Chapter 3: Meeting The Natives

FRICK and YGNE

Ygne manages to pull the big man over the edge of the bridge, sending them both into the rapids below. She breaks his fall, crushed between his armored form and the boulders in the rapids, leaving her gasping for air. The water crashes all around them and it takes all of her strength to keep his limp body from tumbling down the river.

And yet, she holds.

There appears to be a rocky ledge not but 15 feet from your position that would be a lot drier to stand on, but it is hard to make out in the dark. The walls of the ravine itself are quite steep,and slick with the whitewater spray. In the distance, you can see some of the villagers that went overboard struggling to climb onto rocks.

JARVEENA and MOSS

The Ancestors grasp at Ygne but to no avail. But they waste no time with regrets and come for the next closest living thing: Jarveena. But, Jarveena has declared her intention to live this day, and holds true to her word.

The rest of the undead hoard surges onto the bridge behind the lead Ancestor.The griffon strikes back at Khiva with its beak and kicks at Moss after it rises up with the tiger still mounting it.

The remaining people have either reached the other side of the bridge or were knocked into the ravine. It is no longer difficult terrain.

Khiva makes a final, lethal attack against the Griffon, biting through its neck, and then darts across the bridge. Its inanimate body falls into the ravine below. The way across the bridge is now clear.

ROUND EIGHT

1 Frick, Ygne (in the Ravine), Jarveena (10/60 feet across bridge), Moss, (20/60 feet across bridge), Elspa and Rygnar (beach)
3. Second Ancestors HP: 18/60 (10 feet across)
4. Third through Sixth Ancestors HP: 60/60 (2 on bridge, others at bridge)
6. Undead Griffon 2: HP: 60/60 (5 feet from bridge)
7. Undead Griffon 3: HP: 60/60 (5 feet from bridge)
8. 16 Undead Villagers (10 feet from bridge)
10. BRIDGES ARE CUT AT THE END OF THIS ROUND!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

We've moved on to new terrain; feel free to name you own evocative features that fit the situation.

Moss manages to partly evade the undead griffon's claw before it falls off the bridge. Turning to see Jarveena next to the Second Ancestor, Moss sends an arrow flying towards it, Jarveena !! RUN !!!, before doing it himself...

Like a puppet on strings, two of the corpses' hands raise. Each of the flesh puppets extends a finger; one at Rygnar and the other at Elspa.

"Two warriors, two rewards."

The corpses respond to Elspa's query unison.

"The way to the Lands of the Dead are closed here."

As Jarveena backs away, limping, the Ancestors push forward, blades flashing in the dark. She parries each strike expertly, and grabs onto the rope rail as the villagers on the other side severe the ropes. As the bridge smashes into the ravine walls, she manages to hang on, but so do 3 of the Ancestors. The other two topple into the ravine below.

The eldritch voice breaks into a disturbing noise that might be laughter or crying.

"I do not hold dominion over the gates to the Lands of the Dead. Do you seek to restore them to their natural state? If so, I will put you on that path as your reward, She-Wolf."

ROUND NINE

note: near side of ravine is the side you started on, far side is the side you were going to.

1a. Moss, (at the top of the far side of ravine)
1b. Ygne (on a dark ledge on the far side of the Ravine beside Frick),
1c. Frick (stable, unconscious, prone)
1d. Jarveena (hanging off broken bridge on the near side of the ravine, 10 feet above ground)
3. Third and Sixth Ancestors HP: 53/60 (in Ravine, prone, 20 feet from Ygne & Frick)
4. Second Ancestor HP: 18/60 (hanging off of bridge above Jarveena - 15 feet up)
3. Fourth and Fifth Ancestor: (HP: 60/60, hanging off bridge above Second Ancestor - 20 feet up)


The other undead are trapped on the near side of the ravine and I'll ignore them on initiative for now. They gnashing their teeth (or beaks) at the edge of the ravine.

Creatures on the now-vertical bridge cannot use two handed weapons such as bows without doing an acrobatics/athletics check (ie: holding onto the bridge with just your legs). Climbing up / down the bridge moves at 1/2 speed as per usual (except for rogues with Second Story Work).

Moving through the rushing water in the ravine is difficult terrain.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

We've moved on to new terrain; feel free to name you own evocative features that fit the situation.

JARVEENA

---

Jarveena holds an arrow between her teeth and her bow in one hand as she slides down the remains of the rope bridge hanging from the side of the ravine. When she drops into the waist-deep water she has already knocked the arrow and turns upward to impale her pursuers. But, the Ancestors simply fall from their perches and slam into her maimed body.

She goes under, struggles to the surface, and when she does the three ancestors look down at her through their blank masks. Then, in unision, they reach for the masks and toss them into the water. Jarveena has seen more horrors than most in her life, but what she sees behind them shakes her to her core.

FRICK, MOSS, and YGNE

---

The three watch helplessly as the Ancestors drop onto Jarveena. They loom over her, toss their masks aside, and descend upon her like lions devouring their prey. But a strange thing happens; in the darkness and the strangeness of it all, one would be hard pressed to say one way or another what happened. But, it seemed as if their three forms suddenly grew bloated and merged. The mass ingurgitates Jarveena and swells horribly, then explodes in a shower of gore and copper coins.

There is no sign of Jarveena.

ELSPA and RYGNAR

---

The voice seems to hesitate just for a moment.

"One cannot judge what a great warrior desires."

One of the zombies suddenly shudders, then again and again. Its belly swells into a horribly bloated mass, then suddenly explodes into a mess of guts and bile. As if birthed, Jarveena spills out from the corpse's torso onto the rocks, curled up in a fetal position.

The now-gutless zombie falls to the ground, discarded, its eyes growing dark. It collapses in a heap and does not move again. The other two zombies now turn to Elspa.

"And what shall be your reward, She-Wolf?"