Exciting Business Adventure IC - An OOtS campaign

[Gorgon_Heap]

It is another beautiful day in Cliffport. The weather is warm, the citizens cheerfully buzz about their lives, and you hear the gentle whup whup whup of an airship in flight. This wonderful city is a beacon in the north: Wealthy, fair, and culturally diverse. It serves as maybe the Northern Continent’s greatest trade port. Its bustling docks see a hundred ships a day, and fine barmaids eagerly await the return of their favored sailors.

But elsewhere, away from the nonstop work around the piers, the cosmopolitan people of Cliffport see not only to the business end of a thousands trades, but to the workings of their own city – its bureaucracy, social services, and infrastructure. Oh yes; as the backs of five thousand stevedores strain with cargo the hands of five thousand clerks ache with carpel tunnel. In fact, some in the know say the third pillar of the Cliffport economy is that of processing insurance claims for back and hand injuries.

But none of those things drew the likes of you. You have skills and abilities far beyond those of the average commoner, though you hadn’t necessarily come to Cliffport to use them. Some of you are looking for work, others for answers. Today you all completely coincidentally find yourselves near the city massive Central Park. Skrawk was lucky to rent a townhouse nearby – if by luck you mean he flashed enough gold to impress the owner – and returns from an errand for laboratory ingredients and groceries. Penelope is out of sorts in the heart of such a city, but takes stock in her purpose here; to help a friend of her sister, a horticultural engineer, plan out a much-needed redesign of the park, which was ruined in some incident last year.

The park is mostly empty, as large sections are roped off for work crews. But looking over dig sites, Paul scratches his head and says to the Druid, “Yeah, I don’t get it. There were a dozen more men here yesterday. This project is already months behind. My reputation won’t survive this!”

A terrible growl rolls over the park and surrounding streets, chilling you all to the bone. “Your reputation is the least of your worries, you effete tree-hugger!” A hole erupts in a shower of dirt and a pale, rotting man burning with icy hate emerges. “Too long have I suffered the tweet of little birds and the laughter of little children and the scribbling of little inkwell-pushers! Your pedestrian horticultural excavations have freed me, and your mewling must end even if I must rise into the hated sunshine to destroy you. Kill them, my spawn! Bwa ha ha!” And a dozen zombies, all dressed chillingly similar to workers and park guests from the previous day, emerge and attack any living person they see…




The wight’s Initiative is 15. Action: Gloating maniacally
The zombies go on a whopping 2. Action: Move and attack workers and park-goers.

Your part: Roll Initiative, declare actions, make your rolls. If attacking a zombie, choose and declare 1 through 12. Once you have your roll results, write up a descriptive action post.

Note – your post needn’t begin with the action. You can start by describing what brought you to the city and what you’re doing the moment this happens.

[technoRomancer]

Cliffport had been treating Kibato well, all things considered. It was a big enough city that few people blinked an eye at a chicken-man, most assuming it was some sort of Warthog student polymorph experiment gone wrong. It was a little hard finding work, as always, and more than once he had started a bodyguard job only to eventually realize he was serving as a bouncer for some wanna-be gangster or crime lord. And then he had to attack his boss and coworkers, which was always awkward. But at least the CCPD were starting to warm up to him thanks to that, despite multiple attempts to turn himself in for accidentally working for the bad guys. In fact, it was a connection there that had brought him to the park today. A buddy on the force had mentioned the construction work there might be in need of security, and as an added plus there was supposed to be a druid there today that could hopefully translate for him to any potential employers. It would be a nice change not having to communicate in writing and pantomime, as Kibato wasn't particularly good at either.

When he arrived, Kibato found the park surprisingly empty. Maybe a lot of the workers had taken the day off? Who was he supposed to turn his resume into? Feathers ruffling as he began to grow nervous, Kibato nearly leapt out of his robes as a chilling growl resonated through the park. But when the source made itself known, all thoughts of fear and danger were swept aside as instinct took over. The city was in danger! An unholy evil was threatening the citizens!

Well, it wasn't his city. But it was still his sworn duty to uphold peace and justice, right? No matter where he found himself. Or what fiendish foe he faced. He was a chicken, but Kibato wasn't chicken.

Scrambling up onto a nearby pile of rubble, Kibato drew bow, notched arrow, and let it fly in one smooth movement, the bolt whistling through the air into the nearest zombie. Then he threw back his head and crowed, a sky-splitting cry worthy of any farmhouse rooster greeting the rising sun. The message was clear: Come at me, zom-bros. Taking a defensive stance, one hand hovering instinctively over the hilt of his katana, Kibato prepared for the horde to engage him.

Initiative [roll0]
Attack vs Zombie 1 [roll1]
Piercing damage [roll2]
Spending 1 Ki to Dodge as a bonus action.

[RickAllison]

Here for a week, and already embroiled in trouble. Not the best start to success. Looking over his surroundings, Skrawk runs to a nearby bush or tree, creates the illusion of the tree intact, and crouches down to think.

[RickAllison]

Initiative for Skrawk: [roll0]

[miinstrel]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4e/d0/f4/4ed0f4077b37b10e25b2648e6864e2c4.jpg
Penelope (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1222415)
N Human Druid, lvl 3
Size: M | Speed: 30 ft. | Senses: Passive Perception 15
Initiative: +2 | Armor Class: 16 | Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (3) | Hit Points: 21/21
Spell Slots: 4, 2 | Concentration: Entangle, 10/10 rounds
Affected by: None | Conditions: None
Penny hadn't left the park since arriving in Cliffport but couldn't escape the constant noise... from overhead, the market next to the park, the hordes of zombies office workers... and the litterbugs! My god. She gently scrapes dried mustard off a rose bush as she speaks over her shoulder to Paul. "I'm already saving you countless hours by helping with the excavation work, you expect me to find workers too?? Managing the people is your job; I'm the designer. The vision behind this whole silly project," she says with a bit of disdain. "You know, this park's about as 'real' as Jessie's nose," Penny complains gesturing to the sculpted schnoz on one of the few remaining workers busily transplanting begonias. The yellow stain finally removed from the leaves, she grabs the half eaten sausage at her feet and stands, looking out over the edge of the park. You can still see too many buildings! It will take years for these trees to grow tall enough to make this a proper sanctuary...

"Is it so hard to find people who care about beautifying this place?" she asks to Paul, but really to no one in particular.

The wight issued it's challenge. "TREE-HUGGER?!? How dare yo--" she turned with fury toward the speaker only to retch a little at the creature's visage. "STAY OFF THE GRASS!" Penelope shouts back with vexation as the undead swarm out of the hole in the ground. "Coinnigh go tapa iad" she mutters, waving the sausage in an ancient gesture and calling forth a swarm of vines around the invaders.

Initiative: [roll0] or [roll1]

Action: cast Entangle (http://engl393-dnd5th.wikia.com/wiki/Entangle) (DC 13)
Will attempt to capture as many zombies as possible.

[RedSand]

Garth resisted the urge to bite his lips as the old man in uniform coughed up a bit more blood. His arms were a bit longer than they usually were, his eyes brighter and his stubble much worse trimmed as he cradled the dying copper in his arms. "Heh...shouldn't be rushing spellcasters at my age..." He wheezed, and then coughed again, deeper and lower this time. "Peck...If I don't make it...tell Nelphina I'm sorry I couldn't make that elven cruise we booked."

"Of course I will, eh...Frank." Crap. Was it Frank? He wasn't correcting him, it was probably Frank. Despite the budding mentor relationship the man was rather certain the two currently shared, Garth had quite literally met the man three hours ago. He'd noticed a copper with pretty severe food poisoning this morning and had decided that he'd show up for work as him, snag a guard uniform and some weapons, and sneak out by lunch. After an hour of pretending to listen to his war stories, a necromancer had emerged from the ground and the old man had lunged at him, banged his weapon against the thing's bony exterior and gotten blown twenty feet back for his troubles. And now he was probably going to die in the arms of a stranger.

Garth started breathing heavily. "Listen. Everything's fine. It's all going to be alright you're going to retire in three weeks if you can ju-oh for ****'s sake there's zombies everywhere!" Garth removes his hand from Frank's head and blasts a nearby undead, then frantically grabs him again as the sudden movement send the poor man into a another bout of intense pain. "Also you didn't see that."

Initiative: [roll0]
Action(Eldritch Blast): [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

[JNAProductions]

Gadaí is here to do what she usually does-steal from the rich, and give to the slightly less rich (herself). And also sometimes the orphans. But, when she sees the undead attacking, she quickly ducks under the cover of some nearby brush, bringing her hood up to cover her head, and draws her shortbow. She takes aim... And fires! Directly at the Wight.

[roll0] for Init

[roll1] for Stealth, with disadvantage to spot me thanks to my cloak.

[roll2] Attack roll
[roll3] With advantage, if hidden
[roll4] Main damage
[roll5] Sneak attack damage, if applicable

[Gorgon_Heap]

Zombies stumble/rush from their filthy hole toward terrified onlookers and grass and roots suddenly spring up of their own accord, dragging one creature right back into the earth and holding many others in place, staining to begin their rampage. Two are entirely free and quickly catch a frightened worker, who drops his shovel, saying, “Bob? For the last time, I didn’t know she was your sister!” And ZomBob kills him.

The wight watches this with satisfaction until an arrow plunges directly into his heart. “Auuuugggghhhh-hey, wait this doesn’t really hurt. Who dares?!” He looks around furiously. “No, really.” He looks for the nearest living being and settles on Paul and Penelope. He rushes in their direction, his clawlike hands outstretched. He slashes wildly and dark power emanates from his hand, but he’s squinting the withered things that used to be his eyelids against the sunlight. Paul screams like a little girl and hides behind Penelope.

A barrage of missiles assails the trapped zombies and several of them collapse. The rest reorient themselves toward their horrid master and make for the only two people in the park.


Several rounds passed in which nobody (living) was threatened. The zombies took DPS.

Wight has acted, having attacked and missed Paul and Penelope.

[JNAProductions]

Gadaí swears under her breath, seeing the wight go for innocents. She stands up from hiding, shouting Hey, fatty fat bald fatty... fat fat! as she sprints away from him, nocking another arrow. Why not pick on someone your own size? If you can find anyone of such girth!

[roll0]
[roll1]

Losing sneak attack, but I don't want anyone getting hurt.

Also Dashing as a bonus action away from him.

[technoRomancer]

Kibato stared in confusion as the zombies proceeded to completely ignore him, and all the other people who were attacking them - apparently the park already had lots of security? - and go for the innocent bystanders who posed no threat to them whatsoever. Maybe he hadn't crowed loud enough? Or perhaps they'd just assumed he tasted like chicken, rather than there preferred diet of humanoid flesh.

... did Kibato taste like chicken? The thought had never occurred to the samurai. He spent several moments trying to recall if he'd ever licked himself since the curse before suddenly remembering he was in the middle of a battle. Firing another arrow to precede him as he charged down the short incline, Kibato engaged with the (admittedly smaller) group of zombies that had escape the clutching vines that had spontaneously grown from the ground, keeping up his guarding stance.

Bow vs one of the two zombies that killed the worker [roll0]
Piercing damage [roll1]

Kibato closes to melee with the largest group of remaining zombies and spends another Ki for a bonus Dodge action again.

[miinstrel]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4e/d0/f4/4ed0f4077b37b10e25b2648e6864e2c4.jpg
Penelope (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1222415)
N Human Druid, lvl 3
Size: M | Speed: 30 ft. | Senses: Passive Perception 15
Initiative: +2 | Armor Class: 16 | Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (3) | Hit Points: 21/21
Spell Slots: 4, 2 | Concentration: Entangle 9/10
Affected by: None | Conditions: None
Penelope, being a small girl herself, takes offense at Paul's appropriation of her gender stereotype but is too distracted by the flailing dead man to worry about it much. Keeping his dark fingers away from her with her shield, she wiggles her left finger at the ground beneath the wight saying, "Cré múnla," and causing the ground beneath him to open into a 5' deep pit, the earth depositing itself on the ground behind the wight. Using the opportunity to get away, she darts further down the path, keeping an eye on the rest of the zombies and frowning as footprints impose themselves upon the burgeoning lawn.

Cast Mold Earth (https://www.dnd-spells.com/spell/mold-earth) on the ground under the wight to drop him into a 5' pit... hopefully out of AOO range? Then she moves roughly 30' away on the path.

[RedSand]

Garth watched as the spellcasting wight was surrounded by the...bird thing and the...tall seventh grader? Whatever. The zombies were closing in to the same group, and If he was going to get stabbed to death, no reason to let that thing escape via magic. He gingerly put down Frank-"Everything's fine, you're not going to die, just rest here don't go into the light or something" and gestured triumphantly towards the forming mob of fighters and zombies. "Silence!"

Garth casts silence, with the sphere centered on the wight. He also raises a shield he pilfered off Frank's back.

[Mr. E]

Robin stared in stunned surprise at the sight of zombies being attacked by plant things while a giant bird waved a samurai sword. Ironhold had been far more normal than this. Dealing with Farmer Jones when he drank too many beers was much more in her line of work. The sight of a bleeding copper, however, stuns her back into action. Nobody gets to do that, not ever. Summoning a corona of blue energy from her hand, she sprints toward the prone figure. "Rest now." Robin knelt next to the injured policeman, and blue light circled around his wounds as his breathing settled.

""This is the police. Lay down your arms and surrender to the mercy of the law!" Robin got up, feeling a coldness of anger blow through her. She raised her shield, the symbol of the IPD glowing with holy fire and let loose bolts of energy, which crackled outwards to lash around the legs of the undead, inhibiting their movements.


Initiative: [roll0]
Cast Spare the Dying as a bonus action thanks to grave domain. Cast Bane on the wight and the two free zombies as a normal action.

[RickAllison]

Hidden from the eyes of those in the park, Skrawk casts a spell. A ghostly hand materializes next to the wight, and claws at it.

Advantage since the wight can't see him. [roll0], [roll1]

[roll2] necrotic damage, [roll3] for crit. The wight can't heal if hit

[Gorgon_Heap]

The wight complains nonstop about the hated sunlight and growls angrily when another arrow plunges into its chest. Whatever he is about to say dissolves into complete silence, and though Penelope is happy Paul’s panicked cries have ended, he spell instantly fizzles. The wight looks over her shoulder at the woman with the bow and races toward her furiously, a spectral hand raking its rotted clothing, as Penelope grabs Paul and runs the other way. The wight races after Gadai, nearing the park’s entrance.

Garth casts his spell and is astonished when a gnome rushes to his side to help Frank. She then angrily orders the undead to put down their arms – but as they’re all mindless (except for the wight) and none bear weapons, none listen. Not that the wight could hear her anyway. But the two zombies she targets with her second spell stumble into each other, and out of sheer annoyance one takes a swipe at the other, tearing its arm free from its shoulder. So maybe they listened after all.

The one-armed zombie takes an arrow and is now fazed enough to say, “Brains.” He and the former construction worker turn and stumble on after the wight. It appears to you all the zombies aren’t paying attention to anybody more than 30 or so feet from them, even when taking damage. But Kibato the Chicken places himself directly in their path, and though several gather to strike at him, they cannot penetrate his defenses.



Start Round Three

[RedSand]

Garth swore under his breath. The other police officer would be trouble-had she seen him cast the last two spells? Would she know the guard he was imitating couldn't? Garth had escaped police custody before, but it wasn't easy, and there weren't even any bee's nests to shatter this time around. In the meantime, there were enough people dogging the wight that he saw little reason to not finish off another zombie. He grabbed the crossbow off his belt and took a tentative aim-he hadn't used these things in months.

[roll0] Shooting a surviving zombie
[roll1] damage
If both zombies are dead by his turn he shoots the wight instead

[Mr. E]

"Under the provisions of the Riot Act of 1277, I am now empowered to use whatever means necessary to restore order, up to and including lethal force, excluding that with a blast radius of thirty feet or more. It is therefore with the deepest satisfaction that I now say: Die, you sodding clackers!"

Robin removes a crossbow from her quickdraw holster and opens fire. At the same time, a corona of warding energy descends on the giant chicken-thing with the sword, protecting it from harm. At the same time, she mutters to Garth "Out of spell slots already? I swear cadets get younger every day."


Casts Sanctuary on Kikabo with bonus action.
Shoots zombies with crossbow;
To hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[miinstrel]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4e/d0/f4/4ed0f4077b37b10e25b2648e6864e2c4.jpg
Penelope (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1222415)
N Human Druid, lvl 3
Size: M | Speed: 30 ft. | Senses: Passive Perception 15
Initiative: +2 | Armor Class: 16 | Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (3) | Hit Points: 21/21
Spell Slots: 4, 2 | Concentration: Entangle 8/10
Affected by: None | Conditions: None
Relieved the wight saw her as non-threatening, the way she tried to present herself, Penelope went about proving it wrong by summoning a thick, thorny vine from her hand to interrupt its pursuit of the lady archer. "Hey, I wasn't done with you yet!" she shouts at the wight, hoping to keep its interest in her a moment longer and indecisively stuck between the two of them as she turns and runs the opposite direction.

Casting Thorn Whip (http://engl393-dnd5th.wikia.com/wiki/Thorn_Whip) on the wight
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

If it hits, wight is pulled 10 feet back toward me.

[JNAProductions]

Aw, fatty gonna waddle after me? Waddle waddle, lard tub! Gadaí shouts as she continues leading the wight on a merry chase, also shooting it.

[roll0]
[roll1]

Going to Dash as a bonus action and keep to the edge of the clearing, away from the Wight, and away from innocents.

[technoRomancer]

As the remaining zombies swarmed him, Kibato suddenly felt a protective force fall over him. The Twelve are with me! Emboldened, he struck out at one of the undead as it shuffled uncertainly before him. A palm jabbing its jaw into its skull was followed up by an elbow to its partially caved-in chest.

Unarmed strike
Bludgeoning damage [roll=1d4+3
Bonus action unarmed strike
Bludgeoning damage [roll=1d4+3

[RickAllison]

Skrawk continues his secret assault on the wight. I am not fond of undead, but these strangers aren't worth my skin!

Chill touch on the wight.

[roll0], [roll1] necrotic damage, disadvantage on his next attack, and can't heal if successful.

[Gorgon_Heap]

Garth’s rustiness showed as his bolt goes wide, but his target does take notice and starts slumping his way over. Robin notices as well and follows her barrage of ordinances with a more impactful bolt of her own. The zombie says, “Brai-“ before its jaw is shot off.

Penelope finds the wight is just beyond her reach as the thorns whip the air, and the creature is shouting [silently] in frustration as the woman across the street moves with remarkable speediness. He can’t hear her shouts and her shot misses, but he’s angry nonetheless. He peers back into the park and sees his zombies taking a beating. He looks back at Gadai and sneers, the leaps toward of terrified woman crushes her down with one spiteful blow. Her eyes “x” over and he laughs silently.

Kibato clucks with martial joy – the gods are watching out for him after all! He delivers a particularly deft uppercut and cheered when the zombie’s head sails clean off and into the nose of the next. It doesn’t appear daunted, but it and the remaining two lose interest in him and wander off.

Skrawk is annoyed that his magical effort appears wasted – the wight is moving too far off. Though there are still seven zombies spreading out, searching for innocents …


Start Round Four


OOC - Sorry about the delay. Work's been crazy.

[Mr. E]

Robin stands tall and continues to shoot at the approaching zombies. As she does so, she looks around, trying to locate as many civilians as possible.

"All non-combatants are to leave the area. If possible make your way behind the police defensive line. I repeat, please gather behind the police defensive line."

Defensive line may be something of a exaggeration, but Robin feels more official saying that than "me and the other bloke with the shield."


Shoots crossbow again:
To hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[RickAllison]

Slaughtering the zombies, the zombies, the zombies... Skrawk quietly hums to himself within his illusion as he pops a Cold Touch towards a zombie.

[roll0], [roll1] necrotic damage, can't recover hit points and has disadvantage on next attack if it hits.

[miinstrel]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4e/d0/f4/4ed0f4077b37b10e25b2648e6864e2c4.jpg
Penelope (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1222415)
N Human Druid, lvl 3
Size: M | Speed: 30 ft. | Senses: Passive Perception 15
Initiative: +2 | Armor Class: 16 | Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (3) | Hit Points: 21/21
Spell Slots: 4, 2 | Concentration: Entangle 7/10
Affected by: None | Conditions: None
Horrified at the senseless slaughter, Penelope once again tries to rip the wight away from the woman.

Move back into range of wight.
Action: Thorn Whip again, [roll0], damage [roll1]
pulled 10 feet to me if it hits.

[RedSand]

Noting that his ruse wasn't quite fooling the little guardswoman, Garth returned the crossbow to his side rather than reload it and simply fired another eldritch blast at a zombie within range, muttering to himself that this all wasn't quite worth the effort.

[roll0] To hit
[roll1] Damage

[Gorgon_Heap]

Penelope's whip snaps against the ground and the wight, unable to hear, doesn't notice. He shakes his clawed hands at the woman across the street, pantomiming rage as he plucks bolts from his body - each taking a small chunk of himself with it. He suddenly turn on a heel and flees as fast as his undead feet will carry him around a building and down an alley.

The zombies, now nearing the park entrance, turn their heads to watch him go but don't follow. They instead start to spread out randomly, following fearful voices. Or most of them do, anyway. Robin's bolt embeds itself directly though beaten zombie's brainpan and it falls on its face with a PLOP. Garth's magical attack blows the legs off another zombie.

Skrawk is infuriated that he's wasting his time and magical energies - he simply keeps missing.

CPD officers begin arriving, getting between civilians and zombies, which they attack with their own crossbows. Minutes later there's nothing left but broken zombies, and a very young man with a messy shock of red hair arrives, scowling at the lot of you as officers had brought you, Paul, and several other nearby witnesses together. "Oh, terrific. Are you adventurers? I should have known. And it was my day off, too. Did you cause this?"





I'd intended this to be pretty one-sided, but y'all made sure nothing could even hit you either from use of ranged-only attacks or magic and circumstances, so it was pretty ridiculous. Everybody take a cursory 50xp for your time and effort.

[Mr. E]

Robin holsters her crossbow, and dismisses her magic with a gesture. Turning around, she kneels to check on Frank's condition. Then, she looks up at the other police officer next to her, and says bluntly: I'm Robin, and who might you be?

[RedSand]

"Oh...er, I'm" Garth hastily thought back to the previous hour. Peck was almost certainly a nickname, but there was an ID in his pocket. A J name. Jacob? Joshua? He could hardly check it now. "I'm Jason." He held the gnome woman's gaze for about three seconds(or possibly several eternities) too long. "Anyway, I'm going to go check those conspicuously large bushes over there. Could be something dangerous. They're the perfect size to hide in and, say, completely rewrite your form for about 18 seconds."

With that, Garth jumped in, and immediately began changing. There was no time to doff his armor and don something else-Cliffport guards wore nothing lighter than splint mail, and frankly he didn't quite have the flexibility to swap outfits in a shrubbery. But he could swap faces. And skin color. Sex, even. So he did all three. He made himself a bit shorter, lengthened his hair, made his face significantly less hairy and masculine, darkened his skin to a nice olive and choked a bit as he quickly remembered that for women, unisex did not always mean comfortable. He then emerged from the bushes, wide-eyed and a little dirty and exclaimed "Oh goodness! Zombies! I'd best run off and find someone to arrest!"

[Mr. E]

Robin has a vague nagging feeling that she should be arresting somebody for impersonating a police-officer, but a strange and irresistible force is pushing her onward. Realising that the author is bored of this scene, she instead moves to confront the head official.

"No, I'm certainly not an adventurer, and I should think one of your own policemen-" Robin looks over and realises this might not be fully accurate any more, "-policewomen wouldn't be either. Neither in fact is this our fault, and if you were here a bit earlier, like you should've been, you'd know that."

[miinstrel]

Her project was at least a day or two behind now to clean up all the decaying gore spread across the grounds, re-plant the trampled flowers, mend the shrubbery... wait, why are they checking inside that bush? Zombies don't hide. Whatever, just add that damage to the list.

"Officer!" she announces herself with disdain approaching the other red head. "I am Penelope Bovington, landscape architect and the person in charge of your park's beautification project. When I agreed to help repair the damage from the treant dilemma last year it was with the assumption the park had been made safe. How can I be expected to work if these grounds are unhallowed and monsters burst through by carefully laid beds at every opportunity??!" She's quite irate, but trying to keep her cool. "I demand some assurances this sort of thing will not happen again and that there are not more of those unholy creatures lurking below the surface!" A fist on both hips, she looks intently at him for a response.

[Gorgon_Heap]

The pimply young man is confused and annoyed. Several officers watch Garth hop into and out of a shrubbery wearing a different face. They blink and scratch their heads. One says, “Uh … magic?”

The youth scowls at Robin. “I should have been here? Oh, sure, because I exist in all places simultaneously. Listen, miss, I’m the Watch Officer and I’m asking the questions for the official record. Please just tell us what you know.” He growls orders to officers, who begin moving shrouded bodies to a wagon. After getting some answers, he says, “I’m sorry about your grass, but I’m more sorry about all the dead people. I mean the dead ones and the not-dead ones. I have no idea what dangerous undead were doing under the city park. Murphy! Go to the city planners and see what you can dig up.”

“Ouch. Too soon.”

“Ugh. I’m too old for this.” He says to everyone present (which is all of you – several other witnesses are obviously not adventurers and are standing apart from you), “Anyway, thanks for all your help, but there’s a wight on the loose now. Oh, right, you never gave the name of your party. Are you with the local guild or are you new in town?”

[Mr. E]

Robin sighs heavily. "You said you were having a day off. What kind of copper has days off? It's not good enough to tell me you were busy. While you were busy having fun, people died.
You failed them." Robin waves an arm in a sweeping gesture of dismissal. "What do you need to know, for your record? I'm happy to tell you any information you need, for the little good it'll do when the officers are having 'days off.' And, for the very last time, we are not adventurers."

[RickAllison]

Annoyed with the pompous plant planner, Skrawk casts a Chill Touch from within his illusion, making the ghostly hand take the form of a very rude gesture toward this Robin, and he can't help chuckling mischievously.

I figure that this seems an appropriate way to move the wizard hiding behind his illusion and with little intention of uniting with the rest into the interview so no other spontaneous plot devices must occur. The hand plays to his nature, his laughter alerts others to his presence, and his use of the hand to do it establishes that the hiding wizard is the one who fought the wight from hiding rather than someone aiding the attack.

[miinstrel]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4e/d0/f4/4ed0f4077b37b10e25b2648e6864e2c4.jpg
Penelope (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1222415)
N Human Druid, lvl 3
Size: M | Speed: 30 ft. | Senses: Passive Perception 15
Initiative: +2 | Armor Class: 16 | Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (3) | Hit Points: 21/21
Spell Slots: 3, 2 | Concentration: N/A
Affected by: None | Conditions: None
Noticing the few formerly-living passersby at his comment, Penny's eyebrows arch with a tinge of grief. "That was insensitive of me, I'm sorry."

"Our party?" Penny blinks. She hadn't been a member of a group for quite a few years beyond the obligatory annual holiday gatherings, and those were never as pleasant as everyone seems to make them out to be. "Why do we have to be a party? What if we're just not ready for that kind of commitment. Can't a few non-adventurers just travel together for a while without making it into a serious thing? Why does everything have to have a label with you people? I'm with the gnome here," she states, putting a hand on Robin's shoulder. "We are Not Adventurers."

Looking around at the would-be heroes she spots, for the first time, Kibato standing right behind her. "Ahhh!!" she shrieks girlishly, recoiling with muppet-like coordination behind Garth. "Who summoned this Monstrous Chicken?? Phoebe, are you hiding somewhere? You know how I feel about poultry." She looks around expectantly for her sister, and keys into a quiet har har har... Spotting the finger, and presuming it's meant for her, Penny stomps forward shouting in the general direction "PHOEBE YOU GET OUT HERE THIS INSTANT YOU SPOILED BRAT!" and she casts Thorn Whip into the bush to pull a not-so-sisterly creature from within.

[RedSand]

While the druid, the watch officer and the little policewoman argued, it occurred to Garth that none of them had actually tried searching the wight's body to see if it held any clues as to what was going on. And either way, looking for clues was a surefire way to make himself look like a proper copper who no one would suspect just sneaking away at a moment's notice to do Important Watch Things. So Garth walked right over to it's corpse and began rifling through it's things proper. As he did so, something struck him.
"Hey, we should probably check to see who all these zombies were. I think at least a few of them must've been construction workers, because I recall one of the workers recognizing one of them even though I totally wasn't there, but it's possible this guy was snagging victims from another hiding spot."

[Gorgon_Heap]

The Watch Officer's confusion continues. "You're not adventurers? Then why are you all walking around armed to the teeth?" A couple officers nearby get nervous and check their crossbows. He's startled when the spectral hand appears and Penelope begins shouting at the air, and orders the officers to look around for more hidden people. They gather sticks and start poking around at everything in sight - completely randomly. After several rounds of people looking and feeling silly, they are rewarded when Skrawk is jabbed in the ribs and his illusion vanishes. The officer gasps and is joined by another; they grab the kobold up and carry him to the Watch Officer. "Well, what have we here? Another magic user making trouble? Here, now, are you responsible for this? Why were you hiding? Do any of you know this kobold?"

[Mr. E]

"Well..." Robin gestures around at the destruction left behind by the wight. What can I say? I don't like being powerless.

Thanks." Robin nods to the druid-person, then winces as she begins shouting right next to her ear. Watching the sudden violence and frantic search with some surprise, Robin readies her club, only to relax as a rather non-threatening looking Kobold is dragged out the shrubbery. "Not someone I've seen before," she says in response to the superintendent's comment.

[RickAllison]

I am just a family man looking for a new home. And who fires a few spells at the undead while safe within an illusion. Helping strangers is one thing, risking my life for them is another.

[Gorgon_Heap]

The officers take pertinent information from each of you, such as where you can be found if they need to speak with you again, and continue to cordon off the park and clear away the bodies. The Watch Officer says, "The other witnesses confirmed you all jumped in after the undead attacked, so you're free to go. Looks like you helped save some lives, though we still have a big danger out there. I don't suppose you have any insight where that wight may have run off to? We don't know why it was buried there yet, but you might have experience with these sorts of things my officers don't have - or could survive."

[miinstrel]

"The bone meal sure would be great to help jump start some of the saplings I'm putting in here... but I'm no more experienced with undead than the next girl. I would like to check underneath the park to make sure there aren't anymore waiting to emerge, but I suppose the one we know is running around the city should be the first priority." She stands up from near the hole and brushes the dirt off her knees. "Did anyone hear it promise riddled vengeance at anyone in particular? It mentioned children and office workers but that's pretty generic."

[Mr. E]

"Well, I don't remember anything special, but maybe if we knew who he used to be,
we could narrow it down. Was this park ever a cemetery?" Robin asks the police chief.

[Gorgon_Heap]

You recall the WO did tell officers they would need to check with city planners to answer that very question. As it's been all of a half-hour or so, nobody's gone yet. He's obviously nervous about his people going after something that dangerous on their own. Are you volunteering to assist?

[miinstrel]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4e/d0/f4/4ed0f4077b37b10e25b2648e6864e2c4.jpg
Penelope (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1222415)
N Human Druid, lvl 3
Size: M | Speed: 30 ft. | Senses: Passive Perception 15
Initiative: +2 | Armor Class: 16 | Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (3) | Hit Points: 21/21
Spell Slots: 4, 2 | Concentration: N/A
Affected by: None | Conditions: None
After some thought, Penny lets out a defeated sigh. "Fine. I suppose all our digging might have disturbed the thing so we should probably help put it down. It can't be that hard to track. Probably leaving a trail of dead flesh and rotting bits... or at least scared onlookers." She straightens her tunic, collects her staff and jogs to the park entrance looking up and down the street for any signs of the wight's passage, asking passersby if they saw it when the trail seems to go cold and following the shouts and panic the rest of the time.

If needed:
Survival [roll0]
Perception [roll1]

[Gorgon_Heap]

You can't tell if the Watch Officer is relieved or annoyed by your stepping in. "Fine. Michelob, get to the city planners for that research. Coors, the Temple of Sif is nearby, find me a priest to perform some rights and help the victims' families. LeBatt, here's a Sending Stone; go along with this lady - Miss Bovington? And let me know by nightfall if you find anything."

But after walking around the a little bit Penny discovers quickly that while she's not so good with spotting traces of passage on cobbled city streets, she still has a nose for nature. And the smell of gently rotted loamy flesh - unlike naturally decomposing animals out I the open - is subtle but different enough from city stink to follow. She's certain he went down this alley.