With water supplies running low Myrtha made her way to the old well and summoned water to its surface. The party drank their full and refilled their supplies. Noticing the leather straps and metal rings attached to the scorpion corpses Valraven removed and pocketed them. After a short discussion about the edibility of giant scorpions Oliver lopped the pincers off the creatures and Myrtha packed them up for lunch.
As the group left the ruins which sheltered them for the night Valravan and Oliver caught a faint scent of smoke on the breeze. After carefully examinations of the horizon to the south they noticed a small wisp of smoke in the distance but decided to continue northward instead of investigating.
Progress in the loose gravelly soil under the oppressive heat of the sun was slowly and the group stopped for a short lunch break and cooked the scorpion pincers. They were quite satisfying and on fully bellies the group continued on the road north. Hills gradually grew around the road and the terrain became rocky with a few more scattered bushes and small trees. After a few hours the sound of metal and shuffling feet broke the peaceful silence of the Restless Plains. Shivers quietly moved ahead of the rest of the group to investigate. As she approached Shivers noticed rocks had been arranged on the side of the road spelling out a word which she could not understand. She continued forward staying low behind the rocks on the side of the trail until she saw two skeletal creatures in rusted chain mail armor slowly walking down a path on the side of the hill ahead of her towards the road. They carried old spears and shields, their empty eye sockets staring blankly forward and they walked. She quickly retreated to the group and told them what she had seen.
Myrtha sensed the undead forces as the approached on the road ahead, they seemed strange though almost like they were trailing a cord behind them. Shivers took cover behind a rock and fired an arrow at one of the creatures as Oliver and Myrtha rushed forward. As Oliver neared the creatures he was able make out that the rocks arranged on the side of the road spells out “DANGER”. Valraven fired his crossbow but the shot fell short. The skeletons pace quickened as they rushed down the road towards the group. Myrtha greeted the quickest skeleton his a crushing blow from her mace. The skeletons bones crumbled and faded away in front of her. The second skeleton followed the first as Oliver struck it down his his sword.
Curious about the way the skeletons faded after being destroyed the party followed road to the trail Shivers has seen the skeletons coming from. After following the path for a few hours a small ruined tower was spotted on the hillside. Two sets of tracks could be made out on the trail, on top of many other older tracks. As the trail approached the tower it turned away from the dark opening and lead around the right side of the tower to a grassy flat area were it abruptly ended. As Oliver investigated the end of the trail a bony hand emerged from the earth and gripped his leg as two skeletons pulled themselves from the ground. Oliver’s cry for help alerted the party investigating the lower level of the tower and rushed to help. Oliver was struck by a spear and fell to the ground dying but Myrtha quickly stabilized him and together they were able to defeat the skeletons. As they fell the ground closed covering them again.
With Oliver unconscious the party made camp in the tower to rest for the night. They explored the upper levels and found two old dried thatched mattresses. Shivers took first guard and as the night progressed she heard the barking howls across the hills but they didn’t seem to be getting closer. After a few hours she noticed that the old thatched mattresses were no longer unoccupied. Two forms wrapped in cloaks slept on them. Spears and shields rested against the wall next to the forms. Shivers stealthy moved down the stairs and woke Valraven. They investigated the forms which appeared to be spectral. As Valraven observed he heard a gasp and blood dripped from the body to the floor, the other specters head jerked as blood flowed from its neck. Then both figures rose, moving down the stairs and out of the tower.
During Myrtha’s watch she moved out of the tower to the graves and the skeletons rose from the earth again. She retreated back into the tower and they did now follow. At dawn the party decided Oliver and Valraven would search for the skeletons on the trail and Myrtha and Shivers would wait at the graves to bless the bones with holy water when the were killed.
Oliver and Valraven followed the trail and spotted the skeletons on their slow march after an hour or so. They rushed forward and attacked. Valraven managed to destroy one of the skeletons but not before Oliver fell from a dagger to the shoulder and a spear to the gut. Meanwhile at the grave site Myrtha noticed one of the graves was now covered. She quickly dug through the loose dirt and found bones which she sprinkled with holy water. Valraven struck the other skeletons with his daggers but it survived the attacks and stabbed him with its spear and he fell into darkness.