Zoom 2021-09-28 21:00

**Wun regains his stage presence**

The party finish off the remaining zombie and two shadows without too much difficulty: Once Wun is out of Quercuis' silence, he is able to turn the zombie to dust, and then turn the Shadow that Brokev was engaging into shadowy dust. Bazin decides that it takes two people to ***really*** make sure that the gas has been turned off, and so follows Umar. Francis almost decides to join them, until he remembers his meditation rituals (ie wisdom) and that he is wearing a 'ring of protection vs undead', and so he and Joshua are able to dispatch the other shadow.

Meanwhile, Dougal has run after - and then ahead of - Umar and when he reaches the checkpoint shouts for a 'Remove Fear' for Umar. One of the clerics at the checkpoint is able to apply one - but it has no effect. However, within a minute Umar suddenly remembers that there aren't actually any gas appliances at the safe house, so stops running. They return (collecting Bazin along the way) with an elven druid from the checkpoint who is able to put out the house fire with a pyrotechnics spell. The druid is able to give us a couple of cures, and we heal up generally. The druid explains that there is a High Priest of Dekatur around somewhere, and the Elite Elvish troops are hunting him/her: indeed, the Elves that we spotted appear to have spread out and carried on with their 'hunt', ignoring us. The druid also tells us that the Dust doesn't seem to settle on grass. Q asks the druid to get a request back to Kahu for some weather appropriate for Call Lightning spells.

The party decides to carry on with house clearance up to the next checkpoint. The first house appears to be a deserted soup-kitchen, which is empty apart for some useful cleavers that are appropriated by the hobbits. The next house, with a very well barred door that requires Umar's strength to break down, reveals three living people - a frightened woman who is armed with a cleaver and shielding two children. The woman proceeds to implant the cleaver into Umar, who is not particularly perturbed by this: He is able to subdue her and shepherd/carry her and the children back to the checkpoint for safety. Meanwhile, the party investigates how she and the children managed to survive: We notice that a large, roughly rectangular area of the kitchen area is clear of Dust. Upstairs, we find a decapitated male zombie, and directly above the area free of Dust below, a large freshly woven rug made from green reeds, that is also free of Dust. Clearly, the reeds were able to neutralise the Dust - and so we start speculating on the effectiveness against Dust of reed cloaks and umbrellas.

The party carries on to the next checkpoint which is at the centre of a square, and has a group of about 15 armed people (including Elves) in it. There is a fire, and some water being heated. The cobbles around the checkpoint have been cleared of Dust - they have been using moss to wipe away the Dust, and have formed a 'safe' area in which to fight. We exchanges notes and learn:

* There are worse things than Shadows that can emerge from suicidal cultists - ie soul-draining undead.
* The darknesses are being produced by 'clay balls' - stones with 'continual darkness' cast on them, and then covered in clay to 'conceal' the darkness: These are thrown on the ground to shatter the clay, revealing the darkness.
* The Elite Elves on the rooftops should be left alone to get on with whatever they are doing
* We can carry on to the wall or the docks - the people at the checkpoint are gong to try to get some kip to recover spells.

Q wants to get another message to Kahu that Plant Growth may be very useful for knocking out the Dust. Meanwhile, someone seems to have got the message that Call Lightning weather would be useful, because the weather has turned that way - though as it seems doubtful that Kahu would have blown a 7th level spell just so Q could throw a few 4th level lightning bolts, we do wonder who exactly changed the weather and if this is a good or a bad thing.

At this point, we hear renewed sounds of fighting and commotion coming from the walls - and are strongly advised not to go anywhere near there (assuming that we wanted to live, that is.)