Horace prepared to use his bow when he could and would try to keep out of the way of the fighters.

Tawl had already drawn his sword ready to fight and was near Urthgar. He stepped by Ishtar, Merlothrien and Horace to take up his position in the front rank beside Feral.

Hammrin watched the excellently choreographed display that Horace, Ishtar and Merly employed to disable the silver bell alarm system of the undead. "Wonderfully done!" he said in approval. Motioning for anyone with ranged capability to move to the front Hammrin tried to get two lines to form to start firing at the enemy if they approached, the front line on their knees, the second line standing. Hammrin would wait until the enemy closed before moving up in melee position.

"Ahem...perhaps we could send a volley of arrows at the center of the tendril mass on these unfortunate souls? If we can convince them to leave I suspect the bodies will lay at peace." Hammrin readied a throwing axe and examined the blade closely. "Yes I believe you will be quite convincing my friend," he said as if speaking to the razor sharp blade.

Tawl considered drawing his bow, but decided against it ' I could use my bow dwarf, but I think they will attack too quickly once provoked, so I'll stick with using my sword here as it's ready now' Tawl said flicking his sword up slightly to emphasise the point.

Ravorian had been distant, looking up at the zombies again he said, “I know there is a spell that could be put on the bell to silence it, but I do not know how to cast it, maybe that could help if some one does know how it is done?”

Hammrin scrunched his eyebrows and gave Rav a curious look. He looked intently to see if any black tendrils had attached themselves to his head. "The bell has been taken care of my friend. Are you feeling ok?" said Hammrin with his handaxe at the ready, unsure if Rav was a zombie trying to blend in with the party. Noticing there was no hole where Rav's heart should be Hammrin relaxed and gave a low "Ho, ho, ho" laugh. Apparently the silly half-elf was just losing his memory or had not seen how Horace, Merly, and Ishtar had so cleverly acquired control of the bell. "No Master Rav, we're just trying to figure out the best way to deal with these undead. Slice 'em, bash 'em, or poke 'em full of holes?" If I were an archer I'd make a pin cushion out of one of 'em. Those tendrils have got to be destroyed!" said Hammrin, working himself up into a fit of anger.

"Nice work" Said Elenugeth then realising that the others had moved up without him moved forward as swiftly as possible to Ishtar, "but let's not be hasty in thinking that the bell is no longer a problem. We still have a group of people to deal with and this time we don’t have much of an advantage in either location or numbers." Elenugeth sighed, "And although the way the bell has been taken is nothing short of inspired, we don’t have the element of surprise now either."

Reaching to his back the half elf pulled an arrow from his back. Turning to the Elven wizard a small chuckle escaped Elenugeth's lips. "Will wonders never cease," before letting the 1st arrow fly toward the northmen.

Horace sent a shaft their way too.

Elenugeth’s shot resulted in the front middle Northman sprouting an arrow from his neck. Horace’s arrow struck the undead country folk in front of him in the chest.

That must have been the trigger the zombies needed. All jogged forward. As they closed to within 20 feet Hammrin launched his throwing axe at the human that Horace had just fired at. The shot was very accurate and split open the top of its head but it rushed onward regardless…

From his position in the 3rd row, Tieger levelled his halberd ready to try and jab any of the approaching undead in the tendrilly bits, using their own momentum to help impale them. "Hold fast friends. They will break against us as the sea against the mighty northern icebergs!"

Urthgar prepared himself for battle, ruffled Karl’s hackles as encouragement, and assumed a solemn face, ready for the oncoming onslaught.

Ishtar, at the back, waved her finger in a circle about Hammrin while she called to the spirits of the forest to bless the dwarf.

Merly, also at the back, mumbled to himself quietly.

Horace let loose with his shortbow. The arrow struck a bone in an arm causing the onrushing zombie to drop its club.

Elenugeth drew back his elven longbow and let fly and the zombie charging Tawl. His shaft buried itself in the chest just above heart.

Tawl’s two handed sword smashed the same creature so hard that it staggered back.

Feral first blade cut a huge chunk out of the one Elenugeth had been firing at's side, his follow up blade cut both legs off at the knee.

Hammrin’s strike caught his foe under the armpit, lifted it off its feet to smash into side of the corridor. It slid down the wall, its body broken.

Urthgar's spear stabbed out at the zombie behind the one that Feral had just dispatched. This was the zombie that is still ringing an imaginary bell. Though the blow should have been mortal, it just succeeds in pushing it away.

Tieger's halberd skewered the dwarf that rushed into the space vacated by Hammrin's fallen foe in the leg. It crumpled down upon one knee as Tieger held it in place.

The initiative with the party's front rank, they stepped forward over the still moving but prone zombies.

Ishtar again made the same motions and words but this time waved her hand over Tawl.

Merly commanded in elvish, “Stun!” A dark cloud appeared above the three rear northmen. The smell of Ozone became heavy in the air before lightning arced down, striking them. One of them was knocked over, the snap of its arm just audible above the crackling.

Horace fired at the pinned undead dwarf catching it in the arm.

Elenugeth drew another arrow as he reloaded.

Tawl delivered another punishing strike but again the undead commoner remained standing but pushed back.

Feral put such fury into his attack against his unarmed foe that it was sliced from neck to navel so deeply that it split in two.

Hammrin's morning star connected perfectly with his pinned foe, the force sufficient to rip Tieger's halberd out, the undead dwarf flopped to the ground.

When Feral stepped forward Urthgar was able to attack the next Northman ahead of him. Again, the strike was near perfect, a large gouge opened up on the inside of its thigh, another mortal wound but the zombie did not bleed. However this time his new enemy fell over from the blow.

Karl started savaging and crunching up the bones of any still moving but prone zombie amongst the party ranks.

Tieger had to delay his strike too as Hammrin and Horace stepped forward ahead of him. It was worth it as he impaled another dwarf through the arm shaking its weapon from its grip.

Ondoher and Rav with still no adequate target helped Karl in stopping the zombies from moving.

Feral and Hammrin's ranks stepped forward.

Merly's lightning cloud still electrocuted the back row of northmen as they did not show the intelligence to walk out from under it. Another snap accompanied another zombie falling flat on its back, leg broken. The one with a broken arm rose onto its knees while the Northman in the middle, long blond hair standing on end took the jolt and pushed against the northman blocking its way forward.

Ishtar carried out the same blessing on Feral.

Merly began uttering more elvish words, these arcane sounding.

Horace’s bow twanged as another arrow flew through the air. It hit Tieger's dwarf on the other arm not impaled by him making it hang limply by its side.

Elenugeth shot at the tough commoner that Tawl was fighting, the arrow struck it solidly in the chest, the arrow tip protuding out through its back.

Tawl quickly followed up by cutting it in half.

Feral was merciless with the prone Northman that Urthgar had knocked over. He sliced it apart as he waited for the last northman in front of him to step out of the cloud and face him.

Hammrin had an easy job as his morning star pulverised the rib cage of the mauled foe that Tieger and Horace had attacked.

Urthgar delayed until Feral was faced with a target again. The blond haired dead northman stepped forward. Probably fighting the best combat of his life, the animist's spear strike was a near perfect copy of the previous move, sporting a slahed open leg the zombie could not support its weight and lurched forward onto its knees.

Tieger, also waiting for Feral's enemy to get in range, delivered a strong blow but failed to impale it.

Karl, Rav and Ondoher continued with their gruesome prone foe dispatch work.

Hammrin's rank stepped forward.

The cloud still had two victims under it. The one nearest Hammrin, on one knee, fell forward onto its face as the remaining leg cracked under the pulsing electric jolt. The other with a broken arm reached down for its club, gathered it up then shuffled over to Hammrin.

Ishtar began calling in her spirits to aid her in stunning the foes ahead of her while Merlothrien carried on mumbling the same elvish words over and
over.

While Horace shot at the rear rank zombie with a broken arm Elenugeth reloaded. The arrow embedded deeply into its gut but it still stood.

Tawl sliced his two handed sword deep into the undead dwarf ahead of him. It staggered against the wall but stood.

Feral finished the kneeling blond haired northman by taking of its hand and the other arm just beneath the elbow. He turned sideways so he was facing the dwarf Tawl and Urthgar were fighting

Hammrin moved to engage the dwarf behind the one Feral was to the side of and delivered a thumping blow with his morning star.

Urthgar attacked the dwarf Tawl was fighting but only managed a nick.

Tieger had to push by Horace so he was standing where Hammrin had just moved from. He ignored the two zombies in the strange cloud to stab at the dwarf Hammrin just attacked.

Karl, Rav and Ondoher carried on with their necessary mutilations.

The cloud crackled again. The broken armed northman fell in a heap and did not move. The remaining northman in the cloud suffered yet another break, this time the arm. Its remaining good arm swung its club feebly at Tieger who was able to simply step over the incoming slow moving weapon.

Ishtar and Merlothrien carried on preparing their incantations.

Horace fired at Tawl and Urthgar's target. The arrow went deep into its side but was ignored.

Elenugeth shot at the same target but his arrow severed something in its spine, it bent over, head between its legs, looking behind itself. Tawl was able
to chop it to the floor.

Feral drove both blades deeply into the last standing undead. It slammed into the wall but remained on its feet. Hammrin followed up with another mighty swipe that smashed it back into the wall. Any living creature would be that no longer but the undead dwarf raised its club to hit the dwarf.

Urthgar jabbed his spear at it catching it in the chest and pinning it back against the wall.

Tieger finally finished it off by cutting some of its hand away so that the club dropped to the floor.

While Merly's cloud crackled a few more times to leave two blackened zombie husks underneath the party made sure all the undead were taken care of.

Even with the last undead enemy dispatched Hammrin maintained a battle stance, his weapon at the ready. Once the little dwarf got his blood boiling it took a while to calm down again. "It was a good fight to liberate the souls of the undead." he said in a growl wishing there was just one more thing he could swing at. "I trust everyone is ok?" he said a little softer.

Everyone looked to have emerged unharmed though a little fatigued.

"I'd like to celebrate a clear victory, but this fight isn’t over if my dwarf sense is correct. Something was supposed to HEAR that silver bell and it’s not too far away from where the undead were standing up ahead."

Hammrin pulled a throwing axe out of the split skull of one of the undead and wiped it off. "You have got a way with people, it’s a gift I tell you!" he spoke to the blade with a smile.

"Perhaps our sneaky little marksman can find out who is lurking up ahead?" said Hammrin as he turned to look at Horace.

The passageway led on to a crossroads.