's probably the one who was protecting him, and told him to follow 'Mother Arkon.'Jonel retrieves Rosemary's dying body, first dragging, then, when he emerges from the fog and sees her condition, picking her up in his arms. He staggers over to Arya, whereupon he, too, sees Manthis in a similar state. The dying warrior is brightly illuminated in the light of Pelor's shining from Arya's shield.

There is still a clash and clang of weapons from within the fog. The night air is chill on Arya's exposed skin, and the halfling's hot blood soaking into Jonel's robe does not show up on the black fabric, but it does begin to cool.

---

20 - Manthis (0/11) Dying one failure
9 - Rosemary (0/13) Dying
9- Corpse One Two Three Four Five
6 - Arya (7/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7) concentrating

Rosemary screams. "Why won't you die... uhh... again?"

This is what the map looks like now (before Rosemary's move):

"Why won't you die... uhh... again?" the barbarian baker cries, swinging her paddle at unseen enemies in the fog. Rosemary blindly steps to the north, and Undead Four, unable to perceive the movement, does not use its reaction to attack. It is unnerving for the heroes, moving in the thick fog, knowing that the completely silent undead are in there with them...somewhere. Confident that the blinding fog will conceal her even if she makes noise. Rosemary faces the approximate direction where she last saw Jonel and says "Follow Mother Arkon. I'll get Mantis (sic)."

---

20 - Manthis (0/11) DYING one failure
9 - Rosemary (3/13) Raging, blind
9 - Undead One (-16) Two, Three, Four, Five
6 - Arya (7/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7) blind, concentrating

Round three, continued...

Round three, continued...

Enveloped by the fog, Undead One strikes out blindly in a random direction.
It savagely slashes the fog directly south of it...right where Undead Two stands! Unfortunately, it misses!
Undead Two, unaware that it was just attacked and standing at the very edge of the fog, chooses a direction to enter the cloud (there are four possible directions. 1 is west, moving clockwise). Moving directly towards Rosemary, it stabs with its dagger at the barbarian when it feels resistance! Rosemary is stabbed, her rage reduces the damage, but it is still enough to drop her in her tracks!
Rosemary takes 3 damage (reduced by Rage from 6) and falls, dying. Jonel hears the meaty slice and the thud as something heavy falls to the ground nearby.
Undead Three enters the fog in a random direction (there are three directions: 1 is northwest, moving clockwise), moving 10' to the northwest. It bumps into the cliff face and attacks it savagely with its club. Jonel can hear the thwacking of wood on stone nearby.
Undead Four moves north toward the fog, and then chooses a random direction just as Undead Three did before it (3 possible directions, NW is 1, moving clockwise). Running into Undead One, Undead Four blindly attacks with its short sword. The sword catches Undead One unawares!
Undead One takes 5 piercing damage and is destroyed!

---

20 - Manthis (0/11) DYING one failure
9 - Rosemary (0/13) DYING
9 - Undead One, Two, Three, Four, Five
6 - Arya (7/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7) blind, concentrating

Arya moves around the fog at a safe distance, looking hopefully to see someone emerge from the fog. Then her eyes alight on Manthis, lying on the ground, writhing and gasping weakly at the edge of the fog. Their eyes meet.

Round three, continued...

Arya calls upon Pelor's might and shines his light in the darkness. But it does little to soothe her panic, as she's all alone. Moving cautiously around the fog bank, she screams into the night, hoping the living will hear her and somehow the undead won't: "Follow my voice! We can't defeat them now! We have to retreat, regroup, and fight another day, with reinforcements!" To her horror, she sees two things: the decayed, moldy boots of one of the undead half-seen in the mist (Arya can see a little bit of Undead Two, though it cannot see her), and her stalwart companion of many days, Manthis, dying just a few paces from her. He's clearly in desperate need of healing or at least stabilization.

Hearing Arya's voice, Jonel creeps cautiously through the fog toward her...and his toes bump up against Rosemary, writhing at his feet. He cannot see who it is, but he can tell it is one of the living women, as she is still audibly breathing. It's probably the one who was protecting him, and told him to follow 'Mother Arkon.'

---

20 - Manthis (0/11) Dying one failure*
9 - Rosemary (0/13) Dying
9- Corpse One Two Three Four Five
6 - Arya (7/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7) blind, Concentrating

* - the second failure is for next round

End of round three...

Jonel retrieves Rosemary's dying body, first dragging, then, when he emerges from the fog and sees her condition, picking her up in his arms. He staggers over to Arya, whereupon he, too, sees Manthis in a similar state. The dying warrior is brightly illuminated in the light of Pelor's shining from Arya's shield.

There is still a clash and clang of weapons from within the fog. The night air is chill on Arya's exposed skin, and the halfling's hot blood soaking into Jonel's robe does not show up on the black fabric, but it does begin to cool.

---

20 - Manthis (0/11) Dying one failure
9 - Rosemary (0/13) Dying
9- Corpse One Two Three Four Five
6 - Arya (7/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7) concentrating

Round four
(this was preceded by round three)
Manthis feels his life ebbing, and thinks with some satisfaction that at least he protected the others. Then blazing bright light brings tears to his eyes, and he sees a form standing behind a shield shining like the sun...it is Arya. He looks at her and regret flares in his heart, to think that Arya might have to watch her companion die...

Manthis fails his second death save. Dying, Rosemary twitches in Jonel's arms, her hands grasping for the comfort of a baker's paddle that isn't there.
Rosemary succeeds her first death save.

Undead Two is confused by the sounds of fighting next to it and the yelling behind it. It chooses a random direction to attack (there are four possible directions to attack in the fog, with 1 being west and moving clockwise). Its attack passes through the space where undead one had been.
Undead three knows that it has been hitting the cliff. It stops and listens, but all it hears are Arya's screams. It moves in a random direction and attacks (there are four possible directions it can move: 1 is NE, moving clockwise). Undead three moves northeast ten feet and attacks the fog harmlessly.
Undead four knows that it destroyed something with its last attack. After that it hasn't heard anything other than screaming. It moves 10' in a random direction (1 is north, moving clockwise), trying to find the living targets. Moving east, Undead Four bumps into Undead Two, and lashes out with its short sword in an attempt to kill it.
Undead two takes 6 piercing damage.Arya hurries over to her dying companion Manthis, kneels down, and prays Cure Wounds softly over him. Pelor's might flows through her and into the warrior's battered body. Miraculously, his gaping wounds knit together and his eyes clear again.
Manthis regains 5 HP and is prone, no longer dying.

---

20 - Manthis (5/11)
9 - Rosemary (0/13) Dying one success
9- Corpse One, Two (-6), Three, Four Five
6 - Arya (7/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7) concentrating

round four, continued...

Meanwhile, the undead take their turns.

Undead Two is confused by the sounds of fighting next to it and the yelling behind it. It chooses a random direction to attack (there are four possible directions to attack in the fog, with 1 being west and moving clockwise). Its attack passes through the space where undead one had been.
Undead three knows that it has been hitting the cliff. It stops and listens, but all it hears are Arya's screams. It moves in a random direction and attacks (there are four possible directions it can move: 1 is NE, moving clockwise). Undead three moves northeast ten feet and attacks the fog harmlessly.
Undead four knows that it destroyed something with its last attack. After that it hasn't heard anything other than screaming. It moves 10' in a random direction (1 is north, moving clockwise), trying to find the living targets. Moving east, Undead Four bumps into Undead Two, and lashes out with its short sword in an attempt to kill it.
Undead two takes 6 piercing damage.

Round four continues...

As the sounds of weapons striking decayed flesh continue inside the fog...

Round four continued...

Arya hurries over to her dying companion Manthis, kneels down, and prays Cure Wounds softly over him. Pelor's might flows through her and into the warrior's battered body. Miraculously, his gaping wounds knit together and his eyes clear again.
Manthis regains 5 HP and is prone, no longer dying.

---

20 - Manthis (5/11)
9 - Rosemary (0/13) Dying one success
9- Corpse One, Two (-6), Three, Four Five
6 - Arya (7/10)
1 - Jonel (2/7) concentrating

While the undead are confused and fighting amongst themselves in the fog, the three heroes move away from their campsite, putting some distance between themselves and the threat of attack. Trees and shrubs appear out of the darkness in front of them at the limit of the sphere of light from Arya's shield: a moving island of illumination in the dark of the Dim Forest.

After a few moments, they pause to take stock. There is no sound of pursuit.

Having escaped the dead adventurers, each of the Dungeon Busters here - Rosemary, Manthis, Jonel, and Arya - gains 35 XP.

But you're not out of the woods yet.

With Pelor's grace and Arya's ministrations, Rosemary regains 5 HP and comes back to full consciousness in Jonel's arms. The sorcerer quickly sets her back on her feet.



Everyone is up, not in immediate danger, in the Dim Forest in the middle of the night. The three Dungeon Busters Arya, Manthis, and Rosemary, had been sent by their employer from Hochoch to reconnoiter the town of Orlane, to figure out what had happened to the previous team. Jonel had been heading to Hookhill to look for employment. Both Orlane and Hookhill are to the east. Hochoch is to the west. The road leading to all three communities is just a bit further to the south, and the four adventurers can reach the road easily. The campsite, with the fog (Jonel is still concentrating), any remaining undead, Arya's armor and Rosemary's paddle, is back to the north.

What do you do? Where will you go?

The group

Everyone gets their rest in (or around, if you prefer) the tree. Despite setting watches, there is no disturbance. Wherever the undead are, they have not followed the group. The party begins to strike their cold camp in the early morning false dawn when they hear a deep voice muttering as something just out of sight smashes through the underbrush.

As Jonel slips into the underbrush to hide, Arya steps forward and calls in the direction of the noise: "Who goes there? Show yourself, in the name of Pelor!" Shifting his grip on his sword, Manthis adds "Manner are must." Rosemary steps up shoulder-to-hip with Arya and adds "Uhh, yeah. What they said."

Bushes crack and branches snap as a large humanoid figure reorients itself to the sound and steps through the undergrowth towards them. It is obviously male, more than three paces tall and maybe only two paces broad, half-dressed in various animal skins that have been stitched together with sinews. Lank hair and crusted grime make clear that he has not bathed in ages. He carries a javelin in a hand the size of Rosemary's head and drags an enormous single-bladed battleaxe along the ground with the other. "I'm Karsh," he growls in Keolish, looking at the three of them (he does not seem to notice Jonel in the bushes off to the side). He then points its javelin at Arya and smiles. "You're pretty. But bandits took my snack, so I've got to eat." He points the javelin at Rosemary and licks his lips. "You look tasty. Food first, then love." He hauls back, clearly about to fling the javelin at Rosemary.



Everyone, please roll initiative.

Round one
(this is followed by round two)

Having just been threatened to be eaten, Rosemary replies first, getting angrier and angrier as she continues. "I almost died last night...I haven't had breakfast yet...AND I HAVE ANOTHER BUTT UGLY GUY TRYING TO KILL ME!"
Rosemary enters RAGE and Readies an action to rush up to the monster on Karsh's turn.

Arya is repulsed by Karsh's declaration of lust. "Karsh, listen by Pelor's light. I am a priestess of the Sun God, and I offer you food and peace. Consider this: we are four. You are alone. Even if you managed to fell one or two of us, you would be grievously wounded, easy prey for bandits or beasts later on. Is friendship not a more advantageous outcome? Refuse, and you will face the wrath of the gods." Calling upon Pelor, whose light is just beginning to illuminate the forest canopy overhead, Arya casts Bless on herself, Manthis, and Rosemary.

Manthis steps protectively in front of Arya again, readying to retaliate when Karsh attacks.

Jonel casts Ray of Frost from hiding; the blood mingles with the spell and the scratch freezes shut. A pale beam of light like a shaft of moonlight spears out of the bushes and hits Karsh.
Karsh takes 8 cold damage and his movement speed is reduced by 10' by the ice that forms on his legs.Karsh is a creature of simple passions; thinking is the same as doing for him. Right now, he is desperately hungry for halfling. Even as Arya continues to talk, he has stomped forward toward Manthis and the ladies behind him. Irritated that his legs are moving so slowly (due to Jonel's Ray of Frost), Karsh flings his javelin at Rosemary. He is surprised when the javelin doesn't pin her to the ground.
Rosemary takes 4 piercing damage (reduced by Rage from 9) and runs forward to meet Karsh (Readied action to charge).
Finally, seeing that Karsh's iced legs won't bring him close enough to hack, Manthis pulls the whip from his side, letting it uncoil on the ground. Then with a flick of his arm, Manthis sends the whip snapping forward to crack by Karsh's left ear, making a loud noise that startles the brute somewhat but does no other damage.

---

17 - Rosemary (8/13) Raging, Blessed
16 - Arya (10/10) Concentrating, Blessed
11 - Jonel (7/7)
10 - Manthis (11/11) Blessed
3 - Karsh (-8)