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Rianne doesn't really want to stand around alone in the dark, so she heads over in that direction to see what is gong on.
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As you've found your footing and start getting in action, memory comes back to what happened between the celebration starting and you finding yourselves in this cavern...
When he has made sure that he has got everyone's attention, Hulrun marches to the stage before the cathedral, climbs the stairs up to the speakers desk standing at the front side and turns to the waiting masses again. He raises his arms as if to bless the congregation, when suddenly his face is bathed in an unearthly bright light, as if a second sun had dawned and shone on him from the wrong direction. You're wondering if this is kind of a magical trick, but only until just a moment later, when a thunderous noise makes your ears ring and the earth under your feet begins to shake. “The Kite”, gasps Hulrun, making everyone's heads turn to the west immediately. Horror and sheer panic paints on the faces of the crowd, as where the wardstone fortress is located, a brilliant plume of red fire, lightning, and smoke erupts into the heavens.
Just a moment later, your ear rings again, this time by a powerful roar coming from the middle of the congregation. Your breath stops for a moment, when an ancient silver dragon – this must be Terendelev, the legendary guardian of Kenabres – rises in the air, spreading his mighty wings and making its way to another powerful entity that just appeared over the Kite. Everyone knows the legends and tales, so this nightmarish figure, three times the size of any man, with skin coated in fire and lightning and gripping a flaming sword and whip, is immediately recognized as Khorramzadeh the Storm King, the feared demon lord who already tried once to destroy Kenabres' wardstone.
You don't have the time to look at the spectacle in the heavens, as demons start pouring into the streets of Kenabres and suddenly you have to fear for own your life. Though the combat above only lasts for some desperate moments before Khorramzadeh cuts deep into the dragon's body and after only a short exchange of blows, both crash down in a deadly embrace, smashing St. Clydwells cathedral into piece by their fall. At the same moment, a titanic demon shreds several buildings at the other end of the places to pieces, causing a rift to cut St. Clydwell's plaza in two halfs. It's all happening too fast for you top react, so you can't escape the sudden hole into the earth and start to plummet down the darkness.
The last thing you hear is some arcane words shouted by Terendelev, the last thing you see is her extending a bloody claw into your direction, before her head is cut off by another mighty swing of the Storm King's fire blade. You feel your fall slows down, as if you were feathers falling down from the sky, then the rift over you closes. The last though before you fall unconscious is the burning question, why Terendelev chose you to survive. And then there's only darkness.
Urdir – as do all the others - wakes up as if from a trance. In this moment he recognizes the silver „bauble“ he has just found as what it really is – one of the dragon's silver scales – that has followed you into the darkness. The dwarf also feels power radiating from the scale and instinctively understands that it is a gift of power he might use in any battle to follow. And while he's still stunned be the heavy memories, he recognizes that more of these scales are hidden between the rubble, one for everyone of the survivors.
The others – as they near the location Arianna is exploring now hear the sounds themselves, It's cries for help from several persons barely audible through the layers of stone they are buried under, but there's also the fearful weeping of what sounds like children.
Iolaire shakes as memories from the plaza above come flooding back to her. As the rift came tearing across the plaza towards them she recalls desperately pushing the crowd of children away, trying to get them to safety in a nearby building. The last thing she remembered was a scream as Elise, with Stevarn trying desperately to pull her back, fell towards the rift. Leaping after them was a blur...
The cries coming from the rubble, especially the child-like whimpering shakes Iolaire out of her reverie. She finished her run to the rubble and immediately begins digging her way in, moving stones much larger than a woman with her stature should be able to. "Hold on in there! We're coming. You'll be out in a minute!"
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Arianna froze as the all too vivid and recent memories flood through her filling in the gap between the the start of the ceremony and how they'd woken up in the dark and sore. Her mouth was agape and her eyes moistened by the memory of the great dragon's sacrifice.
It wasn't until the soft cry from a child that she was able to snap back to the real world and rushed up next to Iolaire to begin digging furiously to get to the children trapped beneath. "If you can hear me start counting for me." She called out to the voices of the children and the others she'd also heard.
Kendren feels his knees buckle and can do nothing as he falls to the ground, horror on his face. The Kite...the Wardstone...Terendelev... He feels a tear fall from his eye as he mourns the dragon, but also fear as he thinks of those citizens up top, and what the destruction of the Kite and the Wardstone would mean for not just Kenabres, but the world.
He remembers a child running and tripping, and then himself running over and picking up the child so she wouldn't be trampled. He remembers handing the girl to her mother and shouting at her to run before going back into the crowd to see if he could find any of the children who had been with the paladin of Shelyn when the crack opened and he fell into blackness.
Murmuring a prayer to Sarenrae for the safety Magda, those on the surface, and for Terendelev's soul, he gets up and says, "Here, I'll try to help lift the rock."
Rianne sinks to her knees as the memories come flooding back. She remembers seeing one of the food vendors trying to drag his cart along with him and sreaming at him to leave it and just run.
She comes back to the present with tears wetting her face, and in that moment she makes a promise to the fallen dragon. I don't know why you chose to save me, but I swear I won't let your sacrifice be in vain..
Hearing the sound of crying she also rushes over and drops her lighted rock by her feet to attempt to assist.
Uldir stands still as stone, stone, his head bowed as the vision fades away. They finally got us...Kenebres is lost, and we hardly fired a shot. Shaking his head to clear away thoughts of doom, he fishes the scale from his pocket and stares down at this physical reminder of Terendelev's stoic determination and unfailing mercy even in the face of her own death.
I'll not give you cause to regret saving me, brave dragon. Pocketing the scale, he stares up at the ceiling as though he could bore through the rock with his gaze, his grief slowly fading into a hard, cold fury. Slow, deep breaths, as his thoughts--and those of Jyurdolkur--crystalized into a razor's edge.
"We must hurry. The battle for the city above rages without us, and I do not intend to let the Kenebranes fight alone. Let me assist...
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While you're digging for the unlucky prisoners of the stone. everyone of you finds, as if per chance, another piece of Terendelev's scales, and as soon as you take it, you feel it's power and that it want's to bond with you, this way transferring the power to you. But that has to wait, you have lifes' to save.
Together, you succeed in pushing a particularly big piece of rock out of the way. Unluckily, you've still not completely recovered from your fall and the effects of your memory returning, so Rianne cannot avoid her legs to nearly give out on her and when she tries to regain her balance, she unluckily stumbles over the glowing stone she just let fall. Unluckily this causes commotion in the rest of the rubble, causing anxious cries from within as well as a loud cry of pain followed from what must be a female voice: "My leg!"
Fortunately, this was the heaviest piece of rubble you had to remove and with combined forces, you soon reach the other survivors. It's Elise and Stevarn, as well as three persons unknown to most of you: a young human woman in her late Twenties, holding her leg, her face contorted with pain, but still protectively holding Elise under her body; a middle-aged human man with aristocratic outfit, a sneer on his face, but holding Stevarn in a firm embrace; an an elf with scholarly attire, seemingly unmoved by the events if not for the panic in his face, with bloody, empty eye sockets and the sudden understanding of what has happened to him: "I...I...can't see anything!"
Rianne approaches the blinded elf and gently touches his hand, Your eyes were ruined in the fall, sir. I am sorry. Does anyone have something to bind the wounds with?".
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Arianna stepped back holding the shard she'd pulled away in her hand transfixed on it for several seconds as if realizing what she was holding only passively. Her other hand was held up, high above her head, with the glowing stone between her fingers. It was a light for those who knew how to treat injuries.
Her reverie was snapped b Rianne asking a question and she looked at the woman. "I might have some cloth you could use and a knife to cut it down.." She offered pocketing the scale to look at later and swinging her backpack down to her feet.
"Anevia! Thank the Eternal Rose you are all safe! Wait a moment before you try to move, I think I can help." Iolaire reaches out to grasp the softly glowing scale that she brushed a moment before. Guided more by instinct than knowledge she gently places the scale on Anevia's leg and then, as the scales colour dims and Anevia's face relaxes, swiftly yanks the leg back into straight position, praying that Tendelev's healing power would blunt the pain. That done she gathers Elise and Stevarn into her arms for a hug, before turning to the rest of the group.
"Brother Uldir and you sirs," towards the large, somewhat paranoid man with the sword and the mage who had been providing light sources. "We can handle the healing here, can you all scout the room? You are right Brother Uldir, we must return to the surface as soon as possible and we need an exit."
That done she turns to the children, smiling to reassure them. "You two have been so brave! I don't think I've ever met anyone braver than you, even the Sword Knights! Now, I need you both to do me a favour. Can you look around for something long and straight? Anevia is going to need some help walking. If you could find her a stick or a staff to walk with that would be wonderful!"
Only now does Iolaire turn to the man who had protected Stevarn. "My apologies brave sir. Thank you so much for protecting my charges. My name is Iolaire, an acolyte of Shelyn's temple. You have my thanks and that of the temple for your bravery. Are you hurt at all?"
Rianne scoops her lit stone off the ground. "Here children, take this light, and don't wander too far, okay? We don't know what's down here, and the light will only last a few minutes in any case.
"M'lord Gwerm! Well done with the lad, well done indeed!" Uldir gives the nobleman a cursory look-over for injuries--despite some unpleasant interactions in the past, he was genuinely glad to see someone familiar and uninjured given the horrors of the day. Of course, as with many nobles, a little flattery went a long way... "I would be pleased to have your assistance while Lady Iolaire tends to the injured. We must figure out a way to return to the surface forthwith!"
So saying, Uldir turns and clambers over the stones to explore the rest of the cavern.
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Arianna nodded but noticed that Iolaire did not seem to have a weapon on her and so she pulled the short sword with sheath and moved to hold it out to her. "It's not much..but considering what happened up top we will all need to be armed and I have a couple daggers and a rapier to get me by.." She said leaving the sword with Iolaire.
After that she pulled out a dagger and drew her bedroll from within the backpack and passed both to Rianne. "Cut up as much as you need to make bindings and to make a split for her leg."
Finished with that she'd go and begin to search the cavern again with her light stone to try and find an exit or at least get an idea of the size and general layout of this cavern.
Rianne cuts up some bandages and passes them to Iolaire, Here, you'll probably be better at bandaging then me, if you worked with the clerics of Shelyn. I don't want to hurt him worse.
Seeing the elf, Kendren breathes a small sigh of relief as others move to begin making bandages. Stepping forward, Kendren says, "Aravashnial? It's Kendren, Kendren Nollt. Magda's foster son? You've stopped by the store a few times. Once your eyes are bandaged, if you would like, I'll help you navigate through the caves we seem to be stuck in. Do you need to know anything about our current situation?"
Alfred starts as the commotion begins. He feels rage building in him at the sight of the demons. He draws his battered flail from it's leather holster, and begins to walk with deadly intent and purpose towards the nearest demon fight. As he walks all hell...literally... breaks loose. The ground beneath his feet begins to split, and before he can react, the rift widens leaving him with one foot on each side of it.
Am I really going to come this far and die like this?
He makes eye contact with one of the invading fiends, and screams the most vile curses he can imagine at it shaking his fist in anger, as his body falls into the widening rift.
STR Check
Alfred is slow to adjust to what is happening. His thoughts lost in the chaos that reigns above. Then he notices the others struggling to remove some large stones, and rushes forward, catching the stone just before it falls, and with a might heave thrusting it aside.
Leaving the others to care for the weak, he begins to look around, trying to determine where they are, and more importantly how to get out of here. As he reaches to retrieve the flail that he dropped reacting to the falling stone, his knuckles touch something in the dirt beneath the handle that makes his hand tingle. Brushing aside the dirt, he finds a single silver scale. He picks it up enjoying the feel of power that emanates from it. I shall keep this until you are avenged noble dragon He stores the scale in one of the many hidden inner pockets of his armor padding. Then begins to study the chamber in the limited light of the glow stones.
Survival (In urban or underground terrain).
Once Horgus has been checked for injuries Iolaire accepts the make-shift bandages from Rianne and moves carefully over to Kendren and the elf, Ashandriel?, that he seemed to know.
"I'm going to bandage your eyes in a moment. Please don't move too much. I'll be as gentle as I possibly can be." With one hand she places Terendelev's scale on the elf's cheek and watches as much of the scarring simply fades away, although the eye sockets remain a blasted waste and the glow from the dragons scale fades to nearly nothing. Tucking the scale away Iolaire very gently takes the bandages and begins to secure them across the elf's eyesockets.
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“Sister Io, I've been sooo scared.“ Elise flees crying into Iolaire's embrace, while Stevarn struggles to free himself from Gwerm's grip, just to puff himself up: “Wasn't afraid at all, Sis' Io!“, though the tears in his eyes betray his display of bravery.
The children then take the lighting stone offered to them by Rianne , spouting a fast: “Thank you.“ and then start searching through the rubble and Elise soon comes back with a sheet of wood, suitable to be used as a splint for Anevia's leg. Only a moment later, you hear Stevarn shout: “Awww, c'mon hand, let go, I need this spear for Sister Iolaire.“
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Anevia's body cramps for a moment when the healing magic starts to fix ruptured muscles and the wound starts to heal, but soon relaxes, as the pain fades. “Thank you all for saving us.“ is her simple answer before she starts a short, silent prayer.
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The Man called Gwerm shrugs uncomfortably when being thanked by Iolaire and Uldir, and when Stevarn has fled his grip, he immediately takes on a dispassionate stance.
“'Twas chance more than intent anyway. Was just trying to get hold on something during the fall.“
Gwerm then looks over at Anevia, and , with open distaste, at the elf. “Guess you're right we have to hurry and I'm even willing to pay you a handsome sum of money to get me safe back to Kenabres. But what about those two. there's not much hurrying with a lame and a blind?“
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“Kendren?“ Aravashnial smiles weakly. “I must be truly blessed by Yuelral to meet you here. So you're fine. But what about Magda?“
When Iolaire comes over to bandage his eyes, he holds still first but then expresses his thanks for the first aid, suddenly seeming much more confident than just seconds ago.
His smile grows bitter when he hears the words Gwerm says about leaving them behind. “So you're still after revenge?“ His voice takes on a nearly commanding tone. “But you won't let us rot here, Kendren, won't you? Who knows which dangers lurk here, and if one of the children guides me, I'll surely be no hindrance for you.“
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It is clear to Alfred that there is no easy way up. The fall was too deep and the rift must have closed again because there's no light to see from above. It seems as if these caverns are of natural origin, but you also know that cities are constantly rebuilt and often there are layers of old city structures on which new buildings were simply constructed on top. So is might be that there is way to reach those structures and through them to reach the surface world again.
By pondering all those ideas you have made some steps away from the wall of rubble where the other survivors are tending their wounds, when you suddenly become a ware of a huge shadow looming between several pillars of stone. You can't make out what it is in the dark, but you've got the distinct feel that it is no natural stone formation. And something let's stand the hairs in your neck.
"I'm not sure about Magda," Kendren says. "She was still in the shop when I left for the ceremony. I had just run into some of the others who are now down here. I hope she's alright, but with the demons attacking, I can't be sure."
At Gwerm's comment, Kendren looks at the man with some degree of disbelief. "My apologies, Master Gwerm, but I do not believe that would be wise. Aravashnial has knowledge that may prove useful to us while we are down here, and though I have not met this young woman before, I imagine she may also have skills that will aid us in our endeavors. Furthermore, if we are to get out of here at all, we must work together and not turn on each other. Demons thrive on division, and by uniting, we will prove ourselves the stronger. I do not expect you to become a boon companion of Aravashnial's, Master Gwerm, but I do believe that we can at least be civil to each other until we can return to the surface."
After speaking to Gwerm, he turns and helps Aravasnial stand, saying, "If you would like, I'm sure one of the children could help guide you. I do not believe helping you would be an imposition on myself, however."
Uldir frowns at Gwerm's suggestion, opening his mouth to refuse the notion of payment--but thinks better of it. The war has come to us in all its fury, and if we survive the next day or two we'll need every coin we can scrape together. Planting his feet firmly, he stares levelly at the nobleman.
"I would no sooner leave them behind than I would abandon your august self, Lord Gwerm. I may not be a warrior, but I am still a soldier of the Crusades and it is my duty to protect my fellows. Besides, the elf appears to be a scholar, perhaps even a mage! The gods know we'll need all the help we can get. Come, let us get away from this rubble and seek out an exit...
Rianne fixes the noble with a disapproving look, "Master Gwern, you were fortunate not to be seriously injured yourself. Thank the gods for your good fortune and have a care for those less fortunate than yourself."
Iolaire pats the elf gently on the shoulder. "I'm sure they can help, if you don't mind a lot of talking at least!" She gets up and heads towards Stevarn, her tail snaking out to grab the shortsword on the way past. With a strong tug of two and brief application of the shortsword Stevarn and Io manage to free the longspear, which Iolaire twirls experimentally before bringing Stevarn and Elise back together.
"Right children, I have some very important jobs for you to do! We're going to be getting out of the caves soon, but Anevia can't walk properly and the elf over there is a wizard, but he's had a nasty accident and he can't see. Elise, since you found the wood for a crutch can you help Anevia? Just walk next to her and help keep her upright if she starts wobbling like Father Cayden. Stevarn, your job is even more important. I need you to be the wizards eyes. When we're walking you have to tell him everything that you can see, any rocks he needs to avoid, stones to step over - you are going to be looking after him and it's a big job! Can you do that for me?"
Taking the children back, Iolaire spends a few moments shaping the wood into a rough crutch before helping first Anevia, then Aravashnial to stand. She introduces Stevarn to Aravashnial and explains what the boy is going to do.
"Kendren has it right. To leave we need to stay together, we all have our own abilities and our chances are much stronger if we work together on this. Those of us with weaponry should lead from the front." She turns to Horgus and offers him the shortsword. "Lord Gwerm, if you would consent to stay with the children and protect them we would all be most grateful." As she walks forward she leans in to Kendren for a moment. "I assume you are a mage of some sort, can you stay with this group as well? I don't want anything sneaking up on us with wounded in the party."
Smiling at Iolaire's request, Kendren says, "I have some spell casting ability, yes, although the training is only semi-formal. I intended to stay near the back, although I'd hope you and the others won't get too far ahead."
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Arianna looked back at Iolaire as she explained her plan and nodded agreement with it. "I can take point and keep an eye out for any difficulties that might present themselves into our path..but perhaps it would be a good idea to walk in a diamond around the children and injured? Keep them in the middle of all of us in the event of an attack in the rear or from the sides?" She offered her advice on the matter.
As his instincts flare, Alfred is startled by the looming shadow. He quickly draws forth his shield, and holding his flail at the ready shouts out...
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"I'd take your help, young Kendren, but in case there's danger ahead, I think it's better you can react immediately, and if the boy is willing to be my eyes, there's no need for you to do that. Still, I thank you for your offer."
Gwerm still seems discontented with having to wait for his injured companion but bites his lip and lets the topic go. He even takes the sword offered by Iolaire and the way he holds it shows that he might have some training with such a weapon. In the meantime, Anevia has stood up, but nearly falls back when putting wight on her injured leg. Immediately, Elise hurries to her help and offers her the crutch. It's obviously that taking her with you might slow you down a bit.
And while you still consider which would be the best formation to ensure everyone's safety, you suddenly hear Alfred shout at the darkness, though neither you nor Alfred can make out any movement in the dark.
Kendren looks towards Alfred and says, "Perhaps we should see what he's shouting at?"
He then begins to move towards the man, hopefully not alone.
Iolaire follows, longspear held in a steady grip in front of her.
Rianne also follows, taking her crossbow in hand on the way.
Uldir steps forward at Alfred's shouted challenge, his pulse suddenly racing with adrenaline--fear, yes, but also a grim, fierce eagerness to enter the fray. The volcanic spirit within gives a silent rumble but does not stir as the dwarf draws his maul-axe from his belt and readies it, placing himself just behind and to the left of the human warrior.
Peering into the darkness, he sets his stance and brings his weapon up to a guard positions.
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When you near Alfred's position, those of you whose sight is better prepeared for the Darkness around you start to recognize more details on what appears to be a huge spider-like thing, bigger than a horse, crouching motionless on the ground as if patiently waiting for its next victim.
But if Alfred's shouting has elicited any reaction from the thing, it doesn't show, because it still doesn't move.
"It looks like an enormous spider. I think it's dead, but I can see something moving around inside it. No way to tell if it might be something dangerous. Probably best to go well around it if we can."
Uldir peers closer, and sees that what he had at first taken for another rock pile was indeed the chitinous form a massive spider--and he saw the twitching too.
"The lass with the rapier has the right of it. We've wounded & children with us, I'll be taking no chances with whatever scavengers are large enough to make a carcass of that size wriggle. Lady Iolaire, if you would be so kind as to give the corpse a jab with your spear?"
Returning his maul-axe to his belt, the dwarf begins making slow passes through the air with his hands, murmuring arcane inflections. Anyone looking at him sees a complex rune begin to glow upon his forehead as the spell nears completion--a ruddy red-orange, like steel being heated in a forge.
Iolaire waves the children and other non-combatants back a pace or two, before looking at the rest of the group to see if they are ready.
Iolaire approaches and when in reach gives the large spider a firm shove with the tip of her spear. She immediately falls back into a ready stance to strike the first thing that appears.
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When you cautiously near the spider, you see that it indeed it's only a carcass of a huge Black Widow and you quietly congratulat yourself that the beast wasn't alive because it would probably have attacked you before you had come back to your senses after the fall.
As you step near the wriggling inside the spider becomes more hectic, and when Iolaire pokes it with the tip of her spear, it nearly explodes, when suddenly the skin gets ripped open and the hideous, pale forms of three giant maggots crawl out, interrupting their feast for the more delicious fresh meat suddenly offering themself to them.
Alfred:
Arianne:
Iolaire:
Kendren:
Rianne:
Uldir:
Maggots:
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Iolaire makes a sharp, disgusted sound and sidesteps quickly, allowing her to bring the length of her spear to bear properly.
Kendren feels a pulse from Terendelev's scale, and immediately knows what to do, as he has since he first discovered his magical abilities. Moving to ensure none of his new companions would not be caught in the blast, he invoked the power of the scale, and a burst of color emerging in a cone, engulfing the maggots in its glow.
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Arianna fought back her revulsion at seeing the maggots bursting out of the thankfully dead spider. The tunnel had been bad enough when it was just a chasm they'd fallen into after the demons attack but now it had horrifying and haunting sights to behold.
But despite that she couldn't risk the maggots getting to the injured people or worse, the children. She lashed out stabbing with her rapier at one of the maggots.
Rianne moves to get a clear shot at one of the remaining maggots, deciding they don't deserve a crossbow bolt fires off a magical ray of frost at it.
Extending his palm, a hissing green glob flies from his hand...
...but his aim was high, the acid splashing uselessly against the chitinous corpse of the spider instead. With a curse the dwarf falls back, placing the human warrior between the writhing things and himself.
This is not what I came to fight... still I guess there is danger here.
Grunting in effort Alfred swings his spiked flail at one of the emerging maggots.
Flail
Bludgeoning damage.
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Arianna's hasty attack only scratches over the surprisingly thick hide of the maggot, before it gets hit by a ray of frost springing from Rianne's hand that makes the beast rear up for a second wriggling in pain. The it rears up again, and with a gurgling sound it sprays Arianna with the gruesome contents of it's last meal.
The third attacker falls to the power of Alfred's wild swing, succeeding in what Uldir's spell couldn't do.