"Kill them all"

Godsday the 15th of Vatelion

The party awake upon damp soil, rain pattering outside upon their canvas tent. Laen senses the oncoming dawn, rises early and strolls into the dense forest purposefully. He walks for half an hour, raises his fingers to his mouth and issues a shrill whistle. A wolf howl echoes in response from somewhere across the forest. Laen tracks the howls and finds a pack of wolves, where he performs a ritual ceremony and calls the alpha male from the pack to his side. Laen names him 'Fang'.
As Laen returns, he spots movement in a nearby bush. Pretending not to notice, he increases his speed to make it difficult for whoever is pursuing him. His follower turns out to be a female Wood Elf named Merlyle. She warns him that their camp is being watched by bugbears.
Laen returns to the camp and warns the others. Why the bugbears haven't attacked is a mystery. They decide to pretend to drive the wagon out of the forest, but for Xavier and Laen to hide behind some cover and observe what the bugbear scouts do.

So the party pack up and head southwards out of the forest, and towards the main road. Laen and Xavier pick an opportune curb to dive into cover. Unfortunately Fang doesn't understand what he's supposed to do and gives their position away. As they watch one of the scouts leaves his position in the opposite direction. It is time to act. Xavier fires his crossbow which whizzes past the bugbear's head. Laen runs up and opens fire. The second scout runs for cover. Just as they lose sight of the first scout, Merlyle explodes from a bush and attacks him. Arrows, bolts and blades fly until both scouts are killed. They heal and return to inform the rest of the party what just happened.

Merlyle is keen to investigate the bugbears, but the rest of the party must report the fate of the priest they came to investigate. Xavier, Laen and Merlyle return to the forest while the rest of the party continue to Cluth.

The rain continues to pour.

Inside the forest they move quietly among the trees for several hours, keeping an eye on the road. They hear the muddy clopping of hooves and drop into the undergrowth. They see a figure on a large horse, riding along the path. He carries a large shield, a heavy mace, and wears a long drooping cowl. Laen steps onto the road and hails him. "Well met, stranger! I am Laen, and we're here hunting bugbears." The man on the horse halts. "Well, good luck to you then." He nudges his horse forwards and steers around Laen. The man and horse plod along the track without further word or hindrance, and disappear into the distance. Well that was odd.

Having little need for secrecy any more, the party move along the path towards the woodcutters camp. The rain has let up and the visibility is improving. A little while before the camp they disappear into the trees and sneak the rest of the way to the clearing.

Peering through the trees they see the same man and horse they previously encountered. He seems to be tending the dead, placing their bodies side by side and closing their eyes. The party watch quietly from the trees. Then something moves on the other side of the clearing. A pair of bugbear ears push through the bush and emerge in the open. Four more bugbears follow behind. "Your work was sloppy" says the unidentified man without turning around. "And you let the witnesses survive."
The most prominent bugbear steps forward, bristled at the remark. "Hey! Krusk not like your tone. We do work, make all silent. Now we wants reward."
"Very well. We had a deal, didn't we?" The man retrieves a rod from his cloak wrapped in cloth, and lays it upon the ground. "Here."
Krusk picks it up and examines it. "What this? Some stupid stick? You try to trick us?"
"It's no stick, fool. It's magic. Quite useful in the right hands."
"Krusk no believe. I thinks you cheated us. I thinks you think us is stupid! We not stupid! We not be tricked! Krusk kill you!" The bugbear leader throws the rod to the ground.
The man stands and turns to the bugbear. "Come now. There's no need for violence. We should be fighting the common enemy. Look there in the trees - the ones who killed your brethren are here."
It seems that the party has been spotted. Laen starts firing arrows, which shatter on the man's clothing as if it was striking steel.
"Krusk no care about common enemy. He kills them later. Krusk challenge you!"
"Very well," says the man. "If it's violence you wish..."

The man produces a small bottle and a pouch, and sprinkles the contents of both over the corpses, touching their foreheads and muttering as he passes. "Rise!" The bodies stir and twitch, and their flesh begins to crawl under their skin. A reddening of the skin appears, and the flesh sags, stretching the skin across their bloated faces. A corpse slowly raises an arm, reaching for its own face. The fingers take hold of the flesh, and in a sudden jerk the corpse's cheek is pulled away, tearing a long strip of grey, decomposing meat away. A corpse sits up, plunging one hand deep into its own gut and tearing its belly open, its innards spilling onto its lap. Another corpse peels away its hair, skin and flesh like a big grey sleeping bag. Glistening white bone emerges from the organic matter, and finally free of its fleshy coccoon, stands to attention before its master. Another skeleton stands, and then another. Over the next few moments, ten of the dead have risen to undeath and are standing before both parties of astonished onlookers. There is a hell priest before them!

Laen frantically fires arrow after arrow which continually bounce from the man's robes. Laen notches another arrow, draws the bow back, and is about to let fly when the man mutters something and meets Laen's gaze. Laen feels a sudden compulsion not to fire, and for a breif moment his fingers refuse to release the bowstring. Laen senses that something magical is attacking his will, and fights it. He grits his teeth and commands his fingers to release. They obey, and another arrow shaft shatters against cloth. Seeing this, the man turns to the skeletons. "You five; kill the enemies in the trees." The skeletons shamble towards Laen, Xavier and Merlyle's position. All three move forwards to engage.

Krusk lunges forwards but the man reacts swiftly, blocking the morning star with his shield. They trade blows several times, causing only light injuries. The priest steps in and strikes the bugbear in the jaw, but the bugbear withstands, blood running from the corner of his snarling mouth. The priest stows his mace in his belt, reaches forward with an open hand and places it on the Krusk's chest. The bugbear's eye fly wide open and his mouth gapes in a look of shock and horror, before he crumples to the grass lifeless and limp.

The remaining four bugbears flee. The priest, devoid of opponents and interest, strolls across the clearing and mounts his horse. "Find and kill the last of those bugbears." The remaining five skeletons disappear after the bugbears, and the priest rides casually from the clearing.

Laen, Xavier and Merlyle briefly stand off against the five skeletons tasked to kill them, and quickly realise that this fight is one better fought another day. The retreat to the forest, and eventually pick the pursuing skeletons off one at a time. They are hurt and tired, so they make camp in the forest.

Earthday the 16th of Vatelion
When they return to the loggers camp, it is empty save for the bugbear leader's corpse and the gore of ten human corpses. They track the bugbears and find body after body until all are accounted for. They kill the last two skeletons, farewell Merlyle, and return to Cluth to catch up with the rest of the party.

• Challenges overcome:
  2 bugbears CR3 => 800XP / 3 = 267XP
  5 skeletons CR2 => 600XP / 3 = 200XP
  2 skeletons CR1 => 300XP / 3 = 100XP
  
  Xavier & Laén = 7210XP + 567XP = 7777XP (44% to level 5)
  Þórhal = 9526XP (88% to level 5)