Pallanche

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Tann watches the dragon leave with barely a motion of recognition. Whatever shred of sanity he was holding onto has fallen away in the face of such a beast.
He stands dumbstruck and silent.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily shakes as she begins to feel the panic she'd been suppressing, but pulls her thoughts together enough to look for Vorel. Not seeing him, she bemoans, "When that little lizard spoke of a 'Bronze Dragon' I assumed he meant a phalanx, or possibly a cavalry troop, not an actual (expletive) dragon! Where on earth are we?"

[Nighteyes5678]

William

The dragon was gone and William's heart was threatening to beat itself out of his ribcage. "I told you there was a dragon," he gasped, his voice a mixture of fear and excitement. He had understood little of what the dragon said, certainly nothing spoken in the harsh, hissing tongue of the beast, but the experience alone was frightful. "In my homeland, there are tales of such creatures, but I had thought that the Lord had extinguished their kind from all civilized lands." He wet his lips and his eyes went to find Vorel. "Your words on the dragons have been put into a more... tangible perspective, my friend," he said, his voice carrying a healthy measure of respect. "Is there any wisdom you have to share with us on the manner of the dragon we have just spoken with?" He did not make the mistake of holding out his arm and William found himself wondering where Azriel's hunt had taken him.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie stares after the dragon as it leaves, its farewell words ringing in her ears. Friendly words. She hadn't expected that. He claimed to serve the King? Then they could have given news—he could have warned the king—but perhaps he already knew. Or would soon, when the dragon saw Westcliff. If the dragon had spoken the truth. "Yes," she murmurs in a daze, though the dragon certainly couldn't have heard, "her light on you, too."

She exhales, feeling weak with relief. Whether or not it had meant to, the dragon had frightened her. "Vorel?" she calls out, looking around for the little dragon; he was small enough to hide in the grass. "He's gone now. It is safe."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle stands stock still, watching the winged creature depart. Her reply to Lily's inquiry is a simple, "I don't know."

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily sighs. "Well, it isn't Kansas, at least," she says, in what may actually be an attempt at levity. But she resumes her dour mien, and adds, "In any case, we should get moving. Now we have two monsters to get away from. Vorel? Are you coming?" she asks, hoping the little creature can hear her, and hasn't simply fled.

With that, Lily starts to try to herd the group northward, and offers a hand up to any still lying under the bushes.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel pops up from his hiding place in the grass as the dragon makes its way aways from the group, his scales fading to their rich, deep blue once more. A frown crosses through his mind as he shakes his head once. It wasn't easy being bite sized.

As the other recover, he turns, looking to them all, tilting his head slightly. I said dragon, not anything else. Why would I say that if I didn't mean another dragon.

That was a darastrix vutha. Black dragon, he thinks. They breath out acid. He looks slightly confusedly at the others as he takes flight, making a point of doing so much more gracefully than the larger dragon had. Its not like you haven't seen me about town, or all this morning...

[dauphinous]

Hempsille
Evening

As the day begins to wane, the group crests what seems like a small hill from the one direction, but turns out to be the top of a relatively high one from the other. At the bottom of the valley lying perhaps a mile in the distance, an irregular ring of burned ground with only a few spears that must once have been trees surrounds a village in a condition similar to that of Westcliff.

The village seems to have been larger than Westcliff, though the piles of dead bodies look to be about the same in size and number. Unlike Westcliff, however, there are moving things down amongst the piles. There are possibly fifty or more moving figures. They move slowly and seem to prefer being near the bodies, though what they are actually doing is impossible to tell from the top of the hill.

The air is clear here, and like it has been for the walk all through the day, there is no obvious sign of water to be seen.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Tired and thirsty, Janelle looks at the ruined town with an expression of mingled defeat and determination. "Seems Hampsille fared as well as Westcliff. But there has to be some water source in this town. Even if it's a damaged well. Hopefully we'll have time to look." She looks to those with her to see what might be their reactions to the scene.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie's jaw sets grimly as she crests the hill and sees the burnt remnants of the other town, but it takes an effort to remain standing straight. She peers at the town, trying to make out what the figures are doing, but it doesn't seem to do much good. She drops to one knee, motioning to the others to do the same; they didn't want to silhouette themselves against the skyline, although the sun was at least setting in another direction. "Maybe. But those people down there, what if they are of the army that did this? I can't think they left that many survivors. We should try to approach without being seen, if we can." She bites her lip; the ground between here and there does not look as if it will provide much cover. The burnt trees were fewer in this village. "Vorel, do you think you can go closer without being seen, and tell us what it is they are doing?" She looks at him, unwilling to ask him to go unless he thinks it will be safe.

[Nighteyes5678]

William

As soon as it had become apparent to William that there were figures down below, he had instantly flattened himself against the ground. He looked approvingly at Sylvie as she did the same and spoke his mind. Perhaps his new companions were not as ignorant and naive as he had feared - at least, not all of them. William had had years of battle experience, leading his men into battle, but he was curious to see what this group would do without his guidance. It was time to test them, after all, because if he was going to eventually lead them, he had to know what they were capable of. For now, he would watch and listen.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"I'd be willing to make the attempt, if Vorel doesn't wish to," she replies to Sylvie.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam had been silent after the exchange with the dragon had been translated to him by Janelle. He felt like a little child who finds himself at a grownup party. One adult is looking for another; one adult wants to smack you upside the head for spilling a drink. All he wanted to do is to get through the day without any more unpleasant surprises.

He followed the group without saying much, until they crested the hill. He dropped down as Sylvie motioned him to. Being cautious made a lot of sense at this point. Seeing the new town in the same condition as the one he woke up in took the bottom out from under him. It would be a lot easier to "just go along" with what was going on if it was more pleasant. However, he felt a little bit better after noticing the moving figures.

Considering the situation, they should go to investigate. On the other hand, given how they have fared with meeting new people (or beings), they should be careful. He spoke <in Sylvan and English>, "I think some of us should go and investigate what's down there. Vorrel is pretty fast and small. I'd feel alright going myself as well, but I seem to have some problems with the local language. I can, however, follow whoever is going. I think... I feel... I can help heal somebody even at a distance, if things go poorly. Though I hope they don't. It's really about time we've had some good luck."

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel drops down, crouching on the hill. He lets out a soft, unhappy trill towards the town and shakes his head. They were too late it seemed. I'll go, he thinks to the others. With you all acting like you're not even from here, it wouldn't be a good first encounter. He shakes his head, then takes to the air, swooping down towards the town. He stays high enough to be out of reach, but gets close enough so he can see what's going on in the ruins of the town.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily's grief was heavy now, and she did not notice her hunger, or thirst. She was further back when Sylvia and William crested the hill, and she drops low when she sees them do so, before crawling up the last few feet to peer past them at the valley below.. From the crest, Lily sees the devastated village, and the indistinct moving figures. They could be fellow survivors, looking for lost loved ones, but she couldn't tell for sure. If only she could see them better.

Lily was tired, though, more tired than she realized, and her head ached from lack of water. The grass was soft, and she was already lying down in it. Vorel took to the air, and she fell asleep to the sound of his wingbeats fading into the distance. She begins to dream of small wings, and of eyes to pierce the night.

If anyone watches Lily, they see her eyes close as she settles into place. Without warning, she begins to shrink and shift, and moments later a barn owl no larger than Vorel sits where she had been lying down. After a moment, the owl opens its eyes, and hoots urgently, then takes off to follow after Vorel.

I'm assuming no one speaks Owl. If anyone does, let me know, and I'll decide what Lily's dialogue was.

Here's a quick rundown of Lily's relevant stats as an owl:
Tiny Animal
Fly 40 ft (average)*
Low-light Vision
Spot +18, Listen +18 (from racial bonuses, and the owl's Alertness feat)
Hide +15, Move Silently +21 (size and racial bonuses, respectively, plus her new Dexterity score)
AC 17

*note: for comparison, this is both slower and less maneuverable than Vorel

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle sinks to the ground as well, while Vorel scouts. She uses the time to work with the sticks, grasses, and stones she's acquired on the journey to make some crude stone-age tools. A stone hammer and hatchet, and making a tighter weave on her net, turning it into more of a proper sack.

[dauphinous]

Vorel and Lily fly off towards the town, quickly becoming just specks in the sky, while everyone else takes what cover there is to be had. The ground here smells of pure earth, deep and rich, and even though the dirt is dry and crumbly on the surface, the grasses that spring nearly a foot high from it are a dark green. While the leaves of the grass themselves are slightly cool to the touch, the ground is warm enough to be noticeable.

It will take Lily about 15 minutes to get there, and another 15 to get back, with Vorel taking less time if he wishes.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel keeps going until he glances back and sees the owl intent on following him. He slows considerably, letting it catch up before continuing down the hill, staying high. He makes a wide circle over the town before turning back, giving an audible hiss as he does so.

Once back he lands on the hill, letting out the same angry hiss. They're all dead, he thinks, looking back towards the town.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

The owl's return flight is not quite as direct as Vorel's. It meanders over the fields, and dives twice, possibly catching some small rodents. A few minutes after Vorel returns, the owl lands next to him, and lets out a long, rasping screech.

Vorel's telepathy can pick up that Lily is thinking 'it's like a bad horror movie.' Owl isn't a good language for verbalizing it, though, so it's hard to be sure exactly what she's trying to say.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"What do you mean, dead?" she asks, looking up from her work on a second hammer. "They're *moving*."

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie starts at the owl hoot from so close behind them, twisting behind her to look at it as it flies past. She dismisses it, until she realizes a minute or so later that Lily is not among them. A quick glance about confirms that she isn't nearby anymore. But there isn't anything she can do about it right now; she settles in, moving over to help Janelle weave together her bag after a while.

"Yes, but what about the people down there who weren't killed?" she asks as Vorel returns, puzzled. They could see the village was dead from here, but the other ones were still alive. "What are they doing? Could you tell?" The owl's return causes something to finally click in her mind, and she looks back a moment at the patch of grass Lily had lain down on earlier. Well... if a wolf, why not an owl?

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel looks towards Janelle, tilting his head. Sometimes the dead do rise, he thinks, looking back towards the town. I was unable to see any survivors, just the dead.

He looks towards the owl for a moment. What is a movie?

[Nighteyes5678]

William

It was worse than he had feared, though after seeing the great and terrible Enemy of Mankind in the flesh, William wasn't sure why he was surprised. It was odd to feel any amount of kinship with the monstrosities down in the town, but the memory of climbing out of a pile of corpses just hours ago was still fresh. "He speaks truth," William said quietly, careful to ensure that his voice did not drift down to the demons below. "It is not unknown for restless spirits to rise or for the demonic to enchant a corpse, freshly killed by evil." He licked his lips, shaking his head slowly. "We should move; this is unholy ground and it would not be wise to linger here, certainly not for the night."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"And just where do you propose we move to? We need water, and that town-- or what's left of it-- is likely the only source available. Unless you can do a rain dance or something."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

"I already told you," William said quietly, looking at Janelle calmly. "The Lord will supply us with water and food when we are ready to settle down. Besides, any food or drink that we find among the demonic dead is likely to be unsafe for us. Feeding upon that which has been cursed by the unholy does no one any good. I will seek guidance for a direction if necessary, or our draconic friend might know a place close enough for us to retreat. The most important thing, however, is for us to be gone with as much haste as we can muster."

[Newbie101]

Adam

Somehow the news of undead does not fully surprise Adam - after all, it almost makes sense, given how everything else had been going.

Adam nods at Janelle as she speaks, guessing at William's part of the conversation. <Sylvan and English> "I agree, an average person can only survive a few days without water, and we are doing plenty of walking as well. At best, we can find some plants that will help us stretch it to a week, but if we want to keep on moving, we need a source of water. I support Janelle's idea - we need to find the well in that town and see if it is still useable."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

The tiefling, to use the term the dragon called her, sighs with exasperation. "Perhaps you've heard the saying 'The Lord helps those who help themselves'? That used to be a town down there. Whatever's going on, I'm sure I don't know, but I do know that where there's a town, there's water. We need to get in there and get some. It shouldn't be too hard to do once it gets darker. I highly doubt that a bucketful of water is just going to appear in front of us."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

"Such a saying does not exist in my land and I feel that Father Thomas would find it flirting with blasphemy." His words were quiet and measured, but held no trace of reproach or condemnation. "I, however, do not judge you as such. I, too, have felt that perhaps the Lord is waiting on us. In this case, however, I know He will provide, for He has promised it to me." Keeping the same measured pitch, William looked at the others on the grassy hill, including them in the conversation, even Adam who would not understand. "I do not ask for blind faith in my promise. I will ask the Lord for help, ask Him to show a token to build our faith. I do not ask that you accept my words, only that you accept the Real being made manifest in the Material world."

With no other words, William bowed his head, his eyes shutting. "Benedic, Domine, nos et haec tua dona quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Ad coenam vitae aeternae perducat nos, Rex aeternae gloriae. Amen." His prayer was simple and soft, but held all of his hope, all of his faith, all of his power. Near the end, the words almost vibrated and when he opened his eyes, a plain wooden bucket sat in the grass in front of him, filled to the brim with clear water. "Praise the Lord," he said huskily, tears coming to his eyes as he lowered his head, awestruck by the care that had been showered upon him.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle simply stares at the bucket of water, struck speechless. After a good half-minute, she pokes it gently to see if it's some sort of illusion, before dipping her hand in and cupping a little water to sip. "It's really real." Her voice is stunned, when she finally manages to speak.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam blinks several times and rubs his eyes as the water appears. After watching Janelle take a sip, he sniffs the bucket and holds out his left hand carefully. He dips his pinkie finger in the water and tastes it, still not quite believing what just happened.

It is one thing to tell yourself to just go along with everything and another to act casually when a bucket of water has just appeared in front of you out of nowhere. He turns to Janelle and says in a stunned voice, <Sylvan> "I'll be damned. That is water. Real water. I don't really believe in miracles, but this, uh, this is some crazy stuff."

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel glances towards the bucket. I would suggest finding something to put that in if you wish to keep it, or just summoning more as we need it, he thinks then looks back to the town. There is a pump there. Unless they fouled it specifically it should be alright. He tilts his head. They would have just destroyed it if that was their intent I would think though. The ground is corrupted as well though if undead are rising, blasted clerics.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

The owl blinks once as the bucket appears, and then half-hops and half-flies towards the bucket, flapping its wings awkwardly to settle on the rim, careful not to tip over the bucket. It then dips its beak into the water and drinks deeply.

That done, the owl breaks into a series of hoots, pauses, and quick snaps of its beak, all seemingly directed at William.

Vorel and anyone who speaks Morse Code should pick this up just fine (though Vorel will probably be confused by the use of 'Stop' for '.'):
"We should help them Stop Free them Stop They are a danger and a blight Stop"

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle snaps out of her reverie once the owl starts its array of incoherent clicks and hoots, also drinking deeply from the water, although she still has a look of suspicion and shock on her face.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie's face works unreadably as she stares at the simple bucket of water, eventually settling into calm. She picks up the bucket slowly, with a sort of quiet reverence, and takes a long drink, quenching her thirst from the day's walking. Then she looks back towards the burnt-out town, expression growing grave. "I don't like leaving them like that," she says, half to herself. "Or the ground, if it's cursed..."

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel peers towards the town a moment longer. There are just over a hundred moving around there, he thinks to the others. He pauses, looking towards the owl curiously for a moment, slightly tilting his head in confusion.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

The owl screeches at Sylvie as she picks up the bucket, and flies up off the rim, to circle above the group.

Once again, the little dragon's words appear in her mind, to Lily's growing frustration. He can make himself understood, why can't I? We need to help those people. We can't just leave them like that. They're a danger to others and a blight on the land. We should free them. Why won't he tell them that?

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Feeling keenly their lack of any sort of equipment, Janelle asks the flying lizard, "Did you see any signs of useable equpiment? Compasses, packs, weapons, canteens, anything? What about food?"

[Newbie101]

Adam

Once there seems to be a general drinking of the water, Adam will take his turns as well, quenching his own thirst. Strangely it still feels real as it goes down into his stomach. Though he knows it does not happen like that, he can feel his body immediately soaking up the moisture. He looks at the owl incomprehensibly when it hoots and flies around, trying to imagine it being the woman who was there before.

Hearing Janelle speak, he nods at her and adds on <in Sylvan>, "And what about some warmer clothing or perhaps something we can make a shelter with - even a tablecloth would do."

He knows that all it takes is one cold rainy, windy night without shelter for half of them to be coughing and sick. And he gets the feeling they are not going to run into a hospital any time soon.

[dauphinous]

Everyone is able to drink some from the bucket, but it disappears before it is empty. The water itself remains and is sucked up greedily by the dry dirt when it falls.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

The owl lands eagerly on the muddy ground, and starts scratching at it intently with one talon.

Writing in <common> Free + help them. Danger to all. Unnatural. (or as much of that as will fit; owl writing isn't very neat).

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel shakes his head to the others. No, they left it in the same condition as Westcliff, he thinks somewhat sadly. They well was the only thing untouched it seems.

[Newbie101]

Adam

The disappearing bucket comes as a surprise to Adam, which quickly turns to anger. It does not last long, and he remains aware enough of their situation to not make a loud scene that could draw attention to them. However, he turns to face William and whispers at him, annoyed, remembering to speak <English>, "Hey, what's the big idea? If this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny. You've made your point, you don't need to rub it in."

He turns away from William and shakes his head at the ground where the bucket stood. His anger has faded as quickly as it came, just like the bucket did. The owl's actions catch his attention and he watches for a bit.

While it occurs to Adam that the owl clawing at the ground looks like it is trying to communicate something, the scribbles in the dirt do not quite make sense to him. Perhaps he is not looking at them correctly, or he is not an owl. Though that owl was a person not so long ago. After Vorrel's pronouncement, he shrugs, unsure of what to do now.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

She doesn't notice the owl's scratchings right away, looking down at the town. "Despite our friend's trick, however he did it, there are at least two things down there that we could use. Water and cloth. Those bodies are likely mostly still clothed. And our little friend says the well is untouched. I think that makes it worth at least an attempt to go down there and see what we can find. Who knows? We might get lucky and find something like food supplies or maybe even a map or a compass. What say the rest of you?"

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam looks at Janelle, considering. On one hand, it's better than heading off into the wilderness with nothing. On the other hand, there are supposedly zombies walking around town. What group of idiots head into a town full of, what was it Vorrel said - around 100, zombies? That's worse that most B movies. But, there's not much else they can do and nowhere else to go. Maybe these are the slow zombies and they can just run away if things go badly.

His internal discussion partially finished he speaks, <in Sylvan and English>, "I agree - we should check it out, but I'm a little bit worried about the 'walking dead' business. So, I'm with you, but I hope you've got a plan to not end up as zombie chow."

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel watches the owl, tilting his head slightly. If you wish to check it, it should not be that much of a problem, he thinks. They move very slowly, and did not notice her and I. He nods towards the owl and flaps slightly closer, looking at the scratches. Leaving the dead here could endanger anyone else happening across them.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie stares down at the town with an expression of quiet dread as shreds of memory float unpleasantly to mind. "Yes. And if the ground is cursed, more and more will rise, until eventually every last one is walking again." Her voice holds certainty, along with the same fear that's on her face as she turns to the others.

She glances at the owl's scratches, and nods her head. "Yes. I think... we ought to go down there. But if there are a hundred of them, I don't know how we could get rid of them all..."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

The bucket disappeared, causing William to frown a little. The Lord's way of working was mysterious, obscure at best. He ignored the angry reply of the other, not willing to rise to the bait. instead, he turned his attention to the discussion at hand. "I trust Vorel's advice and I also have faith in the protection of God. However, we should not endanger ourselves needlessly. How are we to cleanse this ground? To my knowledge, that is not among my own divine gifts, though perhaps it is one of yours? Regardless, I urge caution, my friends. Dark powers are at work here and they will not be silent while we go about our work."

[Newbie101]

Adam

As the group continues their discussion, Adam holds up his hand, remaining in a crouch near where the bucket was and squinting towards the east of town. He finds his eye drawn to some far off movement, though it is gone too quickly for him to fully make out details. He motions for any who are standing to get down, speaking in an urgent whisper, <Sylvan>, "Get down all of you. I think I saw someone heading towards the town. They might have been riders."

Thoughts of more riders like that woman finding them gives him an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. When they encountered the dragon, he did not know what to expect. And the zombies remained in the words of Vorrel, never being born into a fully frightening reality. If these are the same riders as the other woman, he is pretty certain he can expect their little group to be attacked and killed. He keeps watching for any more movement, biting his lower lip nervously. He then remembers to repeat himself in English.

[dauphinous]

Tann reluctantly and slowly gets to his knees and finally his belly as everyone else does. Lying there, hiding in the grass, it seems to take forever for anything else to happen. The seconds and minutes tick by slowly enough to make one think that perhaps Adam is just seeing things. Just when it has been long enough to feel that whatever was seen, it wasn't coming this way, Tann stands back up.

"This is stupid. We're hiding from nothing, now? I am no coward. I intend to go see these 'walking dead' for myself. Stay here, come along, whatever." With that, Tann starts jogging down the slope and towards the village.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel frowns slightly at Adam's warning, dropping down in the grass and crawling towards the ruins of the town in the grass, his scales faded to attempt to match the grass, peering towards the town to try to see whatever it is that Adam does.

As Tann rises and starts toward the town, he gives a more than slightly annoyed hissing sound and starts moving more quickly through the grass towards the town. He glances over his shoulder, his 'voice' lancing out to Adam specifically. What did you see?

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Letting off a string of curses in French, she finally mutters, "I'd better go after him. Can you start working on a plan of how to get in and out undetected while I get our wayward companion?" She keeps low, taking advantage of any cover available as she creeps down the hill after Tann.

(+8 hide
+6 move silently)

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam looks at Tann as he stands up and strides away. You idiot! He's probably still upset about running away last time. He sighs inwardly as Janelle goes off after Tann. Now they will all get separated... great.

When Vorrel's voice appears in his mind, he responds with a whisper in his direction, <in Sylvan>, "Off there to the east, I saw a group moving quickly. Quicker than a person could. I only got a brief glimpse, but I figured they might have been people on horses. Be careful..."

Adam keeps watching in the eastern direction, while attempting to remain hidden in the grass. Whether or not these creatures come this way may determine a lot about their future. If that man does not get them all killed and attacked by undead first. When are they going to finally get a break?

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

It had been pleasant at first, dreamlike. She could hear the mice scurry about beneath the soft sussurrations of the tall dry grass, see both further and more clearly in what she had been sure was growing darkness. And then, she was aloft. Flying. The breeze ruffling the feathers on her wings (her wings), the ground speeding by below. It was unearthly.

If it was a dream, though, it turned quickly into a nightmare. The town was in ruins, all dead, every body dead. But not still. Corpses shambled about in a hideous mockery of life, and she could see every gaping wound, every missing limb. It was too much. She turned and fled, flew away, flew within herself.

Lily came to with the taste of blood on her...beak? She had been winging her way back to the group on the hill. Had she cut her tongue? She landed on the hill. That was when things turned sour. She had tried to tell the others, to warn them, cajole them, convince them. But they would not listen, and she could not talk. Her frustration mounted, but she stifled a piercing shriek, still mindful of the walking dead.

Then the silent man stood and made his pronouncement, and ran, and the red haired girl followed. Lily tried to follow too, but her wings beat awkwardly against the tall grass. What was the rhythm of flight? It was like trying to force a dream to return, and the harder she tried to fly, the less success she had.

The small owl tries to take off again, but can not seem to coordinate itself, flapping its wings harder and harder to no effect. Finally, it lets out a soft sad hoot, and stops, seeming to give up.

But then Lily thought not of beating her wings, but of the wind on her feathers, aloft in the soft evening air. And she was flying, effortlessly, chasing after the two who ran towards the ruins, and towards the creatures walking there.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

The little owl flies out towards the village, but after gaining some height, rapidly turns back towards the group, as fast as it can.

Lily is thinking very hard about how to warn the others, and as a result, Vorel has no trouble picking up her warning of danger. Riders, armed and close. Just beyond that rise, behind those trees. A minute away, or maybe two. The image that accompanies this is of six riders, and three additional horses. Four seem to be men armed with swords and wearing mail, two are women in black robes, with flails. One of the women has brown hair, but the other's is as red as the morning rider's.

The owl swoops down, circling the group. Lily risks some soft, low hoots (Hoo. hoo. hooo. Two-hoo, two-hoo, two-hooo. Hoo. hoo. hooo.) before moving forward to cut off Janelle, flying low across her path, and doubling back to block her way again, then moving forward to try the same on Tann.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie looks on as Tann lopes down towards the village, torn between following and keeping down—the satyr had sharp eyes, and he must be keeping down for a reason. But if one of the dead were coming towards them, or anyone else, they'd see him for certain. Her half-whispered, twice-choked off call of "Wait- Don't-" is ineffectual. She can't even tell whether he heard. She half-rises as if to follow, then hesitates again with a look at Adam and William. "I- I don't feel like we should just leave them," she says after another moment of indecision. No, indecision was not quite the right word for it—it was as if she was changing her mind every half-second, wanting to do both. It was impossible to consider them logically. "Should we go?" Still fighting the urge to lie flat, she motions after them hesitantly. She wasn't sure what she could do to help, but she was equally sure she would regret it if she left the both of them to walk into the village of the dead.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam notices the owl's flight towards the village and quick return. Does she want us to follow her? Or did she see something? He looks a bit frustrated and helpless and clenches some grass in annoyance. If he's wrong, than all of this is just silly. But if he is right and there are more riders, then they should not be splitting up. Damn it, why did that man have to run down there? And now Janelle and Vorrel and the owl - Lily, he corrects himself - are all down there. A quick glance at the woman next to him as she speaks confirms that she wants to follow the others.

His face shifts between indecision, annoyance and a bit of fear. Patience. What he needs to do is to be patient. It's going to be better to wait fifteen minutes over nothing than to rush out and get caught. Or killed. That's what always happens in horror movies - the ones who are impatient get killed. By zombies, or whatever else is out there. Why am I thinking of movies? I need to focus and keep on watchng.

Adam finally motions down with his left hand. He shows ten fingers to William and Sylvie and speaks softly <in English>, "Ten minutes. We'll wait ten minutes."

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel looks up to the owl, then lunches forward, taking to the air, but keeping as low as he possibly can. Turn back, now. He command to Janelle as he races past her. There are riders, six of them, hide.

He continues his flight, arcing towards Tann and swooping around the saytr. There are six riders, get back and hide before we attract attention to us all, he thinks, then turns back, flapping hard to remount the hill a ways away from the others before turning back to them.

[dauphinous]

"There's nothing there!" Tann points at the empty space on the one side of the town. "or there, or there, or there." He points to other random locations around the town, all empty spots. Then he points to the town. "There? Something. I am no coward. I will not hide like a whipped dog. I want to see it. To face it."

Tann keeps up his light jog, ignoring the owl and heading for the town. He is only part of the way down when the nine horses finally come into view. Three of them are just horses, but with saddles. The other six have riders. Tann must have seen them, because he dives to the ground just after they come into view.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

At Vorel's warning of more riders, a real threat, and not talk of walking dead, Janelle makes use of the nearest piece of cover, hiding against their approach, but looking to see if Tann will do the same. She has no desire to risk another fight, especially against such odds.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Vorrel's voice reaffirming his fears, Adam attempts to make himself even smaller in the grass and watches the riders as they come into view. Seeing Tann and Janelle hide makes him feel a little bit better. Maybe we haven't been spotted. Oh, let us not be spotted. There also a bit of curiousity in his mind as to exactly what the riders are doing here. Checking to see if everyone is dead? Looting? How will they deal with the zombies?

[dauphinous]

Four of the riders - two of the armored ones and the black robed ones - slow and stop their horses. The other two slow theirs, but then turn and start them galloping up the hill in the general direction that the group lies hidden in. As they get closer, and it will take them a couple of minutes to reach just to where Tann is, more detail about them becomes apparent.

Both are wearing chain shirts with green dyed leather bracers on their forearms and green dyed leather pants. On the left shoulder, they have some sort of green patch over the armor. Each has a sword belted at his waist in a green scabbard, and a quiver slung across his back with arrows and a bow of some sort sticking out of it. They also wear a simple metal helm that leaves their faces generally uncovered.

The horses themselves - both brown - are rather ordinary specimens of some large breed. Anyone who knows a little about equines can tell their breed is one of strength, not speed. They have matching tack, all the leather parts dyed green just like their riders' gear.

Tann jumps to his feet when they are getting close and slips into a fighting stance, rocking a little on the balls of his feet. The riders both draw swords and aim their horses directly at him.

You have 2 and a half minutes between when it is obvious they are heading for your position and when Tann gets up. It will be another half minute before they will reach him. If anyone wishes to do anything before then, now is the time. Anyone who intends to just remain hidden until actual fighting starts or something unexpected happens, please at least say something in the OOC thread.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam sincerely hopes that this encounter will not go like the last one, but it seems to be one of those crappy days when everything goes wrong. Still, Tann is pretty far down - if he runs for it, the rest of them might not be noticed. Or maybe, maybe, maybe, these are actually nice people. Adam stays put, hiding as best he can.

When Tann does stand up and the riders draw their swords, Adam can only think one thing - Damn!

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

After Tann presses on, the little owl drifts forward, quieter than the breeze. When Tann drops to the ground, the owl, still some distance behind him, begins to bear right, heading for a tree some distance off to the side of the direction the riders are taking. It lands in a branch, and waits there. The wind around the tree picks up slightly.

When Tann rises to his feet, though, Lily cannot simply leave him to face the riders alone. She flies towards him, low across the ground, and faster than before, but it's not clear that she will reach him in time.

Lily isn't moving as fast as possible (ie not "running"), but she still takes a -5 to Hide and Move Silently for double-moving her normal speed. Lily will be about, oh, 100' away when the riders and Tann meet (about seven or eight seconds of flying at her current speed).

[Nighteyes5678]

William

It was a madness that haunted all soldiers, stalking them in the night, harassing them in formation, nipping at the heels during a march only to, at the worst possible time, move in for the kill. William had seen its effects in the field all the time. He had felt its icy cold touch before, a sort of fearful boredom. It was one of the worst enemies of a soldier. One of the first lessons William had ever learned about soldier and campaigning was patience. The ability to shut his mind down during those long marches, those dull stalks, those dreary nights. The only other option was to be rash and break cover or abandon his men all together or, worse of all, lead them all into death. No, boredom was a horrible foe, a wicked demon that had caused entire campaigns to fall apart. A forced army always bled men, whether from desertion or from the enemy, it was all the same. Boredom made the bleeding increase.

And so, the man Tann showed his inexperience. He broke cover. He was hasty. The fool was as good as dead.

"We must retreat to a more defensible position," William hissed to those near by. He motioned to a corpse of trees a few hundred yards behind them. "From there, we will be able to hide and if they pursue, their horses will be useless. Come, quickly now."

[Newbie101]

Adam

After Adam sees Tann stand up and the men draw their swords, it's clear that a fight is inevitable. There are two possibilities - William seems to be whispering something and motioning away from here, while Janelle, Lily and Vorrel are out in front somewhere. The safe and cowardly way is to go, hide and hope nothing happens. But, Adam has been travelling with these people for a while - abandoning them now seems wrong somehow. And they'll have a better chance together, like they did earlier today.

Damn, I am gonna regret this. Adam rises up a bit and runs close to where he thinks Janelle is, keeping low to the ground in an attempt to remain hidden. As he gets closer, he slows down and gets even lower.

So, I've got 30 seconds (5 rounds) after Tann stands up.
I'll run for 2 of them, taking the -20 to Move Silently and Hide. Hopefully, the distance penalties for Spot/Listen will more than cancel that out.
For the next 3, I'll double move at 60ft per round, giving me a -5 to MS/Hide.
In total, I should move 160*2 + 60*3 = 500ft.

[dauphinous]

William creeps back from the crest of the hill then starts to run for a stand of trees, but no one follows him. Sylvie might have, but she is quite clearly rooted to the spot she crouches on. About the time Adam gets to where Janelle is, Tann sidesteps fluidly and pulls one of the riders down off his horse. Both horses keep going, one with rider and one without. The one with rider pulls to a stop and turns his horse around to ride back to where Tann is.

Tann and his quarry fall to the ground together as the horse runs past. Whatever is happening down there, it is impossible to tell who has the upper hand from where everyone else is. The second rider returns to where Tann is and slides off his horse, bringing his sword with him.

Lily arrives just as the one standing man is watching for an opening to stab Tann but not his fellow.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

When Tann pulls a rider off his horse, Janelle decides to take a chance, and slips out of her hiding place, making for the stray horse, picking a path that will provide at least some cover and that will intersect the horse as it continues to move away from the brawl.

[Newbie101]

Adam

As Tann struggles, and Janelle takes off towards the horse, Adam decides it's time for him to help out as best as he can. The fight is far away, so he'll have to hurry, but maybe he can get there soon enough to assist Tann. He runs towards the fight at full speed, attempting to stay as low to the ground as he can.

I am running towards the fighters.
Initiative, Move Silently and Hide. (1d20=19, 1d20+4=15, 1d20+4=19) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1462067/)
My MS and Hide get -20, due to running, however, they are also distracted and far away, so I figure I have some chance of not being immediately detected.

[Santanya]

Vorel

As the attack begins, Vorel trills angrily, and sets to the air, attempting to skim the grass as close as he can towards them.

((Just moving towards them as quickly as he can.))

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

William's words make sense to her, but she still stands there, paralyzed with indecision. She wants to do both at once—she knew William was right, and there wasn't anything she could do against armed horsemen. But at the same time she can't bring herself to simply run away from the others. As the satyr (who, she realizes, could not have understood William's directions) darts off towards Tann, Janelle and the others, she makes a split-second choice choice, setting into motion even as her resolve wavers a second afterwards.

Though her legs had been paralyzed with the desire to move in both directions only moments before, once she gets moving she runs fleetly over the grass, remaining low to avoid being seen if she can. Panic flies through her head as she realizes what she's doing, followed by anger at herself and then at Tann for making her do this in the first place. Beneath it all is a certainty that she wouldn't have been able to forget creeping quietly off and leaving them to die, though, and she lengthens her strides, still far enough away that she's not worried about being seen in the dusk.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

The owl lands behind the standing soldier, silently disappearing into the tall grass.

Despite her owl-sharp eyes, Lily views the scene distantly. After a long and dreary day, this is how they're going to greet the first people they meet? It feels thoroughly surreal. And for some reason, she is vaguely nauseated that they're wearing green.

But instinct takes over. Her pack was under attack, and rational thought faded into the background.

A grizzly bear seems to rise directly out of the earth behind the standing man, lumbering forward to attack.

Not sure if that drops my initiative from 8 to 6.
Action breakdown (correct me if this is wrong):
1st combat round: fly closer (double move)
2nd: fly a bit more and land about a dozen feet, hide in the grass
current round: shift to bear, move up to be next to the soldier

Bear stats:
HP: 24
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+14
Attack: Claw +9 melee (1d8+8)
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee (1d8+8) and bite +4 melee (2d6+4)
Grapple Damage: 1d4+8 (nonlethal)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +5
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 13, Con 19, (mental stats same)
Skills: same, except for Hide (gets -3) and Move Silently (gets +1)
Feats: Endurance, Run, Track
Next few rounds (tentative, but probable actions):
First, full attack the soldier, grappling him if possible.
Once grappling, use grapple checks to do nonlethal damage (squeezing him, rather than clawing him).
If the first soldier drops, move on to the soldier grappling with Tann, and grab him too.

[dauphinous]

Janelle takes off at a sprint, heading for the now riderless horse as it continues to move. It slows down quickly and its head turns from side to side, possibly confused about what just happened. With no one to goad it to continue, the horse all but stops. Janelle reaches it as it takes another few hesitant steps and starts to turn around in a circle.

The rest of the group seems intent on converging on Tann and his new playmates. Lily arrives first, diving to the grass, then rising up as a large brown bear. The man in front of her doesn't seem to have noticed her as he shoves his sword into Tann's side. Tann, for his part, grunts in pain, but is busy thumping the other man's skull into the ground and keeping him pinned there. Lily hears the wet crack of breaking bone come from the tussle.

Although Lily and Janelle are too busy to notice it, everyone else can see that the other four riders have decided to spur their horses up the hill at top speed.

Lily-bear rears up and thumps down onto the man just as he's turning to see what's behind him. One of her massive claws rakes across his body, but he twists and dances around a little to avoid getting pinned under her weight, slashing his sword across her belly in the process. The cut is deep and painful, but hardly enough to stop a rampaging bear.

Lily is in melee, but not grappling, with the second man. She takes 8 damage from the sword hit. It was not an AoO, just an attack.
There is a second horse about 10 feet away from Lily and the standing foe.
Janelle is at the runaway horse. It doesn't seem hostile.
Adam, Sylvie, and Vorel will be a while before they reach Tann.
The other four riders will also be a while before they reach Tann.
William is...?

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

The bear roars in rage. Whatever traces of Lily's consciousness that remained are washed away in a red mist. The beast lashes out viciously at the soldier, slicing with claw and fang.

***

Lily floats in an empty, gray expanse. In the distance, the wind shrieks and howls. Looking for the source of the noise, she spots a small form in the distance, growing larger.

We'll see if Lily ends up doing something she'll regret. At least I got a chance to put Nywm in the picture. Hopefully I won't waste too much time talking to myself.

Anyway, attacks: two claws and a bite. I should have enough attack rolls in my die roll thread, so I'll just add damage rolls there too.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam keeps on running towards the fight. It seems like one of the men is fighting a bear now, which he didn't think was there before, but... there's no time to worry about that. If he can make it there before the other riders do, he might be able to help Tann. Help him enough that the others will get there. And then, maybe then, they can do something. But to make it he has to run hard and fast, pressing his hooves into the ground and pushing off. Using muscles that seem both strange and familiar, getting into a rhythm where his beating heart and his short breaths are aligned and he can feel energy flowing through him as he runs. Just a little bit more and he'll be close enough to help. Just a little bit more.

Well, as dauphinous said, it'll take a while for us all to get there. Once I do I will probably burst to heal Tann and the bear (if it's obvious that the bear is helping out/fighting the other men). I might, depending on whether there are still guards surprise myself by charging into one with a headbutt.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle pats the horse gently as she takes the reins and pulls herself into its saddle. Keeping the animal reined in, she starts to look for any convenient weapons to hand, preferably a pistol or rifle.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel trills, cursing softly to himself as he heads towards the chaos at top speed, intent on reaching it as quickly as he can.

[Nighteyes5678]

William

In the field of battle, nothing could replace a skilled and trusted commander. Many times, that was the single difference between defeat and victory, the single force that held men in the line even when their courage would normally break and send them running for the hills. His new charges were clearly unversed in anything that even distantly resembled combat tactics. They broke and scrambled, allowing the seemingly chaotic nature of the battlefield to overcome their senses, allowing themselves to be split up and scattered.

God save them all.

William broke into a run, determined to join those under his keeping in the fray, for good or for ill.

[dauphinous]

Janelle

The horse gives Janelle a long look as she reaches out for the reins. It doesn't seem inclined to bolt, but it walks around in a circle, avoiding letting her mount at first. Aside from the horse's tack, which looks well maintained and is imprinted with some sort of coat of arms, there does not seem to be anything of use carried by the horse. There are no saddlebags, no weapons, no sheaths even that might carry weapons. After a few more soothing noises, Janelle is able to swing herself into the saddle.

Lily

Tann seems busy with his foe as Lily just tries to maul the man in front of her. She smacks him around, ripping ribbons of flesh from his face. He is able to stab her with his sword, jutting it upwards through her belly, but that is the last thing he ever does as she knocks him down and claws his throat out. The spray of blood from the burst artery covers Lily liberally.

Tann gets up then, the man he was fighting also lying still in the grass. He looks down at the body, then up to see the oncoming horses, and he kneels and starts to quickly shuck the man's armor off. His movements are bizarrely precise, as if he is completely familiar with how to remove armor from a dead body and has done it many times before.

Vorel, Sylvie, Adam, William

The blood fountain that is Lily's handiwork can be seen from a fair distance away. Vorel and Adam arrive just after this happens. Sylvie and William will take a little longer to reach the spot. The riders are still pounding up the hill, and the thundering hoofbeats can almost be heard if you listen hard enough. Or maybe that's really just pounding heartbeats.

Okay. Two dead guys. One live horse.
Lily took 14 damage from the sword stab (a critical hit). That's a grand total of 22.
Tann looks like his worst injury is a split lip and is removing the armor from the dead guy at his feet.
Tann, Lily, Vorel, and Adam are together now.
Janelle is about 250 feet from the foursome.
Sylvie is about 400 feet away (20 seconds), and William is about 520 feet away (26 seconds).
The group of four riders is still about 2 and a half minutes away.
The riders on the ground each have a chain shirt, a longsword, and a dagger. Aside from the clothing underneath, that's all that's obvious. The second horse is equipped as the first. Both are heavy horses, but not warhorses.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Holy Crap! When Adam sees the bear sprayed with her foe's blood, somewhere inside of him there is a sense of shock and fear, but his adrenaline is pumping (or maybe it's his heart). As he gets there, there is an idle thought regarding the sudden origins of a friendly bear that is also quickly ignored and suppressed. The bear is hurt and his job is to help those that are hurt. Especially animals. Adam steps towards the bear cautiously and stretches his hands forward, feeling the energy pulse in him until it flows out of him into Tann and the bear. He then remembers that Sylvie was hurt as well and waits for her to approach before letting more of that inner pulse flow into those near him. As it looks like the bear is still injured, Adam will get closer and slowly touch the bear, pushing more energy into it. He is beginning to get some awareness that this energy is not unlimited, so he stops when he thinks the bear should be more or less healthy.

I use a healing burst on the bear and Tann. Then once Sylvie gets near us, I will do it again, including her as well. Then, I will get closer and use Lay on Hands for a bit more.
Tann: Heals 14 damage.
Bear: Heals 20 damage.
Sylvie: Heals 7 damage.

Used: Healing Heart x2. Lay on Hands 6hp.
Remaining uses recorded on character sheet.

[dauphinous]

For anyone looking here without looking at the OOC, we've moved.

Our new digs:
OOC Thread (http://www.coyotecode.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=3215#3215)
IC Thread (http://www.coyotecode.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=3216#3216)