De mortuis nil nisi bonum.
I don’t know why I feel compelled to write down my life; maybe it will help Zym, maybe it will help me, but it must be told.
At the age of ten, Rony� was on a fishing trip with his father. On their return, they found an orc war party outside of their village. Dad was part of the town guard, and sent his son to get aid as he went to alert the village, but the orcs killed almost everyone. Rony� went to Eliastraee’s temple for help; they came, but were too late. Rony� found his dad headless.
He went to live at the temple. One of the drow priestesses took him in like a son; she also had a son that was a toddler. She taught Rony� the language of Undercommon, and how to survive. Everything was good for five years. He learned to be a fighter, he frolicked, he fished, and he also grew attached to Zym, Shandel’s true son. Then, horror came back into his life.
One day while he and Zym were fishing, the orc war band attacked the temple. When they returned, they found the temple on fire. Rony� hid Zym, then ran into the burning temple. Yelling for Shandel, he navigated the burning halls to get to the sanctuary. There, what he found still wakes him from his sleep in cold sweats.
Upon entering the chamber, he saw slaughtered men, women, and children all about, some burning, some headless. The altar was desecrated. He yelled out, “Shandel!” ...no one answered. He yelled, “Eilistraee, help me!” then heard a groan coming from near the altar.
He went over to the corner, only to see Shandel, the one he called Mother for years, lying with her gut slashed open, her entrails falling out, trying to call to him. Rony� rushed to her side, not knowing what to do.
“Rony�... you are safe. Where is Zym?”
“He is hiding,” replied Rony�.
“Keep him safe.....” she said, as the life oozed out of her body. “Love, laugh, and live,” said the holy symbol on her neck. Rony� took that symbol and rushed to Zym as the fire engulfed the temple.
As Rony� emerged from the inferno of what used to be the temple, Zym was standing there, looking at an orc that was about to cut him down. He yelled, “Rony�!” With that, Rony� leaped at the orc in an instant. He pulled his kukri and slashed the throat of the orc. Dropping his axe and clutching his throat, the orc dropped to his knees. Rony� stood and watched as the orc bled to death. Zym also watched the orc.
Rony� looked the dead orc over; he found a symbol on his tunic and memorized it. Then, Rony� grabbed Zym and ran to their safe place, a cave in the hills close to the temple. There they spent the night. Neither could sleep, so they talked. They have never told anyone what was said. In the morning, they set off to find the carriers of the symbol.
Rony� hires himself out as a mercenary.
Character sheet: Rony� [Human Fighter]
Zym [Half-Drow Child]
Cause of deaths: Newly recruited into Pommeville’s town guard.
After we entered the town my wife and I walked to what looked like an inn. After brief consultation, we decided to eat and stay the night. Nosila and I sat in a corner booth. The food was good. The potatoes were fried. After a second helping of potatoes and a large mug of ale, I grew rather bored. My wife had begun a strange rambling about little ones. Definitely scared of the conversation, I decided to change the subject.
Eyeing a short little gnome female walking across the bar area, I decided to play a prank. I took one of my potato wedges and shot it across the room with the flat of my Kukri. Ubtao was feeling the mischief in me as my potato bounced squarely off of her forehead. I nearly bit my tongue off holding back the laughter.
Since no response was offered, I let fly another potato with the same results. This time the gnome actually started moving her hands and giggling. Right then, a six plus foot potato man was standing beside me and Nosila. Not to let the oppurtunity slip by, Nosila quickly sliced a large piece of him off and started to eat him.
Excited by this new form of dinner, I quickly threw a handful of salt on him and started to cut off one of his legs. It wiggled and fought back, but we subdued our new dinner treat. Just as we were to dig in, the potato man disappeared. Bringing a large round of laughter in the bar area. Then there were screams for help emanating from our newly filled bellies. While strange, this was hardly reason to be concerned. It wasn’t as if it was one of the war rituals and another tribesman’s spirit was loose in our bellies.
Sensing the gnome had something to do with our meal’s disappearance, we argued with her a while to bring him back. Though no avail. Growing tired of the games, we decided to try out this thing called a bed. After the arrival to our room we quickly undressed and dove headlong into these wonderfully soft things the servant had called sheets.
Having been a long day, I was weary beyond belief. Plus there was all of that rambling about little ones fresh in my mind . I remember how old my brother had gotten after the appearance of his first little one. Heck, then he just mumbled to himself and sulked a lot by the time the third one had arrived in his life.
I rolled over quickly and pretended I was asleep. This marriage thing was absolutely risky. She does smell awful good, though. So I rolled over and hugged Nosila as I truly fell asleep.
I awoke to a nude Nosila screaming and fighting a zombie who was trying to force himself through the doorway. Leaping out of the bed, bare to the world, I grabbed the zombie and forced him across the hallway and into the far wall. There were definitely cracking noises as the zombie’s body bounced back off the wall very hard.
Screams were everywhere. People in their nightclothes, fighting with the undead monsters that seemed to be everywhere. We made a good fighting team, Nosila and I. Quickly we handled the undead in our area and were helping out the other guests in the inn. All seemed to be rather amazed at our fighting skill. It was amazing how they stopped and stared as we fought with every foe.
Feeling a burst of uncontrol come over me, I chased an angry dwarf with an axe downstairs and out into the street. He was, of course, chasing more undead. By the time I was outside, I was absolutely berserk.
Grabbing a zombie by the throat I slammed him to the ground. Screaming in a rage-filled voice that even seemed to make the undead shudder and slow in their advance. I grabbed the zombie’s body I had just crushed on the ground and started bashing others to pieces with it.
A large group of town’s guards passed by, yelling that everyone was holing up in the temple till morning. We should follow, someone shouted. Fully beserked, I couldn’t have left if I tried. Blood boiled in my eyes and I yelled I would hold the lane so the others could escape.
The dwarf joined me with a look of glee in his eyes. My wife moaned and begged me to run. I just held my ground, and asked her to go get our gear. She slipped away rapidly to oblige me. I crushed a rather large zombie’s skull and noted that that one was for my wife.
As Nosila returned, the battle was turning grim. The dwarf and I were growing haggard and were extremely outnumbered. The extremely short person who had been helping us from behind with his arrows was trying his best, but his arrows weren’t doing enough damage to turn the tide.
She handed my Kukri and begged me to leave as she saw the blood running from my many wounds. I turned to tell her no, and saw a terrific gouge in her side running blood openly. With a quick thrust with my kukri I wheeled and pushed her away from the fray. I then swung one more time and ran for my gear.
After grabbing my gear, I seemed totally drained. It was hard to run. So I kept just ahead of the undead chasing us, and slowly donned my gear. Nosila did the same. Amazingly, after our gear was on, it seemed not as many people noticed us.
Dawn had arrived by the time we had retreated to the temple. The little archer guy had pelted them the whole way with arrows. The dwarf had attacked them when he could. I had reached into my pouch and hit them with several oil containers.
As we arrived at the temple, I hollered for them to hit the zombies with fire. When someone shot one of them with a burning arrow, the bunch of them lit up like a bonfire. After entering the temple, a couple of adepts healed our wounds. There was a quick and curt round of introductions, and then we took up a defensive position around the temple entrance.
As the dawn became the full light of day, the undead started to retreat. Shambling along as they went, I decided it was time for Nosila and I to have a little fun. Racing after the stragglers, we dropped several undead along the way, to what seemed to be a meeting point for them at the cemetery.
Here, a large circle had formed and a wild-eyed undead priest was screaming at some villagers that the undead had captured. He quickly grabbed one by the head. The villager screamed, and then died. By the time he had reached the second villager, all of the town guard had arrived as well as the other guests who me had met in the inn and temple.
Hearing the second one’s death scream sent us into action. Pulling up my Kukri, I charged into the throng of undead.
My eyes glazed wildly as the first one fell. Then I saw my wife run around the battle and attack the crazed cleric by herself. I thrust at a zombie and quickly charged after her. The dwarf was yelling as he ran directly into the zombies towards the evil cleric.
I cut a zombie nearly in half as he crumpled to the ground. My wife was standing over the lifeless body of the cleric.
Dropping to my knees in exhaustion, I watched in disbelief as a large green light shot out of the cleric’s mouth and flew off to the north. Laying my head to the ground, I heard many voices muttering that we should follow that light and destroy it before it came back to the village.
A soft hand reached down and helped me up. I gave Nosila a large bear hug after I stood, and reconfirmed she did smell very good. Taking her hand, I eyed up the gnome in the distance and hollered, “Hungry for some potatoes?”
We travelled through the jungle and to the coastline, then followed it eastward and northward, seeing many new people and places as we went. It has been wonderful, learning about the wider world, especially with my new husband by my side. And it’s a wide world, indeed, with no jungle canopy close around us.
As one evening fell, we reached a small town near the Lake of Steam (a very strong-smelling body of water). The place seemed to be populated by farmers, although we could see a dark and evil-looking tower rising in the distance. Still, it was not near, and the town had an inn, the Green Griffin. I offered to pay for dinner and a room, so Charzth and I settled down in the common room to watch new people.
The place was mostly full of farmers, relaxing after a long day’s work. There were some other races, too - all of them shorter than us! I pointed to the halfling, standing in his chair to reach his plate(s), and the dwarf at the bar, and the gnome with the funny-colored hair. Charzth decided to flip potatoes off his kukri at the poor gnome, who luckily didn’t seem to mind too much.
Suddenly, a giant potato appeared behind our chairs! I boggled at it a moment, then gave it a cautious poke. Finding that it was both real, and not attacking us, I happily carved off a slice for my plate. Charzth followed suit. The potato, however, disappeared when the gnome arrived in front of our table. I was very disappointed to see that my plate was empty, too! Charzth, the gnome, and I argued about the disappearance of the critter until a new plate of fried potatoes was served at our table, with “compliments from the halfling” across the room. Potatoes were soon flying over to the halfling in thanks.
The new potatoes, however tasty, had a new twist. Now they screamed when we ate them. The gnome, who was still at our table, seemed disturbed that this didn’t stop us from eating. I explained to her that a lot of the food at home screams, which disturbed her more (though she did stop talking to us like we were children!).
At this point, the door opened, and a female half-elf entered the room, heading right for the bar. She sat next to the dwarf (who had been studiously ignoring the rest of the room in favor of his drink), and they had a quiet chat. Realizing she was wearing some kind of uniform, I quickly stopped Charzth from flinging dinner at her. Instead, we headed upstairs, to a bed-room. I was a little disappointed to find that the window was very small. I’m amazed at the stars we can see at night, now! In Chult, you had to climb for a long time to see them, and even then, they were not so clear. And you never knew what might come flying along to pick you out of the treetop for dinner.
It seemed like we’d hardly gone to sleep, when I woke to the sound of fighting in the hallway. Leaping out of bed and grabbing my kukri (always close at hand), I kicked the door open to see what was the matter. A rotting, smelly undead reached out towards me even as I attacked! I could hear Charzth waking up as I fought the thing, while hearing more than seeing, that more were fighting down the hall.
Charzth charged into the undead, grappling with it and bouncing it off the wall, while a loud *BOOM* filled the hallway! I stabbed the undead with my kukri once more, and Charzth used the now-limp carcass to pummel his way down the hall. I could see the dwarf and the gnome, and more undead, especially the one my husband fought at the end of the hall. Arrows flew from under the bed in that room, hitting both the undead and Charzth. He didn’t seem to notice.. much.
I was soon battling another creature, and I was glad to see that the dwarf seemed to be a cleric. He waved a holy symbol at the things, and some of them turned and shuffled down the stairs, away from the fight. This gave us room to finish off the ones still in the hall. We were soon charging into the streets! Charzth, at this point, was berserk with rage. He was pummelling the things into the ground and throwing them as weapons. The dwarf and I helped, but then the town guard appeared, shouting for everyone to retreat to the town shrine for safety.
I realized that the place was full of zombies, chasing living folk through the town. While they ran for the shrine, the dwarf and Charzth ran down the block to fight the largest concentration of zombies, and give everyone else a chance to escape. I was horrified, and proud! Charzth shouted for his gear, especially torches, and I raced back up the stairs to get our things. I staggered back down the steps, dropped everything but our kukris by the door, and raced to help the dwarf and my husband as they fought a pack of undead. Charzth gladly took his weapon but refused to leave the fight, so I stood my ground with them, hoping he’d soon snap out of his rage.
The dwarf kept trying to turn the zombies, but there were too many, now. Arrows flew into the pack from behind (a quick glance showed me the halfling - was he the one under the bed before?), and the rest of the town seemed to have gone on ahead; we could hear the gnome shouting from a distance. Finally, Charzth broke off his fight after killing the zombie attacking me, and all of us ran for safety. We grabbed our gear and staggered for the shrine, my husband barely on his feet. He still thought to throw his flasks of oil into the crowd behind us, and when we made it to the temple, one of the villagers set the mass ablaze. Thank Ubtao!
I collapsed inside the temple for a moment, watching Charzth, a paladin, and others from the town guard defending us on the steps. Someone healed me, which was a relief, and I sat up to pull on my clothes and armor. I got out my short bow and joined the defenders in the doorway, but they’d decided everyone who was going to had already made it to safety, and barricaded us in for the night.
The gnome, Sprocket, asked the townsfolk about any recent unusual events. She seemed to think that there would be clues as to why the local cemetary had disgorged itself on Midsummer Night’s Eve. I heard something about a cleric on pilgrimage, and the tower or wizard outside of town, but I was more interested in introducing ourselves properly to our other fighting companions. The dwarf was Bryrgar, and the halfling, Roscoe. He’s determined to buy Charzth a drink to apologize for shooting him by mistake. Charzth tried to growl about it, but he wasn’t really mad.
After a few hours, the pounding on the doors stopped. The paladin carefully opened them, and we all saw the remaining undead shuffling back to the graveyard in the early-morning light. The others wanted to get their gear from the inn, and talk about a plan to deal with this abomination, but Charzth wanted to kill more zombies. He headed off after any stragglers, and I headed off after him. We killed a couple before reaching the cemetary, and found a terrible sight!
I was glad Charzth had followed the undead; there were three live human hostages at the cemetary, and a more alert-looking zombie killing them one by one. I shot at it several times, missing, although I think my concentration was a little off from the loud *BOOM* the gnome kept producing. I finally figured out it was a projectile weapon of some kind, when part of the lead zombie was shot off. Still, with Charzth back in a berserk rage and the rest of us wading into the fight, I decided to use my kukri again.
Seeing how outnumbered we were, and that the lead zombie was headed for the last victim, I made a mad dash around the fight and prayed that I had the right idea.. that killing the head zombie would kill or confuse the rest. As I came up behind the thing, a red mist seemed to come over my vision; with a mighty swing, I killed the creature with one blow! As it and the other undead collapsed, we saw a green ball of light streak off to the northeast. As the mist cleared from my sight, I realized that the dwarf was on the other side of the head zombie. No wonder I was able to kill it so quickly!
I gave Charzth a kiss, glad to see that he was all right. I needed a rest, badly, but we agreed that the light had headed for that strange tower, and ought to be checked out. Apparently, Charzth and I have made some new friends!
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