"Είμαι στέλεχος μέταλ - όχι από σάρκα. Δώσε μου χρόνο και μπορώ να προσευχόμαστε για μαγεία για να θεραπεύσουμε τις πληγές της, αλλά η μόλυνση ... η μόλυνση είναι πέρα από μένα. πιο ευνοημένος κληρικός από εμένα." Morgrym says apologetically as he stows his weapon and comes closer as one might to a flighty horse.
"Then we should endeavor to finish our tasks here and return to Brindol as quickly as possible." Kra'el says, stepping in and lifting the young girl, free from her shackles, into his arms with ease.
"The old man has said that the artifacts are to be found with the leader of these goblin scum, does anybody know how many more of the townsfolk were taken?"
Cecilia nods in agreement to the dragonborn's recommendation. The sooner they finished this mission, the sooner they could take the girl back to Brindol and get her some help.
"I believe there is still one more prisoner to rescue." The bard said, speaking both to Kra'el and the rest of the party. "We should keep moving."
Cecilia gives everyone a few moments to collect themselves, and then begins retracing her steps. Walking back to the crypt, she turns left, reentering the hallway that had a jagged hole in the flooring. Using a Dancing Lights spell to illuminate the dark hallway, she decides scouting out the corridor first would be the most sensible course of action.
Taking out her crimson whip, the bard attempts to latch onto whatever surface is supporting the two ropes that are already there.
Assuming the whip attaches to the ceiling, Cecilia swings over to the other side of the chasm. Detaching the whip after her jump, the bard moves forward with her Dancing Lights spell, calling out to the others.
"This will just take a moment. I'll let you know if there are any signs of goblins or undead over here."
Zalindra observes the whip trick and is impressed. She grins at how the bard acts like it was no big deal.
Zalindra makes no attempt to follow.
Cecilia swings effortlessly across the pit and continues down the long, dark corridor. After about 30 feet, she comes to a juncture where a short corridor leads left. A door here leads back to the room haunted by the undead priest, whose tapestry Zalindra set fire to earlier.
Continuing south, the corridor is interrupted by another pit, again featuring two ropes placed so that one may swing across from one side to the other. The doorway across from this second pit can only lead back to the goblin's dormitory.
Cecilia walks back to the rest of the party and informs them of what she has found, speaking from the other side of the hole in the floor.
"So we have two holes we can jump into." The bard says, looking down into the one in front of them. "I'm not sure if they both lead to the same place or not, but there's really only one way to find out."
Morgrym contrives to look both impressed and disapproving at the same time as the human woman Cecilia performs her whip-enabled stunt. 'Could've broken her fool neck!' he grumbles to himself enviously.
Zalindra looks down into the hole doubtfully, hoping that no one tries to drop her grandfather down there, and then she ties her rope to something solid, and attempts to climb down.
Aelion had been surprised at Cecilia's agility - she could almost be Tiri Kitor herself - but he didn't comment, thinking she would not appreciate his surprise. He wouldn't, in her place. He nodded, instead, at the intelligence she provided.
"Most of us can't fight in the darkness. If you dwarves don't wish to go first, we should drop a torch or other source of light down so we can see what we're doing."
Making sure that Zalindra was clear, he waited for someone to drop some light into the pit, using the time to sling his bow. Then he, too, climbed a rope down into the unknown.
Zalindra lights a torch.
"I have no problem scouting ahead. Its what I was training for" She says slipping her axe and shield on her back and slipping down the rope.
"Now Z what do we see here"
Rhona gets down and steps out from under the rope landing area to peer about.
Again using her whip, Cecilia attempted to swing back over to the other side of the chasm. Not because it was necessary (any member of the party could have easily thrown the rope over to her) but because the bard wanted to show off a little more.
The weapon latched onto the support beam even more easily the second time around. Swinging back over to the other side, Cecilia retrieved her crimson whip and then patiently waited alongside the others for Rhona or Zalindra to signal the all-clear.
Zalindra, Aelion and Rhona descend the ropes to the chamber below.
The room they find themselves smells wet, and musty. It's pitch dark, but with Zalindra's torch, all three scouts are able to make out at least most of what it contains.
Filled with an assortment of architectural debris, it appears to be some kind of dump. Amid the rubbish, all manner of mushrooms, mostly a benign shade of brown or gray, but some with more ominous looking caps.
Zalindra looks around, trying to avoid stepping on any mushrooms, to see if there is another exit besides the one above.
Zalindra holds her torch high and peers around the room. The rogue can make out what looks like a rotting wooden ramp leading up out of the mud to a doorway to the south. A similar ramp appears to lead to another door on the eastern wall of the chamber.
Zalindra shares this information with the party and gratefully steps out of the mud onto the ramp to the south. This way?
Zalindra checks the south door for traps.
Rhona Follows with her shield and axe, making sure to cover Zalindra.
"Better then nothing"
Aelion hurries to catch up with Zalindra, waiting watchfully and ready to shoot as she examines the door.
Ingra looks at the party that haven't descended into the pit yet.
"I think someone should take the non-combatants away from here. Kra'el, ya can hardly fight with a fevered woman in yer arms, and the sooner she gets help the better her chances. Are we going to carry her down into a hole full of waste? Yer the best able ta defend them if ya run inta trouble.
I doubt anyone else could move her around so easily."
She casts her eyes down the hole, and grabs the rope, turning to Kra'el.
"If you don't want ta take them, I will even if I'll lose the bet". she grumbles under her breath.
"One of us has to, if we leave her here alone more rats will just come and she'll probably be eaten alive. So what'll it be?"
Kra'el shrugs and starts back toward the entrance to the catacombs, taking the two rescued townsfolk with him, leaving Ingra to stare down into the murky chamber below.
Zalindra makes her way through the mud, flanked by the other two scouts. Unfortunately, despite their keen eyes, all three are too busy looking at their feet - trying their best not to disturb any mushrooms - that none spot the danger lurking above.
Suddenly, two lithe creatures swoop down from out of the gloom, diving at the group as they come up to the southern exit. The creatures hiss and sputter, and from out their wicked mouths, they spit cones of fire.
The first jet catches Aelion square across his back , while the other two jump forward, the flames licking up the backs of their legs .
There's little time to recover before another scorching blast is thrown down at the group. This time, it's the dwarf who gets the brunt of it , while Aelion rolls to the side and avoids most of the flame . Zalindra buries her face in the mud, avoiding the worst of the damage, but the searing heat is still too much for the rogue .
Swooping back to the edge of the light, the scrawny creatures set down and slither down among the debris. Steam rises from their mottled scales and their crimson eyes glint in the torchlight as black wings flex.
~~~
Fire Drake (Red): HP 22/22; AC/T/FF 13/10/12; Fort/Ref/Will +3/+7/+2; CMD 13 vs Feint DC 12
Fire Drake (Black): HP 22/22; AC/T/FF 13/10/12; Fort/Ref/Will +3/+7/+2; CMD 13 vs Feint DC 12
The drakes look on with hunger in their eyes. Aelion and Rhona stagger to their feet beside Zalindra's smouldering body as steam rises from the muddy floor around them.
"DRAGONS!" She spats sliding back into a defense position, burnt and weak from the attack
"Not gonna lie a bit o healing and some assistance would be welcome, especially with Z down" She says shield forward axe overhead ready to swing if one gets close.
Zalindra's face stays down in the mud as she goes unconscious, and her torch falls out of her hand.
Likely because she can't get much air with her face in the mud, she continues to die.
Slinging her bow Jathal grabs one of the ropes and slides down as fast as she can.
Ingra sees the flashes of fire and hears the startled cries of her companions. Grabbing the rope, she climbs down the rope, trying to balance caution and haste in the process.
Reaching the ground, she turns to face the source of the din.
She draws her greatsword, and gets ready to fight.
Hearing Rhona's warning, for a single moment Cecilia hesitated. Were they equipped to fight a dragon? Did they even stand a chance against such a foe? All of the songs and stories portrayed dragons as fearsome beasts, able to destroy whole armies with nothing but tooth, tail, and claw.
A true hero would have leaped into that hole without a moment's thought, defending her allies to the last breath. But could the bard bring herself to do just that? Just how far would she go to realise her own legend?
But while Cecilia Hawthorne hesitated, Javos Kincade did not. Seeing Ingra rapidly climb down the rope, the cavalier followed her example, joining the dwarf in her descent.
Despite his armour, Javos demonstrated all of the discipline expected of a soldier, drawing his longsword as he moved further and further down into the chasm. This display of camaraderie shocked Cecilia back into action. Knowing that she could not abandon her allies, the bard threw back her head and began to sing.
We snuffed the magic dragon, smote her kids in two,
Stuck her with some pointy sticks and covered her with fuel.
We wounded her with shiny swords, threw some fiery rounds
She bellowed out an angry cry and burrowed underground.
It was a violent song, one filled with entirely too much bloodshed. But considering the amount of fire and smoke coming up from the hole Cecilia didn't have time to think of a better tune. She just hoped that the rest of the party could hear her.
Grabbing hold of the rope, Cecilia attempted to climb down the rope, just as Ingra and Javos had done.
Though it was possible she was not as successful as she had hoped.
"Aelion cover me with your arrows while I drag Z back to the rope"She says stepping forward gingerly stepping towards her fallen comrade.
Groaning, charred and blistered from the dragons' flame, Aelion did as Rhona asked. With the last of his strength, he stepped forth and fired two arrows in rapid succession, one for each beast, hoping to draw them away. There was no room in his mind for self-recrimination - only the pulse of blood in his ears, the sting of burned flesh, and the creatures he fired at.
Then he braced himself for the creatures' ire. Would this be where his bones lay interred? Away from the open skies? The thought filled him with dread, but he stood his ground.
Welp.
Some would say that discretion is the finer point of valour, and Dayana would certainly agree with such a summation. Still, it seems as if everyone else is going down the pit, so the witch winces, takes a steadying breath, and grabs onto one of the ropes to help herself down.
She does, however, remain cautiously behind her allies.
Morgrym takes a moment to call upon his god - and in answer the coil of rope writhes like a snake as he moves towards it.
Casting animate rope and moving to rope. Next round he'll ready an action to have the rope grab anyone falling, and if no-one does, drop down.
If anyone IS falling (looking at Dayana), then he'll instead cast the spell and order the rope to catch her, and only move 5' forward.
I seem to have missed how far down the next room is?
Fire Drake (Red): HP 19/22; AC/T/FF 13/10/12; Fort/Ref/Will +3/+7/+2; CMD 13 vs Feint DC 12
Fire Drake (Black): HP 22/22; AC/T/FF 13/10/12; Fort/Ref/Will +3/+7/+2; CMD 13 vs Feint DC 12
Morgrym quickly steps forward and animates the rope as it slips from Cecilia’s grasp, saving the bard from a nasty twenty foot fall to the floor of the chamber below. The rest of the party above easily makes it down into the mould-ridden pit.
Rhona moves to assist Zalindra, and Aelion steps forward. Unable to identify any weaknesses the drakes might possess, he bravely does his best to draw their attention to him with a flurry of arrows.
Aelion’s arrow clips the wing of the nearest drake, and the creature hisses vehemently, taking to the air once more, it dives at the elf. Sinking needle-like teeth into his neck, the beast tears out a chunk of the elf’s flesh . As Aelion’s legs give out, the drake pushes away from the dying elf, propelling it into the air and up towards the ceiling.
As the archer falls, the mottled black drake elects to ignore the arrow that rushes past its head, and instead flies across the room to meet the cavalier, Javos, as he lands at the base of the rope. Javos raises his arm to defend himself and the wicked serpent’s teeth rake across it, drawing blood . Unable to bring the warrior down, the drake retreats from his menacing longsword.
Rhona growls as she slips free one of her throwing axes after rolling over Z. She Shakes her head and pops up to throw her axe at the Drake. Then sets her self to run to the nearest rock formation.
Thanks to Rhona, Zalindra is able to breathe again, and though still unconscious, she is no longer actively dying.
Losing her grip on the rope, for a split-second the bard was in total free fall. But then suddenly the coils of the rope wrapped around, stopping a likely fatal descent.
Looking up, Cecilia caught a glimpse of Morgrym Dolgringrun. Realising the dwarf must have somehow saved her with his magic, she gives the cleric a shaky thumbs up.
But now the bard was trapped, completely entangled in the cords that should have allowed her to safely climb down into darkness. Twisting her limbs, Cecilia hastily attempted to free herself.
But her fingers scratched uselessly at the rope, unable to find purchase. Dangling there, Cecilia contributed to the battle below in the only way she could.
"The wizard turned into a giant, and pummeled the dragon's hide.
The warriors swung their mighty swords, and even fought inside.
The chain swinging fatso, grabbed her by the toe
And saved the burly paladin from a horrible munching blow."
Infusing the words with bardic magic, Cecilia could only hope that the words were actually helping her companions.
"We need to get the one attacking Aelion and Zalindra down," Dayana utters, begrudingly reaching to pull her bow free. One of her dwindling supply of arrows is pulled free of her quiver, and she takes aim for the Red drake....
Dayana frowns.
Ingra turns to see one of the drake's not 15ft from where she landed.
Rushing at the creature, she swings her greatsword.
She isn't fast enough, and the beast leaps away from her attack, using its wings to boost its speed and distance.
It lands back where it was, now aware of the dwarf's hostile presence.
Seeing the battle was already well underway, Javos raised his longsword, eager to put down these bloodthirsty beasts. But there was a problem. His foes were currently hovering in the air, well out of the reach of his blade.
The cavalier had not been wise enough to bring a bow, but could see Aelion was holding one, the elf still lying battered and broken on the ground. With this information Javos determined that the most sensible course of action would be to retrieve the weapon and attempt to divide the attention of these monsters at the same time.
Marching forward, Javos began moving towards the torch-lit area where both Aelion and Zalindra had been attacked. As he moved, he called out to the red-scaled beast, raising his voice and beating his longsword against his chestplate. If the monster could not understand his words, then it would at least understand his intentions.
Still in the dim light, the cavalier readied his weapon. If either creature came for him, he would slice them in half. Almost as an afterthought, Javos called out to the others.
"Be careful! If these beasties can breathe fire, then it would serve us best to not remain huddled together!
Jathal steps away from the shaft bottom to allow more people through, she aims at the creature that felled Aelion.
Morgrym shook his head at his fellows. From his backpack he pulled
a coil of rope and a block and tackled, and quickly took to setting up a proper system to descend safely.
Fire Drake (Black): HP 22/22; AC/T/FF 13/10/12; Fort/Ref/Will +3/+7/+2; CMD 13 vs Feint DC 12
Javos belts on his breastplate and draws the attention of the red-scaled drake. Even as Jathal's arrow pierces the dragon's side it dives at the cavalier. Before it can land a single claw on him, Javos takes his sword in both hands and brings it down hard across the creature's back, splitting it cleanly in two.
As his sword slices through the scaly creature, thick blood sprays out across the cavalier, bursting into flames as it rains across his face .
The black drake seizes the moment as Javos is distracted by the fire, swooping over the cavalier. Snapping its jaw, it takes a large chunk of his right ear with it as it spins past him .
Above the chaos, Morgrym gets to work setting up a pulley system to more reliably descend, or ascend from the dragons' nest. He is able to affix it to a beam above the pit, and seems satisfied that it should hold.
With a muttered prayer to Moradin, Morgrym drops his glowing shield down the pit, steps off, grabs the rope and lowers himself. Once level with Cecilia he grabs hold of the human, and gestures for the bard to cut herself free. "CUTE!" he yells, in an admirable but ultimately doomed attempt to remember common words.
Quickly switching targets Jathal shoots at the last Drake.
"Funny time to be flirting?" She mutters as Morgrym misspeaks to Cecilia.
A number of different emotions surged through Cecilia's head as events unfolded around her. At first she panicked, knowing that even a small amount of sweat or blood on Morgrym's gloves could potentially cause all of her skin to flare up in an allergic reaction. Then she was confused, not understanding what the dwarf was trying to tell her. And finally she was annoyed, Jathal's commentary proving to be entirely unhelpful.
But after a few seconds of dangling there, still entangled in the rope, the bard suddenly saw the cutting gesture that Morgrym was making with his hands. Realising that she couldn't hold onto her whip and use her rapier at the same time, Cecilia allowed the family heirloom to fall down into the shadows. "Sorry dad." She murmured beneath her breath.
With the dwarf cleric still holding onto her, the Cecilia unsheathed her rapier and attempted to slash her way free. The weapon was poorly suited for such a purpose, but the bard added a bit of her magic to the blade, giving it a little more cutting power.
It was difficult to cut through something while you were suspended in the air, but Cecilia tried her best. Regardless of the outcome, she continued to sing her song.
It was through all this that the sorceror fizzled several spells,
He shook his fist, leaned right back and cursed the dragon well.
Up an icy column, the bard was climbing high
Pulling out the fabled sword that was stashed before his time.
Meanwhile, down in the pit, Javos was struggling to stand. Attacking that first monster had cost him dearly, leaving the cavalier burnt and bleeding. But he knew he had no choice. He had to keep fighting.
With the beast once again out of range, Javos marched over to the unconscious form of Aelion. Under less dire circumstances the human would have attempted to bandage the elf's wounds, but that would have to wait. Kneeling down, the cavalier dropped his longsword, and picked up the longbow instead.
He just hoped he could hit the monster amidst all this darkness.
Rhona watches as she goes to drag Z out of the light and into some of the thicker Mushroom patch.
Morgrym smiles encouragingly at the struggling bard, an eyebrow raised at the mystic power allowing the rapier to cut so smoothly through rope.
As Javos is cutting down the first drake, Ingra makes her way to the other, hoping her focus better enables her to land a hit this time.
Chewing at her tongue, Dayana nocks another arrow to the longbow and strains to pull back the string.
The changeling narrowly avoids slicing her hand open on the string as she fumbles the arrow and the sinew snaps forward prematurely. Even still, she winces and takes a scant few seconds to inspect the (blissfully minor) nick on one of her fingertips. Despite her wretched luck with the attempt at using a weapon, she seems unwilling to close the distance that is preventing her from launching a barrage of hexes at the creature.