Dicing with Death: Episode 148

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==Malcifer Recap==
===Day 14===
Malcifer Winter, in his manor house in Winter's Reach on Gade Isle, shows Lord Rosegrove the Courville Shield. Rosegrove explains the Courvilles was one of the newly created noble families after the Conquest of Gadia. Malcifer also talks to Rosegrove about restarting the Orchard that Brimstone the Red Dragon had destroyed.
Malcifer then heads to bed to rest.
After he wakes up, Malcifer gets to work flaying Ruby then sacrifices a chicken to turn her into a skeleton.
In the late afternoon when Sheriff Fredi arrives at the estate saying there is another unexpected visitor, a wounded Cleric. The Cleric is resting in Fredi's residence. Malcifer tells Fredi to meet him at Fredi House.
Malcifer gets on Medium Warhorse No. 1 and rides over to Lilith's house, and tells Lilith to come help with the wounded cleric. Malcifier then rides over to Fredi's house where a small mob is waiting outside. Nearby Kel William Courville has died in the stockades. Malcifer ignores the dead knight for now as he is busy with the current situation.
Malcifer heads into Fredi's house and sees the Tharin, the cleric of Astair, is sitting up on his elbows and greets Macifier respectfully. Tharin explains he was attacked in the woods by a Displacer Beast, but was saved by Hannibal the Hunter.
Malcifer invites Tharin to rest in his estate. He lets Fredi get on Medium Warhorse No. 1 and walks the horseback to the estate. On the way, Tharin explains he is a traveling cleric who goes where his god says people need him, but he is originally from Stromheim.
At the estate, Malcifer gets his servants to help the cleric.
Malcifer is brooding in his study. Malcifer conflicted as the cleric hasn't committed any trespasses. Lord Rosegrove is uneasy around this cleric of a "false god".
===Day 15===
Malcifer checks in on Tharin the Cleric first thing in the morning and invites him to breakfast. Over breakfast, Tharin asks for a week to rest in the estate to recover. The cleric also reveals the mission his god gave him is to head to Gator Beach, there have been a string of murders in Jacksonville. 
Malcifer talks about Kel William Courville and the murders he did 2 days ago. Tharin wonders who killed the knight overnight, and Malcifer suggests he help investigate. Painfully the cleric agrees to help the investigations and heads into the village with Malcifer.
The two investigate Kel William's body. His saw was broken and he was beaten and appears to have died from his wounds. After confirming he didn't die from a specific wound, Malcifer cuts off Kel William's head to remove him from the stockades.
Tharin heads over to the nearby church and is confused by the layout being so different from Eridonian Temples, no statues to the gods, and the room filled with pews facing east–west. Malcifer explains they are a humble village and don't any idols to the gods. Tharin offers his holy symbol to the church, but Malcifer refuses. Tharin then offers to dig the grave for Kel William Courville which Malcifer accepts. The digging takes the wounded Tharin all day.
During the day Malcifer researches Gator Beach and finds they, like Winter's Reach, were holdouts after the Eridonian Conquest of Gadia.
After dinner Malcifer talks with Lilith about helping Tharin, so he'll stay off his feet so he can rest.
Before leaving, Malcifer checks in on Big Jimmy and his zombie wife and son. Malcifer helps Lilith in putting in the rosemary so the two zombies don't smell as bad.
Malcifer and Lilith take a romantic walk, carrying the bowl of entrails, up to the estate house. Malcifer leaves the bowl aside to be used for fertiliser, then takes Lilith to heal Tharin. Tharin passes out. Malcifer tries to touch the holy symbol, but it burns his hand. Malcifer asks Lilith to take the symbol instead.
Afterwards, Malcifer talks with Lord Rosegrove. They both agree that Malcifer should go with Tharin the cleric to Jacksonville and see this "evil" first hand. 
===Day 16===
Malcifer and Tomas come in the morning and gives Tharin the cleric his breakfast in bed. Lilith's medicine has done the trick and Tharin is too tired to do anything other than to rest.
Malcifer suggests to Lilith that she comes along on their journey to Jacksonville and she agrees. Malcifer gets Medium Warhorse No. 1 ready then finds Tharin in the parlor staring into the fireplace. Malcifer and Lilith put the cleric on the horse and head north.
The group arrives at an abandoned Gadian Keep. north of the Blumwood. 
===Day 17===
Tharin wakes up fully in the morning. He realises his holy symbol is gone, so he prays to his god, Astair, for forgiveness.
After 45 minutes the group set off and get to Gator Beach. They then head along the edge of the swamp to the west towards Jacksonville. The group comes across a zombie Jaguar. Malcifer takes control of the zombie jaguar and commands it to flee as the cleric casts "Turn Undead" also making the zombie jaguar flee.
The group head into Jacksonville, a small village of 300 people. Assistant Sheriff Julian greets the party and tells them about the death of the priest Hanna in the town temple a month ago. The party head over to the church to investigate.
This would place the events of this episode as Day 264 on the Necromancer Playtest timeline.
Assistant Sheriff Julian explains that several town guards from Pinespur had come to help but were all killed, and many citizens had gone missing.
Malcifer and Lilith head to the tavern, the Gator's Claw, to get lunch. The two conspire on their plans. Malcifer then finds out from the bartender that there are rumors of strange undead in the streets at night and everyone stays indoors at night.
Tharin the cleric after an hour meets up with Malcifer and Lilith, now wearing a new wooden holy symbol. They make plans to wait for nightfall and have the clues come to them.
At night falls the party stand on the porch in the pub. All the citizens have retreated to their homes and closed the shutters. Up the road in the direction of the church are 2 figures lurch down the hill.
Tharin tries to turn undead but it doesn't work, Malcifer opens fire with his crossbow. Tharin closes and attacks the nearest zombie. Malcifer shoots a zombie in the head, killing it. The other zombie knocks Tharin hard to the ground. Malcifer uses his necromancer powers and commands the last zombie to stop, and takes control of it.
Tharin looks at Malcifer confused, as the zombie stands still. Malcifer pulls out his axe and decapitates the zombie.
Tharin suggests they retreat for now so they can heal up and prepare better for fighting with a necromancer. It is night time, so they leave town and find a landed knight's manor house. The knight officers the lodgings for the night.
Category:Dicing with Death Episodes
Category:Malcifer Winter Episodes