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-----With a bright glimmer, a shimmering blue dome appears over Sarah wide enough to encompass the eight people. Sol quickly motions for everyone to form a tight circle around Sarah. With that, Sol nods and everyone begins to move forward.
-----As soon as everyone steps inside the Darkness, the adventurers immediately recognize how different this horror seems. Around them the unaffected forest seems to fade and vanish behind them. It is as if they had stepped away from their world and entered a place never dreamed of save for the most terrifying of nightmares. The only familiar sight is a dim purplish light shining evilly in the distance.
-----The landscape around them seems rocky and ashen. At each side, the party sees trees and trunks but the wood appears no longer wood-like as if it has become petrified. At what appears to be off in the distance, the ground seems to rise and quake and a dense thick smoke rises ghostly upward above a hell-reddish inferno that quickly fades. The air feels unnervingly still although a dim noise sounds like an unholy whining of wind. Strangely a faint glow begins to emit from Sol’s Lathanian blade. It provides a bit of a relief in the surrounding darkness.
-----Irregular wispy forms begin to glide by the dome about them. An unearthly whispering is heard as if the forms have voices speaking inhuman thoughts.
-----A few yards inside the Dark, Sol quietly brings everyone’s attention to rising forms that appear to sit up from the ground. They move clumsily to their feet and begin to stagger toward the magical dome. "By the gods, what are those, people?" Bradley asks nervously.
-----He is shortly answered as the undead intercept and begins walking aside the adventurers and their guards. Soon an escort of a dozen decomposed members of the dead follows them held at bay by the magic protection. They seem so near with their unseeing eyes and outreached arms.
-----Suddenly, ahead in the dim glimmer of the violet light, three moving forms appear to hurry toward their position. As they approach, their forms appear to be gangling and stooped over. Sol’s sword reveals the hideousness of their once human faces.
-----Their dead yellowed eyes stare bulging from faces whose skin is grayed and lined with wrinkles. They leer at the party within the dome and their mouths open revealing blood caked pointed teeth. Two of the undead creatures let their tongues fall out showing how long and grotesque they are.
-----Just as Sol anticipates the creatures falling to one side as the other undead have, one of the new creatures suddenly reaches in through the dome at the young warrior. Aiming for Sol’s chest and taking all within by surprise, the undead thing fortunately runs its hand down the edge of the Lathanian blade. It recoils momentarily staring at the non-bleeding gash cut between its fingers. It then stares back at Sol and gnashes its teeth ready to reach for him again. The other two appear to angle around at the sides trying to fight through the zombies that are held outside the magic.
-----Sol’s face screws up in revulsion and he lets out an incoherent curse, as he brings his longsword to bear. Still mindful enough not to cross the threshold of protection with his body, Sol has no compunction against doing the same with his blade. The warrior angrily swings his sword at the offending creature.
-----From over Sol’s shoulder, Sarah throws a dart that goes wide and misses both the creature and fortunately Sol as he swings.
-----The ghoulish creature swipes with one hand topped with filthy claws. It rakes harmlessly across Sol’s chainmail.
-----Sol’s blade then rips into its abdomen taking part of what was left of its internal organs. Slowed, but not stopped, the creature comes in to bite at the young warrior’s arm and misses.
-----Sarah throws two more darts; the first of which misses and sails off into the Dark. The second one, however, sinks solidly into one of its eyes causing the optic orb within to explode with a greasy bloody ichor. The undead thing scrapes at the air missing Sol again with a clawed hand.
-----Sol quickly sees an opening while the creature is momentarily distracted. Unfortunately, Sol somehow loses his grip on his sword and the weapon falls from his hand landing four feet from him. It still remains inside the area of protection.
-----After backing up, the creature begins to come at Sol again almost lunging at him.
-----Bradley gasps out, "I thought you said the magic would keep them out!" as the other two aggressive dead things move closer toward Raven on one side and some of the guards on the other.
-----Sol growls in frustration as he yanks his shortsword free from its scabbard on his hip, whilst saying through strained teeth to Bradley, "I did. It doesn't. Don't fret about it, deal with them like any other scum."
-----Sol quickly thrusts the blade in at the undead creature, showing what he means by dealing with them.
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