Torvi smashes her helmet into one of the orcs next to her.
If that drops the orc, she will do a move to be 10’ from the other one. She can’t 5’ step either, so she’ll take an AOO. But if she didn’t drop one, she stays put, not wanting to take 2 AOOs.
Round 14
There is a hint of disappointment in Dasur's usually stoic face when he sees the orcs still standing after his earthen assault. Though he did not hold strong opinions on many things, the wizard was not very fond of orcs, especially those bred by the drow for nothing but war and savagery.
Tapping his staff on the ground he effortlessly sends up another cloud of acid into the face of one of Torvi's opponents.
Swinging her axe at the orc before at same time his blade bites into her.
Growling and swinging again. Damn that hurt! But the axe is starting to feel to heavy.
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"I need to learn to dispel magic or fly..." grumbles Snorri, yet again slogging through the black dust.
"Hey, you!" he addresses the closest orc in Undercommon. "Come fight it out, if you dare, you yellow-bellied coward, you son of a spineless whelp, you incipient pusher of daisies!"
Torvi crushes the skull of another orc, stepping away from the remaining foe. He lashes out at her, his blade bouncing off of her armor.
Nalnera and Regniir gradually wear down their foe, but he snarls in defiance, keeping you away from the retreating drow wizard.
Torvi swings her weapon at the last opponent within her reach...
Bludgeon
Round 15
Snorri's requests for magical assistance either go unheard or uncared for as one of their two wizards continues the acidic assault on Torvi's foes.
I keep forgetting the Bless, not that it would have allowed me to hit.
Erebos reaches his hand out toward the cloying dust, muttering under his breath, attacking the weave of magic within the spell to no avail.
Probably no one is paying attention, but Iverna drags herself out of the dust and into the clear.
Snorri keeps wading through the dust, cursing every evil god and goddess in alphabetical order, from Asmodeus to Zon-Kuthon.
"Why can't you just die!"
Laughing and slamming his fist into the worthy foe before him
Nalnera and Regnir combine their attacks to plow through the orc that stands in their way.
The orc facing Torvi succumbs to the acid burning through his lungs. He gurgles and collapses to the earth.
For the moment, you stand unopposed, the other drow having retreated into darkness.
Torvi will let the song go for an additional round for people to heal up quick gaining the extra healing, if possible.
She heals herself while moving towards the others...
And then the song ends.
Turning and yelling to her party, "One ran off this way."
Twisting around and groaning, "Damn it." Unless stopped Nalnear is going to move in pursuit.
Growling and turning swirl of dark reads, sickly yellows, and bright oranges. The colors moving and sifting like a flame under the ichor and the colors remain in the drops that fall from him in his dash after the fleeing drow.
Without a foe in sight, Dasur slowly lowers his staff and turns his head towards his companions crossing the stream to the other side. He judges the gap between his island and the shore, then makes a running leap...
A trail of smoke follows the wizard as he magnificently soars across the 10 foot gap, landing on the other side with a thump. The jump seems to leave him a bit perturbed, obviously not enjoying the sensation of free fall.
Dasur casually walks over to the others gathered at the mouth of another tunnel, which they seem to have noticed a drow running off through. The wizard smells like burnt hair, and the back of his ponytail is still smoldering slightly. "Earth has favored the dwarves today, as it has since the forging of the world." He drones, casting a glance back over the stream. Erebos, Glenda, and Iverna were currently out of sight.
"Let us regroup and proceed together." He says this as Nalnera runs off, his head swinging back to watch her go, knowing he cannot catch up to her nor the drow.
Snorri finally manages to emerge from the black dust, and chokes down his instinct to pursue, instead moving towards Dasur. "The commander escaped, but we are alive and the way seems clear. Once we're together, let's make haste, and watch our backs."
”Let us heal up and go get the pointy eared bastard!”
Pausing and glancing back. Come back. Shaking her head and starting to walk towards the others. Pausing for a moment and then smiling. "Apparently we have a distance limit and things get uncomfortable. He is on his way back."
”Let’s heal up and see if any of these have maps, money, or magic!”
With a nod, Dasur waits patiently for everyone to gather. "Let us press onward together. I used many spells, but still the Earth favors my magics."
Torvi will set about searching the corpses, using methods both magic and mundane.
detect magic
Dasur finds many things to be interested in among the drow's belongings, pawing through scrolls with an excitement that could be described as at least"mild". There were many arcane secrets within their scrolls, ones that he was aware of but had not graced his spellbook. They were placed aside, and when a quiet moment found them once more he would pen them into his arcane tome.
The wizard assists in the identification of the potions and armor, though it was obvious from the beginning they were made from precious mithral. "It is good we have recovered Torag's holiest of metals." He intones, running his fingers over the silvery, slightly magical chain shirts. "Surely he and the Earth work in concert to assure our success."
Torvi looks over the chain shirts. "I cannot say that I find the elven workmanship something to admire, but I be damned if that mithral isn't shiny! Do you mind if I take one of these for my kit?"
Snorri offers his thanks to Torag that the skirmish ended in their favour, despite the tactical nightmare that the River had turned into.
"The gods favored us today, and the way forward is clear. Let us rejoice today, that we live free and most of our foes are left to the vermins. But let's also be vigilant, for the reward for a battle won is another battle."
A small amount of exploration here will discover several small chambers that were used as camp sites for the drow and orc defenders. Here there are several weeks of preserved provisions and basic supplies.
If you choose to move on, following the path of the fleeing drow wizard, you do not find him, but after only a half hour or so the tunnel rejoins the flowing stream, which cascades down a sheer cliff.
You emerge from the long and large featureless tunnel to see a great rift before you. Beyond a sheer thirty foot drop is a vision like nothing you have seen before. You can see great pools of boiling mud and a wonderland of seething geysers. And beyond them, many miles away, is a great forest and what looks like faint traces of sunlight.
But you are scarcely able to take in this sprawling vista before the ground begins rumble. Small rocks begin to dance and vibrate. The earth itself begins to hum, like the voice of some massive primeval giant trapped far below, straining to be free.
"Amazing," says Glenda as she takes in the sights. "And in its own way, beautiful."
"I feel like we should..."
She is cut off as the earth trembles, and she remains silent while she waits to see if it will pass.
”Beautiful? Trees? Sunlight? You sounded like an elf just now, and not the deep dweller elves we have been fighting either, more like the tree hugger ones on the surface. I may not be the smartest of dwarves, but I know we’re not going to find Dammerhall in the middle of some sunlit forest.”
Torvi begins backing away from the cliff, she not being interested in dropping down with the ledge if it goes.
Shaking her head, "Let of the elf hate. They aren't all that bad."
Reluctantly returning and glaring at all of the weak-willed children that think they can reclaim Dammerhall. Silently following behind the group.
Dasur approaches the edge of the cliff, staring out with wonder at the sight before them. "Erebos, what is this pla-" He begins to say before being cut off by a great rambling.
Kneeling down and using his staff as support, the wizard presses the flat of his hand to the stone, an intense look of concentration on his face. "The Earth speaks, but I cannot discern the words." He drones cryptically, though it is impossible to hear his low voice over the rumbling.
Snorri agrees with Glenda, finding beauty in the wonder of the Azathyr. He's about to make a snarky remark to Torvi when the earth starts rumbling, and he draws the axe, hoping furiously that they're not about to come face to face with another worm.
"Whether earthquake or foes, all be vigilant!"
The rumbling in the earth subsides as some bits of rubble fall from the ceiling above. Erebos steps up near the edge, as unphased by the height as someone who can float on air should be.
"In dwarven, you would call this place the "Earth Wound." We drow avoid it entirely. It is extremely dangerous, geologically and magically unstable. There is a tunnel about 10 miles to the north on the western side of the wound that will take our fleeing drow back toward safety. But our way lies further to the north. Far in the distance, where you see that faint hint of light... When he says "light" it comes off almost as a curse. [b]"There, on the western wall you will find Zaraketh. That is what the dwarves called it. It will take us weeks to cross the geyser fields, and there will be dangerous beasts between us, and, I must warn you, beyond Zaraketh is the Enemy. If they discover me, or you with me, they will kill you and then ask questions of your corpse. We must be vigilant...[b]"
With that, the drow steps off of the cliff and floats delicately toward the stone below.
Amazed by what Erebos describes, Dasur looks up towards the ceiling in wonder. "If only we had known about this Earth Wound, we could have descended from the surface directly to this point, near Zaraketh." The wizard briefly pines, before becoming distracted by another thought. "Ah, I just realized that with some real sunlight available I will be able to perform some further tests on the gemstones we discovered in Gnomish observatory. Natural sunlight refracts in much different patterns than magical light, so using those properties I may be able to ascertain historical tends in the ley lines and trace them backwards to the magical event that lead to their untimely demise."
The rambling briefly ceases as he stares off past the geysers, Erebos' warning about the Enemy completely ignored.
"So, they specifically hate your kind more than ours?" Snorri inquires, drawing the rope and securing it to the ledge to descend. "Maybe we should disguise you."
There is a certain mirth in Snorri's voice at the thought of making Erebos look like a surface elf.
”Need I remind you that I too can cast the falling spell?”
Glenda quietly waits her turn to descend upon the rope.
In a small matter of time, you negotiate your way down the short cliff and onto the stone floor below. You gaze out into the dim illumination. The air here is warmer than what you have grown accustomed to. As warm as a humid summer day on the surface. After the strange dark illumination of the fungal jungle and the true darkness of the past few days, this dim twilight is once again unsettling.
Erebos watches each of you descend. Once you are gathered, he gives you a brief talk, "Yes, they hate my kind especially. But don't let that put you at ease. They hate all humanoid outsiders. They will be no friends to you. From here, it is two days walk to a geyser field that will test us severely. From there, we will have to march without rest until we are past the field."
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"There have been many fascinating combinations of Earth and Water thus far, but I have never seen such a place." The wizard continues to drone, looking off in the dimly lit distance. "I have only read of geysers, but they seem the only possible natural combination of Earth, Water, and Fire. I would like to see one up close."
He turns his attention back to Erebos. "You mentioned magical instabilities, are there any specific arcane machinations we should prepare to handle?"
”We shall see how excited you are to see geysers after we have encountered them.”
Quietly mumbling to Torvi, "He will still be excited and ramble on about who knows what for a while."