The spectral apparition of Kalarel floated closer to the group and muttered an arcane phrase. Instantly, one of the dead human diggers sprung back to life. The undead creature, with its lifeless eyes, lunged at Bakbuk and slammed him hard on the side of the head. Paget, surprised and frightened by the unexpected and unnatural resurrection of his most recent victim, staggered backwards into the waiting jaws of the remaining drake. Fortunately, the lizard was still under the draining effects of Phoebe's blessing, and was unable to do too much damage.
From his hillside vantage point, Raxil watched the battle beneath him very carefully. Then, it happened! The enemy made a fatal mistake, and bunched up into a cluster. Almost without thinking, the young wizard flung an ignition spark into their midst, which exploded into a powerful Scorching Burst. The risen zombie rotter and both of the living human rabble were consumed by the violent blaze, and fell dead at Bakbuk's feet. The dwarf raised his maul in salute towards Raxil, leaving himself exposed. Without any warning whatsoever, the gnome skulk suddenly materialized at the base of the hill and launched a crossbow bolt straight into Bakbuk's chest. The warrior groaned, and staggered under the force of the blow. Still, Bakbuk stood his ground.
Phoebe bent and lit a Sacred Flame at Paget's feet. The healing fire burst outwards and sealed several of the halfling's wounds, and flooded over the drake's hind side as well, though it failed to do any damage. Angered by the loss of his devotees, but apparently unphased, the apparition of Kalarel drifted up the hill and once again spoke the arcane words which caused another one of the dead diggers to rise from the earth. The mindless creature immediately turned to seek out its first victim. It didn't move far before Bakbuk's maul removed its head from its shoulders with a dull, wet, splat. The digger was dead... again.
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Zombie Rotter |
DM Note: There isn't really a metagame mechanic that I'm aware of for the destruction of a corpse during combat to prevent a reanimation effect, but this was a clever idea that X came up with all by himself, so I let it happen. Not bad for a 9 year old! I am certain that his little burn-the-body trick affected the outcome of this fight by effectively eliminating 2 enemies before they ever hit the battlefield.Seeing that things were going badly, the gnome fired a pot-shot from his crossbow towards nobody in particular, turned and ran. To the apparition, he yelled "I will come to you, Kalarel. You will have your artifact! Just hold them off." With that, he scrambled up the hill to where Raxil had stood moments before, and headed north across the open grass.
With the threat of the gnome apparently out of the picture, the party focused its attention on getting rid of the drake, so they could band together against Kalarel's summoned apparition. Phoebe lit another Sacred Flame, this time at the feet of the drake, and its radiant heat seared flesh away from the raging beast at the same time that it warmed Bakbuk and mended his wounds. Gildras spoke an Inspiring Word to the dwarf, bringing his friend back to full health before burying his longsword near to the hilt in the drake's back. Bakbuk, no longer hindered by the pain of his wounds, raised his maul, grunted, and hammered the life out of the drake with a massive Reaping Strike.
The moment the great lizard fell, Paget turned to face the oncoming apparition of Kalarel. The rogue ducked down and brought his twin daggers about in a Sly Flourish, hoping that the specter was substantial enough to wound. The creature swatted Paget aside, reared back, and suddenly transformed. Its face, initially a pale, transparent mockery of a human instantly mutated into a Horrific Visage of terror. With red, glowing eyes, slavering fangs, and a countenance of pure, evil rage, the apparition reared back and let out a shriek that seemed to burst forth from the depths of an open grave. The sound was accompanied by a tangible force that poured over Gildras, Raxil and Phoebe, knocking them all several paces backwards and searing their skin with frigid heat.
Raxil, at the base of the hill behind Kalarel, was protected from the assault. Still, he was terrified by what he had just seen and was eager to put an end to this monster from beyond the grave. The wizard pulled his arms back, and a shimmering arrow of green, glowing liquid streaked to his target and burst in a spray of sizzling acid. The projectile slammed into the specter's back, and the creature arched its spine and wailed in rage. It flailed about, searching for the source of its pain. The rest of the companions shook off their fear and moved back into position, preparing themselves to face this evil head on.
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