Crimson Sands of Time

The door opens as a gaggle if zombies push and shove squeezing shoulder to shoulder ro flee Sam's divine utterance.

(All flavor,  but they will go to the next room on their turn.)

The scent of decaying plants hangs over an underground garden. White vines, trembling as if touched by an unfelt breeze, twine around cracked pillars that glow with pale light. Between the pillars, ashen flowers, sickly gray shrubs, and giant mushrooms stand in dense groves around a couple of gravel paths.

Many baskets full of plant matter are stacked on shelves carved into the walls near the doors.Twelve unarmed humanoid skeletons wander the area, harvesting plant material in large baskets. As they tear off growths, a crackling sound accompanies an increase in the glow of a nearby pillar, and the harvested plant starts to rapidly regrow.

The skeletons ignore intruders unless they are attacked or damaged, in which case they all attack trespassers in the room.

Two shambling mounds hide in the groves, ignoring the skeletons. 

Dense Garden. Any area within 5 feet of a pillar and not shown on the map as part of the path is difficult terrain.

Tetrevess still has movement for this very round, does he enter the pale garden (room to the south) and if so, how far?

Off in the distance, you hear what seems like the sound of a few high-pitched musical notes. Then it abruptly stops as Tetrevess begins to enter. Trying to locate the source, on second glance, one of the pillars against the southeastern wall is actually a small young oak tree. Its leaves reflect the autumn colors red, gold and green.

You see what appears to be a very small obscured small figure (halfling?) peak out from behind a tree. When she sees the zombies heading toward her, she quickly goes behind the tree, out of sight.

Tetrevess is able to interact with this entity. 

<dialogue is always open with no action cost, so even if it isn't yiur turn, you can chat>

Ethan and Randy are up, still I'm the room full if fleeing zombies (plus that one other zombie)

Tetrevess moves a few feet down the path partway in the forest room, to get away from the vines in the previous room. Ignoring the undead who surge in with him as well as the harvesting undead-  On seeing the small figure,  remains calm, and manages in a friendly voice., “**Hello there!  Come here my little friend.. Don’t be afraid..**” 

Still out of sight and behind a tree, you hear a perfectly in-tune tiny instrument, seemingly magically enhanced by accompanying sounds of nature and the acoustics of this place. She is clearly a gifted musician. She plays 5 notes in sequence. Everyone who can hear this hears the same thing.

“Hello”, the notes seem to say

<Tetrevess Gains Bardic Inspiration: a creature (other than you) within 60 ft. that can hear you gains an inspiration die (1d10). For 10 minutes, the creature can add it to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw. This can be added after seeing the roll, but before knowing the outcome.>

“**Why thank you.  That is… Inspiring.  Nice to hear a friendly tune in this bleak place.  No offense meant if this is your home.  It’s just Ive seen- err.. pleasanter- even in the Abyss...  Err… I’m Tetrevess.  My companions and I are not huge fans of undead.  Again, no offense meant if that’s your thing.  Oh Sorry- still a battle going on… apologies..”

(he glances his attention back to the other room, hopeful that the inspiring tune means the small newcomer means no immediate harm)

(Again, a series of notes sound quietly from some sort of woodwind instrument (perhaps a recorder or flute) from behind the tree the shy unarmed girl continues to remain out of site. In addition, all who hear the music recognize she is trying to convey that she is amiable, yet, there is an alarm like sound to watch for danger.

<enjoying the rp. Wondering about the crew in the room qith all the zombies, though>

(Sorry for the lack of inactivity. Both of us got struck down with stomach flu four days ago. I've recovered from it, but my friend is still in absolute pain, so he asked me to control both characters for the time being or let you bot Randy until he's out of the woods)

Ethan was about to command Randy to unleash hell on the zombies when Sam immediately repels them, causing him and Randy to lower their weapons for the time being. At least until there was a zombie that attempted to attack Sam so Ethan just sighs and moves close to it to finish it off...

29 strike 1, 14 bludgeoning

14 strike 2, 9 bludgeoning

Randy meanwhile rests his cannon on his strongest arm as he watches the zombies create a passageway that he, his brother follow alongside the others. Like Tetrevess, both brothers were taken by surprise when they were met by an unfamiliar sight: A halfling. He watches Tetrevess interact with her for a while but feels a slight gaze on him once the two of them are finished.

"You don't look familiar. You live around here?" The dark skinned Simic Adult muses in a low voice upon meeting the halfling. He doesn't sense any hostility from her, especially after she starts playing a nice, soothing melody, but even so, that doesn't make clear to him if she's a friend or foe. There's no sense in dropping his guards at this moment in time.

Randy still keeps his cannon aimed as he raises an eyebrow at the newcomer and growls. "I hope you're not source of these mucky undeads? We've already caused enough carnage on our side. What's with that weird tune? Are you here to start over and make us repeat history?" And then he gets elbowed in the face by Ethan for this rude remark. "WHAT THE HELL!"

"Maybe when we know these undead are dealt with for good it would be safer to come out in the open, until then thank you for then warning and the nice tune."

Trisk will move over to the doors that the zombies are going through when they went into the other room? Or am I remembering that wrong?

How far is it to the tree that the halfling girl is hiding behind from us? Cab Trisk make it there with 30 feet movement?

(If so then he does head for the tree.)

Undead fortitude DC 14 Con 23

The zombie stumbles to the ground  but, despite the previous damage, stirs, once again (he's at 1hp). The other zombies and wights are still trying to avoid Sam.

Sure,Trisk can make it to the tree. The zombies that were in the south of the room are pushing to get through the south door. This would normally require the tumble through BA which is a Contested acrobatics check between Trisk and the zombie. But in the interest of moving things along, I declare it a success and Trisk moves ahead up to 30ft. (I haven't actually placed the toke. For the girl, so somewhere in there. 

Guess that zombie attacks Ethan this time 9 for 4 bludgeoning

Thise other zombies are stillmfoeeing Sam.

tetrevess holds out a hand and launches a firebolt at the offending zombie (21 to hit, 15 damage) “Sam- how long will these avoid you? Do we need to deal with them?  I’d prefer to keep moving if we don’t.”

16

 Twtrevess' fiery blast destroys the zombie, jts immolated corpse staggering to the ground as it burns.

<moved T slightly for line of sight>

"Maybe we could follow behind them and sort of use them inadvertently as a front line for anything else we might encounter?"

Trisk offers up this meager stratagem in hopes it will inspire someone to come up with a better idea than to follow undead around.

(I'm back. Sorry for the inactivity guys but my stomach was that bad. I should be okay, if not, a little messed up by now)

"That might be a possibility. I was thinking of something similar especially if we encounter the big bad lich first thing in the next chamber. The thing is though, we might not have time before whatever that guy's thing does expires before they turn on us again." Randy speaks up before turning to Sam. "Hey you! Are you able to at least control the direction in whichi they move? Or can you just walk towards them so they walk further away from you and in the direction we're heading next? Either option? Can you do it? You know, like uh... like herding sheep! But instead we're herding zombies and using them as meat shields until they die or your thing runs out! Get what I mean?If you can do that we'll stay directly behind you for its duration!

As Trisk moves toward the tree

You try hard to spot her and find her 15 feet up in the tree. She is perhaps a 6 years old and is a very small and petite girl. Clearly she is not human but a strange mix of Eladrin and other feyfolk. She wears a dirty plain brown torn dress, has long red tangled hair, and is dirty, even perhaps bedraggled. She sits on the branch, swinging her bare grass stained hooves back and forth, smiles, and places a very small flute, a piccolo, to her small red lips.

She continues to play the tiny instrument. She is clearly a gifted musician. She smiles at you while the whimsical music fills the stale air of the vault, her presence here, quite out of place.

Her music produces images in your heads, as the zombies shamble along.

You see silver chains restraining a girl to a tree. Again, the music seems to speak to you,

A scared girl

Alone, hungry, trapped, darkness, forgotten.

(a man’s voice )

“If you will not yield, then here you will stay…..forever.”