While Lefrik ties up the prisoner, Kel uses the wand to heal Bruendor up all the way, then does the same for Lefrik.
...and now Lefrik
Bruendor stands and sighs after Kel is finished healing him from his wounds. "Still a bit tender," he says, gently prodding the recently burned flesh. "But I'll be fine. We've got bigger fish to fry." He quickly searches the wizard and the other drow before even bothering to acknowledge the other dark elf's existence.
Including what the paralyzed drow is wearing/carrying:
Calling upon the arts of her goddess, Kel focuses her attention on the lot of goods for several minutes, if the party has that time, as she attempts to discover what magical energies they possess.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Beardless. Thought you were going to quit on us for a second there," Calla says as Bruendor's reawoken from his brief sleep.
"Seems a waste to turn around so soon. Let's see what we can figure out from this one and whether that lizard's going to let the rest of 'em know we're here if they don't already," she adds, pointing to the drow captive before leaning down to pick up her own crossbow and a few more bolts. "And then we can talk about how it's bad tactics to stand between the archer and her target..."
Wand of Produce Flame (24 charges)
+1 spear
"The spear is magical!" Anklebiter reports, jumping with joy. "So is the wand - it'll make pretty, pretty fires! It has twenty-four charges of Produce Flame in it. Hmm... That actually means I can't use it..."
The Goblin's ears briefly wilt, but then perk right up again. "We really need to tie up this purple ears before we question him," he repeats.
Lefrik will try to tie the dark elf up
The Goblin leans close to the Drow's face, all his teeth bared in a hideous Goblin grin.
Switching to Common, Anklebiter says: "Attach a lead to its legs, too. We can't let it lie here; one of its allies might come by and cut it loose or slit its throat for being a stupid loser moron. We can just drag it."
You better tell him want he wants to know, elf, because what he's got planned is actually nicer than what I'd do," Calla says in Common, her voice dripping with menace.
The prisoner's only response is to start yelling at the top of his voice/
"Alarm! Alarm! intruders from the surface!"
"Well, that seems to have done it," Calla snarls, pulling out her crossbow again as she makes sure her shield is tightened and morningstar is affixed to her hip.
She looks around for a place to take cover.
"Dammit!", Bruendor curses, stabbing the drow through the throat to silence him forever. "We've got no good way to flee, friends. The only way out is up or down a cliff. All we can hope for is that there aren't too many more of them - if there is, then we kill as many of these indigo bastards before they take us down." He too begins casting about for a place to ambush the incoming drow.
"Ah well, to go against the legendary dark elves...now that I think about it, that's a pretty impressive way to die. My ancestors will probably be impressed," He spits on the ground and cleans off his great axe and tries to find a place to position himself where he will have cover from their poisoned bolts, "I'd rather live to boast about it, mind you."
"Calla's got the right idea," he hisses to his friends. "Drink your antitoxin. Negate their advantages as best we can."
Lefrik nods, and drinks one as he finds a secure place to get cover and , if he can, hide.
"No!" Anklebiter yells, trying to stop Bruendor from killing the prisoner. "We need him for information! Just - Bruendor pick him up and let's run!"
If this fails and the Drow lies dead, Anklebiter gulps down his antitoxin and releases a burst of protective energy. "Bad, bad, bad," he mutters, shaking his ears.
"Wouldn't this be a prudent time to run back to Zilcher's camp and let the drow and bandits fight one another while we sneak away?"
"And he wasn't going to be talking, except to warn the others!", Bruendor hisses back. "And if we weren't halfway down a cliff-face, I'd be agreeing with you, Kel. None of our options are good. It's just that some of them are less worse than others. It's 15' down to the crashing waves. If we're leaving, now would be the time to do it!"
"We're in fine shape. Let's wait and give these black elves what they deserve," Calla hisses, the rolling of her eyes invisible to her companions though almost audible in her voice. "Now shut up and get ready!"
"Prudence isn't our specialty, Kel," Lefrik mutters, "Try to hide while you wait."
Kel slinks behind Calla and Lefrik, crossbow at the ready, as she peers into the darkness looking for cruel faces.
Shouts arose from the next cavern, and the sound of feet on wooden planking rang out. However, no one came into sight.
"They're either fleeing inward," Bruendor whispered. "Probably to report to whatever lieutenant is in charge of...whatever the Hell is going on here, or they've bolstered their ranks. We've lost the element of surprise, so now we're right Vancaskerkinned. They're setting themselves up for an ambush, and the longer we give them, the more time they'll have to build it. If we're dead set on springing this trap, then there's no time like now to do it. Any of you have any magic that might even the odds?"
"It's not magic, but I do have a thunderstone. I can also make two of us invisible, but that still leaves a few of us easily seen. Still, perhaps you and Blondie could sneak ahead and attack from behind?" Calla replies to Bruendor.
Bruendor nods. "The thunderstone is our distraction. I think the invisibility would benefit people we don't want the drow to target more than those we do." He looks apologetically to Lefrik. "Sorry, big guy, but you can take the pain better than AB. Plus, the two of us could scout out the next room to see how bad the opposition will be. If we can get behind their ambush point, we can catch them in a pincer and turn their ambush around on them."
"I can blast them with the brightness of stars, but I'll need a clear path to the group of them", Kel volunteers.
"No need to apologize, Bruendor. I'm not afraid of a few more scars to impress the women with," He grins.
"You uses invisibility for you," Anklebiter says, as he starts to fade into the shadows. "Anklebiter uses Goblin. Heh. I still have some blasting-spells left."
Calla gives a tight smile of approval and quickly prays to her goddess, promising to use her gift to strike down their foes.
Seconds later, Bruendor and Lefrik disappear from sight.
"Just throw the thunderstone against a wall when you're in position and we'll join the attack."
After he disappears from view, Bruendor whispers, "Get ready to move when you hear the signal. We get one try at this - let's make it count." With that, he creeps forward, eyes peeled for trouble.
Plan made, the others line up as Bruendor and Anklebiter take the lead into the next cavern. Several thick, rocky natural pillars rise up in this high sea cave. The water filling the lower portion of the enormous cavern sloshes and surges with the tide, and a five-foot-wide rocky beach lines the northeastern face of the pool. The cave ceiling soars to a height of eighty feet. To the south, several wooden platforms attached to the rock pillars are further supported by wooden pilings—the structure looks somewhat treacherous. The sound of rushing, falling water comes from the northern end of the chamber, where a thin cascade of water plummets from a narrow crack in the ceiling into the pool below.
The plan is almost unraveled right at the start when Bruendor comes face to face with a drow guard, creeping towards the entrance to find out what the commotion was about. Luckily, the noise from the waterfall covers up most of Bruendor's and Anklebiter's footsteps, and the goblin was just out of sight. Higher on the platforms, Bruendor can see more guards in positions of cover, anxiously awaiting their companion's word...or fate.
Only three, Bruendor thought to himself as he counted the guards. Maybe we have a shot at this after all. He flattens himself against the wall to allow the roaming guard to pass by and discover the group, and moves to get to the guards under cover.
Calla remains hidden, waiting for some signal from her companions ahead.
Caught in a vise, like a rat in father's basement. If we manage to do this right, for a change, maybe we'll avoid any escapes or injuries.
Lefrik sneaks a bit closer, and waits for Bruendor to make a move or choice on what to do next. A savage strike without warning might at least give us an initial advantage, but the others in the back would still have distance
Anklebiter quietly taps Calla and Kelendra on the knees and whispers to them: "If too dangerous here, maybe take Drow corpse to criminals' camp and get them to come here, play archer fodder?"
"Maybe," Calla whispers back. "Let's see if we can push on, though. I'd rather not let anyone more than we have to know about this."
Bruendor moved north, avoiding the searching drow, and freeing up an opening to move behind the patrol. The drow peeked into the cavern openneg, obviously not sensing the invisible Lefrik right in front of him. however, if he moves any closer, there is no way he could avoid spotting the girls...or running smack into Lefrik's broad chest!
Lefrik will try to sneak past him, hoping those sneaky boots help.
Think scrawny thoughts, Lefrik