The group gathered in the common room of the Foaming Mug on the morning of Day 4 of Goodmonth. As they all enjoyed their breakfast, several noticed that the bread was not as fresh as it usually is. Florin indicated that they had not received any fresh bread and had supplemented the offerings with especially fine jams and preserves. Hopefully the day-old bread could be overlooked? Lhoss remarked kindly that day-old bread in Orlane was finer than fresh bread anywhere else. Kyro started to equivocate that the group had eaten very good bread in Hochoch, but Lhoss shushed him. Jack requested a saucer of milk. Kyro raised an eyebrow and remarked "most cats are lactose intolerant!" With his usual quick wit, Feno retorted "most cats can't talk and levitate!" Jack took immense satisfaction in this exchange and gave Feno a high five.
Lhoss informed the group that after her near-death experience, she would need several days of recuperation and rest before she was well enough to go adventuring again. The rest of the party found themselves with time on their hands in the village. Feno walked to the shop to purchase a leather strap with Jack riding on his shoulders. Getting in the cat's good graces will apparently earn you some feline companionship time. Feno also found a place to gamble and had some fun without losing his shirt. Kyro took the opportunity to train in farming with Alan Clayborn. Gnorcia sought out and purchased a luxury cat bed (in the hopes that she could reclaim her own rented bed). She commissioned a perfectly-sized couch in Jack's favorite colors: navy, purple, and gold. He took to it immediately and curled up in a tight little ball. Success! Lhoss spent most of her time taking meals and retreating to her room with a few visits to her good friend, Velma. The rest spent their time and money enjoying the simple pleasures Orlane has to offer.
Day 11 rolled around and Lhoss finally felt well enough to venture out with the party. It was a hot, high-summer day. The sun was blazing, such that the cool of the Dim Forest was at first a welcome relief. But the spookiness of the place soon sent a different chill down their spines. The group pushed on until they reached the barrowmaze which then greeted them with a hot, fetid smell and orange hazy light. That's not all that greeted them, a horde of six skeletons, five zombies, and two ghouls crawled out of the muck and lurched forward to attack!
As Armatzi prepared his turn undead ability, he was viciously attacked by a ghoul. It unfortunately paralyzed him, neutralizing one of our greatest weapons against these undead. Fortunately the party was large with a variety of strengths. Gnorcia's dexterous skill quickly dispatched one ghoul and Lhoss targeted another with her magic missiles. Feno attacked and felled zombies with his deadly blade Icing Death, knowing it was less effective on skeletons. Jack did something unexpected: he levitated one of the ghouls and spun it in midair, neutralizing it as an opponent throughout the battle. Clever kitty! As the battle ensued, skeletons were the last of the enemies for the heroes to defeat. Lhoss remarked to Chalkboi that if he didn't have a blunt weapon to strike the skeletons with, even at half damage, Caliburn may still prove the best option. Indeed a powerful magical sword is capable of slicing a skeleton to shrapnel! Feno took note and instead of switching to his inferior morningstar, pressed his attacks with Icing Death and found it does just fine! He even finished off the ghoul caught in Jack's Yarning Spin. In the aftermath of the battle, Jack walked gently over and touched Armatzi's nose, immediately releasing him from the paralysis. Very, very clever kitty!
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