# Medriev's FR Pyramid of Shadows - Concluded Nov 1



## Medriev (Apr 15, 2009)

*This is the third story hour thread in my continuing solitaire campaign and it follows directly on from Thunderspire Labyrinth. For those who are following the ongoing story, the PC levels at the start of this adventure are:

Dulvarna 	  female human fighter 7
Enlishia	  female human ranger 7
Lavren	  male eladrin warlock 7
Erlmoor	  male dragonborn paladin 7
Litiraan	  male eladrin wizard 6
Telkya	  male eladrin cleric 6

As two PCs began at only 6th level, I opened the adventure with a side trek from the Draconomicon before continuing with the main quest.*


----------



## Medriev (Apr 15, 2009)

*Chapter 1 - Durgen's Pass (Part 1)*

Telkya looked up into Lavren’s eyes as hey swept around the floor of the cavern in the wild and speedy dance that all elven couples shared at their wedding feast.
“You might have told me that your father was Lord of Semberholme,” she said, smiling at her new husband.
“I thought you knew,” Lavren answered with a smile of his own. “There are few of us left and I thought you would have known me from my clan name.”
 “Well I did not,” she answered.
“And now you do,” Lavren responded and kissed her firmly as they spun again past the high table where the parents of both sat along with the companions that they had travelled to the underground village with.”

“They are truly a wonderful couple,” Erlmoor rumbled quietly to Lavren’s father who sat beside him at the long table.

The cavern that formed the heart of Semberholme was illuminated with lights both magical and mundane and field tables of elves celebrating the marriage of their Lord’s son to a prominent daughter of the Elven Court. Everywhere were smiles and dancing couples as the elves marked a wedding in the way that they had done for millennia. At the far end of the natural hall, across from the high table, a tree stood in a wide basin of earth. It marked the birth of a new union and would be planted amongst the ancient trees of Cormanthor the next morning by Lavren and Telkya as a timeless symbol of their marriage.

“Glad I am that Lavren has found lasting love,” answered Lord Casharri Strongbow, Lavren’s father. “Ever his affections have been fleeting and ill-judged. I feared that he would never seek a union such as this.”
“He has grown as I have known him,” Erlmoor replied. “We have seen many terrible things but Lavren has ever found beauty despite the dark places that we have walked through. Telkya has calmed him and made him a wiser elf.”
“Perhaps,” the Lord answered thoughtfully as though pondering something. “And yet you came through Durgen’s Pass to get here. Lavren should have counselled against it given what dwells there.”

“And what is it that dwells there?” Telkya asked as she and Lavren ended their dance and returned to their seats in the centre of the high table, between both families. “Lavren told us of no danger as we walked the ancient dwarf road through the mountains.”
“Well he should have,” answered Casharri, glaring at his son who sat beyond Telkya next to his bride’s father. “But ever has my second son refused to heed my advice. None travel that road now lest the wyrm Caustrex come forth and prey upon them. She is the bane of this place and the reason why we rarely venture into the Hullack Forest as once we did.”
“None told us of this wyrm when we ventured through the pass to the Hullack seeking the hobgoblins that had raided our lands,” Litiraan said from beyond his and Telkya’s mother.

“We did not tell you, son, for we did not know,” answered Malmah, Litiraan’s mother. “This wyrm has seemingly kept its raids to the western edges of our forests for now. For how long that will continue we will not know.”
“Then when we return to the west, we will seek out the lair of this dragon,” Lavren answered. “We venture into the Hullack next seeking a place that the red wizard Paldemar sought to gain great power from.”

“If you defeated the wyrm then your father and I would be truly grateful,” answered Lady Nylynzara Strongbow, Lavren’s mother. “But beware the Red Wizards. They hail from Thay, a dark land of slavery and undead on the eastern shores of the Inner Sea. They are dangerous foes indeed.”
“And yet some were grateful to us for driving away Paldemar,” Erlmoor rumbled. “On the day we left the Seven Pillared Hall, a letter from the Mages of Saruun, also Red Wizards, was brought to us. It thanked us for ridding them of a rogue who opposed their aims of trading with western realms.”
“Perhaps,” answered Nylynzara. “But even that I would not trust. Rarely do the Red Wizards come only for trade. And more rarely do they trade only in the goods that merchants here would trade in. Often they trade in poisons and drugs that seduce the mind and weaken the body.”

“Then we will be even more careful than we have been,” answered Enlishia. “Your son and new daughter-in-law have good friends here who will protect them to their last breath.”
“Then I will take comfort from that,” Nylynzara answered with a smile. “Now we should enjoy the feast.”


----------



## Medriev (Apr 16, 2009)

*Chapter 1 - Durgen's Pass (Part 2)*

“This must be the place,” said Telkya as she looked up to the cliffs ahead of her. Her sojourn in Semberholme as a wife had been all too short and through the feast had been a wonderful whirl of music, wine and food, she was sorry that they had had to set out westward again so quickly. More than two tendays had passed since they had defeated Paldemar and she understood the need for urgency. If the Red Wizard sought the Lost King ahead of them then Cormyr would surely suffer but still she wished that she had been given more time with Lavren and her both families. Now, as she followed the swift river into the canyon to the north of the ancient dwarf road through Durgen’s Pass, a thundering roar reached her ears. Beyond two large rock formations, Telkya saw a pool of frothing water gathering at the base of a cliff wall, fed by a crushing torrent of water that spilled down from a wide cave far above. Shadows cloaked much of the walls, almost hiding the numerous pocks and dimples in its face.

Dulvarna led the companions towards the western side of the canyon where the dimples were darkest and soon they could be seen to be caverns with dark, shadowy interiors. All openings on the west wall were perhaps fifty feet above the cavern floor but ahead, to the north, another two caves yawned at ground level. The companions made their way cautiously towards the eastern cave entrance, lighting torches as they drew near and the high cliffs shaded them from the bright spring sunshine.
“This does not look good,” said Enlishia quietly as she and Dulvarna stepped into the cave.

Dark blotches covered the floor, walls and ceiling while broken spears and smashed kobold bodies lay where they had fallen.
“They were torn apart,” the ranger said as she stopped beside the nearest kobold form. “But most seem to have been burned terribly with acid. Their flesh has been eaten away by whatever burned their flesh.”
“Seems we’ve found our dragon,” Litiraan said from behind Enlishia.

A narrow opening led north west from the entry cave and climbed rough hewn steps into a wider cavern that seemed to be at the level of the top of the waterfall. Ahead, two slimy stones jutted out from the rushing water of the stream, offering steps of sorts on which to cross. Enlishia started forward ahead of the others and neatly leapt to the first stone and then to the second before finally jumping across to the far bank of the stream. Dulvarna leapt across next and the others followed, none leaping across as easily as Enlishia had but still crossing the river easily. 

Two caverns opened up to the north west and south east and Dulvarna pondered the way forward for a moment. Finally, she made a decision and turned south east into a wide passage that opened into a wide cave. The floor of the cavern gave way at its far end to a deep pit filled with rotting carcasses, old bones, mounds of glistening dung, and worse. Crimson mould covered everything.
“A midden,” said Litiraan. “We turn back.”

The others agreed and turned away from the foul pit to make their way into the northern cavern. This proved to be a large chamber with old sleeping pallets scattered throughout. Amongst them were the remains of cooking fires and a jumble of broken crockery and debris. The ceiling was black with soot, and the air was heavy with the stink of charcoal. Brown splotches stained the walls, and the floor was littered with twenty bloated kobold corpses, most half chewed by rats.
“Perhaps this place is merely a tomb and the wyrm lairs elsewhere,” Dulvarna said as she turned away from the horrific sight.

The others nodded half-heartedly and turned to follow her. They crossed the river on the stones back to the western bank and made their way into the wide northern cavern that led away from the stream. Again the passage branched, with wide passages leading south west and north west into the darkness. Dulvarna considered them for a moment and turned toward the north western branch, reasoning to herself that the south western passage would lead back to the high openings above the canyon. Ahead to the north west, the companions saw illumination from a large hole in the ceiling of the cavern ahead shining down on a massive dragon covered in grey scales and thorny barbs. Its long tail, which ended in a pair of long spikes, kicked up plumes of dust when it twitched. A string of green drool spilled from its oversized mouth, revealing its anticipation for the coming kill.


----------



## Medriev (Apr 17, 2009)

*Chapter 1 - Durgen's Pass (Part 3)*

Enlishia looked down to where the cavern descended into a dip and saw kobolds moving in the shadows. She raised her bow and nocked an arrow quickly as she started forward. She loosed the first arrow and a kobold fell back with the shaft protruding from its throat. Turning, she was a slight warrior in scale armour hissing at her from the same level, across the dip that divided the cavern. The creature was armed with a longsword and a shield bearing a crude likeness of a dragon. Enlishia raised her bow and loosed another arrow that drove into the kobold’s shoulder and threw it back a step.

Behind Enlishia, Litiraan closed his eyes for a moment and vanished in a cascade of light motes. He reappeared on the far side of the dip in the cavern and saw three more kobolds with javelins in hand, advancing past the fallen from of the creature that Enlishia had slain. He raised his wand and loosed an amber orb down into the dip where the kobolds crept forward. The orb reached their midst and exploded into searing flame. The three kobolds with javelins were hurled against the wall of the cavern and horribly burned. They lay there unmoving but another kobold screeched in pain from behind a pillar of rock that hid it from Litiraan. Dulvarna heard its screech and leapt down into the dip, drawing her sword as she did so. She rushed forward and turned north into the wider part of the dip where the kobolds slain by Litiraan and Enlishia lay dead.

Lavren rushed to the edge of the dip and then leapt off the edge, closing his eyes as he did. He vanished into a shower of light motes and then reappeared on a high promontory across from the dragon. He looked down and saw a kobold below him to the left advancing with a sword in its hand. A Similarly armed creature advanced to his right while ahead, the dragon fixed its terrible gaze upon him. Telkya appeared next to him a moment later in a cascade of light motes. The elf maid turned toward her husband and smiled at him.
“Where you go, I go,” she said and he nodded his agreement.

Behind the two elves, Erlmoor rushed forward and leapt down into the dip. He crossed it in two strides and clambered up the opposite wall in front of Litiraan. He drew his blade and started forward to block the path of the sword-wielding kobold before him.

From beside the rocky outcrop on which the dragon sat, another kobold came forth, this one wearing a bone mask and carrying a spear. It raised its right hand began to chant an incantation in its strange, rough language. The other surviving kobolds took up the chant and surged forward, inspired by their priest. The masked kobold then raised its hand again and with a word, unleashed an orb of pale blue energy towards Telkya. The orb struck the priestess in the left arm and it threw her backwards as it burst in a spray of acid that seared into her flesh. She cried out and as she did, she saw the dragon extend its wings and take flight, swooping across from its outcropping to land in front of her and Lavren. The dragon roared as it landed on the rock in front of the two elves and both felt terrible dragonfear try to take hold of them. They held their ground and behind them, Erlmoor roared his defiance at the wyrm Caustrex.

The remaining kobold warriors let out high-pitched cries and rushed forward, one charging at Erlmoor and the other at Dulvarna. The dragonborn and the warrior woman met the swords of the kobolds with their own, clashing steel and keeping the dragon-like creatures at bay. Behind Erlmoor, Enlishia raised her bow and loosed an arrow into the kobold that the dragonborn faced. The shaft drove into the right hip of the kobold as it twisted around Erlmoor towards the ranger. She loosed another arrow after the first but this time, the kobold turned around on the spot and raised its shield. The arrow drove into the warrior’s dragon scale shield and the creature turned back to face Erlmoor. Just as it did so, Litiraan loosed a silver bolt from his wand that flew just over the kobold’s head. The creature screeched and leapt away from Erlmoor. The dragonborn roared and followed.

Dulvarna rushed at the kobold before her and lashed out repeatedly with her blade, Aecris clashing against the warrior’s blade and shield alternately. Suddenly, she brought her blade in low under the kobold’s shield and slashed a cut into the bottom of the creature’s abdomen. The kobold leapt back with a hiss, wounded and bleeding.

Lavren looked down as he heard the screech and then turned his attention back to the dragon before him. He cursed at the wyrm and raised his wand to unleash a bolt of black, crackling energy. The dragon ducked to the right and avoided the bolt but Lavren heard Telkya’s voice beside him, calling on Corellon to aid her. She threw down the torch she held in her left hand and drew forth her symbol of Corellon, brandishing it at the dragon. A bolt of light lanced out from the amulet towards the dragon but again Caustrex ducked and the bolt flew past the huge creature. The dragon roared and then drew in its breath. Both Lavren and Telkya knew what would follow but before the dragon could breath, the kobold priest hurled another orb of blue energy that struck Telkya’s left hip. She staggered and gritted her teeth as the acid burned her skin. A moment later, the dragon roared again and this time, acid gushed forth from its throat and sprayed over Lavren and Telkya. Both raised their arms to shield their faces and staggered back as the liquid burned their flesh. The dragon roared again and the kobolds took up the cry, surging forward to attack Dulvarna and Erlmoor again.


----------



## Medriev (Apr 18, 2009)

*Chapter 1 - Durgen's Pass (Part 4)*

As the kobolds clashed blades with Erlmoor and Dulvarna and circled around them, seemingly trying to put the companions between them and the dragon, Enlishia raised her bow again. She loosed one arrow and then a second and watched with satisfaction as both drove into the kobold’s back and threw the creature forward against Erlmoor. The dragonborn pushed his enemy away and as he did so, Litiraan unleashed another silver bolt that seared through the kobold’s neck. It staggered and then collapsed in front of Erlmoor. The dragonborn roared and turned his attention towards the dragon.

Lavren heard the dragonborn roar triumphantly and knew that aid was coming. Looking down to the kobold priest, he leapt down from the outcropping on which he stood and raised his wand. With a word he unleashed another black, crackling bolt that seared into the shoulder of the kobold shaman and hurled it back a step. Telkya saw what her husband was doing and turned her amulet towards the kobold priest. A bolt of light shot forth and struck the cavern wall next to the kobold’s head. Lavren looked up and winked at her and she smiled back. 

Erlmoor leapt up onto the outcropping and rushed past Telkya with his blade in his hands. He charged at the dragon, roared as he reached it, and sprayed acid from his mouth. The dragon paid the acid no mind but Erlmoor began to pray as he lashed out with his sword. The blade glowed with golden light but as it struck the scales of the wyrm’s right foreleg it simply clanged aside and smashed into the stone before the dragon. Caustrex looked down at its distant kin with obvious disdain and then raised a claw to swat the paladin aside.

Lavren raised his wand again but before he could utter another curse, the kobold priest lashed out with its left hand and hurled a blue orb towards the elf. Lavren dodged to the left but the orb struck his right shoulder and covered him with burning acid. He staggered and cried out but as he saw Telkya’s concerned look, he forced a smile. She moved towards the edge of the ledge but Lavren nodded towards the kobold priest for her to concentrate her attention on her enemies. As she turned away, Lavren gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand.

The kobold before Dulvarna rushed at her, driving her back against the foot of the rocky outcropping. She parried desperately and just kept its blade at bay before forcing it back to give herself a few moments to recover. As the kobold drew back, an arrow flew in from its left and drove into the side of its neck. A second shaft followed and drove through the creature’s throat from left to right. The kobold gasped, gurgled as blood filled its throat, and then collapsed to the floor of the cavern. Dulvarna nodded her thanks and turned to clamber up onto the outcropping.

Litiraan saw the kobold fall and turned away as Dulvarna had. He rushed along the lower level of the outcropping and passed Lavren where he stood against the cavern wall. Raising his wand, the wizard unleashed a silver bolt into the stone next to the kobold priest. The creature hissed its derision and Lavren raised his wand and loosed his own, black, bolt of energy, hoping to silence it once and for all. The blast struck the kobold’s left arm and spun it back into the stone wall of the cave. It tried to push itself away but before it could recover a golden bolt of energy from Telkya’s amulet struck it and hurled it back into the stone again.

Erlmoor ducked as the dragon lashed at him with its left claw and then leapt back as the right claw swept in at him. He lashed out with his blade as the huge claw passed him and this time the sword tore into the dragon’s flesh and drew blood. The dragon roared and slashed its left claw back across. Erlmoor ducked under the swing but as he stood upright again, the dragon lashed out with its wounded right claw to smash the dragonborn away from it. Erlmoor was sent sprawling and the dragon came forward, hoping to finish its troublesome kin.

The kobold priest hissed its defiance and hurled another blue orb, this one aimed at Litiraan. It struck the elf in the hip and burst into burning acid that seared his flesh. He staggered but raised his wand as he did so. Before he could bring a spell to his lips, Enlishia appeared beside him with her bow raised. She loosed an arrow that clattered into the stone beside the kobold and just as it began to his its renewed defiance, she nocked another arrow and let fly. This shaft drove into the creature’s eye and on into the brain behind. The kobold’s mouth fell open and the creature fell to the floor. Litiraan nodded his thanks to the ranger and then rushed along the side of the higher outcropping until he was behind the dragon. He turned and raised his wand, loosing another silver bolt towards the wyrm. The bolt flew past the creature’s head and struck the stone wall high up beyond the dragon.

On the outcropping, Dulvarna raised her blade and rushed at the dragon, hoping to slash her blade across the back of its left leg. Aecris sang out but at the last, the dragon lifted its claw and the sword clanged off the hard scales of its toe. From the dragon’s left, Lavren loosed another bolt of black, crackling energy that seared over the wyrm’s head and struck the stone beyond it. Telkya raised her voice in prayer and from the cavern roof, a column of divine fire descended, enveloping the dragon and burning its flesh. The dragon screeched for the first time and turned its eyes towards the priestess. As it did so, Erlmoor charged in and slashed at the dragon but it reared back and avoided his blade.

As it came down on its front claws once again, Caustrex lashed out with its left claw and sent the dragonborn sprawling with a wound in his side. Its tail lashed around a moment later to strike at Dulvarna but she ducked under the attack and then leapt back beyond the dragon’s reach. Enlishia sent two arrows in from the left but both clattered off the dragon’s scaled and it roared its defiance and anger again. From behind the wyrm, Litiraan loosed another silver bolt and this one found its mark in the creature’s right flank. 

The dragon turned its head towards the source of the attack and Dulvarna rushed in to land a mighty blow on the dragon’s opposite side. Aecris tore into the wyrm’s flesh and exposed the white of its ribs as Dulvarna drew the blade back. The dragon screeched again and turned back towards the warrior woman as a bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand flew past it. A golden bolt from Telkya followed and seared into the dragon’s back leg. Again it turned towards the priestess and again, Erlmoor leapt to his feet and rushed at it. His blade sang out and slashed a deep wound across Caustrex’s right foreleg. The dragon reared back and Erlmoor roared in triumph and defiance.


----------



## Medriev (Apr 19, 2009)

*Chapter 1 - Durgen's Pass (Part 5)*

The dragon lashed out high with its right claw towards Erlmoor and the dragonborn ducked under the dagger-like claws. Its tail lashed around at Dulvarna again and this time, the warrior woman reacted too slowly. The scaled appendage struck her in the side and sent her reeling away from the dragon. From beneath the top of the outcropping and to the left, Enlishia raised her bow, took careful aim and let fly. The first arrow drove into the side of the wyrm’s neck and the second drove into its right shoulder. A silver bolt from Litiraan’s wand followed and flew over the dragon to strike the cavern wall beyond it. Dulvarna charged in to draw the wyrm’s attention back to her and as she did so, Lavren loosed another bolt of black energy. Again the bolt flew wide and struck the stone beyond the dragon but Telkya’s golden bolt from her amulet again found its mark. The dragon roared as the divine fire seared into its chest and Erlmoor charged at it again. His blade clanged off the scales of the dragon’s chest as he rushed at it and then the wyrm drew in its breath again. The terrible spray of acid followed and Telkya fell back, horribly burned.

Enlishia loosed two more arrows that clattered off the dragon’s scales and then Litiraan raised his wand and unleashed searing flame that burst over the back of the dragon. Caustrex screeched in pain and turned towards the elf and as she did so, Dulvarna charged in from the opposite side. She lashed out with her blade and slashed Aecris deep into the wyrm’s left shoulder. Again the wyrm screeched and turned its head towards this new pain. It heaved in its breath and with a roar, unleashed more acid. Erlmoor and Dulvarna fell back from the dragon as the terrible liquid burned their skin but as they did so, they turned towards Telkya who had fallen to her knees. Her face was burned and blackened but still she looked up and met the gaze of her companions. Her eyes almost pleaded with them to heal her or slay her and then she collapsed onto the rocky floor.

Lavren cried out as Telkya fell and unleashed a blast of black energy into the side of the dragon. The elf rushed along the edge of the highest part of the outcropping to where Telkya lay on the higher part. He reached out a hand to touch her arm and wished that he was able to heal her. Behind him, Erlmoor roared his defiance as he gathered his strength to recover from the dragon’s terrible breath. The dragon leapt forward and lashed out with its right claw to backhand the dragonborn to the edge of the raised outcropping. Its tail lashed around a moment later and slammed Dulvarna back towards where Telkya lay. The dragon roared, this time in triumph, as it sensed its victory was close.

Enlishia loosed an arrow and then a second desperately in an effort to distract the dragon. One shaft flew wide and clattered into the stone wall at the far side of the cavern and the second clattered off the scales of Caustrex’s hide. Litiraan loosed a silver bolt that flashed over the dragon’s head while Dulvarna ducked and dodged desperately to evade the dragons claws and tail.

Lavren turned away from Telkya, realising she was beyond any aid he could give and rushed along the cavern wall. Shouting a curse at the dragon, he loosed another bolt of black energy into the dragon’s flank. Again the wyrm roared and turned towards the warlock and as it did so, Erlmoor rushed at its right flank. He raised his blade over his head and clove it deep into the side of the wyrm’s chest. Golden light flared and burst out in a wave over the companions around the paladin and as it did so, Telkya’s eyes opened. The elf maid heaved in a deep breath and from the pain she felt, began to assess how seriously she was injured.

Caustrex roared and lashed out at the dragonborn with a backhanded blow from its right claw. The paladin ducked under the deadly blow but as the creature’s tail swept around, Dulvarna was again too slow. The huge scaled appendage struck her and slammed her back towards Telkya. She cried out in defiance and pain and rushed back at the dragon and as she did so, Enlishia raised her bow and let fly.	Both arrows clattered off the dragon’s scales and a silver bolt from Litiraan’s wand flashed past the wyrm a moment later. Dulvarna rushed at the dragon, wove her blade before her and then lashed out at the dragon, slashing a wound across the wyrm’s chest. It reared back away from her and as it did, a black bolt from Lavren’s wand flashed past its neck. Erlmoor rushed in and slashed out at the dragon but his blade clashed off the scales of the creature’s foot with a loud boom as though of a thunder clap. Caustrex roared again but more desperately this time and lashed out with a backhand blow that almost knocked Erlmoor from the higher part of the outcropping. Its tail lashed left toward the dragonborn but he leapt back and then it slashed around towards Dulvarna. She leapt back and then surged forward again.

Enlishia loosed an arrow into Caustrex’s side and then fired again, this one flying past the dragon and striking the stone beyond her. Litiraan hurled a silver bolt that flashed wide of the dragon but as he did, Dulvarna reached the wyrm and struck out with her blade. Her sword nicked the wyrm’s arm and as it did, Caustrex swung her tail around and sent the warrior woman sprawling. Another black bolt from Lavren’s wand flashed past the dragon barely missing it and it turned its head around towards the elf. Telkya leapt down from the outcropping and rushed to her husband’s side, her face still burned and blackened but some of her strength returning. She raised her amulet and loosed a bolt of golden light that seared past the dragon to strike the stone beyond it. Caustrex roared at the two elves and as she did so, Erlmoor rushed forward with a prayer on his lips. He leapt and raised his blade over his head. It glowed brightly and clove into the dragon’s chest, smashing through its ribs and into its lung beneath. Caustrex reeled back, roared once and then fell forward, smashing into the stone floor of the cavern. It heaved in one last laboured breath and then died amidst the carnage of its lair.

*Next.....Servants of the Dragon*


----------



## Medriev (Apr 20, 2009)

*Chapter 2 - Servants of the Dragon (Part 1)*

“It is fine blade,” said Dulvarna as he held the sword he had taken from the dragon’s hoard up to the light of Telkya’s torch. “But I would save it to use against something other than kobolds.”
“You are sure there are more here then,” Erlmoor rumbled in response as he sheathed the blade on his back beside his old sword and cast a wary glance towards the south western passage. Dulvarna was determined to explore the passage lest more servants of Caustrex yet lurk in the caverns.
“Are you not?” Dulvarna asked. “This was a dangerous dragon and it would surely have more creatures than the handful we slew serving it.”
“Perhaps,” said Litiraan. “And perhaps not. Even if more do remain they will be little threat without the dragon.”
“They were a threat to Winterhaven when first we came there,” Lavren spoke up. “We leave no enemies behind to harry others.”
“Agreed. No evil should be left here to endanger others who use this pass,” Erlmoor said.
“Then we are decided,” Lavren said, lighting a torch of his own and starting into the wide passage.

The others looked at each other and Dulvarna and Erlmoor started after the elf, they followed. The passage narrowed a little ahead and split into two, both of which then rejoined while climbing up and then descending into a wide cavern with a cooking fire burning in its centre. The fire sent up plumes of choking smoke that gathered and crawled about the ceiling. The eastern side of the room held a latrine and a narrow tunnel headed up to the north west. They followed this tunnel and soon emerged into another cavern with its own haze of smoke hanging near the ceiling and slowly leaking out through cave mouths at the far side that overlooked the canyon. Clustered into several small groups were familiar short, dog-headed reptilian humanoids. Roughly half of the kobolds were armed with slings and daggers and the rest carried crude spears. The bonfire that was the source of the smoke burned at the centre of the room.

Dulvarna raised her blade and rushed at the nearest kobold, clambering up the escarpment that raised the room above the entrance passage. Her blade sang out and slashed into the kobold’s shoulder sending it reeling away. A javelin clattered off the stone next to the warrior woman but Dulvarna paid it no mind. Telkya strode forward behind her companion, throwing her torch to the floor ahead of her and raising her amulet. She uttered a prayer and bolt of golden light lanced out to strike the kobold that Dulvarna faught. It fell back into the north wall of the cavern, sorely wounded. 
Beyond the entrance, other kobolds raised their spears and came forward while another whirled its sling above its head to hurl a clay pot at Telkya. 

The missile fell well short but the terrible smell of the concoction within still reached the priestess’ nostrils and made her gag. Another clay pot struck the floor in front of Erlmoor, again far short of the mark but again the horrible smell wafted forth. Another kobold rushed at Dulvarna from the right and stabbed at her with its spear but she brought her blade down and swatted it aside. From around the corner next to the fire, another kobold came and stabbed out with its spear, driving the point into the elf maid’s leg. She cried out and fell back and as she did so, another clay pot struck the stone in front of her. The kobolds took up an ululating war cry then and more came forward, one rushing at Dulvarna and stabbing at her. The spear nicked the warrior woman’s arm and she fell back before the growing number of enemies.
Another kobold rushed towards Telkya and Lavren threw down his torch to raise his wand. he uttered a curse at the nearest enemy and unleashed a black bolt of energy that seared into the creature’s side. The creature was thrown to one side and collapsed on the floor, unmoving. Erlmoor charged forward then to aid Telkya, his blade singing out as he shouted a challenge to one of the kobolds she faced. His sword bit into the creature’s right arm and spun it back against the escarpment that led up into the chamber. 

Litiraan came forward behind the dragonborn and raised his wand to loose a silver bolt at the same kobold. It struck the creature in the chest and hurled it back into the rock once again. Another kobold rushed to the edge of the raised platform and stabbed at Erlmoor with a javelin but he swung his blade around to the left and knocked the thrust aside. Enlishia raised her bow and loosed an arrow that drove into the kobold’s throat, throwing it backwards to lie unmoving on the floor. She fired again and her second arrow drove into the left arm of one of the kobolds battling Dulvarna, throwing the creature back from the warrior woman. Dulvarna nodded her thanks and then raised her blade again as more kobolds came forward.


----------



## Medriev (Apr 22, 2009)

*Chapter 2 - Servants of the Dragon (Part 2)*

From behind the line of kobolds at the edge of the raised platform, another of the creatures whirled a sling above its head and let fly a clay ball. The Ball flew straight at Erlmoor and struck his breastplate scattering shards of pottery that nicked his skin and covering him in a foul-smelling liquid that reeked of something not unlike rotten meat. The dragonborn gasped and reeled back as the urge to retch assailed him. Another kobold rushed forward as the paladin reeled and drove its spear forward, stabbing the point painfully into Erlmoor’s thigh. He cried out and staggered back a step, momentarily helpless before his enemies. 

The wounded kobold before Dulvarna leapt away from her and placed a clay pot into its sling. It raised the weapon and whirled it around its head before letting fly wildly. The pot flew out to one side and smashed into the cavern wall, coating the stone with its foul-smelling liquid. Another slinger appeared beside the wounded one, whirling its sling above its head as it ran in to take aim. It let fly with unerring accuracy and the clay pot struck Dulvarna on the shoulder, showering her face with painful shards of clay and covering her in the horrible, noxious liquid. The warrior woman reeled back, retching as the stench struck her nostrils and staggered towards the edge of the escarpment on which she stood. The kobolds let forth an ululating battle cry and surged forward to try to bring down their apparently helpless foes.

Dulvarna let forth her own wordless battle cry in response to the kobolds and lashed out wildly to keep her foes at bay. A kobold leapt between the two slingers with a javelin in its hand and stabbed at her but she brought her blade across and parried easily. To the right, Telkya raised her sword and slashed out at the wounded kobold before her. Her sword cut across its throat and the kobold fell to the floor at the base of the escarpment to lie there unmoving. Sternly, she turned toward the remaining kobold before her but then another leapt over the body of the first and landed in front of her. It stabbed out with its spear and nicked her arm, drawing blood. She slashed her blade across to keep the creature at bay and looked back for aid from her companions.	

A spear stabbed in from Dulvarna’s right and though she brought her blade around and parried it, the point still nicked the back of her knee. She stepped back again towards the edge of the escarpment, battling hard to keep the kobolds at bay. Telkya half parried another spear thrust but the blade continued on its course and scored a shallow cut up her right forearm. Again she looked back for aid and this time she saw Lavren raising his wand and beginning a curse. Black energy seared out towards the kobolds and struck the creature that had leapt over its fallen companion, hurling the kobold back against the rock wall. Lavren raised his sword and rushed into battle beside his wife as Erlmoor slashed his blade to the right into the side of the kobold that Lavren had just wounded. It gasped and fell back against the rock but still it held its spear and was not yet beaten.

Litiraan rushed into battle behind Lavren with his sword in one hand and his wand in the other. He raised his wand first and uttered a spell of fire that unleashed searing flame in a curtain into the kobolds in front of him. The kobolds screeched and shrank back while one fell, horribly burned, amongst its companions. As the flames cleared, though, others came forward and those that had been burned hissed terrible revenge at the wizard. 
Behind Litiraan, Enlishia loosed more arrows, one driving into the chest of a kobold in front of the wizard and the other clattering off its armour. The creature fell back, sorely wounded, but not yet beaten. It hissed and stabbed at Erlmoor only for the dragonborn to swat its spear aside. The paladin swept his blade to the right and parried another spear thrust and then drew in a deep breath ready to spray acid over his enemies.

Telkya surged forward and slashed her sword across the belly of the kobold before her. It stabbed out with its spear and she parried the thrust, knocking it aside. To her left, she saw Dulvarna was battling hard still to keep the kobolds at bay while in front of her, more kobolds surged forward. A spear thrust came in from the right but again, she brought her blade down and parried the weapon aside. Beside her, Lavren thrust his blade forward and stabbed the kobold she had wounded in the chest. It fell back against the escarpment and collapsed beside its fallen companion. Erlmoor roared loudly then and let forth a spray of acid over the kobolds before him. The two kobolds closest to the dragonborn fell to the acid, horribly burned and amongst the other kobolds, many screeched as the liquid burned their skin. Erlmoor clambered up onto the raised platform and lashed out to his right with his sword, cutting a deep wound into the right arm of the kobold that stood there. The dragonborn roared his defiance at the kobolds and for the first time, they quailed before the power of their enemies.


----------



## Medriev (Apr 23, 2009)

*Chapter 2 - Servants of the Dragon (Part 3)*

A silver bolt flashed from Litiraan’s wand, just missing the kobold that Erlmoor had wounded and then an arrow flashed past from Enlishia’s bow. Another arrow followed and this drove through the creature’s skull, hurling it back into its companions were it fell to the floor and died. The slingers retreated from the companions then to form a line beyond their spear-wielding fellows. More kobolds with spears leapt forward to fill the gaps in the forward line but Dulvarna and Erlmoor stood firm, despite a spear cutting the side of Erlmoor’s arm below the shoulder.

Dulvarna lashed out with her blade and cut the throat of the kobold before her while spinning on the spot and driving her blade into the shoulder of another of the creatures. They fell back before her ferocious attacks and the slingers loaded their weapons and began to whirl them above their heads to fire at any of the companions that came through the spear line. On the right, another kobold leapt down from the escarpment and stabbed its spear at Telkya but at the last, she brought her blade down and knocked the thrust aside. 

A slinger let fly another clay missile towards but the shot flew high and burst over the wall behind her, spilling a sticky glue-like substance onto the stone. Another slinger came forward and loosed a missile at Erlmoor but this flew behind him and struck the cavern wall close to Enlishia, spilling more sticky goo. Telkya parried another thrust from her right while Erlmoor and Dulvarna held the kobolds at bay in the centre and left of the line. Lavren came to Telkya’s aid again, stabbing his blade into the hip of one of the kobolds before her. The creature screeched and fell back and as it did, Litiraan loosed a silver bolt into its side. It fell back against the rock where two of its companions had already fallen and hissed its defiance.

Enlishia loosed two arrows quickly and both flew straight and true, driving into the face of one of the kobolds before Erlmoor. The creature fell back and collapsed on the floor in front of its companions. From the right, a slinger loosed a clay pot at the dragonborn that struck his right side and covered his leg with sticky glue. He found himself stuck to the stone of the cavern floor by his right foot and unable to move. The dragonborn roared again but the kobolds surged forward, sensing a chance to fell the mighty paladin.
Another kobold loosed a clay pot from its sling towards Dulvarna and this struck her breastplate, dripping the sticky substance down her legs. She, too, found herself rooted to the spot as the kobolds came forward. A sling stone glanced off Erlmoor’s shoulder, bruising him painfully and as he looked around, he could see that all the slingers were coming forward now, seeking vantage points from which they could loose stones and more clay pots at the helpless dragonborn. He roared again and slashed his blade across before him to keep the kobolds at bay but still they came forward. Another stone whizzed past his head, uncomfortably close and he decided then to focus his strength on pulling himself free.

Dulvarna made the same decision as a stone skipped off the stone of the cavern wall close to her head. She heard Erlmoor roar again as a spear was driven into his right leg and started to try to pull her own legs free of the glue. Desperately, she lashed out at the kobold nearest her, opening a deep wound in its right leg and then slashing a shallow cut across its chest. The creature fell back and the warrior woman tried desperately to heave her legs free of the glue. As the fury of her first attempt waned, the kobold she had wounded came forward warily again once more and then rushed at her with its spear before it.

Telkya fell back as the kobold before her parried her sword to one side and then drove its spear into her side, just above her hip. She staggered and cried out and the kobold came forward after her. Behind the creature, another kobold loosed a stone from its sling across the line behind its companions towards Erlmoor. The missile struck the dragonborn’s right shoulder full on and sent the paladin lurching to his left. From Telkya’s right, the second kobold she faced came forward and stabbed at her with its spear. Telkya brought her blade around and parried the blow, holding her enemies at bay for a few more moments.

The kobold spear wielder that Dulvarna faced, came at her fiercely and stabbed out with its weapon. She half parried but the spear point still tore along the top of her hip and opened a painful wound. Behind her, Lavren retreated from Telkya’s battle and loosed a bolt of black energy from his wand that seared into the side of one of the kobolds. The creature was hurled back into the stone escarpment and collapsed to the floor beside its two slain companions.

Erlmoor chanted a prayer as he tried to pull himself free of the glue and then, as his kobold foe came forward at him, he lashed out with his blade. The sword glowed with a golden light and clove into the creature’s side, sending it reeling away. A wave of light burst out from the paladin as he struck the blow and he and Telkya felt new strength fill them and stop the pain of the worst of their hurts. With a roar, Erlmoor pulled himself free of the glue and surged at his wounded opponent. The kobold and its sling-wielding companions fell back before the dragonborn’s renewed fury.

Litiraan raised his wand and loosed a silver bolt into the remaining kobold that Telkya faced, hurling it back into the cavern wall. The kobold slingers unleashed a hail of stones in response but hit nothing but stone and Enlishia answered them with her bow. Nocking two arrows to her string, the ranger moved forward to stand behind Erlmoor and Dulvarna and then let both shafts fly at the same time. They separated in the air and flew towards two spear wielding kobolds, driving into their throats and hurling them back to fall before their companions. Both gasped and gurgled for a moment as they lay on the floor and then they both died.


----------



## Medriev (Apr 24, 2009)

*Chapter 2 - Servants of the Dragon (Part 4)*

The slingers let fly with renewed fury then, a stone striking Dulvarna in the shoulder and a clay pot of glue bursting over Lavren’s left leg and rooting him to the spot. A clay pot burst in front of Erlmoor to spread more glue on the floor and another stone struck Dulvarna in the leg. A stone skipped off the wall next to the warrior woman and another clay pot burst next to Erlmoor. Two of the slingers retreated into the cavern but the others held a line in front off the companions and continued their onslaught. Erlmoor roared his anger and started forward but Dulvarna remained helpless despite her desperate attempts to free herself.

Telkya stabbed her blade into the side of the remaining kobold before her as another stone skipped off the stone floor close to her. More stones and clay pots flew in from the kobolds and the creature that Telkya faught seemed to gain confidence from the defiance of its companions. It hissed at her, despite the painful wound it had suffered and rushed forward, stabbing into Telkya’s thigh. She cried out and fell back, a stone striking the floor close to her feet. Behind her, she heard Lavren utter a curse and from his wand, two purple bolts shot forth, one striking the spear wielder before her and the other striking a slinger on the escarpment. Both kobolds were hurled back into the cavern wall behind them and collapsed to the floor, unmoving. Telkya turned and nodded her thanks to Lavren before beginning a healing prayer to restore some of her strength.

Erlmoor roared again and charged at the kobold slinger line. His blade lashed out and clove through the shoulder of one of the kobolds and on into its chest. The kobold collapsed before him and died on the floor at his feet. Behind him, Litiraan loosed a silver bolt into another of the slingers and sent it reeling back out of the right of the line. The slinger recovered and loosed a clay pot towards the elf that burst on the floor in front of him and spilled sticky glue onto the stone. Enlishia raised her bow and loosed an arrow into the shoulder of the slinger. She fired again and this shaft drove into the leg of the kobold next to the first. The slinger whirled its own weapon and sent a stone lashing across the cavern to smash into Enlishia’s right leg. She lurched back to her right and staggered before raising her bow again. 

More stones struck the cavern floor around Erlmoor but none found their mark until the line broke and fell back before the dragonborn. Then, two kobolds loosed stones at the same time that flew straight at the paladin. One struck Erlmoor in the shoulder and the other clipped the side of his head, sending him reeling back from the battle line. He looked back to Dulvarna and saw that she was still rooted to the spot and could not aid him. He looked back toward his enemies just as another stone flew at him and struck him in the forehead just above his eyes. He staggered again, reeled back, and then blackness took him as he collapsed to the cavern floor.

Lavren clambered up onto the escarpment as Erlmoor fell and raised his wand towards the nearest slinger. A black bolt of energy lanced out and seared through the kobold’s chest, throwing it back into the slinger next to it before it fell to the stone unmoving. Next to Lavren, Litiraan climbed up onto the rocky platform and lashed out with his wand to his right, sending a silver bolt into the cavern wall next to the nearest kobold.  Enlishia climbed up on the other side of Lavren and loosed two arrows into the kobolds to the right, sending two back, reeling. 

Again, the kobolds answered with sling stones, one striking Litiraan in the side and another striking Enlishia in the shoulder while others struck the stone floor around the companions. Another struck Enlishia in the leg and sent her lurching to the left while more struck the cave wall next to Dulvarna who remained helpless. Telkya responded with a bolt of light from her amulet that seared into the side of the nearest slinger and hurled it to the floor to lie amongst its fallen companions. More stones struck the floor around Enlishia and Lavren but the two remained unfazed. Steadily, the warlock raised his wand and unleashed more black energy towards his enemies.
Litiraan loosed a silver bolt that felled another slinger and Enlishia fired arrow after arrow into the ranks of the kobolds. Another barrage of stones followed but all struck the stone apart from one that glanced off Litiraan’s leg, bruising him painfully. 

Dulvarna, meanwhile, manoeuvred herself around to tend to Erlmoor’s bleeding head with cloth from her belt. She bound the wound tight and then she set her energies to her apparently fruitless struggle for freedom once again. Behind the warrior, Telkya loosed a bolt of light into the nearest slinger and drew another barrage of stones that failed to find a mark amongst the companions. Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy into the nearest kobold and then Litiraan hurled a silver bolt into the same creature, sending it reeling back out of the line. It recovered for a moment but then an arrow from Enlishia’s bow drove through its throat and it fell amongst the dead. The ranger loosed another arrow before the kobold had hit the floor and the shaft drove into the chest of another kobold. This one too, fell back and collapsed to the floor. A moment later, the kobolds began jabbering loudly in their own tongue. One by one, they threw down their slings and unbuckled the daggers at their belts before holding their hands towards the companions, palms outwards, in the widely known gesture of surrender. 

*Next....The Clearing in the Forest*


----------



## Medriev (Apr 25, 2009)

*Chapter 3 - The Clearing in the Forest (Part 1)*

It was Greengrass, the first day of spring when Paldemar’s map finally led the companions to a clearing deep within the southern Hullack Forest. The dense forest had suddenly parted to reveal a large clearing, perhaps fifty feet across, with a small tumble of rocks at the centre. Something about the clearing did not feel right to the companions, as though the sounds of the forest refused to enter the clearing and the air around them felt strange and tingling. The companions surveyed the grove, seeking any sign of the great power that Paldemar had been seeking here. At the same time, the brooding silence oppressed them as though promising that something was about to happen. Suddenly, something did happen.

From the trees around and across the grove, burst several figures, three men and two dwarves. One of the men crossed in front of the group and spun to hurl a dagger at Dulvarna that flew just past her head. The second man hurled a dagger at Enlishia that flew past her and struck the trunk of a tree behind her. A large red drake with a frill of spikes and skin around its neck surged forth from the far side of the clearing and rushed towards the companions. 

A hammer thudded against the back of Erlmoor’s shoulder and pitched him forward a step. Enlishia ducked as another dwarf hammer spun in from the right towards her head. It flew over her and behind Dulvarna to smash into a rock at the northern edge of the clearing. Another hammer was hurled in from the front and struck Dulvarna’s breastplate, slamming her back a step. She drew her sword and charged to meet the dwarf that had thrown the hammer at her. Her blade sang out and slashed a wound across the dwarf’s shoulder, spinning him away from her. A dagger thudded into her right leg, hurled by one of the men forcing Dulvarna to stagger back and drawing a curse from her lips.

Erlmoor roared and turned to his right, charging at the nearest dwarf. He slashed out with his sword and nicked the dwarf’s forearm as he fell back before him. The dragonborn looked up as Dulvarna cried out again and saw that another dagger had nicked her cheek. He saw Enlishia raise her bow and knew that the attacks would be answered. Two arrows flew forth quickly and drove into the shoulder and leg of one of the men. Dulvarna rallied but then the drake surged into the battle and drove her back another two steps.

Telkya raised her amulet and loosed a bolt of light into one of the dwarves in front of Erlmoor, wounding the stout warrior in the shoulder and halting his advance for a moment. Litiraan hurled a silver bolt into the same dwarf and then Lavren sent a blast of black energy past the dwarf’s head. Both dwarves roared fiercely and pulled larger warhammers from their belts. Erlmoor met them with his blade, parrying left and right to keep the metal-headed hammers at bay. He roared his defiance back at the dwarves and then, as each refused to give ground, a furious battle ensued.

Dulvarna fell back before the fierce enemies she faced, keeping the drake at bay and stabbing her sword at the dwarf as the warrior reached for the hammer at his belt. The two men seemed to decide that she was already beaten and rushed past the drake to charge at Enlishia. The first reached the ranger quickly, drawing a mace from his belt as he ran. He lashed out with the weapon and struck Enlishia’s forearm as she tried to defend herself. The second man came in at Enlishia and lashed his mace into her side, sending her spinning away from him. Finally, Enlishia managed to leap back and raise her bow, loosing two arrows into one of the men and holding him at bay for a moment. The man looked down at the arrows protruding from his hip and arm alongside two others that the ranger had earlier driven into him.
“You will die slowly,” the man snarled and started forward again.

Telkya saw the drake seize Dulvarna’s left arm and tear at the flesh before the warrior woman broke free and knew that the battle was already becoming a desperate one. Hurriedly, she summoned a bolt of light from her amulet that lanced out towards the men facing Enlishia but the bolt flew wide and disappeared into the trees on the far side of the clearing. Litiraan retreated from the men to stand beside his sister and hurled a silver bolt into the side of the wounded man. He staggered and lurched to the left as Lavren raised his wand and sent a black bolt towards the dwarves that Erlmoor battled. Again the man snarled and came forward at Enlishia.

Dulvarna parried desperately as the dwarf lashed his hammer in high towards her chest. She twisted the weapon away and then lashed out wildly, her sword passing over the dwarf’s head. The drake roared and snapped at Dulvarna’s right arm, seizing it in its terrible teeth and threatening to force her to drop her sword. Despite the pain of this second bite, she pulled her arm free in spray of blood and lashed out with her sword to keep her enemies at bay for a little longer.


----------



## Medriev (Apr 27, 2009)

*Chapter 3 - The Clearing in the Forest (Part 2)*

The vicious man facing Enlishia rushed at her again, lashing out with his mace. The blow struck the side of Enlishia’s head and sent her reeling away in a daze. Still she managed to retreat a few more steps and raise her bow to fire another arrow at the wounded man. The shaft flew just past the man’s head and he snarled derisively in response as he came forward again. A golden bolt from Telkya struck the man in the side then and as he staggered, a silver bolt from Litiraan seared into his chest. The man gasped, staggered, and then fell beside his companion.

Erlmoor roared and sprayed acid onto the dwarves, burning one and sending the other cowering away with his arms over his head. Erlmoor’s blade sang out and glowed brightly as it did but the dwarves recovered and a hammer met the sword in a strong parry. A bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand lanced in and struck the dwarf in front of Erlmoor, throwing him back a step but he snarled in response and came back at the dragonborn. His companion came with him but the hammer blows were clumsy and wild and Erlmoor parried them down into the ground easily. He snarled himself at his enemies and then raised his blade to attack them again.

Dulvarna parried the dwarf’s hammer again and lashed out low with her blade only for her enemy to leap over the swing. She leapt back towards her companions and drew the drake with her. The beast snapped its teeth at her but she swayed back and evaded its dangerous bite before lashing her sword at it to keep it at bay. The creature snarled at her and then came forward anyway.

The remaining man rushed at Enlishia and lashed out with his mace to strike her shoulder with a painful crack. She cried out and fell back past a tree, raising her bow as she did so. She loosed an arrow but it flew wide of the man and then nocked another. She took aim and let fly, this arrow nicking the man’s cheek before flying past him. The man smiled at Enlishia and started forward but as he did, a golden bolt of light flew past his face. He paused and looked to the right to where Telkya, Lavren and Litiraan stood. A silver bolt from Litiraan’s wand slammed into his side and sent him lurching to the left and he turned his attention fully on the three spellcasters. A bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand streaked past the man’s shoulder and he snarled as his companion had.
“The elf lords will die quickly,” he sneered. “But my friends and me will take our time with the women and the elf maid.”

The dwarves surged at Erlmoor and Dulvarna, the dragonborn suffering a glancing blow to his arm but Dulvarna proving to be less fortunate. Her enemy rushed at her and lashed out with his hammer to strike her left hip hard and send her staggering to the right. She slashed out with her blade at the drake and drew blood from the side of its face as she retreated again toward her companions. The drake roared and leapt after her, seizing her right leg in its jaws and trying to drag her down. She fell back, tearing her flesh as she did so and limped away, bleeding heavily and sorely wounded. Looking back to her companions, she realised that they were also hard pressed. She only hoped that if she fell here, that these were servants of Paldemar and that some would die before she did.

The man rushed at Enlishia again, lashing out with his mace and striking her wounded left shoulder again. The ranger cried out but still she managed to retreat from the man and gather her strength as she drew back her bowstring. She loosed the first arrow into the man’s shoulder but still he came forward and the second she loosed in a hurry. It flew wide of the man and drove into the grass of the clearing close to where the drake stood. Telkya raised her voice in prayer and brought down a column of light on the man that burned his skin. He staggered and reeled for the first time and as he did, a silver bolt struck his side and sent him lurching to his left. Lavren loosed two purple bolts from his wand, one striking the ground next to the man and the other searing into the chest of the dwarf in front of Erlmoor. 
The dwarf staggered back as the bolt struck it and as it did, Erlmoor plunged his blade into his foe’s chest. The dwarf collapsed to the grass of the clearing and died there. The other dwarf came in from Erlmoor’s right and swept its hammer in low. The paladin tried to parry but only deflected the blow lower and it struck his leg painfully above the knee. The dwarf snarled at the dragonborn and Erlmoor responded, showing his own, needle-sharp teeth.

Dulvarna staggered again as the dwarf came forward again and desperately tried to clear her head as the dizziness and nausea assailed her from the pain and blood loss that her wounds were causing her. The dwarf brought his hammer in low and then raised it and somehow, Dulvarna managed to bring her blade down crossways and parry the blow. She leapt back again to try to regain her breath but as she did, she lashed out at the dwarf with her sword. The blade cut across the warrior’s thigh and then nicked the top of the drake’s right foreleg. The drake roared and came forward, seizing Dulvarna’s left arm and shoulder in its jaws and tearing at her flesh. She cried out and smashed the hilt of her sword down on the creature’s snout, forcing it to release its grip. Dulvarna spun away, sorely wounded and bleeding badly again.


----------



## Medriev (Apr 28, 2009)

*Chapter 3 - The Clearing in the Forest (Part 3)*

Enlishia raised her bow as the man came forward again but this time, it turned to attack Erlmoor from behind. It brought its mace down towards the dragonborn’s head but the paladin, sensing the attack, twisted aside and turned his back towards the woods to battle both of his enemies. Erlmoor chanted a prayer and lashed out at the dwarf to his right. The dwarf parried the paladin’s blade and a loud thunderclap resounded around the clearing. Enlishia raised her bow and aimed at the man as his lips twisted into a snarl again. She let fly with the first arrow and then a second, both driving into the man’s belly and driving him back. Still the man tried to snarl at the ranger but before he could, Telkya raised her amulet, uttered a prayer and let forth a golden bolt. The searing light drove into the side of the man’s chest and flung him to the blood-stained grass of the clearing. He did not get up.

Litiraan raised his wand and hurled a silver bolt of force into the shoulder of the dwarf as it came forward beside the drake. Beside him, Lavren cursed the drake and hurled black energy into the drake’s chest as it snapped at Dulvarna and for a moment it retreated a step, fearful of the warlock. Dulvarna surged toward the drake with all her strength, knowing that this may be the last blow she was able to land. Her blade sang out and struck the beast on the shoulder, gouging a deep wound and causing the drake to rear back. Dulvarna leapt away from the creature but quickly, too quickly, it came back at her.

The dwarf before Erlmoor came at him fiercely as its companion fell, lashing out with its hammer and striking Erlmoor on the right hip. The dragonborn lurched to his left and roared in pain and anger. He turned towards the dwarf and lashed out with his blade to keep his foe at bay. Enlishia turned towards the dwarf then, raising her bow and letting fly with one arrow and then a second. One flew wide but the other drove into the dwarf’s shoulder and forced it back from Erlmoor, giving the dragonborn a few moments to regain his breath.

The drake lunged at Dulvarna in a fierce rage and snapped at her but the warrior stepped back and evaded its bite. Behind her, Telkya began to pray and as the prayer ended, a golden light washed over Dulvarna healing the worst of her hurts and restoring some of her strength. Litiraan loosed another silver bolt into the dwarf and again, Lavren cursed the drake, hurling a blast of black energy into the creature that sent it rearing back away from its enemies. Dulvarna surged forward and as she did, the dwarf came to meet her. Its hammer lashed out but with her newly restored strength, Dulvarna brought her blade down to her left and parried the blow. The dwarf snarled and Dulvarna snarled back, knowing that thanks to Telkya’s healing prayer, the battle was turning.

Erlmoor parried the dwarf’s hammer as the he brought it over his head to slam it into the dragonborn’s chest. He, too, snarled at his foe and pushed him away before lashing out with his blade as he chanted a prayer. The blade glowed brightly but the dwarf brought his hammer up and parried the heavy blow above his head. For a moment, the stout warrior smiled but then two arrows flew past him one after the other and reminded him of the perilous situation he was truly in.

Dulvarna lashed her blade across the chest of the dwarf and drove it on into the flank of the drake. The beast roared and lunged at her with its huge jaws only to snap them shut on empty air in front of the warrior woman. Telkya moved out of the trees to stand beside Lavren and held up her amulet, loosing a golden bolt of light towards the drake. The bolt seared along the creature’s left side and drew another roar of pain from it. Litiraan raised his wand and loosed silver bolt that flew past the dwarf and Lavren’s bolt of black energy also flew past the drake. Both cursed, and as they did so, the dwarf and the drake came forward for one last attack.

The dwarf Erlmoor faced rushed at him as well, sweeping its hammer in low and striking the side of the dragonborn’s leg. He staggered to the left as his leg gave way and nearly fell but as he did, he lashed out with his sword and cut deep into the dwarf’s right shoulder. The dwarf spun away and Enlishia raised her bow and let fly an arrow. The shaft drove into the dwarf’s chest, forcing him to stagger back. Enlishia raised her bow again, took aim, and let fly, this shaft driving through the dwarf’s throat. With a gasp, he fell beside his companion.

The dwarf came fiercely at Dulvarna, smashing his hammer over arm onto her left shoulder while trying to slam his shield into her face. She fell back before the shield punch but felt the shoulder blow send needles of pain down her arm. She lashed out with her blade and cut open the dwarf’s throat, felling him beside the drake. Continuing her swing, she drove her blade into the beast’s flank. It roared and snapped at her again but she dodged back and as she did, Telkya loosed a bolt of divine fire into its flank. It staggered and as it did, Litiraan stepped forward and raised his wand. He uttered a spell and hurled a silver bolt of energy into the creature’s head. The bolt seared through and burst out of the back of the drake’s skull. The beast’s mouth opened as its last breath escaped and it collapsed onto the blood-stained grass.


----------



## Medriev (Apr 29, 2009)

*Chapter 3 - The Clearing in the Forest (Part 4)*

The companions had barely tended their wounds when suddenly, as they looked up, a figure appeared in the centre of the clearing – a ghost perhaps, an insubstantial vision of a male tiefling draped in robes.
“Greetings travellers,” the image said. “What do you seek in the Pyramid of Shadows?”
“We seek those who have come here seeking power,” answered Enlishia. “We seek the Lost King.”
“We are the protector of the forest ruins, a place sacred to Mielikki in the distant past,” answered the image. “If the Lost King brings you to this place then you will find him in the Pyramid. Enter the pyramid and all will be revealed.”

As suddenly as it had arrived, the image vanished but as it did, the companions noticed a glowing light at the centre of the clearing amongst the tumbled stones. Erlmoor rose from the grass where he had been binding his wounds and started towards it.
“It is a small, glowing pyramid,” he called to the others. “Covered with markings that I cannot read.”
“Perhaps that is the way in,” Enlishia said, rising and making her way over to where the dragonborn stood.

The others followed and as he reached it, Lavren knelt beside the pyramid and reached out to touch it. The small pyramid suddenly expanded leaving the companions unable to tell whether they were shrinking or it was growing. It filled the clearing around them nonetheless and they were immersed in darkness. The voice of the tiefling came to them one last time.
“Welcome to the Pyramid of Shadows,” it said. “The only way to win your freedom is to kill us – three times.”

His mocking laughter followed, taunting the companions and then fading away as light returned and a tremendous stench assailed the group, suggesting that they had left the forest behind.

*Next....The Pit of Death*


----------



## Medriev (Apr 30, 2009)

*Chapter 4 - The Pit of Death (Part 1)*

A stench of death and blood assailed each of the companions as they appeared suddenly atop a pile of bodies. Men, women, dwarves, elves, halflings and others, all apparently recently killed but all wearing clothes and armour of an earlier age. The pile of bodies seemed to shift, as though something might be moving beneath it while above them, the adventurers saw a hideous two-headed giant. The huge creature rubbed two blades together with an eager gleam in the eyes of both its horrifying heads.

Enlishia cried out and tried desperately to clamber up the pit wall, only to fall back. She raised her bow instead, then, and levelled it at the two-headed giant. She let fly an arrow quickly only for it to fly wide of the creature and nocked another to her bowstring. This flew straight and true but ricocheted off the creature’s thick, hide armour and clattered into the stone floor of the chamber. 

Dulvarna clambered out of the pit and rushed around to face the giant, drawing her blade as she ran. Her blade sang out toward the creature’s die but it brought one of its blades down and parried easily. The giant lashed out backhand with its left arm and slashed the blade into Dulvarna’s left shoulder, spinning her around and tumbling her back into the put to land atop the bodies. It raised its right hand then and brought the vicious blade it held there down onto Dulvarna’s back as she struggled to rise from the pile of corpses. Dulvarna slumped forward but as she did so, a creature more terrible than the giant rose out of the bodies. It was a terrible worm, the size of a horse, with a maw filled with sharp teeth and tentacles protruding from its lower jaw. It snapped at Dulvarna and she leapt back towards Enlishia, trying desperately to evade the horrible creature.

Telkya leapt away from the tentacled creature and tried to clamber out of the pit but she fell back as Enlishia had done. Turning, she drew forth her amulet and loosed a bolt of golden fire into the body of the creature. It shrieked and shrank back from the divine fire but then surged towards her with its horrible tentacles writhing before it. Beside his sister, Litiraan closed his eyes and vanished in a showed of light motes. He appeared beyond the pit against the wall of the chamber and raised his wand toward the giant that he recognised as an ettin. Uttering a spell, he loosed a silver bolt of energy at the creature and smiled with satisfaction as it struck the giant’s shoulder. The ettin staggered back roared in annoyance at the pain.

Another of the tentacled creatures reared out of the corpses next to Lavren and snapped at him but he leapt back clumsily out of the way. Erlmoor tried to climb out of the pit but fell back and instead drew his sword and turned on the nearest tentacled creature. He lashed out with his blade and cut a wound in the creature’s side, drawing another pained screech from the monster. Beside him, Lavren closed his eyes and vanished in a cascade of light motes to reappear on the opposite side of the put from Litiraan. He raised his wand and cursed the nearest tentacled creature before unleashing a bolt of crackling, black energy into the beast’s flank. Again it screeched and again it surged forward, its tentacles questing for fresh prey.
Enlishia clambered out of the pit as one of the tentacled creatures snapped at her legs. She leapt to her feet and turned on the spot with her bow raised. She loosed an arrow into the creature’s head and then retreated from the pit edge as the ettin roared its anger at her. 

Dulvarna tried to clamber out of the pit but fell back and spun around with her sword in her hands. Aecris sang out and slashed a deep wound across the creature’s head. It screeched once more and then snapped at her, but Dulvarna ducked back beyond its reach. The ettin roared and brought one of its short blades down onto the stone edge of the pit. The other followed and struck Dulvarna’s right shoulder, sending her reeling back into the pit wall. The nearest pit creature lashed out with its tentacle and struck Dulvarna in the side, slamming her into the pit wall again. As she regained her balance, she felt a growing numbness spreading from the wound and knew that she had been poisoned.

Telkya closed her eyes and concentrated before vanishing into a shower of light. She appeared next to her brother and raised her amulet to loose a bolt of divine fire at the creature in the pit. The bolt struck the bodies next to the creature instead, searing one in half and spilling blood, gore and entrails over the bodies around it. Telkya cried out and Litiraan reached out a comforting hand to his sister’s shoulder. As he pulled back his hand he raised his wand and loosed a silver bolt towards the ettin as it looked for prey in the pit. The bolt seared past the giant and struck the wall next to it drawing a glance from one of the creature’s head but no other reaction.

A tentacle lashed out from one of the creatures and struck Erlmoor on his leg as he stabbed at the other monster. Numbness spread quickly as it had with Dulvarna and he staggered, lurching to his left. He stabbed out at the monster before him, driving his blade into its flesh and drawing another screech from the beast. He stepped back and as he did so, a corpse rose from the mass of bodies to stand before him and lashed out with a backhand to hit him across the face. Erlmoor fell back into the pit wall and raised his blade to fend off the zombie. Lavren saw his friend’s predicament and hurled a bolt of black energy from his wand into the pit towards the nearest of the tentacled creatures. It seared through the monster’s soft flesh and as it did, the creature exploded, spraying Dulvarna and Erlmoor in gore.


----------



## Medriev (May 1, 2009)

*Chapter 4 - The Pit of Death (Part 2)*

Another corpse rose behind Dulvarna and lashed out at her with a fist. She ducked under the blow but as she did, another rose and flailed at her. She ducked back and an arrow drove into each of the zombies sending them falling back amongst the grim pile of corpses. Dulvarna turned and quickly climbed out of the pit to stand for a moment beside Enlishia. Nodding her thanks to the ranger, she rushed along the pit edge and charged the ettin with her blade held high. She brought her sword down overhand and clove it into the ettin’s right shoulder drawing a roar of pain and anger from the giant. It lashed out with one blade and Dulvarna ducked but the second came in low and quickly, driving into her belly and slamming her into the chamber wall. Dulvarna gasped, reached down to the blood that was pouring from the terrible wound that the ettin had inflicted and then let the blackness take her.

Telkya saw Dulvarna fall and began a healing prayer, raising her voice as though she feared that Corellon would not hear her in this dark place. A white light washed over Dulvarna and the warrior’s eyes opened slowly as the bleeding from her belly eased and the wound closed. To her right, she saw Litiraan raise his wand and incant a spell that she had never heard him use before. Lightning burst from his wand and seared across the chamber to strike the ettin first and then two more bolts struck downwards into the pit. One struck the wall of the pit above the remaining tentacled creature while the other blasted into the last zombie. The undead creature was hurled into the pit wall and then collapsed into the pile of bodies.

The tentacled creature reared back as the lightning passed over it and then lunged forward, lashing out a tentacle to strike Erlmoor’s arm. The dragonborn was thrown into the pit wall but despite this and the growing numbness spreading from his wounded arm, he hauled himself out of the pit and moved to stand beside Lavren. Turning, he roared and sprayed acid over the tentacled creature and the ettin. The ettin roared and the tentacled creature screeched as the acid burned both but by then, Erlmoor was already intoning a prayer. Searing ribbons of radiance engulfed the ettin and burned its skin as it staggered and roared again. Erlmoor roared his own response and slowly and deliberately, the ettin turned towards him with its blades raised.

Lavren raised his wand and uttered a curse that sent purple bolts of energy crackling out to strike the ettin and the remaining creature in the pit. The bolts seared into their targets and sent both creatures reeling back as they struck. Across the pit from the warlock, Enlishia raised her bow and fired two arrows quickly, one after the other. One flew at the ettin but bounced harmlessly off the giant’s thick armour but the other drove deep into the flank of the creature in the pit. The tentacled monster screeched again and reared back, driven away from the ranger by the power of the bow shot. As Enlishia raised her bow again to provide some cover, Dulvarna retreated past her friend, pulling strips of cloth from her belt pouch to bind her wounds. She turned in front of Telkya and raised her blade ready for the ettin’s charge that she felt sure would follow. Instead, the ettin raised its blades and rushed at Erlmoor and Lavren.
“It’s head is just what I’ve been missing,” the giant roared as it ambled across the chamber. “Never seen one like it before.”

The ettin reached the dragonborn and though the paladin raised his blade, he knew he was helpless before the giant. Its right blade swept low before he could parry and drove into his side and then the left came overhand, slamming the dragonborn’s sword aside and driving into his right shoulder. Erlmoor spun left into the south wall of the chamber and Lavren was left alone before the monstrous creature.

Telkya saw her husband’s plight but knew that the tentacled creature also needed to be slain. She uttered a prayer and brought a column of light down into the pit but as she did so, the creature started to crawl up the pit’s edge and the searing column of divine fire descended behind the monster. Litiraan strode forward to the edge of the pit and uttered an incantation that unleashed a curtain of fire that filled the pit and seared the back of the ettin. The giant turned one head around to regard the wizard with hateful eyes and growled from that head while the other head continued to stare at Lavren.

“Come here foolish one and taste more fire,” Litiraan called out and the ettin turned but as it did, the tentacled creature crawled from the pit in front of wounded Erlmoor. The dragonborn roared again in defiance but none of the companions thought he could stand long against the monster.


----------



## Medriev (May 2, 2009)

*Chapter 4 - The Pit of Death (Part 3)*

The creature reared and then lunged at Erlmoor with its mouth wide to bite at him. Summoning what strength he had left, he dodged to the right and raised his blade. With a prayer on his lips he swung out with the sword he had taken from Caustrex’s hoard. The blade glowed with golden light and then struck the creature, tearing a gash in its side and sending a surge of divine energy up Erlmoor’s arm to restore a little of his strength. 
Having seen the ettin turn away, Lavren raised his wand to aid Erlmoor, uttering a curse that called fire from within the tentacled creature. Fire erupted from the creature’s skin and again it reared and screeched its pain. 

Across the pit, Enlishia raised her bow and took careful aim at the creature’s head. She let the arrow fly and the shaft drove into the monster, piercing what passed for its skull and finding what brain that it had. With a final screech, the creature reared one last time and then collapsed on the stone in front of Erlmoor, half in and half out of the pit. The ettin roared from both mouths and started around the pit while Dulvarna raised her blade and rushed to meet the giant.

Dulvarna swung out with Aecris as she reached the ettin but the creature’s heads were too quick for her and a blade met hers a foot from the giant’s flesh. The other blade came in from Dulvarna’s left and slammed into her ribs, pitching her over the edge of the pit and back into the pile of corpses. The ettin raised the blade it had parried with then and brought it down on the warrior woman’s shoulder almost forcing her to her knees amongst the dead.
Telkya raised her symbol of Corellon and with a prayer loosed a searing bolt of blinding light towards the ettin. The ettin moved back for a moment and the bolt of light struck the wall of the chamber beyond the giant. Litiraan raised his wand and hurled a glowing amber orb into the corridor beyond the giant that burst into searing flame. The fire burst forth from the corridor and burned the giant but also exploded into Lavren’s face, forcing the elf to reel backwards as it burned him as well. Lavren glared at Litiraan who nodded an apology to his friend and new kinsman.

Erlmoor retreated beyond the ettin’s reach and circled around the pit towards his companions as he tied a piece of cloth around his wounded arm. The feeling was returning now but he knew that he was not yet ready to face the ettin. Behind him, Lavren cursed the ettin and then summoned his fey power to teleport and vanished in a shower of light motes. Black crackling energy seared into the giant but as the ettin turned one of its heads to look at the warlock, he vanished to reappear next to Erlmoor close to the western edge of the pit. The ettin roared and turned toward the pit as it sought to finish Dulvarna and then deal with the troublesome dragonborn and his elf companion.

Enlishia raised her bow and drew her bow string back as far as it would go as she took aim at the ettin. When she let fly with the arrow, the missile flew straight and true but at the last, the giant’s armour defeated her and the shaft clattered to the stone at the creature’s feet. It roared its annoyance and cast about, seeking Dulvarna amongst the corpses of the charnel pit. Dulvarna saw the giant turn toward her and crossed to the far side of the pit, clambering out of the west side as the ettin raised its blades. The giant roared again in frustration and started around the south side towards Erlmoor and Lavren.

The giant reached Lavren in three strides and lashed out with both blades in quick succession. One blade tore down the elf’s arm while the other slammed into the side, pitching him into the pit atop the bodies. Telkya loosed a bolt of light from her amulet then that struck the south wall of the chamber next to the ettin and she cursed to herself as she saw Lavren floundering amongst the corpses once more. Litiraan raised his wand and loosed a silver bolt into the ettin’s side, drawing the creature’s gaze again. The giant roared but as it did, Erlmoor roared more loudly. The dragonborn charged the giant and with all his strength, he slashed his sword into the creature’s side. The ettin lurched to its left against the wall of the chamber and all but fell.

In the pit, Lavren raised his wand as he saw the ettin weakened and loosed a bolt of black crackling energy that seared into the giant’s hip, throwing it into the wall again. The giant roared and as it did so, Enlishia raised her bow. She loosed one arrow that struck the stone next to the wounded creature but the second flew straight and true, driving into the side of the creature’s right head. The arrow pierced right through the skull of the ettin’s right head and threw it into the left. For a moment, the left head turned its gaze toward the ranger but as it did, the life died in its eyes and the huge creature fell into the wall and slid down to slump in an ungainly fashion against the base of the stone. Its left head slumped forward and it died.


----------



## Medriev (May 3, 2009)

*Chapter 4 - The Pit of Death (Part 4)*

“You out there!” called a voice almost as soon as the ettin was defeated. The voice came from an alcove in the eastern wall of the chamber where several severed heads could be seen hanging.
“We can help each other, I just know it,” called the voice again, recognisable now as female.

The companions rose as one from where they sat tending to their wounds and raised their weapons as they made their way cautiously towards the alcove. As they entered the alcove the voice called out again.
“I am here,” it called. “I can aid you.”
“It’s coming from the sack hanging from that peg,” Lavren said, starting forward.
“Be careful,” Enlishia called to the elf. “I know of nothing good that can speak and yet lurk in a sack. This might be trap.”

Lavren hesitated but then reached up to the peg on which hung the sack. It was the same size as the severed heads that hung elsewhere in the alcove but seemed to hold a spherical object. He put his wand back in his belt and took down the sack, opening it carefully with one hand. Cautiously, he pushed the object up with his other hand until he could see that it was an orb of darkest obsidian that would easily fit into the palm of his hand. As he looked into its inky depths, the severed head of a moon elf princess floated into view and he heard her sing-song voice.
“I am Vyrellis,” the voice said. “And I offer my assistance to whoever carries this orb.”

Lavren looked at the others and as they each shrugged in a bemused way, he took the orb in his right hand and held it up.
“You have been drawn into this prison by its most celebrated inmate,” the voice from the orb said then. “The Lost and Longest King of Cormyr and would-be conqueror. The only way to escape is to destroy that most-hated wizard. But to accomplish such a task, creatures the likes of you will need my help.”

“But Gondegal was never king of Cormyr,” Erlmoor said, puzzled. “Nor was he a wizard, and certainly he was not Cormyr’s longest king.”
“That is because this is not the prison of Gondegal, nor do I know of him,” Vyrellis answered. “It is the eternal prison of Draxius the Neverdying, once King of Cormyr and my husband.”


----------



## Medriev (May 3, 2009)

*DM Note - Draxius the Neverdying*

*For those who wish to know more about Draxius then what little is recorded about him can be found in the Grand History of the Realms.

This will however give some idea of future plot developments in this story hour so if you don't want to spoil the surprises then read on.....*


----------



## Medriev (May 4, 2009)

*Chapter 5 - Troubled Waters (Part 1)*

Only Telkya remembered having read of Draxius in an old tome that had survived the Fall of Myth Drannor.
“He ruled when the City of Song still flourished and it fell six centuries and more ago,” said Telkya. “If he lived until perhaps a hundred years after its fall then it is no wonder that he was called the Neverdying. The tome I read never spoke of him as a tiefling, though.”
“He kept that well hidden, aided by the High Wizards who served him,” answered Vyrellis.

The companions were gathering up their belongings and readying their weapons as they started towards the western passage that led out of the pit chamber. Vyrellis had warned them of ‘terrible plant creatures’ to the south and so they had chosen the western path which was unknown to the spirit in the orb. The companions hoped that that meant it was relatively free of enemies.

Dulvarna led them out of the chamber with her blade held before her while behind her came Erlmoor with his blade held high. Behind them walked Telkya and Litiraan, the elf maid carrying a torch and the elf lord with his wand lit up magically. At the back walked Lavren and Enlishia, wand and bow at the ready to aid their companions and in his right hand, Lavren carried another torch. Stairs led downwards just outside the pit chamber and Dulvarna led them carefully down until she reached the bottom and emerged onto a balcony overlooking a room filled with dark water. A rope bridge slanted sharply downward toward a wooden platform just above the level of the water. Two other bridges connected that platform to other balconies, each perhaps ten feet above the water. On these platforms, Dulvarna saw movement and as she watched, a humanoid female creature with bird-like feet and feathery wings stepped from the shadows of the platforms.
“Harpies!” she called out to the others. “Said to be descended from an evil elf witch-queen who was cursed with half-bird form when defeated by a great hero. Ware their song for it can enchant and confuse.”

Dulvarna started forward onto the rope bridge and began to cross but she had not gone far when a green-skinned creature rose from the water next to the bridge. It had webbed hands and feet, a wide, fish-like head and a mouth filled with needle-sharp teeth. A crest of spines rose up on its back as it emerged from the water and stabbed a viciously barbed trident into Dulvarna’s right leg. She turned and lashed out with her sword but the creature reared back and parried cross-wise with its trident.
“Sahuagin,” Erlmoor hissed quietly. “Not unjustly are they called sea devils.”

The dragonborn raised his sword and rushed to Dulvarna’s aid, lashing out with his blade as he reached her. The steel tore into the sahuagin’s arm and sent it reeling back with a splash into the water. Enlishia moved out onto the stone balcony and raised her bow, firing arrows quickly at the sahuagin. Two shafts drove into the creature’s side and red blood began to pool in the water around it.

Another sahuagin rose from the water on the other side of the bridge and began to bark what sounded like commands in its rough, clicking language. In its right hand it held a trident but it raised its left and unleashed a jet of fierce water that slammed into Dulvarna’s side and sent her reeling along the bridge into Erlmoor. The sahuagin newcomer dived down beneath the water as soon as the water bolt struck home leaving the other creature alone above the surface. Seeing this, Litiraan raised his wand and loosed a silver bolt at the sea devil that struck the water next to it. The sahuagin ducked down under the surface and as it did, a black bolt from Lavren’s wand and a golden bolt from Telkya’s amulet struck the water where it had been. Then the harpies swooped off their ledges and began to sing.

The half-bird creatures landed on the bridge and as they sang, the companions felt the powerful and haunting melodies of their voices filling their minds and drawing them forward. Only Dulvarna managed to resist the terrible song while the others were drawn toward the harpies, climbing down into the water from the bridge or the stone balcony where they were at the mercy of the sahuagin. Two more of the sea devils surfaced to the south of the bridge, across from the one that was now wounded, one rising next to Erlmoor and the other rushing at the dragonborn. He parried the trident of the first as he tried to shake off the influence of the harpy song but the other stabbed its trident into his hip and drove him back a step. He roared his pain and defiance and raised his blade.


----------



## Medriev (May 5, 2009)

*Chapter 5 - Troubled Waters (Part 2)*

On the other side of the bridge, Dulvarna stabbed her sword down into the water where the sahuagin had stood and connected with its shoulder, drawing more blood into the pool where Enlishia and Litiraan now stood. Dulvarna retreated along the bridge toward the harpies while Enlishia drew back from the sahuagin as it began to rise again and levelled her bow. She loosed two arrows into the sahuagin’s head at close range as it broke the surface and the sea devil collapsed back into the water and died there.

A water bolt lanced out from the other sahuagin as it rose to the surface, striking Dulvarna in the side again and sending her spinning into the rope hand rails along the side of the bridge. She felt pain spreading from the area as she breathed in an wondered whether the creature had managed to break ribs with the bolt. Dulvarna looked to her left and saw Erlmoor wounded again by one of his foes as his own blood pooled around him. Raising her blade, Dulvarna started along the bridge toward the harpies, determined to end the battle before more of her companions suffered.

Litiraan raised his wand and hurled lightning towards the harpies but the bolt flew over their heads and struck the far wall of the chamber. From the other side of the bridge, Lavren looked up as he saw the blue, crackling energy fly forth and knew that his brother-in-law was right to target the harpies. As he raised his wand and realised that Telkya blocked his view of the sahuagin, he too, took aim at the harpies and let forth two bolts of purple, eldritch power. The harpies both ducked and these bolts flew over their heads as Litiraan’s lightning had done. They seared into the wall beyond the bird-creatures and Lavren cursed. 

Telkya turned and frowned at her husband for cursing and then raised her amulet toward the sahuagin. She uttered a prayer to Corellon and called down a column of divine light that burned the nearest sea devil. The creature snarled and hissed as its skin burned and turned towards the elf maid as though it planned to come for her next. Fortunately, Erlmoor blocked its path and held his ground, keeping the sahuagin at bay.

With piercing screeches, both of the harpies leapt into the air and swept along the bridge to meet Dulvarna. Both lashed at the warrior woman with their clawed hands and while Dulvarna beneath under the claws of one, the other’s claws tore at her cheek and sent her staggering away from the terrible creatures. Summoning what remained of her strength, Dulvarna turned back toward her foes and slashed her blade across, drawing blood from the belly of one and from the arm of the other. They screeched again and leapt back beyond the reach of the terrible blade.

In the water beside the bridge, Erlmoor roared and sprayed acid on the sahuagin before him and the harpies up on the bridge. He lashed out with his blade and chanted a prayer as he did so, his sword glowing brightly as it struck the sahuagin in the side. The creature lurched to its right and staggered as more of its blood stained the water around it. Erlmoor roared again and as he did so an arrow drove into the flailing sahuagin’s shoulder. He looked up and saw that Enlishia had regained the bridge and now stood above him with her bow raised. She reached for another arrow and Erlmoor smiled.

The sahuagin behind the two others barked out another command and then swam forward with its trident in its right hand. It raised the left hand as it reached the south wall of the chamber and with a series of click-like words, it hurled a blast of water at Lavren. The bolt of water struck the elf hard in the left shoulder and sent him staggering back through the water. He looked at his enemy and saw that the sahuagin was gesturing to the other sea devils and pointing at him with its trident. Realising that he had become the target that the sahuagin were seeking, Lavren looked around for the best way to retreat from his foes.
“We have to go,” he said to Telkya as a silver bolt from Litiraan’s wand struck one of the harpies on the bridge.

Telkya looked back at her husband and nodded so he turned away and clambered back onto the stone balcony. Turning, he raised his wand and cursed the nearest sahuagin, sending a crackling bolt of black energy into the water next to it. Telkya climbed from the water next to him and moved onto the bridge next to Enlishia. From there, she raised her amulet and saw that the sahuagin had wounded Erlmoor again but were now trying to get around the dragonborn to reach Lavren. She spoke the words of a prayer in her native tongue and loosed a bolt of golden light at the nearest sahuagin. The divine fire hissed into the water next to the creature and it rushed on, towards the stone platform where Lavren stood.

A harpy claw tore at Dulvarna’s shoulder but she paid the scratch no mind as she ducked under the claws of the other harpy. She slashed out low with her sword but the harpy beat its wings and rose two feet into the air to avoid the blow. It screeched again and Dulvarna hissed her hatred at the horrible creatures.


----------



## Medriev (May 6, 2009)

*Chapter 5 - Troubled Waters (Part 3)*

In the water next to the bridge, Erlmoor realised that the sahuagin were now trying to reach Lavren and moved in front of them again, lashing out with his blade at the wounded sahuagin. The enchanted sword glowed again as it struck home and this time, it clove through the creature’s neck and beheaded it. The sea devil collapsed into the water in front of its leader. Erlmoor turned on the other sahuagin and as he did, two more arrows flew from the bridge and drove into the creature’s arm. It hissed its annoyance and raised its trident to strike at the dragonborn. The sea devil stabbed at Erlmoor and he parried clumsily with his blade, hampered by the water but still he knocked the thrust aside.

The other remaining sahuagin swam along the south wall of the chamber and then rose to lash out with its left hand and strike the elf with another fierce jet of water that sent him reeling back from the edge of the stone platform. Litiraan crossed the platform to come to the warlock’s aid, raising his wand and unleashing a silver bolt toward the creature in the water. The bolt struck the water next to the creature and it hissed its annoyance at both elves. Lavren raised his own wand and cursed at the sea devil, hurling a black, crackling bolt at his enemy. The blast flashed past the sahuagin, missing it by a hands-breadth and struck the water with a hiss behind it. On the bridge beside her husband and her brother, Telkya raised her amulet and hurled a golden bolt of fire at the sahuagin and this time, the bolt struck home. The sea devil was wounded in its left shoulder and driven back a step but it hissed its defiance again and raised its hand to attack Lavren again.

One of the harpies lashed out at Dulvarna’s face and tore open her other cheek but as the other came forward, the warrior woman ducked under its flailing claws. As she rose, she wove her blade before her and then stepped forward, thrusting it into the harpy’s hip and driving it away from her, back along the bridge. Both harpies screeched their anger and then came forward once more.

In the water, Erlmoor raised his voice in prayer and lashed out with his blade, bringing it down on the sahuagin’s shoulder in a mighty blow. The sword struck with a loud thunder clap and the sahuagin reeled away and fell into the water. Enlishia, with her bow raised and an arrow nocked on the bridge above, waited for the creature to surface. As it did, she let fly with her first arrow but it flew over the sea devil and drove into the water beyond it. She nocked another arrow and let fly and this time, the shaft drove into the top of the creature’s chest. The creature screeched in pain and lashed out at Erlmoor with its trident but it was weakened and staggering. Erlmoor moved forward to finish it.

Another blast of water struck Lavren, hurled by the remaining sahuagin and almost at once, Litiraan answered with a silver bolt of his own. Again the missile flew wide and seared into the water next to the creature. Lavren lashed out with his own wand and sent a black bolt hissing into the water close to where Litiraan’s had struck. Again it was Telkya who found the mark, a golden bolt of flame searing into the sahuagin’s leg and driving it back a step. The creature snarled at the elf maid and then raised its hand to loose yet another blast of water.

Dulvarna leapt back as the harpies came forward flailing at her with their claws. She rushed back at her enemies and lashed out with her blade, scoring a wound along the belly of one of the harpies and driving both back along the bridge. She looked back to see how her companions fared and as she did, she saw Erlmoor plunge his blade into the throat of the sahuagin before him and drop it into the bloody water with its companion. The dragonborn waded to the bridge and clambered up onto the swaying structure beside Dulvarna. They exchanged smiles and then turned to bring death to their enemies.

Enlishia saw the sahuagin fall to Erlmoor’s blade and turned her bow toward the other creature a heartbeat later. She began firing arrows quickly then, two striking the water close to the creature but two more driving into the creature’s chest and driving it back a few steps. The sea devil lashed out with its left hand and hurled another blast of water into Lavren’s chest that threw him painfully back into the stout post that held up the bridge. Beside him, Litiraan raised his wand and hurled a silver bolt more accurately this time, the magical fire driving into the sahuagin’s hip. Lavren recovered and rejoined his brother-in-law on the edge of the stone platform, raising his wand and beginning a curse as he did so. As he loosed the eldritch blast he knew that his aim was awry and again, the arcane fire hissed into the water beside the sahuagin. To his right, Telkya raised her amulet and loosed golden fire but this too struck the water and the sahuagin recovered to come forward at the companions.

The harpies came fiercely at Dulvarna and lashed out with their claws, giving the warrior woman little chance to defend herself. They tore at her face and arms and drove her back along the bridge until she finally lashed out with a mighty swing of her blade. The sword clove into the ribs of one of the harpies and cut through both its lungs before stopping. The harpy gasped and then toppled over backwards, all but cut in half. The other creature screeched at its slain companion and Erlmoor came forward. The dragonborn’s blade sang out and slashed a wound in the harpy’s left leg that drew another screech from the creature. It looked up at its enemies as they came forward and knew that it had little chance to save itself.


----------



## Medriev (May 7, 2009)

*Chapter 5 - Troubled Waters (Part 4)*

Enlishia loosed two arrows into the water close to the last sahuagin but it was not enough to stop it hurling another blast of water at Lavren. Again the elf was thrown back into the bridge post and this time he cried out as something sharp drove into the top of his back. He staggered and both Litiraan and Telkya looked at him with concern before turning their attention back to the sea devil. A silver bolt from Litiraan’s wand seared into the water next to the creature as Lavren tried to recover from the hurts he had suffered. A golden bolt from Telkya’s amulet followed but still the sahuagin stood, defiantly in the water and raised its hand again.

The remaining harpy leapt at Dulvarna before either she or Erlmoor could react. Its claws reached her throat despite her efforts to fend the creature off and once they had reached there, they tore and ripped until blood was pouring down the front of Dulvarna’s armour. She stepped back and staggered as dizziness assailed her and then blackness overwhelmed her and she fell back onto the bridge. Erlmoor glanced down at Dulvarna and uttered a prayer while reaching down with his right hand. Divine light bathed his hand and reached out to Dulvarna, closing the terrible wounds in her throat. As her eyes opened, the dragonborn held forth his blade and rushed at the harpy. His blade sang out and the harpy fell back with a wound on its left arm. It screeched and hissed at the dragonborn as he came on at his enemy, a vision of vengeful wrath.

Enlishia raised her bow and fired again at the sahuagin only for the first arrow to drive into the water next to the creature. The second found its mark though, piercing the sea devil’s right shoulder and forcing it back. It hurled another blast of water into Lavren and flung him back but with that, it expended the last of its strength and staggered as it tried to come toward the stone platform. Litiraan raised his wand and loosed an unerring silver bolt this time that seared into the creature’s face and blasted out of the back of its head. The sahuagin fell into the red water to lie with its companions.

Lavren nodded his thanks to Litiraan and crossed to the north side of the stone platform from where he could attack the remaining harpy. He raised his wand and uttered a curse, hurling black energy at the creature. The bolt flew straight and seared into the harpy’s side, throwing it back along the bridge. Telkya came to her husband’s side and raised her amulet, loosing a bolt of gold fire that flew past the harpy to strike the wooden platform beyond it. The harpy screeched and leapt at Erlmoor, clawing at his arms as he tried to fend it off. He roared and lashed out with his blade, driving the creature away and as he did so, Dulvarna rose beside him. She lashed out with her blade and clove a deep wound in the harpy’s side. The creature staggered and as it did, Erlmoor stepped forward and thrust his blade into its chest. The sword point found the creature’s heart and with a gasp, the harpy fell back to lie beside its companion.

*Next.....The Chamber of Ice*


----------



## Medriev (May 8, 2009)

*Chapter 6 - The Chamber of Ice (Part 1)*

“You suffered badly in that battle and yet you stood firm,” said Vyrellis as Lavren examined the orb in a corner of the wooden platform on which the companions had uncomfortably spent the night. “Truly you are the hero I have been seeking to save me.”

Lavren looked up to see Telkya watching him from the far side of the platform where she tended to the wounds of the others and ensured that each was ready to go on. They had decided to head north from this chamber and Vyrellis had offered no contradictory advice.
“My life force is scattered throughout the pyramid,” Vyrellis went on. “My life force was splintered by the pyramid when Draxius slew me and you must find the three gemstones that contain it. If they are reunited I will have rest at least or perhaps life will return to me.”
“And do you where these gemstones are?” Lavren asked although he suspected that he knew the answer.
“I do not,” Vyrellis answered. “They are scattered in the pyramid and my memory of this place has faded in the centuries that have passed since I came here.”
“Then we go on,” Lavren replied. “And I will find the gemstones so that you can be free.”

The elf rose then as the others did and together they gathered their belongings before starting off across the northern bridge. The double doors at the end opened easily onto a staircase that climbed upwards into the darkness. Raising her blade, Dulvarna started to climb and Erlmoor walked behind her. At the top of the stairs the passage opened into a wide hall with three more passageways leading west, north and east from it.
“Ah, I remember this place,” said Vyrellis loudly enough for all to hear. “There are many enchanted items in the chamber to the east. Look to the door covered in frost and beyond are items that might prove useful to you but beware the icy guardians that await you.”
“How do we know that such items are still there,” said Litiraan. “How long have you been imprisoned here and how much has changed since you have been here?”

“I was imprisoned with Draxius for I was his queen,” Vyrellis answered. “He beheaded me in rage once we were imprisoned here, though I had borne him a son and ensured that his line would go on. I seek only his death which will free you from this place. I would not lead you astray.”
“And from you we have learned more of this place already than we could ever learn by wandering its halls for weeks,” said Enlishia. “We should try the eastern door.”
“I agree,” rumbled Erlmoor. “If a queen of Cormyr speaks from that orb then we must obey her.”

The others nodded their agreement and even Litiraan accepted the decision. Dulvarna and Erlmoor started forward toward the eastern doors with their blades raised. They were indeed limned with ice but they opened easily as Dulvarna pulled on the iron rings that served as handles. A blast of cold air exploded from within as the door was opened and beyond, the companions saw a room covered in ice. It coated the floor, the walls and the ceiling while four large ice pillars ran from floor to ceiling. To the south stood a metal door, covered in frost.

Enlishia started into the chamber, nocking an arrow to her bow as she did so. She moved to the centre of the chamber slowly as the chill of the room seemed to pierce her bones. As she reached the heart of the room, she raised her bow and looked around the room, seeking the enemies that Vyrellis had said were there.
“The pillars are starting to melt,” she called back to the others as she saw water began to drip onto the frost-covered floor.

The others followed the ranger into the chamber, Lavren moving towards the southern door with Telkya to examine it while the others moved into the centre of the room with weapons and wands raised to deal with any threat that might appear.

Suddenly, the melting pillars collapsed and from them staggered zombies limned with frost and icicles. Vapour rose from their half-frozen limbs as they stepped from the ice that had held them and slowly, they turned towards the nearest of the companions. Enlishia turned on the nearest one and loosed an arrow that bounced off the icy skin of the creature. She fired again and this arrow flew wide to clatter into the wall beyond the zombie. 
Lavren turned away from the southern door and uttered a curse that loosed black, crackling energy into the nearest zombie. It lurched and staggered but did not fall. Another zombie lashed out at Erlmoor who ducked under the clumsy swing as Telkya turned away from the southern door. She raised her amulet and sent a bolt of golden light toward the zombie before Erlmoor but the bolt flew wide and struck the wall next to the creature. Erlmoor roared and lashed out at the zombie, slashing his blade into its leg and sending it lurching to its right but again the creature did not fall.


----------



## Medriev (May 9, 2009)

*Chapter 6 - The Chamber of Ice (Part 2)*

Dulvarna turned to face the zombie that had emerged next to her, already wounded by Lavren’s eldritch blast. She slashed Aecris across from right to left and clove the 	blade into the creature’s side. It lurched back the other way and then awkwardly righted itself. To her right, Dulvarna saw Litiraan vanish in a shower of light motes as a zombie emerged from the pillar next to him. He reappeared in the western doorway and turned to loose a silver bolt at the zombie before Dulvarna. The bolt seared into the creature’s back and sent it staggering toward Dulvarna. She raised her blade and then ducked as the undead creature flailed at her clumsily with its frost-covered arms.

Enlishia reached for another arrow as the two zombies that had been entombed in the northern pillars lurched towards her. She ducked as one swung at her but as she rose, a frozen limb smashed into the right side of her head and sent her reeling. The chill of the blow slowed her limbs almost at once and frost stiffened the right side of her face. She shouldered her bow quickly and reached over her back to draw her sword, lashing out at the nearest zombie as she did so. The zombie jerked back with surprising speed and evaded the wild swing leaving Enlishia to curse her ill luck. She looked back over her shoulder and as she did so, the southern doors opened. There stood a demon, upright on two insect-like legs. Its chitin-covered torso sprouted four segmented arms and a roach-like head swollen to monstrous size. It wielded a wicked trident with bloodstained tines. In that moment, Enlishia knew that battle was truly upon them.

Lavren heard the doors slam open behind him and turned to glance at the terrible creature standing behind Telkya. He cried out without forming any words and raised his wand to hurl a bolt of black eldritch lightning into the creature’s chest. The demon stepped back as the bolt struck it but it registered no pain. Telkya turned toward the demon and as she saw it, she leapt back into the chamber, raising her amulet as she did so. She hurled a bolt of golden light wildly into the stone of the doorframe and then ducked back as the creature seemed about to come forward. Erlmoor only glanced quickly at the demon before turning his attention back to the zombie he faced. He chanted a prayer and as his blade glowed brightly, he slashed it into the hip of the zombie and almost toppled it from the ruins of its pillar. He roared again and Dulvarna drew strength from him.

Dulvarna surged at the zombie she faced and spun around behind it while slashing her blade in low at the backs of the undead creature’s legs. She drew the sword across where the hamstrings of a living man would have been and the creature lurched forward, staggering again. From the doorway, Litiraan hurled another silver bolt that blasted into the zombie’s chest and the undead creature exploded into shards of frozen flesh that struck Dulvarna and tore chilling wounds in her arms.

The zombies that Enlishia faced surged forwards together, one clawing her side and the other lashing a chilling hand into her right shoulder. She staggered back as the cold and the wounds sapped her strength but still managed to raise her blade and lash out at the zombies before her. Her sword struck one of the undead creature’s legs and sent it lurching to its left and almost into the other zombie. 

The demon came forward suddenly and stabbed out with its trident, driving the points into Lavren’s left leg, forcing him back out of the doorway. He cried out and retreated into the chamber, cursing the demon to loose another bolt of black energy into the terrible creature. It lurched against the doorframe but raised its trident again to strike at the elf.
Behind the warlock, Erlmoor ducked under another clumsy swing from the zombie before him. Telkya retreated towards the dragonborn and hurled another bolt of golden fire from her amulet that struck the stone of the doorframe. Erlmoor looked to his right as the demon advanced and then chanted another prayer that brought a glow of white light to his blade. He lashed out and struck the creature in the side with a huge thunder clap that knocked it to the floor amidst the ruin of the ice pillar that had entombed it. The zombie awkwardly tried to lift itself up to its feet as Erlmoor raised his blade to strike it down again.

Dulvarna moved sluggishly to aid Enlishia as the cold numbed her limbs but as she reached the zombies, she found strength returning to her. She weaved her blade before her and then darted forward to stab into the zombie’s hip. It lurched back a step and as it did, Litiraan hurled a silver bolt that seared past the zombie to strike the north wall of the chamber. The creature lashed out at Dulvarna but she ducked under the clumsy swing. The other zombie rushed at Enlishia and lashed out with its clawed hands. The ranger ducked under the blow aimed at her and finally managed to retreat from the zombies and sheath her sword. Sheathing her sword and unshouldering her bow, she nocked an arrow and loosed it quickly, the shaft flying wide of the creature to strike the wall behind the zombie. She drew forth another arrow and fired quickly again but the cold numbed her fingers and again the shaft flew wide. Enlishia cursed and the zombies came forward, snarling again.


----------



## Medriev (May 10, 2009)

*Chapter 6 - The Chamber of Ice (Part 3)*

The demon came forward out of the doorway and stabbed out with its trident, driving the points into Lavren’s left shoulder. The elf reeled back and retreated a few more steps until he was back to back with Enlishia. He raised his wand and hurled a bolt of black lightning at the demon but it flew wide and struck the doorframe next to the insect-like creature. The demon snarled and took another step forward.

Next to Lavren, Erlmoor ducked under another wild swing from the zombie he faced. Telkya turned towards the zombie and raised her amulet to loose a bolt of golden fire into the creature that sent it lurching to its right and staggering as though it were about to fall. Erlmoor saw his chance and surged forward, driving his blade into the zombie’s chest. It opened its mouth but no last breath came out and then it exploded into shards of icy flesh. Erlmoor raised his arms to protect himself from the flying flesh and then turned to face the demon as it emerged from the southern doorway.

Dulvarna rushed at the zombies before her, momentarily forgetting the chill in the room as battle fury surged through her. She lashed out with her blade, cleaving a deep wound across the left thigh of one zombie and then driving her blade on into the leg of the other. Both lurched back clumsily as Dulvarna pressed forward and as she did, Litiraan raised his wand and hurled a silver bolt of energy into the side of the nearest creature. It staggered again, bleeding now from several wounds but still it would not fall. Instead, it lashed out at Dulvarna who ducked under its flailing limb. The other zombie swung at her from her right but again she ducked and then raised her blade to keep the undead at bay. 

Enlishia moved towards the doorway where Litiraan stood but found her cold-numbed legs would barely obey her. She lurched to where the wizard stood and then turned to raise her bow with an arrow nocked to the string. She loosed an arrow at the demon but it bounced aside, defeated by the creature’s chitinous armour. She nocked another arrow and fired again but this flew wide and clattered into the stone beside the demon. The creature snarled and lurched forward, stabbing out with its trident to drive the points into Lavren’s left shoulder. They drove in deeply and the elf cried out while the demon roared in apparent triumph. The creature jerked the trident toward him and pulled Lavren with it, the points of the terrible weapon lodged firmly in his flesh.

“Let me leave here and the elf lives,” the demon growled to the companions. “If you do not, he dies where he stands.”
“Never,” cried Lavren. “You will die here, not me!”
Despite the pain he felt, the elf drew forth his longsword and lashed out at the demon but again, the creature’s armour protected it and turned the blow aside. Desperately, he tried to wriggle free of the trident’s points but they were buried deep and all he succeeding in doing was sending more waves of pain down his left side. He cried out again and in the corner of his eye, he saw Telkya start forward.
“No!” he called out. “It would be senseless for both of us to fall here.”

Telkya hesitated and Lavren relaxed his struggle as numbness spread down his left arm, though whether it was from the cold or the wound he had suffered, he could not tell. Telkya raised her voice in prayer and held out her amulet. As she reached a crescendo, a column of divine dire descended from the ceiling of the chamber toward the demon. She realised almost at once that her aim was awry as the light descended behind the creature. Ice melted and then boiled with a hiss but the demon stood unharmed with her beloved husband a hostage on its trident.

Erlmoor stepped forward beside Lavren while chanting his own prayer. He swung out with his sword and as he did, the blade glowed brightly. The demon reacted quickly and jerked its trident to its right to parry the blow with the end of the shaft. Lavren cried out as he was jerked towards the demon again but he kept his sword raised, lest the creature snap at him with its terrible, insect-like jaws. It did not but instead cackled at his pain and the elf gritted his teeth, determined to die here with dignity if that was his fate.


----------



## Medriev (May 13, 2009)

*Chapter 6 - The Chamber of Ice (Part 4)*

Dulvarna looked over her shoulder and knew that she had little time to finish the zombies if she was to aid Lavren and the others. With a guttural roar, she rushed at them in a fury, her blade slashing left and right into both with single blows. The zombie that bled from several wounds was slashed across the chest and belly while the other was wounds in the side and the leg. Both staggered back but the first reached down to its belly as its putrid and frozen intestines began to burst from the wound. It looked down with its dull eyes and then fell over backwards. Dulvarna knew what was coming next and raised her arms to protect herself as a moment later, the creature exploded in a shower of frozen flesh. Litiraan raised his wand before the other zombie could recover and loosed a silver bolt into the creature. It lurched back and, sensing the urgency of Lavren’s plight, he raised his wand again and filled the northern part of the room with a wave of searing fire. 

The zombie lurched and staggered another few steps away from Dulvarna and the warrior woman raised her blade and started forward to follow it. As she reached it, the undead creature lashed out backhand with its right hand, smashing Dulvarna across the face and sending her reeling away in turn. The horribly burned zombie hissed something unintelligible and then lurched back toward its enemy.

Enlishia nocked another arrow to her bow and raised it, taking careful aim at one of the joins in the demon’s chitinous armour. She let fly with the arrow and felt sure that she would hurt it this time but again, her arrow clattered off the armour and landed on the floor nearby. She cursed and retreated towards Dulvarna, looking back over her left shoulder at the battle between her friend and the last zombie. The demon roared then, drawing the ranger’s gaze back to its horrible, insect-like form.
“If you will not let me leave, then you will all die here,” the demon called out and then roared again.

As it roared a second time, a thick, noxious fume spewed forth from its mouth. Lavren coughed for a few moments and then reeled and swooned on the end of the demon’s trident while Erlmoor ducked low and covered his mouth with his arm. Telkya reeled back against the east wall of the chamber and did not see Lavren swoon. Only as she recovered did she see her beloved slide ingloriously from the points of the trident and fall heavily to the chamber floor, where he lay unmoving. Telkya cried out and took a step toward Lavren but then she realised that she could yet save her husband. Raising her amulet, she chanted a healing prayer to Corellon and divine light engulfed the fallen elf. His eyes flicked open and as the terrible wound in his shoulder closed, his hand left closed about his wand and the other grasped his sword.

Erlmoor glanced down at the elf and saw his eyes open. Realising that he had to buy his companion some time, he rushed at the demon and lashed out with his sword. The creature brought its trident across and parried, snarling at the dragonborn.
“You will be next, wyrmkin,” it hissed in the paladin’s face and then twisted Erlmoor’s blade away as it raised its trident again.

Dulvarna twisted around on the spot as she tried to shaken off the numbing cold of the wound that the zombie had inflicted on her. Using her momentum, she lashed out a huge blow at the undead creature, cleaving her blade into its side and smashing into its left lung. It staggered again, halting its advance and as it paused, a silver bolt from Litiraan’s wand drove through its chest and out of its back. The zombie lurched to its right and then collapsed beside the ruined body of its companion. The last zombie exploded in a shower of frozen flesh more quickly than its companion had and Dulvarna was showered with pieces of its corpse. She fell back as the chilling flesh splinters pierced her body and then she turned away to face the demon.

Beside Dulvarna, Enlishia raised her bow and fired two more arrows quickly but both bounced off the thick hide of the demon. The creature looked at her, snarled, and then leapt toward the doorway. As it did, it stabbed out with its trident, driving the points into Enlishia’s leg. She cried out and fell pack, the weapon tearing painfully free from her left thigh. Behind the creature, Lavren rose to his feet and levelled his wand before cursing at the creature in elven. A bolt of black, crackling energy flew forth but missed the demon by a hands-breadth to strike the wall behind it. Telkya rushed to Lavren’s side, flashed him a smile and then raised her amulet to loose a bolt of golden light into the demon’s side. It lurched to its left into the wall beside the outer doorway and Erlmoor charged.

The dragonborn lashed out with his blade with a prayer on his lips and as the blade struck the demon’s left hip, a pulse of divine light flowed into it from Erlmoor’s hand. The blade clove through the creature’s armour and drove into the flesh and bone beneath. The demon snarled and reeled back toward the dragonborn but as it did, Dulvarna charged in from its left and plunged her blade into its side. The demon reeled back and roared its pain and defiance. From behind it, in the doorway, Litiraan loosed a silver bolt that struck it in the bottom of its back and again it roared. Two arrows from Enlishia’s bow clattered off its armour again and the enraged demon leapt into the doorway where Litiraan stood. The demon turned to its left, snarled at the elf, and drove its trident into Litiraan’s shoulder.

Litiraan cried out and Lavren answered him with his own cry of alarm. He raised his wand and hurled another black bolt at the creature but it struck the stone next to the demon, doing it no harm. Telkya moved forward as quickly as her cold-numbed limbs would take her and raised her amulet, uttering a prayer as she did so. A bolt of golden light lanced out and struck the demon’s chest, searing through its chitinous armour and piercing its black heart. It snarled one last time and then fell over to its left, one of its arms reaching toward the freedom that it had so long sought.
“We should get out of this cold,” said Dulvarna.
“Agreed,” said Telkya as she reached out to take Lavren’s hand.

*Next.....The Chamber of Monoliths*


----------



## Medriev (May 14, 2009)

*Chapter 7 - The Chamber of Monoliths (Part 1)*

“We cannot leave the level,” said Vyrellis as the companions surveyed the chamber before them. They had tended to their wounds in the hallway outside the ice chamber and then had opened the double doors to the north that led out of the hall. A wide set of stairs rose before the company just beyond the double doors and rose into the gloom above. The stairs wrapped around the walls of the chamber, leaving a deep pit in the middle.
“”Why can we not leave?” asked Enlishia. “And why do you share your wisdom only when it suits you.”

“Lucky I am that you did not retrieve me from my captivity,” Vyrellis responded. “A sorry bearer you would have been.”
“But we still need to know,” Enlishia persisted. “Why can we not leave here?”
“We cannot leave because Draxius must be defeated three times,” the elf spirit answered. “And one of his forms resides on each of the levels of this pyramid. If we leave here, we will have to come back here to defeat him eventually.”

“Then if we turn back, you can lead us to him?” Lavren questioned.
“I cannot for I know not where he resides,” Vyrellis answered, softly this time, drawing a frosty look from Telkya. “But my memory returns all the time and perhaps I will know the place when we draw near to it. For now, though, we must turn back.”
“Then we shall turn back,” Lavren answered, drawing his own cold look from Telkya. “You have not led us awry thus far.”
“And I will not,” Vyrellis answered. “We go back and choose another path.”

“And what of those who do not believe you?” Telkya asked angrily. “Do we simply follow you blindly as my husband seems to do.”
“Telkya,” Litiraan said softly. “Vyrellis is right. We have not been led awry thus far. Although no treasures remained in the chamber they were likely taken by others years or decades ago. We have no other guide here and must trust the one that we have.”
“Your brother is right, Telkya,” Dulvarna said then. “We must put aside personal feelings and follow Vyrellis’ guidance. We have no choice.”

Telkya subsided then and the others, Enlishia included, nodded their agreement with their leader. Telkya simply frowned and followed the others as they turned away from the stairway and made their way out of the chamber and back into the wide hall. Dulvarna turned west into a wide hallway and the others followed.


----------



## Medriev (May 15, 2009)

*Chapter 7 - The Chamber of Monoliths (Part 2)*

The wide hallway opened after only a few feet into a wide chamber around which four stone monoliths had been arranged. Great plumes of energy streamed out of the monoliths and toward a central wall of arcane force. Vyrellis gasped as the companions took in the scene.
“My physical form is trapped within this arcane prison,” the elf spirit cried as Lavren retrieved the obsidian orb from his belt.. “For years I have waited for the magic that wards it to weaken and that time has now come. Free my body, and together we can escape from this horrid place.”

Litiraan stepped as close as he could to the crackling energy streams that came from the monoliths and as he drew nearer to the form at the centre of the four pillars, he saw that it was the headless body of an elf maid. Her flesh was perfectly preserved and her arms were crossed over her heart as though she only rested here and could return to life at any moment. He looked around at the monoliths for a moment and realised at once how the body could be freed.
“Topple one of the pillars and the spell will be broken,” he called to the others.

Lavren threw himself against the nearest pillar but it would not move and even when Dulvarna added her own efforts, still it would not be shifted. Only when Erlmoor added his weight to the struggle did the pillar begin to shift. Telkya even added her small form to the effort but still the huge monolith would not fall. Only Enlishia hung back, suspicion clouding her mind. She moved along the east wall of the chamber until she stood opposite the body that was suspended amidst the arcane energy and raised her bow, an arrow nocked. 	Lavren and Dulvarna gave one final shove and the monolith in the north east corner of the square fell with a crash to the floor of the chamber.
“Well done!” Vyrellis said to Lavren at once. “Now take me closer so that I might examine my physical form.”

The body of the elf maid fell to the floor and Erlmoor and Telkya moved to stand beside Litiraan who had remained standing at a respectful distance throughout the efforts to topple the monolith. Now, the elf wizard unconsciously reached for his wand at his belt as though he, as well as Enlishia, sensed some dark betrayal here. Lavren stepped forward until he stood next to the fallen form but as he reached the body, the obsidian orb that held Vyrellis’ spirit flew forth from his pouch and blasted into the chest of the elf maid’s body. There it lodged, where the heart once was with Vyrellis’ face visible in the breast of the fallen elf. Suddenly, the elf’s corpse began to move, pulling itself awkwardly to its feet while Vyrellis began to scream in terror.
“He has tricked me!” Vyrellis’ spirit cried out. “Slay the body and free me!”


----------



## Medriev (May 16, 2009)

*Chapter 7 - The Chamber of Monoliths (Part 3)*

Dulvarna leapt forward without hesitation, her blade in her hands already. She lashed out as she reached the headless elf body and cut a wound across the body’s left thigh. Erlmoor rushed in behind Dulvarna and drove his blade into the headless body’s other leg, driving it back a step for a moment. The corpse responded with a backhand blow with its right hand that sent Erlmoor reeling. It lashed out in the same way with its left hand and sent Dulvarna spinning away, struck in the face. The corpse held its hands out before it then and a wave of blue force energy struck Dulvarna, Lavren and Erlmoor. Dulvarna and Erlmoor held their ground but Lavren was thrown back away from the headless body while Vyrellis uttered profuse apologies for the hurt that she had done her bearer.

Telkya saw Lavren sent reeling and circled behind him, raising her amulet as a prayer came naturally to her lips. She raised the symbol of her faith and let loose a bolt of golden light towards the elf maid’s body. At the last, the corpse dodged to her right and the bolt flew past to strike the pillar in the southeast corner of the square. Enlishia circled around to the other side of the headless corpse and raised her bow, loosing one arrow and then another. Both arrows drove into the right side of the elf maid’s body and it lurched to its left. 

Litiraan moved to stand beside Enlishia and raised his wand, unleashing a curtain of flame that engulfed the headless body and stopped short of where Dulvarna and Erlmoor stood. The body staggered and Vyrellis called out to the companions urging them on.
“Well done, my allies,” she called. “Strike harder and I will be free.”

Lavren moved to stand beside Telkya, flashed his wife a smile to reassure her that her was not badly hurt and then raised his wand. He loosed a bolt of black energy a moment later but again, the elf body moved at the last moment and his bolt struck the monolith close to where Telkya’s golden bolt had struck. Dulvarna surged forward, thinking the animated body distracted but as she swung out her sword, the elf corpse leapt back with an agility that its bizarre appearance belied. 

Erlmoor roared and sprayed acid from his mouth but again, the elf body moved quickly and ducked under the noxious liquid. The dragonborn followed with his blade, though, and this time the corpse was not quick enough. The dragonborn’s sword lashed across the elf maid’s belly and cut a shallow wound that the corpse seemed to ignore. Instead, it slammed its right hand into the side of Erlmoor’s head, once and then a second time. Even as it struck the dragonborn, its left hand lashed out, clipping the top of Dulvarna’s head as she ducked. The hand thrust forward a moment later and shoved the warrior woman in the chest, pushing her back a step. Again the headless corpse held out its hands and a wave of blue energy struck Dulvarna and Erlmoor. Erlmoor was thrown back from the elf maid’s body and sent reeling but again, Dulvarna held her ground. With a steely determination, as she realised that she faced a truly powerful foe, she raised her blade and rushed at the elf corpse once more.

Telkya prayed fervently and raised her amulet as a column of divine flame descended towards the elf maid’s body. Again the corpse moved quickly, leaping forward to meet Dulvarna so that the divine fire descended behind it. From the other side of the headless body, Enlishia fired two more arrows in quick succession and these too, drove into the right side of the corpse. It lurched left and as it did, Litiraan loosed a bolt of blue energy that flew past the corpse’s back. Lavren loosed a black ray that flew past the body and then the elf maid clashed with Dulvarna.


----------



## Medriev (May 17, 2009)

*Chapter 7 - The Chamber of Monoliths (Part 4)*

Dulvarna spun around the corpse and lashed her blade across the back of its left thigh, forcing it to lurch and stagger forward. She spun back in front of it and as she did, Erlmoor raised his sword against his shoulder and held forth his left hand while he chanted a prayer. A ribbon of golden light shot from his hand toward the corpse but it ducked left, using Dulvarna as cover and the blast of energy seared past its right shoulder. The corpse leapt back and held forth its arms again, losing a storm of small, glowing, razor sharp daggers that exploded behind Dulvarna, engulfing her, Erlmoor and Lavren. All three were cut by the blades and were thrown to the chamber floor.

Telkya looked down at her fallen husband and then raised her amulet, loosing another bolt of golden light that flew wide of the corpse to strike the far monolith as her last had. Enlishia raised her bow quickly and loosed an arrow, seeking to distract the corpse somehow. The shaft flew wide of the mark and clattered into the northwest pillar. She loosed another arrow a heartbeat later and this drove into the elf maid’s right arm. This time, the corpse did not lurch and instead stood its ground but a moment later, Litiraan loosed a blue bolt into the body’s right side, throwing it to its left. Lavren leapt clear of the dagger storm and loosed a bolt of black energy but his aim was wild and the blast flew wide, striking the west wall of the chamber.

Dulvarna leapt to her feet and, ducking low to try and avoid the daggers, she circled around to the south to stand in front of Litiraan. She raised her blade and made ready to charge as Erlmoor followed her to stand in front of the southeast pillar. The storm of force blades followed the dragonborn and the warrior woman and engulfed Litiraan and Enlishia as it came, forcing both to leap away. The elf maid’s body raised its right arm and loosed a blast of black energy from its hand that struck Erlmoor in the chest and hurled him back into the pillar that stood behind him. The dragonborn staggered as his wounds threatened to overpower him and then he raised his blade with the last of his strength and made ready to charge beside Dulvarna.

From the north side of the monolith square, Telkya loosed a bolt of golden light that flew past the corpse again and this time struck the west wall of the chamber. Enlishia leapt clear of the blade storm, unwounded, and raised her bow, losing one and then a second arrow. Both shafts drove into the right thigh of the corpse driving it to the left again as it staggered, seven arrows protruding from its right side. 

When Litiraan leapt clear of the blades, he was already cut on his arms and on his right cheek. He raised his wand despite the pain, he loosed a silver bolt that seared into the side of the elf body’s chest. Again it staggered and as it did, a bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand struck its left side.
“You are saving me, my allies,” Vyrellis called out from the breast of the body but the companions were too preoccupied with their own hurts to pay the elf spirit much heed.

Dulvarna charged, rushing around behind the corpse and lashed her blade across the base of the elf maid’s back. The corpse arched its back and staggered forward and as it did, Erlmoor roared and rushed around to aid Dulvarna. He plunged his blade forward into the corpse’s left side and his blade flared with white light, sending a pulse of divine energy up into the dragonborn from its hilt. The paladin stepped back and caught his breath as the elf body spun on the spot to face its two nemeses. With a wave of its arm, the elf corpse moved the blade storm back away from Enlishia and Litiraan and moved it to engulf Erlmoor and Dulvarna and to once again sweep over Lavren. It lashed out with its right arm at Erlmoor and the dragonborn ducked under the swing but at the same time, its left hand struck the side of Dulvarna’s head and sent her reeling into her companion. She regained her feet just as the blades swept forward and slashed at her already wounded body.

Telkya hurled a ribbon of divine light from her amulet that flew past the headless corpse and struck the west wall of the chamber  but as it struck, Enlishia loosed another arrow. The shaft flew past the corpse but before the arrow clattered into the northwest pillar, the ranger had nocked another to her bow. She let fly and this flew straight and true into the root of the body’s neck just below where its head had once rested. The body lurched to its right and as it did, a blue bolt from Litiraan’s wand flew over its left shoulder. 

Beyond the corpse, Lavren fell to the floor as the glowing blue blades of force cut at him. Despite the pain of his wounds, the elf leapt to his feet and then vanished in a shower of light motes. He reappeared next to the east wall of the room and raised his wand, loosing a bolt of black energy into the back of the elf maid’s body. As the corpse jolted back toward her, Dulvarna ducked under the slashing blades and drove her sword into the belly of the elf body. She leapt back beyond the edge of the blade storm once she had struck and watched as Erlmoor plunged his own glowing blade into the right side of the corpse. He leapt back out of the blade storm and showed his teeth in a smile at Dulvarna but no sooner had he done so, than the corpse gestured desperately and the blade storm followed the dragonborn and the warrior woman.


----------



## Medriev (May 18, 2009)

*Chapter 7 - The Chamber of Monoliths (Part 5)*

The elf maid lashed out with her right hand and loosed a black ray towards Erlmoor and the dragonborn ducked to his right to evade the bolt. Beyond the elf body, Telkya hurled a bolt of golden light from behind the corpse that flashed past and struck the floor close to the southwest pillar. Arrows flashed past from Enlishia’s bow and then a bolt of blue force form Litiraan’s wand flew over the corpse. A heartbeat later, a bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand struck the floor behind the corpse and then the storm of force blades swept over Dulvarna and Erlmoor.

The blades lashed into Dulvarna’s chest and she fell to the chamber floor just a few feet from the headless corpse. She rose almost immediately and rushed at the elf maid’s body with her blade before her. Erlmoor ducked under the blades and similarly charged at the corpse, but with a prayer on his lips. His blade glowed with a golden light and he swung out at the elf maid only for her to leap away. Vyrellis screamed her anger and frustration and as she did, the body lashed out at the dragonborn with her right hand. The paladin ducked under the blow but Dulvarna was struck by a backhand from the body’s other hand and sent reeling away. Telkya hurled a golden bolt that flew wide of the body and Vyrellis screamed again.
“You have to save me, else Draxius has truly won,” the elf’s spirit cried out but the headless corpse seemed almost unstoppable.

Enlishia raised her bow and fired two arrows quickly, both flying unerringly into the left side of the corpse but still the animated body would not fall. Lavren hurled a black bolt from his wand that flew past the body’s right shoulder and just missed Erlmoor drawing a growl from the dragonborn. Lavren nodded an apology but the paladin was already raising his blade to fend off the next attack from the elf maid. Meanwhile, Litiraan raised his wand, uttered a spell and hurled a ball of flame to burst behind the corpse. Fire billowed out and as it seared over the back of the elf body, it staggered and lurched towards Dulvarna and Erlmoor. They raised their blades to strike but as they did, the force blades swept over them again.

Dulvarna collapsed to the floor, wounded again but pushed herself up with what she thought must surely be the last of her strength. She lashed out with her blade and struck the elf body in the left shoulder, spinning it away from her and towards Erlmoor. The dragonborn fell then as the force blades tore into his right shoulder but he too, rose quickly. His blade slashed out and cut a deep wound in the elf corpse’s right leg but still the body would not fall. Instead it lashed out but again the dragonborn ducked. Dulvarna made ready to duck, anticipating the backhand toward her but instead, the corpse punched the heal of its hand into her breast and she fell back, winded.

Another golden bolt from Telkya’s amulet flashed past the elf maid from one side while a moment later, a silver bolt of energy from Litiraan’s wand struck it in the left arm. It lurched to the right and a black bolt from Lavren’s wand seared past its left shoulder where it had been standing. Dulvarna ducked under the blades and rushed the body despite the pain of her tired and wounded limbs. She slammed the hilt of her sword into the body’s chest and drove it back a step but as she looked back to see if Erlmoor followed her, the dragonborn fell to the onslaught of blades once more. The paladin roared as he rose and lashed his blade across the corpse’s belly but still it was not enough. Again the dragonborn began to pray but this time he sought peace from Lathander as he knew that he had expended the last of his strength. The headless corpse lashed out backhand with its right hand and as the blow struck the paladin, bright light and then blackness took him.

Dulvarna ducked under the forehand swing from the body’s other hand and looked down to where Erlmoor had fallen, knowing she would soon join him. Dimly, she saw another bolt of golden light flash past and thought that she was surely doomed. Only when the body lurched to the right as another arrow appeared in its side, did she dare to hope for salvation. A silver bolt seared into the corpse just after the arrow  A moment later, a bolt of crackling black energy burst from the body’s belly and the elf maid’s form collapsed into grey sludge on the floor of the room. The storm of force blades vanished and Dulvarna allowed herself to fall to her knees beside Erlmoor. The battle was finally won and as looked over at the dragonborn, she knew that he would live.

“Draxius has betrayed me again!” Vyrellis raged as the obsidian sphere rolled out of the foul remains of her physical form. “He must die!” Dulvarna looked dimly toward the orb and nodded her agreement. It was their only chance to escape this place. Draxius had to die.

*Next.....Ambush of the Outcasts*


----------



## Medriev (May 20, 2009)

*Chapter 8 - Ambush of the Outcasts (Part 1)*

“What I cannot understand,” Erlmoor rumbled slowly over a mouthful of fried meat from his trail rations. “Is if you were imprisoned here with Draxius, then how did the royal line of Cormyr continue?”

The companions had made camp in the chamber of monoliths amongst the stones and placed careful watched on each of the entryways but nothing had disturbed them and they had rested for what they reckoned to be a night.

“We had a son,” Vyrellis answered from the orb which Lavren had placed beside him on the cloth sack in which he carried it. “We named him Bryntarth and he grew into a fine man before tragedy befell us.”
“Bryntarth I was a king of Cormyr late in the ninth century of the kingdom,” Litiraan said. “But no tome speaks of tiefling or elven ancestry.”
“He did become king,” Vyrellis exclaimed and those who looked towards the orb saw tears in her eyes as she spoke. After a long pause, she continued. “His heritage was barely evident and became less so as he grew.”
“Then the kings of Cormyr, down to Azoun IV himself, are descended from a tiefling,” Erlmoor rumbled unhappily.
“It seems they are,” Vyrellis said softly. “My son sired a mighty line if it still endures after five centuries. Of that I am proud.”

Again, tears came to Vyrellis’ eyes though she was a spirit encased in crystal and could shed none. She bowed her head and the others averted their eyes for a little while as the elf princess composed herself.

“Then how do the chronicles of Cormyr record none of this,” Enlishia said. “I learned little of the House of Obarskyr when I was schooled but I learned at least that they were great men and women, who crafted a kingdom where once there was none. How did scholars and sages not record this?”
“Perhaps some did,” Telkya answered. “But the victors in all conflicts choose which chronicles become history and if Draxius deserved his imprisonment here then perhaps his son and all who followed him were spared the difficulties of their ancestry.”

“Bryntarth did not know,” Vyrellis said sadly. “His father and I kept the truth from him for in his day, Draxius was a great man. Only in the days that became his last as king, did he become arrogant and dangerous. Perhaps the centuries weighed heavy upon him for he began it all as a mortal man or perhaps he simply believed in his own immortality and felt that he should rule all within his grasp. Whatever the reason, by the time he was imprisoned here, he was vicious and evil and deserved his fate.”

“But the blood of demons flows yet in the veins of Azoun and his progeny,” Lavren said. “How can we accept that, now that we know it to be true.”
“Because he is the king,” Dulvarna replied. “And he has ruled wisely for twenty years and more.”

“Dulvarna is right, my love,” Telkya said. “We must judge the kings of Cormyr that have come since by their deeds and not by their blood. Perhaps the blood of demons has given them the fire to defeat the enemies of the kingdom and the blood of the elves has given them the wisdom to choose true courses for the people. For now, we should linger no longer. Draxius must be defeated and his end draws no nearer while we eat here.”

The others nodded their agreement as Lavren looked with admiring eyes upon his wife. She had become stronger and wiser since he had known her and with each day, he found he loved her more and more.


----------



## Medriev (May 23, 2009)

*Chapter 8 - Ambush of the Outcasts (Part 2)*

They followed the southern passage out of the monolith chamber until, after a short way, it widened into a long, hooked corridor. A number of mirrors hung on the outer wall and a set of doubled doors pierced the opposite wall, across from the mirrors. From beyond the wall to the right came a shrill screech and the companions raised their weapons but they knew not from which direction their foes, if they were foes, would come. Suddenly, from the mirror in front of them at the far end of the corridor came a glowing amber ball no larger than a child’s marble. It flew like an arrow towards Dulvarna and Erlmoor.
“Take cover!” Litiraan shouted, just as the ball reached the group and exploded into searing flame.

Only Telkya managed to throw herself aside and as she did, she unwittingly exposed Enlishia to the full blast of flame as it tore through the group. All were burned and had their clothes singed but they recovered quickly and began to look around for the unseen enemy that had attacked them. Litiraan raised his wand and moved warily down the east wall of the corridor until he stood opposite the doors and Telkya followed him. Erlmoor rushed to the doors and, putting up his blade, he pulled them open. Within was a sleeping chamber with two beds and a table while in the centre, drawing blades for battle, stood three athletic humanoids covered with ebon scales. Each had reddish horns and leathery wings and as they turned their gazes upon the dragonborn, their eyes glowed with hell’s fiery hate.
“In here!” Erlmoor called to the others and Enlishia came forward at once with her bow raised.
“Cambions,” the ranger remarked as she crossed behind Erlmoor and took aim. “Half-devils born of women or succubi.”	

She snarled and loosed an arrow that flew just past the cambion closest to the door but before the arrow could clatter into the opposite wall of the chamber, she raised her  bow again. This time, the arrow drove into the cambion’s shoulder and drove it back a step. One of the creatures raised its blade and charged at Erlmoor while the wounded one recovered but just as it reached the dragonborn, Lavren came forward with his wand. A bolt of black energy lanced out and struck the cambion in the chest, halting its charge and sending it reeling into the wall of the doorway. The wounded cambion recovered quickly and charged to join its companion, spinning a huge greatsword above its head before slashing the blade down toward Erlmoor’s shoulder. Just before the blade struck, it burst into flames and then seared into the dragonborn’s flesh with terrifying ease. Erlmoor grunted in pain and fell back a step into the corridor but he raised his blade to defend himself, determined not to give more ground.

Dulvarna rushed to aid the paladin, lashing her blade from left to right and cutting a deep wound in the arm of the cambion that Enlishia had wounded. Behind her, Litiraan moved along the wall to aid her with his wand but as he did, a bolt of flame flew forth from the mirror on the south wall of the corridor and struck him in the chest, throwing him into the wall of the corridor. He raised his wand anyway but as he did, a dark and shadowy figure covered in a black, hooded cloak crept around the corner to the south. He turned his wand on this newcomer instead and loosed a silver bolt quickly that struck the wall next to it.
“A dark one!” he called to others as he recognised the creature and both Telkya and Enlishia turned towards the new enemy.

Telkya saw her brother’s plight and with sword and amulet in hand, she moved to aid him. Raising her symbol of Corellon, she uttered a prayer and sent forth a bolt of golden light that flew past the skulking dark one and struck the south wall next to one of the mirrors. She cursed and then raised her blade to defend herself from the creature’s inevitable charge.


----------



## Medriev (May 24, 2009)

*Chapter 8 - Ambush of the Outcasts (Part 3)*

In the doorway, Erlmoor glanced to the left to see how his companions fared and then roared, spewing acid over the cambions before him. As they shrank back, he raised his voice in prayer and struck out with his blade, the sword glowing brightly as he ended his entreaty to Lathander. The blade seared into the side of the cambion before him and sent it reeling into its companion. As its companion stumbled, two arrows from Enlishia’s bow drove into it and hurled it back into the chamber. Both cambions snarled, raised their blades and came back at their enemies fiercely.

Erlmoor parried the blade of the cambion that came at him and as he did, Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy into the half-devil’s shoulder and threw him back from the dragonborn again. The other cambion rushed at Dulvarna but she too parried its fiery sword with Aecris and held the creature at bay. She shoved the cambion back with her blade and then last out low into the side of its leg forcing it to lurch back another step. The half-devil roared its defiance but it was sorely wounded and Dulvarna knew she would finish her foe quickly.

As Telkya reached the bend in the passage, another of the cloaked dark ones leapt past its companions with a dagger held before it. It stabbed at her but she lashed her sword down and knocked the dagger aside. She leapt back from her foe to give herself room to strike at it but as she did, a bolt of flame lanced out from a mirror on the wall to her left and seared into her shoulder. She was hurled to the right and crashed painfully into the wall beside her. The other dark one rushed forward then and leapt between her and Litiraan. Telkya stabbed out with her blade and nicked its arm as it passed her while Litiraan slashed wildly at the creature with his own blade. The dark one turned once its was behind Telkya and stabbed at her with its dagger but by then she had regained her balance and leapt to her right to evade the blow.
“We have to retreat,” Litiraan called to Telkya and as she nodded, he moved back along the passage wall.

He turned to face the dark one that had outflanked Telkya and stabbed at with his blade but the creature reacted quickly, twisting its long knife around to parry the blow. Telkya retreated along the opposite wall and raised her amulet to loose a bolt of golden fire into the same creature’s side. It yelped and leapt to its right in shock and surprise but then it turned and Telkya saw a pallid, hairless visage and staring white eyes regard her with a furious anger.

Erlmoor roared again at the foe before him and then surged forward, slashing his blade across the creature’s chest. He looked back to his left again and saw that Enlishia was retreating from the dark ones as well as Litiraan and Telkya but the ranger already had an arrow nocked to her bow. She loosed the shaft and it flew past the nearest dark one, missing by barely a hands breadth. The dragonborn heard a hiss from beneath the dark one’s hood and then as the cambion recovered from the wound he had dealt, he turned back to the enemy before him. The half-devil slashed its blade in from Erlmoor’s left but as the dragonborn moved his blade down to parry, the cambion raised the sword, twisted on the spot and slashed the sword into the paladin’s right shoulder. He fell back as the flames around the blade seared his flesh and smoke began to rise from the wound. The cambion roared in triumph and came forward to try and finish the dragonborn but as it did, a bolt fo black energy from Lavren’s wand seared into its left side and hurled it back, giving Erlmoor time to recover. 

Dulvarna’s foe came forward next and their blades clashed again, amber sparks flying from the cambion’s hell-forged blade as it clashed with Aecris. The warrior woman shoved the half-devil back and wove her blade before her to keep her foe guessing as to where she would strike at it next. She leapt forward and stabbed her blade into the cambion’s belly just above its hip. It gasped and fell back, reaching a hand down to the surely mortal wound. Then it let go the wound and raised its blade with a snarl of defiance. As blood poured down its side, it rushed at Dulvarna, determined to die in one last attack on her.

The dark one at the turn in the passage rushed at Telkya and slashed out high with its long knife. She twisted on the spot and raised her blade to parry before throwing the creature back and away from her. As she raised her blade to defend her self from the cloaked creature’s next attack, another blast of flame flew from the mirror on the opposite wall and seared into her side. Again she was thrown into the wall next to her and before she could recover, the other dark one turned away from Litiraan and leapt across the corridor towards her. It slashed at her wildly with its blade and she brought her sword across to hold the long knife at bay. From somewhere she found the strength to hurl this creature away her as well and as she did, Litiraan loosed a silver bolt from his wand into its back. The dark one lurched forward back towards Telkya and she stabbed at it clumsily. The creature brought its dagger down and parried the thrust of Telkya’s sword but she knew that she had bought herself a few moments. With her blade held up to defend her, she leapt back towards Dulvarna and out of the reach of at least one of her enemies.


----------



## Medriev (May 25, 2009)

*Chapter 8 - Ambush of the Outcasts (Part 4)*

Erlmoor felt his shoulder wound burning as he rushed at his enemy again and angrily shouted forth a prayer to give his blade and his body strength. His sword glowed brightly as it swung out high and though the cambion raised his own blade, the dragonborn’s sword smashed it aside. The divinely blessed blade clove into the cambion’s neck, tore through and out the other side, beheading the creature where it stood. Its head rolled back into the chamber and its body collapsed like a doll in front of Erlmoor. The paladin felt power surge through him and pain in his shoulder eased to a dull ache. Erlmoor stepped forward into the chamber with his eyes fixed on the third cambion.

Enlishia raised her bow again, determined to aid Telkya and Litiraan in their desperate fight against the dark ones. She loosed an arrow that tore through the cloak of the nearest creature and then in a quick, fluid movement, she nocked another to her bow and fired again. This shaft flew true and drove into the hip of the nearest creature sending it lurching to its left away from the ranger. Enlishia looked to her right to see how Dulvarna fared and saw the warrior woman’s blade clashed again and again with the sword of her mortally wounded foe. Each time sparks flew from the cambion’s blade and each time, its strength waned visibly. 

Lavren saw this too and, deciding that his wife needed his aid more than Dulvarna and Erlmoor, he rushed to Enlishia’s side with his wand and his sword in hand. He raised his wand and loosed black, crackling energy into the side of the creature that Enlishia had just wounded. It staggered and lurched to its left again before righting itself unsteadily. Telkya turned and smiled at her husband and he knew that they would be victorious.

Dulvarna saw Erlmoor fell the cambion he faced and knew that it was time to rid herself of her own foe. The third cambion charged forward from within the chamber and lashed its blade into the dragonborn’s leg forcing him back toward the doorway and Dulvarna knew that her companion needed her aid against this new foe. She feinted low and as he tiring enemy moved its blade down, she brought her blade up high and slashed it across the cambion’s throat. The half-devil’s sword clattered to the stone floor of the chamber as it reached both hands to its torn throat and then it fell to its knees before Dulvarna. As the cambion finally fell forward, Dulvarna moved forward into the chamber to fight beside Erlmoor.

As the second cambion fell, the dark ones began to whisper to each other and suddenly, both ducked low to the ground and turned to flee. Telkya leapt forward as the creature closest to her turned away and drove her blade into its back, The sword drove out through the front of the dark one’s cloak and the creature exploded in a spout of dark shadow that engulfed Telkya. The elf maid waited for the darkness to clear from her eyes but it refused to and with a sudden panic, she realised that the death throes of the dark one had blinded her.

Enlishia saw the second dark one flee around the bend in the corridor and rushed after it with her bow raised. She slowed as a bolt of flame from the mirror on the east wall lanced out and struck the wall next to Telkya but then she rushed past the dangerous panes and rounded the corner. Ahead of her, double doors in the south wall were closed while a pair of portals in the north wall remained open but as she made her way forward along the corridor, she realised that the surviving dark one was trying to close them. Lavren came around the corner behind the ranger and looked toward the doors.
“We will not reach them before the creature closes them,” he said. “Unless we hurry.”

The elf surged forward and moved to the left side of the corridor as he neared the doors lest the dark one ambush him. He raised his wand and loosed a bolt of black energy into the creature as it began to push the doors shut. It hissed its annoyance and pain while seemingly regarding the elf with its white eyes but as Litiraan rounded the corner and loosed a silver bolt from his wand, it pushed the doors closed.

Inside the other doorway, the cambion and Erlmoor fought fiercely, the dragonborn keeping his foe at bay despite the wound in his leg. Dulvarna stabbed and slashed at the creature from its right but each her blows it met with its blade as well. It glanced towards the southern doors as they slammed shut and smiled at its enemies.
“Seems you’re trapped now,” the cambion snarled in Common. “Your friends can’t aid you.”

Enlishia raised her bow as she drew near to the doors but before she reached them, a bolt of flame seared from the mirror behind her and struck the wall close by. She looked back nervously and then carried on moving forward. Litiraan reached the closed doors ahead of her and rushed at the portals, slamming his shoulder into them. The dark one beyond was thrown back and the doors slammed open. The elf lashed his sword into the creature’s shoulder and drove it back another step and then a bolt of golden light struck the stone next to the doorway. He looked to his right and saw that Telkya stood beside Enlishia with her blade and amulet in hand, her blindness apparently cured. Enlishia rushed forward and loosed one arrow and then another. The first drove into the side of the right door but the second flew straight and true into the shoulder of the dark one. The creature staggered again and as it did, Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy into its side sending it reeling back from the doors. Litiraan surged into the chamber and desperately, the dark one raised its long knife to fend him off.

In the chamber, Erlmoor was driving back the cambion, having slashed his blade across its arm and cut a deep wound. The creature lashed out desperately in response but the dragonborn parried its fiery sword and then shoved the creature back just as Dulvarna came in from its right. Her blade drove into its thigh and forced it back another step. It looked toward the southern doors and realised that the companions had forced their way in.
“Our friends are coming,” Dulvarna said, seeing its glance toward the doors. “And no one can help you now.”


----------



## Medriev (May 26, 2009)

*Chapter 8 - Ambush of the Outcasts (Part 5)*

The dark one at the southern door lashed its blade across the top of Litiraan’s chest and forced the elf back a step but he ignored the injury and came back at his enemy. As he did, he glanced to his right and saw another bolt of flame sear from one of the mirrors in the corridor outside and strike Telkya, spinning her into the right hand wall of the passage. With a guttural snarl, he rushed at the dark one slashing left and right as the creature parried desperately. Telkya recovered quickly and rushed past her brother to stand beside Lavren on the far side of the doors. She uttered a prayer and hurled a bolt of golden fire that seared past the dark one and struck the far wall of the chamber beyond the cambion that faught Dulvarna and Erlmoor. Behind Litiraan, Enlishia raised her bow and loosed an arrow that drove into the throat of the dark one and it exploded into a cloud of darkness that engulfed Litiraan.
“We have to get out of this corridor,” Enlishia announced and she rushed past Litiraan through the doorway into the chamber beyond.

Erlmoor saw the dark one explode in the southern doorway and roared a prayer at the top of his voice. As his blade glowed brightly, he feinted to the left and then reversed his swing to drive his blade into the cambion’s left hip. It struck with a loud crack of thunder, smashing the half-devil’s hip and throwing it to the ground at Dulvarna’s feet. It rose quickly but unsteadily and lashed out wildly with its blade, catching Erlmoor unaware and droving the sword into his side. He fell to the right into the stone of the doorway as fire seared into his abdomen. As he looked up, though, he saw Lavren rush into the chamber and turn his wand toward the cambion. The elf uttered a curse in elven and black, crackling energy seared into the half-devil’s back. It lurched forward and Dulvarna rushed to meet it, plunging her blade into its belly. The cambion fell back, mortally wounded, with one hand holding its abdomen where its entrails were exposed. It snarled at its enemies and tried to raise its blade but as it did, Litiraan staggered into the chamber having apparently been hit by another bolt of flame from the mirrors. The elf raised his wand and loosed a silver bolt that flew past the cambion, inches from its back and struck the wall beside it. The half-devil looked around desperately, realising that it was surrounded as a golden bolt of fire from Telkya’s amulet struck the wall above its head. The creature let go of its blood-soaked belly and raised its blade just as Erlmoor swept out with his sword and beheaded it where it stood. The dragonborn looked down at his fallen enemy with weary eyes and then dropped his own blade. Weakly, he reached a hand to the wound in his side and then collapsed on top of the cambion.
“Something else lurks in here,” said Enlishia as she looked towards the northern doors.

The ranger rushed past the others and, shouldering her bow, reached out with both hands to pull open the doors. She looked inside and then stood back, aghast. There, before her, a skull floated in the air above a crystal orb on a wooden stand. Flames of unnatural colour surrounded the skull, casting light like a torch. The skull turned toward her as it realised the intrusion and shrieked – the same sound that the companions had heard when first they had entered the outer corridor.

Lavren heard the shriek of the skull and rushed past Enlishia into the northern chamber. He turned to face the creature, cursing it in elven as he did, and then loosed black, crackling energy toward it. The skull moved in flight with surprising agility and the bolt flew past the creature to strike the wall behind it.
“A flameskull,” Lavren called out, recognising the creature from elven lore he had read as a boy. “An ancient undead creature created by rituals lost to man and elf.”

Dulvarna heard her friend call out and gestured for Telkya to tend to Erlmoor. Then she raised her blade and rushed into the northern chamber after Lavren. As she reached the creature, it lurched back beyond the reach of her blade and opened its mouth to disgorge a bolt of flame. The searing bolt struck the warrior woman in the chest and hurled her back into the wall behind her. The creature seemed to snarl and then lurched to the right as Litiraan rushed into the room and hurled a silver bolt of magical force at it. Then Erlmoor appeared beside Dulvarna and she drew strength from the return of the dragonborn, pushing herself away from the wall and raising her blade to attack the skull once more.

Enlishia rushed into the chamber behind the others and raised her bow as she came. She loosed an arrow that flew forth and drove into the side of the skull. It shrieked again and she fired again but this time the arrow flew past the creature and clattered into the far wall. A blast of black energy from Lavren’s wand followed, also striking the wall, and then Dulvarna charged at the skull with her blade before her. She lashed out at the skull and nicked its crown before it could move away. It moved to its left and opened its mouth to loose another bolt of flame but as it did, Dulvarna struck at it again, chipping bone from the side of the skull. The flame seared out but as the skull lurched from the warrior woman’s second blow, the fire flew past Dulvarna and struck the wall behind her.

Litiraan loosed another silver bolt that flew past the skull and struck stone and then Telkya appeared in the doorway behind Erlmoor. She hurled a bolt of golden fire that struck the wall above the flameskull. Erlmoor rushed forward, circling around the crystal ball stand to meet the skull on the other side. His blade sang out but the skull flew back beyond his reach and again it seemed to snarl. An arrow from Enlishia’s bow streaked past the creature and shattered against the far wall but then the ranger fired again and this time, the shaft drove into the skull just above its left eye socket. Lavren moved back toward the doorway to protect Telkya and hurled black energy as he did. The bolt struck the stone wall above the skull and he cursed. The creature shrieked again and Dulvarna rushed at it.

The warrior woman’s blade sang out and again the skull moved but still she nicked bone from the flame covered back of the creature. It lurched in the air and opened its mouth to loose more flame. As it did, both Erlmoor and Dulvarna leapt forward. It lurched away from Dulvarna toward the dragonborn and the paladin’s met it with a huge overhead swing. It clove through the skull down to the jawbone and shattered the creature into a dozen pieces. The flames died instantly and the now inert bone clattered to the chamber floor.

*Next.....Beasts and Mazes*


----------



## Medriev (May 27, 2009)

*Chapter 9 - Beasts and Mazes (Part 1)*

Lavren reached for the new wand at his belt as the companions entered the room to the south of the corridor that held the mirrors. Telkya had found it and a potion that she had decided was a healing draught under the mattress of one the beds in the chamber that the cambions had fallen defending. Dulvarna had taken the potion and Lavren the wand which he had quickly determined to be more powerful than the one he currently wielded. As he drew the wand, the elf looked up the statue of a robed figure that stared down the length of the wide hallway. A short passage had led south and then east from the mirror hall before ending at the doors to this wide chamber. At the far end, an exact duplicate of the closer statue stood, regarding its counterpart with eyes of stone that had likely looked out sightlessly for centuries.
“I don’t like this,” Lavren hissed without knowing why he spoke quietly.
“Neither do I,” Enlishia whispered from beside him.

The ranger raised her bow, nocking an arrow to the string as she did, and then moved past Telkya into the room itself. She crossed almost to the centre of the room before a loud grinding sound filled the hallway and the floor began to tilt. Enlishia looked back plaintively at the others and then the floor tilted over sharply along with the south wall of the room and hurled the ranger bodily across into the stone wall. Before any of the companions could react, the wall tilted further and threw Enlishia out of sight as the floor took the wall’s place and another floor rotated up to take its place. As this floor appeared, it threw out a scattering of rats the size of small dogs that turned to hiss at the companions while glaring at them with fierce red eyes.

Telkya raised her amulet and loosed a bolt of golden light toward the rats but they scattered and the divine fire struck the new stone floor. Dulvarna stepped in front of the closest statue careful not to stray onto the area that had tilted and lashed out with her blade. The nearest rat squealed as her sword struck it and hurled it across the floor to lie in a bloody heap amongst its companions. The other rats glanced towards the body of their fellow as though contemplating it as a meal but then seemed to decide that the adventurers represented more tasty fare and started toward them. They rushed at the companions in a swarm, snapping at the legs of Telkya, Erlmoor and Dulvarna. 

Erlmoor gagged as the overpowering stench of rot reached him along with the rats. He retched but raised his blade anyway and drove it through the nearest of the horrible creatures. To the dragonborn’s left, Lavren vanished from the doorway in a shower of light motes only to reappear to the south of the statue with his wand raised. The warlock cursed the nearest rat and loosed a searing black bolt from his wand only for the creature to dart aside. The bolt struck the floor where the rat had been leaving the rat unharmed. Litiraan raised his own wand but from where he stood in the doorway, his companions blocked his sight of the rats and he dared not risk loosing a spell. Instead, he moved closer to the statue and held up his blade, ready to aid Telkya should she need it.

Enlishia fell hard into a pit at the end of what had felt like a chute of smooth stone and felt things crunch beneath her. She lay still for a breath or two but then realised that she was not alone in the pit. A terrible odour of rot filled her nostrils and as she gagged, she realised that the things that had crunched beneath her were bones. She struggled to rise but before she could get fully to her feet, something lashed into her side and flung her into the wall of the pit. Desperately, she cried out and tried to scramble up the wall but the sides were too small and she fell back. Fear took hold of her then but still she shouldered her bow and drew her sword from her back. Using sense rather than sight in the darkness that surrounded her, she stabbed out at the creature that she knew lurked close by. Her blade struck nothing but air and as she heard the creature move, she felt tears run down her cheeks.
“Dulvarna!” she cried out. “Erlmoor!” But no one answered.


----------



## Medriev (May 29, 2009)

*Chapter 9 - Beasts and Mazes (Part 2)*

his anger while beside him, Telkya retched and lashed out at the rat before her. To Erlmoor’s right, Dulvarna lashed her sword across and gutted two rats with a single blow, the bodies flying away from her and smearing the floor with blood. Telkya leapt back as the rat before her ran forward and snapped at her but then Erlmoor roared again, spraying the two remaining rats with acid and searing them into blackened corpses.
“We have to save Enlishia,” he called out and rushed past the fallen rats to place where Enlishia had stood when the floor had tilted. Sure enough, the floor tilted again and Enlishia was thrown out of sight into the space behind the wall.
“He’s right,” said Lavren as he rushed forward. “We all must go into the trap to aid Enlishia.”

The elf rushed across the floor, expecting it to tilt at any moment but it did not and he crossed the smooth space without harm. Litiraan moved past Telkya and crossed close to the north wall but again the trap did not spring. Both elves shared puzzled looks as they pondered how to rescue their friends.

In the pit, Enlishia heard something else crunch down onto the bones followed by a low growl that identified the newcomer as Erlmoor. She felt sudden relief and though her unknown enemy still stood close by and lashed at her with what she assumed were tentacles, she felt hope return. At least she would not die alone, she decided, as a tentacle lashed out again and slammed her into the side of the pit.

Telkya looked across the smooth floor to her brother and her husband, momentarily undecided about what she should do next. They had both tried to trigger the trap and failed and now she hoped that perhaps venturing into whatever darkness Erlmoor and Enlishia had vanished into would not be needed. She could cross the smooth floor without stepping on it using her fey step but then the ranger and the dragonborn would be alone wherever they had been thrown to. Both Lavren and Litiraan looked at her with pleading eyes and she knew she could not leave them. She closed her eyes and vanished into a shower of light only to reappear a few moments beyond the smooth floor between Lavren and Litiraan.
“Perhaps we can trigger the trap from her and bring them back to us,” she said to both elves.
“I hope so,” Dulvarna answered. “I need you to bring me back.”

The warrior woman rushed forward with her blade before her and as she reached the far side of the smooth floor, the stone tilted again and threw her into darkness behind the south wall as it dropped away. She slid down a shoot in pitch darkness and then a stench of rot and decay assailed her before she landed painfully in a pit. Bones crunched beneath her feet and a large creature moved in front of her. She stabbed out with her blade and drove it into the flesh of the creature, hoping too late that it was an enemy and not one of her friends. Suddenly a tentacle with sharp barbs or teeth at its end slammed Dulvarna into the pit wall while others lashed out elsewhere around the creature. She heard Erlmoor roar and Enlishia cry out and knew that she had found her friends.
“We have to get out of this pit,” Erlmoor snarled as he tried to get leverage on the pit wall.

He roared his annoyance a moment later as he fell back into the pit and turned on the creature while calling out a prayer to Lathander. His blade glowed brightly, momentarily illuminating the three struggling companions and the creature they faced. Before them was a terrible creature with a squat body on short legs, two grasping tentacles with toothy maws at their ends and another tentacle with three eyes in a spike-guarded orifice at the end. Its skin was black and covered with rotting detritus and its body was dominated by a huge mouth filled with dagger-like teeth. Then Erlmoor’s sword clove into the top of the creature’s body and the companions were plunged back into darkness.

Lavren looked down at the smooth floor and then up at the south wall which was now back in place, although in reality it had last been the floor. The bodies of the terrible rot-covered rats had been hurled after Dulvarna and now a clean floor lay before the three remaining companions. The warlock stabbed at the new floor with his sword but the trap refused to trigger. Litiraan joined him as did Telkya but this new floor refused to move.
“They can’t be trapped,” said Telkya.
“Let us hope they are not,” Litiraan answered without conviction.


----------



## Medriev (May 30, 2009)

*Chapter 9 - Beasts and Mazes (Part 3)*

Enlishia threw her sword up onto the floor above the pit, slung her bow over her shoulder and ran at the pit wall, hurling herself up it and hooking her arms over the top. The creature, which she recognised as some corrupted form of otyugh, lashed out a tentacle that seared across her back but still she held onto the ledge and dragged herself slowly up out of the pit. Once she had cleared the pit, she clambered carefully up the smooth stone of the shoot until she judged that she was a safe distance away. Only then did she reach to her belt and light a torch to throw onto the stone in front of her. Her sword lay where she had thrown it close to the pit edge but she knew she could not go back to it. Erlmoor and Dulvarna glanced back and blinked in the sudden light but then they nodded their thanks and turned their blades on the otyugh.

In the pit, Dulvarna raised her blade over her head and brought it down on the top of the otyugh, cleaving another deep wound in the creature’s hide. It lashed out again with its toothed tentacles and Dulvarna ducked under its attack but Erlmoor was slammed into the pit wall again. The dragonborn roared and lashed at the creature once and then a second time with his glowing blade, cutting two more deep wounds in its fleshy body. Golden energy burst from the paladin’s blade as it struck the second blow and both Enlishia and Dulvarna felt new strength flow into them. Erlmoor roared again and Enlishia unshouldered her bow while reaching for an arrow. As she did, the floor beneath her tilted away and threw her again into darkness. The ranger landed hard in a space that she decided quickly was beneath the floor of the hallway above. Then she smelt the foul stench of death and nausea overtook her. She retched once and then collapsed to the floor, helpless as the rats that she knew surrounded her, scuttled closer.

Telkya and Litiraan watched the floor tilt again and waited for their companions to reappear as the new floor rose into place but they did not. Desperately, the two elves prodded at the floor with their blades as Lavren had done but the trap would not spring again. Still, they continued their efforts, hoping against hope that their friends would return.

Dulvarna slashed at the otyugh desperately as gore and blood poured from the creature. It staggered and then let out a terrible roar from its tooth-filled mouth. Again it lashed out with its tentacles and again Dulvarna ducked under the flailing appendage aimed at her. The tentacle aimed at Erlmoor lashed in his side, tearing at his flesh and hurling him back into the wall of the pit once more. Still he roared his defiance and drove his blade into the side of the otyugh. A thunderclap sounded as the blow struck home and then the creature’s tentacles fell limply beside its body. Finally, its legs gave way and the creature collapsed into the bones and rotting flesh on the floor of the pit.

“Time we left,” the dragonborn said breathlessly as blood poured from various wounds on his body.
“Agreed,” Dulvarna said.”

It was Litiraan’s blade that triggered the trap this time and to the companions’ relief, when the new floor came up from below, Enlishia lay on it. Telkya dragged her off the trapped part of the stone and began to tend to her wounds with cloth bandages and healing prayers. When the floor tilted up again, Dulvarna clung onto a fallen Erlmoor and again Telkya set to work to keep the dragonborn alive.
“Did we win?” Lavren asked Dulvarna.
“We won,” the warrior woman answered breathlessly.


----------



## Medriev (May 31, 2009)

*Chapter 9 - Beasts and Mazes (Part 4)*

The companions rested in the eastern end of the chamber for a few hours while Telkya tended their wounds and then examined their way forward. Doors led out of the room to the north and south at the eastern end of the room and after some debate, they opted for the southern portal. This led them into a winding passage that turned left and right before turning east and opening into a wide chamber with its floor, ceiling and walls covered with thick, rich earth. Before them, the companions saw a dense thicket that reached from floor to ceiling, forming a wall that would force them to turn to the right or to the left. A dim yellow glow filled the room, and the thickets were dense enough to block vision. Their vines were covered with long, sharp thorns making them a barrier to passage as well as to sight.
“We go this way,” Erlmoor announced and started forward down the right hand path.

He had not gone far when he paused as he saw a creature around the corner ahead of him. It had brown skin similar in texture to tree bark and was dressed in a ragged grey tunic and breeches. It had a short sword on its belt and as the dragonborn started forward, it drew the blade and then shrank away to the north. Once it had retreated a certain distance, it seemed to blend into the vines and thorns its stood next to and vanished.
“Arboreans,” Erlmoor called out as he recognised the rarely seen forest creatures. 

Then he paused as he saw a horse-sized bore covered in thick, bristly hair. Its muscled legs pawed and stamped as it saw the paladin and its great tusks quiver with bloodlust. Slowly it turned towards Erlmoor and he knew that it would charge.
“A boar!” he called out to the others. “They have a boar as well.”

Litiraan rushed forward to aid Erlmoor, raising his wand and his sword as he reached the area of tangled vines and roots in which Erlmoor now stood. He moved forward slowly to stand at the dragonborn’s left shoulder and made ready as best he could for the boar’s inevitable charge. When it came, the beast charged in a fury of hooves and tusks, grossing the ground between it and Erlmoor in a heartbeat. As it reached the dragonborn, he stepped to one side and as it lashed out with its horns, he leapt back. Frustrated, the boar backed up a few steps and snorted, sizing up its foe. Erlmoor raised his sword and prepared to meet its next surge forward.

Dulvarna looked nervously toward the left hand passage past the thicket before her but then decided that Erlmoor needed her aid more. She rushed forward to where Litiraan stood and then surged into battle, raising her sword above her head and then bringing it down on the boar’s back. The beast squealed and snorted and moved back another step, out of reach of its foe’s dangerous blade. It regarded the dragonborn and the warrior woman with fierce eyes and pawed at the ground as it prepared to charge again.

Telkya looked to the left and the right but quickly made up her mind. She raised her sword and took her amulet in her left hand before starting off down the left hand passage.
“This way,” she called back to Lavren and Enlishia. “We may be able to come around behind the boar.”

The elf maid rushed off down the narrow left passage that snaked around to the left and then left again, doubling back toward the west wall of the chamber. A buttress of stone formed the left wall of the passage as it doubled back and hid her companions from view. The passage widened and turned right ahead of her then and as she turned right, she saw movement. There, a few steps away to her right, stood a brown-skinned man-like creature in a tattered grey tunic and trousers. With a start, she turned toward the creature, recognising it as an arborean as Erlmoor had though she had no way to know whether it was the one that the dragonborn had encountered.

“More enemies!” she called back to the others. “Use fire against the arboreans. They fear and loath it.”
“I have no fire,” Enlishia said as she rounded the corner and nocked an arrow to her bow. “Only this.”

The ranger raised her bow to aim at the creature and as she did, Lavren rounded the corner and raised his wand. The forest creature stepped back as it realised that it was outnumbered and Lavren moved to stand beside Telkya. As he did, he saw beyond the elf maid and the arborean, a hunched crone clad in tattered garb who had been moving away but now turned back to face the companions. She wore dusty robes and seemed to be muttering, hissing and moaning to herself.
“A hag,” Lavren hissed quietly. “A manifestation of all that is dark and terrible in nature.”

Telkya nodded as her husband identified the creature and raised her amulet. The hag hissed and started back toward the companions. The hag rushed past the arborean to the right and crossed the open space into which Lavren and Telkya had ventured. Then it turned and let out a terrible howl that struck Lavren like a hammer blow. He was thrown back, past Telkya and toward the arborean that still stood with its blade held ready. The creature stabbed its blade into the elf’s thigh and he reeled away from his enemy, dazed and wounded.

Erlmoor stepped forward and struck at the boar, cleaving his sword into the beast’s side and driving it back and away from him. Behind the dragonborn, Litiraan sensed the battle was all but won and as he had no way of loosing a spell at the creature that would not hit his friends, he turned away and headed back to the entrance to the chamber. Hearing the sounds of battle, he turned north and rushed after Enlishia, Lavren and Telkya.

The boar, meanwhile, pawed the ground and rushed at Erlmoor but again the paladin leapt back and to the left and the beast’s terrible tusks gored at nothing but air. Lavren plunged her blade into the creature’s left flank as it swung its head back and forth and with another squeal, it retreated. The beast regarded its enemies with a fierce desperation in its eyes and pawed the ground as it prepared itself for one final charge. Then, suddenly, Dulvarna sensed movement to her right and looked back over her shoulder. There, another brown-skinned arborean rounded the corner, this one dressed in long, grey robes as tattered as its companions clothes had been. In its right hand, the creature wielded a scythe and it came forward with a stern determination.

“More enemies behind us,” Dulvarna called to Erlmoor.
“Then we had best kill this boar quickly,” the dragonborn answered.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 2, 2009)

*Chapter 9 - Beasts and Mazes (Part 5)*

Telkya loosed a bolt of golden divine energy from her amulet toward the hag but the creature stepped to its left and the bolt flew past to strike the wall beyond. Enlishia moved forward and raised her bow, loosing two arrows quickly. One drove into the hag’s shoulder, drawing a screech from the crone but the other streaked past, clattering into the wall behind the creature. Lavren, finally recovered from the hag’s assault, rushed at the arborean that had wounded him. He feinted to the left and then drove his blade into the creature’s right hip. It staggered back and slashed out with his own blade to try and keep the fierce elf at bay. Lavren paid its sword no mind and came forward again in a rush.

Erlmoor rushed at the boar again but as he started forward, he felt a sharp pain sear across the bottom of his back. He turned and looked over his right shoulder to see that a second scythe-wielding arborean had rushed at him and wounded him with its scythe. He growled at the brown-skinned creature and then leapt at the boar, driving his blade into the creature’s skull. The beast lashed out with its tusks one last time as Erlmoor leapt away from it and then it slumped to the earth floor and died. With a roar, Erlmoor turned on the spot to face his new enemies and raised his blade again.

The hag crossed the open space to rejoin the arborean and as it did, it turned and howled at the companions again. Lavren and Enlishia were hurled against the west wall and reeled away along it while Telkya was hurled back into the passage between the wall of the thicket to the south. The arborean rushed after Telkya, stabbing its blade into her shoulder and driving her back into the south wall of the passage. She cried out and as she did, a silver missile streaked past the arborean and struck the west wall. Looking to her right, Telkya saw that her brother had come to aid her and knew that she would not fall to her bark-skinned foe.

Dulvarna turned to face these new foes and as she did, a tunic-clad arborean wielding a short sword, appeared as if from nowhere a few feet away. It rushed at her and stabbed out with its blade but she swept her own sword across and knocked its weapon aside. She twisted Aecris back up and across and slashed the blade across the creature’s chest, tearing its tunic and the bark-like skin beneath. Then another of the scythe-wielders rushed into the battle, slashing out with its long weapon and tearing a painful wound in Dulvarna’s left shoulder. She cried out, falling back a step as she did but her enemies kept coming toward her and she realised that these foes would be harder to slay than the boar had been.

Telkya lashed out desperately with her sword and thought for a moment that her blade would drive into the arborean’s side but at the last, the creature parried with its own blade. Beyond the arborean, Lavren and Enlishia had recovered enough to loose arrows and black bolts of energy at the hag and from the screeches she heard, Telkya judged that the creature was being hurt further by their attacks. Then the hag howled again and both were thrown back along the wall again beyond Telkya’s sight. Seeing its foe’s distraction, the arborean came at the elf maid then and though she parried as best she could, again its blade snuck through, piercing her hip this time. She fell back into the wall and Litiraan hurled another silver bolt from his wand but still the creature kept coming. Telkya began to doubt her victory then, wondering if this strange creature would in fact defeat her.

Erlmoor roared at the new foes before him, spraying acid from his mouth that seared the robes and skin of the two scythe-wielders. Erlmoor surged forward, lashing out left and right with his blade but each time, the scythe-wielders before him met his blade with their own blades ot the shafts of their long weapons. To the right of the dragonborn, the sword-wielder rushed at Dulvarna and drove its blade into her hip, forcing her back a step. She came back forward almost at once, her blade dancing back and forth before her until she leapt at her foe and thrust Aecris into the arborean’s thigh. It staggered and reeled back a step, dragging its wounded leg with it. The scythe-wielders came forward in a fury next, both slashing their weapons at Erlmoor. The paladin parried desperately, somehow managing to keep both at bay for a few moments more.

“Do we hold here?” he asked Dulvarna as the arboreans drew back for a moment.
“For now we do,” Dulvarna answered. “And we hope that the others come to aid us.”


----------



## Medriev (Jun 3, 2009)

*Chapter 9 - Beasts and Mazes (Part 6)*

Telkya was also hoping for aid as she raised her sword again and uttered a prayer to Corellon. She stabbed out with her blade and drove it into the side of the arborean before her. As the sword struck home, a surge of healing energy passed along it and into Telkya, restoring some of her strength and spirit. To the north, Enlishia and Lavren resumed their assault on the hag, the ranger loosing two arrows, one of which drove into the creature’s side. Lavren loosed more black energy but the blast flew wide of the hag as his first had. Then the hag howled again and the elf and the ranger were hurled painfully into the north wall of the chamber. 

The arborean before Telkya seemed to smile as it heard the hag howl again and then rushed at the elf maid with its blade before it. It stabbed out with its sword but Telkya dodged to the left and slapped the blade away with her own weapon. To her right, Telkya heard Litiraan chant another spell and this time, a curtain of flame seared from his wand. The fire engulfed the arborean, burning its clothes and the skin beneath  but also tore into the thicket to the elf’s right. From beyond the thick thorns and vines, the hag screeched as the flames reached her too and for the first time since the battle had begun, Telkya smiled.

Erlmoor surged at the two scythe-wielders, feinting at the one to his left and then sweeping his blade across into the side of the other arborean. The creature fell back but as it did, the sword-wielder rushed at Dulvarna and drove its blade into her thigh. She staggered back a step but then lashed her blade low into the creature’s left leg, sending it reeling back from her. The scythe-wielders rushed at Erlmoor a moment later, slashing their weapons high and then low to cut wounds in the dragonborn’s right thigh and left hip. He roared and staggered back from his enemies while they kept coming forward and parried desperately, hoping as Dulvarna had hoped that aid would soon come.

Telkya loosed a bolt of divine power from her amulet that narrowly missed the fire-scarred arborean and the creature took another step back as though it pondered retreat. Beyond the creature, Telkya saw Enlishia rush into the open space again and turn her bow on the hag. The ranger loosed two arrows quickly and the hag screeched as they drove into her chest and belly. Lavren came forward to join his friend, turning his wand on the hag and this time, the bolt of black, crackling energy he loosed, drove into the hag’s chest. The crone gave one final screech of pain and anger and then fell to the earth floor. The arborean seemed to panic then but gestured with its left hand as though reaching down and raising something from the ground. Moments later, thorn-covered vines burst forth from the ground and seized Lavren, Litiraan and Telkya, their spikes piercing their flesh and their powerful fronds holding the three companions in place. The bark-skinned creature turned and fled around the corner of the hedge maze, rushing east and then vanishing from sight as it blended into the green background of the thickets.

Erlmoor chanted a prayer to Lathander and as his blade glowed brightly, he struck out at the scythe-wielder before him, slashing his blade into the creature’s shoulder. A surge of healing energy flowed up the sword and into the dragonborn, restoring some of his strength but then the arboreans came forward again the paladin and the warrior woman were pushed back onto the defensive. A scythe tore into Erlmoor’s shoulder and drove him back but beside him, Dulvarna held firm, holding her enemy at bay. Still, the assault was furious and both Dulvarna and Erlmoor began to wonder whether the time to retreat was at hand.

Telkya and Litiraan struggled against the vines that held them and could not break free but Enlishia, unhindered, started after the fleeing arborean. She reached another open space to the east with a square pool at its centre and heard the sounds of battle to the south. She started to turn the corner but as she did, the burned and wounded arborean appeared beside the thicket next to her and stabbed out at her with its blade. The sword plunged into the ranger’s right thigh and she twisted away while reaching for an arrow to nock to her bowstring. To her left, she saw Dulvarna and Erlmoor fighting fiercely against three arboreans and knew that she had to slay this one so that she could go to their aid.

Erlmoor looked back as he heard movement behind him and saw Enlishia face to face with another arborean. Realising that his friends were not far away, he summoned all the strength he had left and raised his sword above his head to strike a mighty blow. The blade came down and clove into the shoulder of the arborean before him. The creature collapsed to the floor and dropped its scythe though it was not slain and reached out quickly to recover the weapon.

The sword-wielder came at Dulvarna in a rush again but she was ready and parried each of its sword thrusts before countering with a sweep across the arborean’s chest. Dulvarna swept Aecris on and as the scythe-wielder that Erlmoor had felled tried to rise, her blade clove into its left arm and sent it lurching to the right. The creature hissed and lashed out wildly at Dulvarna, the scythe’s point driving painfully into her left thigh. She staggered and fell back, wondering if retreat was truly the only choice now, but then she heard Enlishia’s bow sing behind her and knew that she and Erlmoor had to hold.
Enlishia leapt back from the arborean she faced and loosed an arrow into the creature’s chest. It lurched back and as it did, the ranger nocked another shaft to her bowstring and fired. This arrow drove into the creature’s throat and burst out the back of its neck. The arborean seemed to gasp and hiss and then it collapsed to the earth floor of the chamber.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 4, 2009)

*Chapter 9 - Beasts and Mazes (Part 7)*

The arboreans came forward again and a scythe drove into Erlmoor’s side, forcing him back and away from his enemies. The dragonborn roared and spun around, his blade singing out but slashing through nothing but air. The sword-wielder rushed at Dulvarna but she parried its sword thrusts with typical skill and then countered. As she came forward, a silver bolt flew behind the creature and both she and the arborean looked to the west from which the bolt had come. There stood Litiraan, his wand in hand, and another spell on his lips. Dulvarna smiled and slashed her blade across the bark-skinned creature’s belly forcing it back as she drove her blade on into the side of the scythe-wielder next to it. The creature still managed to lash out with its scythe and gouge another wound down Erlmoor’s arm from shoulder to elbow. As the  dragonborn reared back, Telkya arrived in the southern corridor behind Litiraan and loosed a golden bolt of energy that seared past the sword-wielder’s back. The arboreans wavered for a moment but then the other scythe-wielder lashed out with its weapon, driving the point into the side of Erlmoor’s chest. With a gasp, the dragonborn fell before his enemies.

Lavren cursed the arborean sword-wielder from the southern passage and loosed a bolt of black energy that seared into the creature’s side. The creature was thrown to the floor where it lay unmoving, its sword fallen from its grasp. Litiraan loosed lightning from his wand that seared into both of the remaining arboreans. One of the scythe-wielders collapsed next to its fallen companion and the last began to waver as it realised that it faced six enemies alone. Dulvarna rushed at it then, moving to stand over Erlmoor’s fallen form to protect him from further harm. Her blade sang out and clove into the arborean’s left arm sending it reeling away.

Telkya rushed forward to aid Dulvarna, slashing her blade at the arborean while uttering a healing prayer. She held her amulet towards Erlmoor and a tendril of golden light reached out to touch the dragonborn. His eyes opened at once and began to drag himself back into the northern passage so that he could rise to his feet. As he did, the arborean suddenly lurched forward as an arrow drove into its back. Another drove into the thicket next to the creature and as the companions looked, they saw Enlishia coming forward down the passage behind the arborean. The creature flew into a rage then, lashing out with its scythe and driving the point into Dulvarna’s hip. She fell back a step and the arborean came forward but then a black bolt from Lavren’s wand struck it in the side and kept it at bay. Erlmoor rose beside Dulvarna with a roar and the creature knew then that it was beaten. 

The dragonborn rushed at the creature and slashed at with his blade, the steel tearing into the creature’s arm. Litiraan appeared behind the creature in a shower of light and stabbed at it with his blade while Dulvarna thrust her blade into its belly. The arborean staggered and as it did, Telkya leapt forward and drove her sword through its throat. With a hiss, it collapsed amongst its companions and the battle was over.

*Next......The Well of Loss*


----------



## Medriev (Jun 5, 2009)

*Chapter 10 - The Well of Loss (Part 1)*

Once they had tended to their wounds, the companions found a passage leading south out of the maze chamber close to where the final battle with the arboreans had taken place. The corridor led a short way south and then ended at double doors. Dulvarna and Erlmoor raised their swords and held them against their shoulders and then each reached out for the iron ring handles of the doors. They pulled open the portals at the same time and revealed a wide, square chamber. The floor was thick, loamy soil, and a wide pit with sharply sloped sides had been dug to dominate the centre of the room. On the sides and a the bottom of the pit were what looked like several masses of vines, rocks and soil, all pressed into clumps perhaps ten feet wide. Across the pit stood a creature with goat-like horns, holding a set of reed pipes and with a longbow slung over its shoulder.

Enlishia rushed into the chamber first and raised her bow as she looked down into the pit. There, the mounds of vegetation were starting to move, extending tendrils of vines and roots as though questing for prey. She looked over at the goat-horned creature and recognised it as a satyr, a capricious and sometimes violent woodland creature. Enlishia nocked an arrow to her bow, intending to fire into the pit but as she did, the satyr reached for his own bow marking him as an enemy. She raised her bow and loosed an arrow that flew past the satyr to clatter into the stone wall behind it. She nocked and fired another arrow quickly but this too flew wide of the mark. The satyr drew an arrow from the quiver at its belt, nocked it to its bow and fired. Enlishia dodged to the right and the arrow struck the stone wall behind her. She reached for another arrow and raised her bow to fire again at the satyr.

Telkya rushed into the chamber behind Enlishia and circled around the opposite side of the pit. She raised her amulet and loosed a bolt of golden light into the satyr’s side that drove it back from the edge of the pit. With a roar, Erlmoor charged into the chamber and circled around to the left, passing Enlishia and rushing to meet the satyr with his blade. At the same time, Litiraan circled around the other side of the pit until he stood beside Telkya. He raised his wand and uttered a spell that hurled a silver bolt toward the satyr. It struck the creature in the shoulder and drove it back another step from the pit edge. A moment later, a crackling bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand struck the satyr and the creature reeled toward the south wall of the chamber. Lavren smiled for a moment but then two tendrils of plant matter lashed out from the pit and seized Telkya by an arm and a leg. Sharp thorns drove into the elf maid’s skin and she cried out as suddenly, the tendrils jerked her forward and she plunged down the slope into the pit.

Dulvarna cried out and rushed into the chamber, hurling herself headlong down the north slope of the pit. As she reached the plant creature, she lashed out with her blade, hacking at the vines and fronds that made up the body of this strange creature. Across the pit, a door, unnoticed by all, opened next to Enlishia and from it emerged one of the robed arborean scythe-wielders. It lashed its scythe out of the doorway and drove the point into Enlishia’s right leg, forcing the ranger back against the east wall of the chamber. As the ranger staggered, two fronds lashed out of the pit from another of the plant creatures. One struck the wall next to her but the other lashed into her side, tearing at her flesh and sending her reeling. Desperately, Enlishia tried to retreat but as she looked to the left, she saw more movement in the pit and behind the first arborean, another scythe-wielder came forth. The creature swung out its scythe and Enlishia leapt back, just beyond the reach of its terrible weapon.

Enlishia raised her bow and loosed an arrow into the nearest arborean before retreating away from her enemies along the edge of the pit. She looked back toward the satyr and saw that the fey creature had turned its bow toward Litiraan and loosed an arrow at the wizard. The shaft drove into the elf’s left arm and threw him back into the wall. In the pit, meanwhile, Telkya stabbed and slashed her way free of the plant creature’s body and began to retreat up the slope. She held her blade before her and knew that the creature would attack her again before she could get free. She looked around for aid and saw Erlmoor moving along the far edge of the pit. The dragonborn paused as though sensing her gaze and then charged at the satyr with a roar.

The paladin reached the satyr before the creature had chance to react and slashed his blade across and up into the creature’s belly. It gasped and staggered back, its legs all but giving way beneath it and before it could recover, a silver bolt and a black bolt of energy seared into it, throwing it back against the south wall of the chamber. It looked pleadingly at Erlmoor for a moment and the dragonborn shook its head.
“You have chosen poor allies,” he growled and the satyr scrambled away from him.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 6, 2009)

*Chapter 10 - The Well of Loss (Part 2)*

Telkya scrambled back up the slope desperately but as she did, two tendrils lashed out to seize her, one around her leg and the other around her throat. Sharp thorns drove into her flesh and blood poured from her wounds. She gasped and gagged as blood filled her throat then merciful blackness took her. The creature dragged the elf maid’s lifeless body into its own and enveloped her with thorns and fronds for a second time. Dulvarna cried out and lashed out at the creature but though her blade tore at the fronds, leaves and thorns, it seemed to do no harm. Again the warrior woman cried out and as she did, both Lavren and Litiraan let out strangled cries of their own. Telkya was surely lost to them and her brother and husband were consumed with grief.

The arboreans came forth from the side chamber they had occupied, one rushing along the edge of the pit toward Enlishia. It lashed out with its scythe and she leapt back again but still the vicious weapon caught her left arm and spun her into the wall. Tendrils lashed out from the pit, one tearing across Enlishia’s abdomen and another tearing open her throat. Blood flowed down the ranger’s body and she staggered as a wave of nausea and pain assailed her. Finally, she fell to her knees and collapsed as blackness took her.

The second arborean rushed along the northern edge of the pit toward Lavren and Litiraan while the satyr leapt desperately away from Erlmoor. It raised its bow and fired an arrow into the dragonborn’s left arm but the paladin paid it no mind and came forward again. His blade sang out, clove through the satyr’s neck and beheaded the creature where it stood. Its body toppled over to its left and slid down into the pit. The dragonborn looked back along the pit edge and saw that Enlishia had fallen. He raised his blade and rushed off around the southern edge of the pit and then along the eastern edge to meet the arborean that stood over his friend.

Lavren and Litiraan turned toward the pit and loosed silver and black bolts of arcane power into the plant creature that had consumed Telkya. The creature lashed out with its tendrils and enveloped Dulvarna, thorns tearing at her arms and legs as it drew her into its body. The warrior woman fell amidst the vines, fronds and leaves but kept hold of her sword and lashed out with all her strength at the creature. The fronds around her fell back as her sword cut through them and she pulled herself free of them, clambering away, back up the sloping pit wall.
“We have to get away from here,” she called to the others. “Telkya is lost to us.”

Erlmoor heard his companion’s shout and glanced to his left, seeing the truth of his friend’s words. He had no time to contemplate retreat, though, as the arborean leapt over Enlishia and lashed out with its scythe. He brought his sword down and met the scythe with a strong parry. He roared his defiance but as he did, tendrils lashed into his legs tearing into his flesh and dragging him from his feet. He slid down the pit side and into the mass of another of the plant creatures. As he looked up, another of the arboreans was rushing at Lavren and Litiraan and the dragonborn knew that defeat was at hand.
“Get all you can away from this place,” he roared to Dulvarna on the pit’s northern slope but he had no idea whether she heard him as the plant creature consumed him.

Lavren met the arborean at the northwest corner of the pit and raised his blade but the creature swept its scythe in low and slashed a deep wound across the front of his right thigh. He looked down into the pit and saw that the plant creature had moved toward Dulvarna leaving Telkya’s broken form to roll free. Lavren looked desperately for signs of life but could see none and felt tears filling his eyes. He leapt away from his arborean enemy and lashed his wand to the left with a guttural cry. Purple bolts of energy lanced into the pit and seared into two of the plant creatures and for the first time, the one that had felled Telkya seemed to shrink back. 

Beside Lavren, Litiraan tried to drag his brother-in-law away from the pit as he moved towards double doors in the western wall of the chamber. He reached the doors and hurled them open but as he did, he turned and uttered a spell that loosed a curtain of flame into the plant creatures in the pit. The creature that Dulvarna fought, lashed out wildly at the warrior woman and wrapped two thorn-covered tendrils around her body. Dulvarna twisted and ducked out of the plant creature’s grasp before lashing her blade into the creature, tearing it in half. The vines and fronds fell back lifeless and Dulvarna clambered out of the pit. She reached down and dragged Telkya onto the ledge beside her before pulling a potion from her belt.
“Help your sister,” she said to Litiraan as she held out the potion vial.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 7, 2009)

*Chapter 10 - The Well of Loss (Part 3)*

As the plant creature enveloped him, Erlmoor roared again, spraying acid onto the creature’s fronds. He lashed out with his blade as the creature recoiled and tried to free himself but still, several vines held him fast. Others snaked out to securely hold him and he felt thorns pierce his side painfully as he struggled. He felt the creature moved across the floor of the pit  Tendrils lashed outward from close to where the dragonborn was held and he knew that the creature sought more of his companions to join him as its prey.

Litiraan watched as both of the remaining plant creatures slid across the pit floor toward the western edge. One lashed out two tendrils at Dulvarna but the warrior woman ducked under the thorn-covered appendages. The other creature lashed out fronds at Litiraan and while he ducked one, another struck the side of his leg and tore open the flesh there. He reeled away and looked down into the pit just as Erlmoor burst forth from the back of one of the creatures with a roar. A burst of golden, divine energy flashed out from the dragonborn as he freed himself and as Litiraan reached out for Dulvarna’s potion, he felt movement at his feet. Looking down, he saw poor bloodied and broken Telkya open her eyes and smile weakly.

Litiraan smiled back and found himself filled with a new determination that the companions would not be defeated here. He raised his wand and loosed an amber orb of flame into the pit that burst over the two remaining plant creatures. Further along the edge of the pit, Lavren saw Telkya’s eyes open and filled himself with a determination similar to Litiraan’s. He cursed the arborean as it came forward, attacking its mind but the plant creature ignored the assault and kept coming toward him. 

Dulvarna rushed past Lavren and met the arborean blade to scythe as it rounded the corner of the pit. Her  blade danced before her and then she struck out but the plant creature brought its scythe down and parried. Suddenly, Litiraan sensed movement to his right and turning, he raised his blade and parried the descending scythe of the other arborean as it tried to slash at him. The elf threw his blade to one side and pushed the arborean back a step but it came forward again quickly. Litiraan raised his blade but as he did, a tendril lashed out and seized him around the waist. Thorns drove into his body and blood flowed down to his waist but then another tendril lashed out and seized the elf around the neck. He gasped and then the tendrils jerked and he was dragged into the pit.

Dulvarna parried the scythe of the arborean as it swept high towards her throat but then the creature swept the blade around and down to drive the point into the warrior woman’s thigh. She cried out and staggered back before slashing her blade across to drive the scythe away. She looked back and felt her spirits rise as she saw Telkya rise to her feet at the pit edge. The elf maid closed her eyes and vanished in a shower of light motes, appearing a moment later on the southern edge of the pit. She rushed around to the eastern edge, hoping against hope that Enlishia yet lived. Dulvarna saw her run and admired her courage. They would not fall here, the warrior woman decided. They could not.

Erlmoor decided similarly in the pit and abandoned all efforts to strike at the plant creature. Instead, he turned and clambered up the sloping northern edge of the pit. A tendril lashed out at him but he threw himself low against the slope and the appendage swept over his head. He moved to the open northern doors and then turned back to the pit, uttering a prayer as he did. He held out his blade and a ribbon of divine fire burst forth, searing into the plant creature that had imprisoned him and burning away some of its fronds and vines. The dragonborn roared his defiance one more but then he realised that he could not see Litiraan. The elf had been taken by the plant creatures as his sister had been.

Lavren looked left and right and realised that he stood alone against the arborean that advanced along the western edge of the pit. Uttering a fey spell, he vanished and then reappeared against the northern wall beside the doors and not far from where Erlmoor now stood. He raised his wand and summoned fey wolves to arrack the closest of the plant creatures in the pit, the jaws of beasts tearing at the fronds and leaves of the creature. It shrank back toward the south and as it did, Lavren’s gaze followed it. It was then that he saw Litiraan, imprisoned within the other plant creature. The monsters in the pit had claimed another of the group’s number and the others had left Litiraan behind.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 8, 2009)

*Chapter 10 - The Well of Loss (Part 4)*

Dulvarna saw her companions gathered near the northern doors and realised that this was their only hope. She raised her blade above her head and brought it down heavily onto the shoulder of the arborean before dancing around to her left toward the doors. The creature’s knees buckled but did not give and the creature raised its scythe. Behind the creature, the other arborean rushed along the western edge of the pit and charged at Dulvarna. It lashed out with its scythe and drove the point into Dulvarna’s hip, spinning her into the wall behind her. Tentacles lashed at the ledge in front of Dulvarna but fell short of her and she moved left along the north wall toward her companions. She looked down at the potion vial that was now in her belt once more and knew that she would need it if she was to escape this terrible place.

Telkya rushed to Enlishia’s side, a healing prayer already on her lips. She uttered the prayer and divine light snaked out toward the fallen ranger. As it touched Enlishia, she opened her eyes and slowly began to move. Telkya rushed on and through the northern double doors out of the chamber.
“We have to go,” she called to the others, her voice breaking. “We cannot gain victory here.”

Erlmoor looked toward the northern corridor and then rushed forward to aid Dulvarna. He uttered a prayer and forced a part of his remaining strength into his blade as he drove it forward into the side of the arborean that the warrior woman yet faced. He thrust his blade deep into the creature’s body and as it reeled away, he drew back as well. Beside the dragonborn, Lavren raised his wand and loosed ribbons of eldritch fire at the nearest of the plant creatures in the pit. It vines and fronds withered and blackened in the fire until the creature was nothing more than a husk and lay unmoving on the northern slope of the pit. Lavren watched the creature die and then rushed into the northern passage after his beloved Telkya.

Dulvarna saw the plant creature die and reached for the potion at her belt. She unstoppered the vial with her teeth and drank the healing draught quickly before raising her blade and summoning the last of her strength. She lashed out her sword and cut a deep wound across the neck of the arborean before her, sending it reeling away. It fell over the edge of the pit and slid down to lie beside the burned remains of the plant creature. The warrior woman leapt to the left to stand beside Erlmoor on the northern edge of the pit as the last arborean rushed at them both, swinging its scythe out before it. Dulvarna met the weapon with her own blade and forced it away from her but as she did, a tendril from the last plant creature lashed across her left leg and almost swept her from her feet. She cursed and looked around to see where her friends were. She saw Enlishia rise to her feet and rush around the pit to the safety of the northern passage and she knew that she had done all she could to save her companions. 

Beside her Erlmoor retreated from the arborean and broke away to reach the safety of the northern passage,. Telkya raised her voice in prayer and called a column of divine light down on the remaining plant creature in the pit but it was too little and too late, Dulvarna knew. Litiraan was lost to them now and could not be saved and so Dulvarna drew back from her enemy and then turned and fled to the safety of the northern passage. The battle was over and the companions had lost one of their number. They fled northwards as black grief consumed them.

*Next.....Through Dark Waters*


----------



## Medriev (Jun 10, 2009)

*DM Note - The Well of Loss*

This encounter is very tough in my opinion and the PCs here were lucky to get out having lost only one of their number. Admittedly I had added an extra arborean to account for 6 PCs facing it but even without this it would have been hard to get through.

I played the decision to retreat as a pragmatic one that the PCs would take but looking back on it, I'm not sure it entirely fits the character of all of the group. Lavren certainly would take a pragmatic view but Dulvarna and Erlmoor would be less likely to. Anyway, I decided that the PCs would retreat to avoid losing more of their number and thus, a very likely TPK was avoided.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 10, 2009)

*Chapter 11 - Through Dark Waters (Part 1)*

The companions eventually stopped and rested in the chamber with the tilting floor, each one throwing themselves down on the floor and letting grief consume them. At first, once Telkya realised that Litiraan had not followed them, she wanted to go back, but Lavren held her back until she collapsed, broken, into his arms. All slept fitfully for a few hours with two keeping watch in turns and when they rose, they were all decided that they would turn north from the chamber away from the terrible plant creatures. Dulvarna led them through the north door in silence and when they emerged onto the rope bridges over the water-filled room that the harpies had guarded, she turned east without speaking. The companions climbed the stairs into the ettin’s chamber with the pit of corpses at its centre and there they stopped, for before them stood a man with bushy dark, shoulder length hair and a wild-looking beard. He knelt beside the fallen ettin, apparently examining the corpse. He wore a fur-trimmed tunic of deerskin and trousers of the same hide. At his belt hung a short stick, tied with bones and bird feathers while in one hand, he held up a long scythe.

“An arborean?” Telkya asked from behind Dulvarna.
“I think not,” answered the warrior woman.
“Fear not,” said the man as he turned to regard the newcomers. His nose was flat, his features bestial and his eyes were a bright green.
“I am no enemy but a lost traveller much as you are,” the man continued. “My name is Thorn Valerian and I am one of the few druids who still guard the Hullack Forest.”

“Well met, Thorn,” Dulvarna answered. “I am Dulvarna of Eveningstar and my companions are called the Defenders of Winterhaven.”
“How came you here?” Enlishia asked.
“I tracked a bandit named Gharash Vren,” Thorn answered. “My circle had been petitioned by the Lord of Sunset Hill to find Vren and his band. She offers a purse of gold for the man’s head.”
“And this place entrapped you as it did us?” Telkya asked though she already knew the answer.
“It did,” answered Thorn. “And now I know of no way to escape and no way to find Vren. Your work?”

As he asked the last, he gestured down to the blackened corpse of the slain ettin and the bloated bodies of the insect-like creatures in the pit.
“Yes,” Dulvarna answered. “And now we have returned here to seek another way. Terrible plant creatures lurk to the south and have slain one of our number. You are welcome to travel with us for we too seek a way out of this place.”

“I am grateful to you,” said the man sternly. “And if we find Vren within this place and live to claim the bounty of Lord Kelana Dhoram then we will share it between us.”


----------



## Medriev (Jun 11, 2009)

*Chapter 11 - Through Dark Waters (Part 2)*

The companions decided to go north again from the pit chamber so as to keep moving away from the arboreans and their servants. A long passage led north from the room toward double doors at its far end but before it reached the doors, a passage branched off to the right and double doors opened on the left. After a moment’s indecision, Dulvarna turned aside into the right hand passage.

“We shall not take a chance on leaving enemies behind us,” Dulvarna said as she started down the side passage and the others nodded their agreement. 
The passage ended after perhaps twenty feet at a staircase that descended before the companions. As Dulvarna descended the stairs, she saw that they disappeared into murky water that covered the floor of an oddly covered chamber that opened up before her. Three other stairways led out of the chamber and a platform floated atop the water on the eastern side of the chamber. A heavy door stood in the wall beside the platform and two hulking, reptilian creatures rose from the water near the middle of the room. Around them, three smaller figures swam and as Dulvarna reached the bottom of the stairway, they turned toward her and hissed.

Dulvarna raised her blade high and then waded out into the water to her left, ready to meet the blackscaled creatures in the middle of the pool. Enlishia waded into the pool behind her with her bow above the water level which came to just higher than her waist.
“Lizard folk,” she called to the others. “Fierce fighters and used to water.”
“They haven’t seen me fight yet,” Thorn called back from the steps as he came forward.

Enlishia nocked an arrow to her bow and loosed it at a greenscale lizardfolk near the north wall. The shaft drove into the creature’s shoulder and the first splashed of red blood stained the water. She loosed a second arrow but this time, the water rippled around her and threw off her aim, the arrow clattering into the wall behind the creature. The shaft splashed into the water close to her enemy and the ranger cursed that she would not be able to recover the shaft. Since entering the pyramid, she had recovered all of her spent arrows to keep her quiver full and every one lost was a blow to her.

Telkya leapt into the water next to Enlishia and loosed a bolt of golden light toward the nearest of the black-scaled creatures only for the divine fire to hiss into the water to the right of the lizardfolk warrior. It hissed its derision but a moment later, Lavren jumped into the water at the base of the steps and loosed a black bolt of energy that seared into the blackscale. The creature reared back, roaring its anger and pain at the warlock.

The lizardfolk came forward then, the greenscale to the north leading the attack despite the arrow that still protruded from its shoulder. It rushed at Dulvarna as though the water was no obstacle and stabbed out at her with its spear. She twisted to face it and slashed down with her sword to drive the greenscale’s spear into the water to her left. One of the huge blackscales came next, rushing forward and swinging a massive spiked club at Dulvarna. The warrior woman ducked under the blow and then leapt back to try to stay beyond the creature’s reach.

Thorn leapt into the water next, wading straight toward the nearest of the blackscales. He halted a little way into the pool and raised his totem stick in his left hand. He waved it before him while uttering garbled phrases in a low mutter. The incantation reached its conclusion and a howling gust of icy wind swept around the centre of the pool between the two blackscales. The one before Dulvarna leapt away but the other creature roared in pain as the terrible wind savaged it. 

The greenscale in the far northwest corner seemed to hiss at the druid then before swimming forward to stand just behind the two blackscales. The creature raised its left hand and began chanting its own incantation. Suddenly, the water around the companions began to grown darker and thick, cloying mud took hold of their feet. Dulvarna leapt free of the sticky mud but the others, apart from Erlmoor who had not yet entered the water, were stuck fast. 

The second blackscale surged at Dulvarna a moment later, lashing out with its club as its companion had, only for the warrior woman to duck again and avoid the blow. Erlmoor rushed into the water to meet this second blackscale, roaring as he did so. As he reached the creature, he roared again and this time, spat acid from his throat, the dark liquid searing the skin of the nearest blackscale and the greenscale shaman behind it. 

Dulvarna retreated beyond the reach of the huge blackscale’s club and then lashed out to her left, slashing her blade into the hip of the greenscale next to her. The creature reeled back, more blood staining the water around it. Enlishia loosed an arrow into the blackscale to try to keep it from advancing and then fired again but her second shaft flew wide of the creature and clattered into the far wall of the chamber. Telkya loosed a golden bolt of light into the same blackscale and then Lavren loosed a crackling black bolt into the chest of the other dark coloured lizard creature. Both reeled back but recovered quickly, surging through the water at the companions.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 13, 2009)

*Chapter 11 - Through Dark Waters (Part 3)*

At the same time, the greenscale next to Dulvarna thrust its spear forward, driving its point into her thigh below the water. She fell back and it stabbed at her again but this time, she lashed her sword across and knocked the thrust aside. The blackscale’s club swept across at her next, striking her right shoulder hard and spinning her away from the greenscale toward Enlishia and Telkya. Then, suddenly, the water around the southern steps frothed and churned and Thorn was sucked under the water. The druid burst from the water a moment later right in front of the nearest blackscale and next to Erlmoor. Thorn rushed at the blackscale and as he did, his features warped and changed into those of a large, black bear. The bear that was Thorn rushed at the lizard creature and tore at its leg with its claws before spinning away and splashing down into the blood-stained water.

The lizard folk reeled back apparently as stunned as the companions were by the druid’s transformation. The shaman eventually reacted first, circling around behind the blackscales and the greenscale that Dulvarna had wounded to stand near the northwest corner of the room. It raised its left hand again and uttered an incantation that brought forth a cloud of noxious fumes from the dark water of the chamber. Telkya and Enlishia were engulfed and as their lungs burned they staggered and bent over, coughing painfully.

As Thorn the bear resurfaced beside the blackscale, the lizard creature turned toward the druid and lashed out with its club. The huge, spiked weapon struck only the water with a splash as the bear reeled back out of reach. Erlmoor started forward to take advantage of the distraction that Thorn was providing but as he did so, the water around the southern stairs frothed and surged again, sucking the dragonborn toward it. He resisted the pull of the water with all his strength and then leapt away to the blackscale’s right. As he did, he lashed his sword out to his right and drove it into the side of the lizard creature sending it staggering away from him. The blackscale turned and the second greenscale rushed around to its left to tackle Thorn’s bear form. It stabbed its spear into the bear once and then a second time, red blood staining the water around Thorn. The bear’s only response was a roar of anger and the greenscale stepped back before the wrath of the druid’s beast form.

Dulvarna surged forward at the greenscale and the blackscale, feinting at the smaller creature and then driving her blade into the belly of the blackscale. It roared in pain and staggered backward away from the fierce warrior woman. Behind Dulvarna, Enlishia recovered enough from the fumes to raise her bow and momentarily considered wreaking revenge on the shaman before instead, taking aim at the blackscale that Erlmoor fought. She raised her bow and loosed one and then a second arrow, both of which drove into the creature’s chest just below its left shoulder. The creature staggered back again and as it did, first a golden bolt from Telkya’s amulet and then a black bolt from Lavren’s wand struck its chest. The creature reeled back another two steps and then fell backwards into the water amidst a growing stain of its own blood.

The lizardfolk roared their defiance and surged forward as one then, the greenscale stabbing its spear into Dulvarna’s side and then into her hip and sending her staggering away from it. The remaining blackscale swung its club across before the warrior woman had chance to recover and slammed her back toward Enlishia. A moment later, the water surged around the southern stairway again and Thorn’s bear form was sucked beneath the surface. The druid reappeared in human form close to another stairway in the southern wall of the south-eastern part of the chamber. He started toward the nearest of the greenscales, raising his totem as he came. He uttered an incantation and again called forth the chill wind to assail the lizardfolk. This time, though, the greenscale nearest to the wind, dived under the water and avoided its biting cold. Then Thorn saw the shaman circling around the other greenscale and the blackscale before diving under the water to swim towards him. In that moment, he knew that he would fight a battle to the death with the magic-wielding lizard creature.

Erlmoor rushed at the remaining blackscale while raising his voice in prayer. His blade glowed brightly as he swung it at the lizard creature and it drove into the blackscale’s side, cutting a deep wound. The creature roared and reeled away from the paladin but as it did, the greenscale that had attacked Thorn rushed in from the dragonborn’s right. It drove its spear into his right thigh before he had chance to react and then stabbed again but this time, the paladin met the shaft with his blade, knocking it aside. Erlmoor turned back toward the blackscale and retreated but as he did, Dulvarna surged forward behind him and plunged her blade into the belly of the blackscale. It gasped, staggered back a step and then fell back into the water with a splash.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 14, 2009)

*Chapter 11 - Through Dark Waters (Part 4)*

Finally fully recovered from the fumes, Enlishia raised her bow and loosed one arrow and then a second toward the greenscale that had wounded Dulvarna. Both arrows drove into the creature’s right side and sent it staggering back from the warrior woman. Telkya and Lavren both turned their attentions to the other greenscale, golden and black bolts striking the creature in the chest and driving it away from Erlmoor. The greenscale before Dulvarna smashed the butt of its spear into the side of the warrior woman’s head and then drove its point into her shoulder. She staggered back and away, her strength fading quickly.

In the southern part of the chamber, Thorn took on his bear form once more and surged at the shaman with a fierce roar. A rage took him over then and his claws grew longer as he lashed out at the lizard creature, striking its shoulder and spinning into the wall next to it. The shaman retreated along the wall and again called fumes from the water to engulf Thorn but in his bear form, he barely noticed the noxious gas. He surged forward again with a  roar and the shaman retreated before him. 

Erlmoor heard the bear’s roar and acknowledged it with one of his own before surging at the greenscale with a prayer on his lips. His blade glowed brightly and struck the creature’s side with a thunder clap that threw the greenscale off its feet and down into the water. There the creature flailed for a moment, its blood pooling around it but then it jabbed its spear towards Erlmoor’s legs. The dragonborn leapt back and the lizard creature rose from the water, driving its spear forward into the paladin’s right shoulder.

Behind Erlmoor, Dulvarna retreated from her enemy, trying desperately to get her breath back. As she did, Enlishia took her chance, and loosed two more arrows into the lizard creature. It snarled its defiance and came forward after Dulvarna anyway. It had barely taken a step when a bolt of golden light from Telkya’s amulet struck it in the chest and a moment later, a black bolt from Lavren’s wand followed. The creature stopped and staggered but then roared and lunged at Dulvarna. The warrior woman had recovered enough of her strength by then to react quickly and he blade swept left and right to knock aside the greenscale’s spear thrusts. It roared again, realising that it was doomed, and then dived forward for one last attack.

Thorn rushed at the shaman again, lashing out with his claws and slamming the lizard creature into the wall again. The creature staggered back, holding a spear in its right hand to protect itself, and then it dived to its left. There was a rush of water and the shaman vanished underwater and for a moment, he thought that the creature had escaped him. Only then did he see a dark shadow beneath the surface a few feet away from him and apparently across the entrance of what he knew from bitter experience, must be one of the pipes that dotted the chamber. With a roar, he started toward the battle that his companions faught but then suddenly turned aside toward the hidden shaman.

Erlmoor roared and rushed at the greenscale before him, lashing his blade out and striking the creature’s shoulder, spinning it away to its left. The greenscale stabbed at him and he parried down and to his right but then the creature thrust its spear forward again and drove it into the dragonborn’s right leg. He staggered but did not fall and as he glanced back to see how Dulvarna fared, the warrior woman swept her blade up high and drove it into the side of the greenscale she faced, just below the creature’s armpit. It hissed its last breath and then collapsed sideways into the water. An arrow drove into the last greenscale as Erlmoor turned back to face it and then a golden bolt followed by a black, crackling bolt struck the creature. It looked down at its seared and wounded chest for a moment and then fell over backwards into the water.

The shaman realised that it had been found as Thorn shifted back from bear from into his not-dissimilar human shape. The druid raised his totem stick and uttered an incantation just as the lizard creature broke the surface to breathe. A chill whirlwind engulfed it then, bitter cold tearing at its head and forcing it to break the surface of the water fully. The shaman raised its left hand to respond with an evocation of its own but as it did, the water surged around it and sucked it under for a few moments. It surfaced in the same place and, realising its mistake, it swam away toward the northern steps. Only then did it turn and call forth the now familiar noxious fumes from the water around Thorn. The druid held his breath and ignored the burning in his eyes while staring defiantly at the shaman. It retreated another step towards the northern stairway but it was already too late for it.

Erlmoor waded through the water as quickly as he could and managed to reach the northern steps ahead of the shaman. Behind him came Dulvarna with her sword and Enlishia with her bow raised and an arrow nocked. The ranger let fly and the arrow drove into the greenscale’s chest. A second arrow followed a moment later, this one driving into the creature’s side. The shaman staggered, hissing its pain and anger but as it did, Telkya uttered a prayer to Corellon. A golden bolt of light seared out from the elf-maid’s amulet and tore into the greenscale’s side before bursting out of its chest. With a final gasp, it collapsed into the water.

*Next......A Measure of Revenge*


----------



## Medriev (Jun 15, 2009)

*Chapter 12 - A Measure of Revenge (Part 1)*

After hearing from Thorn that the southern ways out of the chamber were blocked by water pipes, the companions decided the take the northern stairway out of the chamber. They rested for a moment on the steps and tended to their wounds before continuing on their way and as they did, some voiced questions that all had in their minds after Thorn’s display in battle.

“I had heard rumours that druids could change shape,” Erlmoor rumbled as the companions gathered up their belongings to move on. “But I had never seen it. Truly you are a fierce warrior in battle.”
“My beast from grants power but my bloodline gives more power still,” answered Thorn. “My line is descended from werewolves and it is this that grants me a fury in battle when I am wounded.”
“And does it ever possess you?” Enlishia asked. “As the wolf form possesses those cursed with it.”
“I always have control over my actions,” Thorn answered as he picked up his scythe from where it rested against the stairway wall. “But the battle fury is fierce in me as it is in all warriors.”
The druid started up the stairs and the others followed him, more puzzled now by their new companion, than they had been before.

At the top of the stairs, double doors opened into an L-shaped room that bent around to the right and ended at another set of doors. Dulvarna and Erlmoor led the group forward to this next set of doors and as they reached them, they held their weapons against their shoulders in a now familiar routine and each reached for an iron ring handle. They pulled open the doors together and revealed a great hall with five massive pillars lining its walls. Three heavy double doors led out, as well as two narrow passages but one set of double doors was almost entirely hidden behind a pile of rubble and debris. Several figures stood arrayed around the hall, steeling themselves for battle and a few moments after the companions had opened the doors, the centre set of double doors opened. An impressive looking dragonborn in a mail coat and with a large sword in his right hand stood framed in the doorway.
“So we have visitors,” he sneered.

Telkya moved past her companions and went into the chamber ahead of them, moving right to stand next to one of the pillars. She raised her amulet in her left hand and her sword in the other and uttered a prayer that loosed a bolt of golden fire into the chest of the nearest man. It seared through his ribs, and burst out of his back. The man’s mouth opened agape and he fell back onto the stone floor, dead. Dulvarna rushed at the man nearest her as he fumbled with the club in his hand. Her sword swept out high, clove through his neck and his head rolled to the floor. His body followed a moment later.

Erlmoor followed Telkya and Dulvarna into the chamber, rushing at the last of the three men who stood near the door. His blade swept out from right to left and clove into the man’s side before driving through his body and bursting out in a shower of blood on the other side. The man’s body fell to the floor of the chamber in two halves both of which were rapidly surrounded by pools of blood and gore.
“An impressive start, but no one has yet defeated Gharesh Vren,” the dragonborn snarled.

With that, he charged at Dulvarna and as he reached her, he roared, spewing lightning from his mouth. Dulvarna turned away but Erlmoor was struck in the side and sent reeling away towards Telkya. Vren lashed out with his sword then, slashing it high towards Dulvarna’s throat as she recovered from evading his breath weapon. She brought her blade up at the last moment and parried the blade over her head. Behind Dulvarna, Enlishia rushed into the chamber and stopped in front of the pillar that Telkya stood next to. She raised her bow, aimed and loosed an arrow that flew straight and true to drive into the shoulder of the dragonborn. It reeled back and staggered and as it did, it inadvertently avoided the second arrow that the ranger had loosed, which flew past its right shoulder. Then, a low growl came from the corridor from which the companions had emerged and Enlishia knew that Thorn was coming for the bandit that he hunted.

Thorn burst from the side corridor as a black wolf the size of a small pony and rushed at Vren in a fury of teeth and claws. He leapt as he reached the bandit and seized its left arm in his jaws, tearing at the flesh and refusing to let go. Lavren emerged from the side corridor behind the druid and moved to stand beside Erlmoor. He turned, raised his wand, and then cursed the bandit in elven. Black, crackling energy burst forth from his wand and seared into the dragonborn’s left side as he tried desperately to shake himself free of Thorn. The dragonborn lurched and staggered and finally, the druid in wolf form fell free of his enemy’s arm and the bandit raised his blade again.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 16, 2009)

*Chapter 12 - A Measure of Revenge (Part 2)*

Telkya moved to stand beside her husband, uttering a prayer as she came. Golden light lanced forth from her amulet and struck the dragonborn in his left side driving him back another step away from Dulvarna and Thorn. Dulvarna surged forward after the dragonborn and lashed her blade into the side of his left leg. He limped back a step but then raised his blade again and as he did so, the door to the north behind him opened as did another somewhere else in the wide hall.
“You should have finished me while you had the chance,” the dragonborn sneered. “My allies are coming.”

A man appeared to the right of the companions with a club in his hand but Erlmoor paid him no mind and rushed at the bandit. He chanted a prayer as he charged and as his blade glowed brightly, he swung it out from right to left and drove it into the side of the blue-skinned dragonborn. Again the bandit staggered and lurched back but this time, his armour seemed to glow and as it did, it mended itself. Vren smiled at the paladin and then raised his blade above his head to bring it down on Dulvarna. The warrior woman brought her own blade up and met the dragonborn’s sword, holding it just above her head. The bandit snarled at her and then reeled away.
“To me, men!” he called out. “Your leader still stands and fights here. Rally to me!”

From the northern door came a man with a crossbow in his hands and a club on his belt. He rushed to the nearest pillar and took cover there while loading his weapon. Another man with a club circled around to the north and moved to aid his dragonborn leader. Enlishia saw his approach and circled around to the right to stand just in front and to the side of Telkya. She raised her bow and loosed one arrow toward Vren that flew wide and struck the wall but then she turned her bow on the newcomer. She aimed and loosed an arrow toward the man with the club, the shaft driving through the man’s throat. He staggered back, reached up toward the shaft that had pierced him and then fell dead to the stone floor.

Thorn leapt at the dragonborn but the bandit leader seemed to have regained much of his strength. He leapt to one side and the druid in wolf form landed clumsily next to him. Another man emerged from the northern room a moment later with a bolt already loaded in the crossbow he carried. He raised the weapon, aimed and let fly, the bolt driving into Erlmoor’s right arm. The dragonborn roared in pain and turned his gaze to regard this new threat. Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy at Vren but this, too, flew wide of the mark and the dragonborn snarled his derision at the efforts of the companions. More club-wielding men came from the north and from the east and for the first time in the battle, all the companions feared that it was turning against them.

Telkya turned her attention to the newcomers in the chamber and raised her voice in prayer to call down a column of light to burn the nearest crossbowman. The light descended from the ceiling of the chamber and engulfed the man, searing his skin and sending him reeling back behind the pillar with his companion. Dulvarna surged forward at the same time, her blade dancing back and forth before her. She lunged forward to strike at the dragonborn’s hip but at the last moment, he lashed his sword across and drove hers aside. To the left, a man with a club rushed at Erlmoor but the paladin was ready and leapt back, slashing his blade across where he had been standing to meet the clumsy swing. He lashed out with his blade to cut the man down but with surprising skill, the bandit leapt back and parried with his club. Erlmoor snarled his own derision then but then Vren came forward once more.

The bandit leader came at Dulvarna with a furious assault but the warrior woman met each blow with her own blade and held the dragonborn at bay. One of the crossbowmen moved from the pillar to the north to another further east and then fired his weapon, the bold driving into Lavren’s thigh. The elf cried out and staggered back and as he did, a man with a club rushed at Enlishia from the right. The ranger retreated, raised her bow and loosed an arrow that drove into the man’s chest, piercing his heart. He fell back and collapsed onto the stone floor, his blood pooling around him. Enlishia raised her bow again and loosed another arrow, this shaft driving into the side of the head of another of the club-wielding bandits. He too, collapsed to the stone floor, dead beside his companions.

To Enlishia’s left, Thorn retreated from the battle, his wolf form rising to its back legs and then shifting until the druid stood where the wolf had, scythe and totem stick in hand. He raised the totem stick high above his head and uttered an incantation. As he did, thunder seemed to roll from just behind Gharesh Vren and the bandits that now faught beside him. The thunder boomed and as it did, lightning lanced out toward the bandits. Two of the club wielders were struck and hurled across the floor to lie unmoving amogst their companions. Vren and one of the crossbowmen leapt back as the lightning lanced out and avoided the terrible wrath of nature. The crossbowman let loose his weapon a moment later, the bolt nicking Erlmoor’s cheek and momentarily dazing him. He took a step back and as he did, a bolt of black energy seared across in front of him and struck the side of the bandit leader. As Vren reeled and staggered, Telkya came forward and loosed a golden bolt of light that flew past the dragonborn and struck the wall next to him. He roared his defiance and then Dulvarna rushed at him.

The warrior woman came in at the bandit leader with renewed fury, her blade darting left and right and for each parry that the dragonborn managed, another blow crept through. Dulvarna’s blade slashed into the bandit’s right hip and his left thigh while nicking his flesh in several other places to leave him bleeding and weakened once more. Erlmoor rushed at Vren next, feinting to the left and then bringing his sword in low from the right to drive into the dragonborn’s shoulder. As the bandit leader spun away, the paladin spun on the spot himself and slashed his blade into his enemy’s side. Vren roared and lashed out wildly with his own sword but Dulvarna met it with her sword, bare inches from her face, and then forced the dragonborn away. From somewhere a crossbow clicked and Lavren cried out again as a bolt drove into his hip. Enlishia’s bow sang and two arrows flew past Vren to clatter into the wall but beyond it all, Thorn’s voice was raised in another incantation. A chill, icy wind rose up around the dragonborn and Gharesh Vren staggered to his right. The wind gusted again, slamming him into the wall and he fell to the stone floor, his head trailing blood down the wall.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 17, 2009)

*Chapter 12 - A Measure of Revenge (Part 3)*

Another crossbow clicked and a bolt flew out to drive into the top of Erlmoor’s chest. The dragonborn gasped and reeled backwards, dazed and wounded. Lavren picked out the man who had fired the bolt and raised his wand, loosing a bolt of black energy toward the man that struck the pillar next to him. Telkya rushed at the man, slashing her blade at his head but he ducked and the sword struck the stone of the pillar as Lavren’s spell had done. Dulvarna rushed at the man in a fury, her sword plunging forward and driving into his shoulder. He fell back, throwing down his crossbow and fumbling for the club at his belt. Only then did the others hear Erlmoor’s voice raised in prayer. Dulvarna and Telkya both looked back at the dragonborn as he held his blade before him and down the blade flowed ribbons of light. They burst from the tip of the sword and seared into the crossbowman, tearing open his chest and bursting forth from his back. He crumpled to the floor of the chamber and died as his companions had.

There was a burst of sudden movement from behind the pillar to the east as the last of the bandits seemed to be fleeing. He rushed to the eastern set of double doors and pounded on them with his fist. Then the man began moving the rubble in front of the door frantically as though desperately trying to clear the floor before the doors.
“We have to stop him,” Enlishia said at once, raising her bow and firing at the man.

An arrow and then a second drove into the man’s back but still he kept working frantically. Then, a moment later, something slammed against the double doors and they fell outwards over the rouble, snapping in two as they did so. Onto the top of the sundered doors, leapt a huge, grey wolf creature that crouched on all fours but seemed otherwise man-like in shape. It turned to the right to the man who had freed it and snapped at his arm, tearing at the limb and dragging him toward it.
“Ignore the man,” Thorn called as he rushed forward. “The werewolf is a far greater threat.”

The druid raised his totem stick and uttered an incantation before raising the implement before him. A white blast of icy air shot out from the end of the stick and struck the werewolf in the chest but the beast paid the blow no mind. Lavren moved past the druid and loosed a black bolt from his wand that also struck the werewolf but still it concentrated its fury on the bandit that had freed it. 

Telkya came forward next, calling forth a searing beam of light from her amulet that flashed past the werewolf and into the chamber behind it. Erlmoor and Dulvarna came forward with their blades raised but both held back, wondering how the battle with the crossbowman would end. Both paused to get their breath back while the werewolf faught the man that had released it. The crossbowman, meanwhile, retreated  and then turned and fled toward the southern door beside Lavren. The elf lashed out wish his sword, cutting a wound across the man’s back but still he fled into the chamber beyond the door to the south and the werewolf began sniffing the air, seeking another victim.

Enlishia moved forward to stand beside Erlmoor and loosed one arrow and then a second into the fierce creature but still it seemed not to heed the wounds. Instead, it snarled and leapt across the chamber lunge at Lavren. Its teeth seized the elf’s right arm and dragged him toward it until he shook his arm free, tearing open a deep wound in the limb as he did so. Thorn called forth an icy wind behind the creature but it leapt at Lavren again and avoided the blast of frosty air. Lavren leapt back into the passageway that the crossbowman had fled down and loosed a blast of black energy from his wand wildly. It flew over the head of the werewolf and the creature paused, sniffing at the air as though deciding whether to pursue the warlock. Telkya loosed a bolt of golden light from her amulet that also flew over the head of the werewolf and it turned its head toward her for a moment before turning back towards Lavren and letting out a low growl.

Dulvarna charged at the creature then, raising her sword above her head and bringing it down on the werewolf’s back. It roared in pain and turned around to face the warrior woman. Erlmoor charged in behind Dulvarna, chanting a prayer as he came and thrusting his blade forward. It drove into the creature’s side with a thunder clap and the werewolf was thrown to its right to land on its side on the floor. To the south, the fleeing crossbowman opened another set of doors and slammed them shut behind him and was gone from the battle but still the werewolf faught on, struggling to get back to its feet. 

Enlishia circled around to the double doors from which the werewolf and loosed two arrows at close range into its struggling form. Still it rolled to its feet and lashed out with its claws at Dulvarna and Erlmoor. The warrior woman ducked under the flailing limb of the werewolf but Erlmoor was struck in the side and sent reeling into his companion. Behind the others, Thorn shifted form again into a black wolf and leapt forward to meet the werewolf. He bounded at the creature but it leapt back out of the way and the druid’s wolf form landed beside the were wolf. As Thorn landed, Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy over him that seared into the werewolf’s side but still it focused its rage on Dulvarna and Erlmoor.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 18, 2009)

*Chapter 12 - A Measure of Revenge (Part 4)*

Telkya circled around to the left to stand beside Dulvarna and from there, she loosed a golden bolt of light into the werewolf’s arm. Still the creature paid no mind to any of the companions other than Dulvarna and Erlmoor. Dulvarna danced in at the creature but as she lashed out with her blade in a mighty swing, the werewolf reared back out of her reached. As it came down onto all fours again, Erlmoor charged in and with a huge overhead blow, drove a deep wound into the beast’s back. It roared and turned toward him but as it did, Enlishia loosed an arrow from where she stood next to the rubble pile and the shaft drove into the werewolf’s side. The arrow splintered as it pierced the creature’s body and the roared again in pain. It lashed out with both its claws and swatted both Erlmoor and Dulvarna away, sending them reeling. As the two companions staggered away, the werewolf raised its muzzle to the ceiling and let out a mournful howl. Then Thorn in his own wolf form leapt at the beast and it turned its attention back to the battle.

Lavren cursed at the creature from the southern passage and called forth invisible spectral beasts that snapped at the werewolf from behind with vicious, snapping jaws. Again the beast roared as more and more wounds were inflicted upon it. Telkya loosed another bolt of golden light into the creature and then Dulvarna and Erlmoor charged at it again. Dulvarna drove her blade into the beast’s side and for the first time it reeled unsteadily. Erlmoor drove his own blade into the creature’s left side and as he did, a burst of white light erupted from his sword. New strength flowed through him and Lavren but still the werewolf sensed that the dragonborn was wounded and rushed at him. It snapped out with its jaws but the paladin leapt back beyond its reach and as he did, two arrows drove into the beast’s right shoulder form Enlishia’s bow. It reared, snarled and then danced to the right as Thorn rushed in and snapped at the beat with his own canine jaws. The two beasts faced each other for a moment and seemed to share a sadness but then a black bolt from Lavren’s wand seared into the werewolf’s side and the moment was gone.

Telkya hurled another bolt of light into the creature from its right and then Dulvarna and Erlmoor charged at the creature, their blades slashing into its flesh. The werewolf snapped out at both but they leapt back beyond its reach only for it to leap at Erlmoor and seize his arm in its jaws. The creature shook the dragonborn to the left and then let go, hurling him into Thorn’s wolf form as it crouched next to the paladin. Enlishia raised her bow and fired one arrow after another, both clattering into the wall beyond the werewolf. Thorn leapt at the creature seized its left foreleg in his wolf jaws for a moment only for the savage creature to lash out with the limb and throw him aside. He rolled over on his back and the werewolf lunged forward, tearing at his legs with its own jaws. Only when a bolt of black energy struck the werewolf did it let go of the druid’s wolf form and then the creature snarled in wrath. It cast about left and right, desperately seeking some way to defeat the enemies that were killing it.

A bolt of golden light from Telkya’s amulet struck the creature next and sent it reeling to its left. As it staggered, Dulvarna and Erlmoor rushed at it again, their blades singing out and cleaving into the flesh of the werewolf. Enlishia loosed more arrows, one driving into the werewolf’s shoulder and another flying past its head. It turned and roared, rushing at Erlmoor but the dragonborn leapt back beyond its reach. Thorn came in at it from the opposite side, his wolf teeth seizing its left back leg and digging in. The creature snarled and turned to face this new threat but before it could bite at him, the druid danced back out of its reach. A bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand flashed past the beast’s head and it staggered as its many wounds weakened it. Then, Dulvarna and Erlmoor charged in at the creature in one, final onslaught.

The warrior woman and the dragonborn drove their blades into the werewolf’s right side and though it turned to bite at them, it was slowing now and they leapt quickly back beyond its reach. The creature snarled at them but as it did, Enlishia’s bow sang out and an arrow drove into the beast’s throat. It gasped and let out a whimper just as a second shaft followed the first and buried itself in the werewolf’s neck. The creature reeled, staggered and then fell to the floor, dead.

*Next.....The Inner Chambers*


----------



## Medriev (Jun 19, 2009)

*Chapter 13 - The Inner Chambers (Part 1)*

“We have to chase down the bandit who escaped lest he bring more enemies down upon us,” said Thorn as the companions tended to their wounds and he began cutting off the head of the dragonborn bandit, determined to provide that the man had been slain as he had promised.
“Agreed,” rumbled Erlmoor. “There may be more bandits lurking beyond these rooms and if we rest here, they could come upon us unawares.”
“You are both right, though I mislike going after a fleeing enemy when we are wounded,” Dulvarna said. “Still, we have little choice.”
“Well I for one think that we can defend this place,” Telkya said, as she examined the fine suit of mail that Gharash Vren wore. “We need rest and should take it.”

“Agreed,” Lavren spoke up unsurprisingly as he started to remove the mail coat from the fallen dragonborn bandit. “We rest here and go on when our strength has returned.”
“Without wishing to deadlock us, I have to agree with Lavren and Telkya,” Enlishia said. “I am unwounded but the rest of you are, especially you, Erlmoor. We should not risk defeat by going into battle at less than our full strength.”
“Very well then,” Dulvarna said finally. “We will not argue over this. We rest here and go on as soon as we are able but we set watches out here and secure ourselves in the two western rooms.”


----------



## Medriev (Jun 19, 2009)

*Chapter 13 - The Inner Chambers (Part 2)*

They rested for what they guessed was the remainder of the day with Lavren and Erlmoor sleeping poorly, their rest disturbed by dreams and fever. Despite this, the companions had no choice but to head south when they woke and so they entered the southern chamber warily. The double doors in the south wall of the chamber opened onto a short hallway that opened out into a wide hall that held four statues. The carvings depicted armoured heroes, standing in poses that suggested their prowess but as the companions entered the hall, they began chanting, such as might be heard as part of a divine ritual or a prayer service.
“We go through here as quickly as we can,” said Dulvarna.

She crossed the room and opened double doors in the south wall to reveal another short hallway that opened into another wide hall. Behind her, the others hesitated and Lavren, thinking the statues harmless, moved over to one that stood against the south wall.
“My servant is held by devils in my chapel,” the statue said, interrupting its chant. “Free her!”

Lavren leapt back in surprise and then rushed after Dulvarna. As he rushed down the southern hallway, he called out to the warrior woman.
“One of the statues spoke of its servant being held by devils in a chapel,” he called out. “We have to free her!”
“They chant an ode of praise to Torm, Ilmater and Bahamut,” Erlmoor called out as he started after the others. “Any who serves them is worthy of rescue.”

He rushed past Dulvarna into the southern hallway and saw a passageway leading east from the room.
“There!” he called. “The chapel must lie that way.”

Enlishia, Telkya and Thorn joined the others in the southern hall and together, they made their way warily to the east. The passage passed by a southern passageway and had double doors in the north wall before it ended abruptly in a stone wall to the east.
“There are doors here,” Dulvarna called out as she rushed toward the northern double doors. “Make ready!”

She pulled open the doors as Lavren reached her side and sure enough, revealed a chapel with two plain benches set across the room in front of the two companions, before a plain altar adorned with candles. A palpable air of divine power radiated from the room and before the altar knelt a young woman with long, auburn hair. She wheeled in surprise as the doors opened, her eyes wide with fear. At the same time, the Head of Vyrellis whispered to Lavren from the pouch at his belt.
“It’s here, somewhere,” the elven princess said quietly. “I can feel it.”

Erlmoor and Enlishia moved past Dulvarna and Lavren into the chapel, moving left and right, respectively along the outside of the two benches. Thorn and Telkya followed, each warily holding weapons and implements at the ready lest the woman prove to be a threat.
“Help me,” the woman pleased suddenly, rising to her feet. “Bandits brought me here as a prisoner and I escaped from them but now I am trapped her. If I go near the doors, devils appear and force me back.”
“It’s alright,” said Dulvarna as she moved into the chapel to stand close to Erlmoor. “We’ll get you out of here.”

The warrior woman looked around the chapel at the walls and at the altar, sensing the powerful magic in the room. As she glanced around, each time, her attention was drawn back to the doors through which she had just entered.
“Even I can sense the powerful magic here,” Dulvarna said at last. “The doors are the focus of the ward.”

Lavren stepped into the chamber and closed on of the double doors behind him. The woman at the altar gave a whimper of fear and he glanced over his shoulder to smile at her reassuringly. Then he turned back to the door he had closed to examine it.
“There are runes carved here that I may be able to dispel,” he said. “If not, smashing the doors will break the spell just as easily.”


----------



## Medriev (Jun 20, 2009)

*Chapter 13 - The Inner Chambers (Part 3)*

Then, with his wand in his hand, the warlock began chanting in ancient elven as he stood in front of the closed door. Behind him, Erlmoor moved back toward the doors and pulled shut the other portal before raising his sword and smashing at the runes with the hilt of the weapon. The runes on the portal flared brightly as he struck them and then some of them vanished. Enlishia joined Lavren at the other door and began picking at the lower runes with her sword while the warlock worked his spells on the runes higher up.
“The altar may have some effect here as well,” said Telkya as she moved toward the plain stone block.

As she drew near to it, she began uttering a prayer to Corellon but before she had spoken more than half of the entreaty, a loud bang sounded from the doors, throwing Lavren and Erlmoor back. There, before the two companions, stood two red-skinned devils with bare, scaled heads, two wavy horns trailing back from their skulls and a sword and shield in hand. They wore black plate armour and snarled at the companions who had dared to summon them to this place.

Thorn raised his loaded crossbow from his belt and loosed a bolt that clattered into the stone beside the doorway while Dulvarna raised her sword and charged forward to aid Erlmoor. The warrior woman plunged her sword into the devil’s belly and the creature fell back against the doors with a gasp, to lie there unmoving. Lavren lashed out with his sword at the other creature but it parried skilfully and then reversed its blade to slash it across the top of the elf’s chest. The warlock cried out and fell back as Erlmoor came at the creature from its left. It parried again and again but as it did, Enlishia retreated, raised her bow and loosed an arrow. The shaft drove into the creature’s neck, just below its chin and the devil fell back dead beside its companion. At the altar, Telkya began chanting again but as she did, the same bang sounded and two more devils appeared, standing over their companions.
“Whatever it is you’re trying to do,” Thorn called to Telkya. “Don’t try it again.”

With that, the druid loosed another crossbow bolt toward the newly arrived devils but again the missile clattered into the stone. One of the creature lashed its sword into Lavren’s arm and sent him reeling back from the doors but the other fell quickly as Dulvarna plunged her sword into its chest. It fell atop its fallen kin while Lavren clambered atop one of the benches and loosed a bolt of black energy into the other devil. The blast seared through the creature’s chest and felled it atop the others. 

Erlmoor stepped forward and hurled two of the devil corpses out of his way before starting to hammer on the runes once more. This time there was no flare of light and no runes disappeared but no devils were summoned either. As the dragonborn looked at the runes with a bemused expression, Enlishia came forward and began scraping off more with the tip of one of her arrows. Behind the others, Telkya began to chant softly and as she did, the flames of the candles guttered and died.
“That should make things easier,” she announced but the others paid her no mind, thinking that she had heeded Thorn’s advice.
“Thank you,” said the young woman as she moved over toward Telkya. “I am Danna.”
“And I am Telkya Strongbow,” the elf maid answered with a smile.

Dulvarna and Erlmoor held their blades ready as Lavren and Enlishia worked away at the remaining runes until suddenly, the remaining runes flared and vanished, leaving the doors unmarked. Lavren pushed them open cautiously but no devils appeared and he turned back toward the altar to announce his success to Danna. As he did, the young girl shifted form, wings appearing from her back and her plain woollen dress falling away to reveal a leather corset and underwear as her only other items of clothing. The revealed creature smiled in a leery way as it regarded the companions.
“I truly thank you for freeing me,” she said, and then vanished, leaving behind a faint smell of brimstone.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 21, 2009)

*Chapter 13 - The Inner Chambers (Part 4)*

“It has to be here,” Vyrellis insisted once the companions had searched the whole of the chapel. “I sense it.”
“Perhaps it is only nearby,” said Erlmoor as he looked around the chapel one more time. “It is not here.”
“And we have tarried here for long enough,” said Enlishia. “It is time that we moved on.”

The others nodded their agreement and slowly, the companions left the chapel while Vyrellis continued to try and persuade Lavren to remain and seek the shard of her life force that she was convinced was in the room. He paid her no mind and instead followed the others out of the chamber and into the southern passage. The corridor turned eastward after a short distance and then led into a wide but plain room with two open doors in the far wall and a strange bronze panel to the left of the passage entrance. 
Telkya was the first to start forward, moving cautiously toward the northern doorway. It opened onto a short and narrow passage that led into an empty, square chamber that she crossed quickly. As she reached the far end, she saw that another narrow passage led out of the room at the far side and at its end, an door led into another, torch-lit room. She stopped as the torchlight fell across the form of a man sitting on the ground with a crossbow resting on his crossed legs. He was chewing on some dried meat but as he senses the priestess’ movement, he reached for a bolt from the quiver at his belt and began to crank back his weapon.
“More bandits!” Telkya called back to the others and Lavren came running.

The warlock crossed the square room quickly and rushed into the narrow passage ahead of his wife, shielding her from any crossbow fire that might come from the room beyond. Erlmoor rushed into the square room next and moved past Telkya toward the passage entrance. The crossbowman rose to his feet and levelled his weapon at Lavren while calling something inaudible to unseen companions.

Back in the entry chamber, Enlishia rushed toward the southern door and found a narrow passage within that led to an open door at the far end. In the far chamber, Enlishia saw three men in chainmail armed with long halberds, arraying themselves into a battle line hastily. She raised her bow and loosed an arrow and then another toward the bandits. Both shafts drove into the right leg of the man in the middle of the battle line and sent him reeling back.
“More in here!” she called back to others.

Dulvarna and Thorn rushed into the passage together, the druid already changed into his black wolf form. They ran the length of the narrow hallway and burst into the far chamber to charge at the bandit battle line. One of the men thrust out with his halberd and scored a gouge along the flank of Thorn’s wolf form while the others braced and held firm as Dulvarna rushed at them with her blade. The warrior woman fell back for a moment, frustrated by her enemies but then, as a halberd drove painfully into her right leg, she came forward again with renewed fury.

Lavren regretted his advance into the western corridor at once as crossbows clicked and deadly bolts flew toward him. One drove into his shoulder, another into his right thigh, and a third pierced his left arm, below the elbow. He cried out in pain and reeled back against the left wall of the passage, snapping the bolt in his left arm painfully as he did so. He cried out again but as he did, Telkya pulled him back gently and rushed past him, her blade and her amulet in hand. She darted to the right and charged at one of the crossbowmen, her blade slashing out into the man’s shoulder. He spun away and as he did, Lavren forced himself to rush into the room behind his wife. He turned toward the other two crossbowmen and as he raised his wand, he realised that he recognised one of them as the man who had escaped from the battle with the werewolf. The warlock uttered a powerful curse and watched with satisfaction as purple bolts of energy lanced out to strike the two bandits, sending them reeling.

Erlmoor rushed into the chamber next and recognised the crossbowman that had fled, as Lavren had done. He roared and charged at the line of bandits, letting searing acid spray from his mouth as he reached the men. He lashed out with his blade but the man before him leapt back beyond the reach of the dragonborn’s blade.
“Still a coward then,” Erlmoor growled and then stepped forward after the man.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 22, 2009)

*Chapter 13 - The Inner Chambers (Part 5)*

Enlishia loosed more arrows from her bow, one driving into the chest of the bandit in the middle of the line and the other flying over the man’s head. On the right of the line, a bandit drove its halberd into the flank of Thorn’s beast form as the druid-wolf leapt at him and with a whimper, Thorn fell against the north wall of the chamber. Dulvarna faught back and forth with the two foes she faced but still she had been unable to wound them. Both stabbed out at her within a heartbeat of each other and she hesitated for a moment as she decided which to parry. Her delay allowed both weapons to drive into her hips, one each side and force her back from her enemies. She cursed her own indecision through the pain of the wounds and then rushed forward once more.

In the northern chamber, the archers retreated, loading their crossbows as they did and it was then that Telkya noticed that they shared the chamber with their companions. A barricade of ruined furniture, crates and barrels divided the northern half of the chamber from the rest of the room but the sounds of battle were unmistakeably loud. Her companions were nearby, she realised, and her hope for victory soared. Only when a crossbow bolt clattered off the armour that she had taken from the dragonborn bandit leader, did her mid return to the battle. Another bolt flashed past her left arm and struck the wall close to Lavren behind her and then a third missed Erlmoor by inches. 

The elf maid steeled herself and then rushed at the bandit before her. The man ducked as she swung out her blade and the steel struck the stone wall above the man’s head. A bolt of black energy flashed out from behind Telkya and struck the shoulder of the furthest crossbowman, the one who had fled the werewolf, and hurled him back into the wall. Erlmoor followed up, a prayer on his lips and as his blade sang out it glowed brightly. The sword drove into the man’s side and threw him into the barricade of debris.
“You should have kept on running,” the dragonborn growled at the man. “We don’t spare bandits.”

Enlishia loosed an arrow that flew over the head of the bandit in the middle of the line and then loosed a second a moment later that drove into the man’s shoulder. He fell back but as he did, his companion on the left lunged forward and drove the halberd he held into the shoulder of Thorn’s wolf form. The druid retreated finally and shifted form back into his bestial, but human form. He raised his totem stick and uttered an incantation that called forth an icy whirlwind around the bandits. They ducked and evaded the worst of the icy blasts but the distraction was enough for Dulvarna, who darted forward and lashed her blade into the side of the left leg of the bandit before her. The man stabbed his halberd at her and she dodged to her right only for the other bandit to stab his own weapon into her side. She fell back, wounded and bleeding.

The crossbowmen in the northern half of the chamber threw down their crossbows and drew clubs from their belts. They came forward as a furious wave but Telkya was ready and parried the clumsy club blows of the man before her easily. The other two men clubbed at Erlmoor, striking his arms and forcing him back a step but the dragonborn roared and lashed out with his sword to keep his enemies at bay. Telkya uttered a healing prayer and lashed out with her sword, the blade glowing brightly with divine radiance. As it struck the hip of the bandit in front of the elf maid, a ribbon of golden light snaked out and touched Lavren, healing some of his wounds and restoring his strength. The warlock stepped forward an raised his wand to loose a black bolt into the bandit in the middle of the line. The man fell back against the wall and as he did, Erlmoor surged forward. He plunged his blade into the belly of the bandit he faced and the man fell back against the wall behind him, dying.

Enlishia loosed another barrage of arrows from her bow, one flying past the bandit in the middle of the line and the other driving into his hip. Again, the man fell back but again the line came forward fiercely, one bandit stabbing his long halberd into Thorn’s belly. The druid fell back, bleeding, but still managed to chant an incantation and call forth another whirlwind of icy gusts. One of the bandits reeled away from the wind but another ducked, holding his arms above his head, and evaded the blasts of ice and cold. Once the winds had passed, the bandits came forward ferociously, stabbing their halberds at Dulvarna. She parried one but another drove into her side and she fell back as blood poured from the wound.

Erlmoor reeled back as the bandit before him struck his right wrist with his club. He faught through the numbness and pain of the blow and raised his blade to keep his enemy at bay. Across from him, Telkya surged forward, slashing her blade into the hip of the man that she faced. He reeled back into the wall and the priestess pressed her attack. As she did, Lavren loosed another black bolt from his wand that struck the man before Erlmoor and as the man reeled away, the dragonborn rushed forward, lashing his blade out high toward the man’s neck. The enchanted sword cut through the bandit’s neck easily and beheaded him, his body falling against the wall and his head rolling away to the left.

Enlishia loosed two more arrows that flew past the man in the middle of the line and knew that Dulvarna was in trouble. As she watched helplessly, the ranger saw another halberd stab out and pierce the warrior woman’s side. She gasped, cried out and then fell at the feet of her enemies. Thorn raised his voice in another incantation and called forth a dark storm cloud above the bandits that loosed lightning at the men. They ducked and dodged and remained unharmed before coming forward at Thorn with their halberds in front of them. One man stabbed his weapon into the druid’s chest and with a whimper, the big man fell back against the wall behind him and collapsed, blood pouring down his body. The other bandit rushed down the narrow hallway toward Enlishia, stabbing out with his pole arm as he reached the ranger. The blade of the weapon drove into Enlishia’s right thigh and she fell back, pain filling her head. Desperately, she retreated toward the eastern chamber with her bow raised and an arrow nocked to the string.

Telkya swatted aside the club of the man before her and then lashed her blade toward his chest. The bandit dodged to his right and avoided the elf maid’s sword but as he did, a bolt of black energy lanced out from Lavren’s wand and seared into the man’s chest. He fell back into the wall behind him and as he did, Erlmoor came forward and plunged his sword into the bandit’s ribs. The man gasped and then slumped down the wall to die beside his companions.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 23, 2009)

*Chapter 13 - The Inner Chambers (Part 6)*

Enlishia loosed an arrow quickly as she retreated but the shaft flew over the head of the bandit who pursued her. She reached for another arrow, nocked it and fired again, this one driving into the man’s shoulder but still he kept coming forward. Enlishia fled then, rushing back into the eastern chamber and then running north into the other passage that Erlmoor, Telkya and Lavren had taken. She looked behind her with an arrow nocked to her bow and saw no pursuit but she fled onward anyway, hoping to reach her companions and safety.

In the northern part of the chamber, Erlmoor, Telkya and Lavren moved toward the barricade but as they did, one of the bandits that wielded a halberd moved to the other side of the barrier and thrust his weapon over the top of the structure. Another appeared toward the western end of the barrier and beyond them, Telkya could just see Dulvarna lying on the floor of the southern part of the chamber. The elf maid loosed a bolt of golden energy at one of the men and threw him back from the barricade for a moment Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy into the same man and sent him reeling but still the bandits held the barricade. Erlmoor loosed a ribbon of light from his sword that flew past the other bandit and it seemed that the men would hold their barrier and keep the companions from their wounded. Then, Enlishia entered the chamber from the east and the battle turned. The ranger looked back over her shoulder and then loosed one arrow and then a second toward the man at the western end of the barricade. The first shaft flew over his head but the second drove into his throat and he fell back to the floor beyond the barrier, dying.

The other man raised a loaded crossbow and let fly a bolt that flew past Lavren and disappeared into a dark opening in the north wall of the chamber. The remaining bandit crossed the square room and rushed at Enlishia who still stood in the entrance to the eastern passage. He thrust his halberd at her but she ducked to the right to avoid the stab and then leapt back beyond the reach of the weapon. Telkya looked toward the eastern passage and then toward Dulvarna and made up her mind. She closed her eyes for a moment and disappeared in a shower of light. She reappeared in the southern half of the chamber beyond the barricade and the bandit stood there. She looked over at Dulvarna and extended her left hand, uttering a healing prayer as she did. White light enveloped Dulvarna and she opened her eyes cautiously as Telkya’s heart sang. The priestess turned and loosed golden light at the man at the barricade and as he realised he was surrounded, panic filled the bandit’s eyes.

Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy at the man but he ducked down behind the barricade and evaded the spell. Erlmoor roared and rushed at the barricade, leaping atop it only for it to collapse beneath him, trapping him amongst the debris, crates and barrels. Enlishia retreated into the northern half of the chamber, loosing arrow after arrow at the man who advanced down the corridor behind her. Two drove into man, one in his left hip and the other into his left thigh, forcing him back a step for a moment but still he kept advancing. Meanwhile, the other man turned his halberd around and stabbed at Erlmoor only for the blade to strike the remains of a table in front of the dragonborn instead. Then Dulvarna climbed unsteadily to her feet and rushed at the man from behind. She lashed her blade out, drawing it across the base of his back, and spun him into the barricade.

The man before Enlishia advanced down the narrow corridor and stabbed out at her with his halberd. It drove into her shoulder and forced he back into Lavren who stood behind her. Enlishia looked to the right and saw a golden bolt of light strike the other man and throw him against the barricade again.
“Finish him,” she hissed to Lavren. “I’ll hold this one here.”

Lavren retreated toward the north wall to give Enlishia room to fall back herself and then turned to loose a bolt of black energy from his wand. The bolt struck the man in the shoulder and threw him off the barricade towards Dulvarna. With a roar, Erlmoor leapt from amongst the wood and debris and lashed out with his blade. Desperately, the man brought his halberd up two-handed above his head as though it were a quarterstaff, and parried the paladin’s blow. The man slammed the haft of the weapon into the side of Erlmoor’s head and sent him reeling to his right but as he did, a burst of black fur leapt on him from behind. As the recovered Thorn brought his wolf jaws down on the man’s neck, Dulvarna plunged her blade into the bandit’s back and he slumped forward, collapsing onto the barricade to die.

In the northern half of the chamber, Enlishia retreated across the room, loosing arrows as she did. Both shafts drove into the man’s chest but still he found the strength to continue his advance. He rushed into the chamber and stabbed his halberd into Lavren’s thigh. The elf fell back and felt the fever of the previous night return suddenly and threaten to overwhelm him. He staggered back before realising that the dark opening in the north wall contained a stairway and desperately, he reached out an arm to steady himself. As he did, Telkya rushed forward to the barricade and loosed a bolt of golden light from her amulet that flashed past the man’s shoulder. As the man looked toward the barricade, Lavren retreated along the north wall and cursed the man, loosing black energy from his wand. The bolt flashed past the man and struck the wall next to the passage entrance. Unexplainable panic seized Lavren as the man raised his halberd again but then Erlmoor roared and leapt back across the barricade. As the dragonborn struggled through the barrier, Enlishia began firing again, two arrows flying past the advancing man. Then he stepped forward, snarling at Lavren.
“We thought Ference had got you,” the man sneered. “Never thought you’d survive against a werewolf but here you are.”

The man levelled his weapon to strike but as he did Thorn, now in human form once more, began to chant an incantation. An icy whirlwind engulfed the man and as he staggered, struggling against the chill wind, Dulvarna clambered over the barricade and leapt down beside the man.
“Well we did survive,” she snarled at the man. “And we’re glad of it.”

She drove her blade into the man’s side and he fell to the stone floor, dying.

*Next.......Eaters of Knowledge*


----------



## Medriev (Jun 24, 2009)

*Chapter 14 - Eaters of Knowledge (Part 1)*

The stairway leading from the northern part of the chamber led down into the water chamber where the dead lizard folk still floated in the dank, blood-stained water. The companions made their way carefully through the chamber, avoiding the pipe entrance at the foot of the stairs and the other scattered throughout the chamber. Torches taken from the bandit lair lit their way and more were tucked into the belts of the companions as they made their way forward. They turned north again when they reached the north-south passage from the pit of the dead and they ignored the side door on the left, passing on to the double doors at the end of the long hall. Dulvarna and Erlmoor pushed open the doors and each of the companions took a sharp intake of breath as they beheld the great chamber within.
“The library!” Vyrellis said from the orb, her voice hushed. “Heed not the whispers!”

Shelves packed with books lined the walls and stands to the sides of the wide chamber with barely the height of two men between the tops of the shelves and the ceiling. In the centre, a grassy square surrounded a proud statue of a moon elf princess. At first, the chamber appeared to be deathly quiet but then the companions began to hear faint whispers. They began as barely audible sounds but then grew louder and began to press upon the minds of each of the companions – an unintelligible jumble of words in many languages, like a thousand voices murmuring at once.

Erlmoor led the way into the room, moving right toward the nearest stand of shelves while looking closely at the statue. As he moved forward, he found himself drawn toward the shelves by the whispers and as he moved on, he had to exert real effort. As he reached the end of the bookshelf, he saw movement ahead of him and a hairless grey-skinned humanoid emerged from behind a stand of shelves in front of him. The creature wore dark, flowing clothes but also had pieces of spiked armour strapped to its shoulders and legs. It held a curved scimitar in its right hand and rushed at the paladin, swinging the blade in low.

Erlmoor retreated and brought his blade down to parry but he only succeeded in deflecting the scimitar away from his belly and into his thigh. He staggered and limped back as Enlishia came forward, nocking an arrow to her bow as she came. She loosed an arrow that drove into the creature’s right leg and then fired again, but the second shaft flew wide of the mark and drove into the end of a stand of shelves. The ranger staggered as something else beyond the whispers assailed her mind and as she saw Erlmoor do the same, she knew what they faced here.
“These are eaters of knowledge, oft called the Brood of Shar,” she called to the others. “And the one we see is not the only one.”

As if to emphasise the ranger’s point, there was sudden movement on top of the shelves that stood against the east wall of the room. Another of the creatures moved into view there with a longbow in its hands and as the companions looked, it reached for an arrow to nock to the string. Thorn started toward the creature high on the shelves, throwing down the torch he carried in his left hand and drawing forth his totem stick. He chanted an incantation and gestured at the creature, calling forth an icy blast of wind that threw the archer back against the wall. 

Dulvarna rushed to aid Erlmoor, her blade singing out as she reached the creature he faced and driving into the eater’s right leg just below Enlishia’s arrow. The creature grunted and staggered to its left. Telkya moved forward to aid Thorn, throwing down her own torch and raising her amulet. A bolt of golden light lanced out and struck the archer creature just as it began to recover from thorn’s icy blast of wind. Then Telkya heard a shout from Lavren behind her and as she turned, she saw that another of the scimitar-wielding creatures had emerged from behind a long stand of shelves to the left and was advancing toward Enlishia’s back. The warlock moved into the room and rushed to stand beside Thorn but as he reached the druid, he turned around and raised his wand. He uttered a curse and a bolt of black energy crackled out to strike the creature in the chest and hurl it backwards. It jerked its shoulders as though loosening its muscles once it had stopped retreating and then it raised its blade to resume its advance.

Telkya looked back toward the archer high on the shelves and as she did, another eater of knowledge, this creature dressed in long, flowing robes, emerged from behind the stand of shelves in front of her. The creature raised both its hands and uttered something unintelligible at Thorn. The druid suddenly staggered as a terrible pain filled his head. He reached up his left hand to try to block out the agony and reeled to the left and right as the pain refused to leave him. Then, as suddenly as it had been summoned, the pain was gone but the druid was left dazed and confused by the attack. 

Suddenly, Lavren cried out again as an arrow drove into his left shoulder and threw him back. He and Telkya both looked around for the second archer and spotted the creature atop the shelves that stood against the west wall of the chamber. Lavren cursed under his breath, snapped the shaft off in the wound and then raised his wand to face the warrior closest to him.
Erlmoor roared and sprayed acid at the eater before him only for the creature to duck and shield its body with the armour on its arms. The dragonborn surged forward before his enemy could recover and lashed his blade in from his right to drive into the hip of the creature before him. It spun away to its left and then turned around to let out a terrible scream from its mouth that pierced the minds of Dulvarna and Erlmoor and threw them back. Enlishia rushed forward to the foot of the statue and loosed an arrow into the side of the eater. She reached over to her quiver and drew forth another arrow that she nocked to her bow and released straight away. This shaft flew wide of the creature and drove into a book on one of the shelves against the eastern wall.

An arrow struck the floor in front of Telkya while beside her, Thorn shifted into his wolf form and leapt at the robed creature in front of him. His teeth seized the creature’s arm and dragged the eater toward Lavren and Telkya for a moment before the creature shook the wolf free. Telkya looked back desperately toward the other creature that advanced toward them with its scimitar in hand but as she caught Dulvarna’s eye, she realised that the warrior woman had seen the creature two. She spun on the spot, lashed out with her blade and beheaded the creature before her. Then she twisted away and moved to meet the new foe that came from the western side of the room.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 25, 2009)

*Chapter 14 - Eaters of Knowledge (Part 2)*

Telkya turned her attention back to the archer on top of the shelves, loosing a golden bolt of light at the creature that struck the wall above its head. She cursed silently and as she did, she sensed movement behind her. She half turned and then felt the searing pain of a blade driving into the left side of her back. She cried out, reeling away, as blood began to pour down her side. 

The robed eater drew a scimitar from its belt as it shook Thorn from its arm and drove the blade down into the flank of the druid’s wolf form. Thorn retreated with a whimper and Lavren looked around to check that the druid remained able to fight. Satisfied, the warlock raised his wand and cursed at the creature that had wounded Telkya, loosing crackling black energy into its side. The creature reeled right into the wall and Telkya turned around with her blade in hand to face her enemy. Then an arrow lanced out from the archer atop the western shelves and drove into Lavren’s leg. The warlock gasped and fell back as again, the fever that had plagued him since the battle with the werewolf, rose in his body again.

Erlmoor rushed past Lavren as he reeled from the arrow in his leg, and charged at the creature that battled Telkya. He swung his blade out with a prayer on his lips and as it glowed, it smashed into the hip of the creature, slamming it into the wall of the chamber again. Enlishia’s bow sang a moment later and an arrow drove into the creature’s shoulder. A second shaft flew forth and clattered into the wall next to the eater of knowledge but still it faught on. Another bow sang on the eastern shelves and this time, the arrow flew true and drove into the back of Telkya’s right leg, pitching her forward. Her enemy snarled but before it could strike, she leapt back out of its reach as Dulvarna charged in from its left.

Dulvarna rushed into the creature and plunged her blade forward, driving it into the side of the eater’s chest. The point found its heart a moment later and with a gasp, the creature slid off the end of the warrior woman’s sword and fell to the floor of the chamber. Dulvarna smiled at the others and then pushed her way between them as she rushed to join Thorn against the robed creature.
“Take care of the archers,” she called back to the others and without any further bidding, Telkya started toward the western shelves.

Telkya vanished into a shower of light a moment later only to reappear atop the shelves against the south wall. She raised her amulet and with a prayer, called forth a column of searing light that descended on the far archer and burned its grey skin. It gasped and cried out but still it managed to raise its bow and nock an arrow to the string.

The robed figure retreated as Dulvarna rushed at it and then it opened its mouth and let forth a terrible howl that sounded like thousands of voices screaming for aid in every language that had ever been spoken on Faerun. Thorn reeled back and away from the creature as the terrible sound reached into his mind and caused him terrible pain. Dulvarna paid the howl no mind and stepped forward with her blade before her. To her left, Lavren disappeared into light as Telkya had and reappeared next to his wife atop the shelves against the southern wall. He raised his wand and loosed crackling black energy at the archer against the western wall but the creature ducked to its left and the blast struck the stone behind where it had been standing. The creature raised its bow and loosed an arrow but the shaft drove with a thud into the books on the shelves below the two elves. The two smiled at each other and started forward, toward their enemy.

Erlmoor rushed past Thorn’s wolf form with a roar and charged at the robed eater of knowledge. He lashed out with his blade but the creature brought its scimitar across and parried expertly before retreating a step before the paladin’s furious charge. Beyond the creature, the archer atop the shelves raised its bow and loosed an arrow that drove into Dulvarna’s shoulder, throwing the warrior woman back. Behind her, Thorn shifted back into human form and stood for a moment, dazed and breathless. Dulvarna looked back at the druid and once she was satisfied that he would survive, she rushed furiously at the robed creature before her. Her blade sang out and drove into the eater’s left side, sending it reeling away to her left. The creature spun around, snarling at Dulvarna and the warrior woman stepped forward, raising her blade to strike again.

Enlishia moved away from the statue to the southern end of the nearest stand of shelves and raised her bow to take aim at the archer atop the western shelves. She loosed a sighting arrow that struck the wall next to the creature and then nocked another, loosing it quickly but knowing that it flew true. The shaft drove into the creature’s side just above its hip and threw it back against the wall behind it. A bolt of golden light flew out from Telkya’s amulet as she advanced along the shelves and struck the creature in the chest, throwing it back against the wall. Lavren moved along the shelves behind his wife, raising his wand as he came. He cursed at the archer, loosed a bolt of black energy and watched as the blast struck the creature in the face and slammed its head back into the stone wall behind it. The creature opened its mouth and then pitched forward off the shelves to land, twenty feet below, as a broken corpse.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 26, 2009)

*Chapter 14 - Eaters of Knowledge (Part 3)*

Erlmoor parried repeatedly as the robed creature came forward fiercely but he knew he was a match for its skill. He lashed his own blade in low from his left, hoping to sneak it under the creature’s guard but the eater parried again and stepped back. Behind him, he heard Enlishia’s bow sing and saw an arrow strike the wall next to the archer atop the eastern shelves. A second arrow flew over the dragonborn’s head and this drove into the creature’s right leg, throwing it into the stone behind it. It raised its bow and loosed an arrow that drove into Dulvarna’s right leg, throwing her back a step. She cried out but as she did, Thorn raised his voice in an incantation. Thunder rang out above the archer on top of the shelves and then lightning struck downward, smashing into the shelf next to the creature. Dulvarna let out a guttural roar as she summoned more strength and surged forward. Her blade danced left and right and then lashed across the thigh of the creature before her. It staggered to its left but then snarled at her, showing its derision. It screamed then and lashed out with its blade, driving the scimitar into Dulvarna’s left hip. She fell into the wall as pain exploded in her hip and then inside her head. The warrior woman cried out, knowing that another attack like that would surely fell her.

Telkya paused for a moment to regard Lavren who seemed to be being consumed by the fever that had so plagued him for the last day. She uttered a healing prayer and then took his arm, leading him quickly along the top of the shelves against the western wall. Behind his wife, Lavren felt his fever abating and let his wife lead him onward. They would circle around the chamber it seemed to go to the aid of their companions.

Erlmoor roared and surged at the robed figure, his blade lashing out as he uttered a prayer. The blade drove into the creature’s right shoulder, under the plates of its armour and it reeled to its left while white light burst from the sword and engulfed Erlmoor, Dulvarna and Thorn, restoring some of their strength. Behind the others, Enlishia struggled to get away from the pain in her head that she knew was caused by the presence of the robed eater of knowledge. She circled around to the north, passing the end of a stack of shelves as she tried to find another way to attack the archer to the east. She found that she had circled around the side of the battle with the robed figure and raised her bow instead to aim at that creature. She loosed an arrow that flew just behind the creature and then loosed another that drove into the creature’s side. It staggered but then an arrow clattered into the stone in front of Dulvarna and Enlishia moved on, reminded of her purpose.

Still trying to shake off the daze of the robed eater’s howl, Thorn managed to chant another incantation and raise his totem stick. A blast of frost lanced out from the end of the stick and struck the archer in the chest, throwing the creature back into the wall and covering its limbs with stiffening frost. Dulvarna flashed a smile at her companion and then rushed at the robed creature, her blade flashing in from left and right and cutting into the eater’s legs and arms. It fell back for a moment from the fury of the attacks and then lashed out with its scimitar, the blade slashing across Dulvarna’s left cheek and spinning her into the wall again. 

She pushed herself off the wall and heard Erlmoor uttering another prayer. He held up his blade for a moment and reached out a hand to touch Dulvarna’s shoulder. The hand flared with white light for a moment as new strength flowed into the warrior woman and then the dragonborn turned away with a roar and lashed his sword across the belly of the robed creature. Two arrows drove into the creature’s right side as Enlishia’s bow sang again and then the ranger was gone, moving on to pursue the archer on the shelves. Another arrow flew down from the eater of knowledge archer and tore into the side of Dulvarna’s right leg but she paid the wound no mind. 

Thorn called icy wind to the heights of the shelves but the creature leapt to its left and avoided the worst of the cold. Thorn finally shook off the daze that had plagued him and retreated away from the battle, trying as Enlishia had done to get away from the terrible pain in his head. As he retreated, Dulvarna surged forward again despite the pain and lashed her blade into the belly of the robed creature. It gasped and fell back, staggering as blood poured from the wound. It reached a hand to the wound and Dulvarna stepped forward, thinking her enemy beaten. As she drew near, the creature moved suddenly and drove its blade up, driving the point into Dulvarna’s belly with a snarl. The warrior woman fell back, bleeding heavily herself as the creature snarled at its apparent victory. Then Erlmoor brought his blade down on the creature’s back and it fell to the stone floor at Dulvarna’s feet.

Enlishia moved north along the shelves and then turned, aiming carefully at the creature atop the shelves. She let fly the arrow and watched it fly straight and true into the archer’s right leg. The creature lurched to its right as it tried to raise its bow and Enlishia fired again. Her second arrow drove into the top of the shelves beneath the archer’s feet and the creature raised it bow and took aim toward Dulvarna and Erlmoor. It let fly the arrow and the shaft drove into Dulvarna’s chest, hurling her backwards. She gasped and then fell back onto the stone floor, her belly and her chest pouring blood.

Thorn saw Dulvarna fall and called forth another icy wind to envelop the archer. Again, the creature tried to take cover but still the wind bit at its skin and flesh. A golden bolt from Telkya’s amulet struck it next and threw it to its left as she and her husband rounded the north eastern corner of the shelves and made their way toward the archer. Erlmoor knelt beside Dulvarna and tended to her wounds while Enlishia raised her bow again. An arrow flew forth, drove through the creature’s throat and it fell from the shelves to land with a dull thump on the stone floor beneath.

*Next......The King's Hermitage*


----------



## Medriev (Jun 27, 2009)

*Chapter 15 - The King's Hermitage (Part 1)*

“These may cure our fever,” said Lavren after he had searched through the library for several minutes.

He held in his hands three scrolls, two of which he knew would cure disease if the rituals written there were performed upon a sick individual. The other contained a ritual that he could not make sense of and as Thorn and Telkya looked over the scroll, they too, found it beyond their ken.
“The ritual would be taxing and dangerous,” said Telkya. “And we cannot rest here for long enough to perform it. I say we go on to the north until we find somewhere where we can rest.”
“I agree,” Thorn said in his deep baritone. “There is a risk, but the risk of staying here is greater.”
“But you are not the one with the fever,” Lavren snapped back. “I feel it consuming me when I am wounded in battle and I do not know what it might make me do.”
“You are all right,” Dulvarna said then. “But only Lavren and Erlmoor can judge this. They have the fever and we do not. We must go along with what they say.”
“But the risk is too great,” said Telkya. “If enemies came upon us here while I performed the ritual upon either of them we could all be slain.”

Lavren looked at his wife and slowly nodded his acceptance. Grimly, he gathered his belongings and started toward the ladder that led back to the top of the shelves. The doors in the north wall led out of the room from that level and all would have to climb back atop the shelves to leave the room.

The double doors opened into a rectangular chamber dominated by the stone statue of an angel with its wings folded around its body on an ornate pedestal. Cradled in its hands it held the black disc symbol of Shar pointing toward the companions. An L-shaped table and a heavy cabinet stood against the opposite wall, with a closed door between them . Another door pierced the left hand wall in the corner to the left of the cabinet. 

Dulvarna led the companions forward but as she drew near to the angel, the black disk of Shar sent forth a burst of black energy. Dulvarna leapt back and Enlishia rushed forward, circling around the room away from the statue to reach the far door. She held back her bow and reached out to the iron ring that was the door’s handle, turning it and pushing open the portal. She saw the eater of knowledge within at once but it saw her at the same time. The creature drew its scimitar and began to advance.
“More of Shar’s brood,” she called out to the others.

The statue sent forth a burst of energy again and Dulvarna leapt away, rushing to aid Enlishia at the door. She moved past the ranger and rushed into the room to meet the eater of knowledge blade to blade. Behind her, Thorn rushed around the statue to the western door and pulled the portal open. Within was a square chamber with four stone pillars supporting a dome below the high ceiling. Two more eaters of knowledge drew blades within the room as the door opened but with them stood a tall man in midnight blue robes with long dark hair and the beginnings of horns jutting as little pyramids just behind his temples.
“More in here,” Thorn called. “And what might be a tiefling.”

Erlmoor roared and rushed to stand beside the druid in the doorway with his blade before him and as he did, the eaters of knowledge came forward. One rushed at the two companions and slashed its blade into Thorn’s shoulder, driving the druid back into the wooden cabinet behind him. The other creature rushed to aid its companion but the door was narrow and it could not reach Erlmoor or Thorn. Telkya and Lavren rushed to aid Dulvarna at the northern door and as they did, the eater of knowledge in that chamber charged at Dulvarna. It lashed out with its blade to the right but Dulvarna parried and the two began to trade blows, back and forth in the doorway to the room.

“There he is!” Vyrellis cried suddenly as the horned man appeared behind the eaters of knowledge in the western chamber. “A splinter of Draxius’ life force! Destroy him and find his key!”
“I know no Draxius!” the horned man roared in response. “I am Galaghard, King of Cormyr, and you will die for disturbing my studies here!”

Enlishia raised her bow with an arrow nocked, seeking a way to aim at the creature that Dulvarna fought and the warrior woman seemed to sense her dilemma. Dulvarna slashed her blade across the chest of the eater before her and as it reeled back, she darted past it to the right, putting her back up against a pile of crates and barrels. Enlishia loosed one arrow and then nocked and fired a second, both driving into the creature’s chest and throwing it back into the room. Suddenly, the horned man appeared to emerge from a curtain at the western end of the room and raised his staff. He uttered a command word and a bolt of blue energy shot forth from the stave to strike Dulvarna in the shoulder and hurl her back into the crates and barrels behind her. The eater of knowledge hissed its approval and raised its blade to come at her before she could recover.

At the other doorway, Thorn shifted into his wolf form and leapt at the creature before him, tearing at its arm and dragging it off balance. Erlmoor rushed at it at the same time and drove him blade into the creature’s hip, throwing it back from the door for a moment. The creature lashed out wildly at Thorn with its blade and tore a shallow wound across the top of the wolf druid’s back. He let go his grip and the eater came forward against both of its enemies with renewed fury.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 28, 2009)

*Chapter 15 - The King's Hermitage (Part 2)*

Telkya looked toward Lavren and winked knowingly before closing her eyes and vanishing into a shower of light motes. She reappeared in the northern chamber a few feet from the man who claimed to be a King of Cormyr. She raised her amulet and loosed golden light at the horned man but he dodged easily to his right and evaded the divine bolt. A moment later, Lavren appeared, his back to the north wall of the chamber and his wand levelled at the eater of knowledge. He cursed the creature, loosing a crackling bolt of black energy that seared into the creature’s back and hurled it forward, towards Dulvarna. It let out a terrible scream and as it seared into the warrior woman’s head, she fell back into the barrels and crates again.

Enlishia loosed an arrow quickly to try and silence the creature and she succeeded for the eater stopped its scream as the shaft drove into its shoulder. The ranger fired again but her second arrow clattered off the stone wall next to the creature and struck the floor in front of Lavren. Dulvarna pushed herself off the crates then and lashed her blade across the eater’s belly driving it back another step into the room. She looked toward Galaghard as she heard the man utter another command and as she looked, lightning burst from his staff and struck Telkya in the chest, throwing her back into Lavren. The bolt coursed through her and then arced out to strike Lavren and then Dulvarna and once again, the warrior woman was hurled back painfully into the crates and barrels behind her. As Dulvarna looked up, dazed and wounded, she saw the horned man turn away from the battle and vanish into the curtain without moving it aside or indeed disturbing it at all.

Thorn and Erlmoor saw Galaghard reappear behind the eaters of knowledge at the same time and at the same time they surged forward. Again, Thorn in wolf form seized the arm of the creature that faced the pair and this time, as the eater was dragged to its left, Erlmoor drove his sword into its side. It reeled back but still it lashed out and this time, its blade struck the flank of Thorn’s wolf form and slammed him into the wall to his right. The druid snarled his annoyance as he regained his feet but in his heart he knew that he could not take many more blows like that one.

Telkya loosed a bolt of golden light at the eater of knowledge in the doorway and then turned toward the curtain, thinking to follow Galaghard. She rushed over to the curtain and with some effort, moved the heavy drape aside. She looked back toward Lavren and as she did he loosed a black bolt wildly at the eater of knowledge and rushed to pass through the curtain ahead of her. As he passed the curtain it seemed to tangle his legs as though it moved of its own accord but still he passed through it with a stumble and found himself in a bed chamber with a cot against the west wall and a desk against the south, covered in books and scrolls. He looked back to see if the others followed him just as an arrow from Enlishia’s bow drove through the throat of the eater and it fell to the floor of the chamber. He beckoned to the others and they made to follow him into the chamber.

As Enlishia reached the curtain, it seemed to slip from Telkya’s grasp to fall in front of the ranger. She made to push it aside but it enveloped her and held her firmly around the waist and legs, half in and half out of the bed chamber beyond. Dulvarna came forward and moved aside the left hand side of the curtain but as she tried to pass through, the curtain again fell back and enveloped her, holding her in place. She struggled beside Enlishia but despite their efforts, neither could get free.

Thorn summoned the fury of his werewolf ancestors and leapt at the eater of knowledge with a growl. He seized the creature’s leg and clung on as it tried desperately to shake the wolf druid free. Erlmoor roared, spraying acid onto both the creatures to force them back and as they retreated, he advanced. He stepped into the doorway and plunged his sword into the belly of the eater of knowledge that Thorn had seized in his wolf jaws. The creature gasped and then collapsed, falling limply to the floor. Thorn let the creature go and Erlmoor stepped into the doorway in front of him to meet the other eater blade to blade, determined to defend the wounded druid.		

Telkya tried to slip past the edge of the curtain as her companions struggled with it but somehow, a part of the drape tangled around her left leg and held her firm just inside the bed chamber. Lavren looked back to his stranded companions and for a moment found their struggles funny. Trying to keep a smile from his lips, he rushed to the around the desk to the southern wall of the room where a similar curtain hung, decorated with the same grassy field beneath a starry sky as the other was. He pulled the curtain aside, noting a blood red full moon near the horizon of the tapestry scene but as he tried to pass through, the curtain somehow entangled him around the waist and he found himself trapped, a little way into the other room. To his left, Erlmoor faught an eater of knowledge while standing over the body of another while in front of the warlock, Galaghard stood beneath a dome supported by four columns. The robed man smiled as he saw the elf’s predicament and all humorous thoughts vanished from Lavren’s mind. Then Enlishia burst through the curtain to the elf’s right and became ensnared as he was. The horned man’s smile broadened.


----------



## Medriev (Jun 29, 2009)

*Chapter 15 - The King's Hermitage (Part 3)*

Dulvarna marvelled at how easily Enlishia had twisted her way out of the curtain and decided that she could do something similar. She ducked down into the curtain and with all her strength, she dragged her body out of its tangles. Pulling the curtain to full stretch with her, she reached the desk before the hanging finally released her and even then, she staggered into the chair next to the writing table and nearly fell. She raised her sword and rushed to the southern curtain, easing it to one side with her blade as she reached it. Once she had a big enough opening, she dived through but again the curtain fell back and wrapped around her waist. She found herself looking into the fierce, evil eyes of Galaghard and as his eyes met hers, the horned man uttered a word of command and a bolt of blue light lanced out to strike the entrapped Lavren.

Thorn held back for a moment, gathering his strength while Erlmoor, seeing his companions trapped in the curtain at the northern edge of the room, surged forward. The dragonborn clashed blades again and again with the creature but its guard was strong and it refused to give ground as its companion had. Still, the paladin forced his way past the creature and into the room, leaving room for Thorn to rush at the creature once some of his strength had returned.

Enlishia twisted and ducked into curtain but could only manage to free her bow. She raised it and loosed one arrow and then a second, the first nicking Galaghard’s cheek and the second, driving into his left arm below the shoulder. The horned man snarled his derision but then his expression changed as Dulvarna pulled herself free of the curtain and rushed at him. She lashed out her sword and he leapt back, avoiding the cut by mere inches while bringing his staff across to parry the next attack. He retreated between the southern pair of pillars and uttered another command word, loosing a rolling blast of thunder that threw Dulvarna into the pillar next to her and hurled Lavren and Enlishia back into the tangles of the curtain.

In the chamber to the east, Thorn heard the peal of thunder and rushed at the eater of knowledge, knowing that powerful magic had been unleashed against his companions. He lunged at the ankle of the creature and tore open the flesh there with his jaws, driving the eater back into the room and hobbling it for a few moments at least. Erlmoor surged forward at the creature a prayer on his lips that made his sword glow brightly. He feinted to his left and then brought his blade over the creature’s head and down on its left shoulder. The creature hissed at the dragonborn who swept his blade around and up toward its belly. It brought its blade down just in time and parried the blow before letting out a piercing scream.

Lavren struggled to free himself from the curtain but found himself held firm although he managed to free his wand and his sword. He raised the former and loosed a bolt of black energy that caught Galaghard in the shoulder. The horned man staggered back and as he did, Enlishia let fly two arrows in quick succession. One drove into his left shoulder and the other into his right hip, forcing him back another step away from Dulvarna. The warrior woman retreated in turn, gathering her strength for another charge and the horned man took his chance, loosing another blast of rolling thunder at the three companions.

Thorn came forward again in a snarling fury and as the eater of knowledge looked toward him, Erlmoor rushed at it from the other side. The dragonborn roared, forcing all of his strength into one mighty overhead blow but the creature raised its scimitar to parry the dragonborn’s sword. The paladin’s blade smashed the weapon in two and continued its descend, cleaving into the top of the creature’s skull and splitting it almost in two. The creature fell, broken to the stone floor and the dragonborn turned away to circle around behind Galaghard.

Telkya burst through the northern curtain a moment later but it moved back seemingly on its own and ensnared her alongside Lavren and Enlishia. The ranger looked over at the priestess and smiled before ducking and wriggling through the entangling cloth to escape its folds and move into the chamber. She moved to the right of the nearest pillar, raised her bow toward the horned man. Her bow sang once and then a second time, both arrows driving into Galaghard’s side and forcing him back toward Erlmoor who now stood ready at the man’s back. Dulvarna rushed past the ranger and lashed her blade into the horned man’s belly forcing a gasp from his lips as he fell back another step. 

The man paused for a moment then, glancing over his shoulder at Erlmoor and managing to sneer at the dragonborn. Then he raised his staff, uttered a now familiar command and loosed rolls of thunder at the companions. Dulvarna ducked to her right behind the pillar and escaped the worst of the spell but Enlishia was flung back against the north wall of the room next to the curtain. Lavren was also hurled back, his head striking the wall next to the curtain and his body falling limp amongst the entangling folds of the curtain. Thorn leapt at the man then from between the two western pillars while Erlmoor rushed at the horned man from behind, slashing his blade once and then a second time into his back. Galaghard cried out then for the first time, reeling and swinging his staff out wide to try and ward of the enemies that now surrounded him.
“I ruled wisely!” he cried out. “How came I to be imprisoned here!”

Telkya watched the man’s desperation and almost felt pity for him but as she struggled against the curtain, her anger returned. She looked down at Lavren and judged that he would live, for a little while at least, and decided that Dulvarna needed her aid more. She raised her voice in a healing prayer and held her amulet out clumsily toward the warrior woman. Golden light enveloped Dulvarna and the worst of her hurts were healed. She smiled her thanks at Telkya who looked down at her husband, hoping that her assessment of his injuries had been right.

Enlishia circled around the back of Galaghard and aimed carefully before loosing an arrow that flew straight and true into the man’s back. He spun around as she levelled her bow again and her second arrow missed him and clattered into the pillar beside him. He cursed this new foe and as he did, Dulvarna rushed at him and plunged her blade into his side. The man gasped and lashed out with his staff, unleashing one last burst of thunderous power. Thorn and Dulvarna were hurled away from the horned man and Telkya was slammed against the wall close to where Lavren’s blood still stained the stone. Thorn the wolf rushed back at the man almost at once and as he did, Erlmoor rushed at Galaghard from the other side. The horned man’s staff kept Thorn at bay but the Erlmoor drove his blade into his back, forcing him to stagger forward. A moment later, an arrow drove into the back of Galaghard’s neck and he pitched forward onto the stone floor.
“I ruled wisely,” he gasped with the last of his breath. “How came it to this.”

Thus died the man who called himself Galaghard, King of Cormyr.

*Next.....The Hard Way Up*


----------



## Medriev (Jun 30, 2009)

*Chapter 16 - The Hard Way Up (Part 1)*

“Galaghard was the name born by Draxius’ father and grandfather,” said Vyrellis as the companions made ready to leave the library where they had rested to heal their wounds. They had made camp on the tops of the shelves above the chamber to better keep watch for enemies and there, Telkya had cured Erlmoor and Lavren of the disease that had assailed them since the battle with the werewolf. Vyrellis had expected to find a chard of her life force in the statue at the centre of the library, which she said depicted her in life, but she had not. She had become agitated for several hours after that and had only now really calmed down.

“Perhaps the man was Galaghard and he too is trapped here,” Dulvarna suggested.
“No!” Vyrellis shouted. “I know who I saw and who I sensed. That was Draxius, whoever he claimed to be.”
“Then why would he claim to be his own grandfather?” Lavren questioned. “It makes no sense.”
“I know not,” Vyrellis answered, speaking more calmly now as she always did with Lavren. “I only know that what I sensed was a fragment of Draxius and no one else.”

“It is a mystery for another time,” said Thorn sternly. “We must decide our onward path now that we have defeated at least a part of Draxius.”
“We are yet to recover the shards of Vyrellis’ life force,” said Lavren. “We know the way upward through the pyramid but there is more exploration to be done here before we move on.”
“Agreed,” said Telkya. “And we should journey back to face the plant creatures. I for one would avenge my brother and perhaps bring him forth for a proper funeral.”

“Though I sympathise,” Erlmoor rumbled. “We cannot. We must go on as quickly as we can to find a way out of here. Litiraan would have wanted that and you, Vyrellis, would surely seek your freedom above all else.”
“What use is freedom without a body and a life, dragonborn” Vyrellis snarled.
“That is as maybe,” Dulvarna said with her usual calm authority. “But Erlmoor is right. We cannot linger here any longer than we have to. We must go back to the stairs and make our way upwards.”

As usual, the others slowly nodded their agreement with Dulvarna and gathered up their belongings to make their way back to the stairway upwards. When they were ready to leave, Dulvarna paused and pulled out the adamantine key that they had found in the chest in Galaghard’s chamber. It bore draconic runes that Erlmoor had translated as first in hardness, not in place though Dulvarna did not understand the phrase’s meaning. Shrugging, she put the key back into the pouch at her belt and led the companions out of the room.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 1, 2009)

*Chapter 16 - The Hard Way Up (Part 2)*

They found their way quickly to the ice chamber and then headed north into the stairwell where a wide set of stairs rose before them into the gloom above. As they began to ascend, the companions saw that the stairs wrapped around the walls of the room, leaving a deep pit in the middle. The first landing turned right and then led to another staircase ascending to the north. Telkya moved toward the stairs, looking warily up into the darkness above by the feeble light of the torch she carried. Erlmoor moved past her and began to ascend the next flight of stairs but as soon as he did, the stairs shifted and rocked as though a giant had was shaking them. Erlmoor fell over to his left and then slid across the rocking stairs to the edge of the central pit. Desperately, he tried to hang onto the stone stairs but then they tipped again and he tumbled over the edge into the dark abyss.

A screech came from Telkya’s left and as she looked up, a grey-skinned horned creature swooped down toward her on bat-like wings. It circled over the pit and then dived at the priestess, lashing out with razor-sharp claws. Telkya ducked and the creature swept over her head, letting out another screech as it saw the remaining companions nearing the top of the first flight of stairs. Thorn strode onto the landing, uttering an incantation as he came. A blast of chill wind struck the gargoyle and it stuttered in its flight as it sought to gain height and reach the upper landing from which it had come. 
Enlishia moved onto the landing and raised her bow, loosing an arrow and then a second at the gargoyle but both bounced off the creature’s stony skin. Lavren moved in front of Telkya and loosed a black bolt of energy from his wand that flew past the gargoyle and struck the side of the western staircase. Dulvarna rushed up the last few stairs and charged at the gargoyle, her blade lashing out and tearing into the creature’s leg. It screeched again and as it did, another creature answered it. A second gargoyle swept around the wall to Dulvarna’s left and bore down on her. It swooped down and lashed out with a claw toward the warrior woman but Dulvarna ducked back and the gargoyle swiped only at air.

Telkya threw down her torch and rushed to aid Dulvarna, her blade in hand. She lashed out at the second of the gargoyles, her blade cutting into the right arm of the creature as it beat its wings to take to the air again. The creature screeched and this time, another creature answered it. From the northwest corner of the stairwell came a harpy whose wings were wreathed in fire. The creature swept down and with a roar, it disgorged a cloud of burning ash from its mouth as it neared the ledge. Lavren and Thorn threw their arms over their faces as the ash clouded the ledge but Enlishia was not quick enough. Searing ash burned her face and arms while the ash clogged her eyes and blinded her. Desperately, she clawed at her eyes to clear away the ash while Lavren tried to keep her away from the treacherous edge of the pit.

The gargoyle that had attacked Telkya swept up over the pit and seemed to land out of sight on a landing high above. On the lower landing, Thorn shifted to his wolf form and rushed at the harpy and the remaining gargoyle. He leapt at the harpy and seized the creature’s left leg, trying to drag it down onto the ledge. The harpy screeched and pulled the limb free, almost dragging the druid into the pit but using the claws of his wolf form, Thorn kept his footing on the ledge. Behind the druid, Enlishia heard the harpy’s screech and loosed an arrow despite her blindness. The shaft flew wide of the harpy and clattered into the side of the western stairs but she loosed a second a moment later and this shaft flew straight and true. The arrow drove into the side of the harpy and with another screech, the creature beat its wings to get away from the companions.

At the edge of the pit, Lavren pulled a rope from his belt and tied one end around his waist while dropping the other end down into the pit for Erlmoor to climb up. He looked back to Enlishia and saw that the ranger had now wiped the ash from her eyes and was nocking another arrow to her bowstring. Satisfied that he would be defended, the elf let the rope fall and braced himself to hold the weight of the dragonborn as he began to climb up.

Dulvarna lashed out at the gargoyle that had landed before her but as she did, it beat its wings and flew backwards beyond her reach. Then, with a screech, it swept left out over the pit and climbed up to the ledge where its companion had disappeared before vanishing from sight itself. Telkya turned away from where the gargoyle had stood and moved to the bottom of the shifting stairs that had pitched Erlmoor into the pit. She turned back then and loosed a golden bolt of light at the harpy that flew just past the creature’s left wing. Cursing, she turned back to the shifting stairs and began to contemplate how she might make her way past the obstacle.

Erlmoor climbed up Lavren’s rope quickly, cresting the pit edge wearily and then looking around to see how his companions faired. Close by, the harpy lashed a claw across the back of Thorn’s wolf form and then swooped away, circling the central pit while singing a song that burned all who heard it as though it were flame.
“We have to get up the stairs,” the dragonborn called to the others. “Keep to the outer wall and move quickly.”

Thorn looked back at the dragonborn and barked his agreement but as he did, one of the gargoyles swept down from its high ledge again. It lashed out with its claws and tore wounds along the left flank of the druid’s wolf form. Thorn turned and snapped at the creature, his jaws closing on its left leg for a moment and threatening to stall its flight. The creature pulled itself free and beat its wings to rise beyond the druid but as it did, Enlishia loosed two arrows in quick succession, both driving into the gargoyle’s right thigh. The creature jerked to the left in the air but kept its wings beating to hold itself in the air. Enlishia smiled and turned away, rushing to the bottom of the shifting stairs. After a moment’s pause, she rushed up the steps, keeping her balance and making her way steadily toward the top.

Lavren threw his rope over his shoulder and then loosed a bolt of black energy at the gargoyle. It struck the creature in the chest and threw it backwards in the air. The elf turned away as Enlishia had and rushed up the steps behind the ranger. On the landing, Dulvarna looked up at her companions on the stairs and then rushed forward to aid Thorn against the gargoyle. She lashed out with her blade and tore a gash in the creature’s wing. The gargoyle beat its wings desperately to get out of her reach but as it did, another screech sounded from above. The second gargoyle swept down from the high ledge, its flight taking it over Thorn as its claws reached down and raked the druid’s back.

Telkya rushed up the steps behind her husband, passing both him and Enlishia close to the top. She kept her balance and reached the top without stumbling or falling. She turned as she reached the landing and raised her amulet to loose a bolt of golden energy at the harpy that circled in the central pit. The bolt struck the creature on its shoulder and sent it reeling downward for a moment before it recovered. Then it beat its wings and swept upward toward the ledge on which Telkya stood. As the harpy crested the ledge, it landed on its clawed feet and then, with a roar, it let forth another cloud of burning ash. Telkya and Lavren were burned and blinded but Enlishia threw herself against the right wall of the stairs and covered her face with her arms. 

On the lower landing, Erlmoor roared and sprayed acid at the gargoyles but both beat their wings to retreat out of reach of the noxious liquid. The gargoyles snarled and came forward again but as they did, the paladin lashed out with his blade, a prayer on his lips. The sword glowed brightly and clove into the hip of the nearest gargoyle, hurling the creature to the right and into its companion. Both creatures screeched and Erlmoor moved along the ledge toward the shifting stairs. One of the gargoyles twisted in the air and swept away across the pit, climbing up the ledge from which it had descended, vanishing from sight.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 2, 2009)

*Chapter 16 - The Hard Way Up (Part 3)*

Thorn snarled and lunged at the other gargoyle, his wolf teeth tearing at the creature’s leg and dragging it back toward the ledge. The creature screeched again, pulling its leg free, and as it did, Thorn turned away from the edge to follow Erlmoor. Dulvarna lashed out at the creature with her blade and as it flew back beyond her reach, she darted past Erlmoor to the bottom of the second shifting staircase.

Enlishia reached the upper landing as the ash cloud dispersed and fired two arrows quickly at the harpy, both flying wide of the creature. Lavren stumbled onto the landing behind the ranger and loosed a bolt of black energy blindly at the harpy. It too flew wide of the mark and the creature let out a screech of defiance amidst its song of fire. The gargoyle rose from the lower landing, passing behind the harpy and rising up to a ledge that Enlishia decided was at the top of the stairs that rose to the west from the landing on which she stood. Boldly, she started forward, hoping they were not trapped as the lower stairs were while behind her, Telkya loosed a bolt of light from her amulet blindly while wiping her eyes with the back of her other hand. The bolt missed the harpy and with another screech, the creature leapt from the ledge to circle the pit once more.

Erlmoor rushed up the shifting stairs, keeping his balance as he did so and reaching the upper landing. He looked around at the others and at a nod from Enlishia, he started up the westward-leading steps. No sooner had he stepped onto the staircase than the step on which he stood gave way, catching his foot in a hole beneath it. The dragonborn staggered forward but his left foot was caught on the next step and he stumbled. 
Behind him, Thorn’s wolf form bounded up the shifting stairs without falling and then leapt forward onto the next staircase. Again, individual steps gave way beneath the druid-wolf and he stumbled, his paws trapped as Erlmoor’s feet were. Seeing her companions trapped, Enlishia moved to the edge of the pit and began firing arrows at the harpy as it circled. One shaft tore into the creature’s wing and drew another screech from it but another missed, clattering down into the pit, lost to the ranger. Lavren stumbled toward the western staircase and climbed up beside Erlmoor and Thorn before the stairs below him gave way too and trapped him with his companions. Still, the ash blinded him and he cursed his ill luck.

On the lower landing, Dulvarna steeled herself to ascend the shifting staircase but as she heard a screech from a ledge above, she started forward. She rushed up the stairs, keeping her balance and making the higher landing just as one of the gargoyles swept down the western staircase and lashed out with its claws at Thorn. The claw tore open the side of the druid’s wolf form and he slumped down on the stairs, his blood flowing down the steps toward Dulvarna. Telkya loosed a bolt of light from her amulet toward the gargoyle but without her sight to guide it, it flew past the creature. The priestess finally wiped the ash from her eyes a few moments later and rushed to the edge beside Enlishia, to defend her husband and friends.

The harpy swept around the pit and as it drew near to Enlishia and Telkya again, it roared once more and disgorged yet more hot ash. Both fell back from the edge, blinded and burned as the ash engulfed them. Erlmoor roared his anger and turned on the stairs to face the harpy. He raised his voice in prayer, extended one hand while using his sword in the other to lever himself up on the stairs. Ribbons of flame seared out and tore into the harpy sending it spinning away around the pit. The dragonborn turned back and raised his blade as the second gargoyle dove down the stairs toward him. Its claws lashed out and struck him across the face sending him reeling clumsily around on his trapped lower limbs. With another roar, the paladin pulled his feet free of the trapped steps and raised his blade defiantly, determined not to be caught off balance by the gargoyles a second time.

At the edge of the pit, Enlishia decided to ignore her blindness for a few moments and drew two more arrows from her quiver. Nocking both to her bow, she drew back the string and aimed carefully, judging where her enemies using only the sound of their wing beats and the occasional screech. She let fly both arrows and as they left her bow, they split, one heading toward the harpy and the other toward the gargoyle that just wounded Erlmoor. She heard both strike their targets with reassuring thuds and as she wiped the ash from her eyes, she saw the harpy plummeting downward into the pit with a shaft through its chest. The gargoyle banked to the right, the arrow having driven into its left side, and as it did, a bolt of black from Lavren’s wand flew just over its head. 

“Gods damn it,” he cursed as he wiped the ash from his eyes and saw that his spell had missed. He pulled his feet from the trapped stairway and turned to start down it.
“Maybe I can disarm this thing,” he said, reaching for his sword.

Dulvarna rushed up the western stairs as delicately as she could and as the steps collapsed, she leapt to new ones until she stood close to where one of the gargoyles circled. As it drew close to her, she lashed out with her blade, almost toppling into the pit as she did. The sword drove into the creature’s belly and with a screech, the gargoyle tumbled into the darkness after the harpy. The other gargoyle swept away toward the top of the collapsing stairs, disappearing from sight again and giving the companions a momentary reprieve.
“Thorn is wounded,” Dulvarna called to Telkya.

The priestess began a healing prayer despite her blindness and a few moments later, the druid’s wolf form opened its eyes. Telkya wiped the ash from her eyes and smiled at the druid who bowed his wolf head in thanks. Beside the druid, Erlmoor started up the steps again but he did not get far before more steps collapsed and trapped his feet again. Behind him, Enlishia started up the stairs but she barely got to Thorn before her feet became trapped in the collapsing steps.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 3, 2009)

*Chapter 16 - The Hard Way Up (Part 4)*

“I said I might be able to disarm this,” said Lavren. “Give me a chance.”

With that, the elf vanished in a shower of light only to reappear atop the steps. He looked around and saw that the remaining gargoyle stood as a statue in the middle of this upper landing and so, with a wary eye on it, Lavren knelt beside the steps and began probing with his sword for a mechanism that would disable the trap.

On the stairs, Dulvarna moved on after Erlmoor but two steps collapsed beneath her soon after and she became trapped. Then, with a screech, the remaining gargoyle swept down the stairs toward her and Erlmoor. The dragonborn ducked as it swooped down on him and Dulvarna ducked to one side, avoiding the creature’s terrible claws. A bolt of light from Telkya’s amulet flashed past in front of the creature and Erlmoor roared his defiance despite being powerless to strike at the creature. Thorn bounded toward the gargoyle but the steps trapped him again  Dulvarna lashed out at the creature as it passed her but her blade struck only air and again the creature circled back toward a higher ledge. The creature swept across the pit and up another flight of stairs to the south of Lavren to an even higher ledge beyond the sight of the companions.

Telkya moved to the edge of the pit to watch for the gargoyle’s return while the others struggled with the stairs. Finally, Lavren called down from the top of the staircase.
“Found the mechanism,” he called. “It should be disarmed now.”

Telkya, with total faith in her husband, rushed up the steps and found he was right. No steps gave way and she reached the top quickly, embracing Lavren with a broad smile on her face. Erlmoor climbed the steps behind the priestess, passing the two elves on the landing and then starting up the long flight of stairs to the south. No traps activated on this staircase and steadily he climbed toward where they had all seen the gargoyle disappear. Thorn bounded up the stairs behind the dragonborn and behind him came Enlishia, Lavren and Dulvarna, all with weapons and spells ready for when the gargoyle reappeared.

The gargoyle swept down the stairs like a whirlwind a few moments later, lashing its claws across Erlmoor’s shoulders and sending him reeling back down the steps. Telkya called a column of light down on it as it swept out over the pit but the divine fire missed its target and the gargoyle circled around to come back at the companions. Erlmoor met it on the edge of the stairs, his blade slashing out and striking it in the side, sending it spinning away. Healing magic burst from his sword and mended some of the companions’ worst hurts as Thorn rushed to the edge of the steps, still in wolf form and lunged forward. He seized the gargoyle’s left leg in his jaws and dragged it back toward the stairway. Enlishia’s bow sang and two arrows flew past the creature but then Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy that seared into the gargoyle’s side. It fell limp and Thorn let go with his jaws, allowing the creature to plummet into the darkness of the pit after its kin.

*Next.....Demonic Faces*


----------



## Medriev (Jul 4, 2009)

*Chapter 17 - Demonic Faces (Part 1)*

At the top of the stairs a wide corridor stretched away in front of the companions to the south and another branch led to the east, ending in double doors. The southern corridor also ended in a set of double doors but just north of the corridor’s end, another set of double doors led to the east. Seven leering, demonic faces hung on the walls, two flanking each door and another three evenly spaced along the western wall across from the door to the east. The idols were vaguely humanoid, with long horns and mouths that were agape, revealing darkness beyond. Each face was perhaps the height of a man’s breastbone with the mouth making up most of its height.
“I don’t like the look of those faces,” said Dulvarna. “We go east.”

She turned away from the demonic faces of the southern hall and made her way eastward. Thorn hurried after her, reaching the double doors ahead of the warrior woman as she made her way warily down the corridor with her blade held before her. The druid held his scythe up in one hand and, putting down the torch he held, he  opened one of the doors with his left hand revealing a narrower north-south hallway beyond. Suddenly, the remaining companions saw a humanoid creature leap from the nearest demon face on the western wall. It had grey skin with purple blotches and wore a jerking of scaly hide as armour. Its left shoulder was protected by the top jaw of a toothed beast while its head was bald with sharp ears and jagged teeth. In its hands, it held a huge sword and as the companions watched, it turned toward them and snarled.

Behind the creature, the demonic face became animate suddenly and with a hiss and a snarl, it bit at the hindquarters of the monster, forcing it to leap away from the wall. From a face on the opposite wall emerged another creature, similar in appearance but smaller and with bluish skin. This newcomer had four arms and in each hand it held a dagger of sharpened bone. The face behind it growled and snapped at it, forcing it into the middle of the corridor. From the same face another creature emerged, appearing just behind the first and this thing was smaller still. It had bluish skin as its companion had but it had only two long, spindly arms and carried no weapons. Its hands bore sharp claws though and as it looked toward the companions it seemed to be muttering to itself as though touched by madness.

Erlmoor roared to alert Dulvarna and Thorn and then charged the creatures, loosing acid from his mouth as he reached them and then lashing out with his sword. The creatures shrank back from the spray of acid and shielded themselves with their arms but as the paladin’s blade sang out there was no defence and the nearest creature, a sword-wielder, reeled away as the sword bit into its right shoulder.
“Foulspawn!” Enlishia called out as she recognised the creatures. “They are said to be clannish creatures corrupted by contact with the Far Realm.”

She loosed an arrow and then a second but both flew past the creature that Erlmoor had wounded as it recovered its balance. Telkya came forward to stand beside the ranger and threw down the torch she carried before loosing a bolt of light from her amulet into the chest of the wounded creature, throwing it back. Another of the four-armed foulspawn appeared next to the first as Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy from his wand that flashed past all of the monsters. A third of the four-armed creatures appeared behind the others and then together, the foulspawn hissed angrily at their enemies.

Dulvarna turned away from the doors as soon as she heard the shouts of her companions and rushed to aid Erlmoor. Thorn followed a moment later, shifting into his wolf form as he ran to join the battle. Dulvarna clashed blades with the wounded foulspawn sword-wielder while one of the dagger-wielders danced forward, slashing at Erlmoor and Thorn with each of their weapons. Wounds were slashed across Erlmoor’s arms while Thorn the wolf leapt back as his snout was torn by the vicious blades. Beyond the dagger-wielders, the unarmed foulspawn pointed at Erlmoor and raised its voice in an unintelligible babble. The paladin reeled back for a moment as the voice seemed to reach into his mind but then he forced discipline upon his thoughts and drove the babble back. With a roar, he lashed out with his blade at the dagger wielder and struck it in the side, sending it staggering away into the corridor wall in front of Thorn.

Enlishia came forward behind the others and loosed an arrow into the shoulder of the sword-wielder. It staggered back a step and she fired again but this time, the arrow bounced off its scaly armour and clattered into the floor. Telkya rushed into battle beside Dulvarna, clashing blades with the sword-wielding foulspawn but as she did, another of the creatures emerged from the demon face before her and lashed out with its blade. Telkya raised her blade to parry but she was too slow and the creature’s sword lashed into the top of her right arm, spinning her away. The demonic faced snarled and tore at her wrist before snapping at Dulvarna and the foulspawn that surrounded it, wounding each in turn and forcing them away from it.
“We have to pull back,” Lavren called from behind the others. “Fall back so that Enlishia and I can aid you.”


----------



## Medriev (Jul 6, 2009)

*Chapter 17 - Demonic Faces (Part 2)*

He waited with his wand in hand as the second of the four armed creatures rushed at Erlmoor, lashing out with one of its daggers at the dragonborn. The paladin ducked back but the blade still tore across the front of his left shoulder and drew blood. Dulvarna looked back toward Lavren and nodded to him before lashing her blade low into the left leg of the foulspawn before her. The creature staggered back and away and as it did, she retreated toward the elf. He reacted at once, rushing forward and levelling his wand at the wounded sword-wielder. He loosed a blast of black energy toward the creature that flew over its head and struck the west wall of the corridor. The elf grimaced and Dulvarna threw him a stony look as the foulspawn recovered and came forward again.

On the left of the line, Thorn snarled at the four armed creature before him and then leapt, his claws and teeth tearing at the creature’s chest and driving it back a few steps. The wolf druid landed on his four paws and with another snarl, retreated around the corner, leaving room for Erlmoor to follow him. With a maniacal snarl, the four armed foulspawn rushed after the wolf, lashing out with one of its daggers but Thorn was too quick for it and ducked under the swing. The unarmed foulspawn followed its companion and raised its hand toward Erlmoor again. It began uttering mumbled phrases that drove into the dragonborn’s mind but he was ready for the attack this time and banished the creature’s voice as soon as he heard it. With a roar of defiance, he raised his blade and turned away from the foulspawn, a prayer coming to his lips as he did so. He lashed out at the four armed creature that now fought Thorn beside him and, as the creature ducked under the swing, he retreated to fight beside the wolf druid.

Enlishia raised her bow and loosed one arrow and then a second into the body of the sword-wielder before Dulvarna and then she danced backward so that Telkya could retreat after her. The priestess lashed out wildly with her blade and then fell back but her sword-wielding foe came after her with a growl. The horrible creature lashed out with its blade at the elf maid’s head but Telkya was quick enough this time and ducked under the blow while raising her blade to defend herself. Another of the four-armed creatures rushed forward next, following the retreating line and coming at Lavren and Dulvarna in a frenzy. It danced back and forth before the elf and the warrior woman, lashing out with its blades in a whirlwind of sharpened bone. Lavren reeled back as a dagger tore across his chest and Dulvarna spun away as one of the creature’s weapons cut her left shoulder. When its dance was done, the creature stopped in front of Lavren, snarling and salivating, its blood-stained daggers promising more pain to the elf. Lavren shrugged at the creature and retreated, raising his wand as he did so. He loosed a bolt of black energy that flew past the creature and grimaced again at his poor aim. The four armed creature snarled in response and raised one of its daggers to its lips, licking off the elf’s blood with a sharp, pointed tongue.

The third of the four armed creatures rushed forward next, leaping between its companions and slashing at Dulvarna with one of its daggers and nicking her across the top of her chest. It spun away between her and Erlmoor, stabbing at her hip as it did so, but she twisted aside and avoided the blow. It spun away again and slashed yet another blade into Enlishia’s side before dancing past the ranger and lashing its fourth blade across Lavren’s back. It spun to face the backs of the companions close to the entrance to the corridor which led back to the staircase that had brought them up from the level below. 
“Deal with it,” Dulvarna snarled at the others and then surged at the nearest of the sword-wielders.

The warrior woman’s blade danced left and right but each time it was met by the sword of the foulspawn. She gritted her teeth in anger and came at the creature in a new fury but still it met each of her blows with its own blade. To her left, Thorn barked his answer to her command, snapping at the four armed creature before him and then darting away toward the foulspawn that had broken through the companions’ lines. Dulvarna glanced to her left as she saw the druid wolf move and then turned back toward her enemies as the other sword wielder, the more wounded of the two, came forward in a rush. The creature feinted to the left and as Dulvarna moved her blade to parry it reversed the swing and with all of its weight behind the blow, it drove its sword into the warrior woman’s left hip. She gasped as pain lanced down her leg and up her side, spinning away to avoid the killing blow that was sure to follow. It did, missing her head by mere inches and leaving Dulvarna gasping for breath as she tried to fight through the pain that assailed her. In that moment, one of the four-armed foulspawn leapt between her and Erlmoor and drove its blade into her left arm. Dulvarna cried out and fell back, blood pouring down her left side.

Erlmoor glanced to his right as Dulvarna cried out but as he did, the unarmed foulspawn’s voice crept into his mind again, whispering a terrible babble of madness. Again he fought inwardly, roaring his defiance and drove the voice out, lashing out to his right at the four-armed creature that had struck Dulvarna. His blade drove into its right leg and spun it toward the warrior woman but she fended it off and the creature reeled back a step away from both companions. Behind Dulvarna, Enlishia leapt back toward the western wall of the passage junction and loosed an arrow quickly that narrowly missed the foulspawn that had broken through. She fired again but this arrow also flew wide, clattering into the wall behind the creature and disappearing into the darkness of the stairwell to the left. Telkya also drew herself back from the battle, uttering a healing prayer as she did so and raising her left hand towards Dulvarna. White light covered the warrior woman and the blood pouring down her side slowed and then stopped. She turned and nodded her thanks to Telkya but the elf maid had already turned her gaze on the foulspawn that Enlishia had loosed arrows at. The priestess reached out with her hand and a column of light descended from the ceiling to engulf the four-armed creature, searing its flesh with divine fire. It snarled and hissed at the pain, raising two of its daggers as it fixed the elf with a gaze of pure hatred.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 8, 2009)

*Chapter 17 - Demonic Faces (Part 3)*

Dulvarna turned back to the battle then, her strength renewed, just as one of the sword wielders rushed at her. It lashed out with its blade and Dulvarna parried, driving the sword downward so that it only nicked her right knee instead of driving into her side. She grimaced at this new pain but then raised her blade again as a four armed creature came at her from the left. It feinted left and then lashed a dagger in with one of its right arms only for it to be met by the hard, unyielding steel of Aecris.

Behind Dulvarna and Erlmoor, Lavren retreated before the four armed foulspawn that had dodged between the warrior woman and the dragonborn. Turning beside Thorn, he raised his wand and loosed bolts of purple energy that seared out toward that foulspawn and its companion that had already broken the line. One bolt flew over its target but the other struck the foulspawn near the passage entrance in the chest and threw it backward. The creature turned and hissed at the warlock but then turned back toward Telkya and hurled bones daggers from two of its hands at the priestess. One clattered into the wall next to Telkya but the other drove into her thigh, just above the knee. The elf maid gasped, looked down at the dagger and then, with a snarl of her own, pulled it from her flesh and tossed it aside. With a steely determination, she raised her blade and brought forth her amulet to face the foulspawn and the creature stopped its hissing, knowing that it faced a battle to the death.

Dulvarna surged forward with her renewed strength, lashing her blade across the belly of the creature before her. It fell back a step and she took the chance to glance behind her just as Thorn circled behind Lavren and then rushed at the four armed creature at the top of the stairs. The druid wolf leapt and seized one of the creature’s arms in his powerful jaws, dragging the creature toward him as he did. The creature shrieked and tried to pull its arm free but found the wolf’s grip too strong. Dulvarna turned back toward her own enemies, satisfied that her companions were dealing with the foulspawn just as the sword wielder before her rushed at her again. She parried once and then a second time but the creature’s third swing came in low and drove painfully into her left thigh. With a grunt, Dulvarna fell back a step and as she did the four armed creature to her left, leapt forward and drove a blade into her arm. It spun away behind her and plunged another dagger into her back before moving away again to attack Telkya and Enlishia. Both were slashed by daggers across their arms as they tried to defend themselves. It leapt away from them as quickly as it hand come and turned as it reached the top of the staircase. Another foulspawn now stood behind Dulvarna and Erlmoor.

Erlmoor looked around as the foulspawn spun past him and as he did, the unarmed creature attacked again. This time, the dragonborn was not ready and the terrible voice filled his mind, distracting and slowing him. 	He roared and lashed out at the remaining four armed creature, his blade cutting into the foulspawn’s side and spinning it away from him. The paladin retreated a few steps toward Lavren, hoping to draw his enemies onward and fight only one battle rather than the two that had been forced upon the companions. 
Behind Erlmoor, Enlishia’s bow sang again and again an arrow clattered off the wall behind the foulspawn. The ranger raised her bow and aimed again before letting fly and this time, the arrow flew true, driving into the chest of one of the four armed creatures and throwing it back toward Thorn who still held its arm in his jaws. Telkya hurled ribbons of divine light at the creature that flew past it and struck the wall behind it while desperately, it tried to free itself from Thorn’s wolf jaws. 

To Telkya’s right, Dulvarna fell back another step as one of the sword wielders came at her furiously. She parried each blow with her own sword but as she did, the four armed creature to her left darted forward and drove a dagger into her left leg again before darting away. She gasped and staggered, taking another step back toward her companions, knowing that she could not last much longer against three foes. Suddenly, a bolt of black energy seared into one of the sword wielders, hurling it away from Dulvarna toward the demon face. It staggered and fell dying while the face flicked a forked tongue from its mouth regarded the creature’s flesh with ravenous eyes. Dulvarna glanced to her left and nodded her thanks to Lavren. Two against one was much fairer, she mused wryly.

The four armed foulspawn that Thorn fought wriggled its arm free of the druid’s jaws and twisted away, slashing out at the wolf form as it did so. The dagger tore across the druid wolf’s snout and he twisted away, bloodied and wounded. Meanwhile, the creature danced to the wolf’s right and drove another dagger into his flank before leaping back in front of him and slashing the side of his head. It leapt to the side again and this time, Thorn leapt away, evading the fourth dagger but leaving him sorely wounded. The druid wolf snarled and then leapt at the creature again but the foulspawn danced back beyond the reach of the wolf’s jaws. With bared teeth, the wolf moved left and right before his enemy while the foulspawn hissed its defiance.

Dulvarna retreated again to gather what remained of her strength but her enemies granted her no rest. The four armed creature that had so plagued her hurled two daggers toward her a heartbeat apart and while the warrior woman dodged to the right to avoid one, the other drove into her arm. Her mind filled with the babbling voices called forth by the unarmed creature and as confusion reigned, the remaining sword wielder came forward. Parrying desperately, the warrior woman held the creature at bay while giving ground a step at a time.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 10, 2009)

*Chapter 17 - Demonic Faces (Part 4)*

To her left, Erlmoor saw Dulvarna’s plight but knew that he had to aid the others before he could aid her. He leapt back to where Thorn stood and twisted on the spot, throwing all of his weight into a huge blow aimed at the four armed creature before the druid. His sword clove into the foulspawn’s side and drove through into its chest until it seemed as if he had cloven the creature in two. The foulspawn hissed its last breath and then collapsed to the floor in a growing pool of its own blood. Seeing the creature fall, Enlishia loosed an arrow and then a second at the remaining creature, both shafts driving into the creature’s chest. It staggered back toward the top of the stairs and as it reached them, Telkya hurled a bolt light that seared into it and sent it tumbling down the staircase into the darkness below.

Dulvarna halted her retreat then and surged forward, parrying the fierce attacks of the foulspawn she fought while slashing Aecris left and right, seeking an opening in the creature’s defences. A bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand seared past the creature’s back to strike the stone wall and as the foulspawn glanced to its left, Dulvarna took her chance and rushed forward. She lashed her blade into the creature’s side and moved to her left forcing it to put its back to the wall and face her. Enlishia, Telkya and Lavren all came forward to aid their leader while Thorn rushed at the last of the four armed creatures.

The druid wolf leapt as he reached the creature and forced it back a step while his teeth tore at one of its arms. The unarmed creature rushed to aid its kin but Thorn had regained his feet by the time the creature reached the battle and he danced away, beyond the foulspawn’s reach. Erlmoor rushed to aid the druid, forcing the unarmed creature back with his blade while behind the pair, Enlishia and Telkya began to loose arrows and divine fire at the warrior that Dulvarna faught. Still it faught on fiercely, lashing out with its blade and gouging a deep wound in Dulvarna’s left shoulder that forced her to lurch to her right. The four armed creature surged forward as well, lashing its blade across the back of Thorn’s wolf form. For a moment, the foulspawn pushed the companions back but then Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy into the four armed creature and it reeled back, giving Thorn time to recover. The druid crouched low and growled at his enemy while to his right, Dulvarna regained her balance and rushed at her enemy again.

Thorn leapt a heartbeat later, his claws and teeth tearing at the arms of the foulspawn he faced and forcing it back a step. The other foulspawn clawed at his flanks, tearing through fur and flesh until he regained his feet to dart away from his enemies and Erlmoor came forward to drive the second creature back with his blade. Behind the dragonborn, Enlishia’s bow sang again and two arrows drove themselves, one after the other into the chest of the foulspawn warrior that Dulvarna fought. It staggered and as it did, a bolt of light lanced out from Telkya’s amulet and seared into the creature’s face. Its face blackened and smoked as the divine fire burned it and then with a final hiss of anger, it collapsed on the floor.

The four-armed creature shrieked and in a fury, lashed a dagger across Thorn’s wolf-form muzzle. He yelped and the creature leapt past him to the left before lashing another dagger down his flank. Then it spun behind the wolf druid and slashed out at Thorn’s back, the dagger missing by a hand span, before the creature leapt toward Enlishia. It turned back toward Thorn quickly and plunged its fourth dagger into the druid’s back leg, drawing another yelp from his wolf form and forcing him to dart away toward the other foulspawn. Lavren quickly loosed a bolt of black energy that flew past the creature to strike the wall next to Telkya and as the creature turned its gaze on the warlock, Enlishia leapt away, raising her bow as she did so.

Dulvarna spun on the spot and swung her sword around in a wide arc, cleaving it into the side of the unarmed foulspawn. Blood spewed from the creature and it spin back and away from Erlmoor. Thorn leapt at the creature but it stepped back beyond its reach and then lashed its clawed hands across the wolf’s muzzle to keep him at bay. Erlmoor stepped forward and thrust his blade into the foulspawn’s right leg, forcing it back a step while behind him, Enlishia let fly an arrow from her bow. The shaft drove into the chest of the four armed foulspawn and as it staggered backwards, Enlishia nocked another arrow and loosed it to drive into the creature’s throat. The foulspawn gurgled, spewing blood from its mouth and then fell to its knees before collapsing, face down on the stone floor. 

Beside the ranger, Telkya loosed a bolt of light that flashed past the remaining foulspawn while Lavren circled around the battle to stand before one of the demonic faces. It hissed at him, begging him to feed it but he paid it no mind and raised his wand to loose another bolt of black energy. The blast seared past the creature and struck the eastern wall of the passage but as the creature cringed, Dulvarna stepped forward and drove her blade into its hip. Thorn leapt at the creature and seized its right arm in his teeth, tearing at it until the creature lashed a claw across the side of his head and forced him to let go. It leapt back as Erlmoor slashed his blade at it but Enlishia was already raising her bow and as she did, the foulspawn realised that it was doomed. An arrow and then another flew, driving into its belly and forcing it back another step. A bolt of light from Telkya’s amulet struck it in the chest and then Dulvarna plunged her blade into its chest. With a gasp, the last foulspawn fell to the blood stained floor beside its kin.

*Next.....The Hall of Blizzards*


----------



## Medriev (Jul 11, 2009)

*Chapter 18 - The Hall of Blizzards (Part 1)*

“We take the eastern door as we had planned then,” Dulvarna said once the companions had tended to their wounds. “But we must remember this place as a safe place to rest.”

The double doors halfway down the corridor had led to a large side room with a smaller one off it that held two beds where the foulspawn had apparently been quartered. Two more demonic faces on the walls of the larger chamber seemed to allow a way to quickly get out of the chamber to the corridor as the foulspawn had.

“And what of the southern doors,” Erlmoor rumbled. “These foul creatures were surely placed to guard something that way else they would not have fought us so fiercely.”

“Perhaps,” answered Dulvarna. “But if there is an easier way to defeat Draxius here then I for one wish to take it. We have little food left and the quicker we escape this prison the better. We go east for now but we will come back this way if we cannot find Draxius that way.”

The north-south corridor beyond the eastern doors dead-ended a little way to the north and so Dulvarna led the companions to the south until a wide hallway opened up to the east. Ahead, the corridor continued southward into darkness but Dulvarna turned aside, determined to avoid confronting for now whatever the foulspawn guarded. An opening to the right halfway down the passage revealed a staircase that led upwards but the companions barely paused beside it, knowing that they had to defeat another form of Draxius before they could ascend further up the pyramid. The wide passage ended in a set of double doors limned with ice. Dulvarna pushed on them and they failed to move but when Erlmoor lent his strength to the effort, the doors reluctantly swung open, releasing a blast of freezing air that assailed the companions like a winter wind. The floor of the hall ahead was covered with a thick sheet of ice that looked dangerously slick while frost coated the walls and the five other sets of doors leading out of the hallway. 

Dulvarna stepped forward cautiously onto the icy floor, picking ice that looked to offer her the most grip as she set her feet down. Despite this, she had barely gone a few feet into the hall when she slipped and fell painfully onto her back. She tried to get up but fell back again, jarring her back for a second time. Telkya followed Dulvarna into the room, stepping even more softly than the warrior woman had and for a moment, it seemed as if she might make progress. She passed Dulvarna with sword and amulet in hand, picking her way forward by the dim light that seemed to emanate from spots in the walls of the hallway. No sooner had she passed Dulvarna, she slipped and fell as her friend had, crying out as she jarred her arm painfully beneath her body. She tried to rise but she, too, fell back to lie beside the warrior woman.

Lavren half-smiled at the problems that his wife and friend were encountering and closed his eyes, vanishing into a cloud of light motes. He reappeared beside Telkya and after taking a moment to steady himself, he sheathed his sword and reached a hand down to help his wife up. Suddenly, he heard a noise from the north and looked up to see the double doors across from him open. In the doorway stood an elf lord with very pale skin and white hair. His eyes were icy blue and the chainmail he wore seemed frosted from the cold. On one arm he wore a small, teardrop shaped shield and in the other hand, he held a slender longsword. The elf looked down at Dulvarna, who lay helpless a few feet away, and strode toward her.
“To arms, to arms!” the warrior called out in elven and then stabbed his blade down into Dulvarna’s left arm.

Erlmoor tried to rush to Dulvarna’s aid but he slipped and fell before he reached the elf. Still, he stabbed out with his blade, driving its point into the elf’s calf and forcing it back from Dulvarna.
“Why do winter knights attack us?” he called to Lavren and Telkya, recognising the elves from a history he had read at the temple of Lathander in Eveningstar.
“I know not,” Lavren called back.

Another knight emerged from the northern chamber a moment later and strode easily across the ice to where Telkya lay. It stabbed out with its blade as the elf maid tried to scrambled backwards across the slippery surface. The sword nicked the side of her leg and Telkya’s blood, flowing freely in the cold chamber, stained the ice beside her. Enlishia came forward as quickly as she could but she too slipped as she neared the battle, falling to the ice but managing to keep her bow from falling beneath her. She loosed an arrow wildly that flew past the nearest knight but her second shaft drove into the shoulder of the elf warrior. As the elf recovered its balance and reached up to snap the arrow from the wound, a set of doors in the southern wall of the hallway opened. Another elf lord emerged from these doors, wielding the same longsword but seeming more slender and frail than the knights. This warrior wore chain mail but carried no shield and moved lightly across the ice towards Lavren, like a cloud of breath in wintry air.

Behind the companions, Thorn moved into the doorway but did not step onto the icy floor. Instead, he unshouldered his crossbow and loaded a bolt before raising it to his shoulder and waiting for a clear shot at one of the elves. As he watched, more of the slender elves that he recognised as blades of winter emerged from the southern room until five filled the hallway and another knight emerged from the northern room to advance on Enlishia. Only Lavren remained standing while the others struggled to rise and keep the elves at bay at the same time. Thorn knew that the situation was desperate, but he knew too that he could do little to aid his companions.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 12, 2009)

*Chapter 18 - The Hall of Blizzards (Part 2)*

Dulvarna managed to scramble to her feet a few moments later, lashing her blade across into the left leg of one of the knights as she did so. She held her footing but beside her, Telkya struggled to rise, floundering on the slippery surface. Another blade of winter emerged from the southern room to join the battle and Lavren retreated before the onslaught, falling to the floor as he did so. He loosed a bolt of black energy from his wand even as he fell that seared into the chest of the nearest blade of winter. The elf flinched but as he did, the attack seemed to dissipate only for a nearby knight to cry out as though he had been wounded in his companion’s stead. The blade smiled and advanced while the knights came forward as one.

One of the knights stepped toward Dulvarna and feinted to the right before driving his blade into the warrior woman’s shoulder. She cried out as a cold pain lanced through her body and tendrils of ice leapt from the wound to envelop her body. Dulvarna staggered and almost fell but then Erlmoor rose to his feet, lashing his blade across the chest of the elf lord as he did so, a prayer on his lips. The knight cried out and fell back while Dulvarna struggled with her bonds.

Another knight stepped toward Telkya who still struggled on the floor and plunged his blade down into her side. She too cried out and again, the tendrils of ice shot from the wound and enveloped the elf maid. Behind Telkya, Enlishia scrambled to her feet and retreated out of the hallway and through the doorway, turning as she reached the safe ground of the corridor outside. She raised her bow and took aim at the nearest knight, before loosing an arrow that drove into the shoulder of the elf. She nocked another and let fly but this time the knight was ready and ducked to the left, letting the arrow fly past and on down the hallway.

The blades of winter came forward next, one advancing toward Lavren and then stabbing downward to his right at Telkya. The blade pierced the elf maid’s thigh and drew another cry of pain from her as she lay helpless on the blood-stained ice. Thorn saw Telkya’s peril and fired his crossbow, the bolt flying straight and true into the chest of the blade of winter. Again, the elf flinched and again the nearest knight staggered back as though he himself had been wounded. Another elf plunged his blade downward at Telkya but this time she managed to roll aside and the sword struck only ice. Still, the elves came forward fiercely and the companions seemed to stand little chance against them.

Another knight stepped toward Dulvarna and plunged his blade into her side just above her hip as she struggled with the icy bonds of her earlier wound. Yet more ice tendrils leapt out from this new wound to envelop and hinder her. Another blade stabbed down at Telkya but this sword snagged on the chainmail jerkin she wore and failed to reach her flesh beneath. Still she struggled, lashing out with her sword as best she could and trying desperately to free herself from the bonds of ice that enveloped her. Then, at the far end of the hallway, another elf emerged from a side passage to the south, this one an elf maid with snow white skin and pale blue hair. Her eyes were like ice and the point of the spear she held seemed to be made of ice as well.

“A sorceress,” Telkya hissed as she recognised the garb of the newcomer. “A blizzard speaker from the northern lands.”
“Kill them all,” snarled the blizzard speaker in Common so that the companions could hear her command. The elves looked back at their leader and surged forward with unquestioning obedience.

One of the blades of winter circled around to the north and leapt into the doorway to the northern chamber, stabbing his sword at Erlmoor as he did so. The dragonborn brought his blade down and parried the blow with his own sword before shoving the newcomer back into the chamber. Another came up behind the first and together they pressed forward again. Dulvarna meanwhile summoned what remained of her strength and lashed out with her blade toward the nearest knight. The elf brought his blade down to parry but Aecris clove though the sword, knocking it aside and then driving deep into the elf’s belly. The knight gasped and then fell to his knees, his sword clattering to the ice as he clutched at the blood and entrails pouring from the mortal wound he had suffered. He looked up plaintively at Dulvarna and then fell forward on the ice, a pool of blood growing around him.

Telkya uttered a healing prayer where she lay, restoring some of her strength and then she leapt to her feet, lashing out with her sword as she did so. Her blade slashed across the back of the nearest of the blades of winter but for the third time, the elven warrior flinched while one of the knights cried out in pain. The blades roared their defiance and rushed at the companions, one leaping over the fallen knight and stabbing his sword at Erlmoor. Again the dragonborn parried the blow but as he did, he slipped and fell to the ice again. Still he lashed out with his blade and as his sword struck the side of the elf before him, a crack of thunder sounded. The elf flinched and lurched to his right but it was the knight beside him who cried out, blood erupting from an unseen wound in his side and flowing down his mail and the cloak he wore over it.
“The knights are keeping the others alive,” Erlmoor roared. “Kill them first.”

Lavren heard the dragonborn’s cry and tried to stand but he fell back to the ice, stunned for a moment. As he recovered, he saw one of the knights hiss a challenge to Telkya and then stab his blade down into the elf maid’s shoulder. She cried out again and Lavren cried out himself as he felt the crushing weight of helplessness descend upon him. Then he heard Enlishia’s bow sing behind him and two arrows flew over his head one after the other. Both drove into the knight that had wounded Telkya and with a gasp, the elf fell back, blood pouring down his chest and arm. Lavren felt a measure of hope return for a moment but then he felt a blade stab into his leg and knew that he had problems of his own.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 13, 2009)

*Chapter 18 - The Hall of Blizzards (Part 3)*

Thorn saw the elf wound Lavren and fired his crossbow, the bolt driving into the elf’s leg. Again, the warrior only flinched but elsewhere, the knight that faught Dulvarna staggered back as though the quarrel had struck him. On the ground, Telkya continued to roll back and forth as the elves around her stabbed at her and miraculously, she survived for a few moments longer. Another of the knights stabbed down with his blade to the left and then shifted the thrust as Telkya moved, the blade driving into the elf maid’s belly. She cried out and Lavren roared his own frustration and agony in answer. Then, Telkya’s bonds seemed to melt away and her arms were free again. More of the elves came forward but she scrambled away and as she did, Dulvarna swept her blade out and beheaded the knight that Enlishia had wounded. The elves hesitated for a moment and as they did, Telkya vanished in a shower of light motes. A bolt of light flashed from the doorway, seared through the chest of one of the blades of winter and the elf fell beside the slain knights. The elves hesitated again but then the blizzard speaker called out a command in elven and the warriors surged forward once more.

An elf rushed at Erlmoor and stabbed its longsword beneath his guard and into his thigh. The dragonborn roared, conscious now that Telkya had escaped the elves and that he could spray acid on his enemies. As he rose from the ice and drew in a deep breath, Lavren loosed two purple bolts toward the elves from where he lay on the floor. Both flashed past the elves but before they could resume their attack, the paladin roared and spewed acid from his mouth that engulfed the elves. Only the knight showed any pain, crying out and shrinking back from the terrible spray of liquid. Erlmoor roared again and lashed out with his blade, another prayer on his lips. His sword clove into the belly of the nearest elf with a flash of light that sent new strength surging through Erlmoor and Telkya who stood in the doorway behind him. The paladin’s sword clove through to the elf’s spine and in a spray of blood and gore, the warrior collapsed to the ground beside its companions. The last knight levelled his blade at the dragonborn in challenge and rushed easily across the ice to meet him in battle. The elf slashed his sword in from the dragonborn’s left but Erlmoor parried, driving the blade downward. Still, the elf’s icy sword cut across the front of the paladin’s knee, forcing Erlmoor to stagger and nearly slip on the treacherous ice. 

In the doorway, Enlishia loosed one arrow and then a second toward the elves in front of Lavren. One drove into the chest of a warrior and the other pierced the second elf through his throat. Both gasped and fell back onto the blood stained ice. Thorn loosed a crossbow bolt at another of the warriors but the quarrel flew wide and clattered into the wall beyond the elf. Only then did the companions realise the peril that the defeat of the elves had put them in. The blizzard speaker began chanting an incantation while raising her left hand. A bolt of ice lanced out and struck the wall beside Lavren, missing the warlock by an arm’s length. 

The elf warriors and the last of the knights drew strength from this and with a roar of  defiance they charged at Dulvarna and Erlmoor, forcing them back a step. Dulvarna recovered quickly, holding an elf warrior at bay and then twisting her blade under his guard to drive it up into his belly. The elf gasped as blood gushed from the wound, dropping his sword in the doorway of the northern chamber. A moment later he collapsed on the floor to die beside his kin. Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy into the side of the knight, throwing the elf into the doorway and allowing Erlmoor to recover and advance himself. The knight lashed out wildly to defend himself and the paladin ducked under the reckless attack.

From the doorway, Telkya surveyed the scene as Enlishia raised her bow and took aim at the blizzard speaker at the far end of the hallway. She loosed and arrow and then a second, both driving into the elf maid’s left leg and throwing her back a step. She hissed something under her breath in elven and raised her hand as she began another incantation. Thorn loosed a crossbow bolt that nicked the sorceress’s shoulder and then a furious icy wind erupted in front of the doorway. Telkya, Enlishia and Thorn shrank back from the wind and from the curses of the elf maid deduced that the spell had not landed where she had planned. They raised their weapons and moved back into the doorway with smiles upon their faces as the elf witch fixed them with a furious gaze. 

Dulvarna kept her footing as the elves fell back and stepped forward, weaving her blade before her. The elven knight watched her movements and as she darted forward, he tried to parry to his left only to find that the warrior woman had reversed her swing. Aecris plunged into the right side of his chest and clove through to his heart without stopping. The elf gasped and collapsed to the ice, dead before he hit the ground. Dulvarna stepped over him and started toward the blizzard speaker only to slip and fall a few steps beyond the fallen elf. Behind her, Telkya stepped out from the doorway and fell herself but Lavren kept his footing and loosed a bolt of black energy at the sorceress. The eldritch blast struck the elf maid in the shoulder and spun her back a step but still she did not fall.

In the northern doorway, Erlmoor feinted to the left and then plunged his blade in from the other side, driving it through the chest of the last elf warrior until it pierced his back. The elf fell and the dragonborn stepped into the northern chamber to find firmer footing. From the end of the hallway, Enlishia’s bow sang again and again, sending two more arrows into the elf sorceress and driving her back step after step. Thorn loosed another crossbow bolt that drove into the elf maid’s leg and desperately, the sorceress began another incantation. A bolt of ice lanced out from her hand and struck Dulvarna in the chest, freezing the warrior woman where she had fallen for a few moments but still she managed to regain her feet. Telkya rose and then fell again and Lavren slipped and fell but still a bolt of black energy seared past the sorceress, missing her by less than an arm’s length. 

The elf maid looked toward Lavren and as she did, Erlmoor leapt from the northern doorway and made his way quickly along the left wall of the hallway. As he reached the sorceress, he lashed out with his blade, forcing what remained of his strength into the blow. His sword clove into the sorceress’s side and spun her to her left, blood gushing from the terrible wound the paladin had inflicted. An arrow thudded into the elf maid’s belly and she staggered back, spitting blood from her mouth. 

Another arrow and a crossbow bolt flashed past the elf maid and desperately, she stabbed out with her spear. Erlmoor parried the thrust but still the weapon nicked the paladin’s leg and filled him with an icy chill. He raised his blade again but as he did, a bolt of light from Telkya’s amulet flashed past the blizzard speaker. She flinched but it was already too late. A bolt of black energy flashed out from Lavren’s wand and seared into her chest, throwing her several feet down the corridor where she landed in a sitting position.
“The Master will kill you and eat you,” she hissed and then fell back dead.

*Next.....Meeting the Master*


----------



## Medriev (Jul 14, 2009)

*Chapter 19 - Meeting the Master (Part 1)*

The companions rested in the southern chamber of the elves’ complex where they found three beds and a table on which they could eat small amounts of the meagre rations of dried meat and trail bread that remained to them. They ate in silence as tiredness overtook them and slept in shifts, warily watching the doors to the chamber lest the Master, whatever it might be, should come looking for its fallen servants. As they made ready to leave, Thorn voiced the fear in the minds of all.

“Could this Master be another shard of Draxius?” he said as the companions crossed the ice corridor walking on bedding that they had stripped from the quarters of the winter elves.
“Perhaps but I think we face a creature of ice or snow,” Telkya said. “The elves of the north are said to sometimes serve dragons and other powerful overlords.”
“I have heard this as well,” Enlishia said. “Far to the north where the ice never melts, men, dwarves and elves are changed by the cold and the snow. Some serve any creature that can grant them protection against the enemies that surround them.”
“Then we face a dragon,” Erlmoor rumbled. “Good. I had hoped to face another of my evil kin soon.”
“We know not what we face,” Dulvarna answered. “But I agree it is likely not Draxius. The foulspawn likely guarded him which means we have to return that way once we have dealt with whatever lurks beyond this place.”

The others nodded and looked ahead into the northeast chamber where they had found the only passage onwards the night before. They drew forth their blades and wands and totems and amulets and then stepped cautiously into the hallway which was cold but free of ice on the floor. It led east a little way, still lit dimly as though from some radiance within the walls themselves and then it widened and turned north before turning back to the west. At its end stood a pair of dark, wooden doors limned with frost. As they neared the doors, the air around the companions seemed to grow colder and bite at their skin. Their breath emerged as little clouds of frost as they exhaled and when Dulvarna and Erlmoor reached out to the iron ring handles of the doors, they felt searing cold that seemed to almost burn them. Quickly, they pushed the doors opened and revealed a chamber that appeared to be a cave of ice, with two pools of freezing cold water and great columns of ice that rose to the ceiling. A great pile of treasure occupied a far corner and resting beside it was a white dragon.
“There, in that corner!” the Head of Vyrellis uttered in a piercing whisper. “That amethyst! You must get it for me.”

Lavren moved past the others and leapt down into the freezing cold water. It only came up to his knees but he felt the chilling cold penetrating to his bones and knew he could not stay in the pool for long. He waded to the far side, stepped out onto the shore and made his way to one of the ice pillars. The dragon’s lips seemed to curl and its eyes widened as it contemplated what the elf would do next. Only when the warlock raised his wand and loosed a blast of black energy did the dragon snarl as it realise it faced a threat. The blast from Lavren’s wand struck the left foreleg of the dragon and drew a roar of anger in response. 

Thorn leapt into the pool next and shifted to his wolf form as he reached the shore of the second pool. He stalked around behind Lavren, seeking the best way to attack the dragon while behind him came Enlishia, an arrow nocked to her bow. She waded through the pool and stepped onto the far bank with her bow drawn back. She let fly the arrow and it plunged into the dragon’s left flank, drawing another roar of anger from the wyrm. Erlmoor and Dulvarna came through the pool next, moving left behind one of the pillars as they tried to move closer to the dragon and then Telkya came after them, following them behind the pillar to hide from the dragon’s terrible breath.
“You have chosen death then,” the dragon said in a loud voice. “So be it.”

The dragon beat its wings and took flight, sweeping forward over the centre pool. A wave of dragonfear came before the wyrm and left Thorn, Erlmoor and Dulvarna, reeling and stunned. Before they could recover, the dragon drew in a deep breath and then loosed a cloud of icy cold from its jaws that engulfed the companions. Telkya threw herself against the pillar and avoided the dragon’s terrible breath and Dulvarna recovered enough from her fear to throw herself to the ground. Lavren, Thorn and Erlmoor were seared with cold and frozen where they stood for a few, vital moments.

Lavren managed to raise his arm and loose a bolt of black energy into the dragon’s chest but the wyrm’s breath had weakened him and the creature barely faltered. Beside the warlock, Thorn stood petrified by the first dragon he had ever faught and so Enlishia came to his aid, loosing an arrow and then a second that drove into the side of the dragon’s neck, drawing another roar of anger from the creature. Erlmoor and Dulvarna similarly stood frozen with fear at the size of the dragon which surely measured forty feet from nose to tail.  Next to them, Telkya circled around the pillar and raised her amulet to call down a column of divine light. The dragon banked to its left as it hovered over the pool and the prayer’s power descended next to it, leaving it unharmed. It roared again and swept to the left to land on the shore of the pool in front of Enlishia. She shrank back and the wyrm lashed out with its claws. One claw struck the ranger in the side and spun her toward the other but at the last, Enlishia ducked and the dragon’s other claw swept over her head.

Lavren shook off the effects of the dragon’s breath weapon and turned toward the creature, raising his wand as he did so. He loosed another bolt of black, eldritch power that seared into the dragon’s back leg. It roared again and turned toward the warlock and as it did, Thorn rushed at the dragon’s right flank. He leapt, his wolf claws and teeth seeking purchase on the wyrm’s side but the beast twisted around and the druid wolf slid to the floor of the cave without drawing blood from the dragon. Sensing a momentary reprieve, Enlishia scrambled backward along the shore of the first pool and then raised her bow, loosing one and then a second quickly. One glanced along the neck of the dragon, drawing blood, but the other flew over the creature and clattered into the roof of the cave.

Erlmoor roared his defiance as he finally drove away his fear and then charged at the dragon with his blade before him. As he reached the wyrm, he breathed acid from his mouth that seared the side of the creature’s neck and then he swung out with his blade, a prayer on his lips. The dragonborn’s sword drove into the side of the creature’s neck and drew a spray of blood that drenched Erlmoor and the icy floor of the cave. Dulvarna rushed forward and came at the dragon from the other side of Thorn, her blade lashing out into the back of the wyrm’s right foreleg. It staggered for a moment and then beat its wings as though it would take flight again. A searing ribbon of light leapt out from Telkya’s amulet then and struck the dragon’s back, drawing another roar of anger. Then it beat its wings more fiercely and tried to take flight. Dulvarna, Erlmoor and Thorn all leapt forward, slashing at the dragon with blade and claw but still it managed to take flight and swoop back over the wider, second pool, where it hovered.

The companions turned to watch the dragon retreat and as it reached the centre of the icy pool, Erlmoor saw the water swirl and reach out toward the wyrm’s body. In a heartbeat, ice crystals started to form near the dragon’s wounds and the paladin realised with horror that the freezing water was healing the dragon.
“Strike at it now!” he called to the others. “The water is healing it.”


----------



## Medriev (Jul 15, 2009)

*Chapter 19 - Meeting the Master (Part 2)*

The companions needed no second bidding with Lavren loosing a bolt of black energy almost at once. It flew past the dragon but by then, Thorn had already shifted back to his human form and was uttering an evocation. Thunder and lightning flashed and rumbled around the ceiling above the dragon and a bolt of lightning flashed down to strike the wyrm. Still it hovered above the centre of the pool and the water and ice surged around it. Enlishia raised her bow and fired but her first arrow bounced off the scaly flank of the dragon. She nocked a second arrow and fired again but this missile flew over the dragon’s back into the dark recesses at the far end of the cavern. Erlmoor put up his sword and chanted a prayer while holding out his left hand. Ribbons of light burst forth but as they did, the dragon beat its wings and they flew underneath its scaled belly. Dulvarna sheathed her sword and unshouldered her bow, nocking an arrow to it quickly and firing. The arrow drove into the dragon’s chest but still it hovered above the churning water. A bolt of light from Telkya’s amulet flashed past the wyrm and then it roared in triumph as the water fell back into the pool and the worst of its wounds were healed. The dragon turned, regarded Telkya with a predatory eye and then swooped toward her.

As the dragon reached the shore of the pool it swept out its left claw and Telkya ducked under it but before she could recover, the right claw lashed in at her. She leapt back and the sword-like talons swished through the air in front of her. Lavren turned to face the dragon and loosed a bolt of black energy into its flank, drawing another roar of anger from it. Thorn shifted to his beast form and rushed around the southern side of the pool, behind one of the pillars to aid Telkya while Enlishia raised her bow and took aim. She loosed one arrow and as it drove into the back of the dragon’s neck, she loosed another that tore into its flank. Erlmoor roared and rushed around the pool and the pillar at its southern end with his sword again in both hands. He passed Thorn and rushed toward the dragon, his fear now forgotten. Behind him, Dulvarna raised her bow again and loosed an arrow into the wyrm’s side which drew the dragon’s gaze toward her. As the creature turned its head, Telkya retreated along the shore toward Lavren and raised her amulet to unleash another bolt of divine light. The blast seared into the side of the dragon’s head and drew forth a screech from its mouth that seemed to be its first sign of real pain. It beat its wings and dived forward after the elf maid.

Telkya scrambled backward until she reached the pillar behind her and then ducked as the dragon landed on the shore of the pool and lashed out with its claws. One claw struck the ice pillar above her, dislodging chunks of ice that fell down upon her but as she rose, the second claw swept in and this time, Telkya could not leap back. The huge talons tore into her side, flinging her against the pillar and with a loud crack, one Telkya’s ribs broke. She cried out and Lavren lashed his wand toward the dragon, hurling another black bolt into the creature’s chest. It roared its anger but as it did, Thorn charged around the pillar and leapt at the wyrm. It spun around and struck out with its right foreleg, smashing the druid wolf to the floor of the cave. Enlishia’s bow sang from behind the dragon and two more arrows drove into its back, drawing another roar of anger from it. It half-turned but then it saw another flash of movement as Erlmoor charged into battle beside Thorn. The dragonborn’s blade struck the creature’s right foreleg with a crash of thunder and the dragon staggered to its left. With a cry, Dulvarna shouldered her bow, drew her sword and charged along the shore to meet the dragon and as the creature reeled, trying to face all of its enemies at once, Telkya slid around the pillar toward Lavren and safety.

The dragon lunged at Dulvarna, biting at her left arm and dragging her toward it as its dagger-like teeth tore into her flesh. With a wrench that tore more of her flesh, Dulvarna pulled herself free and raised her blade. Behind her, Lavren looked toward Telkya to see that she was alright and at a nod from his wife, he raised his wand and moved away along the shore of the pool. He hurled a bolt of black energy into the dragon’s flank and the creature roared and reared back on its hind legs. A heartbeat later, Thorn leapt at its right side but the dragon landed back on all fours and turned, knocking the druid wolf away. An arrow flew past the dragon’s head and it turned to its left again just as Enlishia loosed a second shaft that drove into the wyrm’s chest. It roared and as it did, Erlmoor rushed at it from its other side and plunged his sword into its flank. Dulvarna rushed at it from the front but her blade skittered off the scales of the dragon’s foreleg and drew no blood. The dragon snarled at the warrior woman as it stepped back until its hind legs were in the water and then a bolt of light from Telkya’s amulet flashed past its head. Slowly, it turned its gaze upon the elf maid who should have died and screeched for the second time. It snapped out at Dulvarna again, who leapt away, and then it beat its wings and took the air once more. Erlmoor, Dulvarna and Thorn rushed at the dragon before it could take flight but only Dulvarna’s blade struck home and the dragon swept away over the pool once more.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 16, 2009)

*Chapter 19 - Meeting the Master (Part 3)*

The dragon flew to the northern edge of the pool where it met the cave wall but still the companions assailed it. A bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand seared into its back as it retreated but at the wall it turned and after a sharp intake of breath, it unleashed more icy cold from its mouth. The freezing blast was aimed at Lavren and Telkya but the warlock leapt to his left and hurled himself to the floor to avoid the frigid dragon breath. Telkya was not so lucky and though she raised her arms to protect herself, still the ice tore at her limbs and slowed her body. She staggered and Thorn howled before starting to circle to pool to reach the dragon once more. Enlishia came forward to stand beside Telkya, firing an arrow as she did. The shaft drove into the dragon’s left foreleg and was followed by a second that bounced off the wyrm’s thick scales. Erlmoor rushed after Thorn while Dulvarna again sheathed her sword and raised her bow to let fly an arrow. The missile flew past the dragon and struck the wall behind it but still the dragon roared, sensing its own defeat. A moment later, a bolt of light from Telkya’s amulet seared its flank and it screeched for a third time. The elf maid would not die and neither would any other of these troublesome creatures, the dragon realised, and it knew then that it was doomed.

The dragon turned for what it knew would be a last attack and swept along the pool toward its southern shore. As it reached the end of the pool, it turned toward the eastern shore and let loose it icy breath again. Dulvarna, Telkya, Lavren and Enlishia all staggered back with the force of the icy blast and felt their limbs stiffen as the fierce cold took hold of them. Still, Lavren raised his wand and loosed a bolt of black energy that seared past the dragon and still, as Thorn leapt at the dragon’s back legs, Enlishia raised her bow to let fly an arrow. One shaft and then another drove into the dragon’s flank but they lacked the power of Enlishia’s full strength as she struggled to make her cold-numbed limbs obey her. Erlmoor rushed around the pool behind the dragon following Thorn and with a huge swing, he slashed his blade into the side of the wyrm’s back. It roared again and as it did, Dulvarna rushed at it from the front, lashing out with her blade with as much strength as her freezing arms could muster. Her sword drove into the dragon’s left foreleg but still the dragon hovered above the pool, sorely wounded but defiant. A bolt of light flashed past the wyrm’s head from Telkya’s amulet and again the creature turned toward the elf maid, amazed that she still lived. With a roar, it beat its wings and turned away from the others but as it did, they surged forward and Erlmoor plunged his blade into the creature’s flank. It screeched again but still managed to fly out over the pool, determined to finish Telkya before it died.

The dragon swept down on Telkya and lunged with its neck, taking the elf maid in its jaws and biting down on her. She cried out and as she did, the dragon threw her down on the shore where she lay unmoving. Lavren cried out and lashed his wand toward the creature, hurling a bolt of black energy that flashed past the wyrm. A blur of black fur passed in front of Lavren then as Thorn rushed at the dragon’s flank and leapt, only to be swatted aside by the desperate creature. The dragon roared in triumph this time and Enlishia retreated before it, firing arrows as she did, none of which hit the creature. Erlmoor roared his own anger as he rushed to aid Telkya, kneeling beside the elf maid and uttering a healing prayer. Dulvarna let out her own guttural cry and rushed around to face the dragon again. As she reached the wyrm, it surged forward and she raised her blade, bracing it with both her hands. As the dragon reached her, she lunged, driving the blade into the creature’s chest and finding its heart. The creature screeched for the last time and as Dulvarna spun aside and tore her blade free, the creature swept low over Telkya and then plunged head first into the shallow pool close before the doors to the chamber.

*Next......Gates of Agony*


----------



## Medriev (Jul 17, 2009)

*Chapter 20 - Gates of Agony (Part 1)*

The companions made their way back westward from the dragon’s lair, through the ice chambers of the elves and then they turned south down the passageway they had previously passed. It ended after a little way at double doors that opened into another long hallway that widened a little way in and then ended in arched double doors with vigilant sentinels carved into the archways beside the portals. As Dulvarna and Erlmoor drew close to the arched doors, they transformed before their eyes into the gaping maw of a devil or demon and the sentinels suddenly came to life as demonic warriors with vicious spears. One stabbed at Dulvarna but as she lashed her blade out to parry, it passed through the creature’s weapon.
“The sentinels are illusions,” she called out to the others. “But the maw I am not certain of. We should go back and try another way.”
“If the maw is an illusion then we can pass through,” Enlishia said. “We should go on.”
“Agreed,” said Lavren. “We should go on.”
“We cannot,” Dulvarna said firmly. “We go back and seek the way southward from the foulspawn chamber.”

When the companions came to the chamber of the demonic faces they found the corpses of the foulspawn lying where they had fallen and the mouths of the faces silent and motionless once more. The double doors at the southern end of the hall led into another chamber with two doors that led southward. Dulvarna opened the western most door and revealed a chamber holding three statues. The closest statue was of a tiefling in plate armour and carrying a greatsword while the other two statues depicted orcs. One wore the robes of a shaman or wizard and the other carried a two handed axe and wore armour of metal scales. To the south, the companions all heard the ragged breath of some large creature.

Suddenly, an arrow shot out of the shadows behind one the statues and drove into Dulvarna’s thigh. She staggered back and as numbness began to spread around the wound, she came to the horrible realisation that she had been poisoned. Dulvarna reached down and yanked the shaft from her leg despite the searing pain and then raised her sword before rushing into the chamber. She saw her enemy almost at once, a robed figure with a bow in her hands and a quiver at her belt. Writhing snakes were her hair and her eyes were a pale yellow. Dulvarna rushed at the creature, lashing out her blade as she reached her, but the creature leapt back beyond the blow. Erlmoor came into the chamber next and circled left behind one of the statues to come at the creature from the other side. Enlishia came in behind the dragonborn and as she did, she saw the archer’s companion, a huge humanoid with pale brown skin wearing only a loincloth and wielding a huge, spiked flail. It was just stirring into motion as the ranger entered the room and she recognised it at once.
“An ogre warhulk!” she called to the others. “Beware its flail for it has terrible strength.”

Enlishia raised her bow and loosed an arrow that drove into one of the ogre’s huge arms and then fired again. Her second arrow clattered off the ogre’s thick hide and fell to the floor as the lumbering giant slowly raised the heavy chain and spiked ball of its flail. Behind Enlishia, Telkya rushed into the chamber and moved to aid Dulvarna, stepping between two of the statues and loosing a bolt of divine light at the archer. The bolt flashed past the creature and seared into the wall of the chamber next to it. Lavren moved past Enlishia to block the ogre’s path to the ranger and then loosed his own bolt of energy at the archer. The black blast of eldritch power seared into the archer’s side and hurled her back against the wall but she hissed her defiance in response.
“The archer is a medusa,” he called out. “Beware her gaze for that is how these statues were made.”

A moment later, the ogre burst forth from the far end of the chamber, smashing apart one of the statues as it lumbered forward. It lashed out with its flail at Dulvarna who ducked under the heavy weapon and the spiked ball smashed into the statue behind her. Stone splintered and fell down on Telkya and Dulvarna and as it did, the medusa’s eyes seared with golden light. Thorn came into the chamber and immediately recognised the peril, ducking behind the statue that Erlmoor stood behind. Lavren, Telkya and Dulvarna could not avert their eyes in time and felt their limbs begin to slow a moment later. Dulvarna roared her defiance and slashed her blade across the front of the medusa’s legs, forcing the creature back against the wall again. The medusa hissed again, its snake hair joining it defiantly, and Dulvarna felt her limbs stiffen even more as the effect of the creature’s terrible gaze took hold. Still the warrior woman faught on and from around the statue came Erlmoor with his blade before him.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 18, 2009)

*Chapter 20 - Gates of Agony (Part 2)*

The dragonborn roared and sprayed acid over the medusa and the ogre before lashing out with his blade to keep the medusa at bay. Enlishia crossed the room and circled behind the paladin before raising her bow and firing at the medusa. An arrow drove into the creature’s side and then a second followed, finding its mark an inch away from the first. The medusa gasped and lurched to the left as though seeking the protection of the ogre. Then Telkya raised her amulet again and called forth a searing blast of light that lanced out and struck the eyes of the medusa. Suddenly blinded, the creature staggered and fumbled with its bow as it tried desperately to reach the ogre and the protection of its huge flail. Lavren loosed another bolt of black energy from his wand that seared into the ogre’s chest and in response, the creature roared, turning its attention toward the warlock. It raised its flail over its head and brought it down overhand toward the elf but at the last, Lavren leapt back and the spiked ball smashed into the stone floor of the chamber where he had stood a moment before.

Behind the others, Thorn shifted into his wolf form and bounded forward between Erlmoor and Dulvarna. As he reached the archer, he leapt and seized the creature’s arm in his mouth, tearing at the flesh with his teeth and claws before letting go. The blinded medusa hissed again and retreated to stand beside the ogre before raising her bow to loose another arrow. With unerring aim despite her lack of sight, the medusa let fly the shaft and it drove into Dulvarna’s shoulder, throwing her back into Telkya who stood behind her. Again the numbness spread from the wound but Dulvarna roared a second time, voicing a defiance that she no longer felt. She lashed her blade to her right into the ogre’s leg as she faught the stiffness in her limbs and the poison in her blood. As her blade struck the ogre the creature roared and Dulvarna felt a new strength flow through her. Her arms and legs seemed to free themselves from the influence of the medusa’s gaze and her courage returned.

Erlmoor rushed to Dulvarna’s side as her saw Telkya and Lavren shaking off the effects of the medusa’s gaze. He lashed out with his sword but the medusa ducked instinctively and the sword struck the stone wall above her head. Behind the others, Telkya ducked back behind the nearest statue and loosed another bolt of divine light into the ogre’s side as it raised its flail again. It cast about for the enemy that had struck it and instead settled its gaze on Dulvarna. A bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand flashed past the huge creature and then it swung its huge flail out toward the warrior woman. Dulvarna ducked and the spiked ball struck the tiefling statue for the second time, smashing the stone greatsword in two. Thorn bounded forward before the ogre could recover and leapt at the creature only for it to swat him aside with its elbow.

The medusa retreated again away from Erlmoor’s blade, its blindness gone and with its aim as true as it ever had been, it raised its bow and loosed an arrow. The shaft drove into Dulvarna’s hip and threw her back a step before, a moment later, the now familiar numbness began to spread from the wound. The warrior woman staggered and swung a huge blow at the ogre. The creature stepped back and Aecris clove through nothing but air while Dulvarna tried desperately to recover from her latest wound. Meanwhile, Erlmoor stepped around the corner into the southern alcove that the medusa had retreated into and lashed out with his blade. The medusa ducked again and again, the paladin’s blade struck the stone wall next to the snake-haired creature. Behind the dragonborn, Enlishia loosed an arrow and then a second at the ogre but both clattered harmlessly off its thick hide. Telkya circled around the statues to stand beside the ranger and called down a beam of light that seared the ogre’s back and shoulders. It roared and raised its flail and as it did, Lavren loosed another bolt of black energy that tore past the creature’s head. The ogre lashed out with its flail toward Dulvarna and again the warrior woman ducked. The spiked ball smashed into the tiefling statue for the third time shattering part of the statue’s leg into shards of masonry.

Thorn snarled and leapt at the ogre for a second time, seizing its arm for a few moments before being shaken free. He fell with a yelp and rolled onto his legs as the ogre raised its flail above its head. Behind the huge creature, the medusa retreated further into the southern alcove and loosed an arrow into Erlmoor’s shoulder. The dragonborn roared in response and then lashed out with his blade, channelling all of his strength into the sword. It clove into the medusa’s left side and spun her against the wall beside her. Still she hissed her defiance in chorus with the snakes on her head but still the dragonborn pressed forward.

Behind the paladin, Enlishia loosed more arrows and this time, two found their marks in the ogre’s flesh, driving into its side and drawing another roar of anger. Telkya hurled another bolt of divine light into the creature a moment later and then Lavren hurled a black bolt of energy into the creature’s shoulder that drove it back a step. Again it roared and again it lashed out toward Dulvarna but this time, the warrior woman was not quick enough. She tried to duck but the flail came in lower and slammed into her side, smashing her back into the tiefling statue. Her head exploded in paid as it struck the stone of the statue and as she heaved in a ragged breath, Dulvarna felt the agonising pain of several cracked ribs. Thorn growled and leapt at the creature to distract it, tearing at its legs with his teeth and claws but he could not help Dulvarna. Slowly, the warrior woman raised her blade and, with wheezing breaths, she stepped forward to attack the ogre one last time.

In the alcove, the medusa retreated further until her back was against the south wall of the chamber and she had nowhere else to go. Desperately, she hissed at Erlmoor and her eyes glowed again with the golden fire that had nearly finished Dulvarna. Erlmoor raised his arms to shield his eyes and behind him, Dulvarna managed to do the same. Thorn dodged to the right behind the ogre and the huge creature itself, instinctively shielded its eyes.
“Curse you all,” the medusa snarled as she realised that her gaze had had no effect.
“And curse you too,” Erlmoor answered as he stepped forward to finish the creature.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 21, 2009)

*Chapter 20 - Gates of Agony (Part 3)*

In the main chamber, Dulvarna summoned what strength she had left and lashed out with her blade toward the ogre’s side. At the last, it brought its flail down and turned Aecris aside with the weapon’s handle. Next to Dulvarna, Enlishia’s bow sang out and an arrow drove into the ogre’s leg. A second followed but this clattered off the creature’s thick hide and fell to the floor of the chamber. The creature roared and raised its flail as a bolt from Telkya’s amulet seared into the its side and then a black bolt flew past it to strike the southern wall. The ogre brought its flail down toward Dulvarna a moment later and, though the warrior woman raised her blade to parry, the strength had fled from her limbs and the spiked ball smashed Aecris aside. The ball smashed down onto the side of her head and then crashed onto her shoulder, smashing her collar bone as it did. Dulvarna cried out and then collapsed to the floor, Aecris falling beside her. 

Thorn snarled and leapt at the creature, seizing its arm again and tearing at the flesh until the ogre swung the limb and flung the druid wolf against the tiefling statue. Enlishia loosed an arrow and then a second into the ogre’s chest with a furious look of anger on her face while beside her, Telkya held up her sword and charged at the ogre but as she did, she glanced down at Dulvarna. Her friend’s eyes were open and with an obvious effort, the warrior woman flashed the elf maid a smile. Telkya smiled back and then rushed onward at the ogre, determined to buy her companion time enough to recover. 

In the alcove, Erlmoor heard Dulvarna cry out but he dared not turn away from the medusa to see the fate of his friend. Instead, he stepped forward after the medusa as the creature raised her bow and loosed another arrow that drove into his hip. He faltered but then slashed his sword across into the archer’s leg, spinning her away to her right. The dragonborn felt no poison in this wound and wondered if the medusa’s supply of venom had run out. Then the medusa threw back her hood and shook loose the snakes on her head and the paladin snapped his mind back to the foe before him. She hissed at him and then the snakes began coiling forward, their forked tongues tasting the air and their needle-sharp teeth questing for his flesh.

Telkya rushed at the ogre with a prayer on her lips and as the sword in her right hand glowed brightly, she slashed it at the creature’s arm. The ogre turned toward her and lashed out with its flail entangling her sword in the weapon’s chain for a moment and throwing it aside. The huge creature snarled through yellowed teeth at the elf maid and raised the flail to strike down this new troublesome foe. At that moment, a black bolt of searing energy tore into the ogre’s back and with a roar of anger, it spun around, lashing its flail out at all who surrounded it. Telkya was smashed back into the wall behind her as the spiked ball struck her in the side and then swept around toward Enlishia and Thorn. The ranger ducked low and avoided the swing while Thorn leapt back and Lavren threw himself behind the tiefling statue. Again, the spiked ball smashed into the statue and the head of the stone warrior splintered into a thousand pieces. Thorn leapt an instant later, his jaws tearing at the ogre’s groin and drawing a terrible howl of pain from the creature. The wolf druid let go before the ogre could swat him away but the damage was done and the huge creature staggered back as blood poured down its legs.

In the alcove, the medusa darted to its left, trying desperately to gain the protection of its ogre guardian once more. As it did, the snakes on its head snapped out at Erlmoor and as he raised his arms to protect himself, two sunk their teeth into his flesh. He felt the numbness of the poison at once from these wounds and knew her had to strike down the terrible creature as quickly as he could. He spun on the spot and lashed out with his blade but, with seemingly renewed agility, the medusa ducked and the paladin’s sword swung over her head. Erlmoor cursed and turned to face his enemy as the numbness in his arms subsided but despite this, he knew he could not fight on for much longer.

With a guttural roar and a surge of strength that she mustered from the deepest recesses of her soul, Dulvarna leapt to her feet and plunged her blade into the ogre’s side as it still reeled from the wound that Thorn had inflicted. It roared but then an arrow from Enlishia’s bow drove into its throat and the sound became a gurgle of blood that gushed from the creature’s mouth and neck. It staggered again and then fell backwards atop the ruins of the orc statue that it had smashed to reach the companions. A final gasp escaped its lips and then the ogre died.

The companions surged toward the medusa then, Telkya hurling a bolt of light from her left hand that flashed past the creature’s head. Lavren loosed a bolt from his wand that seared into the medusa’s side and threw her toward the southern wall and then Thorn leapt over the ogre’s body to rush at the creature from behind. Desperately, the medusa retreated to the southern wall, her eyes glowing brightly once again. Only Dulvarna threw her arms in front of her face in time while Lavren threw himself against the tiefling statue to protect himself. The others felt their limbs stiffen almost at once but still they fought on.

Dulvarna rushed to aid Erlmoor, her blade above her head as she reached the medusa. She brought Aecris down and the sword clove into the medusa’s shoulder, shattering her collar bone. Erlmoor plunged his blade into the creature’s side and as the medusa staggered, Enlishia’s bow sang again. An arrow drove into the creature’s chest and as the medusa gasped, another followed. With a final hiss, the archer fell back against the wall and then slid down to end in a sitting position at its foot. One by one, the snakes on the medusa’s head fell still limp and as the last one stopped moving, the medusa died as her ogre guardian had.

 Dulvarna looked to her left once the creature had died and there, she saw another pair of arched doorways with carved snakes beside them as guardians. A problem for later, she decided at once.

*Next......Halls of Madness*


----------



## Medriev (Jul 22, 2009)

*Chapter 21 - Halls of Madness (Part 1)*

The companions rested before the second gate for several hours, tending to their wounds and eating small portions of the meagre rations that remained to them. When they were ready to go on, they stepped forward and examined the arched gate in more detail. Dulvarna approached the doors warily, expecting some form of attack but when none came, she reached out and touched the portals. As she did so, a great voice boomed out.
“Let those who embrace the darkness of ignorance walk forward,” it said. “Heedless of all knowledge. The blind and deaf fear no danger, for the Keeper of the Way shall guide their steps.”
“Close your eyes and cover your ears,” Thorn said. “Then you will pass through the gate.”

Dulvarna did as she was bade and kicked out at the doors with her foot. As she did so, the others saw the carved snakes come to life and poise themselves to strike at the warrior woman.
“They are illusions,” Enlishia whispered to the others. “We cannot warn her lest she not pass through.”

Sure enough, Dulvarna’s booted foot passed through the apparently solid doors and, though she stumbled, she stepped through the portals as though they were not there. The others put away their weapons and implements and closed their own eyes while covering their ears with their hands. They walked through in turn and each passed to the other side. Beyond the gate was a long chamber with two sets of double doors leading north and another set leading south. Dulvarna and Erlmoor tried the northern doors but found them unyielding and so the companions turned south, pushing open the doors there with ease. Drawing their weapons, the band made their way south into a corridor that led east to west. A little way to the west, the passage bent south and, after stopping for a few moments, Dulvarna took this path.

After a short way, the southern passage led them into a scene that could come only from a fevered dream or a madman’s imagination. The stone passage ahead merged with a grey material that glistened wetly as though the walls, floor and ceiling ahead were made of flesh. A trail of thick, sludge-like violet slime puddled on the floor while several side passages branched off the main one, each seemingly made of the same, grey flesh.
“There is danger here,” said Lavren as he made his way forward past the others.

The elf turned to the right to avoid the slime on the floor ahead of the companions and found that the western passage turned south again quickly. Cautiously, he raised his wand and rounded the corner while from somewhere ahead he heard voices. Behind him, the others started forward warily into the flesh-like tunnels but they had barely taken a step when from around a corner ahead came a large lizard-like creature with a pointed head and no eyes. Its skin was tan with black stripes and it stood up on powerful back legs while sharp claws tipped its forelegs. It opened its toothed mouth and let forth a howling bellow that threw the companions back on their heels and tore through their heads like a thunder clap. All but Enlishia and Lavren were left staggered and dazed.
“A destrachan,” Enlishia announced from behind the others. “A beast that can imitate sounds or use them as weapons.” 

The ranger pushed past the others as they recovered form the terrible howl and raised her bow, loosing an arrow and then a second. The first clattered into the corridor wall beyond the destrachan but the second drove into its foreleg, drawing a pained whimper from the creature. Dulvarna raised her blade and staggered forward unsteadily to meet the destrachan, shaking her head as she did to rid herself of the ringing in her ears. Erlmoor followed but he too was unsteady and still too dazed to attach the creature when he reached it. Suddenly, from behind the two warriors, Lavren cried out as a huge, slithering, snake-like creature rounded the corner to the south of him and made its way forward. Its mouth was a huge beak and around this terrible maw, four tentacles were arrayed, each tipped with a vicious hook-like claw.
“A grick comes this way,” Enlishia called to Dulvarna and Erlmoor. “We are outflanked.”

Thorn shifted to his wolf form but he too remained dazed by the destrachan’s bellow and could only stand and shake his black-furred head instead of bounding to meet the grick. Telkya staggered forward, blade and amulet in hand to protect Enlishia from this new enemy but as she reached Lavren, another creature burst past the snake-like monster. This newcomer was humanoid and wielded a greatsword and Telkya had fought its like before.
“Foulspawn!” she called out. “There are foulspawn here as well.”

The foulspawn warrior leapt at Lavren and lashed out with his blade, cutting into the elf’s right shoulder and spinning him away along the passage wall. Another of the creatures leapt past the grick after the first and thrust its blade into Lavren’s thigh forcing him back another step along the wall of the passage. He cried out and retreated but raised his wand as he did so. With a shouted incantation, he hurled two purple bolts at the foulspawn, one striking each of the creatures in the chest and hurling them back a step. They recovered quickly, though, snarling their derision at the elf before coming forward again.

In the main corridor, the destrachan howled again, throwing Erlmoor back while Dulvarna threw her arms over her head to protect her ears. The others were also thrown off balance as they felt the sound sear through their heads like hot knives. Dulvarna glanced back at the others and then slashed her blade low beneath the destrachan’s body and cut across its back legs, drawing another whimper of pain from the creature. Beside Dulvarna, Erlmoor swung his blade clumsily at the creature but it leapt back and avoided the blow. The paladin cursed but as he did, the ringing in his head stopped and he raised his blade to attack the destrachan again, hoping against hope that it would not howl again.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 26, 2009)

*Chapter 21 - Halls of Madness (Part 2)*

In the western corridor, the grick slithered forward across the slime on the floor and then lunged at Telkya. She leapt back but one of the creature’s tentacles wrapped around her and dragged her toward the beak-like maw. Behind her, Thorn bounded forward but even in wolf form, the druid was still stunned by the howls of the destrachan and could only watch the grick, seeking an opportune time to strike at the creature. Enlishia raised her bow, seeking a clear shot at the grick or the foulspawn but Lavren, Thorn and Telkya blocked her aim.
“We have to fall back,” she called to the others but as she said the words, she realised that Telkya was helpless in the grasp of the grick and she could only hope that Thorn heeded her words.

The foulspawn warriors came on in a fury then, lashing their blades across Lavren’s belly and chest and forcing the elf back and away from his wife. He retreated as Enlishia had bade him with tears in his eyes as he saw Telkya struggling in the tentacles of the grick. He waited for the howling of the destrachan again, fearing that he and his companions were doomed in this place of madness but the howling did not come.

The destrachan leapt at Dulvarna, lashing out with its claws but she leapt back in turn and avoided the viciously sharp weapons. She stabbed her sword at the creature in response, driving the blade into the creature’s shoulder before it could leap away. It staggered and as it did, Erlmoor brought his blade down on the creature’s back. A thunder clap sounded as the sword struck the destrachan and the creature fell forward onto the slimy floor. Erlmoor retreated then and Enlishia stepped forward, finally able to aim at one of her enemies. The ranger let fly one arrow that flew over the prone destrachan and clattered into the wall but her second shaft drove into its side, drawing a screech of pain from the monster. Still it struggled to rise and so Dulvarna moved forward to strike it down. As she did, she saw a panel in the eastern wall of the passage beyond the destrachan slide aside and from it emerged another foulspawn warrior. The battle here was far from over.

In the western corridor, the grick dragged Telkya toward its fiercesome mouth and bit down on her arm. She cried out and Lavren started to go forward to aid her again. Thorn snarled at the elf and then leapt at the grick, seizing one of its tentacles in his jaws, tearing at it until his muzzle was covered in blood. He dropped to the floor then, shaking his head as the ringing in his ears assailed him once more but he had done enough. The grick’s grip loosened and Telkya twisted her body and dropped free of the tentacle that held her. She smiled for a moment but then the foulspawn surged forward, their blades slashing at her from her right. The elf maid raised her sword and parried one high blow but as she did, the sword of the second foulspawn lashed in low and cut her above the kneecap. She cried out again and staggered away from her enemies. 

“Follow me,” Lavren cried, reaching out for his wife’s arm but the destrachan’s howl still dazed her and her hand fell limply from his grasp.
The elf retreated anyway but lashed out with his wand, shouting another incantation that hurled a black bolt of power at the nearest of the foulspawn. It flashed past the creature and struck the wall behind it. The foulspawn warriors hissed and snarled at Telkya, who stood as defiantly as she was able, before three enemies. Then the grick and the two warriors surged forward to finish the troublesome elf.

In the main corridor, the destrachan awkwardly climbed to its feet and then lashed out with a claw at Dulvarna as she came forward. The warrior woman raised her arms to protect herself and the creature’s claw lashed across her forearm. She raised her blade to finish the destrachan but at that moment, the third foulspawn leapt at her, driving its blade forward and into her thigh. She gasped and fell back a step and Enlishia’s bow sang behind her. An arrow flew past the destrachan and then a second flew forth, driving into the creature’s throat. It let out a long gasp and then fell dead at Dulvarna’s feet. The warrior woman turned from the lizard-like creature as it quickly began to disintegrate into slime and lashed her blade across at the foulspawn. The warrior brought its blade down and met Aecris with his own sword pointing toward the floor, keeping the enchanted blade at bay. Dulvarna drew her sword back and retreated a step, sizing up her enemy as he raised its own blade to come at her again.

Behind Dulvarna, Erlmoor decided that his friend did not need his aid at the moment and turned away, moving between Enlishia and Lavren to meet the foulspawn in the western passageway. He uttered a prayer as he lashed his blade across and as it began to glow, it clove into the side of one of the warriors. The creature fell to its left against the wall, winded and weakened for a moment but as Erlmoor moved to strike at it again, the other warrior interceded, blocking the dragonborn with parry after parry. Beside the foulspawn, the grick lunged again and lashed a tentacle around Telkya, driving the hook at the end of it into her back. She cried out and Thorn leapt at the creature, trying to prize the tentacle from the elf maid. His teeth and claws tore at the limb but the grick turned and shook the druid wolf free. As Thorn landed on all fours, Telkya twisted in the grick’s grasp and dropped free of its tentacle again but the destrachan’s howl still rang in her head and for a few moments she could only stagger away from the serpentine creature. A foulspawn leapt at her from the right, plunging its sword toward her side and Telkya lowered her blade and parried. Suddenly, the ringing in her head vanished and she backed away from the grick and the foulspawn warriors. The other foulspawn lunged at her and again Telkya parried with her sword while Erlmoor lunged at it. The dragonborn’s sword plunged into the creature’s shoulder and it fell back from the elf and the paladin, wounded and bleeding.


----------



## Medriev (Jul 30, 2009)

*Chapter 21 - Halls of Madness (Part 3)*

Seeing his wife holding her own at last, Lavren retreated into the main hallway and raised his wand toward the warrior that Dulvarna faught. Shouting out a curse and then a spell, he unleashed a blast of black, eldritch energy at the foulspawn. The bolt seared into the creature’s chest and threw it back a step but it came back with a fierce snarl a moment later, lashing its blade from left to right at Dulvarna. The sword cut into the side of the warrior woman’s thigh and she staggered back and away from the creature. Behind her, Enlishia’s bow sang out again and two arrows clattered off the scaly armour the creature wore and landed on the floor at its feet. The foulspawn stamped on the shafts with a sneer of derision but the distraction was enough for Dulvarna, who lashed her blade across the creature’s belly to cut open a shallow wound there. The warrior growled in response and raised its blade as it came forward once again.
In the western hall, the foulspawn came forward at Erlmoor with renewed ferocity, forcing the dragonborn back, step by step. He countered once, lashing his blade low at the foe before him but the creature met his sword with its own and held him at bay. Refusing to be denied its prey, the grick lunged at Telkya for a third time and lashed a tentacle around her, driving the hook at the end into the middle of her back. She cried out and then fell limp in the creature’s grasp as blood poured down her back. Lavren cried out in grief and Thorn leapt at the creature, tearing at its body but still it held onto the dying elf maid. The foulspawn roared in triumph and surged at Erlmoor, forcing him back another step. He parried a thrust from one but the other drove its blade into his hip and almost took his left leg from under him. The paladin staggered and retreated further while behind him, Lavren looked from Dulvarna to Telkya and back again as indecision seized him.
At last, the warlock made up his mind, deciding that to help Dulvarna was to help Telkya and with furious anger, he loosed another blast of black, eldritch energy at the foulspawn. The creature moved to its right and the bolt flashed past it and disappeared into the darkness of the corridor beyond. The warrior snarled at the elf in derision and then rushed at Dulvarna with its blade before it. It brought the sword up over its head and down toward the warrior woman but Aecris met the blow and turned it aside. Two arrows drove into the foulspawn’s belly as it wrestled blade to blade with Dulvarna and as it staggered from the missiles, the warrior woman threw her enemy back. She lashed her blade across, tearing another wound in the creature’s belly before it could react and the foulspawn fell back another step, bleeding and stunned.
In the western passage, Erlmoor parried high and low with a prayer on his lips before twisting the blade of the warrior before him aside. He plunged his sword forward into the belly of the creature and as it cried out, the sword glowed brightly and healing energy flowed into Erlmoor from it. Lavren and Telkya also glowed for a moment and in the grick’s grasp, Telkya’s eyes flicked open. She began to try and wriggle free but as she did, the creature dragged her closer and bit down on her throat with its beak-like mouth. Blood sprayed forth and Telkya fell limp in the creature’s grasp once more. Thorn growled and leapt at the creature but it lashed out a tentacle and slammed the druid wolf into the wall before he reached its body. The foulspawn roared in triumph again and together they rushed at Erlmoor, each feinting one way and then slashing its blade into the dragonborn’s sides. He gasped and staggered back another step, blood pouring from him, but still he let forth his own roar of defiance, reminding the foulspawn that he was not yet beaten.
Lavren hurled another bolt from his wand that flashed past the foulspawn and as he did, he heard an odd sucking sound from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that a wall of the grey flesh had formed seemingly in an instant across the passage which the companions had followed to the terrible place where they now faught.
“We’re trapped here,” he called to the others as they fought desperately.
“Then we’d best fight our way out,” Enlishia answered as she looked over at the newly-formed fleshy wall.
	She raised her bow but as she did, a green vapour began to seep from the grey wall next to her and she stopped to cough as the burning gas entered her lungs. As her coughing subsided, the ranger raised her bow and took aim at the foulspawn before loosing an arrow. The shaft flew wide of the mark and drove into the fleshy wall of the corridor beyond the creature but Enlishia had already nocked another arrow and let fly. The second shaft drove into the creature’s shoulder as Dulvarna another flurry of attacks. The foulspawn staggered back a step and Dulvarna raised her blade over her head and brought it down toward her enemy. At the last, the creature raised its own sword and parried Aecris bare inches from the top of its skull. Its knees bent and it took another step back but still it forced the sword aside.
	In the western corridor, Erlmoor followed his roar by rushing at the foulspawn with his blade above his head. He brought it down on the enemy before him, the sword tearing down the side of the creature’s head and severing an ear before smashing into the shoulder of the foulspawn. The creature fell to its knees and Erlmoor swept his blade across and decapitated it where it knelt. Despite the searing vapour that surrounded him and burned his throat, Erlmoor roared and sprayed acid on the remaining foulspawn and the grick, forcing both to shrink back from him. 
The grick turned way, dragging Telkya with it and plunging its terrible beak into the elf maid’s belly. Thorn growled and leapt, tearing at the creature’s flank but still it refused to release its prey. Telkya’s blood cascaded to the floor and tears flowed freely down Lavren’s cheeks as he watched his wife die. Angrily, he lashed out with his wand and again a black bolt flashed past the foulspawn that Dulvarna fought, barely aimed by the warlock. The warrior lashed out wildly with his blade, cutting into Dulvarna’s shoulder and slamming her into the flesh wall beside her. Enlishia’s bow sang and two arrows drove one after the other into the foulspawn’s chest. The creature staggered back with the force of the missiles and as it did, Dulvarna pushed herself away from the soft, grey wall. She lashed out high with her blade before the foulspawn could recover and clove through its neck, taking its head from its shoulders. It collapsed beside the destrachan and Dulvarna started down the corridor, seeking another way to aid her friends.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 1, 2009)

*Chapter 21 - Halls of Madness (Part 4)*

The grick finally threw down Telkya and lashed out a tentacle toward Thorn. The appendage wrapped around the druid wolf and raised him from the ground while the hook at its end, drove painfully into his flank. He growled and twisted in the creature’s grasp while biting and clawing at it but it would not let go of its new prey. The remaining foulspawn sensed victory and with a roar, surged at Erlmoor, feinting left and then slashing its blade in from the right to cleave into the dragonborn’s side. He grunted and fell against the flesh wall beside him as the noxious vapour seared his body from the inside. 
Lavren rushed to Erlmoor’s side helping him up from the wall and then lashing out his wand with his left hand. A bolt of black energy lanced out to the foulspawn’s shoulder and threw it back a step but it barely stopped its attacks, coming back a moment later, snarling and hissing. Behind the others, Enlishia realised that she could not aid them with her bow and instead rushed off after Dulvarna, determined to find another way from which to attack the grick and its companion. She passed Dulvarna a little way down the corridor and turned right into another westward leading passage which she felt sure would lead them around behind their enemies. Dulvarna followed but more slowly, binding a strip of cloth around her wounded body as she limped over the slime and into the side passage. The two companions heard the sounds of battle almost at once and knew that they had found the right way.

Erlmoor raised his blade wearily as the foulspawn came at him once again, parrying its attacks with what he knew to be the last of his strength. As he fought, he prayed and then looked down at Telkya with satisfaction as he body glowed with divine light. As Telkya’s eyes flicked open, the dragonborn smiled and then rushed at his enemy, clashing blade on blade two keep the creature away from the wounded elf maid. Dimly, he heard Thorn cry out as the grick tore at him with its beak but he knew he could not help the druid directly. All he could do was to fight until he fell and buy Dulvarna a little more time to come to their aid. With a growl, Thorn dropped to the floor beside Erlmoor and the dragonborn nodded his appreciation of the druid wolf’s efforts before driving his foe back another step. Then Telkya rose beside Erlmoor, lashing her blade out at the foulspawn before ducking past the two combatants to get away from the grick. She uttered a healing prayer with her back against the wall and her blade before her and then she leapt forward to join the paladin in his desperate battle. Erlmoor smiled and roared hin his own triumph then but as he did, his strength finally failed him. The foulspawn drove his blade toward the dragonborn’s chest and Erlmoor’s parry was too slow. He knocked aside the creature’s blade but only drove it downward into his belly. He felt searing pain as the blade pierced his flesh and dimly, knew that his sword had fallen from his spent grasp. He staggered back from his enemy, fell into the wall and then collapsed at Lavren’s feet as blackness took him.

Lavren cried out as Erlmoor fell, lashing out with his wand and hurling a bolt of black energy into the chest of the foulspawn. It staggered back and from somewhere behind it, a bow sang out. An arrow thudded into the creature’s chest and it lurched forward. Another arrow flashed past its head and drove into the flesh wall next to Telkya and a guttural cry that the companions knew could only be Dulvarna erupted behind the grick. Blood sprayed from the creature’s back as Dulvarna lashed her blade into the monster’s body and Thorn, Telkya and Lavren felt their spirits soar.

Desperately, the grick lashed a tentacle around Thorn again and dragged him toward it. The druid wolf clawed and bit at the appendage, tearing at the flesh of the creature and slowly loosening its grip. Behind him, Telkya rushed at the foulspawn and plunged her blade into its side with a prayer on her lips. She reached out the amulet in her left hand toward Erlmoor and a burst of divine light reached out to touch the dragonborn. His eyes flicked open and more divine light bathed him, healing his wounds and restoring his strength. The foulspawn, realising its peril, turned on Telkya fiercely, lashing out left and right with his sword only to find an apparently delicate elven blade blocking each huge blow. A moment later, a bolt of black light seared into the creature’s side and its sword fell from suddenly lifeless hands. The foulspawn let out one last hiss and then collapsed beside its companion.
Dulvarna rushed at the grick, lashing her blade into its back and with a roar, Erlmoor rose before it and drove his own sword into the front of its snake-like body. Still it bit at Thorn with a ferocious appetite, tearing at the wolf druid’s flank with its beak mouth. Thorn’s strength began to face though he still clawed and bit at the creature but Telkya came to his aid as he had come to hers. She raised her amulet and loosed a bolt of light into the grick’s head, driving it back and loosening its grip on Thorn. Its serpentine body weaved unsteadily and then a bolt of black energy tore into it and it fell forward onto the slimy floor.
“The hidden door back in the corridor offers a way out,” Enlishia called to the others having seen the door that the foulspawn had used as she ran to catch up with Dulvarna.

Enlishia turned away from her slain enemies and rushed back to the main hallway. She crossed into a short corridor beyond the hidden door that the foulspawn had used and began to run her fingers along the far wall seeking a trigger for the second hidden door that she knew had to be there. She found the trigger within a few heartbeats and pushed the stone stud that caused the far wall of the passage to slide open. Dulvarna rushed into the passageway a few moments later and the two companions paused, waiting for the others to follow.
“I thank you for saving me,” said Erlmoor to Telkya before starting after the others but no sooner had he rounded the corner into the main passage than Thorn and Lavren began coughing again. An instant later, both collapsed on the floor of the western passageway.	

Telkya knelt beside Thorn and uttered a healing prayer that mended some of the damage to the druid’s seared lungs and as he woke, she moved to tend to Lavren, despite the burning in her own throat and chest. Thorn shifted into his human form and rose, looking down at the husband and wife with real concern. His face had half-shifted into the sharpened features that betrayed this werewolf ancestry but still he regarded his new friends with a worried look.
“Go after them,” Telkya said. “We will come after you.”

Thorn did as he was bade and behind him, Telkya uttered another healing prayer. Thorn reached the hidden side passage and stepped inside, waiting for the two elves to follow. They came after what had seemed like a few minutes but was in fact barely a few seconds. As Telkya entered the passageway, she pressed a stud protruding from the wall and the stone slid back into place, sealing out the noxious vapours beyond. Thorn smiled at the two elves and together, the three companions went to join the others.		

*Next......Howls From Beyond*


----------



## Medriev (Aug 1, 2009)

*DM Note - Halls of Madness*

*At the beginning of this encounter and as part of the previous one, the PCs had to contend with the Gates of Agony which, as written, I found to be an extremely frustrating but ultimately harmless obstacle. I also could not see how the dungeon dwellers would use the three gates at the same time in order to pass through to their inner chambers. I therefore amended the encounter so that the Gates could be opened one at a time by a character facing the challenge. Other DMs may disagree but this is how I decided to resolve this potentially annoying interlude.*


----------



## Medriev (Aug 3, 2009)

*Chapter 22 - Howls From Beyond (Part 1)*

A passage led eastward from the maze of flesh-like corridors and the companions rested in its entry before making their way onward. When they were ready to go on, they followed the eastern passage in a serpentine course that led them left and right before ending at double doors leading eastward. Dulvarna pushed opened the doors onto a wide chamber filled with howling winds that swept past the doorway. Before the companions, a rushing vortex of energy whirled around the centre of the room and within the vortex could just be seen the form of a humanoid figure. Before Dulvarna could take a step into the room, a figure appeared before her, seeming to be the same tiefling as had appeared when the companions had first come to the pyramid, the being they now knew as Draxius. He appeared insubstantial as he had before and spoke before anyone could react.
“Not all of us appear as we did,” Draxius said. “One of us has become an abomination. Kill us three times and win your freedom.!”

The image began laughing and slowly faded away until all the companions saw was the terrible room beyond. Enlishia raised her bow and rushed past the others, battling through the winds until she had passed through into the centre of the chamber. There, she a being more terrible than anything else she had ever beheld before. It had once been a man, or perhaps a tiefling, for two small, twisted horns grew from its oversized, bulging head. Its skin was grey-blue and while its upper body seemed to be that of a man, its lower body ended in several, long, ropey tentacles. In place of arms, it had two long tentacles that ended in cruel barbs and was chained by these to two stone menhirs that held it in place.

“We have found the abomination,” she called to the others though she doubted they had heard her through the howling winds. 
She nocked an arrow to her bow and took aim at the chained creature as it began to manically strain at its bonds. A shower of light brought Lavren to the ranger’s side and as soon as he saw the creature, he raised his wand to hurl a spell at it. Before he could, the creature cried out as it summoned all of its strength and snapped the bonds that held it.
“That is a shard of Draxius,” Lavren said in amazement.
“So it would seem,” Enlishia answered. “And it seems angry.”

Dulvarna burst through the vortex next, moving toward the dais on which the abomination stood with her sword raised. Erlmoor came next and then Thorn and Telkya followed, the druid already in wolf form. Thorn rushed up the single step onto the dais to challenge the abomination while Telkya appeared as Lavren had, in a shower of light on the far side of the dais from her husband. The freed creature lashed out with a tentacle and hurled Thorn back off the dais and toward the swirling winds. It lashed out with its other tentacle a moment later and struck Erlmoor in the chest, flinging him back into the vortex. Enlishia raised her bow and then paused as she looked from one menhir to the other.
“The vortex is fed by the menhirs,” she called to the others. “If we topple one then it will end.”

She looked toward Dulvarna, who nodded, and then she made her way past Lavren to where she could clearly aim at the abomination. She raised her bow and fired but the arrow flew past the creature and into the vortex where it swirled away as it was snatched by the powerful winds. She loosed another shaft and this one flew straight and true, only to bounce harmlessly off the blue-grey skin of the creature. 

Lavren slammed his shoulder into the menhir and began pushing on it but just as it started to shift, the abomination lashed out with a tentacle and threw the elf back into the vortex. Dulvarna moved to lend her own strength to the effort but as she stepped toward the menhir, the room shifted suddenly and nauseatingly around her. Suddenly, she stood before the doorway through which she had entered the room as though she had never battled through the winds.

The prismatic vortex battered Erlmoor and he fell to the stone floor of the chamber, bruised and shaken. He rose again at once and battled through the winds to emerge by the dais once more, heading toward the menhir that Lavren had tried to topple. He heard a growl from Thorn as he was sucked into the terrible winds but then a moment later, the druid emerged in human form and rushed over to the menhir where Erlmoor stood. He shoved his weight against the stone and it moved a little more away from vertical as though it were about to topple. Telkya circled around the dais and lent her own strength to the struggle but still the stone would not fall and the abomination had at last seen what the companions were doing. It lashed out with its tentacles and struck Telkya and Erlmoor, hurling them both back from the dais and into the swirling prismatic winds.

Shouldering her bow, Enlishia moved to aid Telkya, throwing her body against the menhir and pushing with all her strength. It moved further away from the vertical and then toppled with a loud crash next to the abomination. The vortex faded to a whine before dying away altogether and Lavren turned back toward the dais, raising his wand toward the abomination. He loosed a black bolt of energy into the side of the creature and it roared in anger lashing out a tentacle toward the elf. From the end of the appendage, a bolt of prismatic energy lanced out and struck the warlock in the chest, throwing him back a step toward where the vortex had been.

From the doorway, Dulvarna rushed forward but circled to the right as she did, seeking to come at the creature from the opposite side to her companions. Erlmoor rushed forward himself from where he had been thrown and leapt atop the dais, lashing out with his blade as he did so. The abomination twisted and parried his blade with the barb at the end of one of its tentacles and then shrank back as the dragonborn roared and sprayed acid from his mouth. Thorn shifted to wolf form and leapt atop the dais, snapping at the flailing appendages of the creature but as he lunged, the creature twisted away from him. Behind the druid wolf, Telkya circled around the dais, uttering a prayer as she did so and then stopping to brandish her amulet. A column of burning light  descended on the abomination, burning its ugly blue-grey flesh and drawing another roar of anger from it. Suddenly, the creature whirled around, lashing out in every direction with its tentacles and hurling Enlishia, Thorn and Lavren back from it. A tentacle lashed out at Erlmoor but he ducked under it and thought for a moment he had escaped. As he raised his blade to strike at the creature again, another tentacle lashed in from his right and threw him back off the dais.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 12, 2009)

*Chapter 22 - Howls From Beyond (Part 2)*

Enlishia recovered quickly, and unshouldered her bow as she circled around behind Telkya. When she decided that she was beyond the abomination’s reach, she raised her weapon and fired an arrow and then a second, one after the other. The abomination spun and swatted aside the first shaft but the second drove into the side of the creature, causing it to spin around, seeking the source of this new pain. As its eyes fixed on Enlishia, a bolt of energy from Lavren’s wand seared into it and it roared in anger once more, turning its gaze toward the elf. It lashed out with a tentacle and loosed another blast of prismatic energy that struck Lavren in the chest and threw him back toward the north wall of the chamber. The creature seemed to exult for a moment but then Dulvarna rushed onto the dais and plunged her blade into its side.

Erlmoor roared and circled around the dais before rushing at the creature from the opposite side. With a huge thunderclap, his blade clove into the creature’s back and knocked it face down on the stone. Thorn circled around toward the east wall and Telkya made to follow but as she did, the chamber swirled around her and she found herself standing next to the north wall. The priestess recovered quickly and rushed after Thorn anyway. As she reached him, she uttered a prayer and raised her amulet to hurl ribbons of light toward the abomination’s eyes. At the last, it twisted away and the light flashed past its eyes to strike the far wall. The creature turned toward Telkya but in that moment, it warped and then vanished only to reappear close to the southern wall. 

The creature reeled as though dazed for a moment and then lashed out a tentacle toward Dulvarna, loosing a bolt of prismatic energy that struck the unaware warrior in the side. She turned toward the creature and it lashed out its other tentacle, hurling another bolt that struck her in the chest. She staggered backward as pain assailed her but then raised her blade, ready to rush at the creature again. From the far side of the room, Enlishia’s bow sang out and an arrow flashed past the abomination to strike the southern wall. A second arrow flew a moment later and drove into the creature’s shoulder, throwing it back toward the wall. It roared its anger and then lurched forward on its tentacled legs toward Dulvarna. As it neared her, it lashed out with a tentacle that struck her in the side and spun her off the dais toward the western wall.

Dulvarna spun with the force of the blow and then rushed at the creature with her blade before her. She ducked under a lashing tentacle and plunged her sword into the creature’s flank drawing another roar of pain and anger from it. On the dais, Erlmoor held out his sword and from it streamed ribbons of light that tore across the chamber to strike the creature in the chest. It fell back and as it did, Thorn rushed in from the creature’s right to tear at the tentacles beneath its torso. The abomination seemed to stagger and a moment later, a column of flame, called down by Telkya, descended from the ceiling and engulfed the creature. It lashed out a tentacle at Thorn but the druid wolf ducked under the flailing appendage and once again, the creature roared in anger and pain.

Enlishia moved along the eastern wall and then turned to raise her bow. She aimed for a heartbeat and then let fly an arrow, reaching for another before seeing if the other had struck its target. The first arrow flashed past the abomination and clattered into the far wall and the second followed a moment later, hitting the creature but bounding off its thick skin. The ranger cursed her poor luck but then a bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand seared into the abomination and it roared again. It lashed out at Dulvarna, striking her in the side and throwing her away from it but it seemed to be faltering now. Its flesh still smouldered from the fire that Telkya had called down and it bled from half a dozen or more wounds. Dulvarna rushed back at it defiantly and lashed her blade into the tentacles that held up the creature’s body. Again the creature roared and again it faltered.

Erlmoor crossed the dais and leapt down onto the floor of the chamber, rushing at the abomination. His blade glowed as he swung it and as it struck the creature’s side, a burst of golden light exploded from it. Erlmoor and those around him felt new strength surge into them and with a growl, Thorn leapt at the abomination. It twisted away and lashed out a tentacle to keep the druid wolf at bay but as it did, a blast of light from Telkya’s amulet flashed past its head, reminding it of the other enemies it faced. The creature lashed out at Thorn and struck him in the chest, throwing him back toward Enlishia before turning around to face Dulvarna. The creature’s other tentacle lashed out and threw the warrior woman back toward the dais. The creature roared again but this time, it was clear that it was defiant and triumphant. It refused to be beaten and would make the companions suffer before they felled it.

Enlishia loosed another arrow and then a second but both flew past the twisting form of the abomination. A black bolt from Lavren’s wand flashed past the creature and struck the southern wall and again the creature roared its defiance. It lashed out at Erlmoor, smashing the dragonborn in the chest and throwing him back onto the dais. He stumbled up the step onto the platform but kept his footing and raised his blade before him. Dulvarna paused for a moment to get her breath back and then rushed at the abomination again. Her blade sang out and the creature turned, parrying the sword with one of the barbs on the end of its tentacles. Erlmoor followed his friend, rushing at the creature and lashing his blade into its body. The creature swayed backward and Thorn rushed in from its right. The abomination twisted away from the wolf druid as he leapt but the dodge moved it into the path of a bolt fo light from Telkya’s amulet that struck it in the chest. Again the creature roared and again its wrath followed.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 13, 2009)

*Chapter 22 - Howls From Beyond (Part 3)*

The creature lashed out with its tentacles hurling Erlmoor and Dulvarna back onto the dais. Enlishia loosed two more arrows that flew past the twisting abomination and then Lavren 	hurled a bolt of energy that seared into its chest. It swayed backwards and then raised its tentacles to unleash a swirling vortex of howling faces. The vortex spun out from the creature and assailed all around, sending Dulvarna and Thorn reeling away as terrible images tore through their minds. 

Erlmoor roared and rushed at the creature, thrusting his blade into its side as he reached it. It roared in response and reeled backwards itself. Telkya felt the room shift around her but as she appeared next to the eastern wall, she hurled another bolt of light at the creature. The blast flashed past the creature’s body and it lashed out angrily at Erlmoor. Its tentacle struck him in the chest and the barb drove into his flesh as it flung him away. He landed on the dais, tried to stand and then collapsed on the stone, blood pouring from his side. The abomination lashed out with its other tentacle at Thorn, hurling a bolt of swirling prismatic energy at the wolf druid. It struck him in the face and threw him back across the floor. He landed hard and lay unmoving where he had fallen.

Two more arrows from Enlishia’s bow flashed past the creature and then a bolt from Lavren’s wand flew past it to strike the wall behind it. Sensing victory, the creature seemed to smile before lashing out a tentacle to strike Dulvarna and hurl her into the fallen menhir. She smashed into the stone and lay there, bleeding and unmoving as the three companions who still stood looked on in horror. Telkya rushed to the dais and knelt beside Dulvarna and Erlmoor while uttering a healing prayer. She reached her hand out to the dragonborn and as light flowed from her hand to the dragonborn, his eyes opened. She smiled down at him but then looked up as a flash of light burst from the abomination. A prismatic bolt seared into Lavren and with a cry, he staggered back from the menhir he stood beside. Telkya knew that the next bolt would be aimed at her and raised her eyes to look straight at the creature that was somehow a part of Draxius the Neverdying. The creature vanished for a moment before reappearing next to the southern wall and then light flashed out from the creature’s tentacle. Telkya threw herself forward over Erlmoor’s body and the bolt seared over her head to strike the northern wall behind her. Somehow, the elf maid managed to smile as she moved to kneel next to Dulvarna and began another healing prayer.

Enlishia drew and loosed arrows as rapidly as she could, knowing that her life depended upon it. She had seen three of her companions fall and knew that only she could bring the creature down now. Two arrows flew past the creature but two more found their mark and the creature roared again in pain giving the ranger some hope. She saw Lavren hurl another bolt of black energy from his wand and this too struck home, forcing the creature back against the wall. It answered by lashing out with a tentacle and hurling another bolt of colourful prismatic energy at the elf. It struck Lavren in the chest and he fell back another step toward the centre of the dais. With a roar, Erlmoor rose to his feet on the dais and for a moment, hope returned to Enlishia. The dragonborn rushed across the floor and lashed out with his blade, cleaving deep into the abomination’s belly. It roared and swayed, seeming as if it would fall but then it righted itself, despite the blood that poured from the terrible wound it had suffered. On the dais, Telkya prayed over Dulvarna while on the floor of the chamber, the creature lashed out at Erlmoor.

Despite the pain he felt, Erlmoor ducked under the first tentacle that was swung at him but as the second came in from his left, he knew he would not be quick enough. It lashed into his side, the barb raking his flesh between the plates of his armour and then he felt himself hurled across the chamber toward the dais. Somehow he kept his footing and managed to roar his defiance at the abomination but he knew in his heart that he had the strength for only one more charge at the creature. He looked toward Enlishia and saw the ranger disappear before his eyes as the strange shifts in the chamber moved her closer to him. She appeared next to Thorn and then rushed up beside the dragonborn. The ranger raised her bow, aimed and let fly, nocking a second arrow before the first had found its mark. She let fly the second and then cursed as both missiles clattered into the wall behind the creature. A black bolt of energy from Lavren’s wand lanced out over the dragonborn’s head and struck the wall close to where the arrows had struck and the paladin cursed. The abomination would surely have its revenge.
A tentacle lashed out toward Erlmoor a few moments later. Hurling the dragonborn into the southern menhir. His head cracked back and as blood poured from his skull, blackness took the paladin for the second time. 

Dulvarna rose to her feet on the dais and looked around her. Erlmoor had fallen again and Thorn lay unmoving where he had been thrown. She knew that she could not reach the abomination before it attacked again and so she sheathed her sword and pulled her bow from her shoulder. Nocking an arrow to the string, she took aim at the creature as it flailed about with its tentacles, seeking enemies. Dulvarna took aim at the creature’s head, drew back the string and let fly. As soon as the arrow flew from the string, Dulvarna knew that she had never before performed such a shot. It flew straight and true, past the flailing tentacles of the warped creature, and drove into the abomination’s left eye. The arrow buried itself up to its fletching into the socket, the point driving into the tortured brain of the monster. It cried out and then fell over onto its back where it lay twitching for a moment. Then, into the silence, it spoke in Common with its last breath.
“I am Galaghard, son of Galaghard,” it said. “I should not be here.”

*Next......Lost Souls*


----------



## Medriev (Aug 14, 2009)

*Chapter 23 - Lost Souls (Part 1)*

“That creature claimed to be Galaghard, son of Galaghard,” said Lavren as the companions made ready to leave their resting place in the western passage entrance overlooking the wide hall where the vortex and the abomination had nearly laid them low.
“Which would make him Draxius’ father, Galaghard II of Cormyr,” Dulvarna concluded as she buckled her sword onto her back.
“And yet he held a key,” said Enlishia, pulling the mithral key that she had found in the ruins of the northern menhir from her pouch. “Which means he must also be Draxius.”
“He was Draxius,” Vyrellis spoke up from Lavren’s belt. “Whoever he claimed to be.”
“So did his curse run through his family from his grandfather to his father and down to him,” said Erlmoor. “Or are the grandfather, the father, and the son, one and the same.”
“That cannot be,” Enlishia said with some indignation. “The annals of Cormyr tell of no king who ruled for so long or a curse that runs through the royal line.”
“And yet we have met and battled those who claim otherwise,” Thorn said quietly. “Perhaps we will learn more on the third level. We can ascend now, can we not?”
“We can,” Dulvarna answered. “But we must go northward. The burning gas and the walls of flesh lie behind us.”

With that, the warrior woman rose and stepped into the vortex chamber, heading for the northern double doors that seemed to be the only other way out. The others rose behind her and followed. When they reached the doors, Erlmoor and Dulvarna raised their swords and pushed the portals open to reveal a passageway that led north and then bent to the right a little way in. They led the companions in and turned the corner and then turned another corner back to the north again before the corridor opened up into another wide chamber that looked like a camp of refugees from war. Several small buildings crafted from scrap wood, crumbling stone blocks and other debris had been erected in the chamber. The statue of a strange, four armed creature carrying several weapons stood in middle of the room in an open square between the makeshift buildings. Two men came forward from the square dressed in ragged peasant clothes, one with the bandaged hands and face of a leper and the other with an apparently useless third arm growing from his right side.

“Welcome strangers,” said one in a rural Cormyte accent. “Come to our chapel and be welcomed by us all.”
“I mislike this,” Telkya said to the others quietly. “The statue looks like a foulspawn and these folk cannot have survived here for long without allies.”
“Agreed,” Lavren said softly from behind his wife. “We should be cautious and whilst I have no desire to hurt these people, they are surely allied with something that means us harm.”
“And if they are not?” Erlmoor rumbled quietly over his shoulder. “They could need our help to escape this place.”
“We cannot trust them, paladin,” Thorn said sharply. “Telkya is right about the statue and the alliance they have likely struck. We are in danger here as we are everywhere else in this place.”
“Agreed,” said Dulvarna. “Make ready your weapons, prayers and spells. There will be battle here before long.” The warrior woman turned to the two men and shook her head.
“This is a dark place,” she said to them. “And we have no wish to stay. If you will let us pass, then we will bring down this place and set you free.”
“We are free,” the second man answered. “But you must meet the rest of us to see the nature of our freedom.”
“Then you shall remain free here and we shall go on in peace,” said Erlmoor, starting off to the left toward a passage entrance in the western wall of the chamber.

Enlishia rushed after the dragonborn and reached the passage entrance ahead of him. She turned to put her back to the chamber wall and raised her bow lest any pursuit come. The others followed, passing between the wall of the largest of the ramshackle buildings and the southern wall of the chamber. They heard shouts from behind them as they reached the passage entrance and two more human figures appeared around the northern end of the large building a few moments later. The three armed man appeared to the east and moved warily down the gap between the building and the wall.
“You cannot go until you have spoken with Medragal,” he called out.
“Tell Medragal we are sorry but we cannot tarry,” Erlmoor called back and then he led the companions into the western passage.

Enlishia loosed an arrow and then a second over the heads of the small crowd before ducking into the corridor after the dragonborn A four armed foulspawn armed with the familiar bone daggers appeared behind the three humans who had now gathered to the north and the companions that remained looked at one another.
“We still go,” Thorn said firmly and ducked into the passageway after Enlishia and Erlmoor.

Lavren and Dulvarna followed and then, as more foulspawn appeared to the east and to the north, Telkya finally turned away and followed her companions.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 15, 2009)

*Chapter 23 - Lost Souls (Part 2)*

The western passage led the group back to the chamber of three gates and they made their way back through the western doors that they had come through. Passing the slain medusa and ogre and the chamber of demonic faces, the adventurers turned east and made their way at last to the staircase that led up to the third level of the pyramid. At the top of the stairs, a corridor led east to west and another staircase led upward across the passageway.
“There is a fourth level, it seems,” said Enlishia.
“That way must lie Draxius’ sanctuary,” said Vyrellis. “There you will defeat him a final time and win your freedom. If only it were the same for me.”
“If we can find a way to free you once we escape this place then we will,” Enlishia answered solemnly.

Dulvarna looked east and then west and then east again before turning back to the west and leading the companions down a long hallway. The passage turned northward after a while and then ended at a set of double doors. In a now familiar routine, the adventurers made ready weapons and implements and spells and then Erlmoor and Dulvarna pushed the doors open. Beyond lay another short hallway that ended at another set of double doors. Dulvarna and Erlmoor moved forward and pushed these doors open and found before them a well-appointed study lit by two candle holders close to the doors. In the south east and south west corners stood statures of elegantly clad tieflings while a table piled high with books stood in the north east corner. Heavy, purple curtains hid the room’s north west corner but at the table sat a tiefling that could only be Draxius the Neverdying. He seemed younger than the images that had spoken to the companions but there was no doubt that it was him.
“That’s him!” shouted Vyrellis as if to confirm this. “That’s Draxius!”

Enlishia rushed into the chamber, raised her bow and fired, the arrow flying over the tiefling’s head and clattering into the wall. She nocked another shaft and fired again but this arrow flew wide of the mark and drove into the wooden table. Draxius began to scream in terror but by then, Telkya was already in the room and chanting a prayer. She raised her amulet and hurled a bolt of light that seared into the tiefling’s back and toppled him from the chair on which he sat. He clambered to his knees, seeming to reach out for the Telkya and then he fell face down on the chamber floor, apparently dead.
“Too easy,” said Dulvarna and as she did, a black wall appeared in the doorway, sealing the room and blocking all sight of Enlishia and Telkya.
“A trap!” she exclaimed a moment later as the realisation struck the others.

Immediately, Dulvarna raised her blade and struck at the wall but her blade only sent golden sparks across the surface of the barrier. Lavren watched the sparks, looking for some floor in the enchantment while Thorn and Erlmoor set about the wall with their own weapons. Sparks arced across the surface but still no flaw appeared as the companions began to wonder what had befallen Enlishia and Telkya within the chamber.

As soon as the wall had appeared, a thick green gas began to billow from the candle holders. Enlishia and Telkya began to cough and choke almost at once and as the ranger cast around, looking for another way out, she realised that she knew the poison that was killing them.
“Stranglemist gas,” she said to Telkya. “It will choke us unless we can stop its flow. Strike at the candle holders.”

The ranger raised her bow and began loosing arrows into the nearest candleholder while Telkya began hacking at it with her blade. Stone chipped away from the holders with each hit but the flow of gas showed no sign of stopping. The friends looked at each other for a moment as they realised that they could be doomed and then they turned their attention back to the task in hand. Enlishia fired volley after volley of arrows into the candle holder and Telkya chipped away at the stone while around the two, the green mist filled the room and thickened. The companions paused every few moments to cough as the gas tightened their throats and lungs, making it more and more difficult to breathe. Finally, as both felt their strength waning, an arrow from Enlishia’s bow shattered the stone stem of the candleholder and it collapsed into rubble on the floor. The gas flow stopped from that outlet at once but the other candleholder still spewed the noxious vapour into the room. Grimly, Enlishia turned her bow on the other candleholder and fired while Telkya made her way unsteadily across the chamber to hack at the other ornament.

In the corridor outside, Dulvarna, Erlmoor and Thorn hacked at the barrier, spreading arcs of golden energy across the black wall of magic. Still Lavren studied the patterns, focussing now on one corner of the enchantment where he thought he had seen a weakness. Suddenly, Erlmoor stumbled and struck his blade on the floor in front of the wall as the ferocity of the blows he had been striking began to weaken his limbs.
“Find the weakness, elf,” he growled at Lavren. “Else your wife will likely not come out alive.”

Enlishia staggered and coughed as she aimed her bow and the arrow flew out and clattered into the floor at the foot of the candleholder. She nocked another arrow but could only draw back her bowstring halfway before her weakened limbs let loose the shaft. It struck the wall behind the holder and Telkya looked over at her companion, truly worried that they would both die in the chamber with a false Draxius. The ranger raised her bow and loosed another arrow that nicked the stone of the holder and then she fired again, this shaft nicking the bowl of the holder. Telkya lashed out with her sword but in that moment, her strength failed her as well and her blade cut the air above the holder before striking the wall with a clang. Enlishia loosed another arrow that drove into the shaft of the candleholder and chipped the stone but as she drew back her bow to fire again, her breath rattled in her throat and she staggered. The arrow flew from the bow and skittered across the floor of the chamber to land close to Telkya’s feet.
“We have to hold on,” Telkya gasped. “The others will come for us.” Enlishia managed a smile in response and then raised her bow again.

Dulvarna struck at the barrier for what she felt was the hundredth time and again all she saw was the cascade of golden energy lancing across the surface of the night black magical wall. Thorn raised his scythe but as he did, Lavren held up a hand.
“Here,” he said, gesturing at the bottom left corner of the wall. “Strike here and it will shatter.”

Thorn brought his scythe around underarm and smashed it into the barrier where Lavren had pointed. Again, lines of golden energy cascaded across the wall but this time, in the corner where the druid had struck, the lines stayed as though the fabric of the barrier had cracked. Erlmoor stepped over and swung his sword with all his strength at the same point. The blade struck home and as it did, the golden lines spread across the wall until it shattered into shards of black, shadowstuff. The shards dissipated and the room, filled with green gas lay open to the companions. Enlishia turned toward her friends and managed a faint smile before, with a gasp, she collapsed on the floor of the chamber. Telkya staggered but reached an arm down to try and drag her friend out of the gas.
“Help me,” she gasped to the others and as one, they rushed into the chamber.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 16, 2009)

*Chapter 23 - Lost Souls (Part 3)*

Telkya prayed over Enlishia until she woke and then sat back to recover from the choking gas herself. As she sat, leaning against the wall, she looked across the corridor to the opposite wall and saw a passageway leading east that had not been there when the companions had first come to the chamber.
“A passage has opened up,” she said to the others. “Perhaps the true Draxius can be found that way.”
“You may be right,” Enlishia said. “A trap and a misdirection to fool the unwary.”
“Then we go that way,” Dulvarna announced. “If you are both able.”

Enlishia and Telkya both nodded and rose slowly to their feet. Making ready their weapons, they stood ready until Dulvarna started off down the passageway. The others followed in turn, making their way down a short passageway until it ended at double doors. In a familiar routine, Dulvarna and Erlmoor put up their blades and pushed the portals open.

Beyond the doors, a narrow passage led crossways to the north and south. The walls of the place were black stone with hideous, tormented forms seeming to writhe within them. A horrifying, soul-wrenching shriek emanated from the trapped souls and at the sight of the companions, they pointed at them and banged on the walls, desperate to escape. As if in response to the agony of the souls, from somewhere ahead of the companions came a desperate wailing as of another spirit in torment and from the left, another wail answered the first.
“Some in this place may require Corellon’s comfort,” Telkya said as she raised her amulet and started forward. “Others may require his wrath.”

The elf maid stepped into the corridor and turned right, making her way to a corner where the southern passage turned to the left. As she reached the corner, she stopped suddenly and threw down the torch she held in her right hand. Before her, a skeleton advanced down the corridor, its feet clacking on the hard stone floor as it came forward. From its body spread four skeletal arms and in the bony hand of each, it held a rusty scimitar, each stained dark with old blood. As it saw the priestess, its mouth cracked open into a predatory grin and it raised its blades high. Telkya raised her amulet and began to chant the Litany to Banish the Undead. Light flared from her amulet and the skeleton raised its arms in front of its face. It staggered back around another corner to the east and vanished from sight but Telkya knew that it had not been slain.
“Undead!” she called to the others. “Skeletons and likely spirits lurk here.”

Lavren rushed to his wife’s aid, holding up his own torch and wand as he rounded the corner where she stood. He started down the eastern passageway but he saw no enemies and looked back to his wife quizzically.
“It has retreated,” Telkya said. “But it will return.”

Thorn bounded past the pair in wolf form and then Dulvarna came forward with her blade held ready. Then, the four companions heard a clacking sound from back toward the doors and looking back, Telkya saw another of the four armed skeletons advancing to meet Erlmoor. As it reached the dragonborn, the undead creature lashed out with all four of its scimitars’ gouging the paladin’s chest armour and cutting his arm. Erlmoor roared, spraying acid over the skeleton and as it stepped back, he slashed his blade across and into its ribs, shattering one of the bones there. From in front of Telkya came a growl and as she looked, the priestess saw another of the skeletons, or possibly the one she forced back, round the corner to attack the wolf druid. Its blades lashed down and with a yelp, Thorn retreated, blood matting the fur on his back and flank.

Enlishia stepped into the corridor and turned to face the skeleton that Erlmoor battled. She raised her bow and loosed an arrow that drove into the creature’s spine. As it staggered back, she nocked another shaft and let fly, this missile shattering another of the skeleton’s ribs. The creature took another step back but then Enlishia’s gaze was drawn to something else that was rounding a corner some way behind the four armed monster. It was the translucent form of an elf whose face was twisted in unimaginable torment. It hovered a little way above the floor and drifted silently down the corridor toward the battle at the doorway. Enlishia raised her bow again wondering what good it would do against such a foe but before she could draw back the string, another of the elf spirits burst from the wall to her right and lashed out at her. As the creature’s icy touch passed through her arm, Enlishia fell back, knowing that the time had already come to find out if her bow could harm the elf spirits.

Telkya looked to her left as the elf spirit burst from the wall and attacked Enlishia but found herself plagued by indecision. She did not know how she could help her companions from where she stood and the souls in the wall screamed inside her head, distracting her from the battle. She looked back to her right and saw Lavren holding his left hand up to his head, the wand he held and his enemies forgotten for the moment. Only Thorn, focussed on the bestial part of his nature, seemed to have been able to banish the screams. The wolf druid leapt forward with a growl, snapping and clawing at the skeleton he faced while it slashed at him with its rusty, blood-covered blades. Behind the druid, Dulvarna pushed past Lavren and rushed at the skeleton, slashing her blade low into the creature’s right leg and gouging a shard of bone from the limb. The skeleton staggered and as Telkya saw it step back, she realised what needed to happen.
“Enlishia, retreat through the doors,” she called out. “Like as not they will not follow.”

Enlishia looked back over her shoulder as Telkya called to her and knew the elf maid was right. In front of her, beyond the elf spirit that flailed at her, Erlmoor clashed blades with the skeleton again and then swept his own sword up into its ribs for a second time. The blade glowed brightly as it found its mark and three more of the undead creature’s ribs shattered. As it staggered back, Enlishia raised her bow, thrust it toward the elf spirit as a shield and then darted to her left through the doors. She turned to face the ghost as she passed the doors, raising her bow as she did to take aim. She leapt back beyond the ghost’s reach and then let fly the arrow, the shaft passing through the side of the spirit. The shaft clattered into the wall beyond the ghost but instead of despair, Enlishia felt hope. The ghost had flinched as the arrow had struck it, showing true physical pain beyond the torment of its existence. Her arrows could hurt the spirit and that meant that it could be slain.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 17, 2009)

*Chapter 23 - Lost Souls (Part 4)*

Telkya saw Enlishia retreat and raised her amulet, chanting a prayer to call divine light down on the elf spirit. The column of light descended and the creature shrieked as the power of Corellon Larethian burned its insubstantial body. Lavren moved to stand beside his wife, throwing down his torch as he did and raising his want. He shouted a curse and an incantation in one swift cascade of words and a bolt of black, crackling energy burst from his wand to sear through the body of the ghost. Again the elf spirit shrieked as the magic tore at her form. Then the creature turned toward Telkya and lunged forward, letting out a terrible howl as it did so. The flesh of its translucent face seemed to shrink back and a leering, skull-like visage was revealed that chilled Telkya’s heart and shocked her utterly. She fell back against the wall and Lavren reached out a comforting hand to her.
“It seems we have angered the ghost,” he said softly and Telkya nodded though tears rolled down her cheeks.

Erlmoor parried desperately as the skeleton came at him again, blocking one scimitar to his left and then another to his right. Then the creature raised its two upper arms and slashed both scimitars in at him, one from either side. The paladin, twisted and parried to his left but the scimitar to his right clove into his shoulder and spun him back a step into the corridor. He looked back at Enlishia and smiled before turning back to his foe and parrying again. To his right, he saw ribbons of light flash past the elf spirit and then a black bolt from Lavren’s wand tore through the ghost. As the spirit shrieked again, the dragonborn decided that his companions were holding his own. He parried another scimitar to his right and then swept his blade across toward the skeleton’s spine, a prayer of thunder on his lips. The skeleton leapt back with surprising agility leaving the paladin’s sword to sweep through nothing but air. The undead creature snarled and then came forward again.

Thorn snarled and leapt at the skeleton before him though he bled from several wounds that its vicious scimitars had inflicted. He snapped his jaws at the creature’s leg but at the last it drew back and moved the limb beyond the druid’s wolf jaws. To Thorn’s right, Dulvarna slashed at the skeleton’s other leg but again it retreated and the warrior woman’s sword struck only the stone wall. The skeleton stepped forward as quickly as it hand retreated and before Thorn could react, it plunged all four of its scimitars downwards and into the wolf druid’s back. He yelped in pain and staggered back until the wall of the corridor was behind him. Knowing he could not survive for much longer, Thorn began to seek a way to retreat from the battle.

Enlishia raised her bow and loosed another arrow and then another at the elf spirit, both tearing through its body and causing it to shriek in pain. The ranger reached for another shaft and nocked it to her bowstring but as she did, the second spirit, the one that had appeared around the corner to the north, burst through the wall next to its companion. It turned toward Lavren and Telkya and let out a terrible shriek unlike anything that Enlishia had ever heard. From the corridor, the ranger heard Telkya and Lavren cry out as the terrible voice pierced their minds and then, for a moment, there was silence. Trying to put the fate of her companions out of her mind, Enlishia raised her bow and took aim at the spirit before her.

Dulvarna watched Thorn start forward again despite the terrible wounds he had suffered and admired the courage of the druid but before he had taken more than two steps, he collapsed unmoving on the stone floor. Behind her, the warrior woman saw Lavren and Telkya stagger back around the corner as the elf spirit’s shriek tore at them and she wondered whether there could be victory in such a terrible place. Banishing such thoughts as best she could, Dulvarna raised her blade and moved to take Thorn’s place before the fierce skeleton. Weaving her blade before her, she sought an opening and when she saw one, she lunged forward, driving her blade though one of the creature’s ribs and out through its back. The skeleton staggered back but then lashed two scimitars downward to knock Aecris aside. The other two came in from left and right in quick succession but Dulvarna was ready and brought her sword across to meet first one and then the other blade. Then the skeleton drove its other two scimitars forward together in a double thrust and Dulvarna knew she could not keep both at bay. She swept Aecris across and knocked both away from her chest but one tore into her side as it flashed past her. The warrior woman gasped and staggered back but kept her blade before her, determined to keep her undead enemy from besting her.

In the doorway, Erlmoor found himself retreating step by step as the skeleton came at him with renewed fury. It lashed one blade into his arm as he tried desperately to parry and then, as he parried another blade to his left, another scimitar plunged into his hip. He roared and staggered back another step, looking back over his shoulder as he did to see where Enlishia stood. As he looked, the ranger raised her bow and loosed another arrow at the elf spirit in the corridor. Even as the ghost shrieked in pain, Enlishia drew, nocked and loosed another arrow toward her enemy. This shaft flew past the undead creature and clattered into the wall next to it, drawing a snarl of derision from the ghost. Then it lunged forward at Erlmoor and Enlishia, shrieking as the other spirit had done. The dragonborn fell back, reeling from the terrible shriek and with pain tearing through his head. When he stopped moving, Erlmoor realised that he and Enlishia stood in the north-south passage that had led them to the trapped gas room. From back down the corridor, the paladin and the ranger heard the howling of the other elf spirit and knew that their companions needed them but for the moment at least, they could not move.

Lavren held his wife up with one arm as they both tried to make their numbed limbs move after the shock of the spirit’s terrible shriek. Suddenly he saw movement and as he looked over Telkya’s shoulder at the corner, he saw the ghost float into sight. It lashed out a translucent arm at the elf maid and Telkya shrank back from the creature’s chilling touch. At last he felt strength return to his limbs and raised his wand as Telkya shrank back against the wall. At least they would fall together, Lavren thought grimly. What Corellon had joined, nothing could tear apart.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 18, 2009)

*Chapter 23 - Lost Souls (Part 5)*

Dulvarna looked back toward the two elves and the ghost beyond them and knew that the battle was becoming increasingly desperate. She felt the voices of the souls trapped in the black walls tearing at her mind while blood flowed down her side from the scimitar wound she had suffered. The skeleton before her snarled as she parried another of its blows but then Dulvarna swept her blade around to the right and smashed it into the creature’s side. It lurched into the wall but then brought the two scimitars in its left arm sweeping down and into Dulvarna’s hip. The warrior woman lurched to her left and into the wall herself, the skeleton’s other scimitars sweeping down where she had been standing. Then she sensed movement to her left and, looking down, she saw Thorn, now in human form, stirring. His eyes opened and his face sharpened into the half-wolf features of his ancestry. For a moment, Dulvarna though that the battle was not yet over but then a terrible shrieking filled her head from the other end of the corridor. She looked past Lavren and Telkya and met the eyes of the elf spirit and knew that she faced her doom.

Enlishia managed to raise her bow and fire at the ghost at the far end of the passage, sending an arrow and then another through its insubstantial form. Still she could not make her legs move her forward to aid her companions. Beside her, Erlmoor stood similarly paralysed but softly, he was uttering prayers to Lathander to save their friends. As Enlishia raised her bow again, she saw the elf spirit pass from view only for the four armed skeleton that Erlmoor had faught to step across into the opening. It snarled at the ranger and the paladin and as it did, another of the creatures passed behind it and then moved to stand beside it. If they were to reach their friends, Enlishia realised, there would be a fierce battle. Suddenly, a shower of light motes lit up the dark corridor before the ranger and then another just in front of it. Telkya and Lavren appeared in the passageway and promptly slumped against the wall, as tired and shaken as Erlmoor and Enlishia were.
“We had to get out,” Telkya said in a weak voice, turning toward Enlishia with tears in her eyes. “We had to get out.” Enlishia could only nod as tears filled her own eyes. Dulvarna and Thorn were trapped beyond the doors and surely lost.

Dulvarna looked down at Thorn as he tried to gather the strength to stand and knew that she had to defend him for as long as she could. She lashed out at the skeleton, smashing more of its ribs and driving her blade into its spine. It staggered back a step and snarled as a chip of bone fell from its back but then it lashed its scimitars downward and though Dulvarna parried quickly, one nicked her left shoulder and another cut open her left arm. She fell back again, desperately trying to get her legs to move but they would not. The warrior woman nodded and silently thanked Lathander for the life that she had had, however short it had been. She would die here beside a druid of the Hullack in the fervent hope that her companions escaped this terrible prison.

Erlmoor raised his voice in prayer and propped his sword up against his right shoulder. Raising his left hand, he finished the prayer and from his outstretched fingers, poured ribbons of light. The skeletons in the doorway shrank back from the divine power and the ribbons seared between them to strike the black wall of the passage at their backs. Both raised their scimitars and snarled what might have been a challenge to the four adventurers that had escaped. Erlmoor tried desperately to get his legs to drive him forward but still they would not obey him and he knew that every moment he could not move took Thorn and Dulvarna closer to their end. Enlishia’s bow sang again and again, sending arrows along the corridor. One drove into the neck of one of the skeletons but still the creatures snarled at the helpless friends. Then, from down the corridor came another terrible shriek from one of the elf spirits and the four companions shrank back, fearful for the fate of their friends.

Dulvarna staggered back as the second ghost shrieked again. The sound tore at her mind and dimly, she felt a trickle of blood flow from her left ear. To her left, she saw a flash of flame engulf one of the ghosts and realised that her companions still fought for her despite the hopelessness. She smiled to herself as she parried another of the skeleton’s scimitars but then she heard the howl of the other ghost. She looked to her left and saw the creature lunging forward, its skin peeling back from its face and the white of its skull beneath. Dulvarna staggered again and from somewhere near the doors she heard a crack as another spell assailed her enemies. It would not be enough, she knew, and looked down at Thorn, who would die beside her. The druid shifted to wolf form as she watched and leapt at the skeleton but the undead creature danced back easily, beyond the reach of Thorn’s snapping jaws. Dulvarna roared in anger and surged at the skeleton, raising her blade above her head as she did so. She twisted around the thrust of a scimitar and then brought her blade down, smashing through the creature’s skull and cleaving into its neck beneath. The skeleton wobbled and then collapsed into a pile of loose bones. With faint hope suddenly returning to her, Dulvarna turned and roared at the ghosts that blocked her path to her friends.
“For Eveningstar!” she called out, and charged the translucent figures.

Erlmoor heard Dulvarna’s battle cry and knew that it signalled a last, desperate charge. He roared and forced his legs to move as he bade them. Raising his sword, he roared again and then charged at the skeletons.
“For Eveningstar!” he shouted, and around him, the others took up the cry.

Enlishia moved in front of the dragonborn, loosing arrows as she advanced that drove into the skeletons. From somewhere ahead of the companions, the elf spirits howled again and almost as though she stood near them, the friends heard Dulvarna’s battle cry die away into a scream of agony. The skeletons beyond the doors twirled their scimitars about them in anticipation of the renewed battle to come and one by one, the battle cries of the four faded as Dulvarna’s had. Telkya hurled a bolt of divine light from her amulet that flashed past the skeletons and then she turned to block Erlmoor’s path, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
“We have to go,” she said softly. “They died so that we might escape.”

The dragonborn paused and let his sword drop toward the floor. Behind Telkya, Lavren hurled another blast of eldritch energy into one of the skeletons and drove it back into the far wall of the passage. He turned back to look at his wife and the paladin, tears filling his eyes as well.

“We cannot leave them,” he said desperately. “Dulvarna has led us from the beginning.”
“And she has saved us now,” Telkya answered, her voice breaking.
“That she has,” Erlmoor said quietly. “That she has.”

The dragonborn raised his head to the ceiling and let out a terrible roar of grief, of anger and perhaps of promised vengeance. Then he turned away from the others and made his way slowly back up the passageway and away from his oldest friend.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 18, 2009)

*Chapter 23 - Lost Souls (Part 6)*

Thorn shifted back to his human form and sat down beside Dulvarna, his back against the wall. His legs would barely support him and he knew that the battle was lost. He looked down at the warrior woman who he had known for only a few days and felt tears fill his eyes. She barely breathed now and blood flowed freely from her ears and from the deep wound in her side. Her eyes flicked open and she looked up at him, a strangely peaceful expression on her face.
“Did they go back?” she said softly.
“They went back,” Thorn answered, for the battle cries and the sounds of battle at the far end of the corridor had faded away. 
“Do we join them now?” Dulvarna asked, nodding toward the tortured souls that still banged on the walls of the corridor.
“I think not,” Thorn answered. “I think the gods have another place kept for you.”

Dulvarna smiled and closed her eyes while Thorn looked over at the elf spirits that hovered at the end of the corridor, apparently watching the tragic tableau unfold before them.
“Finish it!” the druid roared, and as if to oblige, the ghosts came forward, howling as they came.

*Next......The Hungry Dead*


----------



## Medriev (Aug 20, 2009)

*Chapter 24 - The Hungry Dead (Part 1)*

The companions retreated beyond the doors that had led them to the gas room and the maze where Dulvarna and Thorn had fallen, each consumed by their own grief. Telkya and Lavren consoled each other as both shed tears while Enlishia and Erlmoor sat grim-faced against the passage wall. They slept fitfully in turns, tended to their wounds and then a ate a small breakfast of dried meat and hard trail bread. Erlmoor decided when they were ready to move on, rising stern-faced to his feet and turning eastward to face the passage that had led form the doors.
“We go on or we die here and shame the sacrifices of the fallen,” he said grimly and slowly, the others rose and gathered up their weapons and belongings.

The dragonborn led them slowly along the passageway toward the stairs but had barely gone more than a dozen steps when he stopped. He held up his hand to halt the others and then raised his sword.
“Something comes,” he hissed and behind him, the others made ready for battle.

Enlishia came forward to stand beside the paladin, an arrow nocked to her bow, while behind her, Lavren held forth his wand and Telkya her amulet. Suddenly, two figures emerged into the passage ahead from the stairway that led down to the lower level. One was short and cloaked in shadow while the other was seemingly clad in a long cloak and robes.
“There you are!” called a familiar voice suddenly as the short figure turned toward the companions. “But where are Dulvarna and Litiraan?”

Erlmoor growled and stepped forward but as he did, he recognised the diminutive form of the halfling, Rendil Halfmoon, from the Halfmoon inn in the Seven Pillared Hall stepped into the light of the torches that Lavren and Telkya held. Behind the halfling, stepped forward a tall elf with dark skin and long, flowing white hair. Erlmoor growled again as he recognised Gendar, the drow who owned a curio shop in the Hall. He had seemed a predatory and mercenary individual when the companions had first met him and Erlmoor liked him little.

“Rendil!” Telkya exclaimed. “What brings you here?”
“We came seeking you,” answered Gendar. “There have been many changes in Thunderspire since you left and Paldemar returned and wrought vengeance upon any who had consorted with you.”
“The inn?” Telkya said, with a growing sense of dread.
“Destroyed in the battle,” Rendil answered sadly. “Paldemar attacked us first, slaying my aunt when she tried to defend the place. I held him off with the blade craft and magic I learned from the elves when I was young…….and then the Mages of Saruun came to drive out the renegade. They fought with each other, hurling spells back and forth while wreaking destruction as they did. Gendar’s shop was razed to the ground.”

“And was Paldemar defeated?” Erlmoor asked.
“Surely all the Mages of Saruun must have driven him off at least,” Lavren added.
“And so they did, in a way,” Gendar said. “Paldemar retreated without being vanquished and told all that he had only visited to the Hall to wreak his revenge on those who had aided you. He retreated into the Underdark, seeking my kin who dwell below the mountains.”
“To do what?” Erlmoor rumbled. “He would not be any more welcome amongst drow than he would be elsewhere.”
“He seeks allies,” Telkya said in sudden realisation. “Whatever threat he has mustered against Sunset Hill is not enough. He seeks allies to join him in conquest.”
“Then we must stop him,” Enlishia said. “Once we have aided Sunset Hill, we must return to Thunderspire and pursue Paldemar.”

The others nodded their agreement and as the four surviving companions looked at Rendil and Gendar, they found that the drow and the halfling were nodding too. They sought revenge on the Red Wizard for the destruction he had brought down upon their home and would travel with the adventurers.
“Now that we are agreed,” Lavren said. “You must tell us how you came to be here and we must tell you dark tidings of Litiraan and Dulvarna.”

And so the companions with their new allies sat down in the corridor close to the stairs and grimly told their tales, Telkya relating the fall of her brother and of Thorn and of Dulvarna while Rendil told how he and Gendar had set out to find the companions after the attack on the Seven Pillared Hall. They had followed Rendil’s recollections of Paldemar’s map and when they had reached the clearing in the Hullack where the adventurers had battled the bandits, the pyramid had arisen around the pair and trapped them as it had Dulvarna, Erlmoor and the others. They had explored the lower levels, following the trail of slain enemies that the companions had left behind them until the stairs had led them up to the third level and their chance meeting with those they had sought.

“Where do we go now?” Gendar asked once the storytelling had ended.
“We go east from here,” said Lavren. “For behind us lies death. Are you ready for battle for that is what we face.”
“We are,” Rendil answered. “My sword has been little used of late but I was trained by the elves in sword magic when I was young and we lived in Mistledale.”
“And I learned wizardry before I left Sschindrylyn deep beneath the earth,” said Gendar.
“Then we go on,” said Lavren, rising to his feet. The others followed suit and together, the six companions set off down the passage, past the stairways leading up and down and on into the darkness.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 21, 2009)

*Chapter 24 - The Hungry Dead (Part 2)*

The passage turned right some way further on and then ended at a set of double doors. Erlmoor went forward to open them and Rendil went with him, drawing a longsword from his back that he wielded with two hands. The pair pushed open the doors and at once, the nauseating stench of death wafted from the darkness beyond the portals. Gendar conjured light to the end of the staff he held and Telkya raised her torch. As the companions peered ahead, they saw that the ceiling of the chamber beyond the doors was barely high enough for Erlmoor to stand upright, and the darkness seemed almost malevolent in its intensity, hardly driven back by the light of staff and torch.

Enlishia raised her bow and made her way warily into the room ahead of the others. She crossed the floor, looking left and right and aiming her bow as she did. Niches in the wall to her right held dry bones and the scraps of funeral wrappings but apart from the oppressive darkness, the chamber seemed empty.
“It is a tomb,” she called back to the others. “And the dead are bones and dust.”

The others made their way slowly into the room after the ranger as Enlishia crossed to double doors in the south wall. She reached out for one of the iron ring handles and turned it but as she did, she heard a creak. Looking around, the ranger saw the north western doors slam shut in the face of her companions and other doors to the north east swing open. She heard squeaking as though rats had suddenly awakened and before her, in an alcove cut into a stone structure in the middle of the chamber, appeared a robed figure with flowing red eyes.
“A wraith,” she cried out as loudly as she could. “Undead lurk in here.”

Outside the doors, Lavren dived forward and tried the iron handles but the doors seemed to have locked themselves. Handing his torch to Gendar, he drew a dagger from his belt and inserted it into the log, moving it around until he heard a satisfying click. The elf turned the handles of the doors again and flung them open before rushing into the chamber to aid Enlishia. Rendil followed and then Gendar and Erlmoor came after them, the dragonborn turning left to circle around the other side of the central stonework toward the north eastern doors. Telkya came last into the chamber and as she reached the companions, she threw down her torch, drew her sword, and turned around, searching the room for the undead enemies that Enlishia had seen. Suddenly, a rat with rotten flesh and fierce red eyes leapt from the alcove to her right and plunged its teeth into her leg. She cried out and lashed downward with her sword, striking the stone beside the creature. Other unseen rats squeaked in response to the elf maid’s pain and then, from the alcove across from Enlishia, the wraith came forth.

Enlishia ducked as the undead creature lashed out at her with a shadowy, insubstantial arm. She retreated toward the others and began loosing arrows, one after the other. They passed through the creature but each shaft drew a moan of agony from the creature. Lavren turned away from the others and moved to stand just behind Enlishia, shouting a curse and a spell as he came. A bolt of black energy lanced out from his wand and seared past the wraith as it started toward Enlishia again. Rendil rushed to face the wraith, his blade before him, moving past Enlishia and Lavren. He seemed to utter something under his breath and as he slashed his blade out at the wraith, it burst into green flame. The sword clove into the wraith’s side and the creature howled recognising somewhere deep down in what remained of its mind, fell elf magic that it despised. The wraith hissed and abandoned its advance on Enlishia, instead turning on the halfling and his terrible sword.

Behind the elves, Gendar leapt back as the rat attacked Telkya but then the battle training he had been given as a young drow reasserted itself. He raised his staff, uttered a spell and loosed a bolt of blue energy toward the rat. The undead creature squealed and leapt to one side, leaving the drow’s magic missile to strike the stone where it had been standing. The drow cursed and Telkya frowned at him before turning her attention back to the rat and its needle-sharp teeth.

Before Erlmoor could reach the northern doors, a rat leapt from an alcove to his right and plunged its teeth into his leg. He roared and lashed downward with his blade, cleaving the rat in half as it clung to its leg. The two pieces of the creature’s corpse fell at the dragonborn’s feet and he strode forward to the northern doors. He turned as he reached them and saw before him a rectangular room with half a dozen coffins in it. From four of them had risen half-rotten creatures that might once have been men of Cormyr  but now wore old, stained plate armour. Each carried a shield on one arm, held a sword in the other hand and had flesh that was drawn and mouldering. In their eye sockets glowed a fierce green light and slowly, they started toward the paladin, raising their blades as they came.
“Battle wights,” he called back to the others as he recognised the foul undead and raised his own sword ready to meet them.

Telkya heard Erlmoor cry out as she slashed at the rat that scurried around her with her sword. The blade clanged against the stone floor and as the sound died away, the squeaking of more rats filled the chamber. From the alcoves to her left came more of the creatures, scurrying toward she and Gendar. One plunged its teeth into the dark elf’s foot and another bit at his leg. The drow cried out, trying desperately to fend the creatures off with his stave. He threw his torch down behind the creatures and waved his staff at the rats but still they came at him. The rat Telkya fought rushed forward and leapt, sinking its teeth into her arm as she tried to fend it off. She shook the creature free but its teeth had left a painful, angry wound in her sword arm. She slashed down with her blade again but again the rat was too quick for her and the sword struck only stone.

Rendil raised his sword again, another battle spell on his lips but then the wraith surged at him, moaning as it came. The halfling’s will broke and he fell back before the furious undead creature, stunned by the terrible sound of its torment. Enlishia staggered back beside the halfling, the pair passing Lavren and leaving him to face the creature alone. Numbly, Rendil saw Enlishia raise her bow and fire arrows to keep the rats at bay. One rat fell with a squeal, an arrow driven through it but the others kept coming and Rendil Halfmoon’s courage faltered again. In front of him, he saw Lavren facing the wraith with a steely determination as the warlock loosed another bolt of black energy from his wand. The blast seared through the creature’s incorporeal form and the wraith howled as though it had suffered pain. Trying to banish his fear, Rendil stepped slowly forward, passing Lavren and moving to protect his new companions. He raised his blade, called a spell to his lips and made ready meet his enemy.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 22, 2009)

*Chapter 24 - The Hungry Dead (Part 3)*

Erlmoor staggered where he stood as he fought to keep the wights at bay while three rats scurried around him, biting at his ankles and legs whenever they could. Already he bled from a wound in his left leg and another in his side while the chill of the grave afflicted him and made his movements sluggish and laboured. Desperately, he roared and spat acid over the wights while shouting out a prayer from his rapidly numbing mouth. His blade swept out, glowing brightly as it did, and tore into the side of one of the wights, flinging it back and away from the dragonborn. As the wight recovered, hissing at the paladin, a bolt of light seared past Erlmoor and blasted into the creature’s chest, driving it back again. Looking to his left, Erlmoor saw Telkya standing ready with sword and amulet in hand and as he saw his friend, the dragonborn let out a roar of defiance. Then the wights came forward, two surging out of the room past the stalwart paladin while the other two came at him with their blades. He parried to his left but as he did, s blade swept in from his right and drove into his right hip, sending him staggering back. Again the dragonborn roared but this time in pain as he tried to draw back from his fiercesome enemies.

Enlishia dazedly tried to fend off the rat that had leapt from the alcove next to her while retreating toward her companions. She looked back over her shoulder and saw that Rendil was retreating himself as the wraith swiped at him with its shadowy arms. Another blast from Lavren’s wand tore through the creature and it shrieked in pain but still it flailed at Rendil. Weakly, the halfling lashed out with his blade, green flame igniting it again but the wraith paid it no mind. Only when Gendar loosed another silver bolt from his staff that struck the creature did it seem to falter. Slowly, the wraith seemed to shrink away from the halfling and the others and for a moment, Enlishia could not see why. Then a plate-armoured figure with glowing green eyes strode around the central stonework behind the wraith. Help was coming, the wraith had no more need to fight.

Erlmoor looked over his shoulder as the wights moved into the chamber toward his friends and knew he had to get back to them somehow. He also knew that his strength was fading, the wounds from the grave-touched swords the wights wielded numbing him quickly. Still, he shouted out a prayer and lashed out with his blade, striking the arm of the nearest wight and keeping it at bay for a few moments longer. From Erlmoor’s left, Telkya called down a column of burning, divine light onto the undead creature but still it did not fall. Hissing and snarling, the two wights surged at Erlmoor and he parried furiously, meeting each slash and thrust of their blades with his own sword. Finally, he staggered back and the wights retreated a few steps, held at bay for now. It was a small victory, the dragonborn knew, but a victory nonetheless.

Rendil saw the wight round the central stonework and steeled himself for the new struggle that was to come. The plate-armoured creature rushed the last few steps toward the halfling and swept its blade out at Rendil’s head. The halfling ducked but the blade still glanced off the top of his head, tearing his scalp and taking away some of his brown hair as it passed. Another of the undead warriors followed behind the first and the halfling stepped back a pace, knowing that he had to deal with the wraith before this new enemy reached him. As the halfling raised his blade, the wraith suddenly shifted to the right and vanished into the stone next to the alcove from which it had emerged. 

Gendar leapt forward as the wraith suddenly emerged from the stone behind him and swiped at him. Its shadowy arm passed over the drow’s head and Enlishia reacted at once. She loosed an arrow into the rat that had bedevilled her and then turned her bow on the wraith, loosing a second shaft that passed through the creature’s body and clattered into the stone beyond. A moment later, a blast of black, crackling energy from Lavren’s wand tore into the wraith and with a final, chilling shriek, the creature dissipated into shards of shadow. Gendar nodded grudging thanks to Lavren and then stepped forward to aid Rendil. He levelled his staff at the wight that the halfling fought and with an uttered incantation, he hurled a bolt blue energy from its tip that seared past the undead warrior and struck the wall behind it. Rendil took his chance and lashed his blade into the side of the wight’s leg, forcing it to stagger to its right to keep its balance. It snarled in response and then raised its blade to strike down the halfling.

Erlmoor lashed out with his blade and then leapt back toward Telkya, hoping to face less enemies with his back to the central stonework. Telkya touched his shoulder with her hand and as her hand glowed, the dragonborn felt some of his strength return. A rat bit into his foot and he drew his leg back and as he did, the second wight strode past the other and lashed out with its blade at Erlmoor’s side. The dragonborn brought his own sword down and parried, his blade pointing at the floor. The wight hissed at the paladin and he snarled back, eye to eye with the undead warrior for a moment before he pushed the creature away.

Enlishia rushed forward to stand behind Rendil, firing arrows as she came. The missiles struck the stone beside the wights or bounced off their armour leaving the undead warriors unharmed. A bolt from Lavren’s wand flashed from the ranger’s left, searing past the wights and drawing hisses of derision from them as they came forward at Rendil again. The halfling lashed out with his blade, green flames wreathing the sword as it struck the leg of one of the wights. A trail of flame followed the sword and drove the other wight back and as it retreated, lightning burst forth from Gendar’s staff to strike both of the undead creatures.  Both wights fell back, reeling, but the companions knew that it could not be for long. The undead would come forward again and they would be hard pressed to hold them off.

Erlmoor looked back over his shoulder at Telkya, waving her back so that he could retreat into the narrow gap between the central stonework and the wall of the chamber. She laid a hand on her shoulder and uttered another healing prayer before stabbing her sword into the thigh of the wight before Erlmoor. More healing energy flowed into the dragonborn and he roared his renewed defiance as Telkya retreated behind him. Erlmoor lashed his blade out at the wight with all his strength but at the last, the creature brought its blade across and parried. The wight twisted its blade around and drove it into the dragonborn’s shoulder, driving him back another step toward Telkya. One of the rats scurried forward and sank its teeth into Erlmoor’s leg and again he retreated until Telkya stood just behind him. The wight hissed, raised its blade and came forward after him.

Rendil swatted aside a thrust from the wight before him but as he did, the other creature stabbed its blade into his hip from his left. The halfling cried out and staggered back a step while behind the two wights, another came forward, its armour damaged and its flesh torn. Its eyes glowed with a furious anger and the halfling knew that if the two foes he faced did not finish him, the third wight was determined to do it. Two more arrows from Enlishia’s bow clattered off the armour of the wight on Rendil’s left and then purple bolts of energy seared from Lavren’s wand to strike both wights in the chest and drive them back. Rendil leapt forward, a spell on his lips, and plunged his sword into the belly of the wight before him. As the blade drove in, Rendil knew that what passed for the undead warrior’s blood was thickening and turning to leaden ice. The halfling drew his blade back and lashed it across from left to right while uttering a spell of fire and sure enough, a wall of flame sprung up where the wights stood, curving round to engulf all three wights. The undead creatures shrieked and hissed as the flames seared and blackened their rotten flesh and from behind Rendil, a bolt of blue flashed from Gendar’s staff to strike one of the creatures. Together they snarled and hissed, seeming to promise revenge but for the moment, they were helpless to deliver it.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 24, 2009)

*Chapter 24 - The Hungry Dead (Part 4)*

Erlmoor roared in furious anger and leapt at the wight he faced, lashing his blade into its side and then spinning on the spot to smash the other side of his sword into the chest of the creature. The wight reeled back and away and Erlmoor took that moment to look over his shoulder at Telkya.
“Go!” he said firmly. “Aid the others. You have helped me enough to give me victory here.”

Telkya did as she was bade, turning away from the dragonborn as the wight seemed to recover and rush back at him. She rushed around the stonework to where Gendar, Lavren and Enlishia stood in a line behind Rendil who was desperately fighting two wights. She raised her sword, determined to aid the halfling but could only watch for a few, terrible, helpless moments. Despite the flames that blocked their way, the wights came forward furiously, one driving its blade into Rendil’s leg and the other, slashing its blade in from the left into the halfling’s side. He cried out again and then in a flurry of movement, a third wight, wounded, battered, and blackened, leapt into the alcove next to its undead kin and then rushed at Rendil. The creature plunged its blade into the halfling’s side and with a gasp, he fell back toward Enlishia. Desperately, the ranger threw down her bow, drew her sword and plunged it into the wight’s throat. It hissed and then fell to the ground, unmoving. A blast of black, crackling energy from Lavren’s wand followed a moment later and seared into the chest of another of the wights, throwing it back into the wall. It slid down to the floor and lay unmoving as Rendil desperately tried to summon enough strength to go on. A silver bolt from Gendar’s staff struck the last of the wights in the chest and threw it back and away from Rendil, buying the halfling enough time to hastily wrap a strip of cloth around his body and the terrible wounds in his side. At last, he raised his blade and started forward to meet the wight blade to blade again.

Erlmoor stabbed his blade into the belly of the remaining wight he faced and then retreated another few steps into the gap between the stonework and the wall. A rat scurried after him into one of the alcoves and then lunged at him, biting at his leg. The wight came next, lashing out with its blade toward the dragonborn’s other leg but he brought his blade down and parried the undead warrior’s attack. Looking behind him, Erlmoor saw a more narrow part of the gap and, knowing that his best hope was to retreat into that part, he began to draw back further before his enemies.

In a shower of light, Telkya appeared behind the last wight that Rendil faught and, raising her amulet, she loosed a bolt of light into the creature’s back. It lurched forward and lashed out with its blade, cutting a wound in the halfling’s left leg. He staggered and the wight came forward more steadily, Enlishia’s arrows clattering off its armour. A crackling bolt from Lavren’s wand flashed past the creature and beyond it, rats squeaked as they rushed toward Telkya. The elf maid looked to her right and saw two of the undead creatures scurrying toward her. She swept her blade downward but they both darted under her sword and plunged their teeth into her leg. Telkya cried out and staggered back until she felt the wall behind her. To her left, she saw Rendil recover enough to plunge his blade into the wight, bone chilling mist rising from the wound as the halfling’s sword struck home. The wight staggered back a step and a blue bolt of energy seared into it from Gendar’s staff. Still it hissed its annoyance and defiance and Telkya knew that she could lend no aid while the rats bedevilled her. She stabbed one rat and it died with a squeal but the other darted forward. Telkya swept her blade downward to defend her self but as she did an arrow drove through the creature from its right. It squealed and died giving Telkya a chance to look to her left. There, the last wight had fallen with an arrow through its throat and her companions were coming forward, having defeated their enemies.
“We have to help Erlmoor,” she called to them.

Erlmoor parried the wight’s blade and then leapt back into the narrow space that he had seen behind him. The rat lunged forward first, blocking the wight’s way forward and Erlmoor swept his blade downward to keep it at bay. Suddenly, a bolt of light struck the wall next to the wight and looking past the undead warrior, Erlmoor saw Telkya standing with her sword and amulet in hand. The rat lunged at his legs but again he swept his blade down to keep it at bay and he saw the wight turn away to face Telkya. Dimly, he heard the elf maid cry out as the creature wounded her but then he saw black and blue bolts strike the wight and it fell before his friends. The rat scurried forward once again and this time, Erlmoor plunged his blade downward and into its back. It squealed once and then lay still leaving the dragonborn to roar, proclaiming victory.

*Next.......The Palace of Bones*


----------



## Medriev (Aug 25, 2009)

*Chapter 25 - The Palace of Bones (Part 1)*

The companions found an elven bow and a set of dwarf-forged armour in the ruins of the tomb as well as half a dozen gemstones and rested there while Erlmoor and Rendil recovered from the grave-touched wounds they had suffered. When they were ready to leave, Erlmoor donned the new armour and found it fitted his large form while Enlishia left her old bow behind and took up the elven weapon.
“Draxius haunts my dreams,” Lavren admitted as he unlocked the southern doors with his dagger.
“As he does mine,” Erlmoor said. “He taunts me to kill him.”
“Then kill him we shall,” Enlishia said as Lavren pulled open the doors.

The ranger had gathered up her spent arrows from around the tomb to refill her quiver and now nocked one to her bowstring as Erlmoor and Rendil took up the lead. A passage led southward from the doors and then split a little way ahead, one branch leading off to the west while the main passage ended a little way ahead at a set of double doors. Erlmoor turned down the side passage, ignoring the doors ahead and led the companions on until this passage, too, ended in a set of doors. Putting up his sword, the dragonborn grasped one iron ring as Rendil grasped the other and together, they heaved the doors open to reveal a large chamber whose furnishings were all made of bones. Some were lashed together with leather cords or bound with iron rings while others seemingly held together by unseen magical force. The Head of Vyrellis shrieked in fury as her eyes fell on a tiefling with purple skin and eyes that glowed with a sickly green light. His body was draped in a heavy mantle, with skulls decorating his shoulders and shadows pooled around him.
“Destroy him!” Vyrellis screamed. “Strike him down and we shall claim our freedom!”

From the shadows to the right lumbered a huge skeleton and from beneath the platform came another and a third came from the right. They looked like the skeletons of ogres and each wielded a huge club made from the bone of a great beast. The first strode to the doors in a handful of steps and lashed out with its club, striking the doorframe above Erlmoor’s head. The dragonborn leapt under the weapon and into the chamber before slashing his blade at the creature’s leg. It stepped back beyond his reach and while Enlishia looked for a clear shot at the creature, Gendar levelled his staff at it. A blue bolt flew from the tip of the stave and tore into the skeleton’s ribs, shattering one and burning another. Gendar darted past Rendil and into the chamber but as he did, the skeleton swung out its club and smashed him in the back, slamming him into one of the bone pillars. Skeletal hands reached out from the pillar and seized the drow drawing him close against the structure as though to crush him. He cried out and behind him, the companions heard one of his ribs crack loudly.

Enlishia raised her bow and began firing, an arrow driving into the skeleton’s hip and a second flying past it and on into the chamber. Beside her, the ranger saw Lavren vanish in a shower of light motes and a moment later, a blast of black energy seared past the skeleton from behind, striking the door frame. Rendil slashed his blade into the creature’s leg and it staggered back a step but still it would not fall and from within the hall of bones, two more skeletons were coming. The first to reach the battle smashed down its club toward Erlmoor but at the last, the dragonborn leapt back beyond its reach and the huge weapon struck the floor of the chamber. In front of Enlishia, Telkya vanished as Lavren had and a moment later, the ranger heard her cry out from somewhere within the chamber. Still, a bolt of divine light flashed past the skeleton from within the chamber and from that, Enlishia deduced that Telkya still faught on.

Lavren looked back at his wife who had been grabbed by skeletal hands that had reached out from a torture rack made of bone. She was held against the end of the device but she still struggled and would not be easily cowed, the elf knew. He looked back across the chamber and knew at once that he faced a graver danger as the third of the huge skeletons strode across toward him. It lashed out with its club and though the warlock lowered his sword to parry, the weapon still struck him in the belly, driving the wind from him and throwing him back into Telkya. Dimly, Lavren heard Draxius chanting from the upper platform and forced himself to leap to his left to avoid whatever spell was being directed at him. Sure enough, a spectral hand, seemingly the rotten arm of some undead creature, appeared where he had been and clutched at the empty air desperately. It vanished a few moments later and Lavren congratulated himself on his escape, until he looked up and saw the skeleton raising its club to strike at him again.

Erlmoor reeled back as the first skeleton slammed its club into his chest. He spun around on the spot and leapt back toward the creature, smashing his sword into its side and cleaving through its ribs to its spine. The creature staggered and a moment later an arrow smashed through its skull. The skeleton collapsed into a pile of bones and as Erlmoor recovered from the blow he had suffered, Enlishia turned her bow on the next of the undead creatures. Beside the dragonborn, Gendar struggled in the grip of the skeletal hands but still managed to loose a bolt of blue energy at one of the skeletons. Erlmoor admired the courage of the drow for as he looked at him, he saw that the dark elf was bleeding from several wounds and drawing his breath in ragged gasps. To his right, Erlmoor saw that Telkya was trapped and Lavren fought in front of her with his blade, trying to keep another of the skeletons at bay. Rendil came up beside him and lashed out his sword, a spell on his lips. Green flame wreathed the blade and it smashed into the hip of the nearest skeleton, shattering the bone. The creature lurched back unsteadily and then smashed down its club toward the halfling. Rendil leapt to his right but the club struck him a glancing blow on the shoulder and sent him reeling away.

Lavren held his blade before him but knew he could not hold off the skeleton for long. The skeleton swung its club and he ducked under it but the elf knew that more blows would come and they would be more accurate. Suddenly, he felt a wave of heat from his right and as he looked he saw an amber orb fly down from one of the higher platforms. It burst into a searing fireball against the wall of the chamber and while Telkya threw herself downward behind the rack that held her, the flames struck Lavren in the back and flung him forward. Telkya rose and shouted a prayer while struggling to free herself from the skeletal hands that held her. A column of light descended on the skeleton before Lavren, blackening and shattering its bones. It staggered but then lashed out wildly with its club. Lavren ducked again despite the pain of his burned back and the huge weapon passed over his head. The elf rose again, grateful for the momentary reprieve, and then leapt at the skeleton with his sword before him but from the platform he heard Draxius raise his voice in another incantation. A screaming missile flew from the tiefling’s hand and behind him, Lavren heard Telkya cry out. As he looked back he saw a a small, glowing skull strike his wife in the side and then burst into a pool of black shadow. With an inarticulate roar, Lavren rushed at the skeleton that blocked his way to Draxius, his blade leading his charge.


----------



## Medriev (Aug 31, 2009)

*Chapter 25 - The Palace of Bones (Part 2)*

Erlmoor saw the fireball burst around Lavren and Telkya and searched the upper platforms for the new enemy that had unleashed the spell. He saw almost at once a glowing, flame-wreathed skull floating above the right-hand platform and another on the left platform.
“There are more enemies on the platforms,” he called out to the others and then lashed his blade into the leg of the skeleton before him.

Thunder clapped as blade struck bone and the skeleton lurched back and away from its enemies. Behind the dragonborn, Enlishia’s bow sang out and two arrows flew past the skeleton while from Gendar’s stave, lightning arced out and struck the skeleton, forcing it backwards. Rendil leapt after the skeleton and lashed his blade into its leg, shattering it, and the skeleton collapsed into a heap of lifeless bones. Rendil rushed ahead of Erlmoor to attack the last skeleton and as he did, another amber orb flew down, this one from the left platform. Erlmoor flung himself forward and felt the flames burn his back as the fireball burst. He looked back over his shoulder and saw that Gendar’s robes were alight and the drow’s face was horribly blistered and burned. The dark elf groaned once and then slumped lifeless in the grip of the skeletal arms.

Lavren ducked under another of the skeleton’s swings and retreated toward Telkya but as he did a bolt of flame struck the floor next to Telkya. He looked up and saw the flameskull on the platform to his right. He looked back to Telkya just as she finally wriggled free of the skeletal arms of the rack and leapt past him toward Erlmoor. The skeleton smashed down its club just behind the elf maid and then she raised her amulet and hurled a bolt of divine fire into the creature’s chest. It staggered back a step and then lashed out with its club, smashing the weapon into Lavren’s chest and throwing him back toward the rack. Draxius hurled another screaming skull missile at Erlmoor that struck the dragonborn in the shoulder but the paladin roared his defiant response and charged the last skeleton. Enlishia’s bow sang out as she came forward behind the dragonborn and two arrows drove through the creature’s skull. The skeleton’s head shattered into shards of bone and the creature collapsed as the others had done.

Rendil leapt forward over the bones of the fallen skeleton and looked around to see that the others followed him. Lavren suddenly vanished into a black mantle of shadow and as the halfling looked around, he reappeared beyond the next set of bone pillars, close to the stairs. He raised his wand and loosed a bolt of black, crackling energy at Draxius that struck the tiefling in the chest and forced it back a step. Rendil rushed after the elf but he had barely gone two steps when arms from the pillars in front of him reached out and seized him, tearing at his flesh and crushing him. He cried out and looked back at his companions, who had no choice but to follow. Then he looked back toward Lavren, who stood alone against Draxius as bolts of flame flew from the flaming skulls on the platforms. One struck the elf and sent him lurching to the right while another struck the floor near his feet. Telkya rushed past Rendil and for a moment, the halfling thought that she might pass the columns and reach her husband but then the skeletal arms reached out and seized her, trapping her as Rendil had been trapped. Draxius hurled a screaming skull that struck the elf maid in the chesty and with a cry, she fell back into the crushing embrace of the bone pillar.

Erlmoor roared and rushed at the pillars, hoping to force his way through. An arm reached out for him but he shoved it aside and thought for a moment that he would pass between the horrible columns. Then, just as he thought he would escape, an arm seized his leg and dragged him to his left where another reached out to tear at his flesh. Roaring, he sank back toward the pillar and then began to struggle to free himself. Behind him, he heard Enlishia’s bow sing and on the platform, an arrow drove into Draxius’ leg. Another struck the bone archway behind him and the tiefling roared in anger and pain. Lavren cursed at the tiefling and another black bolt struck him in the chest, throwing him back another step. Again, Draxius roared in anger at his enemies. Erlmoor wondered how long the elf could last alone against the flameskulls and their master but then Rendil appeared in a shower of light next to the elf, his blade held high before him. Even as the dragonborn wondered at the halfling’s power, Rendil vanished again, becoming a bolt of lightning that lanced up from the floor to the left platform. There, the halfling appeared next to one of the flameskulls and lashed out with his blade which was wreathed in lightning. He struck at the skull, sending it spinning back and away and then he became lightning again, arcing across to the central platform and slashing his blade at Draxius. The tiefling leapt back and avoided Rendil’s sword but before he could react further, the halfling was gone, transformed to lightning again that arced back toward the left platform where he reappeared, between the flameskull and the tiefling. A bolt of flame seared from the flameskull’s mouth and struck the halfling, sending him reeling and then another bolt from the other skull creature struck him. Again the halfling vanished, appearing next to the first flameskull on the left platform with his blade in his hands. Erlmoor smiled to himself at Rendil’s prowess and then roared as he strained to pull free from the skeletal bonds that held him.

Lavren looked up at Draxius as Rendil danced back and forth across the platforms and could not help admire the magical prowess of the halfling. He had seen swordmages in training when he was growing up but never had he seen one in battle and he could not help but be impressed. Rendil must surely be a true-hearted halfling to have been taught such sacred Art. As the halfling appeared beside the flameskull, Lavren looked up at Draxius. Angrily, the tiefling lashed out with his right hand and hurled another screaming skull missile toward the elf. Lavren leapt to his right and then spoke his own incantation of travel. He vanished into a cloud of shadowy darkness for a moment and then reappeared on the central platform a few feet from Draxius. Lavren lashed out with the wand in his left hand and spoke a curse that would assail the tiefling with nightmarish dreams. As the elf completed the curse, Draxius reached up to his head and grasped at it, tearing at his own flesh. He staggered back along the platform toward where Rendil battled the flameskull. An arrow and then a second thudded into the tiefling’s side and again he cried out in anger and pain. Rendil lashed out with his sword and struck the flameskull again, forcing it back toward its master and Draxius looked around, desperately seeking his undead allies to save him from defeat.

Erlmoor watched the battle on the platforms as he struggled to free himself and decided that despite Draxius’ desperation, his friends needed his help. He roared and struggled against the bones that surrounded him again but could not break free. A bolt of flame flashed across in front of him and struck Telkya, throwing her back into the bony embrace of the pillar. They had to kill Draxius and free Telkya and Gendar, the dragonborn knew. He had to escape from the bones. With one last effort, he strained against the bones as Draxius hurled another screaming skull past Lavren. Then, the bones around Erlmoor snapped and he began to rush forward. He paused to reach over and touch Telkya’s arm, sending healing power into the elf maid and then he ran on toward the steps up to the platform. Arms and hands grasped at him from the stairs as he started up them but he strode through them and reached the platform to stand beside Lavren.
“You die now, Draxius,” Erlmoor roared at the tiefling.
“Better death than this eternal torment,” Draxius answered.


----------



## Medriev (Sep 1, 2009)

*Chapter 25 - The Palace of Bones (Part 3)*

Enlishia raised her bow and aimed at Draxius again before letting fly an arrow. As the shaft drove into the tiefling’s leg, she nocked another arrow to her bow, aimed again and fired. The second arrow drove into Draxius’ hip and threw him toward the back wall of the chamber. She looked back toward Gendar who lay helpless and dying in the grasp of the bone hands. She heard more of the dark elf’s ribs crack and knew that they had to free him quickly for if he was not already dead, then he would be soon. She turned back toward the platform and drew another arrow as hands reached up from the platform to seize Lavren. The elf raised his wand anyway and called out an incantation that summoned unseen wolves to snap at Draxius. The tiefling leapt away from the snapping teeth of the creatures toward the flameskull and Enlishia saw that Rendil was also restrained by hands that had grabbed his legs. Still he lashed out with his sword and loosed a rope of lightning that lashed around the flameskull and dragged it back within reach of his blade. As the lightning dissipated, the skull drifted away and turned to loose a bolt of flame from its mouth that struck the halfling in the chest and left him reeling where he stood. Another bolt flashed across from the opposite platform and struck Lavren in the back, sending him lurching forward. At that moment, Telkya broke free of the skeletal arms that held her and rushed toward the platforms. She raised her amulet and hurled a bolt of light into the side of the flameskull that sent it reeling toward Draxius. The tiefling shrieked and then lashed out with its left hand toward Erlmoor, sending a screaming skull flashing out to strike the dragonborn in the chest. The paladin staggered back and then roared his own response as he charged the tiefling.

Erlmoor felt a fierce rage within him as he started toward the tiefling but then he felt familiar, bony fingers grasp his legs and dig into his flesh. He staggered and almost fell as the hands brought him to a sudden stop but still he lashed out with his sword, shouting a prayer as he did. Ribbons of light burst from his sword and tore across the gap between the platforms to strike the flameskull. The creature reeled back in the air and then exploded into shards of bone. From his left, Erlmoor heard Enlishia’s bow sing again and again and two more arrows drove into Draxius’ wounded body. A blast of energy crackled past the dragonborn to strike the tiefling in the chest and then lightning burst from Rendil’s sword again to wrap around Draxius and drag him toward the halfling. Beside Erlmoor, Lavren lurched forward as another bolt of flame from the remaining flameskull struck him but then Erlmoor heard Telkya’s voice raised in prayer and knew that she was coming to their aid. Erlmoor roared his defiance again but as he did, Draxius turned toward him and held both hands out toward him and shouted a spell. Suddenly, a storm of freezing white engulfed Erlmoor and Lavren as howling spirits burst from the bone platform. The dragonborn felt his limbs go numb and as he looked, ice began to limn the face of the elf who stood beside him. Lavren’s knees gave way and he collapsed amongst the bones and a moment later, Erlmoor fell beside him.

Rendil saw Erlmoor and Lavren fall and knew that the battle had become desperate. He lashed out with his sword, uttering a spell as he did, and a wall of fire leapt from the bone platform to engulf Draxius. A bolt fo flame flashed across from the other platform and struck him in the side, throwing him to his left into the wall of the chamber. The halfling cursed and raised his blade again, looking down at Telkya in some forlorn hope that she could provide enough help to win victory. Sure enough the elf maid was chanting a prayer, amulet and sword in hand and as it reached its end, Erlmoor seemed to stir on the central platform. The halfling looked back toward Draxius and found that the tiefling was laughing at the flames that surrounded him.
“You think that fire can harm me, after all that I have suffered here,” the tiefling snarled. “They called me a tyrant and a conqueror and yet all I ever did was hold onto the throne.”
“They would not have imprisoned you if you did not deserve it,” Rendil shouted back.
“Oh, I did deserve it,” the tiefling answered, looking strangely sad for a moment. “For I kept the throne by killing my own sons.”

At that, Draxius lashed out with his left hand and hurled a screaming skull toward Rendil. The halfling ducked to the left and the missile flew past while the tiefling renewed his mocking laughter. Behind his enemy, Rendil saw movement and with a wave of relief, he saw Erlmoor rise to his feet and rush at Draxius. The dragonborn lashed his blade across the tiefling’s back and then reversed the swing to lash it into Draxius’ side. The tiefling reeled away and as he did, an arrow drove into his chest. He gasped and staggered back and then a second arrow drove into his throat, piercing it from the front to the back. The tiefling let out a strangled gasp and then collapsed to the bone platform. 

The bone hands released their grasp of Lavren and Gendar in the moment that Draxius died, falling lifeless to the structures that had given them movement. Rendil rushed past Erlmoor toward the last flameskull and as he did, it unleashed fire from his mouth that struck him in the shoulder and spun him toward the wall. Telkya rushed up the steps to kneel beside Lavren and began chanting a healing prayer over his wounded body. Erlmoor, meanwhile, rushed after Rendil and Enlishia came forward across the floor, loosing arrows as she came. Moments later, Lavren rose beside his wife and began loosing bolts of black energy at the floating skull and from Rendil’s blade, lightning lashed out to drag the flameskull toward the halfling. It tried desperately to retreat, loosing flame wildly but it fell quickly to Erlmoor’s blade and Enlishia’s arrows. 

Enlishia rushed over to Gendar as soon as the skull shattered but as she reached the drow’s body, she knew that there was nothing she could do for him. Looking up at the others, she shook her head grimly and they bowed their in response. Together, they made a funeral pyre for the drow atop the bone platform, hoping that flames would consume the entirety of the dark place. As they set the pyre alight and made ready to leave, Lavren took Draxius’ cloak from his shoulders.
“He looks younger than the image we have seen,” the elf said to the others.
“He is younger,” Vyrellis said from the orb at Lavren’s belt. “Younger even than when I met him.”
“Then that is why we are not free,” Telkya said. “He is not beaten.”
“He is but another shard, of which there were three,” Vyrellis answered.
“Then the real Draxius is…..,” Lavren said.
“At the top of the stairs we passed,” Enlishia finished.

Grimly, the companions left the chamber and made their way back toward the stairs.

*Next......The Last Stand of Draxius*


----------



## Medriev (Oct 30, 2009)

*Chapter 26 - The Last Stand of Draxius (Part 1)*

“He said he had killed his sons?” Enlishia said once the companions had made camp at the top of the stairs before an ornate door that had three locks. The companions had already decided that the three keys they had recovered in the pyramid would likely open the locks but their efforts had so far not been rewarded.
“He did,” Rendil confirmed.
“He did not kill my son,” Vyrellis snapped. “Bryntarth was far from here when we were imprisoned but the true Draxius was an evil man and doubtless killed many. We should go on and vanquish him as quickly as we may.”
“But we need rest before we do,” Telkya said. “And I would know more of who we have defeated in the levels below. Two there have been that were called Galaghard and the last who we presume to be Draxius and yet he was younger.”
“Those you have met, I know not,” said Rendil. “But Galaghard the First ruled for thirty four years from the end of the fifth century of the Dalereckoning and into the sixth. His son became Galaghard the Second in 514DR and ruled for forty years. There was a rebellion by three of Galaghard’s sons late in his reign and they were put to death. His surviving son, Draxius, became king on his father’s death. I do not see how, if that tiefling was once Draxius, he could claim to have killed his sons and be paying for it.”
“He is a madman now,” Vyrellis said. “And as I have told you, we must defeat him as soon as we can.”

The others settled down to rest then with two of their number on watch and puzzling at the locks in the door at the top of the stairs. At long last, after several hours, Telkya saw the order in which the keys were to be put into the locks. Once the others were ready, she and Erlmoor stepped up to the locks and inserted each key and turned it. Slowly, the ornate door swung open onto another staircase that led higher up into the pyramid. Erlmoor and Rendil raised their swords and started up the steps with the others behind them. At the top of the stairs, they opened into a narrow hallway with three sets of double doors leading off it, one set to the left, one set to the right and another set across the hallway. Suddenly, a resounding voice was heard from beyond the doors, as though one person was speaking from a multitude of mouths.
“Who dares invade out sanctuary?” the voice boomed.

Enlishia moved forward first, making her way to the nearest, left-hand doors and pushing them open. She raised her bow as the portals swung open and there, before her was a square room dominated by a wide, black pillar. Beside the pillar stood Draxius, in the form that he had appeared to the companions throughout their journey through the pyramid. The ranger raised her bow but then she realised that another Draxius stood to the right of the pillar. She drew back her bowstring and let fly an arrow at one of the tieflings, the shaft driving through its neck and felling it. She turned her bow on the other, an arrow already nocked to the string and fired. The second arrow drove through the chest of the second tiefling and he too, fell back and collapsed on the floor of the room, apparently dead.
“Something is not right here,” she said to the others and Erlmoor, who stood in the doorway, nodded his agreement.

To the right, the doors at the far end of the hallway opened and there stood another Draxius, clad in dark robes as the others had been. It lashed out with one of its hands and hurled a bolt of silver energy that struck Rendil in the side and hurled him into Erlmoor. Telkya stepped into the corridor and raised her amulet, sending a bolt of light toward the tiefling that flew past it and into the room beyond. A moment later, another Draxius appeared beside the first and hurled a bolt of force into Telkya’s chest that threw her back toward the others. Another tiefling came past the first two and entered the corridor, throwing out its hand to loose another bolt of force that struck Telkya on the shoulder and drove her back another two steps. The tiefling raised both its hands then and from them erupted a blast of icy frost that tore down the corridor and engulfed the companions. They staggered back as the cold tore at their faces and hands and then felt their limbs weaken and numb. Another tiefling moved past the first three and entered corridor, raised its hand and hurled another silver bolt. This missile drove into Rendil’s side and flung him into Erlmoor again. Another bolt struck the doorframe beside the dragonborn and as he looked round, Erlmoor realised that more tieflings were coming from the chamber of the black pillar. The companions were surrounded.

Lavren ducked back into the stairwell as the frost seared past but then he leapt out to stand beside his wife. He raised his wand and shouted out a curse that sent purple bolts lancing toward the two nearest tieflings. One struck the wall next to its target but the other tore through the chest of the tiefling and flung it to the floor. The elf looked back over his shoulder and saw Erlmoor put down his sword with sluggish arms and draw his sling. He spun the weapon around his head and loosed a stone into the tiefling in the pillar chamber that shattered its face and felled it. Rendil struggled against the cold for a few moments and then started forward to aid Lavren and Telkya. Meanwhile, Enlishia loosed more arrows into the pillar chamber where Lavren presumed more tieflings lurked. A silver bolt flashed past Lavren and struck the wall behind him forcing the elf to turn his attention back to the foes before him. Beside him, Telkya raised her amulet and loosed a bolt of light that struck down another tiefling. Another took its place, hurling a silver bolt of force that spun Telkya into the wall and left her reeling and dazed. Then the tiefling raised both of its hands and shouted a spell that unleashed a wave of thunderous sound that tore down the corridor. Lavren felt himself being hurled down the corridor into the doorframe and then into the room beyond. He saw Telkya hit the other side of the door frame and collapse just inside the pillar chamber. He looked back and saw Erlmoor and Enlishia flung into the black pillar which was not solid but a column of malevolent darkness. They disappeared from his sight within it while Rendil reeled beside him. The elf cried out, fearing defeat, and then a bolt of force struck him in the chest, flinging him backwards. He looked down at his wife and felt tears in his eyes as he wondered whether escape from this terrible pyramid was even possible.

Rendil recovered enough of his senses to look around and saw that Telkya had fallen while Enlishia an Erlmoor had vanished into the pillar of blackness behind him. He saw a silver bolt flash past from his right and strike Lavren sending the elf reeling forward toward the other tieflings. Still the elf managed to lash out with his wand, cursing the tieflings and hurling black bolts of energy down the corridor. One tiefling fell and then another but still another stood ready to come forward in place of its companions. Rendil turned away from the corridor and rushed to meet the tiefling that came from his right. He reached the doorway before it and lashed out with his blade, green flame limning it as he spoke an incantation. The sword clove into the tiefling’s side and it fell to its left into the wall before collapsing on the floor. Then, as Rendil looked up, he realised that he had found the source of the pyramid’s power. A wide chamber lay open before him with a runic circle engraved in the floor around a step pyramid dais that dominated the centre of the room. To his left, the halfling saw two black plinths while flanking the step pyramid were two crackling white orbs of energy. On the lowest step of the dais stood another tiefling wearing the same robes as the others had but this one exuded raw power. In one hand he held a staff and in the other an ornate, leather-bound tome. The tiefling looked toward the halfling and Rendil felt real fear. This was the true Draxius. A moment after the realisation struck Rendil, a silver bolt struck him in the side and he reeled back into the chamber from which he had come.


----------



## Medriev (Oct 31, 2009)

*Chapter 26 - The Last Stand of Draxius (Part 2)*

Enlishia recovered from the terrible blast of thunder but thought for a moment that she had not. She saw only darkness around her and felt a terrible cold. Then she felt something solid next to her feet and, reaching down, she realised that Erlmoor lay there. Grabbing the dragonborn by his arm, she started back the way she thought she had been thrown from and pulled Erlmoor with her. The light was dazzling as she emerged into the torch-lit chamber around the black pillar but she was pleased to see that her companions faught on, at least Lavren and Rendil did. Another silver bolt struck Lavren in the chest as she dragged Erlmoor forward and the elf reeled backwards. Realising she had to help as best she could, Enlishia raised her bow and fired, sending an arrow through the throat of the tiefling and felling it. Erlmoor knelt beside Erlmoor, searching for the healing potion she knew he carried but as she knelt, flame burst in the doorway ahead of her and Rendil was thrown back into the room to lie unmoving on the floor. Enlishia began to search more frantically as Lavren crossed to the doorway to hold off whatever enemies remained. The elf began hurling bolts of black energy into the chamber beyond the doors but within a few moments, he staggered back as a silver bolt of force struck him in the chest.
“We have no time, hurry!” he called back to Enlishia and the ranger searched more frantically.

At last, she pulled the bottle from Erlmoor’s belt pouch and, holding open the dragonborn’s mouth, she poured the healing draft down his throat. He coughed for a moment and then opened his eyes. Enlishia smiled at her old friend and then pointed toward Telkya.
“You have to help her,” she said. “Only the elf maid’s healing prayers can save us now.”

Fire burst in the doorway, throwing Lavren back into the room and for a moment it seemed as if the elf wound fall. Somehow, he kept his legs beneath him and retreated into the room, leaving Rendil’s fallen form just inside the doorway. Behind the elf, Erlmoor rose and reached down toward Telkya. Golden light flowed from his hand to the elf maid and her eyes opened. The dragonborn looked back toward the doorway and saw that Rendil was stirring but as though it did not notice, a tiefling strode into the room. It lashed out with its hand and flung a bolt of silver into Lavren, driving the elf back but still, somehow, the elf did not fall. Enlishia leapt to her feet and moved past Erlmoor, raising her bow as she came. She loosed an arrow as she reached Lavren and the tiefling fell beside Rendil. 
Behind the others, Telkya began chanting healing prayers, laying her hands on Erlmoor and Lavren to restore their strength. The two smiled, hopeful now of continuing the battle but as they raised their blades, Draxius, the true Draxius, appeared in the doorway. The tiefling stepped over Rendil’s fallen form and strode toward the companions.
“I am Galaghard the First, I am Galaghard the Second, and I am Draxius the Neverdying, all of us Kings of Cormyr” the tiefling said. “You can never defeat me.”

Draxius lashed out with his stave and flames exploded amongst the friends, throwing Telkya to the floor and forcing the others to throw up their arms to protect themselves. When the flames had cleared, Telkya lay on the floor next to the pillar of darkness and Lavren and Erlmoor were burned and wounded. Still Lavren raised his wand and hurled a bolt of black energy into the tiefling that forced him back a step. Erlmoor rushed at Draxius and lashed out with his blade, cleaving it into the tiefling’s side and forcing him back toward the doorway.
“You are not Galaghard,” Vyrellis screamed from behind the dragonborn. “You are Draxius, my husband, and you betrayed me!”
“I was born Galaghard and took the name of my son who I had named after me when he died,” Draxius hissed as he retreated from Erlmoor. “Thus I became Galaghard, son of Galaghard, and then, when my sons betrayed me, I became Draxius, my third son, and ruled for centuries in his name.”

Rendil rose behind the tiefling unseen and plunged his blade into Draxius’ back. The tiefling cried out and spun on the spot but then Enlishia’s bow sang out and two arrows drove into his side, forcing him to stagger to his left. Draxius threw down his book and lashed out with a dagger he drew from his belt, nicking Rendil’s cheek and then tried to retreat through the doorway. Another black bolt from Lavren’s wand struck the tiefling in the chest and as he staggered, Erlmoor rushed at him, his blade singing out and driving down into his shoulder. Healing energy burst from the blade as it struck and on the floor behind the dragonborn, Telkya’s eyes flicked open. Rendil darted to his right to block Draxius’ retreat and lashed out with his own flame-wreathed sword. An arrow struck the doorframe next to Draxius and then another drove into his shoulder but as he staggered back, he realised he had nowhere to go.

Telkya appeared in a shower of light motes beyond the black pillar and then called down a column of light that would sear the tiefling’s flesh but at the last, he leapt aside, lashing out at Rendil again with his dagger. Rendil ducked back to avoid the blade and Lavren came forward, a black blast of energy bursting from his wand as he came. It struck the doorframe beside the tiefling as he retreated but once more, Erlmoor followed him. The dragonborn’s sword sang out and clove into Draxius’ hip, slamming him into the doorframe. The tiefling cried out in pain and anger but he knew that he was beaten.
“I was King of Cormyr for four centuries,” Draxius cried out. “I built what my sons and their sons inherited.”
“You were a tyrant and a warmonger!” Vyrellis cried back. “You deserve the damnation that awaits you!”

Again, Rendil moved to block the tiefling’s retreat and then Enlishia’s bow sang out. An arrow drove into Draxius’ chest and as he lurched back, another flew forth, piercing his throat just below his jaw. The tiefling’s mouth fell open in disbelief and he took one last step back toward Rendil before falling to his knees.
“I did love you, Vyrellis,” Draxius gasped.
“I know you did,” Vyrellis answered and then the tiefling that was once King of Cormyr fell forward onto the floor and died.

All at once, the floor beneath the feet of the companions began to shake and the strange devices around the pyramid dais began to rumble and hum. Even as the light around them pulsed in bright flashes, all who stood there noticed the steadily brightening light of day filtering in through the walls of the room. Slowly, the forest outside took shape in their sight and after a moment, the walls of the room vanished and a cool breeze wafted across the friends’ skin. Draxius and the pyramid were gone. They were free.

*Next......Epilogue*


----------



## Medriev (Nov 1, 2009)

*Epilogue - The Road Ahead*

Telkya looked around the camp that the companions had made in the forest and then back toward the clearing that they had come from. Other prisoners were fleeing the pyramid now and the forest was alive with strange voices and the sounds of distant battle. Heavy rain had begun to fall a short time after the companions had made their camp and now they sheltered under the roots of a huge and ancient tree.
“Then part of Cormyr’s history is a lie,” Telkya said. “Three kings were one man and a dark-hearted tiefling at that.”
“He was not always dark-hearted,” Erlmoor said. “Vyrellis has told us that. Perhaps the centuries weighed heavily on him and twisted his mind into what he became.”
“And now we have vanquished him,” Rendil spoke up. “Is it time to go after Paldemar now.”
“Not yet,” Telkya answered. “We go first to Sunset Hill to tell them there of Thorn’s sacrifice and to see if the threats on the map are real or just ambitious plans.”
“The Trollhaunt to the south of the forest has been quiet for many years,” Rendil said. “I doubt if Paldemar found goblins enough to raid a farmstead there, let alone trolls. We need to be on his trail as quickly as we can lest we lose him in the Underdark.”
“We know where he is likely going,” Enlishia said. “He can wait for now. We must protect Cormyr above ground before we pursue the Red Wizard beneath it.”
“Agreed,” rumbled Erlmoor, and the others heeded his words for they looked to him as their new leader. “Above all we defend Cormyr before we pursue our own enemies.”

The others nodded agreement with their leader and then looked out beyond the dripping roots into the darkness of the forest where the shouts and cries and sounds of battle went on. The pyramid had loosed some dangerous creatures into the Hullack Forest that would harry travellers for months to come. Whatever they found in Sunset Hill, all knew that Cormyr had become a darker place and could yet become darker still.


----------

