Zion: Light of the New Moon, Ch 5.2 Bannihar
Zion - Light of the New Moon Chapter 5.2
Bannihar The Zombie Apoc-Fur-Lypse
The Banniharian Caravan is stopped on the road when they find what appears to have once been refugees... but all that remains now is a ruined line of wagons and dead bodies. What could possibly have happened? A bigger question however is what will they do about it?
Lord Raes, Iskiy, and Kayte were among the first to respond to the warning from the watch. Sebastian came swooping in overhead with Alexander in hot pursuit. Following quickly after them was Elias and several dozen guards. All came to a stop as they gazed down the slight embankment at the side of the road where churned tracks in the dirt led down to several overturned wagons. "Merciful goddess..." Kayte whispered, gazing down at the numerous bodies strewn about around the site of the disaster.
"What happened here?" Elias questioned, glancing at Iskiy "Other than wagons going off the Highway, I mean."
"It's hard to tell just yet." the antlered wolf responded, moving to the edge of the Highway. The wilderness on either side of the road was at a lower altitude than the path itself; a long 30' slope led down the 20' to ground level. Iskiy looked down the sharp grade and slowly extended a foot out. Moving his weight toward the slope, Iskiy extended his paws for balance and slid smoothly down the loose gravel, stumbling only at the very end when he reached the bottom.
"We won't be able to get the wagons back up the incline." Roarg announced, watching as a good amount of the scree followed the scout down to the bottom.
"Alright," Lord Raes acknowledged, "See what you can find out." he motioned for six more scouts to follow after Iskiy; Roarg joined them and they slowly picked their way down the slope. The commander then turned to Priestess Delier, "We can at least gather up the bodies and give them final rights."
Kayte nodded at that, "I have holy water in my wagon." she confirmed, "I'll bless each of them, and then if we can get enough wood for a pyre, we--" but she was interrupted by the sound of a scream; back down the hill, one of the bodies rose up from the ground and had torn its teeth into a scout's neck.
"CORPSE!" shouted another scout, pointing to the mobile body, but he was soon focused more on his own predicament as another Corpse stood up beside him and latched onto his arm, biting down through the scout's leather armor just below his elbow. His scream joined one of several more as the bodies all around the wreckage began to animate. The scout quickly grabbed for his sword with his free paw, and drove it up into the undead's throat, felling the thing and freeing himself. "MORE COMING!" he shouted.
"It's an entire House!" Lord Roag noted, and he pitched himself over the embankment, sliding down the gravel much the same way Iskiy had.
"A 'House'?" Elias demanded of nobody in particular, holding his arms out and pulling sections of gravel together to form a smooth trial down.
"Like a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle." Priestess Delier noted, readying her Divine Shield.
"A House of Corpses..." Sebastian noted, "eerie." and he launched himself off of the Highway and swooped down to land atop an overturned wagon, "Four more over here!" he announced. With a grunt, he tore a metal wheel off of the axle and brought it straight down; a wet, crunchy SPLURT accentuated the end of the action, "make that three." and he quickly took to the air as the undead began climbing his perch.
Elias quickly descended the smooth line of rock. He held one clawed hand out toward a section of wagons, causing a large wall of stone to rise up around it, blocking the oncoming Corpses. He glanced back at Kayte, "Coming?"
Kayte shook her head, "No... I am going to free them from their undeath, and remaining on the Highway will help."
"You're safer there anyway." the armadillo whispered under his breath, and charged down the ramp he had created, pulling a perfectly spherical black stone from his belt pouch. The Geomancer gripped it in his hand and rapidly extended his arm, giving a flick with his wrist; the black stone extended out another three feet into a blade.
In the heat of battle, Roarg was a swirling whirlwind of metal hammer and stone axe, beating back the Corpses that came for him. He worked his way toward the scout that had been bit in the arm, "Hey..." he called, but the scout remained standing where he was. "Hey!" the badger called again. The scout's paw opened and his sword fell to the ground. Arm still leaking blood, the scout turned toward Roarg, eyes empty and soulless. It let out a hiss, and jumped straight at him.
Roarg quickly sidestepped and brought his war hammer right up into the leaping scout's face, and brought the stone axe down at the split second the Corpse's forward momentum stopped, severing its spine cleanly. "Damn it!" Roarg cursed, and shouted, "They're making more of themselves!"
Lord Raes, fighting toward Roarg, shield-bashed a lunging Corpse to knock it back, and then cleanly severed its head with a sword strike, "It can't be... Corpses can't create more of their own kind!" he argued, then paused watching as the scout with the torn-out throat rose up again and came right at him, "These aren't normal Corpses!" he quickly added, running the scout through with his blade. Lord Raes planted his feet firmly on the ground as the Corpse still struggled to get at him. With a mighty heave, the dog tore his blade straight up through the undead body and right out of its head. The mostly split Corpse fell to the ground, "But they can still die!" the champion announced victoriously.
Alexander stood silently beside Priestess Delier as she prayed... and prayed... and prayed. Finally, she rose her head, paws still clasped around the holy symbol hanging from the beads wrapped around her arm, and she let out a shaky breath, "Nothing's happening..." the words came out as a faint, lupine whine, "They still move."
"Something's different about them." Alexander noted, pulling a knife from his belt. The cat launched the blade into the air and it streaked unerringly toward its target. A Corpse, reaching for Iskiy from behind, let out a strangled groan as its clawed paw was nailed to the side of an overturned wagon. The antlered wolf spun around quickly, taking its head off with a mighty cleave. Iskiy looked up toward the ridge and nodded; Alexander nodded back. The antlered wolf didn't have any more time to acknowledge the help when another Corpse launched itself at him; Iskiy was forced back against the wagon, letting out a yelp when his head hit the wood.
"The Goddess MUST hear our need..." Kayte stated, lowering her head again, "She wouldn't do nothing about this..." and she continued to pray.
"Gryphon!" Roarg roared. The badger was on one knee, both his weapons held over his head in an 'x' as an enormous Corpse elephant bore down on him, trying to crush him beneath its weight, "I need an S&S!"
"On it!" Sebastian screeched in response, taking to wing. The gryphon swooped in low, talons poised to strike. Just as Sebastian flew overhead, Roarg heaved, forcing the Corpse up several inches, but high enough for the gryphon to latch onto the elephant's truck. With another flap, Sebastian was able to keep up his forward momentum; a second flap later and the elephant was pulled right off its feet; a third flap later and Sebastian let out a squawk and landed hard on the ground, unable to keep moving while attached to so much weight.
The gryphon flapped indignantly on the ground two or three times before he could get back up to a standing position, "Oh for the love of pin-feathers..." he growled, then paused when the elephant's trunk wrapped around one of his hind legs. "Badger?" the gryphon squawked.
"I got it." Roarg announced, kicking the trunk away from Sebastian and bringing his stone axe right down on the elephant's neck.
"Next time you ask for a Shove and Snatch on an elephant you're on your own, dirt rat." and, with that, Sebastian launched back into the air.
Lord Raes continued to press through the corpses until he arrived at Iskiy, who had an undead lynx grabbed by both of its wrists, wrestling with it to keep its teeth away from his neck. The Champion quickly skewered the Corpse through its spine from behind, giving Iskiy a chance to pull back. Bringing his antlers to bear, the wolf head butted the undead lynx, bony points impaling its face. Pulling back, Iskiy let the body drop to the ground, "Thank you, Sir." he noted.
"You're bleeding." Lord Raes announced, "Did one of those...?"
"No... the wagon attacked me." Iskiy noted, motioning with his head at the bloody mark left on the wood from the impact of the lynx's initial attack.
"You have a funny sense of humor, Corporal." Lord Raes acknowledged, and the two went back-to-back as another mass of Corpses closed in. They both raised their weapons, ready to renew the fight, but they were quickly taken out of combat by a large stone bubble that rose up all around them, blocking them from the Corpses... and the fireball that quickly followed.
"Damn you, fire magic..." Elias scowled, shaking his right hand as the tips of his fingers smoked. He put each of his three fingers into his muzzle in turn with an audible sizzle coming from each one. He slid his left hand back into his hip pouch, returning the Elemental Anchorpoint to its place in his possession. He approached the still-smoldering wreckage, letting all of the stone bunkers retreat back into the earth, "Everyone okay?" he asked, licking his thumb for good measure; it resulted in a sizzle as well.
"well enough, Mr. Hewen." Lord Raes acknowledged, bowing his head, "Thank you."
"Is that the last of them?" Iskiy inquired, looking around, sword still at the ready.
"Unless there are some trapped under the wagons." Elias confirmed, "I waited until they were all close enough together to handle with one blast."
"Not bad for an Earth Magus." Sebastian noted as he landed next to Roarg.
"Not bad for a Fire Magus." Roarg added, elbowing the gryphon, "That was impressive."
"I wasn't showing off." Elias dismissed the praise, "I was just doing what needed to be done."
"Well... many less people were harmed because of it, Mr. Hewen; your help was very timely." Lord Raes acknowledged. He paused, glancing around, and addressed everyone, "Make certain the bodies are slain... gather them up, and we will burn them using the wood from the wagons."
There was little more talking as everyone moved quickly to comply with the champion's order. All of the bodies were gathered up including the four scouts that had died and arisen as Corpses. As the party broke down several wagons, a large pile of wood quickly developed for a funeral pyre and the bodies were moved to lay atop it. Elias was able to create a good size flame to start the bonfire and even managed to do so without burning himself.
Back atop the Highway, Kayte slumped to the ground, staring at her holy symbol. Alexander knelt down next to her, looking at her questioningly, but saying nothing. After a few moments she looked up at the cat, "She didn't answer..." she said to him.
"Maybe she couldn't?" he offered simply, standing up again as he gazed down at the growing fire.
"She can do anything." the priestess retorted, "Maybe I was doing something wrong..." she looked back to the holy symbol, "...but... I've banished the force that animates the undead before... so why wouldn't it work now?"
"There were shouts down there..." the cat answered, watching the goings-on like a hawk, "they said these Corpses were different..."
"How could Corp--" the priestess began, but Alexander interrupted her.
"There's movement from a wagon!" he announced and, with nothing more to be said, he sprang into action, jumping onto the slope and sliding down it.
Lord Raes was overseeing the stacking of bodies on the fire when he caught sight of Alexander rushing toward the wagons. He motioned quickly to Roarg and Sebastian, running to join the cat at an overturned carriage. "What is it?" the dog inquired.
Alexander motioned to the carriage, and looked around. Finding a large board, the cat stuck it against a rock and underneath the vehicle and began pushing. Without another word, Lord Raes motioned to either side of the carriage; he and Roarg heaved... and the carriage rose up at an angle. A Corpse flailed, crawling toward Alexander by pulling itself along by its paws. The thing's legs had apparently been crushed where the carriage had fallen onto it. The cat casually pulled out two knives and buried them in the Corpse's eye sockets, and it stopped moving.
Once Roarg and Raes got the carriage righted, the cat moved past the body and pulled at the door; it was stuck. Taking only a few moments to examine it, Alexander quickly stabbed at three different locations on the seam, and then easily pulled the door free. "H-hello?" a little voice called from within.
"Good Goddess..." Lord Raes whispered, "A survivor!"
The dog returned to the caravan with a young bunny girl in his arms. He brought her to Kayte's wagon and left her with the Priestess so he could finish overseeing the destruction of the undeads' bodies. Kayte sat down with the little rabbit, smiling comfortingly as she began to brush ointment onto the cuts and scrapes the bunny had on her cheeks and arms, "Are you alright, sweety?" Kayte asked softly, "What's your name?"
"My name is Lizzy." the bunny responded, watching every move the wolf made, "Is that Tabbis Root?"
Kayte looked down at the ointment in her paw; her tail began to wag, "Why, yes it is, sweety... how does a little girl your age known about Tabbis Root?"
"It smells a lot like fennel and mint." the bunny responded, still watching the Priestess' every move, "My mama used to make it for hurts."
"Tabbis DOES smell a lot like fennel and mint." Kayte smiled warmly, "...and pumpkin seeds... at least, I think so." she giggled softly, and the bunny followed suit, showing a little more emotion and less shock. They were talking much more calmly when Lord Raes joined them in the carriage a half hour later.
"How is she?" the dog inquired.
"Lizzy... this is Raes." the priestess introduced, "He's a Champion of Bannihar."
"Is Bannihar the big city in the mountains?" the bunny asked, fidgeting as Kayte tied a light bandage around one of her ears.
"Yes, it is." Lord Raes confirmed, "You're a smart little girl."
"You don't LOOK like you drink blood." the bunny noted, cocking her head as she looked at the dog.
The champion blinked, opened his muzzle to say something, then paused again... and closed it with an audible 'clack'.
Kayte spoke instead, "That isn't a very nice thing to say, Lizzy... Why would you say that Lord Raes would drink blood?"
"Mama always said that the people in Bannihar were thirsty for blood." the bunny responded.
"Hmm... did she now?" Lord Raes' ears went up, "Well... most rabbits don't understand war very well, and--"
"And neither do most CHILDREN, Lord Raes..." Priestess Delier interrupted him, "You don't have to defend yourself... now shoo." she motioned him away with both paws.
"We need to know what happened." the dog stated, though he did obediently move to the door, "What has she said?"
"Just that she comes from a walled town south of here, and that their Divine Shield stopped working." Katyte explained, putting away the remainder of the unused ointment. She glanced back to the bunny girl, "Lizzy, dear..." she noted, pulling the rabbit's attention away from Lord Raes, "Were you and the people you were traveling with leaving the city because the Divine Shield broke?"
The bunny shook her head, "No... we left because of all of the smelly people."
"Smelly people?" Lord Raes inquired.
The priestess lowered her voice as she spoke to Raes, "That's what she calls the Corpses."
"So..." Lord Raes looked at the girl appraisingly, "There are more of these 'smelly people' at your town?"
Lizzy nodded quietly, "Yes... the only people who weren't smelly people left with us."
"A whole town turned into Corpses?" Priestess Delier gasped, "How does something like that happen?"
Lord Raes shrugged, stepping out of the carriage, "I do not know, Priestess... but I know how they get put to rest." he closed the door behind himself, and strode off with purpose.
* * * * * *
Welcome back to the second of four parts of Bannihar's Chapter 5 of Zion!
At this point it's readily evident that something is going on, and it's going to be up to the caravan to decide whether or not it should be dealth with; Lord Raes certainly seems to think so. In fact, there are actually TWO votes that will need to take place.
This means, of course, that it's time for the Contributing Readers to pull out their voting sheets and make their choice. What will the party do in response to these newest developments? The first vote: how will the party deal with the town?
1) Head into the town cautiously, looking for clues and hints as to what happened and see if something can be done to reverse whatever took place... or at least put an end to the plague without further bloodshed. Combat only if neccessary.
2) This plague of undead is a scar on the land and an affront to Tah'Aveen. March en masse into the town and cleanse it of every last moving corpse. For the glory of the Moon Goddess!
3) If the wagons were all that remained of the living then the town is nothing but a den of undeath... there is no saving such a place, which means the priests and the maguses would best be served gathering up at the outskirts and purge the entire site with divine and arcane magic.
4) It will need to be dealth with, yes... but the caravan already has enough to deal with. Mark it on the map, and when the caravan gets to a bastion of civilization, alert the crusade!
And, of course, that brings us to the question about Lizzy...
A) She is a smart, healthy, and pleasant girl. She can travel with the caravan to Zion... the priests there will be able to care for her.
B) As the last survivor of her town it makes sense to get her to safety, but all the way to Zion isn't a luxury the caravan can afford... keep her until the caravan gets to some place that will be safe to leave her.
C) She's just not right. She's better now... point her in the direction of the Highway and let her see herself to safety.
D) If she's part of the town then whatever horror has been inflicted upon the populace may be carried in her... the only way to handle the situation is to purge her... for her own good.
As usual, you have until this Thursday (Sept 1st) to get your vote in. Remember: vote by midnight!