Tyrann
In myths so old that all factual detail has long since been polished away by the sands of time, there is word of floating cities suspended in ethereal clouds. Wizards, sages, sorcerers, ruling from tall spires of ivory white over a world dying. The tree of life and all its branches slowly withering away as Parthenon - the name of their old empire - drained the life very essence from the land below.

Until the patient Earth could endure no more. Rising against the magical tyranny, Gaia chose the champions, seven, and bestowed upon them each an artifact of immense power. As your late father would have it, among these champions was your great, great, great, great, great... and then some, grandfather – the Hero of Fire, Ignatius.

This used to be your favorite bedtime story. Whenever he told you about this, he showed you an orb - the Orb of Fire, he called it. And it would always respond to you, glow, when you touched it. Your parents died a long time ago, fending off a goblin raid, but on nights like these, when the memento glows, it still gives you courage.

It takes you a while to notice, but you realize you're dreaming. The moment you do, your father squeezes your shoulder and his deep voice, warm like a fire in a hearth, tells you: " Wake up. "

*BOOM*

Your eyes fly open to a loud crash, the screeching sound of metal on stone, wooden beams breaking, and the shattering of glass. After the first whiff of sawdust and cement comes the stench of smoke, burning flesh and the heavy metalic scent of fresh blood.
The smoke burns your eyes, but through teary eyes you can see the outside through a new hole in your parental house.

Somehow you managed to sleep through this, but outside you see chaos in the streets. Imperial soldiers, all over the place. Your militia are fighting back bravely, but they are severely outnumbered and are fighting a losing battle, tied down defending civilians and therefor unable to utilize guerilla tactics. From the corner of your eye, you notice a few of the village teens rushing into your shed to hide, and the baker's wife trying to hide behind a tree near your house.

In the distance - too far away to immediately act on - you can just make out a girl being dragged away. She is knocked out and there's a bag over her head, but even from a distance you recognize her figure and the red hair coming out form underneath that rag, and you are positive that's Isabella. There's what looks to be a commander with the soldiers over there a large man wearing matted black armor adorned with bones, skulls and horns. They are dragging her to a flying lizard. The commanders seems uninterested in the village at large and seem intent on taking off as soon as Isabella is hoisted onto the flying beast.

Meanwhile your entire village is overrun by soldiers, who look to be under instructions not to leave any witnesses - and they seem to be quite ruthlessly efficient. You're pretty sure they've spotted you - one of them is looking directly at you and is pointing your way while shouting.

Map:
 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing 
Thokk_Smash
Holding the Orb of Fire in his hands, Tyrell would always feel a sense of relaxation. The well-used words of his father's storytelling would waft through his ears and provoke imagery that sparked the boy's imagination. Sitting here on the bed beside his father, the boy would feel safe and secure.

He hasn't felt that way, truly, in years.

So when between breaths he is an adult, holding the orb of fire next to his dead father, he gives a rueful chuckle.  "Of course I'm dreaming..."  Still, he leans into his father's touch as the dream fades to white...

 __________________________________________________ 
Before he opens his eyes, he thinks his dream has simply turned into a nightmare. What else could be the reason for the stench of blood? The sound of his fellow villagers screaming in terror? It must be a nightmare.

When he opens his eyes to see a hole in his childhood wall, he cannot delude himself any longer. There's a split second he allows himself to feel despair. To feel anger and berate himself; why had he allowed himself to skip tonight's scouting party? Even if he was a bit tired, he should have gone!

Then that second is over, and he forces himself into action. Luckily he hadn't been so daft as to sleep unarmored, so when he springs to his feet all he has to do is grab the single pre-strung longbow resting by his bedside. He quickly grabs his sheathed rapier and slides it into the belt loop and spares one look at the Orb of Fire.  "Wish me luck, father,"  he murmurs before he tucks it into a belt pouch.

Then he rushes forward into tragedy. It's all he can do not to hyperfocus on the dead and dying. If he looks too close he will recognize the faces lying dead on the ground. So when he sees the soldier who is shouting and pointing at him, he simply puts an arrow to the string and lines up his shot.

 "You saw me." 
 twang 
 "Cheers for you." 

Then he rushes forward in a burst of speed that leaves him breathless, the opposite side of the fleeing and hiding civilians. He ducks below the tree's branches, past the fire, as he prepares to foil their response to him.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I hope it's a free action to gather my weapons and the Orb of Fire.

Swift action: "cast" (until he mutates, I'm fluffing this as an innate ability he doesn't consider magic, but is of course still an SLA from Sagittarius) Swift Expeditious Retreat.

Standard action: Fire at whichever soldier saw him. Power Attack for -1/+2,  (1d20+5)[ 11 ] ,  (1d8+2)[ 4 ]  damage.

Move action: Into AH 16 because that's literally the best spot with cover holy fyuck. I can't edit the map, otherwise I'd move Tyrell's token.

EOT.
 
Tyrann
You grab your gear and loose an arrow, which would have hit the archer operating the catapult, had he not managed to duck behind it in the nick of time.

You then dash towards the tree that's been there as long as you can remember, now with the crest in flames, and duck between the familiar branches, positioning yourself for a shot and being covered between the branches and smoke.

The imperials have some idea of where you went, but seem to have lost sight of you; none of them are looking directly at you. Several of them move up as the heaviest fighting around here is clearly around the area you are in now. They aren't as fast as you'd think because of the mass produced armor they're wearing. Meanwhile, your militia are fighting 2 on 1, and are holding on for dear life.

One of them, Theo, a burly man with a dark tan and a full beard, manages to drive his axe deep into the shoulder of one of the two soldiers he was facing. Rowan, a blonde youth with a preference for rapiers and bucklers manages to dodge the incoming attacks, but doesn't manage to get a hit in himself.

The archers in the barn ahead manage to take down an imperial, too.

You notice the civilians manage to hide a little better.

The cows stampede away from the fire and manage to hit one imperial along the way. You also notice three of them charging at the imperials trying to get to the barn; clearly they don't know much about dealing with spooked cattle.

The commander in the distance doesn't seem to care much, Isabella is casually being dragged towards the lizard.


Edit:
Map for convenience:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing 
Thokk_Smash
Part of him grieves the tree that he used to hang upside down from as a child. But that part is buried deep now, pushed down by his focus. Sighting down his arrow, Tyrell fires a close-range shot at the enemy still engaged with Theo.

 "Big man! What the hell's going on here?"  he shouts at Theo as he dashes forward, past the soldiers attempting to encircle his home.   "Back up Rowan and don't let 'em flank you!" 

This is reckless, going so out into the open. He knows it's stupid.

But they have Isabella. Aside from Uncle Luna, she's all the family he's got left. He can't let her be taken by the Empire, no matter the cost.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Standard action: Attack (From hiding?) the soldier engaged with Theo. PA for -1/+2, remembering PBS:  (1d20+6)[ 22 ] +2 if Concealment gave me Hiding,  (1d8+3)[ 6 ]  piercing damage.

Swift action: cast my last use of Expeditious Retreat, Swift.

Move action: Across the battlefield into AA 24. He can't reach the next-closest tree even with a double move, and again, he's trying to get to Isabella as fast as he can. I doubt I'm making the optimal choice here, but I'm not too worried about it because we're doomed from the start, haha.
 
Tyrann
The remaning soldier enganged with Theo is far too busy to pay attention to you, so you catch him completely flat footed. The arrow strikes above his collar and beneath his helmet, piercing the soldier's neck. He staggers forward while gurgling and collapses.
 
"Boss!"  Theo charges forward, now freed from his direct assailants.  "Raaahhh"  He strikes down an unfortunate enemy archer as he charging aslongside you, looking like a demon in a shower blood while his deep gentle voice booms.  "No idea, they just appeared out of nowhere. Half of them went to the mayor's house and the other half pushed us back here, so we came to get you. What now?" 

Meanwhile Rowan has managed to disengage his opponents to regroup with you. He manages to duck just in time to be missed by an arrow that came from behind, though you suspect that maneuver probably cost him some hairs and almost an ear.

Ahead if you, you notice Finn, who has always favored large shields, holding off two imperials at the same time. He fails to inflict damage to his opponent, but blocks all their attacks in turn, including an arrow that came his way.

Next to him is Miles, an older man with a moustache who likes longsword duels and libraries, clutching his sides. He looks gravely wounded and appears on the verge of collapse, but is still standing.

Two arrows whiz down from the barn, and one of them strikes true. The archer twins, Nolan and Iris, your rivals in archery and about your age -  though neither are quite as good a shot as you - jump down from the barn and take cover behind the nearest tree, so they can move with you.

Now that your militia are intuitively falling into a formation as you've taught them, the imperials seem to take note and are trying to encircle you.

Noticing you seem to be the leader, three of the enemy soldiers throw javelins at you.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Isabella is moment away from being hoisted onto the lizard.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics and map 

  attack 1  - (1d20+1)[ 21 ] 
  damage 1  - (1d6+1)[ 2 ] 
  attack 2  - (1d20+1)[ 11 ] 
  damage 2  - (1d6+1)[ 5 ] 
  attack 3  - (1d20+1)[ 6 ] 
  damage 3  - (1d6+1)[ 4 ] 

So that's one javelin that hit you, for a total of 2 damage.

Map:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing 
 
Thokk_Smash
It wouldn't be fair to say Tyrell was numb to the death he had just inflicted. Uncle Luna had taught him that to kill his feelings is to kill himself, even if his body keeps moving. So instead he takes his revulsion towards death and uses it as fuel to spur himself forward.

As it is, his frustration and fear are strong enough to choke him, and tears of rage are pricking the edges of his eyes. Isabella is hundreds of feet away. He would have no chance of such a shot if he had all the time in the world, let alone in the middle of pitched combat. An internal war is fought within the teenager: does he try and strike forward to attempt what is likely a suicide mission? Or stay and consolidate his forces?

The answer is obvious, but it takes him too long to make the inescapable decision.  "Nolan, Iris, counter-snipe the archers!"  he shouts, turning around to face the soldiers close to his home.  "Miles, get to cover and try to wrap those wounds! Rowan, give Finn some backup; don't stay in one place too long, don't make yourself an easy target!" 

He side-steps twice as he lines up a shot.  "Theo, help me take out these guys at our rear! We'll stop them from flanking us, then worry about the rest after!" 

With that, he fires two arrows in rapid succession, hoping to thin the herd. The tears of impotent anguish have begun to flow. He doubts they will stop soon.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Full Attack: Rapid Shot. First shot at the soldier in AA18, -2 for Rapid Shot, +1 for PBS:  (1d20+5)[ 18 ] ,  (1d8+1)[ 6 ] 

Second shot at AA18, or AE21 if AA18 is down:  (1d20+5)[ 21 ] ,  (1d8+1)[ 3 ] 

Free Action: five-foot step into Z25.
 
Tyrann
Taking naturally to your orders, your militia rise above themselves and fight like lions. Your first arrow cleanly downs a soldier and injures another by striking him deep in his chest, leaving him off balanced which gives Theo room to charge him and chop him down.  "Boss man, what the hell is this?! This thing is rotting!"  he shouts.

 
 Spoiler: Will save 

 
 Spoiler: 16 or lower 

You see a normal soldier, losing normal blood
 

 
 Spoiler: DC 17 or over 

That soldier looks like a corpse that's been dead for a few months. The jaw hanging by a few ligaments, one of the eyes is out of the socket the skin is a mottled pale rotten green. In fact, now that you've noticed, all the enemy soldiers look like that. Including the ones who are moving.
 

 


Theo then pulls his axe out of the downed enemy and uses it to block strikes from the two soldiers that have caught up to him.

Rowan repositions himself to take up the flank and protect you from the soldiers that lagged behind. He swings but only hits armor, and then nimbly dodges two attacks that come his way.
(see IC for enemy attack rolls)

Finn is fighting 6 on one to keep the bulk of the soldiers away from the rest of you. And he's doing a great job of it, too. He positions himself so that two melee assailants can't get to him and blocks the attacks from the other two with his shield. He manages to position his attackers in such a way that the first archer that shoots at him can't get a good line and misses, but the second archer pulls off a miracle shot and manages to hit Finn in the leg, just beneath his chain mail. It looks like a deep wound, the leg is almost immediately soaked in red

The archer twins take cover behind a tree, so they can counter snipe like you asked.
Iris misses her shot, but Nolan takes a shot at the enemy archer that hid behind the tree behind you and hits them clean in the head, finishing them off. He then takes a shot at one of the archers that hit Finn, but misses.

Miles runs for cover and downs a potion, which causes his wounds to patch themselves.

All the repositioning left one archer with a clean line of attack to you, and he takes a shot, but it's a clumsy attack and you manage to dodge it.

In the distance, Isabella gets hoisted onto the large lizard.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Rolls that didn't succesfully get made in the OOC that I stupidly put here because I had 2 tabs open:
I think they bugged out in the OOC because I used brackets in the description

  W22 against Rowan  - (1d20+1)[ 5 ] 
  X22 against Rowan  - (1d20+1)[ 3 ] 
  AD21 against Theo  - (1d20+1)[ 8 ] 
  AE21 if alive against Theo  - (1d20+1)[ 10 ] 
  AF21 against Theo  - (1d20+1)[ 15 ] 
  AF29 if alive against Finn  - (1d20+1)[ 14 ] 
  AF30 against Theo  - (1d20+1)[ 11 ] 
  AM 37 archer against Finn  - (1d20-3)[ 11 ] 
  AL 40 archer against Finn  - (1d20-3)[ 17 ] 
  AN 27 archer against Tyrell  - (1d20+1)[ 10 ] 
 
Thokk_Smash
Tyrell curses as the arrow whizzes by his face. Good, Miles is back up, but hells, Finn took a bad hit. And now Theo is talking some madness about rotting?

 "Focus, big man, that's just a dead body! Nothing we haven't seen before!" 

He takes a step towards Theo in order to get the man's enemies in a better angle. He fires two shots at the soldiers Theo is engaged with. Part of him doesn't want to turn back around, but he does in order to see how Miles and the twins are doing. In the distance he sees Isabella being hoisted onto the big flying lizard, and he snarls in pain and impotent rage.  "Everyone, we're aiming to regroup around the tree with the twins and Miles! Finn, edge your way over there if you can! Iris, Nolan, keep picking off the archers! Theo, try to back up Finn  if you can!" 

Every fiber of his being is yelling at him to run towards Isabella. Seeing her about to be taken away from him is like a knife in his chest, and every second it is twisted and jerked to cause more pain. But as long as his comrades are fighting, he will not abandon them.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free action: 5-foot step into AA24.

Full Attack: Rapid Shot at AD21 and AF21.  -2 Rapid Shot, -1/+1 PA, +1/+1 PBS.

Vs AD21:  (1d20+4)[ 5 ] , [roll]1d8+3[roll] piercing damage
Vs AD21 (Or AF21 if AD21 dies):  (1d20+4)[ 24 ] ,  (1d8+3)[ 11 ]  piercing damage.
 
Tyrann
Due to Theo's bulk, you struggle to get a good window for your shot - the only thing available, really, is the head of the enemy soldier. Your first shot just misses, but your second arrow goes clean through the enemy soldier's eye, making a dent at the back of their helmet. They immediately collapse.

Theo takes a swing at the other soldier he was facing. Unfortunately, whatever he just saw may have spooked him a little, and his attack swings wide and misses.  Dodging the counter from his direct enemy, he then steps 5' back so he can take a swing at the enemy soldier who has broken through your ranks and is charging at you. Now that one of them is running directly towards you, you notice how weirdly stiff and awkward their movements are - coming to an acute end when Theo swings and cleanly takes the man's head off. Due to the momentum some of the ensuing blood shower spatters onto you.

 
 Spoiler: Will save 

 
 Spoiler: 16 or lower 

Nothing to see here, just another soldier with poorly fitted armor.
 

 
 Spoiler: DC 17 or over 

That's not blood, that's bits and pieces of a rotting corpse. It totally reeks - you can't believe you didn't smell that earlier - and the head that just tumbled on the floor in front of you is missing half its skin. Now that you've noticed, all the enemy soldiers look like that. Including the one Theo was shouting about earlier.
 

 


Rowan hasn't verbally acknowledged your order, but you can tell he's heard you and understood - he gets like that when he's in the zone.
Slowly fighting backwards, but holding the line to not let you get overrun, he stabs at one of the two soldiers he's facing. He misses, but creates enough space for himself to dodge the enemy's attacks in turn.

Finn disengages and falls back as instructed, staying just outside of the range of the enemy melee combatants. The archers fire at him again, but he blocks it all this time - he now has several arrows sticking out of his shield, which he strikes off with his sword.

Iris hides behind the tree - quite well - and for a moment you almost lose sight of her, but then you see a crossbow bolt fly just an inch wide of one of the enemy archers.
From that same tree you see two of Nolan's arrows fly, one of which lands in the chest of an enemy archer who collapses.
Only two archers remain in normal firing range, and another drawing closer in the distance.

Miles, now back in the fight, takes up a dueling stance and skewers the enemy soldier closest to the tree, taking them down.

In the distance, the commander and lieutenant are climbing onto the big lizard. You do notice that they don't move as awkwardly as the regular soldiers.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Map for convenience
 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing 

That was a LOT of misses on both sides.
 
Thokk_Smash
As the blood splatters into Tyrell's face, realization smacks into him like a ballista bolt. That's not just blood he's tasting from the splatter on his mouth. It's...oh, gods.

 "What the hells and heavens! Theo, I see it now!" 

And with that sight comes a sickening thought. All of these...creatures that were glamoured to look like soldiers...were they created by those two on the flying lizard? He had been planning to take one of these soldiers prisoner if his militia managed to defend against them all...but they're not even alive to begin with! He won't be getting any answers out of these creatures.

If the creators or leaders of these  things  escape with Isabella...what will they do to her? What do they intend for her???

 "I don't suppose any one of you has a hidden talent for working a catapult?!"  he shouts to the group at large as he fires two more arrows in rapid succession at the two soldiers harrying Rowan.  "We can't let them take Isabella!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Five-foot step down into AA25.

Full Attack: Rapid Shot at W23. -2 Rapid Shot, -1/+1 PA, +1 PBS.
W23:  (1d20+4)[ 10 ] ,  (1d8+3)[ 6 ]  piercing damage

W23 (or X23 if the first kills W23):  (1d20+4)[ 8 ] ,  (1d8+3)[ 8 ]  piercing damage
 
Tyrann
Even though, after the realization hits you, you cough so hard it makes your eyes water, you still take your shots. Unfortunately both arrows miss.

Rowan, who still hasn't caught on, yells  "What are you two on about? I'm fighting two guys here, can we please focus?!" 
He takes another stab at the enemy directly in front of him and takes him down, only to be stabbed in the flank himself.
Meanwhile, Miles charges over and takes a stab at the other enemy that was harrying Rowan. His blade bounces off the enemy's armor - it would have been a hit otherwise.

Theo grunts and executes his remaining opponent, causing another head to roll. While he's distracted, an arrow hits him in the back, causing his breath to become raspy almost immediately. You think you see blood leaking out of his mouth.

Both Theo and Rowan appear seriously hurt.


Finn looks over with concern. You think he might have noticed about the zombies, too; he's still kiting his pack that now consists of 6 zombies directly following him, and some in the distance.

The archers countersnipe as you've instructed.
Iris takes down one of the enemy archers with a crossbow bolt to the unprotected neck.
Nolan fires two shots at the archer who hit Theo, but misses both.

In the distance, the big lizard takes off. It's surprisingly fast and coming your way. In a span of 6 seconds it took off and moved 300 feet towards you, rising to about 50 feet off the ground.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Roll spot, kn. arcana, kn. nature and psicraft please.
Also, all of your milita carry a potion on them that can heal for 1d8+1. I forgot to mention this in my house rules in the recruitment thread, but as a house rule all adventurers, including your militia, can carry one potion on their person and use this as a standard action, without having to spend time to retrieve it. Think of it as that one vial you always carry on your belt, even if you don't have specialized equipment.
Miles has already used his.
 
Thokk_Smash
 "If you don't see it, don't worry about it, Rowan!"  Tyrell shouts, voice perhaps a bit more shrill than it normally would be. He spits out the last of the rotten blood from his mouth and focuses up. The giant lizard is on its way, and it looks like it's not just a common pet. Either it's been enhanced, or it can enhance itself to become larger.

The sinking pit in his stomach is becoming too large to ignore. If it were just the zombie soldiers--and isn't that a scene from a nightmare?--they might have been able to pull through. Against a giant lizard...

But that won't stop him from trying.

 "Rowan, disengage and take your potion! Miles, cover for him!" 

Tyrell takes aim at the remaining archer within range. Two arrows fly out, trying to snuff out its unlife.

 "Theo, take your potion and back up Finn! Iris, Nolan, try to thin out the herd around Finn, ease up the pressure on him! And after that, get ready to aim at the giant lizard about to knock on our door!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Five foot step into AA25

Full attack on AN27. -2 Rapid Shot, -1/+2 PA. More than 30ft out, so no PBS.
AN27:  (1d20+3)[ 7 ] ,  (1d8+2)[ 4 ]  piercing damage

AN27 (or AE30, if AN27 is down):  (1d20+3)[ 14 ] ,  (1d8+2)[ 4 ]  piercing damage
 
Tyrann
Rowan disengages as instructed and takes his potion, causing the red on his flank to stop expanding. Theo wipes the worst of the gunk out of his beard, grits his teeth, pulls the arrow out and takes the potion right after, causing him to stop rasping. After a quick sigh he readies himself for a charge. Neither of them are fully healed, but both do appear to not be on death's door anymore.

Miles takes down the remaining zombie that Rowan was fighting earlier, leaving only one straggler and an otherwise clean flank.
 "Sir Tyrell, should I fight the straggler or would you like me to join Finn?"  the silver moustache asks in his erudite voice.

Finn, meanwhile, is still kiting, and doing a good job of it. He even manages to heal his wounds by downing a potion himself, and is fully healed by it.

The archer twins manage to pick off two zombies between them, easing the burden on Finn a little.

The big flying lizard moves another 300 feet towards you. You're not entirely sure but you think you saw fire leaking from it's nostrils.

Among the zombies shambling over in the distance - you can't believe you thought those clumsy movements were actual soldiers now that you've seen through the glamour - you notice one archer, about 120 feet away, and another inside a building 180 feet away, not moving towards you. The rest within remote striking distance are all dressed as footsoldiers.
Thokk_Smash
Fire from the nostrils...?

Tyrell's blood freezes as he allows himself to realize exactly what that thing probably is. A dragon, here? Who are these people? Why did they choose to rain such destruction upon their quiet village?

The gentle pulsing heat of the Orb of Fire beside Tyrell's breast tells him he knows why. And Miles invoking his father's title for him brings it into perspective as well. Necromancy and controlling dragons...are these people some sort of cult around the ancient magic civilization? This is too much. They were doomed as soon as these people set their sights on this village.

At least, Tyrell was doomed...

  "New plan!"   Tyrell roars, aiming to kill the final straggler up north.  "Anyone not named Tyrell Blaze is hereby commanded to split up and retreat, immediately! Finn, you run northwest! Twins, sprint west! Miles, go north, Rowan, northeast, and Theo, east! That thing is a dragon, but if you all split up then at least one of you might survive!" 

Then he whips around and faces the oncoming dragon with bow held threateningly.  "There is no shame in this! Find Uncle Luna! Tell him the stories my father spoke are true! Tell him that whatever else he hears, the empire did not destroy our village! My final command to you is   to live!  " 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Five-foot step into AA24.

Rapid shot on Z19. -2 Rapid Shot, -1/+2 PA, +1/+1 PBS.

Z19:  (1d20+4)[ 5 ] ,  (1d8+3)[ 4 ]  piercing damage
Z19 redux:  (1d20+4)[ 7 ] ,  (1d8+3)[ 8 ]  piercing damage
 
Tyrann
 "What? Boss.. No!"  Rowan shouts. He grabs his saber tight and moves next to you.

 "Sis, what are you doing?!"  Nolan shouts while Iris hesitates but still runs.  "If we go, we go out with Tyrell!" 
 "Don't be an idiot. Run!!"  Iris yells back with tears in her eyes.

Miles says  "You remind me of your father. I am proud to be your friend."  And starts running.

Finn just stoically keeps kiting, but does pick up the pace while he gives you a sad look.

Theo gives you a conflicted look - you're sure he's frowning below the blood, gore, and massive beard, then nods with a steely look in his eyes and rushes into the eastern flank, still full of zombies, like you told him.

And then, it comes. The flapping of huge heavy wings drawing near, beating so hard that the flames on the burning barn go crazy. Followed by the bulk of the massive black lizard itself - a dragon - swooping into view. It opens its giant maw and your entire view fills with a huge curtain of dark red flames that almost look alive as they pour down on your men. And what's worse, it doesn't stop. The dragon just keeps breathing down a torrent of flames as it flies, dragging a streak of fire underneath it, until finally, the heat reaches you, too. The fire almost immediately engulfs your skin as your armor literally melts, and everything burns. It hurts in ways you could have never imagined. You hear the horrible, heat-warped screams of Nolan, of Iris, and Rowan as the flames touch them, too. But you fail to scream yourself; the heat has stolen the air away and swollen your throat. Through your last tears, that literally boil on your face, you see Isabella on that dragon, passed out.

You are about to lose consciousness. Your last thought, perhaps, with Finn, Miles, and Theo who did not get hit by the dragon.

And then, the hurt stops. The the flames still move, but no longer burn. Air returns, but your voice doesn't. Instead, you feel a deeply benign presence and a graceful female figure, about twice your size, forms out of the essence of flame, gently wiping the burning tear from your face. You look at your hands and they are blackened, caked in the charcoal of what used to be your skin, but her touch sends tingles through your chest and you see little veins of fire crack through your skin, healing you, and you feel your heart starting to beat again, only now noticing that it had stopped.

Her touch reminds you of everything benevolently female, all at once. A loving mother's embrace. A passionate lover's kiss. The innocence of a young girl's smile and the piercing gentle wisdom of a sagely old lady in a rocking chair. You innately understand that, as long as you strive to be your best self, whatever this spirit is, it will nourish you. Support you. Make you laugh when you are down, and be your light when all seems lost. What she asks from you is to be brave. To courageously keep struggling. To keep protecting what you love. To face your fears, so that others may be safe.

All of that, with a single touch. And then her voice rings in your head like a melody.

  "You have suffered much, and have been truly brave. Champion, will you accept what I offer?"  
Thokk_Smash
He was too late. Even choosing to engage with the soldiers had been a mistake. As soon as a hole had opened up in the northern flank, he should have immediately ordered his militia to retreat. If only he had realized the giant lizard was a dragon sooner. If only he hadn't stubbornly fought on longer than he needed to. If only, if only.

Now Tyrell is left with nothing but his regrets as the dragon bears down on him and his allies. His instinct was right; he was the one they were after, in the end. The dragonfire is awe-inspiring in the truest sense. In the seconds before it impacts him, Tyrell thinks he can see scintillating colors other than orange and red curling within the flame. It's like a liquid, he realizes, as it finally makes contact with his very flammable body.

As the dragon's flame consumes him in its obliterating embrace, the physical pain is only outmatched by the lance of guilt in his heart at hearing Iris, Nolan, and Rowan cry out in their own pain. He can't even cry out himself, the fire is so all-consuming: consuming the breath from his lungs, consuming the flesh from his bones, trying to consume his very essence. It is only his stubborn pride that keeps him conscious long enough to see Isabella on the back of the dragon. The sight brings tears to his eyes, right before they are almost boiled in their sockets.

So when the pain suddenly vanishes, Tyrell thinks he has perished. Died. Shuffled off of the mortal coil, to wherever souls go when their physical containers succumb. But still he can see. And what he sees he does not fully comprehend. As his heartbeat reemerges within his chest; as his blackened muscle becomes threaded with molten orange; he considers the entity's words.

Brave? Is he truly brave? What  is  bravery, in the end? Tyrell has only ever acted the way his parents taught him. Is it truly bravery to act the way he wishes to act, no matter how much it hurts? Or is it simple mulish stubbornness?

No matter. Now is not the time for introspection. Through lips cracked and broken from flame, Tyrell says,  "I accept. Please...help me." 
Tyrann
The fire coursing through you with every heart beat becomes more violent, warmer. It doesn't hurt, but you can sense the enormous amount of energy that's being circulated throughout you. The entity touches your forehead then then backs off a little, and white light erupts from the cracks in your blackened skin. Small fires begin to turn over every part of your body, crafting it anew. It's not an unpleasant sensation, but it is  very  very weird, all the while still giving you that experience of nearly exploding with energy.

The sheer amount of power is overwhelming to the point that it's starts blurring your vision and your thoughts. It's frankly overwhelming and though you don't want to, you can feel yourself losing consciousness.

Just before everything goes white, you hear:

"  One more chance, but this time blessed. Send them off soon, have them run west. Hide from the beast, 'till they think you are dust. Then follow, to Orion's Gate, where you'll find her, and the gust.  "


Then you wake up, about 1 minute into the past, to the exact same rumble, and broken wood, and dust as before. The same soldier - a zombie, you now know - pointing at you. Your men outside.

But you are not the same.

Your body feels different. Almost as if it were made of living flame. Your bow is enchanted, somehow. And so is your armor.
But what's more, you are wearing an obsidian crown and new boots - gifts from the entity, you know.
Both of them powered in ways they wouldn't normally be, probably due to just having made the pact.
And then there's the orb. No longer just pulsing, but floating, on it's own accord, to your bow. You instinctively know how to wield it. You instinctively know what to do.

Another chance. What do you do with it?

 
 Spoiler: Spoiler 

Ok so let's not do this on the map, but just in the theater of the mind. Same events as before, so Theo and Rowan are close to you, then Finn is fighting a pack, Miles is hurt, Iris and Nolan jump down from the barn and make their way to the tree to snipe.

For the remainer of this scene, you are under the effect of a CL 20 greater magic weapon (+5 to attack and damage with your bow) and CL 20 magic vestment (+5 AC to your armor)
Your Circlet and Boots are both shaped, bound, each have 4 essentia in them and count as being shaper level 20.

Between your magic weapon and inspire courage and magic weapon, you can no longer miss the zombies, even on a 1 when using rapid shot, and any attack will kill them. So you can just assume you always hit.

For the sake of getting the story going, feel free to describe what you want to do in the first 5 turns and we'll theater of the mind it from there. Anything within reason can be pulled off, but keep in mind that getting to the dragon with constant run actions would take 11 turns, and doing so would leave you unable to create a path out for your militia.

Also note that turn 6 is when the dragon napalmed you and your team.

Orion's Gate is a rather infamous prison. You would need a map but could find if easily if you had one.
 
Thokk_Smash
The entity's words ring in Tyrell's very soul as he opens his eyes from waking for the second time that night. His every heartbeat sends fresh fire thrumming through his veins, a faint echo of the all-consuming dragonfire that had just engulfed him. Had it been a nightmare? A premonition?

But no. His eyes land first on the zombie pointing at him, the macabre facsimile of a soldier. His mind goes back to it somehow managing to dodge his first arrow against it earlier. He moves as if in a dream as he gets to his feet from the bed. His bow is wreathed in flames that burn but do not consume as he levels it against the zombie. As he draws the bowstring back he doesn't even draw an arrow--instead, a semi-real arrow forms as the string draws back. As easy as breathing he lets the arrow fly, and even before the zombie falls he runs out of his parents' home.

   "Everyone! To me!"   

His command reverberates in the immediate area, grabbing the attention of all of his militia. The burgundy boots that crawl up his lower legs flare white, and in a flash he teleports right next to the flaming tree he had swung on as a child. Another arrow flies out, taking a zombie through the head that was harrying Finn. And then he is in the midst of his militia, standing tall: hair a flaming, waving orange, skin burnt-red and veined with orange, his obsidian circlet flaring orange with every heartbeat.

 "Miles, take your potion! Frontliners, clear a path to the west! Archers, cover us! We're breaking through and getting the hell out of here! We need to be in the woods before that dragon comes our way, now  let's go !" 

His voice holds utter confidence and brooks no dissent. In as many breaths he takes out two zombies harrying Rowan, then repeats it with the zombies harassing Theo. With every thrum of his circlet his militia feels their hands become more sure, their weapons held more tightly and with greater confidence.

 
 Spoiler 
This'll be, like, the first three or so turns. Also, I love the rhyming the entity did. I may be overthinking it, but did the entity want Tyrell to stay with his militia and go to the Prison, or separate from them to keep the dragon away from them?
 
Tyrann
Rowan's mouth literally drops open when he sees you.  "B-Boss, are you.. okay?" 
 "What in the nine hells..!? You exploded that guy.."  Theo adds, looking suspiciously first at the zombie, then at your burning hair.

Miles, after downing the potion, wipes his mouth and looks at you dumbstruck, while Finn, still holding off zombies, shoots glances over at you often enough that you worry he might get hit - he doesn't though; due to the courage you've inspired in your men they have turned into a meat grinder. With almost every slash they make, another zombie falls.

The twins, hidden behind the same tree as before, are cleaning up and take out several enemy archers before finally looking your way. Both of them appear deeply confused.
 "Tyrell! Y-y-your h-h-ha-. Your hair is on fire!"  says Iris.
 "All of him is on fire, sis."  Nolan scratches the back of his head.  "Including his shots.."  he mutters under his breath.  "But he doesn't seem hurt. Right?" 

And yet, though all confused, your men do follow your commands unerringly, with a calm as if they're doing afternoon drills, and making attacks with the kind of form you'd only see in their very best practice sessions.

After you create a path out for them, they start running for the trees, shouting at the civilians near your house and behind the barn to join them.

In the distance, you see the zombie soldiers have hoisted the unconscious Isabella onto the dragon, and it's about to take off.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

The entity did suggest fooling the enemy into thinking Tyrell gets turned to dust in dragon breath. But it's up to you how you want to handle this.
 
Thokk_Smash
Even despite his altered and alien appearance, the childish, confident grin he gives his militia is the same as it always has been.  "I'm still me,"  he reassures his friends as he draws back his bowstring and takes the head off of a zombie without looking. Seeing Iris and Nolan and Rowan still alive and unburnt almost brings a tear to his eye. If he had any regrets about taking up the strange entity's offer, they are resolutely gone by now.

 "I'll explain everything after you all are safe. Stay under the forest canopy and do not come out! Bring whoever follows to the grotto in the forest and wait there for me!"  Long ago, Logan had found a hidden grotto a fair distance away from the village and had shown all of his militia where it was. It should be easy for them to bunker down and fortify it as needed.

And now...the dragon. He grabs the hood of his cloak over his enflamed hair to try and hide its abnormality from his attackers. Then, as the dragon approaches, he channels all of the fury and frustration he can muster into a roar of anger as he fires futile arrows at it. He most certainly does  not  want to actually draw its attention to the ground, so he aims his shots to  just  miss the dragon and its riders--and give the appearance of a boy making a last stand.

And as the dragonfire washes over him once more, he falls to the ground, unmoving. But as the dragon flies away, he does not stop glaring at it until it is lost to sight.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
As per the narration, he's not actually trying to hit them so they don't realize he might have powered up. Also why he's trying to hide his flaming hair.
 
Tyrann
While the militia run for the trees, with the remaining civilians in tow, in the distance you can see what you suspect is a dragon rushing over again.

Now that you have a moment to actually pay real attention to it, you notice just what a murder machine that thing is. Interlocking teeth each the size of your lower arm, and even larger curved talons. Even a hooked claw on the wing joints. Massive onyx black scales that cover it like armor, predatory forwards facing eyes with irises that look maliciously aflame and cat-like slitted pupils that are narrow enough to suggest that even this level of violence bores it, three knife-like bony protrusions frame its head, two from its very sharp cheekbones and one from its nose to between its eyes. In all honestly, it looks like its head was built to literally carve into very large prey and eat them from within. As before, it's casually blowing fire from its nostrils as it flies.

And yet, your years of hunting tell you that its eyes are too big for its size, and its head is too big for its body. Whatever that thing is, it's probably not an adult specimen of whatever species it is.

You now also notice that the commander isn't actually flying the thing. There are no reins, only a harness to provide seating - and probably some protection from the spikes back there. The commander is wearing black armor adorned with skulls on the shoulders and bones that frame his chest like a rib cage. You can't make out his face because a helmet covers it fully, but he looks fairly huge and muscular.
The lieutenant - at least, that's what the purposefully exposed crest on his chest suggests he is - does have a visible face under a hooded cloak that seems like its made of living shadows. He looks androgynous, way too pale, and has oddly shaped pointy ears. He mumbles something and the dragon, who was about to go for the tree line, changes its course to go back to you.

As the dragon approaches, you fire your arrows, missing on purpose. Though somehow, your form does make an impact on the dragon. Its pupils widen and it flies straight at you, to bathe you in fire like before, but this time it hovers in front of you and breathes a cone instead, that does linger.

Just when the fire is about to hit, you blink away into the barn. You're almost positive the lieutenant noticed - he looked straight at you afterward - but he didn't say anything. Instead, the dragon speaks in a voice that literally rumbles through your entire body in a horribly malignant growling baritone that makes even the burning hairs in your neck stand on end.

 " DID YOU SEE THAT FLEE BURN?! HOW DARE IT SHOOT AT MY BEAUTIFUL SELF. IT'S LUCKY IT MISSED, OR I WOULD HAVE HAD YOU RAISE IT SO I COULD MAKE ITS SPIRIT DANCE IN THE FLAMES. THIS BASTARD. "  The beast snorts.  " I ALMOST REGRET BURNING IT NOW. THERE'S NOTHING LEFT, IS THERE? OR CAN YOU STILL RAISE IT? " 

"  No, I can't raise him. "  Answers the heavy voice of the commander.  " You were thorough. There's a full contingent waiting on the other side of that forest. They can clean up. We should move before you're noticed . "

 " WE SHOULD. ELF, DO THE THING. " 

Then, the lot of them vanish from sight after shadows crawl over their forms, including the still unconscious Isabella on its back, and you can hear the dragon's heavy wings flap off to the north.

After the dragon is gone, you do notice a few more civilians scattered amongst various hiding places or stuck in burning buildings while and being hunted by the undead. The zombies seem to have gotten a bit dumber and less organized, though they do still pose as soldiers and the glamour is still on them.

 
 Spoiler: If you take the time to search one of the zombies 

Its armor and weapons are made of metal, but it's not quite steel. It looks and feels the same, but your trained hands notice the sleight difference in weight. You also notice that, hidden beneath the helmet or armor, each zombie is wearing a piercing made of that same metal. Furthermore you notice that all weapons, including the bows and all of the arrows, are made from this same metal looking stuff. And in different items, it weighs, bends, and feels different.

 
 Spoiler: if you remove the piercing from a zombie 

The zombie disappears fully into a cloud of shadows. Nothing is left except for the armor and weapons, and the piercing you now hold.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Roll knowledge religion and arcana
 

 

 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Feel free to either rescue civilians first or to head straight to the grotto. If you choose to rescue civilians, there will be some banter on the way over, so I'm not going to end this scene quite yet, but all the combat that requires rolls is over. You can assume that any zombie you meet is quickly turned into a burning pincushion. If you want, you can literally solo every zombie still in the village in a few minutes. Do keep in mind that this will delay your arrival at the grotto, though, especially if you also choose to bring the civilians.
 
Thokk_Smash
Trying to keep himself from hyperventilating from the stress of what just happened, Tyrell considers it a miracle that worked. The elf, the lieutenant, whatever it is...why did they say nothing when they noticed him? It gives him a bad feeling, but he isn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, not in this situation.

He sends two arrows downrange, and two zombies go down that were about to reach two cowering villagers. Then Tyrell teleports in a flash of fire to those two same villagers to stand beside them protectively.

   "We must flee, now! Gather yourselves and run west into the forest!"   

He teleports to the burning wreckage that is trapping other civilians, and with a grunting heave he wrenches the blazing wood to the side with his bare hands. As he ushers the civilians out, he takes precious seconds to inspect a zombie. The metal feels different, feels odd. And when he rips out a piercing from the zombie's skin, it just...dissipates into shadow. He stares at the piercing for a moment, confounded.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Knowledge (Arcana):  (1d20+4)[ 24 ] 

Knowledge (Religion):  (1d20+4)[ 7 ] 
 
Tyrann
In the aftermath of the dragon, the village now almost seems quiet, punctuated by the crackling sounds of spreading flames and the shifting of rubble as you make your way through the ruins of what, until just a few hours ago, had been your life. Or at least the village where you lived.

The villagers are understandably incredibly grateful, saved from being trapped beneath the debris and surrounded by the encroaching fires. Almost universally, after they have a moment to compose themselves, they each look at you with a mix of relief and amazement. Their eyes widen as they take in the surreal sight of your flaming hair, the regal obsidian crown, and the enchanted boots that almost seem to leave traces of embers with every step.

While you rescue and gather more of them, effortlessly dispatching of any remaining zombies along the way, you increasingly start to notice a difference in how they behave around you. The charisma exuding from your very being, heightened by the Everspark Criclet, creates an irresistible aura that captivates the rescued citizens. You were well liked and respected in the village before, you know that, but they now gaze at you with an amount of trust you've never seen before, their confusion and awe giving way to unquestioning faith in your capabilities.

As you guide the displaced individuals to safety, a few of them can't help but express their admiration with audible gasps and murmurs of "Ohh" and "Ahh." In whispered hushes you even hear them refer to you as the "Beacon of Hope", pointing at your flickering hair. Some of the girls turn bright scarlet when you look at them, the boys look at you with a mix of envy and admiration. Even the elders - Annie, who would always pinch the cheeks of anyone that gets too close, and forgetful Charles who always yells at anyone and everyone that they stole his apples - are quiet.

Meanwhile, there's the mystery of the piercings. After you take a moment to really examine them, you notice that they are enchanted with potent necromancy hat somehow tethers a soul a corpse. These piercings prevent a bound soul from dissipating. Almost like a death ward, but slightly different because the soul doesn't belong to whatever it's tethered to.

You're not entirely sure about how the soul is used after it's tethered, or why a soul is involved in the first place, but you are sure that these piercings serve as anchors of sorts. Removing these piercings would be like cutting the strings to a puppet. You don't exactly know how the dissolving into shadowstuff thing works, either, but it seems like there might be divine hocus pocus involved because that's unlike any normal spellform you've ever read about.

After exploring a bit more, you eventually get to Isabella's house, where you manage to drag Geoffrey, his wife lady Anastasia, and two sons Marcus and Xavier, from the rubble just before they would have gotten swallowed by flames. All four them are knocked out, but appear stable. No burnt airway, no head or neck trauma, no rapid breathing, no major wounds or crushing damage. Normal powerful pulses of about 60 beats per minute. Geoffrey does snore a little, but that's just something he always does, and gets better when you turn his head.. You suspect they may be under the effect of magical sleep.

Several other villagers are wounded as well, and a few of them are just plain old, to the point where they couldn't exactly march.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

There are enough non-burned carts to take the villagers. If you'd like to do so, make a handle animal or ride check to round up a few horses. Or an athletics check if you want to drag them yourself.

Alternatively, you could just leave the villagers somewhere you think is safe. That would be a survival roll. Knowledge local also applies but I'll let you take 20 on that since this is literally your village.

Or you could just leave them all together.

 
 Spoiler: DC 15 heal, nature or arcana 

Magical sleep is a bit more potent that normal sleep, but in theory they should wake up if you poke them hard enough.
 

 
Thokk_Smash
Tyrell isn't sure what to feel or how to think about the villagers' collective change in attitude towards him. It's a consequence of his new appearance, he understands, in addition to the apparent supernatural ability of the crown which sits atop his head. It just feels...strange. He's never been sure what to do with an abundance of attention paid to him. He much prefers smaller groups, no larger than the size of his remaining militiamen. He isn't sure how it looks on his new features, but he is fairly certain his own cheeks are flushing from the heightened attention.

Nevertheless, he pushes through his own discomfort as he gathers the remaining villagers. Annie and Charles most definitely will not be able to keep up with the speed they will need to march at. To rectify this, Tyrell rushes to the remaining horses and, mainly through sheer force, manages to force them to the carts.

 "Tomas! Marcus!"  he calls to two of the boys who are glaring at him with envy and admiration.  "Tether these horses to the carts! There is no time to waste, hurry!" 

Once the boys are put to work, he sets the other villagers to gather what supplies they can and to help the elders into the carts. Then he finally makes it to Geoffrey's home and pulls the mayor and his family from the clutches of the flames. As he sets the last of them down, he realizes they are unharmed. A magical sleep? But why? Why did that commander leave them alive?

At least they should be simple enough to wake. As he gestures for others to come help him, he grabs Geoffrey by the shoulders and roughly (but not painfully) shakes his shoulders.  "Geoffrey! Wake up!"  he commands, and in his stress his voice gains a supernatural timbre of command.  "We need to leave, now!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Can Tyrell tell whether the piercings would be traceable, like could they be used to find him if he kept one of them?
 
Tyrann
"Hmm.. what." Geoffrey sleepily blinks his eyes a few times after you poke him out of his slumber. He looks around with a dazed look and then, after two more blinks, the sharpness that you've come to know him for settles into his face, followed almost immediately by a deep frown.

" Are you.. Tyrell? What's going on here? Why are there dead soldiers all over the place? Did the empire defend us? " With a look of guilt he looks around some more. " And from what? I'm sure I.. " He trails off, looks at the moon and wrinkles his nose in confusion, then looks back at you. " How many of our own died? And where is.. Oh, gods. Where is Isabella? "

Meanwhile the boys, who you know work as stable hands, handle the horses to the best of their ability. Although the animals get a lot more spooked once they're out of your aura, the pair do seen to manage to calming the horses down enough to put the harnesses on. Barely.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Some context to Geoffrey's questions and remarks:
- His assumption is that the glamoured zombies are imperial soldiers that died fighting off a threat to the village. He is confused because there should be no army around, and he probably wonders how long he was out for (because moving an army takes time). That's why he looked at the moon.

- Between the villagers you've managed to save, and sending your militia off into the forest with some survivors as well, you've saved all the people you could, but there were deaths before you woke up.
In total there are roughly 75 survivors, 50 of whom are here and the rest headed for the grotto. The village population was about 100. So there are 25 casualties.

- Geoffrey's trailing off is probably him mentally reviewing (geo)politics around the village. As far as you know, there were no neighbor conflicts and he always paid taxes in full and on time. He also has a large amount of boons he can cash in from various nobles. If anything your village was in a very safe and stable position, especially since you also had your militia to actively scout.

- You yourself are very sure that there is simply no way an army this big would have gone unnoticed in your scouting and the various lines you have with the neighboring villages. If the imperials had moved here via the roads, you would have known several days in advance.
 
Thokk_Smash
Tyrell grimaces. He had hoped Geoffrey had at least seen or heard  something  before being put under. Instead, the man seems as in-the-dark as Tyrell is. So many questions swirl: why were Geoffrey and his family left alive when they were planning to kill everyone anyway? Why did they capture Isabella? His hair of dancing flames flickers and waves in time with his gnashing thoughts.

Speaking of his newly-changed features, he supposes he can't blame Geoffrey for not recognizing him fully.  "Today is a day for impossibilities, sir,"  he says, voice calm with understanding as he hauls on Geoffrey's arm to bring him to his feet. The act is not rough, but it's hard to be gentle when you're trying to hurry people along. He gestures for Geoffrey to pick up his lady wife, and Tyrell follows suit by hoisting the man's sons as well.

 "Everything I'm about to say is true to the best of my knowledge. We were attacked by a man and elf riding a dragon. The elf--the lieutenant--can manipulate shadow. The man--the commander--can command the undead--these soldiers are in truth zombies glamoured to appear like soldiers. They came so fast my men couldn't even wake me before they were swarming the village. We've lost maybe twenty-five. My men took some others to a nearby grotto--that's where we're going just as soon as the horses are hitched." 

As he corrals Geoffrey to the horses and carts, Tyrell grimaces in pain at the memory of Isabella on the back of that dragon.  "They took Isabella. I don't know why. But I believe I will be able to find them at Orion's Gate. I plan to bring you all to the safety of the grotto, then I will make for Orion's Gate as soon as we have you all settled. We need to move fast, because the commander said there is a contingent of some kind on the other side of the forest that are meant to clean up the village. We  need  to get you all hidden before they arrive." 
 
 Spoiler: Question 
Can Tyrell tell, with his nat 20 for 24 Arcana from before, whether the magical piercings would allow the necromancer to track or locate him if he took one?
 
Tyrann
" Twenty five.." Geoffrey looks ruefully at the ruins of his village. "I've know most of those people for longer than you've been alive Tyrell.. And we can't even bury them. " He sighs.

At the mention of Isabella and Orion's gate, he very clearly steels himself, to focus on the village and the people here and now. You can see he's deeply affected, but he doesn't fully allow that to sink in just now.

" I've never heard of either of the men you describe, but if we make it through this alive I'll move heaven and earth to find out. The dragon might have been an illusion. I don't mean to doubt you, but those are creatures from legend. There's hardly a scholar alive today that believes they exist. We have bigger problems, though ."

He looks around at the mobilizing old and injured, and at the youth trying to coral them towards the carts.

" Good thinking getting everyone to the grotto. I'll take over the logistics here so you can focus on the road ahead. I'm sure it won't be safe. "

After waking up his wife and sons and quickly explaining, he rushes over to the carts and start to create some semblance of order, along with his sons.

His wife, lady Anastasia, gets on one of the carts, too, and is sobbing.



You look at the piercings another time. You don't think they could be traced right now, but that might change if they were tapped into large amount of energy of any sort. Like if they got hit by a higher level spell, or struck by lightning, or something.
Thokk_Smash
Tyrell thinks back to the life that no longer is--when he was consumed in fire like lava, draping over him like a blanket--and suppresses a shudder.  Whatever  the two humanoids were riding, it was most certainly real. And why create an illusion of a dragon when they had intended to leave no witnesses? One that spoke for itself, in such a self-important and arrogant tone?

No, Tyrell thinks as he watches Geoffrey walk to the carts. No, the thing that fell upon their sleepy village was most certainly real...and it was most certainly a dragon.  Geoffrey does what he does best and wrangles some order into the chaos of the battle's aftermath. Now that is a true leader, with the confidence and experience needed to really get the villagers through this to the other side. Tyrell has no delusions of his own skills, despite the supernatural enhancement of his new crown.

Yes, Tyrell knows his limits. Which is why, as Geoffrey wrangles the villagers into order and prepares them, Tyrell moves to his home with a feeling of disassociation. He needs to see it, needs to internalize the destruction of his childhood, before he can move on. It's like he's looking at his own body as he picks through the rubble, finding broken pottery and furniture. This chair he had helped his father make, over a decade ago. Now it's nothing but shards and ash. That mug he had made for his mother just a week before she died, and now it lies in dozens of pieces.

Tears like rivers of flame pour down his cheeks as his childhood memories lie in tatters and shards before him. Something jogs his memory, and he scrambles through the rubble. It has to be here, it just has to be...his tears fall harder when he manages to find a small portrait of his mother and father, with him as a child on his mother's knee. A small, hand-sized portrait his father had commissioned when he was a little less than a year old, now it's the only way he has to keep the faces of his mother and father in his memory. If he had lost this, he truly may not have been able to go on.

He presses the portrait to his forehead, then his lips, then ever-so-carefully tucks it into his pouch. Then he takes a deep, steadying breath and one last look around the crumbling home. Let this be the foundation, he thinks, as he walks out. Whoever did this, this will be the foundation that burns them down.

 "Geoffrey, I'll scout ahead and give you the signal when I confirm it's clear." 

With a nod, he steals off into the woods in the direction of the grotto, melding through the woods as if he belongs there.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Lemme know if I need to roll anything.
 
Tyrann
A nod from Geoffrey acknowledges both the mission and a solemn understanding, the unspoken pact between leaders forged in the crucible of tragedy. The forest, draped in darkness, receives Tyrell's disappearing figure, the way ahead lit by his new crown of flame.

 - End Scene - 
Tyrann
As you thread through the twisted labyrinth of the woods, a symphony of fleeing fauna plays out in the shadows around you. The woods throb with the skittering of panicked creatures escaping not only the haunted village but also a lurking terror on the far side of the woods. Moonlight, like a restless spirit, dances through the gnarled branches overhead, casting ghostly reflections on the forest floor. A lone crow, eyes glossy like liquid midnight, perches on an ancient bough. It squawks with a foreboding resonance. The scent of smoldering remnants hangs thick in the air, a reminder of the inferno you narrowly avoided.

As you delve deeper, the ghostly symphony solidifies into a more tangible threat. Stray zombies, the vanguard of the undead horde, emerge from the thicketet umbra. Uncoordinated and devoid of reason, they stumble towards you. Yet, the fiery heartbeat within you answers with a fierce intensity. With a fluid dance of fire and arrow, you dispose of the wandering lost. Limbs crumble like discarded puppetry, and the forest floor transforms into a macabre tapestry of the vanquished.

But the true challenge looms ahead. The forest falls silent as you sense a more malevolent presence. A pack of zombies, guided by a skeletal figure with eyes gleaming like azure lanterns, in the middle of a clearing spanning roughly a hundred feet in all directions. You yourself are still just barely on edge, hidden in the foliage. One knee grounded, the leader projects a sapphire glow onto the soil, absorbed in tracking, while its undead entourage, like four obedient sentinels, surround him, vigilant in their silent guard.

To the uninitiated eye, the subtleties might elude notice, but to one well-acquainted with the whispers of the woods – you, in this case – the truth is immediately apparent. This intelligent undead, with its luminous eyes fixated on the trails beneath its feet, is tracking the militia that fled towards the grotto.
Thokk_Smash
Never before has his woods felt so  wrong . Tyrell's mouth is curled in a perpetual snarl as he stalks through the woods of his home, putting down one undead monstrosity after another. It's good he went ahead of the village remnants, if there were still undead so close to the village. Thankfully, they seem to be relatively weak.

And just as he thinks that, he comes across the current target of his ire. He supposes he should count his luck that he's only come across  one  intelligent undead in the area so far. Among all the undead he's come across so far, this is one he absolutely cannot allow to remain to menace his charges. He takes his time, from the shelter of the familiar leafy shroud, to aim at the undead before firing two deadly arrows wreathed in solar power.

 
 Spoiler: Soulmelds 
  
 Everspark Circlet   
 Descriptors:  Lawful, Good
 Classes: All
 Chakra:  Crown
 Saving Throw: No

 An obsidian-black glass circlet forms atop your head, floating just above your skull. It pulses in time with your heartbeat, bolstering your resolve and reassuring all who look upon you.  

The Everspark Circlet calls upon the fires of life itself. Your inner fire is strengthened and reinforced, giving you an Aura of Courage as a Paladin of your meldshaper level, with a radius of 10ft per meldshaper level. It also enflames your force of personality, giving you a +2 Morale bonus on all Charisma checks.
 Essentia:  You gain an additional +2 Morale bonus on Charisma checks per essentia invested in this soulmeld.

   Chakra Bind(Crown)   
 The circlet settles onto your head and expands, sheathing your head in a proper crown of blazing life. 

You gain the Inspire Courage Bardic Inspiration feature as a bard of your meldshaper level. You can begin this as a standard action. With 2 Essentia invested, this becomes a move action; with 3 Essentia invested, this becomes a swift action.

  
 Flamestrider's Boots   
 Descriptors:  Good
 Classes:  Incarnate
 Chakra:  Feet
 Saving Throw:  No

 I'll leave this fluff up to you. Don't want to give you shoes you don't like haha. 

After shaping Flamestrider's Boots, you gain the ability to teleport up to 10 feet, as a move action, to any square within 5' of an active fire that you can see, including into the fire itself if you so desire. This includes any flame at all, such as torches, elementals, or even fire arrows in mid air. This effect is explicitly not like dimension door in the sense that you can still take actions after teleporting.

 Essentia:  You can teleport an additional 10 feet per essentia invested.

 Chakra Bind(Feet): 
 I'll leave this fluff up to you, too 

After binding the Flamestrider's Boots to your feet chakra, you can now teleport as a swift action.

   Sighting Gloves   
+1 Insight (+1/essentia) to ranged damage

Essentia Spending:

Cinderfoot: 1 Essentia (+2 Racial bonus to Dex, +5 Fire Resistance [10 Fire Resistance total])
Flamestrider's Boots: 1 Essentia (20ft move action teleportation)
Sighting Gloves: 1 Essentia (+2 Insight bonus to ranged damage rolls)


Bound Soulmelds:
Everspark Circlet (Inspire Courage as a 2nd level Bard)
 

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Assuming I can take a full attack, I'll take two potshots at the intelligent undead. Swift action to use Solar Wind's Horizon Wind Lancet--+1d6 damage on the first instance of ranged damage. Currently in Stance of Piercing Rays for an additional +1d6 fire damage on my ranged attacks. -2 for Rapid Shot, -1/+2 Power Attack, +2 ranged damage from Sighting Gloves.

Attack 1:  (1d20+5)[ 16 ] +2 if I count as hidden.  (1d8+4)[ 6 ]  piercing +  (1d6)[ 6 ]  Piercing +  (1d6)[ 3 ]  Fire damage (12 piercing, 3 fire)

Attack 2:  (1d20+5)[ 21 ] +2 if I count as hidden.  (1d8+4)[ 8 ]  piercing +  (1d6)[ 6 ]  Piercing +  (1d6)[ 4 ]  Fire damage (Ignore the 1d6 Piercing, that should only count for the first attack that hits) (8 piercing, 4 fire).
 
Tyrann
Ambushing the skeleton with a swift strike from the shadows, your arrow finds its mark and ignites on impact. The darkness is painted in greens and fiery reds as flames dance across the kneeling creature's bony frame. Its jaw, now half unhinged, charred and darkened, rattles with fury as it turns towards you.
As it does so, the four zombies flanking it take action.  Two of them groan and lurch toward you, armed with swords and shields forged from the same strange dark metal you've seen before. Closing the gap, they haven't quite reached you yet, but they will in a few more seconds. Meanwhile, the other two undead guards remain in place, their eyes locking on to you without ever blinking.

While they move the burnt skeletal ranger winks out one of its scorched azure orbs as it meticulously aims and unleashes a pair of arrows, sending them hurtling your way with a surprising amount of grace for an animated sack of bones.

 
 Spoiler: rolls 

Zombies move on init 14
Skeleton moves on init 12

Zombie A (50' away from you) does not move.
Zombie B (50' away from you) does not move.
Zombie C (starting 60' away from you) moves 30' towards you, putting it at 30' away.
Zombie D (starting 60' away from you) moves 30' towards you, putting it at 30' away.

The skeleton with the glowing blue eyes starts at 55' away from you.
It does not move, and takes two shots at you.

  attack 1  - (1d20+5)[ 25 ] 
  damage  - (1d8)[ 5 ] 
  attack 2  - (1d20+5)[ 22 ] 
  damage  - (1d8)[ 2 ] 
 
Thokk_Smash
The two arrows strike painfully true, and Tyrell snarls in pain. Outnumbered and outgunned, he'll have to stick to hit-and-run tactics. So with a gesture, he summons a fire elemental in the trees, such that the skeleton archer would not be able to see it. Then in a shower of sparks, he teleports into the boughs of the tree, attempting to hide away from sight of the skeleton archer. Then he focuses his mind, and the Everspark Circlet begins to thrum in time with his heart. He feels its inspiration course through his veins once more, fueling his strength.

 
 Spoiler 
Same essentia allotment as before.

Swift action: create a fire elemental on a tree branch, 20ft back and in the air.

Move action: teleport within 5ft of the fire elemental, such that I am out of sight of the skeleton archer.

Hide as part of the move action:  (1d20+9)[ 20 ] 

Standard action: begin Bardic Inspiration (assuming I don't have to make noise to inspire myself, which would put a damper on hiding).
 
Tyrann
Perched up on a bough, the flames within respond to your silent call, dancing in tune with your heartbeat. The warmth emanating from the blaze in your chest becomes a manifestation of newfound inspiration, a surge of courage coursing through your veins.

Looking down, you've outfoxed both the skeletal archer and the zombie brigade snapping at your flaming heels. The zombies charge headlong at the flickering echo of embers left by your teleportation. After futile attempts at striking the spectral sparks they turn idle, almost as if waiting for new input.

Meanwhile, in the distance, the skeletal archer, still flanked by its two guards, unleashes another series of rattles in vexation.
Thokk_Smash
In order to get to the skeleton archer, Tyrell will have to deal with its undead entourage--pick off the weaker enemies before focusing on the strongest. Looking down at the two closer zombies near him, he quickly draws two arrows in quick succession. Stellar flames lick across the arrowheads as he sights down the wooden shafts. In two quick motions he fires at the zombies, raining solar raindrops upon them.

Then he expertly balances across the boughs of the tree to get to the other side of the trunk to keep out of sight of the skeletal archer. Even if he can't hide his location, he can make it move to find him.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Swift action: Activate Horizon Lancet Shot, adding +1d6 damage to my first instance of ranged damage in the round.

Full-round action: rapid shot on the two zombies closest. I'll assume they're within 30ft, so PBS applies.  -2 rapid shot, +1/+1 PBS, -1/+2 Power Shot, +1/+1 Inspire Courage, +2 Insight damage from sighting gloves.

Attack #1:  (1d20+7)[ 26 ] ,  (1d8+5)[ 10 ]  piercing,  (1d6)[ 6 ]  additional piercing,  (1d6)[ 2 ]  fire damage from Stance of Piercing Rays.

Attack #2:  (1d20+7)[ 8 ] ,  (1d8+5)[ 11 ]  piercing,  (1d6)[ 1 ]  fire damage from Stance of Piercing Rays.

Focus-firing one zombie, if the first attack drops it then the second shot goes to the second zombie.

Free action: 5ft-step around the trunk of the tree to stay out of eyeshot of the skeletal archer.
 
Tyrann
Your initial arrow finds its mark in the bewildered zombie's chest. Fiery meridians surge forth, tracing a path along its skin until the creature succumbs, belching a final puff of smoke as it collapses.

Your subsequent arrow ricochets off the second zombie's armor, leaving a large mark on the shadowed surface - much more than you'd expect on normal steel. Your solar fire seems particularly effective against the enigmatic alloy. As awareness dawns upon the second zombie, it clumsily advances towards you, thwarted by the height advantage conferred by your arboreal perch. Abandoning its weapons, the creature futilely endeavors to ascend the tree trunk.

The skeletal archer and its entourage maintain their stance, but the archer, arrow poised, is clearly waiting for something to shoot.
Thokk_Smash
Tyrell regards the distant archer with furrowed brows. It will obviously attempt to shoot him the second he allows it a clean shot. He will have to be even more careful about this.

But first he has to take care of the zombie below him. With confident motions he draws a single arrow and lets it fly. Then he summons another unearthly figure of pure flame in the boughs of a tree to the side. In a shower of falling embers he teleports right next to it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action: fire an arrow at the zombie below me. -1/+2 PA, +1/+1 PBS, +1/+1 Inspire Courage.

 (1d20+9)[ 12 ]  attack,  (1d8+4)[ 8 ]  piercing damage,  (1d6)[ 1 ]  fire damage.

Swift action: Summon a fire elemental 20ft away in a nearby, different tree.

Move action: Teleport to the fire elemental. Hide check as part of movement:  (1d20+9)[ 16 ] 
 
Tyrann
Your arrow finds its mark, shattering the zombie's skull. The bough beneath your feet creaks, almost as if to approve, and with a thought a sizzling small elemental takes form on a branch 20 feet away. You discorporeate and reappear in a cascade of smoke and sparks, and attempt to meld with the shadows.

Across the clearing, the skeletal archer pivots its gaze, a glowing hollow socket aimed in your general direction. The air hangs tense with the anticipation of its still drawn arrow. Uncertain if it fully discerns your newfound concealment, you look at radiant residue of your summoned elemental and realize that may have been both an ally and an inadvertent accomplice.
Thokk_Smash
Tyrell silently curses. Of course a creature made entirely of fire would be noticeable, even if he isn't. Still, perhaps he can use that to his advantage.

He summons the fire elemental once more, twenty feet to one side. However, instead of teleporting to it, he instead hops off of the branch he is on. He grunts softly and tries to roll with the fall, then begins to pad quietly in the opposite direction of the fire elemental he had summoned. Hopefully the diversion will keep the skeleton archer's eyes off of him.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Swift action: Summon an elemental 20ft away.

Free(?) action: deliberately drop down 20ft to the ground.  DC 15 Tumble check:  (1d20+7)[ 27 ] 

The first 10ft is nonlethal damage:  (1d6)[ 6 ] 
 The next 10ft is lethal damage if I fail the Tumble check:  (1d6)[ 2 ]  

Move/Standard action: Move around the perimeter of the clearing in the opposite direction of the fire elemental. New hide check if needed:  (1d20+9)[ 12 ] 
 
Tyrann
You make as whispered a landing as you can manage. The impact courses through your feet and clenches your jaw. With a roll you attempt to mitigate the toll on your body, but despite your best efforts an immediate headache throbs behind your eyes, and a wave of dull nausea rises from your beleaguered core. And, alas, what appeared as a gentle bed of secrecy above turns into a thorny labyrinth below.

Quickly confirming that you can still move, you dart towards a new shroud, and once there you quickly unstopper your healing potion and gulp it down. It works its magic, knitting together the worst of the scratches and scrapes, dispelling the drumming in your skull and pushing the bile back down to where it belongs.

Meanwhile, the skeletal archer releases an arrow into with a twang that echoes through the clearing, and from the corner of your eye you see the projectile sail through the small fire elemental.

The archer meticulously readies another arrow. Its hollow blue gaze now fixed on the tree from which you made your descent, while its undead sentinels keep flanking the skeletal archer with stoic determination.

 
 Spoiler: Rolls and additional info 

- You do still have the potion.   potion  - (1d8+1)[ 7 ] 
- The archer shot the elemental right as it popped into line of sight, I've just taken a few liberties in how I described the scene.
 
Thokk_Smash
Tyrell fights through the bile from the residual pain as he considers his next move. Those two zombies beside the archer seem poised to intercept his shots, but perhaps he can sneak one by them and then ghost away. He slowly draws and aims his next arrow at the skeletal archer. He lets it fly—then immediately drops to the ground and army-crawls to the side to make any returning fire less likely to hit.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Swift action: activate Horizon Wind Lancet for an additional 1d6 damage on my first attack.

Standard action: Fire one arrow at the skeletal archer. -1/+2 power attack, +1 Inspire Courage.

Ranged attack:  (1d20+8)[ 12 ] .  (1d8+3)[ 9 ]  piercing,  (1d6)[ 4 ]  additional piercing,  (1d6)[ 6 ]  fire from Stance of Piercing Rays  My god, I can’t roll to save my life in this game.  I forget if I do, but I hope I get a bonus to-hit if I’m hidden 

Edit: I rerolled this attack and got a 19. Post is here:  https://forums.giantitp.com/showsing...6&amp;postcount=79 


Free action: drop prone

Move action: crawl at half speed away while still under the brush. Hide check:  (1d20+9)[ 13 ] , probably -20 for sniping.  Please excuse any mistakes, posting from my phone before I go to bed.
 
Tyrann
Concealed within the foliage, you fire an arrow at the skeletal archer and immediately drop to the ground to evade any retaliatory fire. Just as you hit the damp soil, your gaze catches the arrow deviating off course. After a plea to mysterious forces that seem to be guiding you, the projectile miraculously corrects its trajectory. It strike the skeleton in neck and knocks out a vertebra, severing its head and setting both tumbling cranium and crumbling torso ablaze.

As the decapitated skull rolls, a tiny azure specter rushes out and hastily retreats in the direction opposite you. Having now lost their leader, and their orders, the two zombie sentinels stagger towards as fast as their undead legs can carry them. About six seconds stand between you and their drooping jaws.
Thokk_Smash
Seeing the two shambling corpses rushing towards him, Tyrell has to think fast. He doesn't even allow himself a split second of panic...or rather, he doesn't feel the panic or fear at all. Just supreme confidence. He glances up and in the boughs of the tree above he summons his trusty fire elemental. With a bare thought he feels himself engulfed in the flames of teleportation he is coming to be very familiar with. In-transit, he repositions himself so that he lands on the thick branches of tree with both feet.

In a fluid motion he draws and looses an arrow, wreathed in flame, at one of the zombies below. Like shooting fish in a barrel.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Fifth verse, same as the first!

Swift action: Summon a fire elemental into the tree above.

Move action: Teleport next to the fire elemental. I assumed as part of the teleport I could change my position from prone to standing, but let me know if I can't.

Standard action: Shoot at one of the zombies. -1/+2 PA, +1 IC, +1 PBS.

 (1d20+9)[ 13 ]  attack roll,  (1d8+4)[ 10 ]  piercing damage,  (1d6)[ 3 ]  fire damage from Stance of Piercing Rays.
 
Tyrann
The zombie catches on fire as your arrow strikes it, and it collapses.
Thokk_Smash
Seeing the zombie burst into flame brings to Tyrell's mind the azure, spectral flame that had left the skeleton archer when it collapsed. At first, he had thought it might be impossible to intercept it, but now he realizes he must at least try.

Checking all the angles, he summons his fire elemental (he's summoned it so often in the past minute--does it exist when he doesn't call for it? Does it have a name? It might; stranger things have already happened in the past twenty-four hours. Maybe he should ask its name the next time) and then teleports down to it in a flurry of sparks. He had tried to angle his descent so that the azure specter is in his line of sight.

Taking a deep breath, Tyrell focuses harder than ever before. His hawkish gaze pierces through the foliage between himself and the specter, and as he draws his arrow back he can see in his mind's eye the arrow striking his target. And with a slow release of breath, he lets the arrow fly.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Swift action: summon a fire elemental on the ground, such that there is a spot next to it where Tyrell can teleport to that is not adjacent to the remaining zombie and that he can see the blue spirit from.

Move action: teleport to that spot.

Standard action: Initiate the maneuver Curving Ray Shot: as a standard action, I make a Perception check against the target's AC before making an attack. If the Perception check is successful, the target's cover is negated for the attack.

Perception check vs blue specter's AC:  (1d20+8)[ 27 ] 

Attack roll vs blue specter, +1 IC:  (1d20+9)[ 23 ] 
Damage roll vs blue specter, +1 IC, +2 Sighting Gloves:  (1d8+3)[ 8 ] ,  (1d6)[ 3 ]  extra fire damage from Stance of Piercing Rays.
 
Tyrann
The fire elemental moves in obedient silence. With a swift teleportation, you position yourself beside it, eyes fixed on the fleeing azure apparition in the distance.

As your arrow slices through the air, it harmlessly passes through the little blue ghost, leaving no mark. Yet, though projectile itself proves futile, your stellar fire does scorch it, eliciting a hollow shriek more laden with surprise and offense than with fear, before it dives into the earth and vanishes.

The zombies, still in awkward pursuit, are hindered by the undergrowth, impeding their charge. They have yet to close the gap, affording you a few seconds to breathe - though not more than a few seconds.
Thokk_Smash
 "Hells,"  Tyrell curses as the spectral fire dives into the ground, away from his ability to affect. He can't help but wonder whether he could have done more to stop it, and what consequences there will be for his failure.

But for now, he can only do what he is able to do. Once more borrowing the figure of the fire elemental, he teleports into the tree branches above once more. From his elevated height, he is able to pick off the remaining zombies without issue.

Once the coast is clear, he climbs safely down the tree to the ground. Then he takes some time to inspect the bodies of the zombies and their armor. He also tries to find the tracks the skeleton was following.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I was assuming if I could get into the tree then we could fast-forward killing the rest of the zombies.

Rolls for armor:

Knowledge (Planes), untrained:  (1d20+2)[ 5 ] 
Knowledge (Religion):  (1d20+4)[ 5 ] 
Knowledge (Dungeoneering), untrained:  (1d20+2)[ 21 ] 
Crafting (Weapon/Armorsmithing):  (1d20+7)[ 8 ] 

Rolls for tracks:

Search:  (1d20+8)[ 11 ] 
Survival:  (1d20+7)[ 12 ] 
 
Tyrann
You dispatch the zombies without issue.

Post-battle, you inspect the bodies and the armor. You don't notice many things you hadn't seen before, except that this metal seems to get damaged quite easily by the flames around your arrows.

The skirmish with the undead has wreaked havoc on the tracks, but amidst the chaos, the distinct imprints of Theo's hefty boots and Finn's shield-wielding strides are unmistakable. Stealth was never their forte. To the untrained eye, or perhaps even the eye unfamiliar with the forest, their trail points away from the grotto—an intentional ruse, no doubt, orchestrated by the twins to confound pursuers, if only temporarily.

You yourself know the forest well enough to know you're about a 20 minute jog from your rendez-vous point, and most of the path should be cleared for the villagers now.
Thokk_Smash
Tyrell takes a pauldron or similar smaller piece of armor from the sets available to him. Perhaps one of his militia or a villager would be able to glean more information from it.

The twins had done their job well, he can see. He can only hope it would be enough to buy them time. With a nagging pit of anxiety from the azure specter that had escaped, he can think of nothing else that stands in the way of the villagers and safety.

He decides to make his way to the rendezvous point and make sure the rest of the coast is clear. Then from there he can either send one of the twins to escort the villagers, or see what other options they have.
Tyrann
You trudge through the dense, familiar forest, the moon casting eerie shadows as it sets, while the scent of smoke hangs heavy in the air. Suddenly, you spot Nolan perched high in an ambush position, throwing you hand signs of the twins' own making. You think signals questioning if you were followed, to which you shake your head.

With relief, he mouths, "You beautiful jackass, we thought you were lizard food," before beckoning you over, cautioning about a hidden trap. As you navigate the psth through the undergrowth, you enter the grotto to find Finn leaning on his shield, Theo sharpening his axe, and Rowan's rapier glinting under the moon's gaze. Miles sits nearby, engrossed in a book, while a few civilians huddle together, seeking refuge.

Their faces light up as they exclaim, "Boss!! You made it!! How's everyone? Are they safe? Are the zombies out there? Iris went out scouting mission about 15 minutes ago, when the moon started to set."

 
 Spoiler: ooc 

Apologies for the crappy editing. Forum lag apparently ate my previous post so I ended up posting this from my phone but I just wanted to start moving again.

Relevant info that Tyrell is aware of:
1. There is about an hour to go until dawn.
2. Iris wouldn't have gone far, but, like Nolan, would climb to a vintage point and lay a few traps. In fact Nolan probably knows how to find her if you asked.
3. It would take about 15 minutes to backtrack to the villagers now that the path is mostly cleared, and another 30 to get them to the grotto.
 
Thokk_Smash
A weight lifts from Tyrell's heart that he hadn't even known was there when he sees his squad...his friends safe. The smile he smiles is wider than any other he's given in his life.

 "The rest of the survivors are on the way here,"  he explains quickly.  "More than I was expecting, including the mayor. I've cleared out the path they are taking of zombies. Nolan and I will go meet them and escort them here--I want them here before sunrise. The rest of you, keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you. There are stronger enemies than plain zombies, I fought a skeleton archer and I'm pretty sure the spirit or whatever was powering it was able to escape." 
Tyrann
" Got it, Boss. " Theo nods. " Everyone, on your feet! We have to look good when the boss shows up with the rest of the villagers. " He glares at Miles, who glares back, but does put his book away.

--

The forest is way too quiet as you and Nolan navigate the shadows, moving through the undergrowth at speeds you can only manage because you've seen it under daylight. The moon has almost set, casting long, twisted shadows. The smell of fire still hangs heavy in the air—even more so than on your clothes. Perhaps you wonder for a moment if your hair smells like fire too, but you really can't tell right now. Worries for later.

Once the undergrowth becomes a bit thicker, Nolan takes the lead, and the two of you move through the forest almost like you're doing parkour, jumping via low-hanging trees and doing everything you can to maintain as much speed as possible.

Soon you can tell the villagers are close, just on the edge of what you can hear, and twenty seconds later you can clearly make out the clatter of horse hooves and squeaky cart wheels in the distance. But there is something else, too. A cold, creeping sensation at the edge of your awareness. Somehow, you're reminded of Uncle Luca's grin prior to any big battle.

Nolan keeps moving just ahead, his bow in hand, darting back every now and then to you for silent confirmation of their direction. As you near the path where you can already hear the villagers, you catch sight of the first of them—silhouettes against the dim light of the fading moon, huddled together in frightened clusters. They all made it, this far at least.

Nolan suddenly freezes, his hand shooting up in a silent signal to halt. At first, you hear nothing but the wind in the trees and the distant cries of night birds. But then, faintly, a sound reaches your ears—a low, rhythmic moaning, growing louder with each passing moment.

You realize what that is. The unmistakable groans of the undead, and from the sound of it, there are many. Too many.

Nolan glances back at you, his expression tense. "The villagers...they’re right ahead, but that sound..."
He starts to climb up the tallest tree he can find to get a better look.

Meanwhile, you can tell panic is already setting in among the villagers. They haven't noticed you, and perhaps haven't heard the moaning, either, but they definitely have that same sense of foreboding you had earlier. Mothers clutching their children, elders huddled together, and Geoffrey, pale and shaken, trying to maintain some semblance of order.
Thokk_Smash
As he hurdles over fallen trees or swings on low-hanging branches, Tyrell does his best to keep his focus, even though he can feel himself slipping mentally here and there. It's been a long night, and in some ways it's just getting started. Even though he's already literally died tonight, whatever magic or power brought him back is filling every cell in his body with fiery power. He's not sure he could sleep now even if he wanted to.

Either way, he's both having a hard time and an easy time staying alert enough to find the surviving villagers. He breathes a sigh of relief when he spots them. Yet he readily stops when Nolan signals to stop. That feeling from before begins surging through his whole body as he realizes what it must be. Of course, he should have stayed behind them to conceal their tracks. But then, if he had fought that skeletal archer while having to worry about the villagers, some of them might have gotten hurt. He pushes those concerns to the back of his mind--what's done is done, and even at his age he knows sometimes there are no right answers.

He climbs up the tree to kneel on it beside Nolan.  "So we've got a few dozen noncombatants, and an undead horde. We need to get them to the grotto, while also keeping them from finding the grotto too. Let's see what we're dealing with here..." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
  Spot  - (1d20+8)[ 17 ] &lt;- for spotting the undead horde, of course.

[roll=Know(Nature)/Survival]1d20+7[/roll]&lt;-I'm rolling this to see how feasible Tyrell thinks it could be to make a controlled fire to stymie the undead while the villagers get to safety. Otherwise, trying to think of ways to cover the villagers' tracks.

Gonna need more info before I can really think of options, so that's it for now.
 
Tyrann
The two of you rush up the tree. Nolan's breath catches in his throat, his face pale and eyes wide with shock. You see it the moment he does—a sea of bodies, shifting and shuffling below. For a heartbeat, they almost look like a ragtag battalion of imperial soldiers, helmets crooked and ranks in disarray. But you've seen past their glamour before, and you know what they truly are.

Zombies. Hundreds of them. A shambling, grotesque horde, spreading through the forest like a creeping stain.

And then you notice them: three figures standing out in the mass, their eyes glowing with that familiar, sinister light. One of them is towering, hulking—perhaps an ogre in its previous life. Another is a skeleton, a full head taller than the one you faced, wielding a rusted sword and battered shield that look as ancient as time itself. The last is a plain zombie, but there's something unsettlingly familiar about the way it moves, staying close to the other two. These three are different. They hang back from the rest of the horde, and the zombies nearest to them move with an eerie, unnatural coordination, as though guided by an unseen hand.


Your mind whirls, weighing options.


Outrunning the horde seems possible—almost simple. You've got a decent head start, and the zombies are slow. Even the villagers, tired and stumbling as they are, could outpace them on a forced march. If what uncle Luca had taught you in his tales about the war was correct, the eventual problem would be that undead don't get tired. They don't stop, they don't rest, and they certainly don't slow down. But it could buy you several hours, probably. Perhaps even more.


A fire might do the trick—burn them to ash before they even get close. You're confident you could start one; the forest isn't thát dry, but with your newfound powers you no longer need kindling. Though, once the flames are loose, who's to say they won't rage out of control? The entire forest could go up in a blaze, swallowing not just the undead, but everything in its path—including the villagers.

So you'd have to make sure the villagers aren't caught in the fire, somehow. And then there's the forest itself—your home for your entire life, a place you've cherished and protected. Setting it ablaze could mean more than just destruction; it could force evacuations from nearby villages as well. This could potentially cause a disaster that would affect everyone in the region. Then again, the same could be argued for letting the horde continue to exist.


Covering tracks is a lost cause with so many people on the move—too many hooves, cart wheels, and feet. The ground is a mess of churned mud and broken twigs, and there's no disguising it now.


A bottleneck could be an option. Only one really option really comes to you: the old, dried-up riverbed carved into the base of the forest's largest cliff, hemmed in by steep, jagged rocks. If you follow it up a little, it's barely wide enough for two carts to pass side by side and that would definitely slow the undead to a crawl, funneling them through in small, manageable groups.

The cliffs themselves are sheer and unforgiving—near impossible to climb, even for someone alive and determined. You've tried it before, clawing your way up the rock face with hands bleeding and muscles burning. It took half an hour of sweating, slipping and perhaps even the occasional curse to reach the top, and that was on a good day. There's no chance the zombies could scale it, not quickly enough to make a difference in a fight.

But there's a problem—a gnawing thought that twists your gut. That narrow path isn't just any route; it's the very one that leads straight to the grotto. If you can't hold the line there, if the horde breaks through, there'll be no time to plan or think. You'd have to evacuate the grotto in a frantic rush, with the undead hot on your heels. If you fail there, the place that should have been your sanctuary will become a trap.


Finally, it crosses your mind to decapitate the horde by taking out its leaders. If you could strike down the ones in charge, it might scatter the rest. But the challenge is daunting. To reach those leaders, you'd have to wade through a sea of hundreds of zombies, or try to pick them off from a distance.

The odds of making those shots are slim. The sheer number of undead means you'd be at the very limit of your bow's range, and each shot would require you to dodge and weave through the vanguard of the horde. And then there's the problem of how the glowing-eyed undead control the ones around them. If they're anything like the one you faced before, they'd likely have others take the brunt of any attacks, making it nearly impossible to land a clean hit. It would be a mission possible but not very probable.

Either way, one thing is certain—unmistakably, dreadfully so. If that horde keeps lumbering on in its current direction, they'll reach the grotto.


One thing that does fill you with some sliver of hope that you can't quite put your finger on, is that the moon has all but fully set. It's less than an hour until the first rays of sunrise.
Thokk_Smash
With fire in his blood and power thrumming through his veins, Tyrell had felt powerful. Surviving pitched combat with a dragon, regardless of how he survived, had given him perhaps an inflated sense of power.

This sense of power evaporated like dew in the midday sun at the sight of the literal horde of undead.

Each individual zombie is easy enough to destroy, especially with his new powers. But quantity is a quality all its own. If only he could summon balls of flame or waves of frost, perhaps then he could destroy this whole army by himself. But as it is...

He almost allows himself to slump forward and accept defeat. As he opens his mouth to tell Nolan it's impossible, an image of his parents flash through his mind's eye. Their expressions look...disappointed. The thought makes him clench his teeth and grip the branch he stands on tighter.

 "Come, Nolan,"  he instructs firmly, forcing the man to turn to him. He makes sure the man is looking at him before he continues,  "The first order of business is getting the villagers to the grotto. We need to get them there as fast as possible, and then we all set up a bottleneck just beyond the dried-up riverbed where the path is thinnest. Their numbers advantage will be lessened there. It's our best chance. Now, we need to act, or else any slim chance of survival becomes zero." 

With that, he slips down the tree as fast as he can and then makes his way to the gathered villagers. To Geoffrey, his voice carrying, he says, " "We are close, but we must move faster. You'll be able to rest soon, but until then, double time! Follow me!" 

His Everspark Circlet flares in time with his heartbeat, bolstering those close to him, as he looks at everyone in turn. He exudes nothing but confidence, even as his own doubts threaten to drown him.
Tyrann
The villagers stumble forward, clutching their belongings, fear and exhaustion etched into their faces the moment they are outside of your circlet's aura. Mothers pull their children close, whispering promises of safety they’re not sure they can keep. Fathers shoulder what little they have left—battered packs, cherished mementos, a few tools they salvaged from their ruined homes. The elderly, trembling and worn from the long night, holding on for dear life as they're hoisted onto the horses while the carts are abandoned. You feel the weight of their fear pressing down on you like stones in your chest. There’s no time for doubts, no room for mistakes. “Keep moving!” you shout, your voice sharper than you intended. You're not sure if it's the circlet or you that's doing it, but it gets them going. The moans of the undead are growing louder, creeping closer with every step, and even though you try not to look back, you can feel the icy prickle of panic running up your spine.

Nolan is right beside you, his bow slung over his shoulder, his eyes still wide from what he saw in the treetops. “Stay with the group!” he calls, rallying the villagers to stick together, though his voice trembles slightly. You can tell he’s terribly worried, but you can’t afford to let that show.

You break ahead, guiding the group through the forest, pushing toward the narrow, rocky path of the old riverbed—the bottleneck that will be your only chance of holding back the horde. The ground beneath your feet is uneven, and the trees close in, twisted branches reaching out like grasping fingers. The path is treacherous, but you know it’s your best shot. The villagers clamber up onto the higher ground, their faces pale, their breaths ragged.

The moment you and Nolan burst from the trees, the militia, standing guard on the cliffs above the old riverbed, snaps into action. Finn peers down, shield raised, eyes narrowing as he takes in the sight of the villagers and the gravity etched across your face. Theo pauses mid-motion, his axe half-sharpened, surprise flickering in his gaze. Rowan’s rapier catches the dim light, and for a split second, their faces mirror the shock of the scene unfolding before them—families struggling forward, panic written in every hurried step. But it’s only a heartbeat of hesitation; they’re quick to react, instinct overriding disbelief. Weapons are seized, and they move with a practiced urgency, following any orders you give them.

Your voice rings out, amplified by the Everspark Criclet's unseen magic, slicing through the early morning chill with an authority that leaves no room for doubt.

The villagers stumble forward, every step a battle against their own weariness. You watch as they hobble toward safety, propelled by the promise of refuge and the terror that snaps at their heels as the groans grow louder, filling the valley with a low, haunting dirge that seems to chase them faster than any whip.

Once the last villager disappears into the grotto, you and your militia take your positions along the narrow path.

It doesn’t take long before the first shambling figures emerge from the shadows, grotesque and twisted, their metal armor dull and ominous, seemingly swallowing the last of the night’s gloom.

 
 Spoiler: Map 

 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing 

On that map you see yourself and the militia. You can put them and yourself in any position you'd like.

Also note that there are 6 horses (which aren't war trained, only Nolan  has any ranks in ride or animal empathy) near the grotto.

The boulders can be moved.
- The smaller ones are about 2 feet in diameter and weight about 200 pounds, which means everyone except for Iris can move them, but doing so will give them a heavy load and make them staggered (so only a single standard or move action per turn). Theo is the exception, he can lift them overhead, but would still have a heavy load. The same could be done by any two of you working together, including Iris. They can also be dragged by one of the horses as if it had a heavy load.
- The bigger ones are about 7 feet in diameter. Those can be moved around by any 5 of you that include Theo, but again at a heavy load and a staggered pace. They can also be dragged by four of the horses as if they had a heavy load.

Please put the militia in roughly the places you would have ordered them to go prior to the battle, and lets take this in thirty second batches (i.e. 5 rounds at a time) if you're okay with that, to speed things up a bit.

It's 5 minutes until sunrise.
 
Thokk_Smash
As the civilians flee into the grotto proper, Tyrell shouts for Theo, Rowan, Miles, Finn, and Iris to drag and drop a boulder into the ravine to create a chokepoint. As the zombie horde shuffles into view and the faintest hint of sunlight begins to implicate itself in the distant horizon, Tyrell brandishes his bow and allows his Everspark Circlet to flare into a corona of light.

 "We hold this line!"  he shouts, voice imperiously rising into the air.  "Though before us is a horde of monstrosities, behind us is all that remains of our family! With the ravine and our skills, we  will  repulse them! Hold them back, and let them taste the sting of the sunlight!" 

With that, he draws back his bowstring and a gleaming arrow of fire and light appears on his bow in a crack of thrumming energy. He releases the arrow at the nearest zombie.  "Theo, take your group and get ready to drop those giant boulders onto the zombies when they get into the ravine. Nolan, on me--wait until they get closer and then let them have it!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Not sure how many attacks I would need to make, so let me know and I'll roll 'em in the OOC. The plan is for Theo, Rowan, Miles, Finn, and Iris to drop the boulders when the zombies get into the ravine to maximize the damage. Nolan will be supporting Tyrell in firing into the giant pileup of zombies as they congregate into the ravine.
 
Tyrann
The air is thick with the stench of decay, and you can feel the weight of the moment pressing down on your shoulders. It’s not just the undead closing in; it’s the fear of what’s at stake. The families behind you are depending on you, and even though your heartbeat thrums in your ears, you can’t falter.

“Steady,” Nolan mutters to himself, his voice barely audible over the low groans that fill the ravine.

Beside you, he fidgets with his bowstring, the boy’s face pale but determined--the effect of your circlet no doubt. You catch his eye and offer a nod, trying to force some reassurance into the gesture. He’s young, too young for this, but then again, isn't he a year older than you? You look at the jagged ravine in front of you, now filling with the twisted, shambling figures of the undead.

The magic of the Everspark Circlet flares around you like a second heartbeat, its warmth pulsing at your temples, a reminder of the power you wield. As if you’ve always felt it there, like a quiet hum under your fingers as they cradle your bow. Alive. Ready.

You nock an arrow, feeling the familiar weight of the bow in your hands, and the string pulls taut, trembling with energy. The first undead shuffles into range, its body a grotesque mockery of life, half-rotted armor clinging to its bones. You release the arrow, and the magic answers. The arrow ignites in mid-flight, streaking toward the creature like a blazing comet.

Thwack. The zombie jerks back as the arrow strikes its chest, bursting into flames before collapsing into a pile of ash. But there’s no time to feel any triumph; more are coming. Dozens. No, hundreds.

"Wait for them to bunch up!" you shout over your shoulder, your voice sharp with urgency. The command seems to echo in the air, and you feel the circlet’s power amplify it, sending it rippling through the ravine.

You hear the scrape of stone on stone behind you as Theo and the others struggle with the boulder, positioning it at the edge of the ravine. The zombies below are moving faster now, a grotesque mass of limbs and hollow eyes, their grotesque forms pressing into the narrow path like water bursting through a dam.

“Now!” you shout, the word ripping from your throat with the force of the Circlet’s magic.

The boulder tumbles down with a crash, smashing into the undead with a thunderous impact. Bones crunch, bodies are flung into the air, and for a brief moment, the horde is slowed, their advance crushed under the weight of the stone.

But the reprieve is short-lived. Through the dust and debris, more zombies pour into the ravine, crawling over their fallen comrades, relentless and unfeeling.

You loose another arrow. Then another. Each shot crackles with power, flames sparking from your fingertips, turning every projectile into a searing bolt of light. Zombies fall in heaps, their bodies igniting as your arrows strike true. You’re dimly aware of Nolan at your side, his breath ragged as he releases a shot of his own. The arrow finds its mark in a zombie’s eye, sending it stumbling back into the mass.

Iris, standing on the ledge above, lets out a sharp cry as she shoots her crossbow down into the fray, each shot with deadly precision that doesn’t quite find purchase. Still, a bolt catches a zombie in the throat, another in the chest. You see her smile grimly as two of the undead drop, their twisted bodies twitching before they fall still.

But there are too many. Far too many.

“Tyrell!” Nolan calls out, voice strained as he lets another arrow fly. “There’s no end to them!”

You know he’s right.

You pull back the bowstring again, feeling the heat and energy of the magic flowing into the arrow. The ground beneath you shakes as the pile of undead grows ever taller, their bodies teetering precariously over each other. It’s now or never.

“Finn! Theo! Get ready to drop the rest!” you shout, your voice cutting through the chaos. “We can’t let them through!”

As if on cue, the others brace themselves, muscles taut and ready. When the opportune moment presents itself, you shout, “Now!”

With a mighty heave, they push the remaining boulders over the edge, a cacophony of crunching as the stones collide with the undead below. The sound is deafening, reverberating the crunching of bones through the ravine, and for a moment, it seems to pause the chaos.

But it’s not enough. The horde is growing, even as your militia drop boulder after boulder, the wave of undead climbing over each other, and as they begin to overwhelm the fallen stones, and are even cresting, you can see the panic on your friends’ faces.

Behind you, the sky is starting to lighten, the faintest hint of the sun’s rays pushing through the horizon. You can feel it—the magic in your arrows is becoming increasingly effective with every breath as the sun creeps higher.

And then, as the first rays of sunlight touch the cresting horde, you notice a startling change: the zombies that are caught in the light have their armor begin to melt away, and then tier piercings, disintegrating into shadow-stuff just like the ones where you pulled off the strange dark metal studs earlier. It’s a sign—your instinct was right.

As sunlight that breaks through, they'll literally melt away, and you can almost taste victory on the horizon. But you still need to hold the line a little longer.

Your mind races. Do you send the militia down into the ravine to engage and finish up? It’s risky—if they go, you might lose them all. But at the same time, that might give you a path to get to the blue eyes still controlling the horde from the back.

It's a decision that hangs in the air, heavy and suffocating. You look at Nolan, then at Finn and Theo. You can see the resolve in their eyes, even through the fear.
Thokk_Smash
Tyrell breathes a sigh of...not relief. But he certainly breathes a bit easier when he sees the sunlight begin to eat away and disperse the undead scourge that it touches. For a brief moment he considers holding his militia back and letting the horde disperse and flee. Gods know he wants to just rest with his friends and plan what to do next.

But the blue-eyed zombies...they're more intelligent than the normal zombies. And if they escape, then it's likely the grotto will be revealed to whoever is controlling  them , and if another zombie horde descends on them tomorrow night...they very well might not make it.

 "Just a bit further, my friends,"  he says as he draws back his bowstring once more.  "We need to carve a path to those glowing-eyed zombies and destroy them, or else there will probably be another horde coming for us tonight as well. Forward!" 

As his friends make to descend, Tyrell prepares to summon a fire elemental to harry and distract the zombies they will attack. And in the back of his mind, he remembers the movement of the stars as they had prepared their defense. In a pinch, he may be able to keep his friends from death, at least a few times.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Not sure if we're in combat time yet. But the game plan is to send a Distracting Ember fire elemental to flank with the zombies that the melee characters will be attacking before attacking myself. How far away are the blue-eyed zombies? Further than the first range increment of Tyrell's bow?

Also, the description in the Sagittarius class for the Concurrence SLAs is that the character gains them "at night". So I was hopeful that, in the last echoes of nighttime, Tyrell could gain Cure Light Wounds as his chosen SLA, for some last-ditch insurance if/when someone gets hurt. Lemme know if that's okay.
 