Riverveins

[hedgeknight]

By Death's Cold Hand...Rats Running?

Following Judas outside, Yarl overhears Money's explanation of the shitfest that is going on tonight...and Yarl doesn't know what to do. Finally, with all eyes turned to him, he says, "Whatever is out here isn't as bad as whats inside. The undead is coming... We gotta get the fuck outta here."

Judas, having somewhat composed himself and relieved he hasn't shit his pants...yet, responds, "Money said the Den is burning. Where are we gonna go? Do we split up and make our way back or do we...?"

"We could go back through the tunnels," says Pax who has followed the others out. "At least we have some boats there." Huddled around the doors to the hospital are the remaining Rats on this side of the river:
Crying Cyrus, Slick Will, Brand, Buster, Pax, Skipper, Dancer, Skye, Mouse, Bobbi, Trueshot, Money, and a few others.
"I say we run...back to the Den and slaughter whoever is responsible for torching it!" Buster growls. "There's plenty of more blood to spill tonight."
"I like that plan. What do you think, Blacktongue? Judas asks, sweat running down his face.

"Where's Oak and Cookie?" Trueshot asks.

[Computer +1]

"Where's Oak and Cookie?" Trueshot asks.

Yarl feels a shiver run through his spine. Fuck! They was with us... He looks back at the hospital door and something hardens in his heart. He looks at each member of the Rats, the only family he has ever had, and he makes a decision. We can't stay here, with the Fist or the Faithless are gonna fuck us eventually. The tunnels is shit but its the best chance now. True is in charge, Judas back him up. You all get your asses outta here an' get to Rivington. Hole up someplace but don't go to the Den! Easton knows what to do, get out of there. Dens' just a shit hole, its the crew that matters. We gotta stay alive so we can ram our boots up Stick's ass for what he done.

Yarl unsheathes his short sword and he feels a wave of resolve. I'm gunna get Cookie and Oak. Cookie is Rats and Oaks Rivington like us.
.

[dmw71]

Completely oblivious to what is happening behind him, Oak feels an instant of relief as he drags Cookie into the room filled with patients. Holding an index finger up over his mouth as he maintains eye contact with the acolyte, Oak approaches her quickly and quietly.

"Please," he begs in a whisper. "Remain absolutely silent."

Pointing to one of the beds where the occupant is completely draped with a sheet. "Dead, right?" he says rhetorically. "Living dead!" he points in the direction of the basement. "I.... I.... I just --"

"I don't know if they're attracted to sound or if this exercise in silence is for nothing, but we really need to try to avoid detection."


While hopeful, he grips his rapier and withdraws it from its sheath. Just in case.

"Stay. Here." he quietly demands of Cookie. "You stay with this nice lady, for just a minute." He draws the lass' hand into the hand of the acolyte and makes sure their hold on each other persists once he draws his own hand away. "You," he starts, directing his words at the acolyte. "Please keep a watch on her; I'll be right back."


Without waiting for confirmation, Oak begins to move with extreme caution back towards the entrance to the room he entered moments earlier, looking to gain some perspective on the current situation and the relative safety of their current position.


Rolls

---

Stealth: [1d20+5]=10+5=15

---

[hedgeknight]

By Death's Cold Hand...

Yarl gives orders to his remaining Rats and heads back into the church.
He enters and hurries through the nave and into the long haul that leads to the rooms where the sick are cared for; at the far end of the hallway is the stairwell descending into the basement...and the undead.
There are several rooms all along the hallway; many of the doors are closed, but one or two are open. Yarl hears a howl of agony at the far end of the hall, and sees the young priest Tobias, literally crawling on all fours! Seeing Yarl, the priest tries to say something, but all that comes out of his mouth is a gurgled scream.
Behind the young priest, at the top of the stairs, comes the reason he is trying to get away...

Zombies.jpg (27.75 KiB) Viewed 801 times

In the room, Oak persuades the acolyte to silence...but he can't control the sick and dying. Their groans and moans are infinitely loud and any minute, he expects the door to burst open and the undead to enter. Cookie shivers and wraps her arms around him. "Don't go, Oak! Don't leave me!" she begs.
Oak tells her to stay with the acolyte and charges the woman to protect her. He then draws his rapier and steps out into the hall. Twenty feet away, Yarl steps into view...and down the hall, he hears the screams of the...undead.

[Computer +1]

Ok, I need some details.
How far away is Tobias? How close to him are the undead? How many zombies does Yarl see?
Could I get a drawing to show the layout, even its its crappy on a napkin?

Also, do zombie bites in D&D cause victims to become zombies like in the movies?


edited after Dave's post

[dmw71]

Oak spies Yarl... then hears the terrifying sounds that follow closely behind.

"Yarl!" he yells quickly, but loudly, and only a single time. He waves his arms until he's certain Yarl detects him, then he darts back into the room.

He quickly reclaims Cookie's hand. "Are there any other ways out of here?" he asks of the acolyte, trusting she will be familiar with the structure's layout. "A back door, maybe?"

"We need to get out of here."

[hedgeknight]

Ok, I need some details.
How far away is Tobias? How close to him are the undead? How many zombies does Yarl see?

Most of your answers are in my post from last Saturday. In the pic are three zombies, here may be one or two more behind Tobias, but the lighting isn't great and those are definite. And from Saturday's post...

Twenty feet away, Yarl steps into view...and down the hall, he hears the screams of the...undead.

Oak calls out to Yarl and then darts back into the room, hurrying to the acolyte. As he takes Cookie's hand, he asks about other exits in the hospital. "A back door, maybe? We need to get out of here."
The acolyte hesitates and then finally says, "I can't abandon my patients...but there is another way out besides the front and back. Across the hall is the rector's room and there is a a short hallway leading to an outside door in a garden; it is for potential patients or patrons to enter privately. You know how patrons are. It should be unlocked."

Yarl stands frozen by the scene in the hallway after Oak calls out to him only a few strides away. Down the hall 30' or so, crawls Tobias...with the zombies close on heels.

Actions?

[Computer +1]

Yarl charges the group of zombies with a roar. RRRRAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!
He goes all out hoping to give the young priest, and hopefully Oak and Cookie time to get away.
FUCK swing with his club

YOU!! swing with his short sword.


Sorry, I am a visual person. Its easier for me to see it

[hedgeknight]

Sorry, I am a visual person. Its easier for me to see it

Turn that frown upside round, my friend. No apologies necessary. I, too, am a visual person.

Out in the corridor, Oak hears Blacktongue's battle cry!

[dmw71]

Turning to the acolyte. "You --" Oak starts. "You keep her --" he continues, nodding at Cookie. "-- and yourself alive. Do whatever you need to do."


"Forgive me," he says quietly to Cookie, making sure to not meet her eyes.

Then, without pause, he bolts towards the door and the sound of Yarl.

He allows an uncharacteristic yell to escape his lips as he raises his rapier and charges into the fray, poking the nearest threat with the sharp end of his weapon.


Rolls

---

Attack with Rapier: [1d20+3]=11+3=14, [1d8+1]=4+1=5 Piercing

---

[hedgeknight]

Hallway of Death!

Charging into the zombies, Yarl Blacktongue hopes to give the young priest and Oak a chance to escape. His club knocks the rotted teeth out of the mouth of a zombie, and his short sword cleaves a gash in the creature's chest. But it still stands and reaches out with blackened talons in an attempt to grab Yarl...but he manages to avoid the zombie's claws.

Oak leaves Cookie screaming his name and darts into the hall of death with his rapier in hand. A zombie sees him and moves forward and he skewers the creature in the chest! But the undead doesn't even slow down...in fact, it raises a rotting hand and smashes Oak in the side of the head!
Zombie attack: [1d20+3]=20+3=23 [1d6+1]=4+1=5
Critical hit: [1d6]=2


Actions!
Yarl - down 6 hp
Oak - has 7 hp
Cookie - has 6 hp
Trueshot down 4 hp

[Computer +1]

That pin-sticker ain't worth shit! Grab the priest and get the fuck outta here!!! Yarl screams at Oak as he continues to wack at the zombie in front of him.
Yarl does his best to target the head of the zombie with a chop of his short sword


Followed by a overhead swing with his club

[hedgeknight]

Hallway of Death...And a Child Shall Lead Them

That pin-sticker ain't worth shit! Grab the priest and get the fuck outta here!!! Yarl screams at Oak, and then wades back into the zombies stumbling toward him. He slashes a zombie's head, lopping off an ear and half of its jaw. He follows that with an overhead smash of his club...but the hellish creature still comes at him!
With blackened fingers, the zombie reaches for Yarl, but he knocks it aside, backing away.
Suddenly, Yarl realizes something has him by the leg and he looks down to see the young priest, Tobias, seemingly pulling himself up from the bloodied floor. But...to Yarl's horror, he realizes Tobias is missing his legs, and the lower part of his torso is a mangled mess!
Maniacal laughter echoes down the hall and Yarl tears his eyes away from the priest and looks to see the hooded Necromancer standing at the top of the stairs. Beside the man is Dr. Killem...or rather, what used to be the good doctor, and at his feet is a twisted version of Jarro the hound.
The Necromancer lifts his arms and loudly proclaims, "I claim this place in the name of my masters, the Dead Three!"

And then Yarl screams in pain as the zombie, Tobias, bites a chunk out of his lower thigh!


Another scream erupts through the hallway...as Cookie bursts from the room! She dashes behind Yarl and to the closest door on the left side of the hall, and pushes it open. "Oak! Yarl! Come on!" she cries.

Actions!
Yarl - down 9 hp
Oak - has 7 hp
Cookie - has 6 hp
Trueshot down 4 hp

[Computer +1]

Aside from occasionally begging for scraps from a temple, religion has not been a part of Yarl's life. The Gate can be unforgiving for an half orc orphan and life on the street taught Yarl to be tough and mean. He was too busy trying to stay alive to waste time praying to a god who may not listen.
Today, on a deep level, when Yarl sees the Necromancer he wishes he had a god to call to.

Yarl breaks away from the zombies and shoves Oak in the direction of Cookie. They don't have any other choice, what can you do against the living dead?....

[dmw71]

"What the --" Oak reacts as he spots Tobias and his new condition. "I... there's nothing... I..." he mutters, unable to move for an instant.

"I might know a way out!" he yells loudly, looking to make sure Yarl, who may be a bit preoccupied at the moment, hears him. "Follow me!"


With that, Oak quickly scans the immediate area for two things, in order:

1. Cookie and the acolyte, and
2. the rector's room, where the acolyte mentioned the side exit.

Once he identifies both, he flees.

[hedgeknight]

Hospital of Death > Run Away!

Another scream erupts through the hallway...as Cookie bursts from the room! She dashes behind Yarl and to the closest door on the left side of the hall, and pushes it open. "Oak! Yarl! Come on!" she cries.

"What the --" Oak reacts as he spots Tobias and his new condition. "I... there's nothing... I..." he mutters, unable to move for an instant.
Yarl doesn't budge either...he is too busy wondering why he never believed in a god to pray to...because he sure as hell could use one right now!
Then suddenly both are moving.
"I might know a way out!" Oak yells loudly, as Yarl tries to shake off Tobias to keep the undead priest from taking another bite out of his leg...but the Kingpin of the Rivington Rats cannot dislodge the corpse! Strength check: [1d20+6]=3+6=9

"Follow me!" Oak hollers again, while Cookie is frantically waving and holding the open door to the rector's room. "Hurry!"

Oak and Yarl rush through and Cookie slams the door, plunging the room into shadowy darkness; the only light in the room comes from the window looking out into the garden. The glare from the street lamps casts a greenish pallor across the room...and is the perfect backdrop for...
"ARRGH!" Yarl screams as Zombie-Tobias gnaws a big chunk of flesh from his lower rib-cage!



Actions!
Yarl - down 15 hp
Oak - has 7 hp
Cookie - has 6 hp
Trueshot down 4 hp

[dmw71]

Now on the other -- "safe" -- side of the closed door, Oak presses his back firmly against it, looking to keep any additional unwanted visitors out.

At the same time, he processes what is happening in their current situation:

Yarl is being eaten by Tobias.

"Get off!" he scolds as he jabs his rapier at the entity that used to be their companion. His reluctant strike is true, but weak, as the rogue really can't muster the strength or stomach to inflict grievous bodily harm against someone he knew.

---

Rolls

Attack with Rapier: [1d20+3]=13+3=16, [1d8+1]=1+1=2 Piercing

[Computer +1]

GET THE FUCK OFF MEEEEE! Yarl screams as he hammers down with the club.


He smashes the pommel of his short sword into the zombies head trying desperately to pry the thing off him.


Not sure what to roll for damage as its not the blade. I will leave it up to DM discretion.

[hedgeknight]

Hospital of Death > Rector's Room

Hearing Yarl's cry of pain, Oak realizes, to his horror, that Tobias is trying to eat him! Oak jabs at Zombie Tobias with his rapier, but in his weakened state it doesn't do much damage. Yarl, however, has no trouble with such.

GET THE FUCK OFF MEEEEE! Yarl screams as he hammers down with the club, busting the side of the zombie's head, leaving it hanging onto his leg with one arm...which he neatly severs with a downward stroke of his sword!

Staggering back the pair note the zombie which used to be the handsome young priest is no longer moving at all; finally he rests in death.

The room is quiet except for heavy breathing from the trio, but that only lasts a few seconds...until the door to the rector's room shudders, and pounding from the outside threatens to crash it inward!
There is a door at the end of a short hallway just past the windows showing the garden outside. It looks like it may lead out into the alley.
The door to the rector's room shudders again...and again.

[dmw71]

Lacking words, Oak just grips Cookie's hand -- tightly -- and rushes towards the door at the end of the hallway, peering through the windows to try and gauge the relative safety of the upcoming exit.

Once at the door, he listens carefully for a brief moment, but if he deems it safe, he rushes through it and into the garden.


There, he'll assess his new situation before determining how to proceed, or where to go.