Dead in the Water (Age of Iron - DoD Online Campaign - Session 3)

 PCs:

• Belsun
• Goetic lvl 2
• played by: Jack
• Fintna'al
• Geometer Wizard lvl 2
• played by: Wingnut

++Session Notes++

• Dawn breaks, revealing the Eagles have cleared out of town, and a new party member has arrived: a summoner named Belsun. A dark clothed, middle-aged man with the analytical eye of a vislae, sent here as a contractor by the Black Company to assist in the mission and handle any spiritual matters the mission may require. Fin is rather unenthused and does not appreciate the arcane competition.
• The two mages are nonetheless professionals and cooperate to get the expedition underway lest the Eagles establish too much of a lead. After comparing notes and updating their map with cryptic intel whispered by spirits, they head north towards a POI marked "Fool's Duel".
• Only a few miles north of Carrowmore however, they encounter two figures wading through deep water, seemingly unaccompanied and with no boat. One is tall (up to their chest in water) with lanky blonde hair, the other short (up to their neck in water), bald, and tattooed. They do not respond to hails. The party pulls their skiff alongside and realizes this is Afredo Jahn and "The Durmitor", members of the Eagles... but looking rather off.
• "The breath has left them. These are dead men walking." Belsun's soul sight confirms that they are zombies as he deftly uses an oar to retrieve a sign hanging from the neck of Afredo's corpse. The sign says "The Eagles" but it is scratched out, and a different hand has marked: "The Crows survive."
• Fin has heard of the Crows. Apparently, they were a somewhat infamous group of mercenaries and assassins with a dark reputation, and they were instrumental in the peasant's revolt in Saltbride since they took out some key nobles. There were reliable reports that they were killed though. Either they're back from the Pale, the reports of their death were greatly exaggerated, or someone else is using their name for clout.
• The mages open fire with arcane wrath on the zombies and unfortunately do not disable them in one clean go (even though Fin does blast the Durmitor's head off). The zombies round on the boat and four more pop up out of the water, having been crawling concealed along the riverbed.
• A tense combat ensues with the boat nearly capsizing, and Fin nearly drowning after accidentally sticking his boot through the soggy headless body of what was once "The Durmitor" and being dragged into the river (crit fail!).
• Fin is saved by some exceptionally quick (crit success!) action by his new apprentice--the orphan Robert--who not only manages to pull him back into the boat, but also holds onto his pack and keeps his spellbooks dry. Good on ya Robert. (We also rolled up Robert's stats and the lad is honestly a wizard prodigy, with 16 SOUL!)
• After some deft work from Belsun's Pale-bane iron short sword, the dead were beaten back enough for the party to make their escape and put that stretch of river over the horizon, gaining enough distance to catch their breath.
• In a somewhat extravagant display of magic, Belsun decided to cast "Manse" with 3 MD to conjure up a large, well-furnished hunting lodge on stilts (complete with a dock!) that the party could use for the rest of the day as a forward operating base. He managed to do this impressively efficiently (rolling 3, 1, 2 which means he recycled every MD and generated no flux), and the flashy display greatly impressed the congregation of the Optical God who had by now caught up in their funeral barge, and they begin to view Belsun as a prophet.
• The party convene in the lodge to decompress after the attack and strategize their next move. Was this a test? Who is controlling the zombies (Belsun noted they were clearly under orders as they did not respond to usual stimuli)? Are the Crows really alive? Who else seeks to pass the dam? Is Robert the witch-in-the-well as Belsun seems to suspect??

Find out next time!*

*Answers to these specific questions not guaranteed, acquisition of knowledge and narrative closure contingent on PC survival, campaign continuity, and group interest.