Stepping back Daeron ponders, realizing finally on the nature of the opponent, Daeron cries, "We need arcane touched weapons to harm the knife's wielder and I do not have any! Sundering the knife would be an excellent option."
Daeron fires at the ghostly knife, but misses the very small and quick moving target. Tararr is able to find plenty of ash and dust about the ruined lab.
Surak backs up, and cheers on Tararr, hoping to inspire the hard-hitting dwarf to take out the knife wielder. "Tararr! I can't do much here, maybe you should take over?"
"Throw dirt at it!" Tararr roars as he suddenly appears more muscled and wild eyed. Moving to take the place of the retreating dwarf, the rager swings a mighty cleaving arc through area he believes the knife wielder to be.
Tararr can't believe his eyes as his powerful swing cuts right through where he knows the wizard must be yet isn't. With superstitious dread, he begins to wonder if the wizard is in fact a ghost! He has little time to ponder however, as the knife turns on him stabbing into his arm.
"Tarrar! The wizard must be in the Astral realm. Right now unless we could venture there or have magical weaponry, naught could be done to harm him. Disarming him is the best course of action."
Talking and firing does not go together as Daeron botches his shot.
"ARHHHGGHHHGHGHGHGH!" is the only response the dwarf gives. Cranking his Urgrosh against the blade he attempts to rend the dagger from the wizard's grasp.
"I think the sand would go right through him."
Surak steps back in and tries to disarm again, readying to grab the dagger if it falls.
Tararr's heavy urgrosh proves too slow for the nimble knife and he opens himself up for another thrust that is fortunately turned by his chainmail. Surak steps back in and again knocks the dagger to the ground. This time he is prepared and stoops to seize it from the ground before the ghostly hand can grasp it.
You wait long moments for some other sort of attack, but apparently without the knife, the wizard is isolated on his ghostly plane and unable to further harass you until the effects of the incense fade away.
Surak immediately says, "Close the doors! He might not be able to pass through them, I have no idea how this blasted magic works."
Surak runs to the closest door he can reach, trying to close it himself as well.
Now we wait and exact our vengeance when he appears. Are we supposed to capture him alive or dead? And let us make use of this time healing our injured too. I will instruct my familiar to keep a look out as well.
"All that I can do for our companions now is to watch over them and pray for guidance from Ragathiel as they return to consciousness. If anyone has healing kits, I can try to treat some of their worst wounds. We will need a few days of good rest to really get back to full strength - running in ill-prepared leaves me very short on spiritual power. We must stay vigilant and ready ourselves to defend our companions from the Wizard if he has not made his escape up the shaft. Tararr, can you help me move them to a corner so that we can more easily defend them?"
Surak works to prepare the unconscious party members for safe movement.
Letting his rage dissipate for now, Tararr again breathes heavily. "Let's get 'em moved then. We gotta get out of here soon. I'm not sure how much longer these two will last otherwise." Tararr then begins moving the limp bodies of their companions to a more defensible position.
"I hate to say it but it might be safest to camp here for one night, unless the Wizard might kill them in their sleep. Some healing in the morning would allow us to move them safely.
"Otherwise we will have to move them very carefully, and I can cast stabilize on them each time they are jostled."
Ghema roosts in the elevator shaft watching for more trouble while the party debates what to do with the wounded. Some time passes before Ghema signals Daeron that someone else is in the building. There are several anxious moments before you recognize the voice of Lazaan calling down the elevator shaft.
Our liaison has arrived, I would go and see that he is properly warned that we are in a state of low intensity conflict. After all, he would be the paymaster and it would not be well if he turned up dead.
Daeron cautiously moves over to the shaft, giving an elf`s account of what already transpired.
Surak nods. "I now have the Wizard's magical knife. I wonder if the city has scryers who can use such a thing to locate him?"
"I'm hopin' they canna send me ta where 'e is so I can introduce him to my Urgrosh. His head is gonna look great on my belt."
Lazaan seems confused as to whether the wizard is still around or not. He says that he has seen no one leave the building and asks if you require any assistance.
It would be gladly appreciated if some healing draughts were sent down here, or any scrolls with the same effect, Lazaan. We have two of our number down and the rest bearing wounds. We would be inclined to leave but I suspect our quarry is still down here somewhere.
Daeron hollers up the shaft in low tone, just enough to hear.
By the way, are you alone up there, Lazaan?
By the way, are you alone up there, Lazaan?
"Yes. I was keeping watch outside, but came in to check when you were gone for so long. If you have found dangerous undead and other hazards however, I feel I must report to my supervisors and quarantine the area immediately."
By the way, are you alone up there, Lazaan?
"Yes, I was keeping watch outside and came in when you were gone for so long. If you have found dangerous undead, however, I feel I must report to my superiors immediately and have the area quarantined."
Chitleen breathes evenly, though still with some sign of discomfort.
I would say they are dangerous indeed. Many of our wound are inflicted from our own hands, a terrible madness arising from exposure to the undead gore.
Daeron wipes off some remnants of pus adherent to his clothing.
[b]Well, if you are going away to report then we would recuperate here, hopefully waiting out the wizard still on the otherside of the Astral realm.
Lazaan calls, "I shall hurry with assistance if the wizard is still near."
You continue aiding the injured in a defensible corner of the dungeon awaiting either Lazaan's return or the reappearance of the wizard.
As you wait, it suddenly becomes apparent to you that you smell smoke; not the incense kind, but burning wood or paper
Shirish stirs in her sleep, and opens her good eye. "Mess, master?" she grumbles.
Wakey wakey:
"Do you smell that, elf? We got something burnin' down here. Gimme a second to check it out." The warrior gathers himself up and begins a slow sweep of the room looking for any indication of where the smell may be coming from.
Surak searches as well.
Your investigation finds that the back bedroom is quickly filling with smoke.
More trickery? Careful dwarves, it may be just a diversion for the wizard's reappearance. I will guard the entrance with my familiar just beyond the door.
Moving back to there rally point, Tararr reports what he sees and rubs his head. "We have to get out of here. Now."
A quick reconnaissance of the personal quarters finds that some of the books and scrolls have been piled upon the bed and the whole thing ignited with the overturned oil lamp. Clouds of smoke billowing from the mess make it hard to make out much more.
Chitleen groans slightly in his sleep.
Surak tries to figure out how to knock the burning materials off the bed onto the floor so they can burn themselves out or be smothered.
Surak acts quickly to yank the burning mass off the bed and begin smothering it with sheets and by stomping on it.
Daeron stands on guard near the door entrance, relying both his Elven senses and innate bat echolocation to ward anyone entering or leaving the room. Sounds of heavy thumping from next door allows Daeron to witness the equivalent of a dwarven fire brigade at work.
Shirish, her eye badly cut, and still reeling from the shock of punching herself out sees nothing.
"HE'S MOVIN' FOR THE LIFT ALONG THE WALL!", Tararr roars pointing to where he sees a body creeping through the smoke. Taking a few steps forward, the dwarf launches a hammer in an arc toward the form.
Daeron dips into his spell pouch, grasping some colored sand, ready for a bedazzling spell of vivid and disorienting colors, should the wizard come into range.
.
When he hears the shout, Surak draws a javelin and throws it at the wizard.
Tarrar
Daeron
Surak
Shirish
Red robe
Tararr yells a warning and throws his hammer striking the fugitive wizard's shoulder. The desperate man charges Daeron at the doorway knocking the elf backwards onto the floor as he runs past heading for the elevator. Daeron stands and blasts him with scintillating waves of color, but the man keeps his head down and appears unaffected. He can't out run Surak's javelin however, as the dwarf reaches the doorway and hurls the weapon into the necromancers back. The wizard continues staggering for the elevator.
Daeron picks himself from the floor, irritable at being barged down. Nevertheless he sidesteps to allow the dwarves to pass through before slipping his hand, lubricating his fingers with a slab of butter.
Gesturing at the floor, Daeron's arcane chanting enters a different tone, and before long a small patch of greasy floor stands between the escaping man and his salvation.