Part 11: Back at the Abbey

[Balgin Stondraeg]

The others have been gone for some ten or fifteen minutes now. Maybe longer. Rogan has dragged another two bodies out to the courtyard and is moving a third. Like the two before it, it came from the upper floor bumping bumpity bump down the stairs and dragged along the hallway past the chapel to the front door. As he hauls it over the threshold he notices the light of the beacon change from shining silver to a palid sickly green and feels the corpse shifting in his arms. For a brief moment he wonders if it is really dead, if perhaps it has only been presumed so up 'till now but as those lifeless eyes turn on him he knows the fearful truth, that somehow some dark magick has infested this mortal flesh to use as a puppet against him!

Casting the body aside he hears the groaning and moaning of the assembled cosrpses as the freshly discarded body rises. Great gods but they are all infested! Whatever shall he do? The others will be gone another twenty minutes, maybe even half an hour and he is in no fit state to take all the risen fleshpuppets on singlehandedly.

Battle thread incoming.

[Balgin Stondraeg]

Round 1-5:

Rogan repeatedly batters the foul thing, knocking it off balance and breaking bones. It scrabbles harmlessly at his armour and tries to smash him up against the doorpost.

After thirty seconds of struggle that seems like en eternity Rogan's sense are alerted. Three more bodies have rounded the corner of the building and are shambling towards him. One is the young boy from the stables, another the burned monk - all singed from the explosion that took his life. The third is a fairly nondescript monk that Rogan desn't particularly remember.

[Balgin Stondraeg]

Rounds 6-11

Stepping back Rogan speaks a blessing, a benediction of the stonefather, to ward off evildoers. The body he has been fighting takes a clumsy step towards him and fumbles feebly for his throat. Raising his holy symbol Rogan bellows out to the foul magics animating the corpses, commanding them to begon from this spot! All four bodies collapses, small residual tongues of black smoke whift away as the foul energy leaves them.

Boldy he turns the corner and spies another seven fleshpuppets shambling about. The side door to the kitchen is open and he cannot see the cook anywhere but there's no time for that now. Holy symbol raised he commands the foul powers away and four more corpses flop to the ground, the dark magic has no power over them now. The remaining three shamble towards him and strike heavy blows with their fists. One catches him on the side of the head and for a few moments he sees stars.

Stepping back he calls upon the power of the stonefather and a shimmering hammer of holy energy materialises in the air behind the shambling fleshy things. It strikes over and over again beating one of them into a pulp whilst Rogan battles on with his mace. He feels his blows sink into spongey flesh that bends and folds like rubber to little effect but the spirit hammer strikes true breaking flesh and bone.

One fleshpuppet falls, felled by the spirit hammer, and two still face the dwarven priest. He knows the hammer shall soon vanish, returning to it's master to do duties elsewhere. But for now it might have just saved his life.

[Balgin Stondraeg]

Rounds 12-18:

As the spirit hammer strikes it's last bone crushing blow Rogan calls upon the stonefather to grant him the strength of stone itself. Gripping his mace with both hands he brings it pounding down upon the fleshpuppets as they scrabble patheticaly at his armour and stagger and stumble under the weight of his blows.

Once they are both lying lifeless at his feet Rogan takes in his surroundings. No more deadwalkers are in sight.

The fight is over.

Wow guys, Rogan just got 1300 xp all by himself.

[Keeper]

Great work!  He deserves all of those XPs!

[Custom_Hobby]

Thats why he is the older brother!!!!

[Mr Teufel]

He didn't leave us any? The bounder!! :icon_wink:

[Balgin Stondraeg]

Entering the kitchen Rogan immediately spies the corpse of what was once the cook clutching a large cleaver and shambling in his direction!

Battle thread incoming.

[Balgin Stondraeg]

Shambling forwards the cook brings the cleaver down hard on Rogan's shoulder. It's meagre blade barely scrud*es the thick steel plates. Lashing out Rogan's mace bashes the corpse in the stomach causing it to almost double over from the force of the blow. Twice the cleaver descends upon the armorued dwarf scrud*ing off his helmet and shoulder as he smashes out with the mace, both hands firmly gripping the haft. As it raises it's blade for a third blow he beats it back, knocking it off balance. It flails ineffectualy as it rights itself and he strikes once more. Surely most mortal men would have been feleld by now but the vile magicks that animate this poor unfortunate shell, or that bind the soul to it in some wicked form of servitutde, clearly need a lot of physical disruption to break their hold over this puppet of flesh and bone.

It's blade catches him across the shin, scrud*ing viciously but causing not a wound. With a final blow he crushes it's skull and it tumbles down in an uncoordinated heap. Clearly he has driven forth the necromantic energy once more by force of arms. He counts himself lucky that it was off balance for otherwise his blow would have struck the breastbone and hopefuly shattered it too.

Another fight has ended. Rogan is alone in the kitchen "safe" in the knowledge that there are still 12 more animated corpses strewn about throughout the abbey, by now probably armed and lurking in ambush. Oh yeah, it's classic horror movie moments time. Might be worth waiting up for the others to arrive (in about 10-15 minutes) but the abbot and Naedath are upstairs and there may be 1 or 2 "bodies" near their room.

[Balgin Stondraeg]

Rogan stands in the kitchen wondering where the others have got to. Surely they should be on their way back now. As he waits his breathing slows to normal. Occassionaly he hears small sounds of movement elsewhere in the abbey, feet dragging on the cieling overhead or a door open or close.

After about twenty minutes, maybe more, he hears the sounds of the group returning to the abbey grounds.

[Custom_Hobby]

Aurum rushes to the closest door. He shouts "Rogon!" as he enters the building. He has his axe drawn and shield at the ready.

[Keeper]

Raul is right behind Aurum, weapons ready.

[Balgin Stondraeg]

Dashing into the courtyard they see a large number of dessicated shells (not literaly burnt out but "burned out of fuel", so to speak) littering the place. Most are monks, two or three are workmen. About half their number display broken bones and mashed up organs, clearly the work of a large blunt object (like Rogan's double handed mace).

Dashing into the main building Aurum calls out for his brother, who hears his cry.

[Custom_Hobby]

What part of the abbey do we come in through? Please repost the map.

[Balgin Stondraeg]

The abbey map:

The group are probably approaching from the west (top left ahnd corner of the map). Since the road goes down the left hand side of the map I'd assume they walked down it and through the gate (mid left). So dashing into 1a (outside the kitchen & chapel) makes most sense, which is which Rogan could easily hear Aurum.

There are seven dead bodies in the courtyard west of the kitchen (between buildings 1, 5 & 6). There are also 4 bodies on the ground between that courtyard and the abbey's main door (the one Rogan was carrying and the three who came around the corner to meet him).

Of course it is possible that the group decided to come in through the western entrance (top of the map). In that case they wouldn't imemdiately see the carnage and might actualy run into some zombies before finding Rogan but I was planning on keeping the reunion simple.