kindness
"Are you ... a cleric ...?" asked nervously one of the three miners who had not lost consciousness of him.
"Or maybe a priest?" another miner continued.
"Or maybe ..." the last miner started "a magician?"
Before Zark delivered an answer, he looked around him, since he was rectifying that his spell had healed the fallen miners.
Watching the other miners slowly get up, he realized that they were the same or even more confused than the three miners who remained standing.
In his mind, he wanted to respond by saying "I am Zark and I am a Warlock" but decided against it, as DM recalled that in the worlds of magic and fantasy Warlocks do not have a pleasant reputation, since they are generally viewed in an unfavorable light.
For that reason he decided not to, instead he looked at the miners and replied "They are only a humble Spellcaster" that answer was not completely true but it was not an absolute lie, since he decided to hide what type of Spellcaster he was.
As the miners looked at each other and since the shock of the miners saved from the abyss of death remained, Zark looked around and realized that Ingrid had approached the body of the only miner who had not survived.
Anyone who saw for the first time a corpse that suffered fatal injuries would have felt sick and even vomited, at the very least they would feel uncomfortable, but this did not happen a Zark, since this was not the first time seeing a mangled corpse.
♦ ♦ ♦
His routine was simple.
Wake up, get ready for college, attend college, get home, maybe eat something, do whatever activity is pending, wait for your parents, have dinner, and finally sleep.
Perhaps playing video games would have to be added to that routine, but that was not a constant.
Many might think that such a life was boring, and perhaps not very far from reality, but for some people a stable and quiet life is more than enough.
But one day, after coming home from college, a bad feeling lingered in his heart.
Ignoring the chill that ran down his spine, I look for something to eat in the kitchen.
There was pasta with some meatballs.
After heating the food in the microwave, he approached the lonely dining room and ate his food alone.
He would never forget how bland and tasteless pasta and meatballs were.
Continuing with his routine, he realized that he was free so he turned on his console and continued his game in one of his favorite RPGs 'End Fantasy'.
When he was about to defeat a Boss who possessed the appearance of an angel with black wings, his house phone rang.
He paused the game and approached the phone, he knew that the call was not for him, since if they wanted to communicate with him they would have called him directly on his personal phone.
"Hello?" I ask immediately.
On the other side of the call, the voice of someone unknown to him was heard "Are you ...?"
The person he called was a police officer, who delivered terrible news to him.
♦ ♦ ♦
As Zark emerged from the depths of his memories, a tear emerged from his eyes.
"Father, is something wrong?" Ingrid asked in a worried way when she noticed Zark's tear.
Noticing what had happened, Zark quickly wiped the tear away as he looked in the direction of the miners.
"Let's continue," she said.
After receiving a lot of thanks from the miners, they went to the building that served as a common room, Zark introduced his companions while the miners did the same.
Personally Zark was not very good at remembering the names of newly acquaintances, so his mind quickly forgot them.
The only one he remembered was a certain Jim, who kept the whole conversation looking directly at Keil.
For the moment, and given the situation, Zark decided not to ask questions directly, there would be time for that later, for now he should take care of the situation.
Although given the conversation, he indirectly managed to collect bits of information.
Apparently undead attacks in this area are extremely rare, as none of the miners had ever experienced one before.
This revealed on the part of the miners the knowledge about the existence of the undead.
Given the topic that was unfolding, Ingrid asked about Zombies along with other types of undead.
But apparently the miners only knew of the existence of the undead thanks to the church, which preached that the undead possessed an incessant hatred towards the living, affirming that they are evil beings.
After a quick discussion, together with Keil's advice, they decided that given the current situation, and the lack of information, they would leave the mine and go to the town of Gelhorn to report what happened.
If there are more undead roaming the valley, everyone should be alerted.
Quickly the miners begin to organize their things while Zark and his group stay away.
As Zark watches one of the miners dig a hole for his fallen comrade, Keil approaches him and asks "My Lord, why are we helping some mere humans?"
"It's true" Ingrid began with a youthful and somewhat innocent tone of voice "They were rude to the undead"
Nyos who was sitting on the roof of one of the buildings also joined the conversation "I'm not against humans, but I don't understand why we help them either."
Zark stared at each of them as he thought of a suitable response, after a few moments he replied "You can take our actions as if you were planting seeds; for the moment we will be full of patience, and when all this is over, we will be able to obtain our reward ".
Nyos shrugged, it seemed that there was that he did not care.
Ingrid's discontented expression slowly changes to an admiring smile.
On the other hand Keil declared "As expected of our lord."
As this happened, Zark realized that the person who had dug the grave had finished burying the corpse. With a calm step he approached.
"Jim right?" Zark asked, vaguely remembering the person's name.
Noticing Zark's appearance, Jim turned his gaze from him to him and then nodded.
Jim's appearance was that of someone who was misaligned and did not care much about his physical appearance, his clothes were worn and grimy, and although it was not immediately noticeable, there was a faint smell of dry sweat, his face had a light beard and he had a Relatively short hair, his clothes aside, Jim looked like a young man in his mid-25s.
Near Jim, there was an old shovel that he most likely used to dig the grave, a worn pick, a crossbow that was not in the best condition and a gnawed backpack that apparently carried the few belongings of the young man.
"Was he your friend?" Zark asked in the kindest tone of voice possible.
Jim just nodded as he kept his gaze on the grave.
"May I come closer?" requested Zark.
Jim glanced at him at the same time he asked "What will you do?"
"Just look" Zark approached the grave, placing his knees on his knees, he placed his left hand on the earth that covered the grave.
In a silent way I use "[Consecrate]" this produced a faint golden light from his hand and when he raised it, he left it on the ground just in the place where his hand was located the impression of an intertwined tree.
"What did you do?" Was the first word Jim had said to him since they arrived.
"I used a spell that will protect this place against necromancy, that will prevent his friend from returning as an undead."
Although the spell possessed other effects, it was not necessary to mention them at this time.
"Thank you" was the only thing Jim said as he put his backpack on his shoulders and headed towards the place where the miners were.
After a few moments the group of dwarves along with Zark and his companions, headed towards Gelhorn.
After walking one kilometer north towards the village, the group spot a plume of smoke rising into the air about three kilometers north-west from their current location.
"It must be the Brinck farm," says one of the miners bitterly, making the atmosphere darken.
"Surely there are more of those damned in that direction" commented another miner.
"Will the Werns be okay?" another miner asks, to which another responds.
"I do not see smoke in the direction of your farm."
Although they had no evidence to confirm that statement, the miners turned their gazes towards Zark and his group.
Zark's stat in the skill 'Find out intentions' was not very high, so he did not notice the silent request of the miners, on the other hand Keil, having the highest score in that skill in the group of notice immediately, for this reason he approached Zark and whispered.
"I think they want us to go alert these Werns." Keil's words were like a beacon lighting up the darkness.
"Mmm…. Yes…. It seems so "looking rhetorically at the miners, it seemed that Keil was right" Well, you guys continue to the village, we…. " At that moment Zark stopped his gaze on Ingrid, as she seemed notoriously tired, unlike Keil and Nyos who were physically powerful, Ingrid was a spellcaster, so her physical abilities were limited "Ingrid ... can you continue?" .
Trying to put a charming smile on her tired face, Ingrid just nodded.
"Okay ..." were Zark's words before continuing "We will alert Wern and then we will head to the town."
The miners' expressions lit up, at the same time that everyone said "Thank you, thank you"
Once they took different paths than the miners, Zark stopped suddenly, crouched down, and spoke the next words to Ingrid.
"Get on my back, I'll take you."
"Whaaat!"
"Whaaat!"
The incredulous reaction of both Keil and Ingrid was identical, meanwhile Nyos commented "look what a beautiful bird" while pointing to a bird that was flying high in the sky.
"Sir please, you can't do that," Keil implored.
"E-eehh it's true, you don't need to carry me, I'm already a big girl" declared Ingrid.
"But you're tired" Zark started "Or am I wrong?" I ask rhetorically.
Keil and Ingrid looked at each other, while Nyos pretended that she hadn't heard anything, acting like she was wiping her ears with her little finger.
Both Ingrid and Keil swallowed audibly.
"Do it" was Keil the first to speak
"C-can I?" Ingrid asked with her eyes wide open
Keil tensed, and with difficulty said "Yes ... You can… not problem."
With slow movements, Ingrid climbed on Zark's back, he held her to prevent her from falling, before this action Ingrid reacted with an "Eerr".
With Ingrid on her back, the group resumed their journey to the Wern farm.
♦ ♦ ♦
Consecrate
School: evocation [good].
Level 2
Casting time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: short (25 ft [7.5 m] + 5 ft [1.5 m] / 2 levels)
Area: 20 ft (6 m) radius emanation
Duration: 2 hours / level
Saving Roll: None.
Spell Resistance: no
This spell blesses a place with positive energy. DC to resist positive energy channeled into that spot gains a +3 holy bonus. Undead that enter the area suffer a minor disturbance, imposing a sacred -1 penalty on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves. The undead cannot be created or summoned within consecrated ground. If in the consecrated area there is an altar, chapel, or other permanent structure dedicated to your god, pantheon, or higher power with whom you share alignment, the indicated modifiers are doubled (+6 sacred bonus to channel positive energy DC, penalties - 2 sacred to the rolls of the undead).
On the other hand, you cannot consecrate any place that includes such a permanent item dedicated to a god other than your tutelary god. Instead, the consecrate spell curses the area, severing its connections to the associated power or god. This secondary function, if used, does not provide the undead bonuses and penalties mentioned above.
Consecrate counters and dispels the desecrate spell.