Zoom 2021-09-14 21:00

**Wun's Star Turn**

The party has now been joined by Riff Raff following his assistance in recovering Dougal. We prep the 'safe house' against intruders, prep ourselves for battle, and steps out onto the streets - to the distant sound of screams and battle.

Proceeding down the road, we come across a roadblock about a 1/3rd of the way to the wall - manned by some nervous 'newer' recruits (2 Dark Elves including a cleric, and 4 humans). They explain that the dragon-breath Dust covers the area beyond here and up to the walls. This Dust permeated everywhere it hit - even penetrating the houses - turning everyone it hit into zombies: However, once it reached the ground (or any surface), the Dust appears to have become inert, except that it strengthens the zombies: They become harder to turn, and will reanimate after a round if 'killed' if they fall onto the Dust - unless their heads are removed. Holy water and fireballs appears to remove the Dust - normal water/fire doesn't have any effect - so there is a big operation underway of people ferrying holy water from the temple to clear up - however, with one vial of holy water only clearing a 5' radius this is an extremely slow process.

We carry on to the next checkpoint  which is at the edge of the Dust, and manned by a slightly beefier crew - 4 Elves (including 1 cleric), 2 Dark Elves, and a human Universal cleric. They are grateful for our help, and say that we can either go on to the walls where the most 'serious' fighting is - including against zombies that appear to be being 'controlled' (eg acting in a co-ordinated manner, and being even harder to turn - whereas 'uncontrolled' zombies will be turned/destroyed as normal), or help clear out the alleyways and buildings around. There is another 'clear-up' crew coming soon to start clearing the alleys, but our help on getting that started would be appreciated - so we agree to do that.

The party therefore gets into battle formation with Francis at the front, then Wun and Brokev with the others behind - though with Caradoc, Joshua, Hamish and Twoo on the rooftops to either side. We also study the Dust a bit - it appears to have fallen in roundish, greyish flakes each about 1/2 inch wide. They 'stick' to the ground, and smear like paint.

We investigate the first house along the alley by F. booting in the front door, throwing in a continual light rock, and then entering the house in approved SWAT team house-clearance mode.

The next alley we come to is *very* dark. F throws in a cont light rock - and it goes out, with the alley remaining dark (but now more 'naturally' dark.) Se we throw in another cont light rock, and this illuminates the alley nicely - and the 2 zombies that are there. Having spent his whole life building up to this moment, Wun presents his holy symbol in the approved fashion, proclaims the prescribed words of abjuration (having stepped into the cont light and only hamming it up a little) and the zombies . . . . turn to dust! (That's dust with a small 'd'.)

We get to the next house - a three storey building that appears to have been a doss-house. Francis repeats the house-entry procedure - but again the first cont-light rock goes out. So a second is thrown in - illuminating some zombies within. As the vanguard inside the house prepare to fight/turn the zombies within, outside it starts raining zombies - they appear to be jumping out the second floor windows onto the party below. Two hit the ground and one hits Umar (it comes off far worse!) and are quickly decapitated. However, there are more zombies lining up at the windows, and with brilliant improvisation, Garaf casts a web across the alleyway above head height - which forms a sticky net that catches the dozen zombies that then fall into it.

Further zombies approach the party from either end of the alley - and the party fights/turns as appropriate. However, the web is set alight from above and the zombies fall, burning, to the ground at about the same time as Wun attempts to turn 4 new zombies approaching down the alley - and they fail to be affected by his Universal demeanour.

Meanwhile, up on the roofs, Joshua and Twoo get fired on by four invisible crossbowmen - each being hit by one bolt. As the invisibility drops from the assailants, Caradoc lets loose with his sling, and Hamish drops one with a sleep spell.

At the end of the session, we have 2 active burnt zombies in the alley, 1 turned zombie, and 9 'dead' burnt zombies that will reanimate from the Dust after a round. There are also 4 unturned zombies approaching the party from the front and some coming up from the rear, and an unknown number left in the house. There are two assailants up on the roofs on Hamish and Caradoc's side, and one assailant on the side with Joshua and Twoo.