Dramatis Personae
Noah playing Igorok the wizard.
Karl playing Bobo the rogue.
Tess playing Tinus the sorcerer.
Issac playing Issac (B’Fai) the barbarian.
Sam playing Yartella the fighter.
Senan playing Sendalf the druid.
The group followed the refugees from Pelville back to Red Mills. They met Lady Altea who was concerned about the threat from the undead but seemed to be confident that the walls of Red Mills would hold. She sent a patrol out under Captain Alstine Dalker.
In the town they did the usual shopping but Igorok, true to character, did some unusual shopping and bought a supply of wood. He then proceeded to build a bunker, getting permission to build it on the main island, near Taldar’s Tower. Don’t confuse Taldar with Talbor! Taldar is the main mage in Red Mills, Talbor is the undead Dragon Lord currently terrorising the territory.
Later in the day the called on Taldar. He was friendly enough and examined the wooden crown they took from the actors. There was definitely magic in it or it was under some magical constraint. He held it up to a mirror and in the mirror it was a bejeweled crown fit for a king or queen, but in his hand was still the wooden crown. Putting it on had no effect, other than the wearer could see a real crown in the mirror, on the crown amongst many other jewels was a large ruby that reminded them of the glow in the skeletal figure on the hill. The same thing happened with the ruby necklace, in the hand it was wooded, in the mirror it looked real.
“Have you come across any unusual mirror during your adventures?” Taldar asked.
“No, sorry” they almost all chorused.
“Emm, there was that one in the actors’ wagon; part of a dressing table, but it was too big to take”, B’Fai remembered.
“Well, I’m guessing that the real crown can be reached through some mirror and guessing again, I think the actors’ mirror is probably the one”, mused Taldar.
“Where was it now?” he added.
“We burned it in the wagon.”
“That’s a problem, but if it is that mirror then it contains powerful magic and it probably survived. Perhaps you should go back for it.”
“It’s in Pelville.”
“That’s a problem, but I can get you there quickly.”
“How?”
“Well using the magic stone circles, or course!”
And with that he led them out of the tower, across the bridges and south out of town to a bare hill. On top of the hill was an ancient circle of large standing stones. He handed them a small stone with runes carved on it.
“This will get you back. If you survive. Good Luck!”
And stepping out of the circle he started to chant. The stones seemed to quiver then they started to rotate around them and with a sharp pain they found themselves transported to the stone circle outside Pelville.
They looked around. They were in a stone circle on a hill to the southwest of town. Below them the river ran by quietly. From where they were they couldn’t see the site of the bridge because a wood was blocking the view. As they looked at the woods a small figure stumbled out of it and shuffled slowly up the hill towards them. Its clothes were in tatters and its blonde hair was matted to its head and across its face. It was or at least used to be a little girl, someone who didn’t quite escape with the rest of Pelville.
Sadly B’Fai moved forward to kill the zombie.
“Where’s my mummy?” asked the zombie.
The battle axe stopped in mid-swing.
“Eh, what?”
“Where’s my mummy?”
“She’s alive!” B’Fai called and the others ran over.
“What’s your name?”
“Ida”
“Where did you last see your mummy?”
“There!” said the girl, pointing across the river towards Pelville.
“You’d better come with us”
“Where are you going? Is my mummy there?”
“We don’t know. Did you see a burnt wagon, over by the bridge?”
“The bridge is gone. It burned. The things took the wagon”
“What things? The undead?”
She nodded.
“Where did they take it?”
She pointed into town.
They decided to get off the hill and down to a nearby farm house. As they entered a narrow woods seven more figures shambled towards them. These didn’t answer when spoken to and the group made short work of these real zombies.
“It’s dangerous just being here, how are we going to get across the river?”
“The boats! The boats the refugees used must still be by the river!” exclaimed Igorok and B’Fai and they ran off together. The rest followed with a collective sigh.
The boats were indeed where the fleeing citizens had left them but the mage and the barbarian also ran into some unwanted company. Two skeletal warriors. The battle was short but it was lucky the others arrived when they did. Afterwards they all loaded up into the boats, including Ida and under Igorok’s instruction with his boat handling knowledge from his pirate days, they crossed safely.
The streets of the town were deserted. Igorok decided to stay with the boats and Ida and while everyone was gone he tried to teach her a cantrip. She proved an eager and excellent student and soon mastered dancing lights.
B’Fai went northeast around the outskirts of town.
Tinus, Yartalla and Sendalf just walked up the street towards the church where they could see the wagon. Bobo clambered up onto the roofs and kept pace with them. Crossing over a potion shop whose doors were wide open.
As they approached the plaza in front of the church, four armed figures emerged from the shadows. The skin on their faces was black and blue and clearly dead. Their eyes a glowing red. But for all that they recognised them as the four deserters who had been turned into powerful zombies. Tinus, Yartalla, Sendalf and Bobo fought them and although they were tough they finished them before B’Fai could arrive. He was annoyed that he had missed the action. They examined the burnt remains of the wagon and found that the mirror was gone. They waved to Igorok, who hurried up the street with Ida and together they turned to face the doors of St Deckon’s church.
They opened the doors and inside the church five familiar figures turned to face them. It was the actors, or rather their bodies reanimated.
“Let’s stop killing people” quipped Bobo, “they keep coming back!”
Murter, or what used to be Murter, was standing by the altar with another familiar figure chained to it.
“I know you!” said the woman with bronze skin and golden eyes. It was Coop and they had arrived just in time to stop her being sacrificed.
Glowing arrows flew in both directions. Murter was using magic too. Yartalla, B’Fai, Sendalf and Igorok advanced with support from Bobo, Tinus and even Ida who started casting Dancing Lights at the heads of the actors to try to distract them. But the undead actors were much tougher than any zombies and skeletons they had fought so far. Between them the heroes managed to kill two but Yartalla and Igorok went down in the church and as they started to retreat, Sendalf also fell by the door.
Things are looking extremely bad for our heroes and if they fail for all of Red Mills.
I am not awarding any XP yet since we finished mid-battle in the middle of a mission. I will calculate it all after the next session if anyone survives. Muh-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Speaking of which …
Next Session is Saturday 6th July
The Cork Orc 