Bjorkus snorts sending bloody spittle across the icy floor. He grips his giant blade with both hands and circles for another blow.
"You're gunna pay for that."
After Toramin takes his swing, he will step out of the way for Bjorkus to get sweet flanking action. He will step to 3 F to give Gabriel a flanking buddy too.
Making good on his promise, the wounded bull circles in and bring his big weapon to bear.
Lindale likewise tries to stab the beast once more but fails.
Arjax pricks the creatures hide with another arrow while Toramin and Bjorkus both continue hammering at it. Then, Bjorkus brings his greatsword around and hacks into the creatures chest, making it roar in anger. Before it can retaliate, Toramin brings his hammer around in a devastating swing and slams it into the back of Bjorkus's sword, driving the metal nearly a foot deep into the creatures chest. A huge spray of warm blood comes out, and the creature drops to the ground.
"By Torag's heavy, hairy sack that creature was strong. Lindale, may I have some of that healing wand?"
The dwarf kneels down to check the creature's vitals, retrieve the key, and see if anything can be done to save its life.
As the yeti falls, Bjorkus turns on Toramin with his weapon. There's a killing-rage in his eyes far beyond his normal battle fury.
"You monsters won't take me!" he roars.
Taken completely unaware by such Bjorkus' treachery, Toramin is down for the count.
Lindale is also surprised by Bjorkus's strange actions and unable to determine what is going on he jumps to stop anymore bloodshed, especially of his own person, by this raging bull.
Lindale twists his rapier under Bjorkus's hand, then pries the sword away. A faint sucking noise is heard and you see Bjorkus's hands are completely covered in some sort of black substance with the same consistancy as blood. The instant the sword leaves his hands his rage ends, and he stands there gathering his senses.
Bjorkus gasps in surprise as the two-handed weapon falls from his hands and his vision returns to normal.
"You're not demons?" he rumbles in confusion. "That means..."
Spotting the wounded dwarf, Bjorkus rushes to his side.
"Calistra, strike me down! Get the wand!"
Lindale retrieves the wand now that he knows Bjorkus is back to normal and proceeds to heal Toramin.
Toramin bleeds badly from the deep wound in his chest, but with some divine magic he comes back.
As the dwarf's wounds are mended, Bjorkus retrieves the blanket from his pack, wraps the discarded weapon, and straps it to his back again.
"I think I know how Boris became the betrayer..."
"What, what happened?"
As the dwarf's wounds are mended, Bjorkus retrieves the blanket from his pack, wraps the discarded weapon, and straps it to his back again.
"I think I know how Boris became the betrayer..."
Bjorkus helps the dwarf up.
"The blade's cursed. After the fight, it filled my head with crazy visions. I hit you, hard. Sorry 'bout that."
"Huh" The dwarf seems a little confused by his near death experience. He breathes deeply and pulls himself together.
"No doubt you weren't in your right mind, but Arjax was correct: that sword was cursed. This is what comes from despoiling tombs. The next time one of us could die."
Toramin stoops down to retrieve the key. "I hope this is worth it."
"Cursed or not, it's good that we know now. Boris died with his name in ruins. Arkax's people should know the truth. Isn't a man's name worth that much?"
Toramin retrieves the large bronze key from around the creatures neck. Upon closer inspection it is actually half a key, cut longways.
"Honestly, no. You are the strongest of us. It was a blessing from the gods that Lindale was able to save you. You could have killed us all under its fell influence. If all of us died, how many more would suffer in the 'purge.' One man's name, long dead, is not worth real living people."
Bjorkus snorts.
"One man, ten men, one hundred men... Where do you draw the line? I may be a soddin' pirate but I would never sacrifice a man's honor like that."
"We're all gunna die. When you're gone, all you'll have is your name."
"The life of any person is worth a thousand dead names. We may all die, but the legacy of one person is no more immortal than that person. Eventually even the remembrance of a person is forgotten. These memories do not balance the scales against the breath of the quick. Honor is a good thing. Lives are better. We should not let the good become the enemy of the best, Bjorkus. I would trade my good name to see us and the rest of this city survive the coming bloodshed."
Bjorkus snorts dismissively and readies his axe again.
"Let's get goin'. We got another half of a key to find."
Shaking his head at Bjorkus' greed and selfishness, Toramin speaks, "We should see if these ice tunnels go anywhere else, but it seems like we will be back tracking to the fork in the tunnels."
If he is willing to place his greed over my life -- our lives -- maybe I misjudged him.
Psotheos’ sigh of relief when the yeti falls turns into a cry of anguish as Bjorkus stabs Toramin. Before the noble can move, Lindale adroitly disarms the half-minotaur. As the situation is resolved and the healing wand is used, Psotheos kneels at the yeti’s corpse, marveling at the claws and the size of the creature.
Not wanting to delay their exploration, Psotheos doesn’t enter into the conversation between Toramin and Bjorkus. They both had their points, but Toramin made more sense in this situation. With the revelation of half a key, Psotheos chuckles mirthlessly. ”I will search for doors or hidden spaces.”
"This room appears to be a terminus. What's the opposite of a yeti? Would the other half of the key be with a creature like that if it exists? Perhaps that...chieftain? knows about another half-key."
As they leave the room, Psotheos asks Dalton ”Would the curse or malevolence be destroyed if the sword is melted down?”.
Bjorkus heads down the southern of the two westbound tunnels.
Feeling rather subdued Toramin follows behind Lindale and Bjorkus.
"Perhaps, we should explore this tunnel?" The dwarf inquires, referring to the first unexplored tunnel they come across.
Saying nothing during the exchange and follows back the way they came.
You being walking down the tunnel, and it continues going strait for a while. You see an occasional lump of ice or snow, but it's a long, boring walk down the tunnel.