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Scarlet Heroes: Against the Red Tide

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Zeth

Zeth

Supernova
Joined
Aug 27, 2015
Location
RI, USA
The Tomb of Iron Thorns
Nine generations ago the people of the Yellow Hill district were scourged by the ambitions of the Shrike King, a terrible warlord who impaled his enemies upon long metal spikes. When the Shrike King was eventually overthrown the people took care to entomb him with many rituals and rites of propitiation, the better to ensure that his spirit remained safely quiescent.

Yet lately a feckless robber broke open the doors of the dread lord’s prison tomb, and now the Shrike King’s rotting frame seeks to renew his mad dreams of conquest. His cold servitors have kidnapped many young men from the surrounding villages, seizing them to swell his forces of unquiet dead. The people cry out for succor... and speak much of the treasures buried with the warlord.

Leda Rowian is a cleric. Favored by the gods and granted the ability to cast miracles, she answers the people's call to put this undead horror to rest and save the kidnapped men if possible.

1. Entryway. Corroded bronze chains dangle broken from the glyph-marked metal door. Leda is here. What does she do?
 
Leda had been put in charge since there were no Cleric present with skills to outdo her. They'd heard the cry for help from the local populace surrounding the tomb, the missing people were all young men and they had to be rescued, for the good of the land. So she'd packed her things and travelled to the tomb. She wore her leather armor over her clothes, keeping the strings tied firmly, yet leaving the armor loose enough for her to move normally. She had her backpack with her, her dagger on one side and her mace on the other as she stood outside the door.

It was her first real task outside the archives of her Order. Something she'd looked forward to for a long time as she stood outside the door. It was a warm, sunny day, average for this time of the year as she took a deep breath, staring at the broken chains and the glpyh marked door. What kind of idiot could bring himself to enter such a dangerous looking place? She had to be like the robber in the first place as she shrugged off the light shivers she felt and pushed forward. Her hands grabbed the handle of the door as she begun putting her weight into opening the doors. She had accepted the task, she felt she needed to complete it now.
 
The doors offer no resistance and open easily enough. As if something wants people to enter the tomb. Leda sees the entrance hall.Frescoes of the Shrike King’s defeat at the hands of a great Xianese general. Six dead soldiers stand guard by the pillars, but look inward and pay little attention to the shadows.

It seems the Shrike Lord is turning young men into hungry ghosts to build an army. Most hungry ghosts have lost their minds to madness, but Leda can clearly hear them arguing. "No no, double ones do not mean you win in craps. It means you lose. To win you need seven or eleven!" says one undead soldier to the other. These goof balls are gambling instead of guarding the door! They haven;'t noticed Leda, how does she respond?
 
Upon noticing the ease with which the doors swung open, Leda stepped inside as lightfooted as she could. She was able to make out the paintings along the wall, displaying the loss of the Shrike King at the hands of a great general. She had heard the story and read multiple accounts from the time in the scrolls in the archives, but this was the first time seeing paintings. Although as she absentmindedly slipped inside, she ended up freezing in the spot, hearing voices up ahead.

As she searched her memory, she couldn't recollect anything about undeads and being able to talk, but it seemed, as she saw the guards, that they were indeed talking and gambling. If they were already busy with each other, she moved forward on the tip of her toes, trying to keep anything on her person from rustling. She stuck to the right side of the wall, glad they hadn't noticed her as she hoped to slip right past them.
 
Dexterity saving roll vs 10. There are halls noth, east and South. Pick one if you succeed. Other wise they Notice you.
 
(Roll 7)

Trying to be stealthy, Leda had no clue that she was making more than enough noise for them to notice her as she tried to sneak down the southern wall of the room, behind the pillars. She accidentally kicked random rocks, but didn't notice just how much noise they made when they rolled a bit.
 
Well that was not very stealthy Leda. All six dead soldiers turn to look at her. "What? Some one is actually breaking in to this place? She looks like some waif, should we just scold her and send her home?" asked one guard. The second goes,"Nah. We should lock her up with that red head women. The Shrike lord may want a second bride." They then move to attack.

Leda goes first. They have AC 7.
 
When they spoke of an intruder, Leda realised just how things had gone south. And now she needed to handle them. She straightened up, unhooking her mace from her belt with one hand, leaving the dagger hanging. She would save it until she got into trouble as she heard them talking about the Shrike Lord and a second bride. "What?" She mumbled to herself, apparently there was someone kept captive here, aside the men.

She eyed them quickly, realising that she was faster than them, she made sure she could see all of them as she raised her free hand, beginning to chant the Turn Undead, deciding it'd be the best course of action to handle this first group of undeads, or at least the first one.

(Turn Undead Roll 7, Fray Die Roll 3)
 
Leda's Turn undead spell instantly destroys two of the dead soldiers. The remaining four rush at her and she strikes one down on sheer reflex! The three soldiers still standing lash at her with their weapons. She parried the first attack, but the other two struck her. She took a glancing blow to the left arm and a deeper cut to the shoulder.

Results 12, 24, 20. 1 miss 2 Hits.

Damage 1 then 2. Leda loses 3 Health.
 
Leda was impressed at her own abilities when she saw the first two dead soldiers crumble to the ground. As the remaining four rushed at her, she reacted on instinct, her body seeming to act on it's own as she struck down another, sending the dead soldier back to his grave. Although there were still three remaining, her attention turned to them. She managed to parry one of the blows, but it left her open to the other two. As she felt the blows land on her left arm.

She let out a yelp at the first one, her amor didn't cover her arms fully, so she received a light gash on her arm, the warm blood beginning to gather and slowly trickle as the second blow landed. Fortunately, her armor took some of the power off it, but it still hurt like hell, causing Leda to let out a shriek of pain. In response, she swung her mace, purely relying on her reflexes (Fray Roll 2), before managing to make some space, she attacked with another swing of her mace (Hit roll 24), this time aiming it better (Normal Attack Roll 7).
 
Leda effectively destroyed all the dead Soldiers. Her swing had such force it smashed through one soldies skull and carried through until it smashed the second soldier's skull too bits also. With the combat done our heroine stannds the victor. She could use bandages from her pack to heal 2 hit points of damage if she chooses. The paths are the same. North, east, or South.
 
Watching her attacks effectively dispose of the remaining Soldiers, Leda took a deep breath. That was, until her face contorted in pain. She put her mace back in the holder on her belt, her right hand moving to her left shoulder, feeling the warm blood on her skin. She cursed herself, knowing she needed to wash it off when she got a chance. But for now, she needed to bandage it up, especially the deep cut. So she got into her backpack, kneeling with it in front of her, she pulled the bandages out, taking care of her shoulder first, then a bit to the cut on her forearm as well.

After finishing up, she flexed her arm a bit, although wincing at the pain, she knew there was no point turning back now. She was still by the southern wall in the room so she figured it'd be a good place to start her search. She followed the wall to the corridor leading south and turned down. Her natural curiosity kept mind off the pain as she tried to find the men that'd been taken, hoping the corridor would lead her to answers, instead of questions.
 
As Leda goes down the hall she finds a SHIELD! Fuck Yeah. She can use this to improve her armor rating. One of the dead soldiers must of discarded it. But the shield is still in good condition.

The path forks now. West is a hall to what appears to be stolen food stores. There is the voice of a woman can be heard from even farther down the west hall. South leads to a kind of false garden. Which way?

12. False Garden
9. Rotting Stores
7.Bridal Chamber
 
Leda notices the shield as the goes down into the hall. Picking it up, she figured it was just about her size as she carried it on down the hall. Though as she noticed it forking, she stopped, looking ahead, she could see the garden, but looking down the other corridor, she could only see the food. She imagined most of it would probably be rotten by now, and she didn't feel like the smell of rotten food.

So in the end she decided to push on down towards the dark West Hall, heading for the voice, her new shield on her left arm, protecting her injuries in case she'd be surprised.
 
The Bridal chamber

Stuffed with stolen, damaged furniture in a parody of a noble’s bedchamber. A kidnapped shrine maiden, the red-maned Anna Li, is shackled in the corner and six dead soldiers stand guard over her until their lord has time for a suitable marriage rite.

She is arguing with one of them. "This is just preposterous. I'm a shrine maiden and he is undead. We can't get married!" Anna Li protested. The dead shoulder casually shrugs and replied,"We were just farmers then the Shrike Lord killed us and brought us back as a dead soliders for his army. You don't see us belly aching." Once again it seems they have not noticed Leda. Seriously, these guys are terrible watchmen.
 
Leda managed to somehow arrive at the room without getting spotted. She could hear the voices arguing inside as she peered in, spotting all six soldiers, and the red haired woman. She was obviously not liking the idea of being there, but for some reason, Leda felt she would have to rescue her. Even if she wasn't the men she'd come for. She unhooked her mace from her belt and held onto her shield as she stepped into the room.

There wasn't really a choice for her as she begun to charge the guards. She swung her mace mace at the first one she encountered (Hit roll 11), although it seemed she'd misjudged the distance and her blow wouldn't be quite on mark. She did however manage to slam the shield out at the guard next to her target. (Fray roll 4)
 
Leda crushed one of the dead soldiers with her shield! At least now she knows what happened to the missing men from the village. She was fighting them! How evil! "Kill the Hoe with the mace! Damn adventurers! I bet she stole my animal crackers on the way here!" Leda masterfully parried 3 of her attackers, but the remaining two managed to stick her with their short swords.

28, 9, 9, 14, 28

Damage roll 4, 2
1 hit point and 1 hit point. She loses 2 health.
 
Leda yelped in pain as she felt the short swords pierce her armor and skin, causing her to bleed more. She stepped back, feeling the adrenaline surging through her body as she begun casting her Turn Undead spell on the nearest of the guards. (Damage roll 8)

As she managed to finish her cast, she stepped back in, raising her shield, although a bit too hastily as she noticed she was on collision course, she managed to push against her shield. (Fray roll 6)
 
Leda's spell destroys 2 of the undead soldiers and then her hasty mace and shield combos destroy two more soldiers. It was the lone dead soldier that was talking earlier left. "If there is one thing I can't stand it is fucking magic!" he roars and swings at Leda with his sword. The blow lands true and bites into her shoulder.

roll 24
damage roll 4
Leda loses 1 hp.
 
Noticing how her spell destroyed two of the solders, and the fortunate instinct she had of using both mace and shield took out two more. There was only one left now, and as she heard him roar, she tried to dodge. It wasn't the best of ideas, her footwork was still a bit sloppy as she felt the blow landing on her shoulder, making her cry out in pain.

Although it wasn't useless that he'd landed his blow there, as she felt the pain and saw the blood, she reacted instinctively, her other arm swinging around, striking the last of the dead soldiers with all the strength she could muster.

Fray Roll 6
 
With that all the dead soldiers were defeated. Anna Li looks at Leda with a mixture of awe, concern, and Fear. "Who are you? Are you here to stop the Shrike Lord?" she asked.
 
Leda was breathing heavily, they'd managed to hurt her somewhat hard. She could feel herself bleeding as she put her mace back in her belt where it hung, the shield still in her hand. "I'm a Cleric. My name is Leda." She explained, moving to free Anna Li from her bindings as she looked over at the dead guards. "I'm here to find the missing men from the local villages. I imagine that must probably include stopping the Shrike Lord as well." She explained, figuring the two would somehow be connected to her mission.
 
Anna Li shakes her head. "They are all dead Leda. The Shrike lord turns them into the undead soldiers you been fighting. All you can do now is destroy The Shrike Lord and the undead soldiers so they may all rest. I am Anna Li, a shrine maiden," replies Anna Li. She tugs at her chain. "I'm not going anywhere unless you get the key around the Shrike Lord's neck and unlock me. But I can help you. North of the entrance hall there is a shrine to the gods and a relic vault. In the vault is the Shrike Lord's actual heart. If you destroy it, it will wound him greatly, but cause you a wound as well. Also there is a shrine in place to weaken him. He covered it in blood and befoulment, but cleaning it first will make your battle easier," explained Anna Li.

"But I doubt you will get far hurt like that. Let me heal you," she said. Anna Li then casts merciful hand of Succor on Leda.

Anna Li rolled a 7. All Damage is healed and Leda as it full HP.
 
Listening to her, Leda realised it wouldn't be such an easy feat to handle this place. But she was glad to get the assistance, especially the knowledge of how to deal with the Shrike Lord. "Thank you, shrine maiden." She said, feeling the restorative magic rush through her body. It heated her up as she felt the wounds closing, leaving only her own bloodstains and giving her a feel of replenished energy. "I will take care of the shrine and his heart. Then I will deal with him and return to free you." She promised.

Although she didn't like the idea of leaving Anna Li behind, she had a feeling the redhead wouldn't be harmed as she left the room to head back into the main corridor. She needed to find the heart first as she headed back up north.
 
No one is there to challenge Leda as she leaves the Bridal chamber and passes the food stores. The main hall is empty. When she heads north she finds two things. One room leads to what appears to be a bunch of corpses to be prepped to become more dead soldiers. The other is the defiled Shrine Anna Li mentioned. At the end of the hall is a dead end. The corpse of the thief who broke into the tomb is crumpled here, a battered chisel and hammer still among his belongings. A silver and garnet ring worth 100 gp is on his hand.
 
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