Imedren! Anophth calls out, rushing to his side. He grabs Imedren by one leg and drags him out of the room into relative safety.
Joy immediately grabs a handful of berries that she picked earlier that morning, and pours energies into them. Her eagerness and fear at Imedren's state is palpable.
A few moments later, she dashes up to the fallen man, a berry twixt her fingers.
"Come on Imedren, you'll be fine, you'll be fine!", she says, trying to tamp down fear and panic.
At the quickness of his friends actions, Imedren blearily opens his eyes.
"Ugh, agh. Oh not again... Uruuna's gonna kill me if I keep doing this. Joy. Anophth. What... what happened?"
Giant flash of light knocked you out! We're getting out of this room before it happens again! Anophth says, still dragging Imedren by one leg, sideways.
Dramm breathes a sigh of relief at Joy's quick thinking.
"Good idea, Anophth. This is the last room? I hope so. I've had enough of Elves and Shrines." He helps Imedren to his feet, steadying the priest. "Be more careful, Imedren. These scars aren't healing as well any more. Magic has limits. Lets get out of here."
Uruuna glares at Imedren. "Stop being so reckless! You're right about one thing. If the next trap doesn't kill you, I just might."
"There's still those tunnels if you want to check them out," Delia says,
Fine, but you're going first. Anophth says.
Imedren grimaced against the pain but nodded.
"Right, a few days and natural healing. Well then someone else is going to get to go first, and second, and third. I'll be near the back, I think. Uh, Anophth you can let go now. I'm pretty sure I can walk by myself at this point."
"I'll go first. Imedren, just stay at a distance and take it easy. My magic can protect me... I should really teach you that spell."
Dramm will take point for a while and lead the way to the tunnels, knife drawn. He draws the magic from the air to restore himself.
You climb down to the rubble-strewn cave and begin to search around. After a few minutes, though, you hear guttural growls and shouts from the tunnels. Seven humanoids emerge into the room. They have hairless, chalk-white skin crusted with filth and blood. Bruises ring their black eyes, and they have filed their teeth to sharp points. They raise their picks and rush to attack!
Anophth rushes forward to face the enemy, striking out with his fancy walking cane.
There are too many; you need greater strength.
Anophth screams as his muscles bulge and stretch beyond their natural capabilities.
Frightened for rounds.
In such bad condition as he was, Imedren had been hanging back near the rope. When the strange but threatening creatures reveal themselves, he immediately ran behind Uruuna and whoever else was nearby.
"More mad rats in the Fae maze..." Dramm points to the nearest one.
The creature is faster than expected. Much faster. The magical energy fails to tear into the beast!
"S+&*!" The creature starts to duck under the tendrils. Suddenly Uruuna shoulder checks the creature in the hip as it passes!
"S%@+!" The creature starts to duck under the tendrils. Suddenly Uruuna shoulder checks the creature in the hip as it passes!
Uruuna steps in front of Imedren, raising her sword and shield. "Let them come to us! Hold the line!" She readies to strike when the monsters rush in.
Delia shakes with fear as the snarling creatures appear. She holds her axe unsteadily, knees trembling.
At the sight of the *things*, fear slides into Joy's heart like a sharpened blade.
Regardless, she lobs a bullet into the fray.
Dramm's spell rips into one of the humanoids, badly wounding it. The creature screams curses in a a debased form of High Archaic, with a few words of Dark Speech peppered in. It seems to embrace the pain, drawing strength from it.
The wounded creature leads the charge as they all rush into attack. Uruuna cuts him down with her sword, then raises her shield against the onslaught! Three attack her, driving their picks into her side and leaving her critically wounded. Two of the others rush Dramm, one scoring a light wound. The last one charges Delia but she dodges its strike.
Anophth moves up to bash the nearest foe with his cane. As it reels, the goblin calls on dark magic to grant him further power.
Uruuna cries out in pain as she stumbles, terribly wounded yet again. "Fight them off! Take them down!" she shouts, fighting defensively. Her guarded attack is off the mark.
Delia screams and slashes wildly at the air!
Anophth tries to break the creature in front of him.
Imedren was still frightened of these things as they rushed in and began to brutally attack the group of them.
"No, Uruuna!"
He took a deep breath, warping into that unfamiliar space in the world.
even as he spoke and the magic came forth his pain and fear weakened the force of his magic but seeing Uruuna pushed him to give a stronger effort.
Despite the weak flames, two of the creatures take the full force of them. A second cane strike from Anophth puts one of those two down for the count!
Dramm snarls when one of the madmen slams him with a pick. He turns on one of Uruuna's wounded attackers and slashes an effigy. The creature is wracked by magic!
"Retreat, Uruuna, I can hold here!"
Tabog, caught off-guard by the sounds echoing down the hall, his first instinct is to run, flinching, he stops and shakily fires arrows at the fiends.
"This does not look good guys, let's get the hell outta here!"
Continuing to supply cover fire.
Between Tabog's arrows and a sling bullet from Joy, the two other creatures wounded by the fire blast fall. The remaining three swing their picks, dropping Uruuna and wounding Dramm and Delia!
"Get her up! I have this!" Dramm carves protections in the air, the slight hum of a force field rising to his ears. "I'm here, you filth!"
Anophth moves in front of Uruuna and next to Dramm to attack the creature threatening them both.
"Joy, help Uruuna!" Imedren said quickly as he reached down for his wife and picked her up from the ground and held her to Joy.
Come on... We got this... I hope.
Badly wounded, Delia retreats, leaving Dramm to hold the monsters at bay. Tabog shoots one, causing it to roar in anger. All three attack Dramm, one charging to get at him. Sparks fly as one pick scrapes against his force field.
Anophth moves in and smacks the wounded creature twice with his cane. Imedren carries Uruuna to Joy, who feeds the halfling a healing berry. As she regains consciousness, Uruuna stands up, draws her dagger, and hurls it at the injured enemy. It lodges in his throat, and he gurgles blood as he falls!
Dramm barely registers the glancing pick against his shield. He is preoccupied by the seven point sigil he's creating. With a quick stone toss, seven bolts erupt and smash into the northern madman.
"Me first, creature." Dramm snarls at him.
Dramm! Anophth calls out as he's repeatedly attacked.
Anophth charges the last one to strike it down quickly.
"Very nice Dramm, keep it up!"
Tabog continues his flurry of arrows.
"Boom!... Boom! Haha! Yeah!"
Dramm and Tabog team up and swiftly bring down one of the savage creatures. Only one remains! Anophth's attack comes up just short.
Imedren was still nervous but seemed to regain some of his composure and looked up from Uruuna, waiting just long for the last creature to move before he moved in too. In a sudden rush he strikes at the creature hitting it for as much power as he dared.
The monster strikes Dramm again, chipping away at his force field.
Imedren rushes in and smashes the creature, and Uruuna follows suit, delivering a precise thrust to its guts that kills it!
It seems all the dangers have passed, but then Anophth turns to Dramm with a crazed look in his eye...
"Anophth... I know that look, damn it! Anophth! Stop! Do not, No! Bad! Watch it Dramm, I'm gonna take out his knee!"
Tabog pulls out a couple of arrows and pops the heads off of them, leaving just the shaft and fletching. He takes aim and fires at the goblin's knee hoping to stagger him.
"What?!" Imedren calls turning to face the new threat.
"Anophth! Forgive me for this!"
Dramm is still smiling viciously at the crushed bodies when Tabog shouts his warning. He looks up just in time to see the Goblin's legs take a hit from an arrow shaft and dark magics whither and weaken his limbs.
"No, he's still in there." Dramm's voice is surprisingly calm. He moves to grab the Goblin tightly in a bear hug. "Steady, Anophth, come back to us. I know you can hear me. It's over. You saved Uruuna."
Joy gulps, and hangs back. She puts the three remaining healing berries in her hand, in case she needs to feed one to Anophth. Or Dramm.
It looks as though the goblin might slip away, but Dramm manages to grab tightly, squeezing the smaller figure in a bear hug.
"Come back Anophth, you can beat this thing." he urges his friend, "It couldn't shake you with words, now it's desperate."
Dramm grabs hold of Anophth, then Imedren curses him and Tabog puts an arrow in his knee. The possessed goblin slumps, unconscious from the pain,
Dramm looks around at the others, the calmness has left his face and he is clearly worried.
"That wasn't normal. Anophth was right, something else is in there. Did you see his eye? The blackness inside?" He carefully lays the Goblin down and places his cloak under Anophth's head. "He's going to blame himself. He shouldn't."
Searching the rubble turns up a stone axe, an idol of a fat toad-like monster (worth 1 silver shilling to a collector), and a purple gemstone worth 2 silver shillings. You take your prizes and your unconscious ally and retreat before more monsters can emerge from the tunnels.
The shrine has been fully explored!
Dramm takes turns with Imedren to carry Anophth out of the shrine and keeping him safe until he awakens. Before leaving, Dramm returns to the room where the chaos shards were stored. He searches it hurriedly, anxiety and frustration growing on his face.
See time later. ..
What happened? Did we win? I don't remember getting knocked out. Is everyone alive? Why does my knee hurt?