Through the Wheat Fields
![Picture](/uploads/1/8/6/5/18651430/8345180.jpg?438)
After the battle they all gather back in the living room of the home to discuss options.
"I'm sorry for my harsh tone earlier, I have to thank you for saving my family", said the middle aged man who's name was Darin. "With out your help we'd all be dead by now, but I fear we will not survive the night in the remnants of this house."
"I should think not", replied Ballimor. "Your only hope is to flee now before they return."
"I agree but my family and I could not possibly survive on our own if we get attacked", said Darin.
"Then it seems we will have to escort you to safety", resolved Adrick.
"But where to take them that is safe, remember the city is our primary charge", reminded Ruhdon.
"Splitting up might be the best option, thought its not generally advisable", said Lucin.
"We'll", said Darin, "there is road that runs away from town about a mile west of here. If we can reach it we can mange to get to safety on our own."
"Alright, then its settled", said Adrick. "Go and father what you need for the trip, we leave in 15 minutes." As Darin's family gathered what they could, Adrick talked to him about the town and the recent events. He learned that the outbreak started two weeks ago, and that it came suddenly enough that they were unable to effectively flee once they knew what happened. He also intoxicated to Adrick that the points of intrest in town of note would be the wizards tower, the mayors house and the town temple to Pelor.
Before long the family had gather their belongings and were ready to head out. As they were leaving the home Jak approached Adrick. "Hakka and I will go on ahead and scout out the area. Escort the family and perhaps we will meet back in town. If not then may the gods look out for you." With that Hakka and Jak disappeared into the wheat fields to the east.
"Where are they going?", questioned Ruhdon.
"Scouting out ahead", Adrick said,
"Hmm, scouring out ahead, when they were the ones demanding that we help these people in the first place? I don't trust them or their motives", said Ruhdon.
"Neither do I", said Lucin, "but right now we have innocent lives to protect and night is coming. There will be enough trouble ahead to worry about the motives of those two at the moment. Still, I will keep a keen eye for any signs of trouble." The party discussed their matching formations and settled on a five point star within which the family would move in a small cluster. Ruhdon took the point with Hazlo to his right and Lucin to his left. Ballimor followed the family on the right and Adrick followed on the left. As they moved into the tall wheat, they founded that movement was a real challenge and the formation broke apart as each of them struggled to locate the others as they moved. The dwarfs fell behind as their short stature made movement and more importantly sighting nearly impossible.
Despite the difficult terrain they made good progress until Lucin spotted the first ghoul lurking in the grass ahead of the family. Fearing that communicating with the family or others would alert the monster, he opted to attack the creature in an effort to kill it before it drew more over. His arrow struck the creature on the right shoulder, but it did not go down. Instead it lept toward him with astonishing speed, howling all the way. Moments later the entire field erupted in a chorus of ghoul cries that echoed on throught the fields for miles in all directions.
The family went from tense fear to near panick at the sudden disturbance in the calm. Adrick moved close and tried to calm them down, but his words fell upon deaf ears. Lucin backed away from his target, narrowly missing a few nasty swipes by the creature. He loosed another arrow that struck the creature in the right leg, yet it kept coming hard despite the impairment. Suddenly, just as Lucin was nocking a third arrow, Ruhdon emerged from the wheat and slashed the creature hard with his broadsword obliterating the ghoul in a storm of steal and magic. The elf warlord nodded a thanks to his companion before they both split off into the wheat in search of further targets. The two archers and the sword mage moved around holding the attacking ghouls at bay as much as they could while the two dawarves held close to the family looking for any stragglers that may slip by the frontline defense. This seemed to work for a while although their progress was unbearably slow. Inevitably, however, the growing tied of monsters overwhelmed the frontline defenses and one of them surprised even the dwarves and managed to make an attack on one of the children in the family. This seemed to break the families resolve and they all scattered in panic to different parts of the fields running wildly in a desperate effort to get away from the ghouls that were around them.
Adrick chased after one of the children who had headed back south towards the home, when he suddenly found himself surrounded by three nasty looking ghouls. Outnumber and with little hope of aid coming soon, the brave dwarf settled in for what he thought could be his final fight when suddenly without warning one of them ceased up in a fit of agony and dropped dead. A moment later the second one had the same thing occur randomly seizing up in agony before falling limp to the ground. Adrick didn't waste anytime assaulting the final ghoul, throwing everything he had into it and slaying the beast before it could react. Moments later a figure emerged from the wheat. It was tall and slender, huminoid in appearance but also quite diffrent from anything Adrick had ever seen before. His entire body glowed with a pale red hue and his skin was more akin to a crystal then anything organic. He wore grey mages robes with the unmistakable tabbard of the Charitable Marauders.
"Thank you for the help, I am Adrick of the Last Drop. I see you are also a member of the Charitable Marauders, we are working with some of your companions to discover the truth behind the trouble in Hamstead", said Adrick.
"Yes I know, Hakka and Jak sent word to me that you required assistance in the field. I am called Xavril", he replied in a matter of fact tone.
"We'll its good to meet you..Xavril was it? Always good to have another hand to help us." Xavril nodded his agreement to this statement and turned towards the fleeing child. Together Adrick and Xavril corralled the family members together while the others worked to clear a safe path throught the wheat to the road. At length the front line succeeded in cleating the ghouls in front of the group and the other quickly ushered the family forward, abandoning all pretense of strategy in Lou of getting them to safety as soon as possible. A sizable contingent of monsters trailed the family but Ballimor, who had struggled to find his way to anything for most if the battle, finally found his grove and held the tide at bay long enough for the family to reach the road and safety.
Once the family was away the group turned their full attention to the large mass of ghouls now trailing them. They expected a desperate fight, but found the ghouls less enthusiastic now that their easy meal had made good the escape. After a few more slayings the remnant of the ghouls broke and ran for cover effectively ending the engagement. The group too stock and found that all-in-all they were relatively unscathed. Yet they still had a long journey ahead and night was fast approaching.
"I'm sorry for my harsh tone earlier, I have to thank you for saving my family", said the middle aged man who's name was Darin. "With out your help we'd all be dead by now, but I fear we will not survive the night in the remnants of this house."
"I should think not", replied Ballimor. "Your only hope is to flee now before they return."
"I agree but my family and I could not possibly survive on our own if we get attacked", said Darin.
"Then it seems we will have to escort you to safety", resolved Adrick.
"But where to take them that is safe, remember the city is our primary charge", reminded Ruhdon.
"Splitting up might be the best option, thought its not generally advisable", said Lucin.
"We'll", said Darin, "there is road that runs away from town about a mile west of here. If we can reach it we can mange to get to safety on our own."
"Alright, then its settled", said Adrick. "Go and father what you need for the trip, we leave in 15 minutes." As Darin's family gathered what they could, Adrick talked to him about the town and the recent events. He learned that the outbreak started two weeks ago, and that it came suddenly enough that they were unable to effectively flee once they knew what happened. He also intoxicated to Adrick that the points of intrest in town of note would be the wizards tower, the mayors house and the town temple to Pelor.
Before long the family had gather their belongings and were ready to head out. As they were leaving the home Jak approached Adrick. "Hakka and I will go on ahead and scout out the area. Escort the family and perhaps we will meet back in town. If not then may the gods look out for you." With that Hakka and Jak disappeared into the wheat fields to the east.
"Where are they going?", questioned Ruhdon.
"Scouting out ahead", Adrick said,
"Hmm, scouring out ahead, when they were the ones demanding that we help these people in the first place? I don't trust them or their motives", said Ruhdon.
"Neither do I", said Lucin, "but right now we have innocent lives to protect and night is coming. There will be enough trouble ahead to worry about the motives of those two at the moment. Still, I will keep a keen eye for any signs of trouble." The party discussed their matching formations and settled on a five point star within which the family would move in a small cluster. Ruhdon took the point with Hazlo to his right and Lucin to his left. Ballimor followed the family on the right and Adrick followed on the left. As they moved into the tall wheat, they founded that movement was a real challenge and the formation broke apart as each of them struggled to locate the others as they moved. The dwarfs fell behind as their short stature made movement and more importantly sighting nearly impossible.
Despite the difficult terrain they made good progress until Lucin spotted the first ghoul lurking in the grass ahead of the family. Fearing that communicating with the family or others would alert the monster, he opted to attack the creature in an effort to kill it before it drew more over. His arrow struck the creature on the right shoulder, but it did not go down. Instead it lept toward him with astonishing speed, howling all the way. Moments later the entire field erupted in a chorus of ghoul cries that echoed on throught the fields for miles in all directions.
The family went from tense fear to near panick at the sudden disturbance in the calm. Adrick moved close and tried to calm them down, but his words fell upon deaf ears. Lucin backed away from his target, narrowly missing a few nasty swipes by the creature. He loosed another arrow that struck the creature in the right leg, yet it kept coming hard despite the impairment. Suddenly, just as Lucin was nocking a third arrow, Ruhdon emerged from the wheat and slashed the creature hard with his broadsword obliterating the ghoul in a storm of steal and magic. The elf warlord nodded a thanks to his companion before they both split off into the wheat in search of further targets. The two archers and the sword mage moved around holding the attacking ghouls at bay as much as they could while the two dawarves held close to the family looking for any stragglers that may slip by the frontline defense. This seemed to work for a while although their progress was unbearably slow. Inevitably, however, the growing tied of monsters overwhelmed the frontline defenses and one of them surprised even the dwarves and managed to make an attack on one of the children in the family. This seemed to break the families resolve and they all scattered in panic to different parts of the fields running wildly in a desperate effort to get away from the ghouls that were around them.
Adrick chased after one of the children who had headed back south towards the home, when he suddenly found himself surrounded by three nasty looking ghouls. Outnumber and with little hope of aid coming soon, the brave dwarf settled in for what he thought could be his final fight when suddenly without warning one of them ceased up in a fit of agony and dropped dead. A moment later the second one had the same thing occur randomly seizing up in agony before falling limp to the ground. Adrick didn't waste anytime assaulting the final ghoul, throwing everything he had into it and slaying the beast before it could react. Moments later a figure emerged from the wheat. It was tall and slender, huminoid in appearance but also quite diffrent from anything Adrick had ever seen before. His entire body glowed with a pale red hue and his skin was more akin to a crystal then anything organic. He wore grey mages robes with the unmistakable tabbard of the Charitable Marauders.
"Thank you for the help, I am Adrick of the Last Drop. I see you are also a member of the Charitable Marauders, we are working with some of your companions to discover the truth behind the trouble in Hamstead", said Adrick.
"Yes I know, Hakka and Jak sent word to me that you required assistance in the field. I am called Xavril", he replied in a matter of fact tone.
"We'll its good to meet you..Xavril was it? Always good to have another hand to help us." Xavril nodded his agreement to this statement and turned towards the fleeing child. Together Adrick and Xavril corralled the family members together while the others worked to clear a safe path throught the wheat to the road. At length the front line succeeded in cleating the ghouls in front of the group and the other quickly ushered the family forward, abandoning all pretense of strategy in Lou of getting them to safety as soon as possible. A sizable contingent of monsters trailed the family but Ballimor, who had struggled to find his way to anything for most if the battle, finally found his grove and held the tide at bay long enough for the family to reach the road and safety.
Once the family was away the group turned their full attention to the large mass of ghouls now trailing them. They expected a desperate fight, but found the ghouls less enthusiastic now that their easy meal had made good the escape. After a few more slayings the remnant of the ghouls broke and ran for cover effectively ending the engagement. The group too stock and found that all-in-all they were relatively unscathed. Yet they still had a long journey ahead and night was fast approaching.
Entering Ghoul Country
![Picture](/uploads/1/8/6/5/18651430/1368370.jpg?371)
As they approach the town of Hampstead they quickly saw began to realize just how widespread the ghoul problem had become. The entire town lay in ruins, the homes were torn apart, furniture was scattered all over the streets, windows were broken and doors were ripped off their hinges or hung by a thread, and everywhere were the ghouls. They wandered the streets, gathered in corners and allies, infested homes, and even climbed on roofs ever seeking living flesh to satisfy their insatiable hunger. As a surveyed the destruction before them the party took a moment to rethink their strategy. There are clearly too many ghouls for them to go in a hacking and slashing as before. Furthermore, the slightest commotion was likely to bring the entire town upon them in minutes. They realized that they would need to be quiet moving through the streets so as to avoid drawing unwanted attention.
The group chose Hazlo to lead them through the ghoul infested city as he had the best combination of skills for the task. His excellent perception, strong endurance, and uncanny streetwise ability would certainly prove useful in navigating them through ghoul country. He also organized the group into a cohesive unit and assigned each of them tasks but they seem best suited for. Lucan’s eyes are the best in the group and were a veteran of battle he kept calm under stress; therefore he placed him second in the order to be the lookout for signs of danger. Ballimor with his nerves of steel and strong perception was assigned the key duty of rear guard for the party. Ruhdon as was also strong willed and could endure a lot before he cracked so Hazlo had him in front of Ballimor for extra support. Adrick was the groups voice and spiritual leader and therefore was placed third in order to provide encouragement, or prayer, when needed. Xavril lacked any useful skills in this endeavor and Hazlo did not trust anyway so he placed the psion in the fourth position so we would be put off the way and well watched by the others.
The entered the outskirts just as the sun was reaching the building tops so that they began to cast long shadows over parts of the streets and alleys. This made spotting enemies more of a challenge, but it also meant more freedom of movement for the group. Hazlo guided the group towards the wizards tower which they had all agreed was the best place to start. There initial progress was good; Hazlo, Lucan and Ballimor all spotted potential dangers and helped veer the group around them. However, problems arose when they learned the shortest route to the wizard’s tower led through the town center, a wide open space covered in ghouls. Hazlo had to fall back upon his streetwise knowledge of cities to find a circuitous route to their goal. This proved a greater challenge than previously expected as his initial attempts met in failure, leading to dead ends or running in circles.
The day was quickly moving on and the constant sight of hungry ghouls and their viscous cries began to ware on all of them. Lucan was the first to crack, the stress getting to him, he over compensated while trying to scale a wall and ended up tumbling into any alley with several ghouls lurking about. He drew their attention, but thankfully he was able to evade their pursuit by ducking into a nearby building. Adrick tried to lift everyone's sprits with prayer and encouragement. He managed to help Lucan recover from his earlier mishap and despite the growing difficulties they were still able to move forward. Finally they seemed near their goal as the wizards tower loomed above them, on block over. Seeing the goal so near gave Hazlo renewed confidence and he scanned ahead looking for an alley or path that would allow access to the next street. He found it ahead of them four buildings down and against his better judgment decided to just go for it without checking to see it was clear.
The error in his reasoning was immediately clear to everyone as the small alleyway was littered with more than a dozen ghouls. They spotted the adventurers immediately and let off a series of howls that reverberated throughout the city. Desperate for safety the party pressed on preparing to fight their way through the mass to the tower entrance which they could now finally see at the end of the block. Hazlo spurred them on, charging and firing as he moved towards his foes. Lucan moved forward to and the rest followed suite in a mad dash to the finish. One of the ghouls directly in their way was much larger than the rest and posed a significant challenge. Ballimor stepped in front to confront this beast and to keep him occupied while his party members ran to safety. Before long they heard the unmistakable sound of ghouls charging in behind them. None of them dared look back and see just how many. They cut down more than a dozen ghouls as the came up the block but the large one still posed a threat. When Hazlo reached the end of the section he turned back and started peppering this monster with arrows. Ruhdon also stopped his dash towards safety to help Ballimor bring down this creature. Together the three of them succeeded in wounding and then slaying the ghoul just as throngs more were charging towards them from behind. Adrick stepped up and called once more upon Mordin's might to turn these fouls creatures away. The blast of light blinded the closets ones and sent them running in fear back towards the rest. The ensuing chaos bought the party enough time to make their last dash to the door. The two dwarves and Ruhdon sprinted towards the tower entrance while the two archers provide covering fire. They reached the door just as the ghouls had regained their momentum and the party members dove inside and latched the door behind them. They waited several tense moments for the sounds of ghouls clawing at the walls or door, but it never came. After several minutes of silence they all breathed a sigh if relief and allowed themselves a much needed moment of peace.
The group chose Hazlo to lead them through the ghoul infested city as he had the best combination of skills for the task. His excellent perception, strong endurance, and uncanny streetwise ability would certainly prove useful in navigating them through ghoul country. He also organized the group into a cohesive unit and assigned each of them tasks but they seem best suited for. Lucan’s eyes are the best in the group and were a veteran of battle he kept calm under stress; therefore he placed him second in the order to be the lookout for signs of danger. Ballimor with his nerves of steel and strong perception was assigned the key duty of rear guard for the party. Ruhdon as was also strong willed and could endure a lot before he cracked so Hazlo had him in front of Ballimor for extra support. Adrick was the groups voice and spiritual leader and therefore was placed third in order to provide encouragement, or prayer, when needed. Xavril lacked any useful skills in this endeavor and Hazlo did not trust anyway so he placed the psion in the fourth position so we would be put off the way and well watched by the others.
The entered the outskirts just as the sun was reaching the building tops so that they began to cast long shadows over parts of the streets and alleys. This made spotting enemies more of a challenge, but it also meant more freedom of movement for the group. Hazlo guided the group towards the wizards tower which they had all agreed was the best place to start. There initial progress was good; Hazlo, Lucan and Ballimor all spotted potential dangers and helped veer the group around them. However, problems arose when they learned the shortest route to the wizard’s tower led through the town center, a wide open space covered in ghouls. Hazlo had to fall back upon his streetwise knowledge of cities to find a circuitous route to their goal. This proved a greater challenge than previously expected as his initial attempts met in failure, leading to dead ends or running in circles.
The day was quickly moving on and the constant sight of hungry ghouls and their viscous cries began to ware on all of them. Lucan was the first to crack, the stress getting to him, he over compensated while trying to scale a wall and ended up tumbling into any alley with several ghouls lurking about. He drew their attention, but thankfully he was able to evade their pursuit by ducking into a nearby building. Adrick tried to lift everyone's sprits with prayer and encouragement. He managed to help Lucan recover from his earlier mishap and despite the growing difficulties they were still able to move forward. Finally they seemed near their goal as the wizards tower loomed above them, on block over. Seeing the goal so near gave Hazlo renewed confidence and he scanned ahead looking for an alley or path that would allow access to the next street. He found it ahead of them four buildings down and against his better judgment decided to just go for it without checking to see it was clear.
The error in his reasoning was immediately clear to everyone as the small alleyway was littered with more than a dozen ghouls. They spotted the adventurers immediately and let off a series of howls that reverberated throughout the city. Desperate for safety the party pressed on preparing to fight their way through the mass to the tower entrance which they could now finally see at the end of the block. Hazlo spurred them on, charging and firing as he moved towards his foes. Lucan moved forward to and the rest followed suite in a mad dash to the finish. One of the ghouls directly in their way was much larger than the rest and posed a significant challenge. Ballimor stepped in front to confront this beast and to keep him occupied while his party members ran to safety. Before long they heard the unmistakable sound of ghouls charging in behind them. None of them dared look back and see just how many. They cut down more than a dozen ghouls as the came up the block but the large one still posed a threat. When Hazlo reached the end of the section he turned back and started peppering this monster with arrows. Ruhdon also stopped his dash towards safety to help Ballimor bring down this creature. Together the three of them succeeded in wounding and then slaying the ghoul just as throngs more were charging towards them from behind. Adrick stepped up and called once more upon Mordin's might to turn these fouls creatures away. The blast of light blinded the closets ones and sent them running in fear back towards the rest. The ensuing chaos bought the party enough time to make their last dash to the door. The two dwarves and Ruhdon sprinted towards the tower entrance while the two archers provide covering fire. They reached the door just as the ghouls had regained their momentum and the party members dove inside and latched the door behind them. They waited several tense moments for the sounds of ghouls clawing at the walls or door, but it never came. After several minutes of silence they all breathed a sigh if relief and allowed themselves a much needed moment of peace.
The Wizards Last Stand
![Picture](/uploads/1/8/6/5/18651430/1400342083.jpg)
After taking a moment to catch their breath, the party fanned out to explore their new surroundings. The interior of the tower was dark with the only light trickling in from the stairwell that led to the top floor. The first floor of the tower was littered with a bunch of storage rooms connected by a series of doors and hallways. The party split up to search these rooms quickly and discovered nothing of value within any of them. Mostly they contained foodstuffs and other basic supplies however much of it had been destroyed from an apparent attack by ghouls. Having found nothing of value the party grouped up and cautiously headed up the steps to the top floor.
The top floor was apparently the wizards study. Several bookcases that were nearly 7 feet tall lined the walls around the room. On the side opposite the stairwell entrance stood a desk, stool, pedestal, and table littered with various magical instruments. The stonework next to the stairwell had a hastily drawn magical circle inscribed upon it. Everywhere there are signs of battle. Blood, flesh, and burns, which Ruhdon quickly identified to be magical in nature, were scattered throughout the room.
Xavril immediately began searching the magical work. For any object of use. Finding nothing of value there he moved on to the bookcases scanning for books or objects that could give insight into the ghoul problem. After a few minutes he came upon a curios small golden sphere resting on one of the shelves. He picked it up and examined it for any clues about its nature and discovered a small button on the backside. Desperate for some sort of information he pressed the button in hopes that it would reveal some magical object hidden within. Instead he was greeted by an extremely loud recording of the wizard taking notes on his study of local flora and fauna. Startled by the sudden blasting sound emanating from the small device Xavril dropped the unit and it rolled several feet before coming to rest near the stairwell. Ruhdon sprang into action scooping the globe up and deactivating it as quickly as possible. Yet the damage was already done, for as soon as he turned off the sound the ghouls were upon them again, climbing the tower walls in search of a way into the tower.
Hazlo rushed to one of the windows and began firing upon the ghouls as they attempted to climb the stonework. He managed to shoot one of them off the power, but the creatures adapter and began climbing towards other windows out I sight from Hazlo. Ballimor sighted one attempting to climb in a different window and immediately bull rushed it. He struck it with such force that the creature lost its grip on the windowsill and fell to its death. The party quickly learned that their best defense was to knock the ghouls off the walls or out the windows before they could get a footing within the room. Falling from the height seemed sufficiently high enough to kill most of them off outright though a few really nasty ones made several climbs up the wall before finally succumbing. Although they were attacked by many ghouls, the towers excellent defensive position meant that the battle was not particularly difficult. So successful where they at defending the tower that Ruhdon and Xavril broke off their attacks halfway through the battle and resumed the search for information and objects around the room. This led to the only hiccup in the battle when Ruhdon, convinced that the wizard had some secret hidden vault, convinced Lucan to topple over one of the bookcases next to him. This revealed a previously unseen window which allowed another location for ghouls to enter from. Eventually the ghouls broke off their attack having failed to even damage any of the party members.
The party now fully mobilized its search efforts realizing that the hungry ghouls would not be scared off for long. Ruhdon and Xavril focused the group on searching for hidden compartments or doors. They strongly suspected the wizard knew something about this blight and perhaps a clue to ending it. Their efforts were not in vain as Ballimor caught sight of a peculiar looking stone behind the desk. Ruhdon examined it more closely and determined it to be a magical illusion. He reached in and uncovered the a booklet of spells and the wizards personal diary. Certain that they had what they were looking for the party beat a hasty retreat out of the tower and back into the streets in search of safety.
The top floor was apparently the wizards study. Several bookcases that were nearly 7 feet tall lined the walls around the room. On the side opposite the stairwell entrance stood a desk, stool, pedestal, and table littered with various magical instruments. The stonework next to the stairwell had a hastily drawn magical circle inscribed upon it. Everywhere there are signs of battle. Blood, flesh, and burns, which Ruhdon quickly identified to be magical in nature, were scattered throughout the room.
Xavril immediately began searching the magical work. For any object of use. Finding nothing of value there he moved on to the bookcases scanning for books or objects that could give insight into the ghoul problem. After a few minutes he came upon a curios small golden sphere resting on one of the shelves. He picked it up and examined it for any clues about its nature and discovered a small button on the backside. Desperate for some sort of information he pressed the button in hopes that it would reveal some magical object hidden within. Instead he was greeted by an extremely loud recording of the wizard taking notes on his study of local flora and fauna. Startled by the sudden blasting sound emanating from the small device Xavril dropped the unit and it rolled several feet before coming to rest near the stairwell. Ruhdon sprang into action scooping the globe up and deactivating it as quickly as possible. Yet the damage was already done, for as soon as he turned off the sound the ghouls were upon them again, climbing the tower walls in search of a way into the tower.
Hazlo rushed to one of the windows and began firing upon the ghouls as they attempted to climb the stonework. He managed to shoot one of them off the power, but the creatures adapter and began climbing towards other windows out I sight from Hazlo. Ballimor sighted one attempting to climb in a different window and immediately bull rushed it. He struck it with such force that the creature lost its grip on the windowsill and fell to its death. The party quickly learned that their best defense was to knock the ghouls off the walls or out the windows before they could get a footing within the room. Falling from the height seemed sufficiently high enough to kill most of them off outright though a few really nasty ones made several climbs up the wall before finally succumbing. Although they were attacked by many ghouls, the towers excellent defensive position meant that the battle was not particularly difficult. So successful where they at defending the tower that Ruhdon and Xavril broke off their attacks halfway through the battle and resumed the search for information and objects around the room. This led to the only hiccup in the battle when Ruhdon, convinced that the wizard had some secret hidden vault, convinced Lucan to topple over one of the bookcases next to him. This revealed a previously unseen window which allowed another location for ghouls to enter from. Eventually the ghouls broke off their attack having failed to even damage any of the party members.
The party now fully mobilized its search efforts realizing that the hungry ghouls would not be scared off for long. Ruhdon and Xavril focused the group on searching for hidden compartments or doors. They strongly suspected the wizard knew something about this blight and perhaps a clue to ending it. Their efforts were not in vain as Ballimor caught sight of a peculiar looking stone behind the desk. Ruhdon examined it more closely and determined it to be a magical illusion. He reached in and uncovered the a booklet of spells and the wizards personal diary. Certain that they had what they were looking for the party beat a hasty retreat out of the tower and back into the streets in search of safety.
Return to Ghoul Country
![Picture](/uploads/1/8/6/5/18651430/3924777.jpg?307)
Stepping out on to the streets, the party resumed their tense trek through the ghoul infested streets. Hazlo lead the way, searching out ahead for clearings and dodging between buildings, alleys and other structures to weave their way through the ruined town. The shrieks of ghouls rang in the ears and the horror of the situation weighed upon all of them. Xavril began to lose confidence and moral, his every thought turned to the evil that penetrated the city and more than once he nearly lost his mind wandering amongst the hungry monsters. Adrick stayed close the psion in order to him grounded in reality. After some time it became evident to everyone that they would need to find shelter soon as twilight was already upon them and soon the darkness of night would set in making their ability to traverse the streets safely impossible.
Hazlo and Lucan stopped the group in an empty alleyway and quickly scaled the nearby building. From the roof tops they were able to get a better view of the city as the fading light was much brighter above the shadows on the streets. Lucan soon spotted the remains of the down temple which remarkably appeared to be intact despite the horde of undead that now claimed the city. They both decided that it would be their best bet, and so guided the group towards this destination. Within minutes they approaching the temples courtyard, and Hazlo stopped the group to survey the situation. The courtyard was infested with ghouls, milling around aimlessly, but the door to the temple appeared intact and was closed. Furthermore someone had taken the time to board up the buildings widows, and the roof was still very much intact as well. Deciding that this was the last and best hope for shelter for the night, the group launched an attack on the ghouls, aiming to finish them off as quickly as possible.
Adrick and Ballimor lead the charge, pushing past the weaker ghouls seeking the hardier undead to keep them occupied. The rest of the group setup a perimeter around the courtyard and rained arrows, and spells upon the helpless ghouls within. In short order the group has cleared all but the strongest ghoul and setup work to take this creature down together. In the confusion, Xavril took a moment to search the grounds for clues. He discovered a secret stash of magical items hidden beneath a rock in the eastern end of the courtyard and seeing that the rest of the group was distracted, pocketed the items to examine later.
Lucan soon finished off the last ghoul with a well-placed arrow and the group headed for the door. Ruhdon looked around for Xavril and noticed him examining rocks on the far end of the courtyard, thought his suspicions were aroused, he decided to hold silent until the group reached safety. Ballimor ripped open the door finding it unlocked and the group piled into the dark building just as the last bit of the sun fell bellows the roof tops.
Hazlo and Lucan stopped the group in an empty alleyway and quickly scaled the nearby building. From the roof tops they were able to get a better view of the city as the fading light was much brighter above the shadows on the streets. Lucan soon spotted the remains of the down temple which remarkably appeared to be intact despite the horde of undead that now claimed the city. They both decided that it would be their best bet, and so guided the group towards this destination. Within minutes they approaching the temples courtyard, and Hazlo stopped the group to survey the situation. The courtyard was infested with ghouls, milling around aimlessly, but the door to the temple appeared intact and was closed. Furthermore someone had taken the time to board up the buildings widows, and the roof was still very much intact as well. Deciding that this was the last and best hope for shelter for the night, the group launched an attack on the ghouls, aiming to finish them off as quickly as possible.
Adrick and Ballimor lead the charge, pushing past the weaker ghouls seeking the hardier undead to keep them occupied. The rest of the group setup a perimeter around the courtyard and rained arrows, and spells upon the helpless ghouls within. In short order the group has cleared all but the strongest ghoul and setup work to take this creature down together. In the confusion, Xavril took a moment to search the grounds for clues. He discovered a secret stash of magical items hidden beneath a rock in the eastern end of the courtyard and seeing that the rest of the group was distracted, pocketed the items to examine later.
Lucan soon finished off the last ghoul with a well-placed arrow and the group headed for the door. Ruhdon looked around for Xavril and noticed him examining rocks on the far end of the courtyard, thought his suspicions were aroused, he decided to hold silent until the group reached safety. Ballimor ripped open the door finding it unlocked and the group piled into the dark building just as the last bit of the sun fell bellows the roof tops.
The Safehouse
The temple was dark as the windows and doors all appeared to be latched. Adrick light a torch and Ruhdon cast light on his sword. The group split up and searches the first floor of the building. Ruhdon’s group found the temple dormitory, offices and storage rooms. The found the diary of the head priest at the temple with some disturbing writings. The explained how he had meet a young farm boy who lived on the other side of the river some weeks ago, how this boy suffered from terrible dreams and how these dreams seemed to consume him. He sent the boy to the town’s wizard as he was convinced that these dreams were being driven by some demonic force. Later he mentions similar dreams occurring to him and the onslaught of the ghoul infestation which seems to have started in the direction of the boy’s old home. He chronicles a group of survivors who he and the other priests sheltered in the temple, how they secured the building and finally how his growing madness resulted in the slaughter of all of the inhabitants. Finally, it appears that the priest, nearly overcome with insanity, took his own life in order to prevent himself from becoming a monster.
Adrick’s group found the bodies of the innocents along with the priests. Initially they suspected ghouls, until they looked closer at the wounds and realized they were all made with weapons. Confused and dishearten, Adrick, with the aid of Ballimor and Hazlo, took time to properly bury the bodies in the temples crypts (which they also found ghoul free). With this work done, the headed back for the entrance where the meet up with the other group. There exchanged information and Adrick lead a prayer for the souls of the priests and their victims and they all settled in for the night. The agreed to share the watch, thought they also were convinced that they were safe whilst in the building.
With the immediate danger passed Ruhdon took the opportunity to confront Xavril about his suspicions form the courtyard.
“I saw you in the courtyard, I know you found something, what was it?” questioned Ruhdon.
“I’m not sure what you are talking about, I found nothing in the courtyard, and I take offense to your acqusation mage.” Bluffed Xavril.
“Liar!” Exclaimed Ruhdon, as he unsheathed his weapon, “I know you are hiding something and I will get it out of you yet. I don’t trust you and I will not put my friends in danger; now tell me what you found.”
The group stopped their own activities and took notice to the growing tension. Lucan silently positioned himself behind the shardmind and notched an arrow ready to fight, while Ballimor and Adrick gathered their things and approached the two.
“I have nothing to tell, nor am I interested in a fight, we have more dangerous things to worry about, we cannot afford to have dissention amongst our ranks. If you insist that search my belongings, but I bear you no ill will save for the accusations you are now bringing against me. “Bluffed Xavril.
“I’m sure that will not be needed,” said Adrick as the stepped in-between the two, “I think the stress of the situation is getting to Ruhdon. I’m sure he meant you no harm. Come let us all get some rest because tomorrow will surely be another trying day.”
Xavril nodded to the dwarf and lowered his guard, Ruhdon reluctantly di so as well. The town separated and headed for different ends of the temple to settle in and Lucan volunteered to head the first watch. As the party settled in at least, Lucan wandered over towards Ruhdon to address the mage in private.
“I don’t trust him either,” whispered the elf, “and between you and me, I have spotted signs of his compatriots in the city as well. They are trailing us, but doing their best to keep out of sight. To what end I do not know, but I fear we cannot let our guard down at all. I fear the ghouls are not the only thing we need to look out for in this city.”
Adrick’s group found the bodies of the innocents along with the priests. Initially they suspected ghouls, until they looked closer at the wounds and realized they were all made with weapons. Confused and dishearten, Adrick, with the aid of Ballimor and Hazlo, took time to properly bury the bodies in the temples crypts (which they also found ghoul free). With this work done, the headed back for the entrance where the meet up with the other group. There exchanged information and Adrick lead a prayer for the souls of the priests and their victims and they all settled in for the night. The agreed to share the watch, thought they also were convinced that they were safe whilst in the building.
With the immediate danger passed Ruhdon took the opportunity to confront Xavril about his suspicions form the courtyard.
“I saw you in the courtyard, I know you found something, what was it?” questioned Ruhdon.
“I’m not sure what you are talking about, I found nothing in the courtyard, and I take offense to your acqusation mage.” Bluffed Xavril.
“Liar!” Exclaimed Ruhdon, as he unsheathed his weapon, “I know you are hiding something and I will get it out of you yet. I don’t trust you and I will not put my friends in danger; now tell me what you found.”
The group stopped their own activities and took notice to the growing tension. Lucan silently positioned himself behind the shardmind and notched an arrow ready to fight, while Ballimor and Adrick gathered their things and approached the two.
“I have nothing to tell, nor am I interested in a fight, we have more dangerous things to worry about, we cannot afford to have dissention amongst our ranks. If you insist that search my belongings, but I bear you no ill will save for the accusations you are now bringing against me. “Bluffed Xavril.
“I’m sure that will not be needed,” said Adrick as the stepped in-between the two, “I think the stress of the situation is getting to Ruhdon. I’m sure he meant you no harm. Come let us all get some rest because tomorrow will surely be another trying day.”
Xavril nodded to the dwarf and lowered his guard, Ruhdon reluctantly di so as well. The town separated and headed for different ends of the temple to settle in and Lucan volunteered to head the first watch. As the party settled in at least, Lucan wandered over towards Ruhdon to address the mage in private.
“I don’t trust him either,” whispered the elf, “and between you and me, I have spotted signs of his compatriots in the city as well. They are trailing us, but doing their best to keep out of sight. To what end I do not know, but I fear we cannot let our guard down at all. I fear the ghouls are not the only thing we need to look out for in this city.”