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"I gave her the opportunity to surrender. Repeatedly." Siobhan says, standing next to her friend and between the sheriff, the deputy and her mother. "She told us that 'the plan was for you all to die in the forest... but now I'm moving to a new plan.'" Her mimicry is quite good, she gets Jalene's mocking tone down perfectly at least and the scowl on her face makes it clear that she knows that.
"Sheriff, you know us. You know me. I hate the Lumber Company and everything they do to this town but I've never wanted to kill people. Look." She turns sideways to reveal the fresh stab wound in her side. "Jalene gave me that, an hour ago. Find her dagger if you want, it fits. I can promise you that."
There's a certain look of satisfaction on Sheriff Deldrin's face but he does his best to suppress it for the sake of professionalism. "So she's definitely dead, then? Well, that's no great loss as far as I'm concerned. And as for you..." He jabs the weasel-faced man in the chest with one poke of a finger. "I've repeatedly tried to investigate what goes on in the lumber camps, only to be reminded - quite firmly - that my writ does not extend beyond the bounds of Falcon's Hollow. So whatever happened out there," he gestures with one arm, "is of no interest to me. On the other hand, whatever plan you, Jalene, and the others cooked up was almost certainly in her tavern, am I right? Which is within the town and therefore any conspiracy to assault and/or murder would most definitely be my concern. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Weasel-face turns ashen pale as the sheriff scrutinises him closely. He opens his mouth, closes it, and turns to leave - not before giving all of you a glare.
Sheriff Deldrin gives a sigh. "That was almost fun. It's nice to be able to use the law for good on occasion." He looks at you. "That said, there's nothing to stop the Consortium seeking extrajudicial retribution. Town might not be the best place for you right now, Jalene was a favourite of Kreed's. He'll feel almost obligated to do something in response."
"Let him try." Cirthana's voice is fierce. "I've been waiting years for him to do something stupid."
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"We have to go back into the woods anyway Mother." Siobhan says firmly. "There are kobolds in the mountain and they've taken Barlus. Vy wanted to go looking for him but I said the cure was too important. Now that you're better and Sav is doing better we have to go back. I promised."
She moves to embrace her mother, briefly - given that she's covered in sweat and blood. "We'll be back soon, with Barlus. You get better, make your preparations and secure your allies. Then if Kreed does something to us, we'll all be ready."
Vyana, indeed, does look anxious to begin the trek back to find her mentor.
Cirthana looks surprised at Von's comments, but returns the hug. Honest sweat and blood aren't really things she notices after her time at the Worldwound. "Kobolds? Kidnapping?" She doesn't seem to notice the alliteration. "And Barlus..." She gives Vyana a speculative look but doesn't add anything more. "Very well." She gives a brisk shake of her head. "You've gone into those woods once and survived, so I'm not going to talk you out of another trip. Especially since Deldrin seems to think it would be safer for you away from here."
"Alright. Go with my blessing, before I change my mind!"
Finally able to return to the self-assumed quest to rescue Barlus, Vyana isn't ... happy ... exactly. Less stressed would probably be the better term to describe her attitude as they return to the edge of the woods and venture into the wilderness that she's at least semi familiar with.
Much of her magic is expended and blood still seeps from wounds, but she feels that she's at least moving forward.
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Seeing her friend still hurt Siobhan takes her friend's hand as they walk and the half-elf soon feels a pleasant warmth flowing up her arm and onwards through her body. In it's wake the bleeding wound close and the bruises fade to a dull ache. Von smiles at her friend and then lets go of her hand so that Vy can lead the way.
Alorea trails behind the other women, trying to keep her spirits buoyed as they venture through the woods.
The healing warmth brings a rare smile to Vyana's face and she only releases her friend's hand reluctantly.
1 LAMASHAN (X) 4707 AR
Whether it's because Vy is becoming a skilled forester, or due to dumb luck, your trip back through the deep woods of Darkmoon Vale is free of incident; a couple of days later, the 'dust of town now well behind you, you find yourselves back in the foothills of Droskar's Crag, staring once again at the stone ruins of the old dwarven monastery.
In the chamber where you only recently confronted and slew the great warg Greypelt, a set of stairs leads down into a darkness so deep that it seems to swallow up all the light from your torches. The air that wafts up is stale-smelling and musty, ancient, dead. The staircase descends more than 20 feet down before widening to a 10-foot-square landing; its stone walls are covered with intricate carvings of dwarves toiling in mines or over forges. In the center of the chamber stands the bottom half of a broken obsidian obelisk. Crude picks, hammers, and other tools lie scattered around it - obviously not of dwarven make, these are far too crude and sized for creatures much smaller than a dwarf.
The obelisk was once carved with runes, but in its shattered state they are not fully legible. Anyone who can read dwarven can see the remains of a few phrases.
...Toil is the only true path to Salvation. Those who will not work shall have their blood boiled in the Dark Furnace for all time...
...There is no decadent paradise awaiting us after death, as our corrupt ancestors claimed, only industrious labor in Droskar’s Forge awaits the faithful. This great work is its own reward...
...The unfaithful, they will serve in the end, their blood and bones shall stoke the fires of our industry...
...The world will burn to the glory of Droskar...
THE LAVA MUST FLOW
From around you in the darkness, you hear strange echoing noises of dripping, scurrying, whispering, and skittering, ensuring it’s never truly silent.
Vyana glances over the dwarven runes incomprehensibly before looking at her companions. Unfortunately, she sees the same look coming from them both. Accepting that no one will be able to read any of the carved words they come across with little worry, she gives Von a nod and keeping her bow in hand follows after her friend.
"Drat! I knew we should have picked up a Dwarven phrasebook in town," Alorea remarks. The halfling concentrates and conjures a quartet of dancing lights that float ahead of the group, illuminating the way as the trio proceeds.
As you head on down the ancient, low-carved passageways, you find yourselves entering a large, stone chamber where a deep pit filled with molten slag and sizzling blood casts a hellish red gleam on the walls. Three narrow chutes open in the ceiling directly above the pit.
The air is oppressively hot and thick with ash.
You don't have a lot of time to contemplate things because a wormlike creature with a hideous, tentacled mouth falls on you from the ceiling above! It has obviously been a while since it tasted warm flesh. Alorea freezes, flat-footed by Vyana and Siobhan both act on instinct, and manage to strike first.
Vyana summons a magical shield before firing off an enchanted arrow at the creature.
Damage: 8
Siobhan's hastily-raised blade doesn't cause any harm to the creature, but she manages to ward off one of the thing's grasping tentacles. Its bite, however, crunches down hard on her leg, taking off flesh and crushing the bone.
Vy's arrow strikes, but the creature's rock-hard skin absorbs some of the damage.
Alorea casts an amped shield on Siobhan, followed by a spell to daze the grick!
Damage 10
The worm-like creature chitters angrily as Alorea's spell hits it, but it shrugs off the worst of the effects.
Vyana focuses again before sending another arrow at the worm-like creature.
Vy gets a skillful/lucky shot that pierces the creature's eye and it falls dead!
Alorea sighs with relief. "Whew! That thing was gross!" she exclaims. After taking several minutes to meditate and regain her focus, she is ready to continue on.
While Alorea takes a moment, Vyana retrieves the arrows that survived and then examines the enchantment permeating the forge.
"I'm guessing this is divine magic of a sort," she says finally, brushing her hand against the warm stone. "Not my area of expertise. We should continue on."
"Torak ... or somebody like that, right?" the half-elf offers, demonstrating her knowledge of the subject.
Stepping over the corpse of the grick, you move onward through the darkness. The next chamber features a large fountain. Steam rolls off water pouring from a stone obelisk at the fountain’s center, filling the entire chamber with its haze and damp. Even your torchlight can't penetrate far in the mist, but you stumble your way across and onwards.
Beyond that is a series of long, stone corridors, extending further than your torchlight can reach. Here, the ceiling is at least high enough that you can stand upright, and you make good progress - until from around the next corner you hear an evil-sounding hiss! A moment later, what appears to be a floating suit of dwarf full plate armour floats toward you, its metal boots gliding a full foot above the floor. One empty gauntlet clutches an axe which glows with perpetual light, illuminating the whole corridor as if if were daylight.
It makes no sound, beyond a slight hiss.
Having never faced undead dwarves before, Vyana relies on the basics. Taking a step back, she enchants an arrow and looses it at the armored figure.
Alorea's eyes widen as she sees the dwarven armor and axe. She immediately recognizes it as belonging to her missing friend. "Druingar..." she says with regret.
Her keen senses detect the faint outline of the slimy mass in which the gear is suspended. "Be careful! It's a gelatinous cube!" she declares. The halfling telekinetically hurls a projectile as she backpedals down the corridor.
"Don't get too close or you'll get stuck inside it!" Alorea advises.
"A what?!" Vyana questions, glancing at the halfling. "What in the nine hells is that?" Continuing to hold an arrow to the string, she takes a few steps back. "I still shoot it, right?"
Vy's arrow penetrates the cube with a disgusting "SPLORTCH" sound as it tears through the jelly. It mostly reforms around the wound, with the arrow now floating inside it; the wood and feathers are rapidly digested until only the metal arrowhead is left, visible in the light being radiated from the axe. The cube inches closer towards you, moving slowly but with the inexorable surge of a rising tide.
"Yes, shoot it! Attack and fall back. Don't let it get too close!" Alorea says. She unleashes her psyche and hurls another projectile.
Not having missed the fact that there's nothing left of the previous arrow other than the head, Vyana reluctantly pulls another from her quiver and, after giving it an appropriate enchantment, fires it at the strange creature.
"How will we know when it's dead?" she questions.
Holes start to appear in the gelatinous cube's form, but they slowly start to ooze back together as it keeps surging forwards, slow - but inexorable. At some point soon you're going to run out of room.
Alorea keeps hurling projectiles, hoping they can kill it before they run out of room!
Just as you start to run out of room, the cube (perhaps sensing prey in that mindless way it has) surges forward with a burst of movement that catches you by surprise! Vyana just manages to stay clear, but the mass of shimmering plasm threatens to engulf both Alorea and Siobhan.
Alorea is just a fraction too slow to avoid the cube. She whimpers as it draws her into its slimy mass, and she comes face to face with the remains of Druingar Glintaxe! Her mind aches from unleashing her psyche and her skin burns from the ooze's acid. She focuses her thoughts and terror and forges that into a blade of force. The blade slices open a hole in the gelatinous cube, allowing her to tumble free!
Determined to stand to the last, Vyana fires off one last magical arrow into the viscous mass before drawing her dagger.
status -57 hp
Alorea manages to carve her way out of the cube, but Siobhan is trapped inside! The acid continues to burn her. A pseudopod of plasm stretches out towards the halfling, catching her across the face and burning her with acid, before the cube (badly tattered and torn now, but still whole) surges towards Vyana.
Vyana manages to dodge the doom of being engulfed before stabbing at it with her narrow blade.
Alorea goes rigid as the cube's touch locks her muscles in place!
status -71
Vy just barely manages to hit the huge, slow-moving cube of soft jelly, carving a streak down its side that slowly reforms. The thing has lost most of its shape but it is still "alive" in whatever form that means; a large pseudopod wraps itself around the half-elf, searing her badly and threatening to paralyse her!
Siobhan manages to regain use of her limbs, but stuck inside the cube she takes damage as the acid continues to digest her.