The party gets on the cart and Alexander rides the second card as Symon drives the first. You go to head out of the town when a familiar thin figure in black platemail covered in blood, carrying a broken spear on hand arrives, holding his arm as if holding close a wound. He looks at you all as you approach and he laughs.
"Go ahead and laugh... I'm the only one who survived fighting the metal giant. Thoradin, and all the others are slain. I took a stray shot of his weapon and it put a nice hole in my arm. The others all got torn apart except Thoradin who had his face ripped apart. Bastard deserved it."
He throws at Symon a broken piece of armor that he recognizes as Archuther's. Its sheared again and the size of your fist
"Thoradin did that before he fell. I broke my spear trying to strike him anywhere else... And its difficult to break magical gear. I'll have to try and find myself a new weapon before I even think about taking you on, peasant. Now let me through, I need to see that damned cleric before I bleed out."
He walks on by as you make your way back to the camp with haste. You make it there in a couple hours and start digging. You feel a strange sense of dread as the place is eerie and quiet. No wind blows, and the sky is cloudy, blotting the sun. You dig up the 5ft and find the coffin. (?) As you dig it up, you hear thunder and see lightning as rain begins to come down. Karl, Nadarr and Alexander lift the coffin out as rain fills the hole quickly. (2-1) (FUMBLE) (17+9) The wet ground makes it harder to climb out! Karl fails to get up in his bulky platemail, Nadarr slips and falls facefirst into the mud that is starting to fill the hole! Alexander manages to get out but gets a quick glimpse of something in the distance. (?) The water level in the hole rises. Nadarr gets up as water starts to go over his head after his slip. You try to climb out again (14-1+5+2) (4+1+5) Karl is pulled up by Alexander, Thyra and Weston as Nadarr falls down again as he struggles with Symon pulling him up. Symon doesn't get pulled in however. Alexander looks down the path again and sees a black fog rolling in now, darkening the pathway. Nadarr tries one last time to get out with everyone helping him up. (5+1+5+5) Nadarr, now up to his armpits in water, fails to get out and falls back in, falling prone, now drowning as the mud pulls him under!
Alexander sees the black fog blotting the sky and darkening the place. A lone figure walks out of the fog as now the entire camp is now surrounded by black walls. Aurel stands before the party. Alexander feels a sharp stabbing pain in his head and drops to his knees. Karl, despite being covered in mud takes no penalty for being covered in it. Nadarr is immobilized while he is in the mud and requires someone to do a strength check to pull him out. He laughs as he see's Nadarr struggle in the mud.
"My dear, dear Nadarr... Isn't it rather early for you to be playing in the mud? And isn't this a predicament? Kill me, your enemy... Or save Nadarr... A companion who is in peril... Alexander, you know why I'm here... You're coming with me!"
As he says this, three creatures that are large versions of the creatures you fought before arrive. Despite it being the middle of the day, these creatures are immune to the light. A better look ((thanks to Symon's perception)) reveals they are a grotesque creature who's dark skin is an aura on top of several flayed skins sewn together with the odd bone sticking out. Their teeth are massive, like shortswords instead of daggers. Their claws are massive, being the envy of Wyrmlings and small dragons.
"I'll make you a deal. You can walk away without Nadarr and Alexander, and the rest of you will walk away alive. You all know of my power to begin with... And now that the shadow completes me? I am living death now... All it takes is the sacrifice of few... For the needs of many"
The party has to respond as soon as they can. Nadarr can't do anything here (excpet grunt and make bubbles) until combat begins and then he struggles to stop drowning (endurance check).
((Note: I want as little meta as possible. One post for each of you to put up a reason or vote for your decision. Any action, other then saying something, is an immediate enter combat, and you forfeit your option to sacrifice your teammates. And yes, saving Nadarr includes this))