Afterward

Hrothagr sighed, raised his sword and managed to hack off what was left of Rhian's head in two swipes. He met Enelye's horrified glare. "I don't need him rising up and biting me in the ass," he said.


"Let's see if there's any treasure in here. These creatures were here guarding something. After that, we're leaving, and I want enough money to hire some more muscle to come back this place, and clean it out proper."

Hrothgar searched the book shelves and found nothing. The books were rotten beyound use. But inside of one labeled " The Etymology of the 'Malus occidentalis mobilius' and other Bipedal Vegetation" was found a large glass vial with a luminescent green liquid.

Enelye found a chest concealed under one of the tables with a rotten red cloth over it. The chest was not locked. In fact the locking mechanism was torn away. Enelye carefully opened th lid and found it was not trapped. Inside was a small black chest. the inside of the chest was lined with white silk and was still intact and showed no signs of rot. Setting in the silk were two black pearls, the size of a childs fist. Also at the bottom of the chest was a silver skeleton key.

Enelye coveted such a find and considered placing them in her pockets, when she noticed that Hrothagr had walked up behind her. "What did you find?", he said. "Black pearls," said Enelye, embarrassed that she had thought to take them for herself. "They probably came from a merchant who got them form the Shi hul Morrah, the Sea Elves. They dive for them and coax them from the Giant Oysters. They are very rare. It is a great prize.Oh and a there's a key at the bottom of the chest."

Enelye stood up and closed the box. She wrapped the box tightly with twine from her backpack and put the box in her backpack. She walked over to the round table in the center of the room. Several books lay open on the table. One had the cresent moon and dagger symbol from the bronze daggers, scrawled on the inside cover. It had no writing on the spine. On the first page was scrawled, "To the troublesome Etherialist who can now call this tower his own. I hope you keep your head in the clouds, son, but always remember, the flesh is weak, but the mind can live on forever. signed Your Father, Lord Northewode"

The pages are now very faint and the book is well worn, almost rubbed clean. It is also water damaged, not from sitting in water, but from the pages being dripped on. Nothing more can be read in the torch light. Also on the table are crumpled up scrolls with broken wax seals.

Also strewn about the room is a collection of coins, 59 copper pieces and 93 silver pieces in total.

Against the western wall stands another upright wardrobe. Hrothgar opens the wardrobe to find rotten clothes hanging in the wardrobe.

Hrothgar what do you wish to do?   

The Library

Hrothgar stormed forward at the shadowy figure. He swung in a great arc(miss), but the Ghoul was quicker, and met Hrothgar half way, gruesome, filthy claws flailing out front, gnashing his teeth.(hit claw,claw, 3 pts dmg.)

As Enelye knocked an arrow, the zombie to her right lurched forward hungrily and swiped at her, landing a blow on her arm(hit, 2 dwg).

Enelye kept her focus and let loose a fearsome shot at the ghoul that streamed right under Hrothagr's arm and into the crouching creatures throat. It let out a terrifying shriek. (hit 8dmg).

Rhian pulled himself into the room and swung lazily at the other unengaged zombie, but missed. The zombie tried to grab rhian with his hungry hands, but missed.

The Ghoul slashed at Hrothgar as he recoiled from the bow shot(1 dmg).

Rhian gathered himself and swung as hard as he could at the zombie. He was so tired. His aim was true and he hacked into the side of the undead menace.(6dmg).

Enelye backed up, but was agian assaulted by the hugry zombie on her right.(1 dmg)

The fearsome wound Rhian had just put into the zombie he was attacking left it utterly unphased. It reached forward again and grasped Rhian's arms as he struggled to wrench his axe free from the rotting tissue sucking at it. And Rhian should have just let go. Zombie was huge and fat, and very intent on making rhian his next meal. It sunk its rotten teeth into Rhian's face and neck and tore huge chunks from his skull. His armor was drenched in bloody gore as the minster continued to feed. Rhian fell to the floor, with the zombie still attached to his face, feeding. (6 dmg, Rhian killed(-3))

Hrothgar heard Rhian's screams to the left, but dared not turn around. He advanced on the ghoul as it retreated and smashed its skull with a well placed down stroke.(2 dmg, killed ghoul)

Enelye dropped her bow and drew her sword to fight off the zombie that was on her, missing in the exchange, as did the zombie.

Hrothgar turned to see Rhian laying on the floor twitching as the zombie fed. He rushed forward to engage it but in the dim light stumbbled over the debris on the floor.

Enelye, carefully gathered herself and lunged at the zombie, skewering it through the eye cavity and scrambling its brains. It fell to the floor lifeless, again.(9 dmg, killed zombie)

The last creature continued to feed on Rhian's corpse. As Hrothgar and Enelye circled the creature it noticed the other meals and stopped and lunged at Hrothgar, Hrothgar snapped the creatures head to the side with a viscious smash from the flat of his sword. (5 dmg)

Finally, Enelye drove her sword into the creatures head, severing it from its shoulders.

Enelye and Hrothgar looked at each other for a moment, panting and bloody. Then they rushed to find Rhian's lifeless, bloody mess of a body. Rhian clearly was dead, his face half eaten, his neck and arms with huge gouges of flesh missing.

Enelye muttered an elvish prayer under her breath and backed away.

Hrothgar, what do you do?    

F%ck these doors

Hrothgar tried to quietly break the lock. Who knew what could be on the other sideof the doors. It didn't budge. Hrothgar had had enough. He asked Enelye for her mace.

"Screw it. Whoever is on the other sid eof these doors heard us anyway." Hrothgar swung at the lock with all his might.

Pieces of the lock flew ion all directions, showering Rhian with metal shards. "Hey, look out!"

Hrothgar handed the mace back to Enelye and kicked the doors open and stood in the doorway to the room. He threw his torch in on the stone floor so it would illuminate the room.

Before him stood what was once probably a very nice library, larger than the writing room he was in. Shelves still lined the walls some even still contained books. in the center of the room a round table had several books and scrolls on it. On the western wall was a cupboard and a large wardrobe. Both closed. Litter and smashed chairs and wood cluttered the floor over a rotten rug. The room smelled of death. Recent death. As Hrothagr and Enelye scan the room, two figures stand up and start shambling toward them, rotten hands out, mouths open, yellowed eyes fixed on new food. 

Both Hrothgar and Rhian notice another, more shadowy figure crouched at the back of the room.  It is hairless, sickly blue green in color, with a menacing mouth full of pointed teeth. It is staring at you more like an animal than a mindless construct.

Hrothgar what do you do?