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[Medriev]

Once they had tended to their wounds, the companions found a passage leading south out of the maze chamber close to where the final battle with the arboreans had taken place. The corridor led a short way south and then ended at double doors. Dulvarna and Erlmoor raised their swords and held them against their shoulders and then each reached out for the iron ring handles of the doors. They pulled open the portals at the same time and revealed a wide, square chamber. The floor was thick, loamy soil, and a wide pit with sharply sloped sides had been dug to dominate the centre of the room. On the sides and a the bottom of the pit were what looked like several masses of vines, rocks and soil, all pressed into clumps perhaps ten feet wide. Across the pit stood a creature with goat-like horns, holding a set of reed pipes and with a longbow slung over its shoulder.

Enlishia rushed into the chamber first and raised her bow as she looked down into the pit. There, the mounds of vegetation were starting to move, extending tendrils of vines and roots as though questing for prey. She looked over at the goat-horned creature and recognised it as a satyr, a capricious and sometimes violent woodland creature. Enlishia nocked an arrow to her bow, intending to fire into the pit but as she did, the satyr reached for his own bow marking him as an enemy. She raised her bow and loosed an arrow that flew past the satyr to clatter into the stone wall behind it. She nocked and fired another arrow quickly but this too flew wide of the mark. The satyr drew an arrow from the quiver at its belt, nocked it to its bow and fired. Enlishia dodged to the right and the arrow struck the stone wall behind her. She reached for another arrow and raised her bow to fire again at the satyr.

Telkya rushed into the chamber behind Enlishia and circled around the opposite side of the pit. She raised her amulet and loosed a bolt of golden light into the satyr’s side that drove it back from the edge of the pit. With a roar, Erlmoor charged into the chamber and circled around to the left, passing Enlishia and rushing to meet the satyr with his blade. At the same time, Litiraan circled around the other side of the pit until he stood beside Telkya. He raised his wand and uttered a spell that hurled a silver bolt toward the satyr. It struck the creature in the shoulder and drove it back another step from the pit edge. A moment later, a crackling bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand struck the satyr and the creature reeled toward the south wall of the chamber. Lavren smiled for a moment but then two tendrils of plant matter lashed out from the pit and seized Telkya by an arm and a leg. Sharp thorns drove into the elf maid’s skin and she cried out as suddenly, the tendrils jerked her forward and she plunged down the slope into the pit.

Dulvarna cried out and rushed into the chamber, hurling herself headlong down the north slope of the pit. As she reached the plant creature, she lashed out with her blade, hacking at the vines and fronds that made up the body of this strange creature. Across the pit, a door, unnoticed by all, opened next to Enlishia and from it emerged one of the robed arborean scythe-wielders. It lashed its scythe out of the doorway and drove the point into Enlishia’s right leg, forcing the ranger back against the east wall of the chamber. As the ranger staggered, two fronds lashed out of the pit from another of the plant creatures. One struck the wall next to her but the other lashed into her side, tearing at her flesh and sending her reeling. Desperately, Enlishia tried to retreat but as she looked to the left, she saw more movement in the pit and behind the first arborean, another scythe-wielder came forth. The creature swung out its scythe and Enlishia leapt back, just beyond the reach of its terrible weapon.

Enlishia raised her bow and loosed an arrow into the nearest arborean before retreating away from her enemies along the edge of the pit. She looked back toward the satyr and saw that the fey creature had turned its bow toward Litiraan and loosed an arrow at the wizard. The shaft drove into the elf’s left arm and threw him back into the wall. In the pit, meanwhile, Telkya stabbed and slashed her way free of the plant creature’s body and began to retreat up the slope. She held her blade before her and knew that the creature would attack her again before she could get free. She looked around for aid and saw Erlmoor moving along the far edge of the pit. The dragonborn paused as though sensing her gaze and then charged at the satyr with a roar.

The paladin reached the satyr before the creature had chance to react and slashed his blade across and up into the creature’s belly. It gasped and staggered back, its legs all but giving way beneath it and before it could recover, a silver bolt and a black bolt of energy seared into it, throwing it back against the south wall of the chamber. It looked pleadingly at Erlmoor for a moment and the dragonborn shook its head.
“You have chosen poor allies,” he growled and the satyr scrambled away from him.