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Whisper unleashed the sphere that detonated into a full web between two trees, ensnaring the advancing elven zombies,

The pair knocked arrows to elven bows and fired on Whisper, plugging him with elfin sheaf arrows (-13 hp dmg) the second which sunk shaft deep into Whisper's left lung (critical) the mage collapsed on the ground leaning against a tree, vomiting up gratuitous bouts of his own blood and feeling himself grow cold his vision blurred.

The mage, gasping for breath looked down and saw the metallic scarab had removed the arrows by severing them with its mandibles then surgically extracting them, it then sprayed some sort of soothing clear liquid on his terrible wounds and stitched them closed (+3 hp restored)

Nym ran toward Karlene, who was freed from the invisible wire around her ankle, and plucked a pair of hand xbows from his belt.

Valtor said 'don't die yet, lad' and stepped into a disc of pulsating azure light, and the dimension door closed behind him and he appeared behind the pair of elf-zombies.

DECISION

Is Karlane free to act?

Reeling from the arrow wound and with few spells that would be of use against elves or undead Whisper cast invisibility.

Plan is to cast and move 10 or 15' backwards and remain quiet and still for at least a turn.

ROUND 2: the party gains the upper hand.

Whisper chanting beneath his breath 'mulgroth nyrazmog lyrigmik gol' faded from existence and moved back 10', behind a tree.

BAM! The mage saw himself running through a thick wood, not so dissimilar to this one, being hotly pursued by a flock of assassins from the city of his birth, Tunis. He was dressed much differently in the raignment of a true rogue. You see yourself making elaborate traps in some ruins, digging pits and filling them with spears, or tripwires here and there. After two more days of cat and mouse, you gave them the slip and left the woods.

Valtor unleashes a spell sending a spectral hand flying toward Elven zombie #1 the hand grasped the Elf by the throat and appeared to siphon some of its vitality, if it had any into itself. The big bellied elven mage appeared to absorb this as the hand had the added benefit of a vampiric touch spell laced upon it.

Nym levitated upward toward the enemy mage above, firing at the black haired wizard and hitting him once with a dart sized crossbow bolt that apparently did little more than irritate the crazy wizard. The drow struck him twice with damning precision, the first bolt thudded into the wizards chest, and the second into his stomach region. Yet it did not seem to hurt or concern the magic-user in the slightest.

Karlene: actions?

Azonia: : hurls a javelin at Elven zombie #1 the projectile piercing the elf in the chest. Her second javelin went wide and pierced the tree directly behind it instead.

The Elsmyrian advanced and sneered 'you shalt not steal my glory, black elf!' she roared, getting ready to hurl one of her flying kuri-swords.

Karlane soaks some cloth in water and ties it over her mouth and then sets out to look for the roots of the yellow musk creeper and to then destroy them.
(Wind Walk is in effect for another 11 hours or so.)

As Karlene flies she follows a trail of what appears to have been previously zombies which have collapsed and died, devoured inside by some type of plant that burst out of their heads.

She see's a hideous tree just an arrow shot distant, where it has a young female drow elf in its clutches and its tendrils have penetrated the dark elf's head and are slithering deeper into the holes it has created there.

As you draw near it shoots a stream of spores at you! The spores miss you as you flew above them and landed on a branch. Just then, the female drow elf is released, and with a look of pure hate levitates through the air toward you, a shortsword in one hand and a evil looking whip in the opposite.

The dark elf's whip flies out and slashes across Karlene with violent fury (-12 hp dmg) will check: 18 failure having lost a great deal of blood Karlene's eyes became filled with crimson red light and her eye-teeth elongated, she flew at the drow-elf in a fury Grabbing the drow by the throat, she inserted her fangs deep into her exposed neck (-6 hp damage) her tongue lapping up blood as if sentient. The female dark elf's eyes bulged and looked as if she wanted to scream, but couldn't. Karlene, even under control of her vampirc heritage saw the plant vines in its brain slither deeper within its host.

For the first time Karlene felt a beautiful delirium wash over her as the female drow's powerful lifeblood was in her, warming her powerfully. She began seeing things, images and visions she couldn't understand. She began hearing voices on other continents and realizing secrets that lay beneath the earth. Then releasing the drow elf the female she-elf fell some 25 below and struck her head hard on a rock and was rendered unconscious.

Karlene is possessed with blood frenzy.

If Karlane has any measure of control she will attack the plant's roots. Otherwise you may as well finish the scene.

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Feedback:
Even given that a zombie (INT 0) can detect Karlane, effectively detect invisible, and ignoring that zombies are usually slow (go last)invisible, I think 12 dam from a whip (normally 1d2 damage) is rather overdoing it.
In passing, yellow musk zombies in Hackmaster, based on 2nd Ed, don't get bonuses for high stats..
As an afterthought, do zombies actually have any blood?

these aren't normal zombies, they're a type of special zombie, which aren't true undead more like mind-controlled undead and retain their natural abilities they held in life. Think invasion of the body snatchers. If they had been ordinary zombies they wouldn't even have attacked Karlene.

(20, critical: 78%) flying downward Karlene brought her mace on the thick root of the tree, immediately it was emblazoned with scorching white fire that completely consumed it, the fire turned the tree into a husk of black ash that crumbled away by the wind.

Immediately the two elves ensnared in Whisper's web, whose eyes had been milk white reverted to normal color, and they appeared to regain their sanity.

She saw above the black haired mage wearing makeup his left hand ignited with white electrical discharge and was covered in an aura of electricity as he touched Nym, but the electrical energy dwindled when it came into contact with the dark elf, as his magic resistance protected him from its effects. With a swift, elegant stroke the drow elf slashed the crazy looking wizard across his left leg, and he fell before the dark elf crying in self pity 'please, spare me...and I will worship you, my black skinned pointy eared devil!'

Nym looked perplexed but peered down at you 'what should I do with this one?' he asked you, his curved drow sword pressed tight against the magic-users neck.

Chris1234 wrote:{OOC: Need guidance of the bloodlust thing. How long does that go on? Is Karlane compelled to go attack others? Consume a certain number of HP of life-force? Or can she cast a spell? Or..?}

For 1-4 rounds if she fails a WIS check, if she passes said check at 1/2 (need 8 or below) she is consumed by the lust for 1-4 rounds until she regains at least 4 hp worth of blood. She will attack friend or foe.

You cannot cast a spell and you are under the DM control during the frenzy.

While looking at you, the black haired mage rolled out from under Zym's blade and leaped off the high branch, eerily floating toward you and landing right before Karlene. He waved a dismissive hand toward you, and his eyes sparkled full of some sort of mischief, 'peace, Karlene. You have passed your first test, ordained by the order of Lor. It was to see how well you would do in a stressful situation. It was also a test of courage, as you obviously did not cower under the presence of an eye tyrant, illusory or not' he added in a smooth, nasally but articulate voice. There was a mixture of madness and delight, mischief and caprciousness to the mage's eyes that came all at once. He howled in some peculiar sound of pleasure, then chanted swiftly clasping a hand on you 'Lor restore this sweetest of your servants' and you felt yourself healed (+10 hp restored). He said 'your second test is coming, you will face it ere long. Be gladdened of heart, Lor only tests those he most loves'

"And your name, Mage? What of that?" replies Karlane, not ready to take any flannel from someone unnamed.

'I'm Uriel of House Hule, and you are Karlene of House Telemvor. We met once, when we were children in the royal palace gardens. We played hide and seek, and you kissed me on the cheek because I found you near the statue of Lor. You comforted me when the other children made me cry, and gave me a blood flower. I never forgotten that. And now you're frolicking in the woods crashing through life like a romping cavalier! You have grown beautiful, my sweet little lost lamb. He hands you something, a figurine depicting a gray panther, 'you lost this in the gardens when you played there, I kept it as a reminder. Your father gave it to you when you were ten years old. I was jealous thats why I stole it, my father never gave me shit except broken ribs and black eyes'

"Well, Uriel of House Hule, everything one seems to know more of my business than I do. I have not forgotten you no shall I and I weep inside for what was done to you and the likes with in the world but I cannot mend everything," Karlane paused. "I forgive you for the theft. But do not repeat it. Now I shall give you a choice. I shall either give the panther back to you or place a kiss on your other cheek. Which one was that, by the way? You need to choose now, and then you can tell me one thing that I do not know but which may prove useful to me in the future."

Uriel said 'I know nothing of your business, only that I was to test you. They paid me a great deal, my family is impoverished right now. I'll take that kiss, here's your toy back. The thing that you do not know is that Lor has assigned a special task for you to create a special weapon he made long ago, but was held in high secret. He calls it Golem armor, made of living adamantium.

Karlane points to something imaginary behind a wide tree and pulls Uriel in to give him the proffered kiss out of sight of the rest of the group.

Things start to slot into place in her mind: the Whats; but not the Whys.

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Do 'Golem armor' or 'living adamantium' mean anything to Karlane? Obscure Knowledge (16)