laid back apocalypse

(Rocking 5% battery life… But I scratched out the boogers and got the mini edits in. The ghouls first roll was still a 20 on hit without advantage so that one part sticks.)

Keeping his distance from the last known threat Xalkas hurls a fire bolt it’s direction. 

Attack: 12 Damage: 10

Kerric:

Slashing at the one remaining ghoul, Kerric moves down the steps if he takes the last ghoul down, calling to the commoners, “Hold our flank with the grate here!” as he looks for the other ghoul to slice.

Elven Curved Blade:  Attack: 27 Damage: 10

Elven Curved Blade:  Attack: 16 Damage: 16

Up Above and Down Below
R | K | H(P1) | T | E | G4(s) | N | B(P1) | G3 | A | L | O | X

Xalkas’ shot fires completely wide.

Up Above and Down Below
R | K | H | T | E | G4(s) | N | B(P1) | G3 | A | L | O | X

Kerric quickly engages, cutting down the remaining ghoul before him. Without skipping a beat, he continues down the stairs, driving his elven sword into the back of the foe at the base of the stairs.

From his perspective, Crawke sees the blade come through his opponent. It’d shriek and sputter, yet it still stood.

Up Above and Down Below
R | K | H | T | E | N | B | G3(C) | A | L | O | X

Roll Call: Reghys, Hawke, T and Ebele

Crawke takes the hit like a champ, but in turn, gets knocked out of his animal form! Thankfully though, whatever paralysis had come over him seemed to have waned just in time as he begins to scramble for his quarterstaff. He hesitates when he sees the ghoul take two massive hits from a blade of an unknown source, up until he gets up from his place to see a familiar visage.

"Kerric! My knight in shinin' armor! Never thought I'd see your beautiful handsome face again! Seriously I thought I was gonna die down here," He cries, but quickly regains his composure to try to give a whack at the remaining enemy!

Shillelagh on G3 - Attack: 23 Damage: 9

With a hefty thwack, Hawke knocks the ghoul down. Lights out.

Initiative Over!

Kerric:

The fire of combat starting to fade from his eyes, Kerric looks around for more foes and asks, “Are there more?  Where did they come from?”

Once he realizes the immanent threat has passed, Kerric remarks to the inexplicably wet Hawke, “Glad to see you more or less uninjured, Hawke.  Perhaps you should get the others while I keep watch down here…”

T'chal'fronack'zcinicker hefts his crossbow over his shoulder as the fighting is done, and walks over to Hawke to check out the wet man. "Everything ok, you need any healing? Did these things come out of the water then? How far'd you get?"

"Nope!" Hawke answers Kerric confidentially, though the druid passes a worried glance to the water, only to look back to the fighter with a grin. "That should be it. Unless the one that I pulled into the water was playin' dead..." He squints his eyes in suspicion at the thought, then simply shakes his head. "But I didn't see any more while I was swimmin' around down there, so no need to keep any watch."

Hawke perks up at the sound of T'chal's voice, turning his attention to the tiefling. "Probably need some of Belle's healin' hands when we get outta here, but I think I'll be alright." He looks to the water again in thought. "... They could've come from the water, yeah. Saw their butts when I showed up here. Seems like the stream connects here and nowhere else."

T'chal'fronack'zcinicker scratches the side of his head, just under the rim of his hat, "You mean it goes around like a circle?" 

Kerric:

"Did the ghouls come up from out of the water, then? Is there another location upriver we need to explore?" asks Kerric, adding, "I seem to recall some hints that there may be more hidden cultist activity in this area from our questioning of the captured cultists."

Hawke would be able to say with confidence that the scratches he saw under the boats, paired with the wet butts leaving the water, meant that the ghouls did in fact come from the water. It’d be safe to assume that they lie there in wait for unsuspecting boaters.

The stream flows toward daylight to the east (K13) and leads upstream into darkness toward the west (‘Unknown’ Route). 

Hawke shifts his weight on one leg as he cups his chin in thought at the tieflings question, even scrunching his face up a bit. "Mmm, no. Not a circle. I think there's somethin' else..." And thanks to that little itty bitty voice in his head, he remembers something! The hand at his chin slams into a fist in his other open palm, his eyes sparkling as he says, "There's somethin' else west! And! I can say, with confidence, that the ghouls came from the water!" Hawke nods with a wide grin on his face, clearly pleased with himself. "Saw the boats had some scratch marks under 'em, and I didn't see anythin' else in the depths that could've made 'em, sooo..." He trails off, hoping the two could connect the dots themselves. 

"And we, uh, might haveta go down west by boat." His tone goes sheepish. "That... thing got me pretty good and knocked me outta my last animal form."

T'chal'fronack'zcinicker nods, "Hunh. Alright. Well....we are thinking to get in this scratched up zombie attacked boat....and then paddle up this underground river and hope we find something? I dunno. I think we're better off headin back outside and asking around at some other towns for those missin dwarves. I don't think these...water....cultists...would...." his words trail off then he sighs heavily, "....they would...paddle them up an underground river someplace, wouldn't they?"  Looking very uncomfortable he glances at Kerric, "Best take the armor off unless you can breath under water." 

Kerric:

”Eh, I can swim in this armor—it is good quality Elven work, not some inelegant bulky crudeness,” Kerric says with some modicum of confidence.  He looks upriver with the benefit of his darkvision and looks to see what air pockets might be open in the darkness ahead.

With a heavy sigh, T'chal'fronack'zcinicker nods once more. "Ok...well....if people want to go for a nice boat ride...I suppose the prisoners will be fine in the castle without us, now that the cultists are all dead." 

"Marco!” Ebele’s voice calls down the stairs from above. 

Hawke opens his mouth to say something, however, like a dog whose name just got called, Hawke perks up immediately at the sound of Ebele's voice. "Polo!"

T'chal'fronack'zcinicker looks up the stairs then at Hawke pure confusion on his face. "What is happening? Is that some sort of weird human ritual?"   He walks to the bottom of the steps, and shouts up, "Come on down, we're going to go for a boat ride in a crappy little boat, up a dark underground river that I'm sure will not result in any of us drowning." 

When Ebele would hear Hawke call back, she’d smile and feel some relief. They found him. 

“Are you sure Captain?” The monk would call back down to T'chal'fronack'zcinicker. “Is everyone up to snuff before we rock the boat down the moat?” She’d double check.