A/N: This is a prototype chapter for the upcoming D&D Guild: Princes of the Apocalypse. My idea was to allow Rael to continue at his current level at the end of Lost Mine of Phandelver while giving him a new party of level 1 characters. This is an experiment but I think it can work. The only real difference will be early in the adventure, but the dice showed it wasn't as much a difference as I feared it might be.

Also, don't own Dungeons & Dragons.

Chapter 1: Trouble in Red Larch

Rael Xiloscient felt his body shift before his vision dimmed from the golden aura which surrounded him as Kyle Murphy. Looking around he found himself on horseback, travelling down an actual road, an established path called The Long Road. They were travelling on what seemed like a hill, giving them a nice view of the surrounding land, even if the hill blocked the view to the east.

His mind felt a bit hazy, but he could recall events leading to where he was, as Rael and what he read as Kyle. They took the road past Conyberry to the town of Triboar before heading south along The Long Road. They stopped briefly at the town of Westbridge and were now closing in on Red Larch.

'We've come a fair distance,' Rael thought to himself, rubbing his forehead.

"Sir Xiloscient? Are you well?" asked a melodic voice.

Rael looked up, seeing the elegantly dressed form of Sister Garaele. The young (for an elf) woman looked as pristine as ever as a priestess off Tymora. Even in her travelling clothes there was just an aura around her.

"Just letting my mind wander," Rael smiled to her. "So, has Tymora given you any more visions as to your reasons for being in Red Larch?"

Garaele shook her head, "Unfortunately no. My lady has been silent since Phandalin. Has Rilifane Rallathil offered any guidance?"

Kyle shook his head, "My Lord has not seen fit to answer my own queries yet. I assume this may be something more important to Tymora than him at this point."

"Perhaps," Garaele nodded. "I just wish if this was for benevolent reasons, my lady would actually say it rather than send vague messages."

"The gods have their own ways of doing things," Rael answered. "Ones such as us have to do our best to understand them and see their will out."

For all of his calm though, inside, Rael was deeply worried about where his friends had ended up. The last time they were sent to the Forgotten Realms, they appeared at the Red Dragon with the Barkeep. This time Rael appeared alone and none of his friends were nearby. He was feeling rather worried for a variety of reasons because of this.

'Okay, keep calm,' Rael thought to himself. 'We know this adventure begins with us being separate. Whenever we needed a new character to join, they'd show up at the next major settlement we visited. I'd bet they're waiting for me in Red Larch…even though I have no idea what Miles, Cassie, or Steve look like now.'

"We should see Red Larch once we pass the Sumber Hills," Sister Garaele reported with a smile. "With any luck, we won't have to sleep on the ground tonight and have actual beds."

"Wouldn't that be nice," Rael chuckled.

Sister Garaele's word proved true as once they cleared the hills, the two elves could see a small hamlet on the road ahead. It was indeed small, since almost every building was set at the sides of The Long Road. Rael recalled Garaele saying that the Red Larch's foundation was made as a stopover point for travelers along The Long Road. To that end, most of the business and infrastructure of the town was set along housing and supplying travelers during their long journeys.

"Ah, we've made it," Sister Garaele smiled as their horses trotted towards the hamlet.

"So we have," Rael nodded. "I assume you need to report to the temple?"

"Indeed," Garaele nodded, smiling to her fellow elf. "Thank you for escorting me Sir Xiloscient."

"Think nothing of it," Rael nodded. "Anything for a friend."

The pair rode into town and saw the many buildings, several set for wagons, clothiers, even an inn and a tavern. The two came to the crossroads where a stone mansion of sorts was near the crossroads themselves, easily seen by all. It was a religious site to be sure, but Rael didn't see any symbols or decoration which would show exactly which god it belonged to.

"Well, here we are, the Allfaith shrine," Sister Garaele smiled as their horses came to a stop.

"Allfaith?" asked Rael as they began dismounting.

"Yes," Sister Garael huffed as she dismounted before starting to untie her bags. "This is a temple which shares space between two faiths every month. Waterdhavin temples sent priests here to stay for a month and lead services for the people. For the rest of this month, it is Sune and Selune who occupy this shrine. Soon it will be Tymora and Lathander who will reside here. I had contacts in the Harpers help me be the representative of Tymora."

"Ah, I see," Rael nodded. "Are you going to need me to help at this point?"

"Oh I'll be fine at this point," Garaele smiled as she untied her bags. "Thank you for escorting me here Sir Xiloscient. You should see about lodgings and a spot to put our horses."

"Very well," Rael nodded, taking the reins for both horses.

Fortunately, the large in was set next door to the shrine. It was a three-story building which had an obvious sign hanging out front. It was ten feet long and shaped like a sword. Red paint on it called the in The Swinging Sword.

Rael brought the horses around the building where a smaller sign pointed to its stables. A stablehand, a one-eyed grizzled human man was there of course, but he was quick to take care of the horses. Rael explained one horse belonged to the new priestess of Tymora while the other was his. The stablehand knew to charge the boarding of the horse to the temple while the other would be part of fees paid to the inn as a guest.

Understanding, Rael headed back to the front door of the inn before stepping inside.

"Welcome to the Swinging Sword!" an attentive barmaid welcomed him, waving him to the counter. "Meals or lodgings? Our kitchen sadly had a fire recently so any meals we have are going to be simple, but they're still quality!"

"Good to know," Rael nodded. "How much for a room?"

"Eight silver a day," the barmaid answered.

Rael nodded and produced four gold coins, "Then I'll take one for five days for now."

"Right away," the barmaid nodded. She quickly retrieved a key to one of the rooms, "It's on the second floor. Number is on the key." Rael nodded and took the key, "Say, you don't happen to be an adventurer, are you?"

Rael smiled slightly, "Absolutely. If you've been hearing word from Phandalin, I'm from the new Dungeons & Dragons Guild in Phandalin. We're the ones who managed to defeat the Black Spider and help reopen Wave Echo Cave."

"Incredible! We all heard about that when the ore started moving through town!" the barmaid gasped. "So, if you're one of them, you're able to maybe…do some adventuring around here?"

Rael frowned slightly, "Is there some trouble going on?"

The barmaid sighed, "More than a few. It just feels like all sorts of dark dealings are going on. Mrs. Irkell has been asking around, trying to get some adventurers together if they've been asking around for rumors and work. It would be so relieving if you could lend your help too."

"Hm," Rael nodded. In his mind, he saw a quick opportunity to find his friends. "Well, I have nowhere to be."

"Oh good!" the barmaid sighed in relief. She leaned around Rael to see to the tables before pointing to one nearby, "There are the others that Mrs. Irkell has been talking to. Maybe you can talk to them and the four of you can work together to help us out?"

Rael looked and saw three people seated at a table to the side, talking over drinks. One was short and had a noticeable raven beak sticking out from their hood. Another was a human in reds and orange with bright red skin. The human among them was almost invisible compared to their looks.

Rael nodded to the barmaid and approached the table, getting a good look at the three who were sitting at it.

The human was a salty-looking fellow. He was shirtless, save for the leather armor he was wearing. His arms were decorated with sailor's tattoos and he seemed to have ship rope wrapped around his forearms like bracers. A blue bandana covered his head, tied at the back and he wore simple trousers. Round his neck was an amulet shaped like a wreath of grass and grain attacked to a crook.

At another part of the table, almost looking like the shortest of the group. He looked like a raven which had arms and legs, standing like a humanoid. He wore a purple tunic with black pants, looking almost fun or respectable, despite the fact that he was literally a walking bird without wings.

The third in the group was certainly the most exotic. She had bright red skin and long tumbling red hair that was a blurred line between red and orange. Her eyes were yellow, like a bright fire. Her outfit consisted of a robe-like top with loose red pants and what almost looked like slippers on her feet. She wore brass braclets, earrings, and a fancy necklace which looked like it was made from brass and ruby.

"Rael?" asked the red woman. "It is you, right? From…"

"Back home?" the human asked quietly.

"Our game table?" Rael put forth. The question caused the other three to sigh in relief.

"We were worried about you since you didn't show up with us," Merra Cindermane sighed.

"Worried," Choinchime added, sounding exactly like Merra.

"Figured out the drawback to a Kenku did you Coinchime?" Rael smirked. As an entire race, the Kenku could not speak even if they could understand languages. Instead, they could only communicate by copying voices or sounds they heard before.

Coinchime made the hissing noise of a cat before he flipped Rael the bird.

Rael chuckled before he asked the big question, "So, any idea the things we're getting ourselves into?"

"Not much," Kevan shook his head. "I've been travelling into the Dessarin Valley looking for the ones who sank my crew. My goddess gave hints that they've come this way, but the trail's gone dry so I'm looking for jobs to help me on my quest."

"Grim," Merra grimaced as Coinchime warbled a violin noise. "Well, I'm just on a missionary type thing and looking for druids so I can share knowledge of our Circle of Wildfire. I know some are in the valley somewhere, but I haven't managed to find them yet."

"Hm, so nothing," Rael crossed his arms. "Well, no helping it. You three are Level 1 anyway so some miscellaneous jobs can help get important XP."

"Freaking noob status," Merra huffed.

"Tenderfoot," Coinchime huffed, sounding like a character from an old cartoon.

"So, have you been able to get any word on troubles here in Red Larch?" asked Rael.

"We were here before the proprietor began talking to each of us and then shuffling us to this table," Kevan answered. "You're the last one to show up."

"This looks like a job for Superman!" Coinchime interjected.

The party didn't have to wait too long. After Rael took his seat, the barmaid went to collect her boss. Soon a woman in her forties, looking very much like the stereotypical matron of a high fantasy in. She was older, but fit and healthy from n active lifestyle. Her black hair was only beginning to turn gray, making her look mature but still drawing in looks if she wasn't already married.

"Ah, good to finally have a proper group together," she nodded as she pulled up a chair. "My name's Kylessa Irkell. I'm the one running the Swinging Sword. I'm hoping that you lot will be able to help us out with the strange goings on happening around Red Larch and the valley lately."

"What seems to be the trouble?" asked Rael.

Kylessa sighed, "Well, all sorts of weird things have been happening. It's subtle, but all of it's happening at once or so I've been hearing. It's too much to be just an oddity or coincidence if you ask me." Kylessa wrung her hands in slight worry, "There have been mist hanging around the Sumber Hills even in broad dylight, hot flashes of wind out west when it's always been cold. We've even been having bolts a lightning across coming up from the hills when it's been a clear day. We've had our share of troubles now and then, but people have been calling this 'Fell Magic' whenever they begin talking about it."

Merra rubbed her chin, "That does sound off. Nature is rather consistent in a given area. If this odd weather has been happening, then someone must be doing something to cause those reactions."

"Anyone acting shifty recently?" Asked Kevan. "Maybe strangers, or people acting differently from usual?"

Kylessa shook her head, "Oh we get strangers passing through all the time. Our town is a stop over point for travellers. As for people acting odd, well…I don't want to accuse anyone of anything. I mean, I've known plenty of people here for years…"

"Where everybody knows your name," Coinchime sang, indicating the backlash the rumor mill can have on people in small towns.

"It could be nothing," Rael tried to reassure her. He kept a hand on his dice pouch, fishing out his d20 to try a persuasion check. "Perhaps they're just getting nervous about the strange goings on too. We just have to look into it in case they may know something they didn't think was important. You'd be surprised how the smallest things can lead to breaking a case."

Kylessa nibbled on her lip slightly as she considered it. Under the table, Rael dropped his d20, letting it softly clatter to the floor. He didn't see the result, (a 10 turned 13) but the effects spoke for themselves as a soft glow from the dice had Kylessa firm her resolve.

"Well…I'm not accusing anyone, understand?" Kylessa spoke. "Still, Albaeri Mellikho who runs the quarry at the north end of town, and Ulhro Luruth who owns the tannery at the south end have been acting a little shifty lately."

"How so?" asked Rael.

"Well, Mellikho's stonecutters refuse to work in the quarry at night since they say men in strange stone masks have been scaring them off. She's been oddly dismissive of the claims considering how backed up with orders of stone she is," Kylessa answered. "Then there's Luruth who's always be a bit of a grouch but lately he's been more gruff than usual. I think it's just because of the recent events with the weird weather, but it just rings as odd to me."

"Sound reasonable," Merra shrugged. "So, what exactly do you think is causing all this weird stuff?"

"Now that I have no problem saying," Kylessa frowned. "A little ways south of here is what we call Lance Rock. Its a ravine which has a big slab of stone stuck in the ground. The rock itself isn't the problem, but lately it's just that there's an evil presence there I'm sure of it! The Tarnlar children have also been saying for weeks that when they were picking nearby, a prospector told them that there's a plague now around the rock."

Kevan rubbed his chin, "That seems a little weak…"

"But worrisome," Rael interjected. "I don't know about the others, but as a Paladin who took the Oath of the Ancients, I must ensure threats like this doesn't corrupt the world. I'll go alone if I have to."

"Oh no you don't," Merra rolled her eyes. "We're going together."

"All for one, and one for all!" Coinchime declared.

Kevan nodded, "I'm not the type to abandon others without one heck of a good reason."

Kylessa sighed with some relief, "Ah, good. Finally, someone who listens. If you're able to set right whatever is wrong there, I'll happily hand you 50 gold pieces."

"Cha-ching!" Coinchime cheered.

Kylessa smiled and began giving directions towards Lance Rock. It was a little under eight miles to the southwest of Red Larch. It would be hard to miss as like Kylessa said before, the rock was a large slab which was sticking out of the ground and would be very easy to see. Kylessa couldn't say she saw anything wrong there just a feeling of wrongness which permeated the area. She had tried talking to the local constable or thown elders, but none of them were willing to do anything about it, considering it hearsay without any kind of evidence.

After getting the details, the group got up and began to consider their supplies. Rael was just fine since he had all of his equipment, including his +1 Longsword Talon, and the Dragonguard breastplate from the last adventure. The others had basic equipment from character creation, but they all only had one waterskin on them, with Coinchime having less rations than the others and Kevan needing an actual quiver for the crossbow bolts he had on him.

After asking around, they were pointed to the south end of Red Larch to a store called Vallivoe's Sundries. It looked like it was a residence, but it had all kinds of old or ruined doors, furniture, and barrels outside against the walls. Only a sign on the door showed it was a store at all.

Inside was just as clovered, having stacks of books, armor, a few weapons, mirrors, supplies, and all sorts of gear and goods.

"Uh…hello?" Rael asked aloud, looking around to the stacks and shelves.

"Just a moment! Whoops!" A voice called back before there was a small crash. Some shuffling followed before an old man managed to pull himself out of the chaos. He looked to the group and smiled at them, apparently unbothered by Coinchime and Merra's unique appearances, "Ah, hello. How can I help you all?"

"Um," Merra spoke up. "Just some travelling supplies?"

"Ah, no worries! I have a bit of everything here," the old man laughed. "I might have to dig it out, but it's all here."

Not having much choice but to take his word for it, the group listed what they were looking for. Sure enough the old man, Endrith Vallivoe, was able to remember where he stashed things like quivers, waterskins, and camping rations.

"Going on an adventure eh?" Endrith make small talk as the group paid for their gear.

"A little. We've been told Red Larch is having some trouble so we're going to help out," Merra smiled. "We've been told something odd is up at Lance Rock and we're checking it out."

"Really?" Endrith rubbed his chin. "Well, if you're intent on helping Red Larch, I might have something with you myself."

"What's up doc?" asked Coinchime.

"Well, I don't know what it might mean, but I've heard some folks talking about a skull being pinned to a tree by a black arrow," Endrith explained. "It was half a day's walk along the Larch path and then four miles easy into the hills. I think it's some kind of warning or an ill omen of some kind."

Kevan frowned, stroking the stubble on his chin, "Might be bandits, orcs, or something like that."

"One of the bad ideas I thought of," Endrith nodded. "It's so small and so far away, not many people even consider it more than a curiosity. With all this other stuff going on, I'm worried it might mean more."

"It may be," Rael nodded. "Should we have the opportunity, we will look into it."

Endrith seemed pleased with that and the purchase was completed. With more gear, the new party stepped out and began heading in the direction of Lance Rock. With it being as close to the town as it was, it made sense to walk rather than try to ride. After all, it wasn't like they had a group of horses. As a bonus, the weather was at least pleasant.

As they walked, they discussed what they might know about what might be going on. With barely any knowledge about just about anything in the area, they were literally blind to anything going on in the area.

They did talk about what memories they had from becoming their characters and if anything they had from those might help. Rael didn't have any, although he remembered the gap of time between when they left at the end of their previous adventure and when he assumed the identity of the Wood Elf again.

Coinchime tried to convey what he remembered, a life as a forger who got chased out of Neverwinter, but conveying the finer details was hard since he had to recall noises or quotes to try and tell the story.

Merra's was rather bland there since she had come from her home settlement in the Elemental Plane of Fire before she just wandered, exploring all the colorful things in the Material Plane.

Kevan explained that he saw the ones who sank his ship. People riding on sharks led by a man who had a trident and a metal crab claw for an arm. Communion with Melora and asking around managed to get a lead on that man being in the Dessarin Valley, although there was no way to know if he was still there.

With chatting to pass the time, the group did manage to reach Lance Rock. It was a menhir, a standing stone, which was twenty-five feet tall and stuck out of the ground at a sixty degree angle. It was clearly grantie stone, making it look very different from the surrounding stone, meaning it was not natural or even local.

"Wow," Merra blinked at the sight. "I heard about these things in Europe."

"What does Stonehenge doeth?" Coinchime threw in his two cents.

"Let's get searching then," Kevan hefted a mace over his shoulder. "Something must be wrong here if a woman's willing to give 50 gold just to see what it might be."

Rael nodded, "Right. Let's go."

The group circled the rock and looked at the surrounding area to try and see what might be out of the ordinary. Coinchime was the first to notice a path. Following it, he discovered a ravine which was choked with brush. More noticeable was the neatly painted sign next so said path.

"A clue! A clue!" Choinchime called, sounding like a little kid from a show about a blue dog. His calls brought the attention of the group to the trail.

"Come no closer, lest you catch the disfiguring plague that affects me! The Lord of Lance Rock," Rael read. "Well, that explains why a dwarf told those kids there was a plague here. He must have seen the sign."

"Are we sure he wasn't the one to place it? Trying to score a good mining spot for himself?" pondered Kevan.

"Either way, we need to search," Rael replied. "I'll go first. With my Divine Health feature, if there is a plague, it won't affect me."

"Go nuts," Merra nodded.

Rael drew Talon and began walking down the brush-choked path. Nothing tried to jump at him and he didn't see any sign of unhealthy living. Breaking through the brush, he came to a stone wall in the ravine. Nearby was a cave and it had a sign posted next to it, word for word the same as the one at the start of the path.

"Okay, Divine Sense," Rael muttered, opening his senses with the divine power coursing through him. Immediately he was assaulted with the scent of rotting flesh and he nearly gagged from it. At the edge of his 60-foot radius, deep in the cave in front of him, was an undead. He couldn't tell what kind of undead, but his senses told him that it was indeed an undead which was there.

"Kaylessa may have been onto something," Rael muttered. He turned back to call to his friends, "No plague, but there are undead!"

"Brains!" Coinchime cried in a famous movie zombie's moan.

The group travelled down the path and came to Rael's side, looking into the cave or seeing the sign. They got to the mouth of the cave, drawing their weapons. Merra hefted up a shield and a scimitar while Coinchime pulled out a rapier.

"You're sure there's something undead in there?" asked Kevan.

"Yes," Rael nodded. "There was only the one, but there may be more of them deeper in the cave."

"Then let's do this," Merra nodded.

The group entered the cave, slowly walking in and looking for the zombie in question. About 60 feet from the entrance of the cave, they did manage to find a corpse laying on its back at the far end of the room. It looked like a human man, only wearing a pair of breeches.

"Is that it?" asked Kevan.

"It's the only body, but…" Rael frowned and invoked his Divine Sense again. He had four uses, equal to 1 plush his Charisma modifier (+3). Once again, he was assaulted by the stench of an undead and it all wafted out from the corpse in front of them. Rubbing his nose, Rael nodded, "Yes, it's undead. Likely a zombie."

"Ballroom blitz!" Choinchime suggested.

"All four of us hit at once?" asked Rael. Coinchime nodded. "Not bad. We might be able to bring it down in one go. Let's do it."

The group approached the body, taking care to not touch it. Lifting their weapons, they all nodded to each other and as one, thrust their weapons down at the zombie. All of their dice appeared for the strike, showing hits except for Kevan. When the blows landed in flashes of red, the zombie lurched with a breathes groan, letting the mace miss and crash into the cavern floor.

The damage dice all rolled for a total of 25, making chunks of the zombie light up bright red. As it did, a d20 rolled for the zombie's Undead Fortitude trait. If it rolled a Constitution Saving Throw higher that 5 plus the damage it took, it would have one hit point left. Needless to say, since all three party members hit at the same time, it totalled a DC 30. Naturally, the zombie failed and vanished in a haze of lights.

"Just 12 measly XP," Merra pouted.

"It adds up quickly," Kevan shrugged. "Okay, which way? I can't see so well in here."

"You picked the human again," Rael teased, making Kevan grumble. Rael peered into the darkness the cave opening didn't show with the natural light.

Rael by default, since he was the tank and a Level 4 one at that, took the lead down the tunnel. The tunnel was almost a hundred feet long. As they continued on the way, they saw torches set in a chamber ahead.

"Someone is still here," Rael frowned. "Stay sharp."

Rael kept going forward and stepped into the room. As he stepped into the room, he heard the rumble of rocks. Realizing what he was hearing, he realized it was coming from above. Looking up, he saw a glimpse of two humanoid figures with a box they were tilting at him. Rael's eyes widened when he saw rocks falling from the box at him.

"Damn!" He cried, trying to move out of the way. His dice rolled to try and save him. It rolled among the first rocks to hit, landing on a 7 turned 9. The rocks crashed into Rael and a pair of d6 rolled, announcing that he took 4 damage. As a second consequence, Rael's d20 rolled again to show a 2 turned 3. One of the rocks hit Rael in the head and he collapsed to the ground in a heap, prone with numerous glowing red spots on his body.

"Rael!" the group cried out in shock.

Groans came from above before a pair of humanoids came crashing down from above. A pair of d6 rolled as they hit, indicating that they took 3 and 2 damage. It didn't take them long to begin getting up, showing their rotting forms as zombies.

"Initiative!" Merra called out, lifting her sword.

Dice flew for the now familiar action, setting up the order of battle. Coinchime managed to get the first go. Drawing his rapier, he charged for the two zombies near his friend, "Leeeeroy Jenkins!"

Coinchime charged into the fray, leaping at the zombie on the right. His dice flashed out to roll as he lifted his rapier. A 13 turned 19 was more than enough. The rapier was buried deep into the zombie's chest in a flash of red, spreading slightly from the wound. A d8 rolled, showing a max of 8 before it was boosted to a 12. The zombie groaned and Coinchime pulled his rapier back.

"Hit the road, Jack!" Coinchime sang.

The zombie groaned before it gazed down at Coinchime. With a grunt, it threw itself at the Kenku to try and slam it. A red dice rolled as it got closer, coming up to a 9 turned 12. With Coinchime's high Dexterity with his leather armor, it wasn't enough at he was able to sidestep the zombie.

The other zombie ignored the others completely. Instead, it looked down to where Rael was on the ground. Lifting its arms, it swung down to slam him. Since Rael was prone, the zombie had advantage, rolling two d20 to show that. The dice resulted in a total of 18, more than enough to hit Rael hard.

"Gaugh!" Rael cried, taking the blow to the back in a flash of red. A d6 from the blow showed he took another 5 damage.

"Rael!" Merra cried.

"I've got him!" Kevan called as his turn began. Gripping his shield and mace, he charged into the fray at the zombie which had struck Rael. Coming up to it, he hefted up his mace and swung at the zombie's head. His d20 showed a 9 turned 13 which had the mace crash against the zombie's head. The zombie stumbled, a large part of the side of it's head glowing red as Kevan's d6 read 3 turned 5.

"Guh," Rael grunted as he felt his body energize, indicating that it was his turn. Shaking his head, he forced himself up to his feet, sacrificing half of his movement. Gripping Talon, he looked to the zombie that struck him and swung hard at it.

His d20 was in the mood to cooperate, showing a 16 turned 22, easily letting the longsword sink into the flesh of the zombie in a blaze of red. The d8 read a 2, but between Rael's strength (+3) and the magic in Talon (+1), it made the damage a respectable 6.

"Gangway! Hot stuff coming through!" Merra called as she got her turn. Scimitar and shield at the ready, she ran into the fray as well. Deciding to help Coinchime, she charged at the zombie before slashing with her weapon. The d20 rolled, coming to a total 18, letting the blade sink into the zombie's flesh. A d6 announced the monster took 5 damage.

"Keep hacking at them!" Merra shouted.

"Sir, yes sir!" Coinchime declared as his turn came around. As the zombie faced Merra, Coinchime darted around the zombie to use the distraction. It was a perfect opportunity for the Sneak Attack ability.

A unique ability for the Rogue class was their ability to Sneak Attack. In action, if a Rogue had advantage on an attack and was using a finesse or ranged weapon, they could deal an extra 1d6 damage. Better yet, if the target had another enemy within 5 feet of them, the Rogue didn't need advantage.

"Huzzah!" Coinchime called, stabbing at the zombie's back. His d20 rolled a 5 turned 11, more than enough to break the zombie's DC and letting the rapier sink into it's flesh.

The rapier attack dealt 6 damage from the regular attack although the Sneak Attack, which was a d6, only did a measly 1 extra damage. The zombie wobbled and its Undead Fortitude trait kicked in, rolling a d20 to try and save it. Rolling a 2 turned 5, the zombie gave a groan before collapsing, vanishing in a haze of lights.

The second zombie didn't seem to care about the death of its comrade and merely tried to take another swing at Rael again. Its dice was good a second time, rolling an 18 turned 21, more than enough for a strike. The slam struck Rael in the chest, making him huff and his ribs creak in a flash of red, taking another 4 damage.

"This is getting old," Rael wheezed, clutching his chest.

"Allow me then!" Kevan swung at the zombie again. His dice rewarded him with a total of 19. His mace crashed into the head of the zombie a second time for another 5 damage. Kevan frowned even as the zombie stumbled, more of its head glowing red.

"HA!" Rael shouted, swinging his blade at the zombie. A total of 19 had the blade sink into the undead minion, dealing 9 damage. The zombie trembled and it's Undead Fortitude tried to save it. It was a near thing, but with the DC set to 14, the zombie's Constitution Saving Throw was only a 13. The zombie gave off one last groan before it likewise vanished into a haze of lights.

"Ugh," Rael slumped. He rubbed his pounding head. "I guess it's true. Being a higher level doesn't mean I'm untouchable by lower things."

"Apparently traps too," Kavan sighed. "How's the head?"

"Ringing," the elf Paladin muttered back.

"So use those Lay on Hands to heal some damage," Merra suggested.

"I want to save it just in case," Rael replied, "But if this headache gets worse, I may do that. Now, what's in here?"

The room was a natural cavern, but what was really catching the eye was the flat boulder in the middle of the room. Now without the excitement, the group could see that it was covered in stains. Getting closer revealed a coppery scent in the air. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had been going on in the room.

"Now what?" asked Kevan coldly. "Which way?"

Coinchime took out one of his d4 dice and rolled it on the boulder, not on one of the stains on the rock. It came to a stop, reading a 4. Seeing the result, Coinchime whistled and pointed to the right.

"Dice rolls. Let's go," Kevan nodded.

The party moved to the right passage, leading deeper into the caverns. Kevan and Coinchime needed help to move through the passage as Rael and Merra led the way. Once they got the end of the passage, there was more torches lighting the area. Sadly, the entire party wished they could not see anything of the sort.

Across the room were stiff corpses, all of them leaning against the walls. They were wearing scraps of clothing and some had bits of armor with signs of rust. Seven of them looked they were little more than skeletons with skin stretched over their bones and wisps of hair on their head. The other five were fresher, looking at least human, but they were clearly dead with all the appearance of it. Almost as an afterthought, a small pile of rusty shortswords were piled in the middle of the room.

"Oh gods," Merra gasped. "Who…who did this?!"

"A monster," Kevan growled.

Kevan gripped his amulet and stepped up to the stiffened corpses. Call it a strange impulse, but he felt the need to say something. He was a Cleric and had to say some words for the poor souls who had been killed and left to rot in such a way. Lifting up his hand with the amulet, he spoke in a low voice for a prayer to Melora, praying that their souls found peace and their bodies could be returned to the earth. As he prayed, the emblem seemed to glow in the low light, but perhaps the light came from more from than just reflecting torchlight.

Kevan reached for the bodies, to close the eyes of the fresher corpses. As he did so, three of the skeletal bodies suddenly shifted. Kevan and the rest of the group backed away, gripping their weapons. Three of the skeletons jerked to life, their petrified skin breaking off in dusty chunks. Shambling towards the group, they only stopped to grab a rusty shortsword from the pile near their feet.

"Spooky scary skeletons!" Coinchime piped up, drawing his rapier again. "Initiative!"

Dice rolled and the battle began.

The order of the battle was set as the skeletons shambled towards the group. Rael felt the energy of his turn beginning before he lunged for the skeletons. They were normally not the hardiest of foes, so the party didn't feel afraid to fight them. Especially not with a Level 4 Paladin on their side.

"For Rillifane!" Rael roared, swinging his blade at the nearest skeleton. His dice flew...landing on a 4 turned 10. The blade found itself parried by the skeleton and the dried skin flaking off of its form.

Kevan stepped forward, bringing himself next to Rael and in front of the skeletons. He grabbed his amulet of Melora and unleashed a blast of light as he called his spell, "Word of Radiance!"

A flash of light erupted from the amulet, bathing its light over the three skeletons. Each rolled for a Constitution saving throw. The first skeleton failed, taking 1 radiant damage. The other two succeeded, taking nothing from the blow.

"Each time I try something new," Kevan scowled,

The skeletons clacked as their turn came. The first slashed at Rael, managing to score an 18 and cutting a deep gash across Rael's torso for 8 damage, leaving him at a dangerously low 9 damage.

The other two skeletons, seemed to ignore Kevan, perhaps in fear of the light or perhaps she was the most noticable, the skeletons moved to attack Merra. Due to the close quarters, the skeleton in front of Kevan did not leave his area of attack while the second one was nowhere in it. Both lashed out with their blades, one catching Merra for 6 damage, leaving her at 5 hit points. The other tried, but was met resistance from her shield.

"Ow…" Merra grimaced, her teeth clenched.

Coinchime made his namesake before he began his turn. Slipping through behind Merra, it moved to the rightmost skeleton's side and lunged at it with his rapier. A natural 1 saw the rapier pass straight through the skeleton's ribs, dealing absolutely no damage.

Coinchime let off a 'D'oh!' in frustration.

"Nice try," Merra offered as her turn came. With the confined spaces, her Thunderwave spell would only hurt everyone. With no recourse, she slashed at the skeleton that hit her. A natural 20 had the blade ignite as if blazing as the blade impacted the skeleton. A d6 rolled a 3 which became a 6 which then increased further to an 8. The attack shattered several ribs, rendering the fragments of cloth and dried skin over the bones.

Merra had no time to celebrate as Rael gripped his blade for a second swing at his opponent. This time he was more successful as he rolled 14 turned 20 had talen smash into the skeleton, dealing a massive 8 damage.

"I can handle myself! Help Merra!" Rael shouted to his Cleric companion.

"Right!" Kevan nodded. Spinning around, he stepped up behind the skeleton menacing Merra in front of her. This caused the skeleton fighting Rael to take a sloppy swing at him in an attack of opportunity. At a roll of 3 turned 7, Kevan had the sense to raise his shield, letting the rusty blade hit his wooden shield.

"Back off bonehead!" Kevan roared, swinging at the skeleton's back. Rather than one d20, Kevan's attack rolled two for advantage. This was the advantage of the flanking rule, allowing the Cleric this advantage. A 9 turned 13 and 10 turned 14 was the result and the mace in Kevan's hand smashed into the skeleton's back.

When the mace struck the skeleton's back, there was a bright flash of red. From the impact, a d6 rolled a 3 turned 5. The number then turned red and became a 10. The spine of the skeleton shattered and it collapsed before it vanished into motes of light, cutting the enemy forces by one third.

The skeletons then had their turn, undisturbed by the death of their comrade. The first skeleton fighting Rael took another shambling swing at him. Once again it was a hit with 17 turned 21. For a second time, it rolled a d6 for 6 turned 8, stabbing Rael through the abdomen, several inches even through his armor.

"Guh!" Rael gasped, feeling his life drained down to exactly 1 hit point. "Oh...come on!"

The second skeleton, for a brief moment, looked between Merra and Coinchime, since got its attention and the other attacked it. After that moment, the skeleton raised its blade and swung at Merra again. A 16 turned 20 was more than enough as Merra tried to raise her shield, only for the sword to hit her first with surprising speed. Merra tried to step back, but still took a bad blow of 3 damage, earning a groan from the fire genasi.

"GAH!" Merra cried out.

Coinchime squawked at the sight lunged with another stab of his rapier. This time it was more successful, being 18 turned 24. Several ribs were broken from the strike as a d8 rolled for 4 turned 8 damage on the animated bones. "Eat my shorts!"

"I've had it with you creeps!" Merra grit her teeth through her pain, her hair looking more like fire than before, only matched by her blazing eyes before she swung her blade at the moving bones. 13 turned 17 had the blade strike the skeleton, shattering ribs and spinal bones for 7 damage, collapsing the monster before the pieces vanished.

"Okay, last time," Rael groaned, his vision slightly hazy. Gripping his blade again, he swung at the skeleton. Sadly, his dice rolled a natural 1 and his vision was too hazy for him to proerly strike, missing the skeleton entirely.

"I've got this!" Kevan declared. Gripping his mace, he charged into the fray and swung hard at the skeleton. 19 turned 23 was enough, smashing into the skull of the undead. The total was 12 damage, obliterating the skull into pieces. The rest of the body trembled before collapsing. As it hit the ground, the pieces vanished.

"Ugh," Rael groaned, dropping to the ground. "I thought this was level 1!"

"Didn't feel like it," Merra winced, clutching the glowing red marks on her torso.

"The only constants are death and taxes," Coinchime offered, confusing his friends for a moment.

"Goes to show even if you are higher level, there's no way you can guarantee winning against weaker monsters," Kevan sighed. "Those things got some good rolls and we got some crap ones. Mix with the traps you walked into…"

"Yeah. I took a beating," Rael groaned. Pressing a hand to his chest, he invoked his deity and magic, "Lay on Hands, 15 points."

"So much for a cake walk with a higher level guy with us," Merra nodded. "Got any more of those hands to spare?"

Rael nodded and gave his last 5 points to heal Merra nearly completely. It eased the pain at the very least and erased the glowing red marks.

There was nothing else in the room but the other skeletons and the scraps of armor or clothing. It was a little disappointing, but the part did gain some valuable experience. So the party continued back down the path they took, coming back out to the larger cavern and taking the path on the left side of the room.

The macabre feeling which the group was having since entering the caverns only increased when the group realized that blood was coating the narrow cavern walls. It made the party tense and grip their weapons even tighter, preparing for any kind of trouble which may lay ahead.

More torches gave light to the end of the passage. Stepping out, the group had to stop and gape at what they were seeing next. Three clear zombies were lurching in some bad attempt at dancing. One was dressed like a bear, the second like some noble lady with garish makeup trying to cover what rot reached its face, and the third like a jester with jingling bells on its head.

"What the hell is all this?" Kevan blinked at the creepy sight. In a way, it was even creepier than the bloody walls and the altar in the past chamber.

The zombies just continued their dancing, doing laps around the room. They didn't seem to be bothering too much with the party.

"Think we can sneak around them?" asked Rael.

"Dunno. Might just be a trap. The skeletons looked innocent until-!" Merra began.

"Sacred Flame!" Kevan interrupted. From his holy symbol a glowing wind of fresh, flower-scented air fired at the bear-clad zombie. The zombie's dice attempted a saving throw, rolling on a 10 turned 8. The divine magic blasted the zombie with a flash of red. A d8 only rolled 3 damage, but it was a start. The force made the zombie recoil and all three stopped their dancing, beginning to lurch towards the party.

"Initiative!" Kevan declared.

The dice flew once again and the battle began with the zombies of the other side of the room. The order was set and Coinchime found himself being first in the turn order. Knowing charging in along was a dumb idea for a Rogue, so he pulled out his shortbow and fired at the wounded zombie, hoping to cull the numbers before it became a melee battle.

The dice rolled to 8 and became 14, seeing an arrow sink into the bear-clad zombie's torso, dealing 9 damage as it struck near the remaining vital organs. The zombie stumbled, but remained standing.

Rael and Kevan had the next turn, having rolled the same total of 21. They both had the same Dexterity modifier of +2, and but Rael had the higher Strength modifier, letting him go first.

"Don't go into the thick of things by yourself again," Kevan warned. "You're at, what, half your hit points?"

"Yeah," Rael nodded. Swapping Talon for his bow, he quickly grabbed an arrow and took aim at the wounded zombie and fired. He rolled a natural 20, making the arrow light up in Rilifane Rallathil's power. The arrow impacted against the zombie, dealing a grand total of 10, which was just what the zombie's hit points were. The undead fell back, exploding into lights, leaving two more.

"Nice!" Kevan nodded. "Now try this! Sacred Flame!"

Another blast of Melora's power flew at the lady zombie as it rolled to defend itself. A 6 became a 4 and it took a fateful of the attack, taking 8 radiant damage. The lady zombie stumbled, but remained on its feet. "Merra, go!"

Merra frowned, considering her options. She had made her build more for support than outright combat. She cursed zombies and their immunity to poison, rendering her only offensive cantrip useless.

"I'll Hold until the zombies come into melee range," Merra finally spoke. She was still too low in hit points to try running between a pair of zombies.

The two zombies shambled towards the group, moving only 20 feet, but considering the size of the room, it was just enough to get them in reach of the party. As they did, Merra saw her chance, lashing out at the lady zombie with her scimitar. A 4 turned 8 was just enough, slashing through the zombie for 6 more damage.

The lady zombie shook from the blow, but it didn't stop it from trying to slam into Rael. A roll totalling 18 was just enough, crashing into Rael's body ina flash of red, dealing 5 damage.

"Gn!" Rael grunted. Mentally, he lamented why everything was having such an easy time hitting him despite his AC of 18.

The second zombie decided to slam any Merra. The dice was not kind, managing to roll an 11 total, but only smashed against Meera's shield.

"Coinchime, go!" Merra shouted.

"Aye aye!" Coinchime declared, ducking back around the zombie, he couldn't get to the wounded zombie without provoking an attack of opportunity, so he lunged for the jester zombie.

The dice was kind, thrusting his rapier into the jester zombie's torso, dealing 8 damage in a flash of red. As Merra was next to it, the Sneak Attack damage was made, totalling another 3. The jester zombie shook, but remained standing.

"Makes it that much easier!" Rael took his sword and swung at his zombie. The total of 15 had the longsword cut deep into the zombie lady's flesh for a total of 7 damage.

"Okay, second time's the charm," Kevan clutched his holy symbol. "Word of Radiance!" The light shone, directed at the zombies. Both rolled constitution saving throws in response to the light. The zombie menacing Merra succeeded with a natural 20, but the other failed with a 12. The zombie moaned as the light seemed to soak through it and it collapsed in a heap, vanishing in a haze of lights.

"Well, one out of two isn't bad," Kevan shrugged.

Merra saw her chance and swung with her sword once again. She swung, but her d20 showed a 2 turned 6 and the blade swung over the zombie's head as it shambled and drooped, almost hunting over before it recovered itself. Once it had it's footing, it focused on the last thing that struck it, spinning to lunge at Coinchime. Fortunately, the agile kenku got out of the way, letting the zombie hit only air.

"Prison shank!" Coinchime lunged back. His dice read 11, letting the rapier pierce the zombie as it was off balance. The dice rolled from the impact, the natural d8 dealing 6 damage and Sneak Attack dealing another 4. The zombie wheezed and shuddered, barely staying on its feet, but it managed it.

Rael hoped to end it and moved around Kevan and slashed at the last zombie. With the successful roll, dug into the zombie's side. The sword bit deep, almost bisecting the zombie from the side in a flash of red, dealing 16 damage. A red d20 rolled, trying to save the zombie's unnatural life, but at a 13, it was not enough. The zombie fell another and vanished in a blast of lights.

"Ow," Rael sighed, shaking his head. "This is not easy for me today."

"I've got you," Kevan sighed, pressing his hands onto Rael. "Cure Wounds." The wind of nature wove from Kevan's hands, wrapping around Rael. As the spell was cast, a d8 rolled and landed on a 5 and became a 10 thanks to the +5 spellcasting modifier Kevan had.

"Better," Rael sighed, his hit points at least breaching 20.

"We need our tank in top shape," Kevan slapped Rael's shoulder. "So, let's keep going. Where to next?"

Without the zombies pulling their attention, the group saw a pair of tunnels into the rock. At first glance, neither of the tunnels looked like they had anything special or any sign that there was anything to indicate good or ill.

"Whichaway?" Asked Coinchime.

Merra looked to Kevan, "Maybe we can find tracks or something. How's your Survival? I've got +3."

"Well, I've got +5," Kevan replied. He stepped forward towards the two tunnels, "Let's see...how about a Survival check to see which tunnel has more tracks going through it?"

Kevan pulled out his d20 and tossed it to the ground with a roll. It landed on a 15 turned 20 before the dice vanished. Kevan's eyes narrowed as he looked at the two tunnels. Almost as if they were in neon, he saw boot prints or bare footprints in some of the dirt along the floor or trails of dust. There was some down the right tunnel, but there were even more from the tunnel on the left.

"We go left," Kevan reported. "There is a lot more activity going that way. We're more likely to find the source of all this that way."

"So we maybe look right after we clear out the rest?" Asked Rael.

There was some agreement and the group began heading down the direction of the left tunnel. The tunnel darkened slightly and curved. Light soon came from the opposite end though. Rael was quick to take the lead with Kevan behind him, their weapons at the ready. Coinchime was behind the Cleric, polishing his rapier and Merra took up the rear. This time they were somewhat more cautious, not wishing to just bulldoze ahead, thinking they were able to do so because Rael was at level 4.

"Okay, ready?" Rael whispered. He received nods from the rest of the group.

Seeing their confirmation, the group spilled out into the room. It was a massive cavern compared to all of the others. In front of them were three boulders which were fashioned into three tables. All three had a dead body on them and worse, there were three baskets of severed body parts near each table, covered in dried gore. At the third table, a humanoid with their back turned to the group was holding a needle and thread.

Farther in the room was a staircase leading up to a small ledge, but what drew the eyes of the group were four skeletons standing in a row in a gap leading to a connected cavern. The skeletons were clearly guards, since they had some armor scraps and more rusty swords in their hands. Behind those skeletons was a humanoid, although it was hard to tell what race, they were wearing find black clothing and had black hair and a goatee.

"Hey, who are you?" Demanded Rael of the humanoids in the room.

"Ha! I do not have to obey a peasant!" The man at the back of the room scoffed, although he was making sure he was behind a skeleton when he said as such. "It is so kind you all volunteered to be my next experimental subjects! I haven't had a chance to work with non-human bodies yet!"

The robed figure made a wheezing groan and turned around, revealing them to be another zombie, apparently cleaning up an experiment. Dropping the needle, it began to approach menacingly.

"Initiative!" Rael roared. This time, numerous dice rolled from all over, telling about the number of combatants which were going to be taking part in the ensuing melee.

Coinchime found himself going first, somewhat to his chagrin. Still, he ran with it and pulled out his bow again, firing at the cloaked zombie. His luck had him roll a natural 20, sending the arrow like a shot into the zombie's chest. The result was 5 which double to 10 and then became 14. The zombie lurched from the impact, stumbling for a moment and sporting a new hole in its torso before it got its balance back.

"You gotta bottleneck that portal!" Coinchime quoted a star-spangled character from a movie.

"What?" Merra blinked.

"He means with so many enemies, we have to get them clustered together and cut them down that way!" Kevan replied. "So no charging into the open!"

"Agreed!" Rael drew another arrow for his own bow and took aim at the zombie. He rolled, coming up to a 22, the arrow sank into the zombie's chest with 8 turned 12 damage. The zombie's Undead Constitution trait attempted to save it, but failed with a roll of 9. With a wheeze of air escaping its decaying lungs, the zombie fell back and vanished in a haze of lights.

"Hey, maybe we're getting some good luck," Rael grinned.

As Rael's turn ended, the three baskets of body parts suddenly shuddered. The pieces wiggled for a moment before a total of five severed hands, gray and clearly beginning to decay, pulled themselves out of the piles of gore, scuttling on their broken nails and decaying fingers like macabre spiders.

"Doesn't look like it!" Merra grit her teeth, repulsed by it all.

The claws skittered towards the party, but only two of them which came from the closest basket managed to get close enough to the party. One scuttled close to Merra before it jumped up using its fingertips, slashing at Merra's thighs with its nails. A total of 19 had the nails dig into her skin, making Merra grimace, the nails hitting a sensitive place, dealing 5 damage.

"Ow! A fucking claw?!" Merra grimaced, now down to her last 5 hit points.

The second attempted the same to Kevan, rolling a 12. Kevan was a bit more prepared for the assault and he swung his shield, knocking the undead hand out of the air.

THe master of all the undead laughed like a demented child, clapping his hands behind his skeletons. The animated bones themselves did not move, instead were simply obeying the command to stand guard.

"Payback time!" Merra hissed. With her scimitar, she slashed down at the claw which got her. Sadly, she rolled a 2 turned 6 which had the claw scuttle out of the way. "Fuck!"

"Ah ha! You can't defeat my superior undead subjects!" The man laughed with glee. "Give up! Your deaths will be painless and your flesh will serve a greater purpose!"

"Fuck you, asshole!" Coinchime quoted an insult from a film about a time-travelling robot.

Kevan's turn came quick and gripping his mace, he swung down at the crawling claw. A 3 turned 7 was not nearly enough as the hand scuttled out of the way, letting the mace hit the ground.

"Shit! We can't let these claws mob us!" Kevan shouted.

"No shit!" Merra hissed.

Coinchime's turn came and he moved around behind the claw which was threatening Merra. Rather than his rapier, he drew his two daggers. Gripping one, he stabbed down at the claw which had attacked Merra. He got advantage on the blow, abusing the flanking rule. The d20's rolled, one landing on 2 turned 6 and the other on 8 turned 12.

The attack was enough as the dagger slammed down into the hand, piercing the center of its mass in a flash of red. A d4 rolled to land on 1 turned 5, making the crawling claw vanish into motes of light.

"And for my next trick!" Coinchime spun up and using the rest of his movement, lunged to the second claw and stabbed down on it. His dice rolled again, turning to a 13 turned 17 and the dagger pierced the hand. The d4 rolled and Coinchime prayed it wasn't a 1 since his modifier didn't apply to his off hand. The dice thankfully hit a 4 and the claw vanished like the other.

"Excellent!" Rael grinned. Seeing the other claws, he drew another arrow before he fired. A total of 23 had the arrow sink into the closest claw for 8 damage, pinning the hand to the ground. The fingers twitched before it went still and exploded into motes of light. "Two left!"

With the he lineup of the claws, the last two claws were the farthest away from the party, unable to reach them in the last round of combat. Now that they had the time to get closer, the claws picked their targets and made their lunge.

The first lunged for Rael, broken nails pointing for anything vital it could get. A natural 1 had it slam harmlessly against his armor before falling to the ground, fingers flailing to get turned around. The second hand aimed for Kevan like its brethren did before. This one was more successful, stabbing it's nailed into his abdomen for a surprising blow. Kevan grunted as he took 4 damage from the nails. At Level 1, that was nearly half of his 10 hit points.

As the claws were reduced, the obviously crazy man behind the skeletons stopped laughing and began to look a little more nervous. His eyes began darting between his skeletons and the fighting party, considering his options.

"THis time, I'll cut them up!" Meera grunted. With her sword, she turned and struck at the crawling claw which was in front of Kevan. A not-natural 20 had the attack land, slicing the claw in half in a flash of red before the undead vanished, leaving only one left.

The man behind the bones grew more nervous and agitated before he began shouted, "Kill them! Kill them all!" With that order, the skeletons shuddered and the man ran deeper into the cavern, leaving the battle behind.

"We've got a runner!" Kevan announced before he moved to get in range of the last crawling claw and swinging at it with his mace. His dice succeeded at 19 and smashed the undead hand for 5 points, turning it into paste which like the others, vanished.

"Let him! We have to smash these boneheads first!" Rael retorted.

The group began to run across the large cavern, getting themselves closer to the skeletons. Coinchime and then Rael travelled across the cavern, but with only 30 feet of movement, they felt like they weren't making much progress during combat.

The skeletons clacked and began to advance in a line, their weapons raised for the strikes. Merra and Kevan got to meet with their friends before the round ended. Coinchime took his next turn. The skeletons were at the very edge of the range of his bow without giving him disadvantage so he decided to use it while they still had the range.

"Allow me!" Coinchime spoke in a suave James Bond tone as he fired an arrow at one of the skeletons. 3 turned nine was sadly not enough as the arrow whizzed by harmlessly.

"Nice shot," Rael muttered as he took his own shot at the skeleton. His own dice rolled. His dice hit a natural 20 and the arrow fired with the power of Rael's patron deity. The arrow struck one skeleton in a blast of nature's power. Sadly, the hit was just a grazing blow, dealing a sad (for a critical) amount of 4.

"Oh come on! Freaking dice!" Rael hissed in frustration.

The skeletons continued their march, only ending 20 feet away from the party. Merra and Kevan followed up behind their Paladin and Rogue. Merra prepared the Dodge action, Ana cation which would give the next creatures that attacked her disadvantage on the attack until the start of her next turn, provided she could see them. With only 5 hit points left, she needed the tactical advantage.

Kevan frowned and ignited another Sacred Flame spell, not wanting to waste his last level 1 spell slot on skeletons instead of their master. Hoping to cull the numbers of the skeletons before it turned to a melee battle, he fired at the skeleton that Rael had clipped. Sadly, he barely failed with a 12 and the beams of divine power barely missed, eliciting a powerful curse.

Coinchime and Rael looked to each other, knowing it was about to turn to a melee battle. Deciding to stay where they were, both took their turns to fire at the wounded skeleton.

Coinchime's came to a natural 20, shooting the arrow almost like a bullet, but only grazed the skeleton for 6 damage. The kenku's jaw dropped in disappointment. Rael tried the same, firing another arrow. His blow totalled 14, dealing 9 damage and shattering the skeleton's skull, making it collapse before the bones vanished.

"Well, we at least got one of them," Rael frowned, reaching for his blade. The skeletons clacked and began approaching once again, swords at the ready. "Get ready!"

The skeletons came into the range for melee and began to lash out at their targets. Since the party were lined in a row, the skeletons had their pick of who to aim for as they approached. One went at Merra, but attacked with disadvantage, the lower being a natural 1, missing completely. The second aimed for Coinchime, but missed with a roll of 4 turned 8. The last struck at Rael, 9 turned 13, but failed against his Dragonguard plate.

Coming back to her turn, Merra gripped her sword and slashed at the skeleton which was menacing her. Sadly, with a total of 12, her blade passed through the ribs, only damaging the scraps of armor. Merra let off curse in Ignan in response.

"HAA!" Kevan roared, lunging for the skeleton attacking Coinchime, knowing the Rogue's Sneak Attack ability would be useful and Coinchime couldn't use an extra action to Disengage yet. His dice rolled, but 4 turned 8 was not enough as the skeleton parried the strike. "Come on!"

What were with their dice rolls?! They were constantly rolling low!

Coinchime grimaced and checked his surroundings, but would have smirked. By being in a row, from left to right being Rael, Coinchime, Kevan, and Merra, the skeletons were likewise in a row. Rael and Kevan were within 5 feet of the skeleton fighting him, so Sneak Attack would still apply.

"Woo!" The kenku cheered, stabbing at the skeleton with his rapier. A total of 15 had the rapier strike, breaking bone and rotten armor. A d8 rolled 7 turned 11, breaking most of the rib cage. Not that it seemed to care.

"HAAA!" Rael roared, swinging his sword at the skeleton in front of him. It was also successful with his longsword at 15 and breaking the collarbone and some ribs with 5 damage. Another victim of a low roll.

Being broken didn't stop the animated piles of bone. Lifting their swords, they began having at their selected targets once again. Rael managed to parry the rusty sword which was swung at him. Coinchime dove around his own attacker, missing the blade as it hit the ground, chipping from the strike. Merra was not so lucky as she was stabbed through the torso for 8 damage eliciting a shriek as she fell backwards and her body began to blink red.

"MERRA!" The group roared in horror.

Merra's turn came and her d20 rolled on its own accord. It came to a stop on a 7 and the red blinking on Merra's body increased in its speed. She had failed her first death saving throw.

Kevan paled, looking between his downed friend and the skeleton which was continuing to stare at her. Kevan's first thought was to try and use his Cure Wounds spell on her, but he also guessed that the skeleton wasn't going to stop stabbing at her until she was dead. Gripping his mace, Kevan roared and swung at the skeleton a second time. 10 turned 14 landed a blow. The mace landed with a large flash of red as his dice rolled up to 6, but then doubled to 12 as cracks spread across it's body and parts of its head caved in.

"Just die already!" Kevan roared.

"Kevan, just heal Merra!" Rael shouted.

"And let her get stabbed?!" Kevan retorted.

Coinchime let off a squawk but knew he had to do something. Letting of a crow-like cry, he held his rapier and lunged for the skeleton standing over his friend. His own opponent had an attack of opportunity, slashing at Coinchime's back. It rolled a 16 turned 20 and Coinchime shrieked as he took 5 damage to the back, but pushed himself through it.

Growling, Coinchime stabbed at the skeleton. His dice barely succeeded as a 14 and his blade smashed through the spine, wiping out the skeleton's last hit point. The undead collapsed in a heap before vanishing, saving Merra from that skeleton.

"Dammit! Just die again already!" Rael cried, slashing at his skeleton a second time. Another barely successful 14 had the longsword strike the skeleton. Using both hands still, the d10 rolled 8 turned 12, shattering the skeleton into pieces. "About time!"

The last skeleton, still focused on Coinchime, turned and followed after the kenku. This worked in Rael's favour thanks to their position, the skeleton left the melee range of the Paladin, and provoking an attack of opportunity. His attack succeeded, turning to 24. The blade smashed down on the skeleton's back shattering bone with another 12 damage and rushing the skeleton once and for all.

"KEVAN!" Rael shouted as the bones vanished into motes of light.

"On it!" Kevan was at Merra's side hands over her body. "Cure Wounds!"

The d8 rolled, landing on a disappointing two before it was raised to a 7. Merra was healed for the same, groaning as she opened her eyes.

"Wha-?" Merra groaned, but then saw where she was and groaned again. "Great. Seriously, I thought this was all for level 1 characters?"

"And we've been playing stupid," Rael sighed. "We had all the his space and...by Rilifane I don't know!"

"We got shit rolls, for the most part," Kevan sighed. "So, we've got that weirdo left. If we want to finish this, we've got to go after him. I don't think it would be all that safe to take a short rest either."

"With how our luck's been, he's probably got backup," Merra huffed. "So what do we do?"

"Dagger, dagger," Coinchime suggested.

"I'd like that. Some stealth would be useful too," Rael added. "Let's take it carefully and bring that creep down hard."

"Marching order?" Asked Kevan.

"I'm the tank so I guess I'll lead," Rael sighed.

"Stealth," Coinchime imitated Rael.

"Support," the Cleric and Druid announced.

Nodding, Rael began leading the way, his party lining up behind him. He never felt like more of a meat shield than he did then, his earlier confidence with being level 4 now leaving him. He mentally went over what abilities he had, including Divine Smite and his Channel Divinity abilities. He'd use those very liberally in the coming fight. He was holding off in case there were worse undead, but it led his friends to getting more hurt than he would have liked.

Heading forward, the group followed the cavern which turned north to a narrow tunnel. It split at one point, but neither side had anything to note. Still, the group was cautious, not wanting to be hit with any other surprises.

Emerging from the other end of a passage, the group slowly entered another oval-shaped cavern. It was large, being forty feet wide and sixty feet long. Purple tapestries hung on the walls in some air of nobility. The middle of the room had the most macabre pedestal made of severed arms, all interlocking with each other. One hand, higher than the others, was holding a glowing ball. Hovering above the ball was what looked like a black upside down three-layer step pyramid with a purple vertical slit in the middle.

As the party slipped into the room, trying to be stealthy, their dice rolls came for Stealth checks. Rael and Kevan rolled rather high, but the Rogue of the group rolled a natural 1, his talons clocking on the stone floor rather audibly. All eyes turned to the Rogue who shrugged sheepishly.

Unbeknownst to all of them, a d20 rolled at the far end of the room and came to a 16, rolling higher than the passive perception of the group.

"Where did he go?" Whispered Merra.

"You got me," Rael frowned. "What the heck is all this? Some kind of show?"

"Doesn't look all that scary," Kevan shook his head. He approached the macabre pedestal to look at the eye symbol and the globe underneath of it.

As he stepped up to it, a tapestry at the far end of the room was pulled aside as the black-haired necromancy jumped out, looking affronted, "Can't you see it?! It's the Eye! It watches your every move! Don't you fear it?!"

"No," Rael charged forward, moving his maximum distance towards the necromancy range. Still 10 feet away, he pulled out another arrow with his bow, firing at the obviously unhinged man. His dice rolled 12 and the arrow got stuck int he tapestry the man was hiding behind, making him yelp in a squeaky voice.

Coinchime immediately began moving, moving around the outside of the battle and using his Stealth to try and keep the necromancer from seeing him. His dice rolled, coming to a total of 23. The necromancer never even noticed him between his focus on the Paladin and his mental instability.

"Finally, something I can use my spells on!" Merra's hair flared before she made her own movement for the necromancer. Getting a bit of an angle, she lifted her hand even though the necromancer was ten feet away still, "Poison Spray!"

A cloud of thick and noxious volcanic spoke fired from Merra's hand, engulfing the necromancer who began to cough and hack. It's dice attempted to save it, but only failed with a natural 1. Immediately the necromancer began to wheeze as a d12 rolled to deal 10 poison damage.

The necromancer waved the smoke from his face, eyes darting wildly between the two people that had attacked it. With a snarl, he glared at Merra before raising a wand which looked like it was carved from a bone of some kind, "Ray of Sickness!"

A beam of green energy which wailed like a damned soul fired from the wand and grazed Merra's side. A wave of nausea filled her for a moment before she turned pale, feeling the nausea grow worse. At her feet, her d20 came to a natural 1 after an attempt to save her. Merra was now poisoned by the attack.

Kevan frowned, hefting up his holy symbol. Going the opposite way of Merra to spread out their numbers, Kevan fired another Sacred Flame at the necromancer. A natural 1 had the spell misfire and go out, making Kevan groan, "Oh give me a break!"

Coinchime kept going when his turn came around near the necromancer. Still not noticed by the maniac, Coinchime prepared his rapier. Catching Rael's eye, he nodded and prepared to jump for his next attack.

Rael drew his sword and charged for the necromancer who gave a rather unmanly shriek as Rael swung at him. A 12 became an 18, smashing into the necromancer who screamed. Before the dice could be rolled for damage, Rael gripped is blade and roared, "Divine Smite!"

The blade shone and the necromancer's scream increased in pitch as the attack did more radiant damage than just the slashing damage. The d10 totaled 6 damage, but a further 2d8 for another 15 damage.

"Guh,urp!" Merra burped, feeling like she was about to throw up. Grimacing, she knew she would have disadvantage on attack and ability rolls, but her one spell did not require one, "P-Poison Spray!"

Another spray of volcanic smoke engulfed the necromancer, sending him into another fit of hacking coughs. His dice rolled an 11 which became a 13, just succeeding. The Necromancer managed to resist the poisonous smoke, turning to glare at Merra.

"Crap," the fire gensai grumbled. She quickly made tracks, back to the far end of the room and hopefully out of the way of any retaliation.

The necromancer gave a wheezing snarling, like a small child who was getting angry that they weren't getting their way and about to have a tantrum. In front of Rael, the necromancer snarled as it slapped a hand into his breastplate, "Shocking Grasp!"

The dice rolled for the attack, at advantage since Rael was wearing metal armor. The first roll was 2 turned 7, but the other was 18 turned 23. The necromancer touched Rael and sent an electric shock coursing through him. Rael cried out as he felt his body seize up from the voltage. Worse, he took a total of 8 damage and would be unable to take reactions.

"Ah ha ha!" The necromancer laughed, starting to run for the exit of the room. Rael's slightly paralyzed state kept him from getting an attack of opportunity.

"Oh no you don't! Sacred Flame!" Kevan shouted at the lunatic. Creating another flash of divine power, his dice rolled a total of 16 before 1 damage as the attack grazed him. "Again?!"

Coinchime checked his beak in agitation before he followed after the fleeing necromancer for a few feet. Grabbing his bow, he took careful aim at the back of the necromancer. The dice read 5 turned 11 and missed, making Coinchime squawk in frustration as so many times, the dice kept rolling low for the party.

Rael grit his teeth and spun around. Chasing after the necromancer, he had his sword raised, "You will not escape justice, corpse jockey!" Managing to catch up with the necromancer, he swung hard at the evil magic-user. 11 turned 17 was enough and it struck the necromancer. The blade hit, dealing a complete 8 damage.

There was a flash and the necromancer let off a scream as he fell to the ground. Rather than vanish into motes of light, the man screamed as he suddenly erupted in black fire. He thrashed and screamed, trying to stop the fire despite dying. Before everyone's horrified eyes, the necromancer was consumed by the fires although he didn't appear to be burned. The fire just seemed to erase him where he was touched. With a final piteous wail, the necromancer vanished from sight.

"...what the hell...was that?"

Kevan and Rael blinked and looked at the spot where the necromancer had been. For a moment, they considered what their knowledge might tell them and their dice rolled. Both rolled 18 and 16.

"He must have sold his soul to the Nine Hells," Kevan offered, his religious learnings during his time in the menfolk temple told him some hints of how the devils worked.

Rael nodded, his own teachings having mentioned the same, "Aye. Likely landing the lethal blow had the devils start pulling him down to pay his end of the bargain."

As everyone considered what they saw, and involving forces of pure evil, Merra, Kevan, and Coinchime suddenly felt themselves being engulfed in auras of power, signifying a level increase.

(LINE BREAK)

Kevan Bluetide

The blue light surrounded Kevan as he felt a rush of power. His surroundings vanished into blue. In front of him, text began to write in front of him.

Your path continues and Melora continues watching over you. As your challenges grow greater, the WIldmother grants you further power so you can better face them.

You now have been gifted to invoke the power of the WIldmother. This power comes in the form of Turn Undead and Charm Plants and Animals.

Kevan already knew what Turn Undead would do, being able to make undead turn and start running away from him. The other was self-explanatory. He could charm plants and animals to see him as a friend and perhaps help him and the party.

Kevan was also presented with a d8 or a floating 5. A sign that he could try to get even more hit points than he normally would, or he could take 5 plus his Constitution modifier.

"Too early to gamble," Kevan muttered to himself, poking the floating 5. The number rose to a 7. This pushed Kevan's total hit points to 17 and his current points at 13.

Upgrade complete, Kevan let the light begin to die around him.

Melora will continue to watch over you.

(LINE BREAK)

Coinchime

Coinchime trilled, feeling new strength flow through him as his stats began to increase. He eyed the flowing text appearing in front of him eagerly to see his bonuses.

The road so far has been challenging and pushing your cunning to the limit. This pushing of your abilities has earned you the use of the Cunning Action.

Coinchime trilled happily. Cunning Action would allow him to use a bonus action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide. This would let the kenku dart in and out of combat, taking less risk to himself and being able to strike where enemies weren't expecting it.

Once the notice was made, Coinchime was presented with a d8 or a floating 5. Perhaps it was the roguish mindset, or perhaps a rush from victory, but Coinchime was feeling lucky. He took the d8 and let to roll through the air. It rolled and landed on a 7 turned 11.

"Do I feel lucky?" Coinchime cheered, quoting a famous movie cop.

May the fortune you make lead you to greater fortune.

(LINE BREAK)

Merra Cindermane

It almost appeared to be the world set ablaze around Merra. Unlike many, Merra was completely at ease with it. Fire was part of her since the day she was born and she did not fear it, although she gave it proper respect.

The power of nature flowing through you has been pushed to a limit and like nature does, it has adapted and granted you new strength. This has resulted in you learning the Wild Shape ability.

Merra gave a whoop as she got the news. Wild Shape was a power unique to Druids. They could transform into the shape of various animals to help them in battle or other tasks. Of course, there were limits. At her current level, Merra could only turn into animals which were CR ¼ and did not have a flying or swimming speed. Animals like wolves or the like for example.

But the bonuses did not stop there.

By receiving this power, you have proven yourself worthy of joining a Druidic Circle. These enclaves of druids venerate a process of nature and emulate its ways, gaining powers and abilities unique to them.

What Druidic Circle will you join?

Merra's eyes flickered as the various available Druidic Circles filled her mind. The very first ones in the Player's Handbook came to her. The Circle of the Land and the Circle of the Moon. Later circles in the Circle of Dreams and the Circle of the Shepherd followed. When her mind scrolled over the Circle of Spores and the Circle of Stars, she spoke when she saw the third one.

"The Circle of Wildfire," Merra whispered. The text in front of her vanished before new words began to appear.

The Circle of Wildfire

These druids understand that sometimes, creation is predated by destruction. Such as when a forest burns in a forest fire only to grow back even stronger than ever. These druids bond with primal spirits of fire which hold the potential to destroy and create.

Is this the Circle you wish to join?

"Yes," Merra smiled. This was the Circle she was planning for when she made her character.

With this, the pact is made. You may summon your fire spirit on your turn. It shares your initiative. It takes the Dodge action on its own unless you spend a bonus action to give it an order. You may summon it within 30 feet of you and any creature which forces all creatures aside from you to make a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 fire damage.

The explanation went on, describing what Merra could do with her new companion. Naturally the bond with the spirit afforded her new spells which wouldn't count against the spells she was allowed to know. She would have to review them later once she got to have a long rest.

The d8 and floating 5 appeared in front of her. Merra, hoping to score a higher number than 5 so she could take a bit more damage than she currently could, tried for the dice. To her frustration, it landed on a 5 anyway, increasing her total hit points by 8. With a huff, the light began to die away as one more bit of text came across her vision.

Remember as you continue, like nature, you shall always find a way.

(LINE BREAK)

"You guys feel better?" Asked Rael, seeing the light die down from his friends.

"Better," Kevan nodded. "Everyone else?"

"Better," Coinchime added.

"Queasy, but better," Merra nodded. "So, how about we loot this creep and find out if there's anything shiny for us?"

No one disagreed and began poking around the room, searching for treasure to help soothe the aches. Behind the tapestries were numerous hollows which had the necromancer's belongings. It involved his bedroll, some changes of clothes, some small bags of food, and even some notes of his works. What the party cared about most though was a hollow filled with treasure. That included 165 silver pieces, 78 gold pieces, and four jet gems.

The group examined the other portions of the room. Kevan eyed the glass globe in the middle. When he poked it, the eye symbol disappeared. It seemed to be a kind of magic item so Kevan picked it up for himself.

Merra almost missed it, but where the necromancer was claimed by the Nine Hells, there was a metal wand with a blue flame-like tip. The item was clearly magical, although what it was could have meant anything.

"So, think someone back in Red Larch could help us identify these?" asked Merra as the group collected their spoils and headed to leave the cavern.

"Might be able to check if one of us can learn the Identify spell," Rael offered. "But...we'd also need a pearl."

"Hopefully we can pay for one," Kevan sighed. "I didn't even consider telling you to bring the pearl we found with you in Phandalin."

Tired and sore, but in an upbeat attitude, the party of four exited the cave near Lance Rock and began heading back towards Red Larch. After another 4 miles of travelling just over an hour, the humble buildings of Red Larch were still in view.

The trekked back to town, walking onto the streets again. The people noticed them, between Rael's armor and the exotic looks of Coinchime and Merra. Passing through he streets, they reached the Swinging Sword, trudging through the doors, they went straight to one open table and sat themselves with sighs of relief.

"Back again so soon?" Asked Kaylessa, approaching the table. "Did you find anything at Lance Rock?"

"Oh, we found something," Rael sighed. "A novice necromancer was hiding out in a nearby cave."

"No!" Kaylessa gasped in shock.

"We got him though," Merra nodded. "He and his zombies won't be bothering anyone. They've all been wiped out."

Kaylessa heaved a sigh of relief, "Oh that is a relief. I had no idea that someone so dangerous had come up here!"

"We'll, we managed to take him down. There was no disease. He made it up to keep people from poking in on his operations," Rael explained.

"Well, it will certainly have everyone else some of the tension around here," Kaylessa chuckled weakly. "Oh, and I owe you all 50 gold pieces don't I? I'll grab your pay and since it was more dangerous than I thought, drinks tonight are free."

"Woo!" Kevan cheered.

Kaylessa proved to be good to her word, producing a bag of 50 gold pieces. The party split them as they usually did. Eyes were drawn to them of course, but no one was going to make any move for it yet.

"Hm, so now what?" Asked Kevan as he pocketed the gold. "We leveled up and nothing's happened yet."

"This isn't exactly like the video games," Merra reminded him. "We have to go out and look for it. We had more rumours to chase anyway. We can look at another one of those rumours and maybe try to learn a little more about things in the valley."

"And we should ask around town for the rumours. You know, getting more details," Rael added. "Those of us with magic should take the chance tonight to organize our spells and find the ones we really need."

"Pearl. Identify," Coinchime added, imitating Rael's tired voice from the cavern.

"Yes, that too," Rael nodded.

(LINE BREAK)

A/N: And this as far as the preview goes since I don't want give away the ending, although any D&D players who ran Princes of the Apocalypse should know what's coming. So, this is what Chapter 1 is shaping up to look like. Since this is a novelization of the module and it is using the mechanics of D&D, part of me is afraid the unbalanced levels might make Rael feel OP. Personally, I don't see it, especially since I rolled real dice for attacks and checks. So I leave it up to my readers and if any D&D fans are among them, let me know what you think.

P.S. I am aware of spelling and grammar mistakes. This chapter is a rough draft.