Cellar of the Tower

Hrothgar Jumped down onto the decaying timbers and debris from the collpased tower. It made a precarious, but convenient ramp to the floor of the rubble filled tower cellar.

"Enelye, cover me" said Hrothgar. "Rhian you need to be right here with me. Hrothgar pointed at the floor.

Hrothgar noticed brown and grey rubble had began growing moss and the cellar was damp and humid from rain. He noticed several odd shaped mounds with mold and algae on top to his right in the shadows. As he turned to get a closer look, 12 big red eyes stared unblinking at him. Then they leaped at him.

Enelye screamed "RATS!"

The Door

Hrothgar carefully walked around the wooden floor to the door. He pulled the rusted iron ring handle and readied for an attack.

None came. On the other side of the door, where once a small keep had been connected to the tower, was now only piles of dense rubble, open to the sky. The rubble and floor was at his level.

Hrothgar called the others to search the area.

Rhian searched but found nothing. Enelye noticed that the fallen floor and the rubble from thier level had created a kind of ramp in the corner of the tower below where Hrothgar was standing. It would be reachable with a short jump. Enelye also noticed a door set in the wall below the one Hrothgar just opened concealed behind broken timbers.

Hrothgar what do you want to do?

The Tower

Hrothgar rounded the tower after and saw Rhian charging up a set of crumbled stairs leading to the tower and Enelye followed.

Standing atop the stairs you can see down into the first floor of the tower it is partially filled with rubble and pools of water and filth and carcasses of dead animals. The second floor (the level you are standing at, has a partially uncollapsed woooden floor that hugs the western wall. It is approx 10' wide and goes around the tower to the northern wall. A door is set into the northern wall.

Rhian and Enelye look at Hrothgar for direction.

Hrothgar, what do you do?

Hrothgar, sword drawn, followed after.

To the attack

Hrothgar had heard of the walking dead but had never seen them. He had seen plenty of men die, but none walked afterward.

Hrothgar instinctively swung at the zombie as it lurched toward him, but he swung to soon and missed.
Enelye nervously fired her bow at the creature, but the arrow missed its mark.
Rhian stared in amazement, flatfooted at the sight of the walking dead man and the other two that appeared from behind the tower, walking toward them.
The zombie took a lazy swipe at Hrothgar and missed.

Hrothgar swung again, but was distracted by the other two zombies approaching and missed.
Enelye's aim was true this time and she plugged the first zombie in the chest with her white fletched arrows. (3 pts dmg)
Rhian, emboldened by Enelye's attack, charged the new zombies. He crashed into them with his shield and delivered a massive blow that with his axe that crushed one of zombie's head. It fell to the ground no longer moving, drenching Rhian in black and smelly gore.(8pts dmg)

The remaining two zombies swung at their targets, but were just too slow to connect.

Hrothgar, annoyed by Rhian boldness and success swung his sword and it rang true, lopping off the head of the zombie in front of him. (7pts dmg)
Enelye switched targets and fired another arrow at the last remaining zombie. It went skittering of the sideof the tower.
Rhian sung at the last zombie and cleaved a giant gash in his side, but the zombie went on unphased by the assault.(9 pts dmg)

The remaining zombie swiped at Rhian, but could not land a blow.

Rhian's dodging caused him to miss, and blocked the shot of Enelye. And Hrothgar rushed to join the attack.

the remaining zombie missed again.

Rhothgar's manuevered behind the remaning zombie and battered his skull until it hit the ground, lifeless. (4 pts dmg)

Everyone looked around to see if any more approached. None did.

After a long pause, Enelye said, "I think you may be right Hrothgar, dark magics must surround this place to have those foul creatures as guardians."

"And guardians usually are guarding something worthwhile. Lets go see what they were protecting"said Rhian, puffed up by the party's first encounter, he rushed to the other side of the tower.

Hrothgar what will you do?

Hrothgar charged forward sword raised, "Die, undead, cur!"

Hrothgar approached the side of the tower where the sound was coming from. He assumed it was just an animal or maybe one of the sheep was trapped in some rubble. He crept to toward the sound.

It was then he smelled the rusty iron twinge of blood in the air. He then saw in front of him a decaying man in rags, covered in sheeps blood, stepping on entrails and organs, walking repeatedly into the side of the tower, slightly moaning. In its hand was one of the haunches of the slaughtered sheep.

Suddenly it stopped and turned to look directly at Hrothgar. You have initiative, what do you want to do?

"What am I paying you for anyway?" Hrothgar grumbled as pushed Rhien aside and stomped toward the trees.

"I think I'll cover you from right here, " said Rhian. "Why don't you go take a look?"

Enelye nocked an arrow in her bow and readied herself for whatever was making the noise she could hear now to her right, by the tower.

Hrothgar heard the noise first. He drew his sword to alert the others.
"Rhian, see what that noise is. Enelye, cover him with your bow."

To the top

The animal trail wound its way up the scrabbled rock hill, with tangles and overgrown shrubs jutting out into the trail to make the going difficult. Rhian was in the lead, headstrong and bold, Enelye was next, cautious and watching, followed by Hrothgar, who was more than willing to let his hirelings take the lead.

Climbing to the top of the hill, the party stops about 30' from the tower. Hrothgar hears a noise coming from the think underbrush to the right of the tower that Rhian and Enelye seem to miss. It is a slight shuffling sound. Rhythmic in nature, like something rubbing on something else.

Hrothgar what do you do?

Onward

After watching the other cross w/o incident, Hrothgar sat to pull off his boots. Nothing was worse than slogging around in wet boots. He loaded his belongings onto his battered shield and lifted it above his head. He cursed at the bitter cold of the water. When he reached the far side he sat on a convenient rock, put his boots back on and headed up the trail towards the tower.

Pushing ahead

Rhian strode confidently into the stream. It was soft on the bottom, but not too deep. It rose to his waist in the middle of the stream then was shallower on the other side.

"Come on," he shouted "it's fine," as he reached the other bank and pulled himself up to through the catttails and reeds.

Enelye went next and lithely moved through the water to the other bank, the water soaking her padded armor almost to her chest. She hated water, and moving water worse than all.

On the far bank she turn to Hrothgar and said, "Let us go, " as she pointed up the hill. Rhian had already started up the animal track that led to the tower.

Hrothgar, what do you do?

Hrothgar goes forth

Even at 19, Hrothgar was a veteran of several campaigns. The subjugation of the Valdrahni clans was the last, and the one that convinced him maybe an adventurer's life was better dying forgotten in some distant land.
The soldier's life had taught him one other thing. If it looked too good to be true, it probably was. This whole thing seemed too easy. He sent What's-his-name into the stream first.

The Ruined Tower of Udd

You stand at the swiftly flowing streams edge. It is mid day. It has taken you half a days walk from the main road to reach the overgrown and broken hills in front of you. The Jagged Hills are covered with scrub trees, a dense underbursh of thorns and tall grasses clinging to the dirt between the crumbling limestone ledges that form the hills.

In front of you stands the Ruined Tower of Udd. Udd was a foolish magician who was consumed in the explosion that ruined his Tower. He was rumored to be dabbling in dark magics and most believe he was consumed by those dark magics. You learned of the tower from a drunken herdsman who wandered into your campfire, stricken with
fear of the moaning sounds of the dead coming from the tower as he was out tracking some lost sheep from his flock.

Behind you stands the two mercenaries you hired at the Weary Tankard. Rhian a hotheaded young man of about 17, who brags of weilding an axe better than a Dwarf. And a curious young elven maiden named Enelye. You quietly offered a share of the loot that could be taken from the tower and they both accepted.

You must cross the stream and climb the hill to get to the ruin of the tower set into the hill. There is an animal path that wounds up to the tower. The stream is fordable and only 3 feet deep. Trees line its banks. as well as cattails and reeds.

What do you wish to do Hrothgar?