Hearing all of the encouragement, Thondrir does what any self respecting dwarf would do: he blunders.
Arend bites at the creature assaulting Thondrir.
/2= 4 damage
Tris breathes for a moment, then digs out her other oil, this one stamped with a symbol of Nethys. Tris is a believer in all the gods who are convenient... Then, she shoulders her pack off the rest of the way and hurls it down the hall to Devan, the pack probably flying right through the shadowy form of their attacker.
"Esaul! I can dose up your arrows if you get back here! You're the best archer among us!"
Unable to hit the creature with a strong thrust of his hand, Esaul tries to follow its flow, touching it lightly, but even goes awe, as the dice is not helping him this day, and to avoid having the spell wasted he steps back to where he was, and touches Thondrir lightly.
Hearing all of the encouragement, Thondrir does what any self respecting dwarf would do: he blunders.
Arend bites at the creature assaulting Thondrir.
Tris breathes for a moment, then digs out her other oil, this one stamped with a symbol of Nethys. Tris is a believer in all the gods who are convenient... Then, she shoulders her pack off the rest of the way and hurls it down the hall to Devan, the pack flies right through the shadowy form of their attacker. "Esaul! I can dose up your arrows if you get back here! You're the best archer among us!"
Pain sears the allip from another direction, so it retaliates. strike him again. It makes contact again but the dwarf's willpower prevents the insanity from penetrating.
whew
Arend bites at the undead again, shrieking in fury.
/2= 6 damage
"Me thanks, lad!" Thondrir calls out to Esaul before lining up another swing at his foe. His axe head passes through the creature's darkened haze, dispersing cloud as it arcs through the air.
Tris groans at realizing she and Esaul are on opposite sides of the allip. She's hurled her pack to Devan-- in hindsight she probably should have left the oil in there, and someone on that side could have gotten it out.
Teeth gritted, Tris launches herself back into... the allip, basically, vaulting past Arend and Thondrir in order to get back to the other side of the fight.
Esaul draws his greatsword and strikes at the thing, trying to draw its attention since the weapon is useless against the monster.
"Who has that magic Kukri?"
Arend bites at the undead again, shrieking in fury.
"Me thanks, lad!" Thondrir calls out to Esaul before lining up another swing at his foe. His axe head passes through the creature's darkened haze, dispersing cloud as it arcs through the air.
Tris groans at realizing she and Esaul are on opposite sides of the allip. She's hurled her pack to Devan-- in hindsight she probably should have left the oil in there, and someone on that side could have gotten it out. Teeth gritted, Tris launches herself back into... the allip, basically, vaulting past Arend and Thondrir in order to get back to the other side of the fight. The sting she expects to come from the allip never comes.
Esaul draws his greatsword and strikes at the thing, trying to draw its attention since the weapon is useless against the monster. "Who has that magic Kukri?"
The allip screams in fury and vibrates the tunnel before it slowly dissipates. The tunnel is silent by the time your adrenaline runs its course.
After you heal up, you continue through the tunnels. You meander through the old mining tunnels that have not been maintained in hundreds of years. Leading the way, Thondrir silently signals to stop. Sixty feet away he sees torch scones for the first time.
Tris relaxes... slowly... as the allip dissipates before it can swipe at her.
"Gods witness I don't want to ever fight one of those again," she says in a rasping voice. "Thondrir-- may Cayden Ceilean smile on the next ale you drink and make it worthy of the pouring-- your axe saved our hides there, I think."
"Who's hurt?" she asks, while picking up her pack again.
***
When Thondrir signals for the stop, Tris breathes out and rubs at the backs of her legs. This tunnel walking is getting to her mild claustrophobic tendencies, and besides that, it's just hell on the legs.
"What's up? Tunnel sconces?" she says, once Thondrir's explained. "So we're getting into civilization, then?"
"Yeah, Tris, there was nothing fun about that. Let's hope there aren't any more restless spirits down here," Devan replies after the fight. He gladly takes up the rear of the marching order with Arend.
Rahaal slumps down against the cavern wall, breathing heavily though she didn't actually have to exert herself much in the battle.
"I made it through that fight unscathed, thank Abadar! I suspect we all had a bit of luck there. I don't know how often Cayden Cailean, Angradd, and Abadar all pass their blessing to an endeavor, but I suspect all three have their hands in our progress.
"Come now, does anyone need to be healed? If not, let's continue while the gods are smiling upon us."
"Yeah, a good fight. I'm ready for another." He picks his longbow from the floor and recasts Light on one arrows, ready to proceed.
"We may be getting to the tunnels the miners use, but maybe we are somewhere else. It wouldn't surprise me."
As Thondrir reaches the the two sconces, you all clearly hear a series of yelps behind you. Turning you see a male Drow pointing a loaded hand crossbow at you looking just as surprised as you.
Thondrir invokes Angradd's grace yet again, intoning loudly an intricate prayer as he summons his divine patron's energy into being. As he concludes, he claps his axe head across the face of his shield, before gruffly stating "Stoke yer forges laddies an' lassies, ah'll nay suffer a drow in me midst!"
Devan whirls, the words of a spell spilling from his lips. Arend, go tear his throat out! he thinks to the eidolon. His spell completes, and he tries to assert his will over the drow's temporarily.
"Hold on. Could this be the stranger who helped nurse that woman back to health? Drow, do you speak common? State your business down here?"
Arend nods to Devan, before sprinting off down the hallway towards the drow. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" he shrieks, as he tries to bite the dark-elf's neck.
"He resembles nothing like what the girl described," Tris replies to Rahaal's words, drawing her bow and loosing an arrow-- Arend will do better than her in that tight spot. Tris is heartily tired of fighting in tunnels-- oh, for open air, for the sea breeze on her face again...
"But what was that yelping noise? Surely the drow didn't make that sound!"
Her arrow tinks harmlessly off the cavern ceiling.
Round 1 summary
Thondrir invokes Angradd's grace yet again, intoning loudly an intricate prayer as he summons his divine patron's energy into being. As he concludes, he claps his axe head across the face of his shield, before gruffly stating "Stoke yer forges laddies an' lassies, ah'll nay suffer a drow in me midst!"
Devan whirls, the words of a spell spilling from his lips. Arend, go tear his throat out! he thinks to the eidolon. His spell completes, and he tries to assert his will over the drow's temporarily.
"Hold on. Could this be the stranger who helped nurse that woman back to health? Drow, do you speak common? State your business down here?" Rahaal tries to discuss with drow.
Arend nods to Devan, before sprinting off down the hallway towards the drow. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" he shrieks, as he tries to bite the dark-elf's neck.
"He resembles nothing like what the girl described," Tris replies to Rahaal's words, drawing her bow and loosing an arrow-- Arend will do better than her in that tight spot. Tris is heartily tired of fighting in tunnels-- oh, for open air, for the sea breeze on her face again... "But what was that yelping noise? Surely the drow didn't make that sound!" Her arrow tinks harmlessly off the cavern ceiling.
The Drow's pupils dilate at Devan's command unable to focus on anything besides self-defense. Her right arm is slashed bloody fending off the outsider bird.
Esaul also tries a shot, but on these cursed tight halls a lone fighter had the advantage. "Light, flank it!"
_______________________
Light tries to use his smaller size to dash past the drow, flanking it.
_________________________
Rahaal calls out, "Samaritans. We should give this drow a chance to speak, or prove it's intentions.
"Drow, I am Rahaal bat Sawai, sworn cleric of the Master of the First Vault. I travel with Steed's Samaritans, and we are here to rescue the lawful citizens of Fairhaven. If you want to live, state your business and allegiances.
"Abadar, if it is needed, please grant your insight and swift judgement to Arend and Tris."
_______________________
HP 27/27
6/11 rounds sermonic performance left
3/7 channels left
Spells spent today: burst of brilliance
Thondrir reaches for his quarrel and and begins cranking his crossbow back.
Round 1 summary
Esaul also tries a shot, but on these cursed tight halls a lone fighter had the advantage. "Light, flank it!"
Light tries to use his smaller size to dash past the drow, flanking it.
Rahaal calls out, "Samaritans. We should give this drow a chance to speak, or prove it's intentions.
"Drow, I am Rahaal bat Sawai, sworn cleric of the Master of the First Vault. I travel with Steed's Samaritans, and we are here to rescue the lawful citizens of Fairhaven. If you want to live, state your business and allegiances.
"Abadar, if it is needed, please grant your insight and swift judgement to Arend and Tris."
The Drow's dilated pupils snap back to normal, which is difficult to notice with her large indigo irises. It appears that she has no idea what Rahaal is saying, but she understands that she is surrounded with Light behind her. She attempts to somersault past Light, but he bites her. The Drow crumples in his grasp.
fail
hit
"Light, down!"
From a distance, Esaul casts stabilize on the drow and quickly positions himself in front of Thondrir, preventing the dwarf from killing his presumably hated enemy. "What in seven heavens was that guys? It didn't shoot us! It talked to us, and you responded with lethal force?"
"Drow are monsters? Everything else down here has tried to kill us? It had a crossbow?" Devan asks weakly. "I guess we were a little overzealous. Is she still alive?"
Esaul takes 10 on heal (for 16) to find that out.
"Yes, it had a loaded crossbow, and it had the drop on us, but it didn't shoot! I hope she is still alive."
"Pfah! Laddie, ye go' a wee bit o' learnin' t'do if'n ye be thinkin' a drow's good fer anythin' asides earnin' a swift kick an' a thrashin'! Ah'll take ye intae Janderhoff one o' these days an' let ye see up'n close what worth a bleedin' dark elf 'as. Believe ye me, 'e was on 'is way t'givin' us all a bloody send-off wi' nary a prayer fer what bones be left." Thondrir replaces his heavy crossbow and stomps over to glower down at the fallen dark elf. Much like most of his kind, he has no room in his heart for sympathy for the elf. As far as Thondrir is concerned, he might as well be lookin' at an orc or goblin. Except drow were far more dangerous and cunning.
"And we might be stepping inside a Drow city without knowing it! So please don't make anything harsh."
"Throndrir, I'm skeptical about the intentions of any drow as well, and suspect that barking sound was some being -- perhaps that woman's benefactor -- warning us of the drow.
"Still, she deserves the chance to state why she was sneaking around behind us here."
Rahaal's tone softening somewhat and she adds, "I do understand that we're all jumpy, down in these caverns. Let us pray though that we have not, in our haste, killed someone living within the bounds of Law and Civilization, such as it is down here."
"What are you guys doing?" Tris says in bemused exasperation as everyone tries to talk the drow to death. "The drow isn't what the girl described! Something else made that yipping noise-- and good thing, or this sneaking drow would have shot us in the back!"
Putting her bow away, Tris raises her hands and turns to the darkness beyond. "Hello? If you're out there, please come forward! We won't hurt you!"
She repeats this in Goblin and Orc, and asks the others, "Anyone speak lizard... talk?"
The drow has +1 studded leather armor, masterwork dagger, masterwork shortsword, hand crossbow, 10 bolts. All weapons are covered in one dose of drow poison with another 10 doses on her person.
Thondrir remains stationary as the drow is being dealt with, occasionally shaking his head, now permanently wearing a "don't say I didn't warn ye" expression.
Thondrir shrugs and gives Esaul a playful swat on the thigh as he sidles past him and Light. "Be keepin' yer eye out, ye runt. Dinnae reckon more o' these mushroom-suckin' are nae lurkin' nearby. A'right, laddies an' lasses. Best ye tie 'er down afore she comes to an' names us a curse're twenty."
After the drow has been restrained, Thondrir starts setting to patching her up with his healing kit.
After Thondrir's begrudging ministrations, the drow elf revives.
She tests her bonds and sneers at you.
"Hmm, Hey, how are you? I'm Esaul, and we are sorry we had to attack you, but we would like to make up for it. Do you understand me?"
Tris only rolls her eyes and makes sure the drow is securely tied at the wrists before she becomes conscious. "Dunno when it became the plan that dark-elves sneakin' around behind us were to be treated with real politely and apologized to, but whatever, I'm not ship's captain."
The hand crossbow is nice, though. Tris stows the things in her haversack, taking especial care when handling the bolts.
She does sidle closer to Thondrir. "Where there's one of 'em, there may be more. Eyes peeled, eh?"
Drow are shorter and a bit more slender than their surface-dwelling kin, but they are otherwise physically similar. Drow have dark skin, ranging from black to a hazy purple hue. Most drow have white or silver hair and white or red eyes, but other colors are not unheard of.
Drow society is ruled over by powerful nobility, themselves governed by sadistic and dangerous matriarchs who constantly plot and scheme against rival houses and lesser kin within their own families.
In combat, drow are thoroughly ruthless, with little regard for fairness or mercy. They prefer to attack from ambush or to lure enemies into situations where they clearly have the upper hand. If things turn against them, drow are quick to flee, leaving slaves and minions to cover their escape.
She continues to test her bonds and looking at you like a wolverine in a fox trap.
Devan shakes his head. "She's definitely not going to tell us anything, and I think Thondrir and Tris are right, she meant us harm. We can't afford to let her go, might as well put her out of her misery quickly." Steed looks around to gauge the Samaritan's reactions. If the majority appear to agree, he mentally commands Arend to swiftly kill the drow woman.
"Agreed. Let's give her a clean death and continue."
Tris only nods. She takes no joy in killing a captured enemy, but there's no information to be had here, only a fate that's more merciful than the drow likely give to those they beat in battle.
"What worries me," she says as she looks away from what Arend is probably doing, "is that there's a drow up here at all. This is much closer to the surface than they usually come, isn't it? Unless we went down a bit more than I've realized. And if there are drow here, I doubt it's just the one. We'd better be careful-- she had her arrows poisoned, and I bet any friends she has do so too."