WFRP Chapter 100: Day of the Dead
Summary: Fleeing assassins the Countess's entourage finds themselves a Mummy.
With repairs were still underway on the Angry Beaver Hayley booked passage on another barge to get four of us to Nuln. She set off with Zena, Gwyn and Tayy leaving Rubinifa, Sarah and Jenson to lay down a false trail for her uncle.
On the journey Zena sold her protective cloak to Countess Hayley but unfortunately our Nobel leader was not able to attune to the mystical energy and it turned to dust in her hands.
It seemed the false trail had failed as only a few hours into the journey a figure stepped out on to the bank and called to Zena. He offered her, and then the captain, money to pull the boat over to the shore. Zena offered the captain more and with the threatening presence of Gwyn standing over him the captain ordered his men to keep on rowing.
More men came out of the bushes and started shooting arrows at the crew. One of them also threw a bomb that exploded setting the front of the ship alight. The captain dropped to the deck with an arrow through his neck. Tayy went to check if he was still alive (it was not really an excuse to pilfer his pockets). Zena used her skills as a second in command and got the crew to row us to the other bank where they all fled.
Leaving the boat to provide us some cover our company headed east towards Hurlach. As night approached we saw a small shire partially overgrown with brambles ahead. It looked to be dedicated to Taal, god of nature, so we headed inside.
While Gwyn was collected firewood Hayley discovered a secret door at the back. Once everyone was together she decided we should investigate. Heading down the stairs the door behind us closed and locked with an ominous thud! Stepping into the chamber beyond four sarcophagi opened and the mummified bodies instead climbed out and shambled towards us. The three humans dropped the floor in terror. Only the plucky halfing was left standing. With no option to flee Tayy did the only thing he could and charged into battle keeping two of the undead monsters engaged.
The other two clawed and bit at Zena abd Gwyn it was only the fate of the gods that prevented them being eaten alive. Hayley managed to recover and defend herself destroying one of the creatures. Tayy got lucky [a hit for 17] and finished off the first two. He then ran over and stabbed the last one in the back ending the threat in this room.
Zean drank her last healing potion while Gwyn sat and got his breath back and, as if by magic, his wounds seems to close and he was ready to fight again.
With no way out there was no choice but to proceed into the next chamber of the tomb. Hear we found a human necromancer cowering in the corner protected by a skeletal horde and ghostly champion. We all rushed in to battle the new foes.
Tayy tried to use he great speed to jump over the table and attack the Wizard but as he moved forward the champion struck him with the glowing blade it held. This ghostly weapon cut through his armour as if it did not exist and put the little hobbit to sleep. Hayley stepped over to protect him but was also hit by the same ghostly blade and dropped down snoring next to him!
Gwyn proved that stabbing skeletons is a fruitless task. Adept and killing men he kept stabbing at none existent vital organs and after a dozen thrusts of his blade he never managed to connected once! At least he was the furthest from the Necromancer and out of range of the other spells used.
First a wave of corrosive dark energy spread out. All none enchanted metal items rusted away into dust including most of the armour worn by our heroes and all Zena's money! Gwyn had to toss her his spare blade or she would have been forced to using her fists against the undead champion who had glided over ready to bring down the next member of our party. Fortunately her mental resistance was stronger and she managed to avoid the ensorcelled sleep long enough to destroy the champion. That still left her and Gwyn facing the rest of the seemingly endless horde.
Other skeletons clawed at Tayy inflicted minor wounds that his ring of regeneration was just able to keep up with healing him. Hayley recovered from the spell first. Before she could attack the wizard charmed her with a mind altering spell. Instead of attacking him she was overcome by rage and smashed Tayy in the face. This knocked him off the desk into a spreading pool of blood on the floor. At least the skeletons turned to attack Hayley and left the poor fling for dead!
Hayley disengaged from the minions and charge the Necromancer stabbing him in the chest. Cursing he called on his arcane power making his hands glow with strange energy. A simple touch of his hand drained most of her life force; a second touch would be certain death...
Fortunately, as fate would have it, the blow to the head had woken Tayy up. He had drunk a healing potion while playing possum on the floor. Jumping up he charged past the skeletal minions and used the full force of the assassin training Flendac had provided to hack and stab at the Wizard. The little man was lucky enough to land all four blows and do just enough damage to finish the evil sorcerer who crumpled on to the floor ending all his active spells.
With their master gone the remaining creatures dropped to the ground as piles of bones. Exhausted we searched the room and found the mechanism to open the secret door. There were a few healing potions on the Wizards body. Hayley and Zena quickly consumed two and Tayy replaced the one he had used earlier. The other items, including the best weapon we have ever found, melted away apart from an amulet of magical power that Tayy kept. We got a few coins, as the wizard's spell had not destroyed his own money but were going to need to spend hundreds of crowns to replace all our armour. At least Tayy's money had been protected from the spell inside his bag of holding. There was also a grimoire on the desk that may be of use to the University in Nuln; should we ever managed to reach our destination.
Image Credits -
Art from nikulina-helena.
Art from nikulina-helena.
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