As the party travels through the tunnels, Asht'el and his small companion become visible once again. "I know I don't look like I did," he explains to the boy, "and my name is not really Belkah, it is Asht'el. But I'd never pass as a drow with a Katapeshi name, so I called myself Belkah. But I promise I'm the same person you met, I just look different." He briefly relates the conversation they had when they first met, to prove his identity and reassure the boy.
As they arrive at the large, dimly glowing cavern, Asht'el is a bit too preoccupied with the boy and the squirming bundle he's carrying in a pillowcase to notice much around him.
Prickles squeaks quietly a few times, causing Fíriel to hold up one hand for a pause. "Someone came through here recently," she says.
"Yeah, but... I'm no tracker. I'm more inclined to avoid than to follow, you know?" "Here's a track, and here..."
Were-Njord crouches down to sniff the tracks.
The big ursine figure huffs and shakes his head.
Xiddik's eyes narrow as she sees Ruxi and hears the drow. Her teeth bare, but she says nothing.
When the signs of activity are discovered, the kobold scowls. She crouches low and begins sniffing the area, running her scaly fingers over the stone.
Xiddik estimates that 3 humanoids (likely drow) and two large clawed quadrupeds came this way. Beyond that can't cannot deduce much.
Moving forward the fungal forest thins until it comes to large clearing. At its center is a huge engraved stone archway similar to the one that party passed through to reach the Darklands - an Elfgate. It appears to already be active and, within its glowing heart, brilliant lights flash as arcs of stray magical energy roll off of its edges.
Three dark elves stand guard over the portal. Two are equipped like most Vonnarc guards, with rapier and hand crossbows at their hips. In their hands they hold lengths of heavy chain attached to the hulking reptilian beasts snarling before them. The third is familiar though he's wearing a bit more than the last time the party saw him - the Second Son Tiryin Vonnarc.
Randall recognizes these brutes as ghonhatine, flesh-warped troglodytes.
Ghonhatine are known to have incredibly thick hides and are naturally resistant to acid, disease, and poison but otherwise have no special defenses. They have no specific weaknesses.
Randall signals a retreat back from the gate to discuss. Whispering in each ally's ear, one at a time, he says, "Fleshwarped troglodytes. Very thick hide, resistant to acid and poison." To the spellcasters, "Do you have enough magic left to soften them up? Or should we retreat and wait until you have time to rest?"
Jametor whispers, "I have a special fireball left, plus a few from my staff, plus a couple more of those wind siroccos. So enough for a fight, might be best to toss out the big heavy hitters, then let you folks close to mop up. Make this go quick. To be honest, I don't know that we have time to wait for us to get new spells."
Nodding, "Very well." Whispering to Xiddik and Firiel, "Try to sneak around them for a devastating first salvo? Or try to draw some of them away from the gate?"
"Sneak around," replies Fíriel equally quietly. "Let the invisible ones get as close as they can safely, too, so that we can all attack at once."
Xiddik and Randall move forward like shadows but the crunch of loose gravel underfoot and an ill-timed belch from Prickles reveals Firiel's location before the trio can fully get into position.
"They're here!" the Second Son shouts while leveling his long curved knife Firiel's direction. "I knew it!"
Jametor chants the familiar arcane phrase and flings the fiery bead from his hand.
Xiddik whips out her bow, snarling. "Bah! Your spinebeast ate too many hard fruits, I think. Suppose..."
She trails off, looking between her bow and her ocarina. She can't use both, and a few crucial seconds are wasted as the somewhat average-minded kobold tries to choose.
Finally, tail twitching with irritation, she lowers the bow. "Oh, to hell with it all."
Xiddik begins to sing.
It's not exactly what one would expect. Sometimes the song sounds like a lullaby, other times like an orc ballad. Though its words are in Draconic, the song occasionally uses phrases from Undercommon, Aklo, and even a bit of Elven for some reason.
The story itself is difficult to follow. It is fast-paced and eclectic, ranging from clear and sad to shrill and furious to off-kilter and disorienting. It's a song devoid of genre or purpose. Only Xiddik's flawless voice gives it all some semblance of order, and her allies find themselves filled with new strength.
Randall levels the crossbow and fires at the nearer ghonhatine.
Tiryin avoids it entirely and one of the ghonhatines rolls away from the bulk of the blast but the others are hit by the full force of Jametor's spell. Randall's fiery crossbow bolt further injures the nearer of the two reptilian brutes.
Cocking his head towards the source of the song, the arrogant bare-chested drow warrior smirks.
"An interesting tale and I'm curious how you all went unnoticed for so long. The fact that you knew about this gate suggests you had help from someone within my own house. Perhaps when this is over I'll bring whatever's left of you to a priestess and have the answers extracted.."
He turns a predatory glare towards Jametor.
Asht'el rolls his eyes. Do the drow always have to be so melodramatic?! He then tosses a glittering, golden sphere at the cocky drow and a couple of his minions, which explodes into a cloud of blinding golden dust as it reaches them.
Tiryin and the ghonhatine shake it off but one of the guards curses as he's rendered blind.
Fíriel frowns for a moment at the situation, then shakes her head quickly and narrows her eyes at the beast Randall struck with a crossbow bolt. Conjuring the image of his bolt in her mind, she tries to draw the nearby cave walls to replicate that shape and send it flying toward the creature.
Were-Njord roars a challenge and lumbers forward.
Firiel's frosty missile hits the wounded beast in a soft spot along its neck.
Jametor moves forward enough to get his side of the cavern in the spell. His hand motions mimic his Ifrit friend's movements and everyone feels time slow around them.
Randall goes stealth mode using the stalk between himself and the drow for cover as he moves forward and he reloads his crossbow.