The pirates have intruded on a scene out of nightmare. Dacien and Erris, weapons drawn, have led the column of a dozen sailors out of the thick woods into the main village square, where a fiercely burning hut casts an orange light over the dark village. With a roar and a crash, the roof timbers of the burning hut collapse, sending sparks into the clouded night sky.
A mob of staggering, moaning figures scramble about the village: their skin is gray, their bodies rotted, their eyes dark ovals, their hands knotted into talons. Their attention was focussed on the sturdy shrine of Inglorian, but as the pirates spill into the square, the figures turn to them, snarling. They are fifteen yards away right now, a disorganized mob, and the pirates, although surprised and puzzled by the scene, have ready weapons and are charged with excitement.
The roar of the flaming hut drowns out conversation, forcing the pirates to shout.
Dacien says, "Cap'n Rhyll, sir! What're those things?"
Candra is right behind Rhyll, her Urag scimitar over her head. She grumbles something guttural in Urag-ta.
The Baron and his men are not far behind the pirates, a dozen sturdy, cloaked warriors with sea-sabers and crossbows.
Rhyll says, "I not rightly sure Dace, but I can tell you what they were."
Dacien says, "You want me t'kill the lot of 'em, sir?"
Candra warns, "Eaters. I have seen their kind before, in the North. Do not let yourselves be bitten!"
Rhyll shouts, "Mister Benning what are those things? And will good steel kill them?"
Dacien begins to whirl his chain in a tight figure-8 in front of himself as he advances on the creatures, "C'mon, Candra, y'wanna live f'rever?"
Benning pushes his way forward. "They are Devourers, Captain. Candra is right. The curse is contagious. The men must not allow themselves to be bitten. Steel will finish them if the creatures' brains are destroyed."
The Baron says to Rhyll, "Whatever curse has come to this village, we must make short work of them!"
Candra says, looking down at the brave Tobon, "Let us show them how Free Men fight, Dacien!"
Erris says, "Contagious? Dace, you don't think Talon and Baj could be two of those things, d'you?"
Dacien frowns, "Nah, Mister Mirko'd eat these fer breakfast and be shitting their bones by lunchtime."
Rhyll calls "Careful men, they don't look natural. If they attack, kill the lot of them."
Benning says, "The Lady grants me some small magic against the creatures, Captain, but there are many of them."
Dacien looks over his shoulder with a lopsided grin and shouts to the assembled pirates, "Y'heard Mister Benning and the Cap'n, no prisoners!"
The Baron tells his lieutenant, "Form a line! Prepare for battle. Load crossbows!" His ten men snap to, forming a line, aiming crossbows at the thirty Devourers, who are now turning to rush you all.
Dacien orders, "Wait for the pretty boys t'fire bows, and then we clean up the rest!"
The ghastly creatures, with snarls and wails of rage and hunger, now spill into the square, tearing themselves loose from their hiding places, a mob of stinking horror charging you now out of the night.
Rhyll draws his cutlass and shouts, "Let's send them back to whatever pit they came from!"
The Baron's men kneel and take their time, calmly sighting targets. The Baron draws his saber and raises it high, and says, "Wait for it...wait for it...!"
Dacien stands ready, his chain spinning in a blur as he tenses for the attack.
In the second story window, Baj and Talon hear familiar voices yelling "The Reckoning!!" Across the square, you can see that reinforcements have arrived: hands from the Reckoning and twelve soldiers in green cloaks.
Talon says, "Mister Mirko! It's the Captain and the crew! Let's go join them!"
Mera gives a shriek of glee and leaps into Baj's arms. Tully claps Talon on the shoulder with a shout of glee. "I've never been so glad t'see a bunch o'pirates!"
Baj sights his shipmates entering the firelit village and leaps from the window, yelling as he goes out the window: "The Reckoning!"
Baj hits the ground and rolls to his feet, drawing his rapiers as he runs for the battle and loosing a fearful Urag wail into the night sky.
Talon grabs a rope from a corner, gripping it with both hands, and swings ably to the ground beside the Shrine. He lands in a crouch and draws his rapier. He signals to Mera to draw the rope up.
Tully clambers out the window after Baj, shimmy down a drainpipe nimbly. He lands hard on the ground, however, and rises unsteadily to his feet.
Mera hauls the rope back up, safely.
The Baron slashes with his saber. "Loooooose!" The Tervali fire their bolts into the oncoming mass, and drop some of them, but most of them keep coming, scrabbling forward on all fours, snapping their fangs, roaring and shouting. The stinking cloud they bring with them washes over the pirates like a wave.
Dacien sees the bolts from the crossbows fly and charges into the onrushing undead with a cry, "The Reckoning!!!"
Candra and Erris are right behind Dacien, joining in his battle cry.
The foul smell of offal and rotting corpses slams into the pirates. Erris turns green and staggers a moment, but battles on. A few other pirates do as well, but no one gives up fighting. Candra ignores the stench, whirling her scimitar above her head. Some of the Baron's men cover their faces with their cloaks, but the Baron orders them: "Crossbows down! Draw swords!" Steel rings out as the line of men draw their sea-sabers.
Talon and Baj hurl themselves forward, heedless of the stinking cloud. Rhyll, with his pirates on the opposite side of the battle, shrugs off the horrid odor of death that assaults him and his men.
Sensing food, the Devourers charge the main body of pirates. Talon, Baj and Tully are behind them now, the Devourers seemingly unaware of their rush. Battle is joined as the mob of Devourers smashes into the line of pirates.
Baj sprints into the fray with rapiers flashing and falls on his target like a vengeful avalanche. Baj's rapiers flash, and he slices the top of the skull off the Devourer before him. This was an old man once, and is now just a savage undead thing. The creature flops forward, rotted brain spilling out over the dusty square.
As his first target falls, Baj turns and attacks a second in a whirlwind of steel. He launches himself at the second one, a Devourer who was once the village cleric. The thing turns to snap at him, but Baj drives his point right through the thing's eyesocket. It drops at his feet, clawing at him.
Across the fray, Baj and Talon can hear the pirates shouting, "The Reckoning!"
Dropping another monster, Baj wades into the fight after further targets. Spotting Dacien across the battle, Baj calls to him, "That is three for me! How do you fare, my little friend?" He slices the head clean off Devourer that used to be an old farm woman. He kicks the body away and surges forward toward the next one. Covered in the foul reeking fluids from his undead foes, Baj continues his path forward to his shipmates. A whirling engine of destruction, the massive Urag crushes the skull of the rotting creature before him and shoves forward.
Baj makes short work of his next foe, smashing the thing's head to pieces. He brings his basket hilt down on the next, shattering it as it is about to strike at Candra. A flash of steel, and another Devourer collapses at Baj's feet. The Urag first mate slices the next Devourer in two, then treads on its skull with his bootheel.
Still in a rage, Baj cuts the arms off the next Devourer with two quick chops, and smashes the snapping jaws off its skull with a savage kick. But the creature staggers forward, now with no jaw, grasping at Rhyll with twisted talons. The shambling horror seizes Rhyll's arm, but Rhyll shakes it free.
Dacien dodges back out the way as the battle rages around him.
Talon charges in after Baj, slashing at his undead foes. Talon's rapier flashes in the night. His first thrust enters the Devourer's nostril, his point emerging from the thing's skull. A second Devourer, jaws snapping, charges down on him, and he calmly waits. Then, at the last moment, he sinks the tip into the creature;s eyesocket. As the creature drops, Talon pulls his weapon free.
Dacien watches as Baj and Talon decimate the Devourers ranks from the rear as he attacks a foe of his own. In the press of combat, Dacien's chain goes wide and his target evades the lashing weapon.
Rhyll lunges out of the way of the bite of the undead creature, then slices the blade of his cutlass at his foe. He slices the front of the rotten skull off. The writhing mass of putrescence behind its face slides off as the Devourer pitches forward at Rhyll's feet.
The rest of the pirates hack and slash at the undead foe. Candra takes down two more, and Erris, even with one arm injured, impales another on his swift rapier.
Benning utters a quiet word and two of the creatures go up in a cloud of dust.
In a moment, the last of the Devourers lies still and the pirates look about each other, grateful to be alive, grinning and roaring and clapping one another on the back.
Erris says, "Did you see Mister Mirko, Cap'n! One hell of a fighter! Better even than me!"
Rhyll says, "Aye lad, there is no other quite like our Mister Mirko!"
Baj stands still for a moment, chest heaving and eyes afire as he looks about for more enemies.
Rhyll walks over to Baj and Talon and flourishes a bow. "Well done gentlemen, well done."
Shaking his head like a dog emerging from water, Baj turns to Rhyll, "Captain Rhyll, sir, I knew you would come. The villagers are in need of assistance, is Mister Benning among you?"
Benning steps forward, hands clasped. "I am, Mister Mirko. Where are the villagers?"
Baj points to Inglorian's shrine, "There, Mister Benning, in the Warrior's Shrine."
Benning nods. "A sibling to the Lady, is the Warrior." Many of the pirates look concerned. Pirates swear oaths to the Warrior, so they take worship of him seriously.
Talon leads Mister Benning to the shrine.
The Baron tells Rhyll, "That was well-fought, Captain!" He orders his men, "Make sure there are no more of those things about."
Rhyll nods and say, "I thank you Baron, as it was on your side as well. May I introduce to you my first mate, Baj Mirko. The terror of the undead!"
The Baron offers an arm clasp to Mirko, fighter to fighter.
Baj wipes a big hand on his pant-leg before extending it with a bow, "A great honor, Baron Lyndag."
The Baron says. "Could use warriors like you, all of you. If you ever want to join up, fight that pretender King in Arjuri, just say the word."
Rhyll says, "I will consider your offer Baron, but for now as soon as our ship is fixed the Reckoning has business to attend to."
Baj bows more deeply, "You honor me with your offer, Baron, but I am sworn to other duties at the moment. And you certainly would not want a man who abandons his sworn duties for a less dangerous life?"
The Baron grins at the Urag. "Good point, as sharp as the one on your sword."
Baj returns the grin and moves off to aid Benning and the villagers.
Benning eyes the door and tugs at it. He tells Talon. "Have some of the lads climb up inside and open the blockage."
Talon signals to a few sailors, then scales up the wall to drop the rope down for them. But the sailors scramble up wall of the shrine to the second story, not really needing the rope. They have harder climbs every morning just to get to work.
In just a few moments, the sailors have cleared the barricade within and opened the shrine doors. Mera leads the villagers into the clear night. They emerge blinking into the village square, looking about gratefully. Many of them wail prayers of gratitude: "Inglorian, we thank you for delivering us..."
The village elderman, Merno, filthy, starved, and looking relieved, approaches the Baron and Rhyll, going to one knee. "Baron Lyndag, we most humbly thank you for aiding us."
Benning speaks words of encouragement to the villagers. As Baj approaches, he eyes the ugly wound on Baj's arm. He looks more grave than usual, and gestures at Baj to seat himself. He does the same to Talon, as well.
The Baron says, "We could do no less, elderman."
Baj sits cross-legged on the dirt and slumps against the wall of the Warrior's shrine.
Talon, for his part, is glad to just sit and let someone else do the work for a while.
Benning lays hands on Baj and Talon and utters a word in an ancient tongue. Light glows from his hands, and the wounds on their arms knit and heal, the poison vapors boiling up from each wound in a small green cloud. The pain in their heads subsides and they feel almost as themselves again.
Baj smiles up at Benning, "My thanks, sir. The Lady is kind to us this evening."