“Y’know, Gentle Repose seems like a good idea.”
Stella looked up from her spellbook and ink. She had been unsure if copying new spells from the spoils other adventurers had brought back was an acceptable use of her time, as she had not been doing much adventuring lately. The gravely voice of the orc wizard in front of her surprised her, but did not startle her–an unsteady quill is a scholar’s first hurdle, even if their letters are unreadable to anyone not writing them. Alrik was a more experienced adventurer than Stella, and as such the two had seldom interacted before, but were not unfriendly by any means. “Well, that settles it, then. I was between choosing Gentle Repose and Alter Self, but if my superior suggests…” and she reached for the portion of the old spellbook where she’d glanced at Gentle Repose. Over the course of copying the spell down together, Alrik and Stella got to talking, and essentially decided, spur of the moment, to go investigate some parts of the map that needed a little more information. Close to the vampire’s castle, but not going into the forest. After all, just two wizards going into the undead woods? Sounds like the start of a bad bard’s routine.
They departed for the Crowsong County area, looking for a place to cross the River. Unfortunately, as one might expect, they got lost. North, then back southeast, trying to avoid the forest and the Vampire Amathea. Thankfully, they encounter nothing of note to hinder their travels. So, they brace themselves, and try again to navigate the wilderness and scout the area.
There is no real way to describe their excursion other than “critical failure”, because of course two wizards had no way of navigating properly. Despite their intentions, Alrik and Stella found themselves not just in the undead forest, but fighting several undead creatures. Skeletons, led by a stronger wight. A fight ensues.
The skeletons have health draining magic arrows. Stella casts Mirror Image. Alrik casts fireball and eviscerates two skeletons. Wight shoots a heavy crossbow, one of Stella’s duplicates is destroyed. Shoots again, another duplicate down. Skeletons advance and shoot, and miss Alrick but hit Stella. Stella casts mage armor, ducks behind the stone (and Alrick). Alrick pops out, firebolts a skeleton, then heducks back behind the rock. The wight chases Alrik and tries to Drain Vitality with Nasty Dark Magic, but fails. Stella shocking grasps the Wight, and runs toward the trees. Alrick also runs, since the Wight cannot react.
The situation looks rough, but not dire just yet. The wight gives chase, and lands a critical hit with its sword on Alrik. Swings and hits again, and also tries again to steal Alrik’s life with Dark Yucky Magic. Thankfully, fails again. Skeleton shoots Alrik, and he falls unconscious.. Stella rushes over and administers healing potion to unconscious Alrik, and, for some reason, sprints back towards the skeletons instead of away from them. Alrik stands up, and runs away. Wight goes for Stella, swings with sword twice and misses. Drain Vitality finally connects. Stella loses health, Wight regains some, and Stella has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than Wight. Skeletons shoot. One at Alrik, one at Stella. Alrik’s Mage Armor protects him, but Stella gets hit. Misses a Shocking Grasp, turns to run. Gets hit in the back by the Wight, badly. Runs and then Misty Steps deeper behind trees, hoping to escape, or at least get some distance. Alrik Magic Missile, one Skeleton dies, the Wight stays standing.
Alrik and Stella barely escape, fleeing in opposite directions, hoping to quickly regroup. Mercifully, they make it a safe distance away, find each other, and a place to take a short rest.
Slightly embarrassed at their blundering attempts at exploration, yet very aware of their mortality and fragility, Stella and Alrik decide to try one last time to get to where they were hoping to explore, and get lucky, despite the trickiness of the forest. They encounter another group of undead milling about, but since they get the drop on them, manage to avoid the undead.
It was at this point, it was an unspoken agreement to rest for the night, and just head back home alive, if possible. During their rest, they are beset by two shadows, and make an exercise in stress relief out of obliterating the two weak undead. In the morning, they cross the fields and river and make it somehow back to civilization safely.
As they crest the small hill approaching the Rest, Stella give Alrik a meaningful look.
“You were right, Alrik…
Gentle Repose seems like a good idea.”
