Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"

We have almost the same house rule then Except that we use spell points instead of Vancian for a while (explained that with a godly conflict) and you could officially only cast spontaneously what was practiced a lot. Of course at level 7 you had practiced all of your 2nd level spells and then some. But learning new low levels spells except 0 and 1st level still required you to use them a few times before they were spontaneous.


I like it when players shake up things, but I might have given the respective PC a wisdom penalty for a while lol

One of my campaigns has a PC with a wisdom score of 1. Fun games.

Alaria, Braddok and Fen followed their companions down the wide slope of the cavern. It was very high and arched, seemingly entirely natural stone. A few great pillars of rock had formed over the ages where the stalagmites and stalactites had met. In other areas great spires rose from the floor at different heights and various sized spikes hung from the ceiling. The entire place gave off a slight glow of iridescent orange, soft green and yellow from veins of curious minerals layered through the rock.
The feint taint of sulfur filled the air.

All of the companions (except Braddok) were reminded of the cavern in which they'd encountered the piercers and Hargak and very much hoped either of those creatures did not share the behir's lair.

They came around a bend to find the others rifling through the sack the behir had just acquired. Duor was pulling on his magic boots, Haelan was donning his chainmail shirt (no doubt too small to be of any use to the lizardmen) and rejoiced to find his helmet with the tree-patterned noseguard and front he'd taken, with great humility and respect, from one of the fallen elvin soldiers at Silver Falls.

The daelvar breathed a long sigh of relief to pull his "food bowl" out of the holding pack as well. "Thank Faerantha we still have this. I am starving! Can we have dinner now? We completely missed lunch!"

"No we cain't have dinner now, yeh daft hairfoot. We've gotta hundred feet of dragon-snake out there waitin' to eat us!" Duor snapped s he jumped to his feet, silently lamenting that his hand crossbow and small dart-sized quiver did not seem to be in the packs or sack of treasure. He did, however collect a small handful (3 more uses) firestone shards. The dwarf immediately took off further into the cavern to begin searching for an exit...preferably one that would be too small for the behir to follow.

"Here, Braddok. Here's yours!" Haelan offered the swordsman, lugging with some difficulty the large man's short-sleeved chainmail shirt. The warrior donned it quickly and grabbed up the slightly enchanted longsword from the bag of tribute treasures. His dagger and short bow did not seem to be among the booty.

Erevan recovered the odd dark-bladed hunting knife and his magic quiver. Unfortunately, only 3 of the enchanted arrows had remained within it. He recovered a total of 15 arrows, though he knew those not in the quiver would have lost their magic. He filled the Quiver of Tethyril (10 arrows), nocked one in his longbow and stuck the remaining 4 into his belt.

"We really don't have time for this. Is everyone ready? We must find a way out of here." Alaria said with alarm as the sound of hissing and bubbling stone echoed down into the chamber.

Festus and Fen had been searching other areas of the cavern out of view and all came running when they heard Duor cry out.

All of the companions came racing around a bend to see the back of the dwarf in a small crack in the cavern wall. The dwarf turned around at their alarmed approach, a huge non-too-pretty smile on the dwarf's face. His hnds were filled with shining coins and gemstones that glittered in the strange ambient light of the place.

"LOOK! Not a dragon's hoard to be sure, but a damn fine haul!" the dwarf said, elated.

"We don't have time, Duor. Grab what we can and let's find a way out of here." Alaria again warned.

"Braddok, gimme yer shield boy. Haelan, the holding pack!" the dwarf commanded and began shoveling treasure with the shield into the 'bottomless' backpack.

Alaria saw, within the shoveled treasures more than one scrollcase, but there was definitely no time to examine them now. She was so very tired. It had been a day of travel, being sucked dry by poisonous vines, captured, escaped, and now on the run from a behir. She had next to no energy left for the working of her magics, not to mention her remaining spells were of a limited defensive use. She looked to her wrist and the bracelet of forcebeads that had only one small ball of amber hanging from it. By her calculations, the Staff of Azanna had three, perhaps four, bolts of lightning left in it before it would require recharging. She was in desperate need of rest...more than one day if at all possible.

Duor stopped shoveling when he struck something rather large and began to chuckle. "Heheheheh. Ohhhh Braddok. Think yeh might have some use fer somethin' like THIS!"

The dwarf pulled out a long wide scabbard that was wrapped in threads of gold and dotted with blue gems along its length. He passed the sword to the warrior who took it, the awe apparent on his face.

The hilt was similarly golden and jeweled with oval sapphires. He withdrew the blade, longer than his own sword, but noticeably lighter and beautifully balanced. When it was fully draw, the blade flared with a blue light that shone in a 20 foot radius.

The warrior gave it a few test swings and believed he could use the weapon with his shield, even though the handle had room enough for him to use both hands if he chose. The Grinlian swordsman was at a loss for words at the weapons beauty.

"Niiiice blade. I don't suppose there's any armor in there?" the still unarmored, naked save for his cloak, belts and pouches, Festus said.

"Hmmm..." the dwarf said as he returned to shoveling treasure into the holding pack. "Other stuff to be sure, it goes back some ways."

"Is there a way OUT?!" Alaria burst. "Otherwise..."

"Here, magess." Fen's voice called from another bend in the cavern.

Alaria and Braddok raced to the druid's location. They found the source of the sulfur smell. A large pool that was giving off yellowy fumes and bubbling from some natural hotspring. The entire pool seemed to glow from the stone beneath it.

The humans quickly covered their noses from the noxious fumes and came to stand near the druid who was pointing at a large pile of bones against the wall.

When they looked questioningly at the druid, he pointed up the wall. About twenty feet off the floor there was a hole in the cavern wall that might have been easily missed, almost masked by the natural crenulated rock face.

It appeared to be only about four feet in diameter.

"Small enough that the behir should not be able to follow." Fen noted.

"Well done, Fen!" Braddok said with a smile. "How'd we get up there?"

Erevan and Haelan came racing to the pile of bones. "However it is, we need to do it NOW!" Erevan said in obvious urgency. "Rach'sha is almost through the cave in."

Braddok looked around the bend at the dwarf who was examining a coil of silver-white rope, while the satyr was scooping handfuls of coins into the pack he carried. "Duor! Festus! NOW!" the swordsman commanded.

"But how are we..." Haelan began to ask as Alaria, who had been murmuring, began to float up into the air. <mage spell: Levitate>

Fen, similarly began to chant quietly and within a moment, shouldered his spear, reached up and then "stepped" onto the wall.

"Come, friend Haelan. Quickly now, up my back." the druid said to the wide-eyed daelvar.

The halfling did as asked and Fen, with a bit of difficulty (the armored Hilltender was heavier than the half-elf expected), began to climb up the wall like a spider.

"But, what about the others?" Haelan said looking down at the swordsman and elf who were, apparently waiting for their lagging greedy companions.

Alaria continued to float beside the opening. Her vision could not pierce the darkness of the small opening, but anywhere the behir was not was preferable. She looked down and heard the low rumble and hissing sounds of rocks being dissolved and toppling over. No time.

"Braddok, be ready." the magess called down and called to mind the enlarging incantation she'd used many times before. "Cirenbyr Beliviara”<mage spell: Enlarge>

The swordsman grew to nearly the height of the opening and putting his hand down was all of the invitation Erevan needed. The elf lept up upon the giant human's thick forearm and raced up his arm, across his broad shoulders and continued up the other arm to gain access to the chamber.

Erevan set his bow, prepared to fire at the first sight of the creature.

As Fen reached the opening with Haelan on his back, it was apparent the opening was too small for the elf to block with his form.

"Inside! Everyone inside! Go! Hurry, as far in as you can! Don't look back, don't wait. We're getting out of here." Braddok deep booming voice said.

Alaria looked, concerned, at the swordsman.

"I'll be along, soon as the others are in." Braddok said to her. "You must hurry."

Alaria nodded, solemnly, and floated her way over and into the opening. Erevan and Fen were crouched some distance inside. Haelan (the only one who could actually stand in the narrow short opening) looked at the magess.

"You heard him. Move! Move! We must be away from here, the beast may be able to get partially in here...or can breathe his deadly acid. We must be away." Alaria commanded.

The others nodded seriously and began to move slowly further down...or "up" the shaft. Erevan called into being his puffball of light to lead their way and the four moved with all speed.

Shortly thereafter, they could hear Festus' hooves entering the chamber (having clambered up Braddok's large form) and finally Duor's grumbling voice about "what [they'd] left."

Alaria turned back as a booming roar shook through the cavern and passageway. Dirt and small pieces of rock shook loose all around them. She could see back passed the silhouettes of the satyr and dwarf (who could also stand in the passage) to see Braddok's huge form block all of the light of the cavern.

"Alaria! We're clear!" Braddok's voice boomed in return.

The magess released the enchantment on the swordsman who had placed a giant hand on the lip of the passage, as he shrunk he, more or less, climbed and shrank his was into the passage, though the man's large form was cramped in the small space.

"Noooooohoohoo!" Rach'sha's voice again thundered through the rocks. "Pink FLESHHHH! You disappoint me, pink-flesh. Like boiling fish in a pond. I will dissolve you all and sip you like soup!"

The behir's large head appeared at the edge of the opening.

"Festus, Duor, to one side!" Alaria cried, hearing the behir's large intake of breath. The magess realized in this tiny tube they were, in fact, sitting ducks.

She summoned the last of her elementary spells with as much of her energy as she could muster. She knew, in the depths of her mind and spirit, that she would not be able to extend herself much further without risking the spell-sleep.

"Beriz theran!"<mage spell: Shield> Alaria called even as the behir began to exhale.

A field of pale blue light burst into being just behind Braddok's shape. Through the translucent light, the splattering and flowing of liquid was quite evident. A caustic odor assaulted all of the companions in the small narrow space. Several of them became physically ill from the nasal onslaught.

The hissing and smouldering of the surrounding rocks began to melt and collapse around and through the mystic shield even as a crying boom of a lament from the behir echoed around them.

When the sizzling and smouldering had subsided, Alaria dispeled the magical shield to see that the whole of the passage had been dissolved and melted...completely closed off.

"No worries about pursuit, at least. acheh." Festus attempted to smile as he wiped the last of some sick from his goateed chin.

A short distance further and the companions came to a small, but open chamber. The air was stale, but not filled with nauseating fumes. A quick survey of the near empty chamber revealed a circular opening in the ceiling, beneath which sat an obviously old iron mining cart. There was also a passageway that led off the chamber, and unlit torches in sconces to each side of the passage.

Alaria floated out of the slanted "chute" of a passage and hovered in midair for a moment as Festus, Duor and finally Braddok exited into the chamber. Then, she simply collapsed upon the chamber floor.

Braddok and Haelan rushed to her side. Fearful that the magess might again slip into her catatonia.

"I am...alright." Alaria replied to their queries, though the exhaustion was evident in her voice. "But I simply can not continue. We must rest here. We must. I simply can't." Alaria's final sentence sounded apologetic.

"The magess is correct." Fen added stoically. "I am sorely tired from the day's activities."

"Nothing to apologize for, Alaria. Or you Fen...OR Festus! We finally have a moment to thank you for the save from those awful lizard-men." Haelan said cheerily.

"We seem to be out of harm's way for the moment. I concur, it's been a bloody long day! We should rest here."

Noone argued and everyone more or less collapsed where they stood.

The daelvar wasted no time withdrawing the grey and red-flecked magical food-producing bowl. "And it's passed time for dinner AND lunch. What do we fancy?" he smiled to the group at large.

"Could give me a lizardman steak for all I care." Festus joked. "I'm starving!"

"Mutton pasties it is then." Haelan replied with a grin.

Festus was able to withdraw only two wineskins from Imgulg's magic packs. They rationed carefully and ate and drank in near silence. Alaria passed out on the dirt floor, wrapped only in her cloak, before most of the rest had finished eating.

Braddok finally noted, as the others set about watches and settling in, that the wizard was barely covered by the remains of her traveling gown. The man found his eyes lingering upon her mud and dirt smudged skin and the near alabaster where the wear and muck of the day had not yet found.

The swordsman took it upon himself to search for her purple gown in the holding packs and was delighted to find it.

Erevan silently came up behind him and touched his shoulder. With an unspoken look, he told the man to get his rest. Braddok nodded in reply and quite easily fell into a deep slumber.

Duor was already out cold and mumbling to himself in his sleep about "riches" and "coin" and "take that!".

Erevan took a position beside the open passageway. His elvin sight allowed him a good amount of vision down the dark corridor. He set aside his bow and placed the few un-quivered arrows on the floor beside him. He took out his spellbook and quietly began to study, keeping his astute pointed ears open for any warning of approach.

The companions let Alaria and Fen sleep as long as they could. The half-elf, of course, required significantly less sleep than the human. But both were particularly pleased to feel refreshed and renewed in their energies.

Alaria gave her books and thorough perusal after changing into her violet gown (which Erevan, stoically, holding up her dark blue cloak to shield her from the others...well, from Festus particularly).

Haelan meditated quietly, as did Fen.

Duor and Festus were eagerly poking through the treasures they'd claimed from the behir's cache. Acknowledging their position, with a bit of nudging from Braddok, the dwarf ignored most of the coins and gems (skillfully pocketing a few handfuls of coin and a couple of large gems without notice), and pulled out the objects that he thought might be magical or useful.

These included, three potions (one dark blue, one pinkish with red flecks and one transluscent and thick..."like clear milk" Haelan commented.), two scrolls which he quickly passed off to the spellcasters, a large helmet that had great white feathered wings attached over each ear-plate (this was summarily given to Braddok to replace his usual helm which had not been among the treasures.) and the coiled length of curious silvery thin rope (about 20 feet worth).

Festus joked that Braddok looked like one of the flying warrior women he'd heard songs about from the Gorunduun barbarians, to the north of Daenfrii. Haelan thought it looked "charming, though a bit like something Coerraine would wear." The daelvar then got melancholy to again think about their lost paladin friend.

Between Alaria and Erevan they quickly recognized most of the spells on the scrolls. Two incantations of the energy darts, though with something a bit "extra", in their words, to the spells they knew. One also had a spell of shocking grasp. As both mages alreay possessed this spell, noone objected to Alaria using it, immediately, to recharge the electrical shocking power of her staff. The other contained a spell neither mage knew, though Alaria could readily make out that it involved an evocation of fire-base.

Alaria's mystic site quickly concluded that the rope was magical, the helmet however, was not. Braddok shrugged, not at all disappointed, but lamented the wings were white instead of black, like his heraldic bird.

Alaria, with a kind smile invoked another simple cantrip and altered the coloring of the wings to ebony, which pleased Braddok greatly.

"Consider it a gift for finding my change of clothes amongst all of this clutter we now carry." the magess smiled coyly at the warrior.

"My thanks, my lady." Braddok smiled in rturn and nodded a curt bow.

"But wut's it do?" Duor said in frustration at the human's flirting, referring to the silvery rope he now held. He tossed it a couple of times at Festus.

The satyr looked unapproving as the coil of rope merely smacked against his bare (but hairy) muscled chest.

"If I may?" Fen said stoically, picking up the rope from the floor.

"But it's still mine!" Duor was quick to add. "I found it, fair n' square."

Fen nodded with rolling eyes at the dwarf, "Of course, master dwarf." Keeping his hand on one end of the rope, he threw the rest of the length above them, toward the curious opening in the ceiling.

In midair, the rope seemed to uncoil and "attach" itself (with nothing apparent to attach to!) to the edge of the circular opening. Fen gave it a couple of solid yanks and it did not dislodge or come down.

"Way t'go, druid! Now it's stuck." Duor said in frustration before his dwarven mind realized it was a magic rope to use for climbing.

"How does one get it down?" Haelan asked, thoroughly impressed with the enchantment of the rope.

Fen shrugged and tugged on it again.

Erevan walked over, calmly, took the end of the rope from Fen and gave the rope a shake, as if using a whip, the end at the opening, simply detached and the entire length came down and, by itself, recoiled in the elf's hand.

He tossed the silver rope to the dwarf as he said, "Rope of Climbing. Let's go."

The dwarf scowled at the elf, outwardly, while inside he was jumping up and down at the possibilities of such an item's use...if they ever returned to any civilized land.

"And these?" Festus said, swirling around one of the potions in his hand.

Alaria tore the vial out of the satyr's hand. "We can not say, as yet. But we will...to be sure, " she stared angrily at the satyr, "NOT be tasting them until we know."

"Yeah, yeah..." the ranger responded. "Unless it's an emergency, of course." he smirked a leering grin at the magess and winked.

Alaria did not return the humor, turning instead to Braddok and discussing their next move.

The passage was wide and high enough to walk in double file. So, Festus and Duor took the fore to scan for traps and peer as far as their differing vision could into the darkened passage. They were followed by Erevan. Some distance behind, Braddok walked with shield and glowing blue sword in hand.

The elf, dwarf and satyr could confirm that the magical light of the sword did not disrupt their vision...a welcomed surprise for all.

Still, Braddok stayed about fifteen feet behind the advance so that his light might aid Alaria's vision in the next rank, with Haelan. No need to light torches or for Alaria to invoke the much more severe/noticable blue-white sparking of her staff. Fen brought up the rear, sticking close to the wizard and priest.

The Hilltender was again lamenting their deplorable care of the ferret, Buttercreamshadowfeet, who was left to her own devices somewhere in that awful swamp. He hoped and prayed to his goddess that she would not fall prey to the lizardfolk or deadly snakes or vampiric vines or goddess knew what else in that horrid place.

They moved a short way and the passage came to a door.

Duor listened carefully at it and reported quietly that there was some garbled mumbling voices behind it. A casual examination of the door revealed it was not trapped and seemed to open outwards (toward the party), making a surprise entry difficult.

Readying themselves for a battle, Duor threw open the portal and Festus, Erevan and Braddok charged in to find a small barracks of a sort, with four small beds and a small square table around which sat four goblins arguing over some game of cards and dice. Their arms were casually strewn about their cots and, while armored, none had shields or weapons ready.

Two of the four grey-green skinned creatures fell in moments, before Alaria came through the door and ordered one be taken alive...for information, of course.

One made a break for stairwell on one wall (the companions realized they had no indication of what direction was what in this place). It made three steps before falling with two of Erevan's arrows in its back before it could even broach the first step.

The last goblin, who had gone for his shield and shortsword on his bunk turned and looked defiantly at the interlopers. The poor thing saw seven heavily armed demihumans and humans in its chamber and threw its weapon and shield on the ground before raising its hands.

"No hurts! No hurts! Gives up!" the goblin croaked.

"Gotcher captive here, magess. Now what?" Duor said calmly to Alaria. The dwarf then casually began searching the room, looking over the weapons, lamentably, "shoddy goblin make" and looking into sacks and small chests looking for any sort of treasure he could find.

Duor found only strange small medallions, each with a black horned dragon face on them, more shoddy weapons, hole-riddled cloaks and other dirty day-to-day items and about two handfuls (20) copper pieces of strange make with unknown minting symbols upon them.

"What is your name?" Alaria said to the goblin.

The goblin, thoroughly shaken and shaking, did not answer.

"Lady asked you a question, filth." Festus said seriously as he moved his blade closer to the goblin's throat.

"Festus, there's no need for that." Alaria said calmly. She placed a soft hand upon the satyr's shoulder and pulled him away. "Your name?"

"Gak." the goblin said. "Me called Gak."

"Gak, we need to know what is up these stairs. What creatures inhabit this place? Where is the dragon and what does it hold?" Alaria said.

The goblin crooked its head to the side and furrowed its heavy brow.

"If he doesn't know, can I gut him now?" Festus said stepping forward again.

"No! No hurts! Gak knows!" the goblin quickly amended as the satyr took a step forward.

"Stairs goes to more gobbles...and the cells, the shadows...and the master's rooms after that. No goes to the master's rooms. Very bad mojos. You not hurts the master." Gak quickly blurted.

"Yeh watch us, goblin. We'll hurts the master." Duor said over his shoulder rifling through a moldy sack.

"And who is your master, Gak?" Alaria asked.

The little grey-green creature looked side to side, as if scared to answered. Finally, it leaned close toward Alaria and whispered, "The dragon's shadow is master."

"Gottit. Let's go." Festus said, moving in, again, to harm the creature.

"Festus! Knock it off." Haelan now interjected. Most of the companions were again caught off guard to hear the daelvar hill-priest making such a commanding statement.

"Does this dragon's shadow have a name?" Haelan said, now moving closer to the goblin.

The creature stretched its hunched form to sneer down at the halfling that was now shorter than it was. "You can not hurts the master."

"The master's name, Gak?" Alaria said. The magess was significantly more imposing to the creature, apparently and it quickly hunched over again in obvious deference.

"Says the master is...Tresahd...but gobbles calls it different...for many litters of gobbles." Gak responded.

"The Bulgruch? Is the Bulgruch your name for it?" Erevan supposed, his bow hand itching to put an arrow through this deplorable creature's skull. The elf knew, without any shadow of doubt that it would try to escape and/or betray them at its first opportunity.

The goblin placed a hand to its mouth to, unsuccessfully, cover its giggling. "Knows nothing. Pointy ears, knows nothing. Bulgruch serves the master. Destroys the elves with the Red Claws and buggy-bars."

Gak turned his head and looked sidelong at the companions. Gak was not stupid for goblin and was gleaning as much information for them as they were getting from him.

"Not knows so much? Heroes not knows. heeheeheeh." Gak said unprovoked.

"Then you will tell us!" Alaria said strongly and called the harmless but electrical sparking light to the end of her staff as she thrust it in Gak's direction.

The goblin soldier quickly realized he was not in any position to chuckle at these things. This one was a wizard too!

"No hurts! No hurts! Gak tells!" the goblin quickly cowered and huddled into a ball in the corner of the room.

"What are these?" Duor finally said, completing his search. The dwarf held up one of the four badges he'd found.

"Gak's tribe. Black Death. We serves the master. Red Talon serves the..." he looked with disdain at Erevan, "serves the Bulgruch...who serves the master."

"And what is it you call the master beside Tresahd?" Alaria asked, already fearful of the answer she would receive and hoped to Manat it was not so.

Gak looked long and hard at the magess, then to the other heroes about the room. "Can not wiiiinssss." Gak seethed quietly through clenched pointed teeth.

"The name, Gak!" Alaria commanded. "I grow tired of your avoiding the question. I might just let my friends here have their way." Alaria surprised herself that she, in fact, felt no remorse at the threat.

As Gak spoke it, Alaria felt the entire chamber grow dark and a chill rise up through her back (though in reality nothing about the torch lit chamber had changed).

"Dezzz-ay-ar-thillll." Gak smirked. The goblin could smell the fear coming off of the magess...and the others as the name passed his lips.

Alaria took a step back, her attempt to mask the fear on her face was unsuccessful.

"Wait..." said Festus in his typically dim way, "Desaarthal is Tresahd?!"

"That's wut the goblin sed." Duor said impassively.

"What does he want?" Braddok now stepped up and commanded a response from the smirking goblin.

Gak's toothy grin quickly left its face as the huge human warrior stepped forward. This human could obviously hurt him...very much.

"He?" Gak said, honestly confused.

"Yeah, I thought Des-...um...the dragon was a 'she' that seduced Evaranthriine's father?" Haelan said. The shaking of his voice was evident to all of them.

Gak shook his head in affirmative. "She is the mother of the mountain. The master of Nor Gorthok. Always has been. Always will be."

"Mistress." Fen corrected, to noone's enjoyment.

"Wuts is miss-tress?" Gak said, now obviously confused.

"Nary you mind, Gak." Alaria interjected. This was bad. Very very bad. "What does the..um...'mother of the mountain' want? What is she trying to accomplish?"

Gak, again crooked his head to the side. His face, insofar as one could read a goblin's face, seemed sincerely confused by the question. "Will rule all. Brings the Great Doom to the world and return the gobbles to their rrightful place!" Gak's last statement was obviously directed at Erevan with pure malice.

"The Great Doom?" Erevan said quietly. He turned and looked at Duor for confirmation that he was not translating into the goblin tongue he knew only casually.

The dwarf, who up til now had been sitting back and almost bored with the interogation, reflected the elf's concern.

Braddok and Alaria and Fen looked from the elf to the dwarf and back again. Haelan and Festus ket their eyes on the goblin, but were thoroughly lacking in understanding.

"I don't get it..." Haelan said, "goblinese for 'Great Doom' would be...'zak sheer', right?"

"Flip it around Hilltender...and then pray to your goddess." Duor said.

"Sheer...zak...I don't gettit." Festus said.

Alaria put her hand to her forehead. "Sheer-zak...it's not a great leap to 'Shaarzak.'" she said in almost complete understanding.

"What's a 'sharzak'? I hope it's not anything like a Hargak!" Haelan said in alarm.

"Worse, Hilltender. Far...far worse." Fen said.

"Wasn't that the name of the big dragon your founder defeated?" Braddok said toward Erevan, searching for understanding. "You told us a story about it once...we were...on a boat?" the warriors memory was spotty, but he recalled something about that.

"Pronounce it like the dragons do, Haelan." Alaria explained. "Dez-ay-ar-thil...Shay-ar-zak. That same dragon that, yes Braddok, the founder of the Miralostae nation defeated...at the expense of her own life that her people might find a safe haven in which to live."

Alaria's mind raced with the tales she'd heard in R'Hath. The dread wyrm...far more dreaded than Desaarthal had been in the days of the Scourge Wars...the mother of dragons and a servant of the demon-godson, Aishapra. Shaarzak was a doom the realms could not contain. It was only with the power of the Eye of Arinane that the Lady Nirastelyn had defeated the beast...and the Eye of Arinane must surely have been one of the Repahlentim...the stone to which was attributed the powers of Life, according to Stenthil's research.

"Tresahd...who is Desaarthal...is trying to bring his...er...her...ITS mother back into the world! He...IT needs the Eye of Arinane to ensure she cannot be defeated when she is returned." Alaria began explaining.

"Or, perhaps, she...it needs the Eye to bring Sharrzak back to the living...in any event, THAT'S why Tresahd wanted the Ihs Repahl...and others of the Repahlentim. THAT'S why he's attacking Miralostae, to regain the Eye!"

Alaria turned from Gak and began walking out of the chamber as fast as she could...back the way they'd come!

"Alaria! Where are you going?!" Haelan said in alarm.

"We can not stay here. We must return to Daenfrii and relay this information! I must reclaim the Ihs Repahl and we must defeat the Bulgruch's forces from entering Ayla Nirai and capturing the Eye of Arinane. Tresahd...or Desaarthal can wait...they must wait. We do not have the power to stop him...her...it!" Alaria found her confusion over the gender pronoun annoying.

"But, magess, you forget...We cannot escape the way we came. If there is a way out, we must find another." Fen said calmly.

Alaria halted here the door they'd entered moments before this horrifying epiphany. Her head sunk. "You are correct of course, my friend. We must continue."

"And didn't you say there was something about this mountain? Something you'd seen before? Something we had to get...or stop?" Braddok added.

"I did, Braddok. I did." Alaria said.

She sounded defeated even though they'd only just arrived and gotten some very useful information, which Braddok thought the knowledge-driven wizard would be thankful for.

"But I did not know it was THIS!" Alaria defended. "Our first priority must be to exit this place and return to Daenfrii as soon as we are able...or to Miralostae, to the battlefront, if that is not possible."

"Like HELLS!" Duor immediately protested. "We've come all of this way, been through all of these trials...to be on the dragon's doorstep!...Hells, INSIDE the dragon's doorstep...and you want to leave NOW?!"

"Duor, this information is too important to be lost searching in vanity and greed for a dragon's hoard." Alaria replied with all seriousness.

"But we know Tresahd 'r Dessie-arthal or wutever its name is isn't here!" Duor argued.

"This is true." Festus answered.

"He's a wizard...a...SHE'S a dragon-wizard, Festus. Desaarthal could return any time it wants...most speedily." Erevan replied as he raised his bow and fired.

Stormriders went diving and ducking as the elf fire straight through the room...through THEM!...Objections began to raise from voices until all turned to see the goblin, Gak, with an arrow in the back of his skull as he had tried slinking toward the steps while the company was in discussion.

"Erevan!" Haelan said in objection, at first.

"He was trying to escape, Hilltender. If we are to escape this place, with or without dragon treasure, we must go unnoticed as much as possible." the elf replied coolly.

Haelan could not argue with that. Nor could any of the others.

"Onward then?" Fetus asked plainly. "Can't get out that way."

Alaria nodded and the company assumed their "standard marching order to climb the steps. The magess was thoroughly in thought.

"Wait!" she said as the first of the party was climbing the stairs.

"Haelan, Festus, search your packs. There was an emerald. A teardrop shaped emerald...it was magical so I expect it was given to the behir. If we have that, I might be able to kill two birds with one stone...quite literally."

Not in the habit of questioning the magess, the daelvar and satyr began rummaging through their packs of holding.

Wew, finally got through and wanted to note that a nice storyhour to read is appreciated. Having tried a very short running one before, I know how much work it is.

I love how the behir acted. I'd also like to note that Duor is definitely my favorite, so try not to kill him to quickly.

The Cells of Death

Haelan and Festus set to doing as Alaria had asked, rifling through their packs to see if they had grabbed the emerald teardrop from the sack of behir treasure.

"It's gotta be in here. We grabbed everything from that sack!" Haelan said after a few frustrating moments. The sack was supposed to supply him with whatever he wanted...and while gems and coins were pouring "up" through his fingers, none of them matched the item Alaria was looking for.

Braddok, who was keeping an eye adjacent to the staircase, noted that Duor had backed away from the others, all of their attention on the satyr and daelvar.

The dwarf reached into one of his many pouches and began picking through a handful of gems he drew forth.

Braddok frowned.

"Hey! Heh heh aheh. Look here. Is this it?" the dwarf smiled and said in a very sad attempt to appear innocent. "Looks like I grabbed it when I was collecting my firestone shards."

He received disapproving looks from all of the companions.

"And your keen dwarvish senses did not notice one of your firestones was green instead of red?" Erevan said in annoyance.

"Honest mistake. It was dark in that cavern!" Duor defended.

Alaria simply rolled her eyes as she snatched the gem from Duor's offering fingers.

While she sat and began to concentrate, the rest of the party all but turned Duor on his head to see what else he had "mistakenly" grabbed from the treasure trove.

The magess steadied her mind and called out into the ether through the gem. Rhea's mind was powerful, to say the least. Surely she would be able to hear her "call."

A few moments passed and, while Alaria's mind's eye found herself in a vaguely greenish grey landscape...she could not discern any other presence. She called several times. And waited. Called again and waited. Nothing happened.

Why wasn't anything happening?!

In her trance, she could not determine how long had passed but when she again opened her eyes, the rest of the party was standing around looking and waiting for her.

"Did it work?" Haelan piped up immediately with a hopeful smile.

"No." Alaria snapped. Her frustration was entirely with herself and she apologized to the Hilltender or her tone.

"Do you recall, magess, " Erevan began, "when we were transported here? There was that abrupt...stop...and we fell at the edge of the swamp."

Alaria nodded. She had forgotten about that.

"What does that mean?" Festus asked.

"If the Feldmere and Nor Gorthok, specifically, are warded against intrusion, " Alaria replied before Erevan could voice his theory, "then it stands to reason that an ages old dragon would be capable of blocking other forms of magical entrance or egress."

The heroes nodded in their limited understanding of the ways of sorcery.

"Rhea did inform us that all of her and other diviners attempts to locate Tresahd were all met with failure. Perhaps I will try again when we exit the mountain. But I think it safe to assume we are on our own for the time being." Alaria said, somewhat defeated.

"Only way to go is up." Festus said with a smirk. "Who's first?"

After some discussion, it was determined that Duor and Erevan would scout ahead of them, at least for a distance, while the others remained in the goblin barracks. It was made clear that an exit was what they were looking for...not more goblins or gods knew what other things...and definitely not to take any risks even if they fell into the dragon's treasure chamber, itself.

Festus was a bit put out that he wasn't included in the scouting...he was a ranger after all. But it was decided that the elf and dwarf's silence would be more useful than the satyr's tracking skill and potential "clip-clopping" up the carved stone stairwell.

Erevan padded after the slow moving dwarf. The elf was somewhat annoyed with Duor for, what Erevan felt was, his "overly cautiousness" siting at one point that the goblins would not have a trap leading to their bedchambers.

Duor "Hmphed" a grumbling response under his beard.

But it wasn't just traps the dwarf was looking for. He was examining the stone around them in a way the elf could never possibly understand.

The stairs were carved from the natural stone...not "built" into the mountain. Like the goblin's chamber and, indeed, the chamber they'd slept in and adjoining passageway had been. They were not "in" Nor Gorthok...if indeed Nor Gorthok was the constructed citadel of Gorathgraard they had been led to believe it was.

He took exceptional care to feel and examine the rock face, the steps, the walls. Goblins were crafty, if nothing else. They could easily have made hidden corridors or doors, wrap-around passages and, yes (Duor admitted to himself), rock-based traps given enough time and care.

They climbed only a short distance, which still took some time, before coming to another shoddily built door to their right.

A few moments listening and both the elf and dwarf could tell there were goblins behind the door. At least two...perhaps three or more. The garbled tongue of the goblins and the odd pitches they incorporated in their speech patterns made discerning separate voices difficult.

They silently agreed to continue on for a distance before turning back.

They'd take care of these creatures with the rest of the party.

Another few tens of feet brought them to landing with a passage way on their left, no door. There was an opening they could see, another twenty of so feet up and ahead.

Duor first, and then Erevan (leaning over the crouching dwarf) peered around the corner to see an incredibly long and wide corridor. The walls on either side were lined with cells of iron bars, floor to ceiling. The passageway curved out of their view some forty or so feet ahead, but they could tell the cells seemed to continue around the bend.

Assorted moans, groans and garbled sounds told them there were prisoners in at least some of these cells. Though they could see no specific creatures from their vantage point.

The two jumped instinctively when they heard a long *CLANG* come from down the dungeons somewhere. Followed by a low voice in goblin growling "SHUT UP in there! One more peep and yer goin' to Rach'sha TODAY!"

Shortly after the echoing outburst, the corridor became very quiet and the scouts saw a very large and extra hairy bugbear come around the bed at the end of the passage. The creature carried a large club that had a band of metal spikes around the business end.

Being a bugbear it was impossible to determine where the creature's hide stopped and his furred tunic or loincloth began, but he jangled as he walked and Duor noted the large ring of keys at his thick leather belt. Looked like there was a thick curved "knife" (easily a short sword to any smaller creature) also tucked into the belt.

Duor pointed up to the end of the stairwell, indicating they should go see where it led.

Erevan vehemently shook his hed in the negative.

Duor scowled and them thumbed at the passage to the left. The two of them, Duor thought to himself, could easily take out a single bugbear.

Erevan scowled in return. Better, the elf reasoned to himself, they should return with the party. A scuffle with this bugbear might easily bring the goblins out of the room below and they'd be cut off. Likewise, attacking the goblins below might easily attract the bugbear's notice.

The decision was not yet made, as the two disagreed silently to each on their course of action, when their attention was caught by a, "Wutthuh!" of surprise as the bugbear came around the corner and immediately spotted the two demihumans.

Duor, seeing Erevan's expression of surprise (a rare treat for the dwarf), did not even turn around before slashing in circle with his ethereal dagger.

The blade swiped clean cross the huge goblinoid's shins and drew blood.

The bugbear, caught unawares, but definitely knowing he'd been hurt, let out a roaring bellow of pain.

Erevan's arrows flew into his bow and shot up, both striking with uncanny aim. The first in the chest, the second in the creature's throat...abruptly halting its roar.

The creature fell back onto the landing with a loud thud. Its club, raised in preparation to smash the dwarf, crashed down beside him.

Erevan and Duor stood poised for a moment, looking down the stairwell waiting for a troop of goblins to come rushing out of the chamber.

It seems the goblins were accustomed to loud cries of pain coming from the dungeon, as none bothered to appear.

Duor (in a moment of brilliance or a thief's expertise) grabbed the ring of keys from the bugbears belt. He gave the large knife a once over and opted against taking it.

"Shoddy goblin make piece of junk." he grumbled. "Well?" the dwarf said.

Erevan looked at the dwarf in confusion.

"Help me move it!" the dwarf said as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.

Between the two and with great difficulty, the elf and dwarf dragged the dead bugbear back into the passage of dungeons. Near to the door, before the cells began, was a large chair, a small table and a large trunk.

The trunk, neither trapped nor locked, opened to the dwarf's curious hands. It was filled with generic supplies one would need in a dungeon: ratty blankets, pewter plates and dishes, several sets of heavy iron chains and shackles, etc.

They could not prop the huge monster into the chair and opted to just crunch him up in the corner beside the trunk. Duor threw a couple of the moldy frayed blankets over it. He then looked at the floor and the very obvious and wide trail of blood that led straight from the landing to large lumpy cloth in the corner.

"Gonna do something about that?" the dwarf said in annoyance to the elf.

"Do you have a brush and soap?" Erevan replied ni annoyance.

"Yer magic, yeh daft point ear!" Duor voiced raised a bit in annoyance. He caught himself and continued quietly. "Alaria's cleanin' herself off all of the time. Can't you do that?!"

Erevan nodded in understanding. He was somewhat annoyed with himself that the dwarf was correct and that he had not thought of it himself. A simple "wiping" gesture and a couple of arcane syllables later and the trail of blood smear seemed to evaporate or soak in to the stone floor. There was no obvious trace of what had transpired.

"Back to the others." Erevan said when it was done.

"But wut about the end of the stairs?" Duor began to argue.

"Back to the others. Now." Erevan said calmly. "We can examine everything else later."

The two scouts moved back to the goblin barracks, as silently as they'd left. They relayed what they'd found. When asked about the end otf the corridor, Duor was all too happy to mention, "Mr. Elfy-pants was too 'fraidy-cat to go see."

Ready for, at least, the beginning of their delve, the party went up the stairs.

It was no great thing, between Braddok, Festus, Duor and Erevan, to dispatch of the other four goblins in the room to their right. They did so with practically no noise.

When they reached the landing of the dungeons, they moved with expert caution, however their need for a light source for the humans was sure to attract attention. Alaria stayed close (behind, but close) to Braddok and the steady cool bluish glow of his new bastard sword. Since it did not interfere with any of the other party's enhanced vision, they needed no other source than that...for the time being.

The examinations of the cells was a bit, disconcerting. Several on either side were empty. What they did see/found, were two goblins in a sorry state of malnutrition. They looked dumbly at the party, not quite undertanding what these creatures were doing there. One, said weakly, "hoomuns? hoomuns!" apparently attempting to raise an alarm. His voice was far too weak to be heard by anyone outside of the dungeons, but it brought a good bit of attention from the other prisoners.

Erevan, owing to his natural lack of sympathy for goblins, offered to put them out of their misery.

Haelan wanted to. Even goblins should not be left in such a pitiful state as starving to death. Fen concurred.

Alaria nodded a silent ascent and continued on with Braddok. She didn't want to watch it, but couldn't argue with half of the company.

"Let us out! We helps. We guide you. Release us!" came the pleas from a rather hearty looking hobgoblin in another cell. He had his orange fleshed face pressed up again his bars as soon as the goblins made their "call."

"Yeh can help us by gettin' away from the bars n' keepin' silent!" Duor said with a clang on the bars with the pommel of his green glowing dagger.

"You asks, we helps. Anything. Anything you wants!" the hobgoblin replied, imploringly, toward Alaria.

"Yeh wanna go visit Rach'sha?!" Duor said again full of menace.

This got the desired result and the hobgoblin slunk back into his cell and curled up on the floor. "No Rach'sha. No Rach'sha." he whispered over and over to himself.

"Duor, could we, perhaps, get some help and help them by letting them out. 'Sides we don't have any access to Rach'-" Haelan stopped mid-sentence when Duor shot him a fearsome look to shut. up!

"Haelan has a point." Braddok said, looking to Alaria for confirmation.

"What can you tell us of this place? What dwells here?..."Braddok asked at first, then added, "And where is the nearest way out of the mountain?"

The hobgoblin stood, cautiously and slunk up to the cell bars, though not close enough to be reached. "Lets us out? We tells everything." he said.

"No. Tells first." Braddok retorted. "Then, maybe we let you out...if the information is good and true."

"Fastest way out is through Rach'sha's belly." the hobgoblin said to the floor. "No ways out. Only death lives here...and the creatures. All creatures serve the master. But the master hates the creatures. Promises, promises, promises. Never does. No glory for the Blood-Cleavers. We honor. We fight. We does...just promises. Promises."

"What are the...um...'Blood-Cleavers'?" Braddok replied.

"Hundu's clan. Best clan of hogomors." the hobgoblin replied. "Was best...but master don't likes anymores. We hates the master."

"What's a hogomor?" Braddok said to Alaria and Fen who were close and listening to the inquiry.

"It's what hobgoblins call themselves." Fen explained. "And you are Hundu?" the druid added.

The hobgoblin nodded with a face full of remorse. "Was Hundu...now Rach'sha food."

"He sounds sincere." Haelan mentioned. "If he doesn't like Tres-...the, uh, master...and his whole clan doesn't...maybe they could help?"

"Can't trust hob's any more than gob's, Haelan. If you don't know that already, you should." Erevan said in cool reply. The elf felt his bowstring finger getting twitchy. The more it spoke, the more the others might be swayed by its, what had to be, lies.

"We need a way out of the mountain, Hundu. Do you know a way out?" Alaria now interjected. Leaving the hobgoblin in the cell was not any concern to her. Nor was attempting some alliance with a clan of hobgoblins. They had to leave, before they all died or, Manat forbid, Desaarthal returned to Nor Gorthok.

"Death is the fastest..." the hobgoblin said softly.

"GUYS! Get it! STOP IT!" Festus' voice came echoing down the chamber from around the bend.

All of the company turned in alarm, weapons at the ready, but with Braddok's sword as the only light source, saw nothing to stop!

"Azzkanz!" Alaria cried instinctively, not caring, and her staff erupted in a flickering ball of electrical white light, filling the wide corridor.

Immediately, a shadow snake reared into view, surprised by the sudden illumination.

"Oh crap!" Duor said.

It was one of the larger variety, not just for observation, but apparently, this one was trying to make its way out of the dungeons.

One of Erevan's few magical arrows flew from his enchanted quiver and thunk into the semi-solid creature. Haelan voice was heard rising in prayer.

It's glowing red eyes and maw hissed loudly down at the companions.

A swipe of Fen's leaftip spear, now ensconced in the druid's green aura stabbed into the beast, leaving a glowing red stripe in its side.

Alaria swung at the creature, but did not connect. The creature doing its best to stay as far from the hateful light as possible.

Braddok's glowing blue sword swept up and delivered a telling gash through nearly three quarters of the shadow snakes length.

It "dove" and "wove", slithering through the air, apparently intent on making its escape.

As it was about to leave the area of light, its glowing red wounds fading slightly as it reentered the darkness, the entire end of the dungeon's entranceway burst into sun-like luminance. The source was Haelan's pinecone-headed mace.

Again surprised by the painful rays, it looped back around and dove toward the only source of shadow in the immediate vicinity, Hundu's cell.

Hundu shrieked in surprise and fear as the creature coiled itself around the hobgoblin and hissed loudly.

As the hissing and shrieking subsided, the company realized the creature was not making the noise but the hobgoblin. Its skin immediately going a sickly yellow color and shriveling before their eyes, giving off a soft "ssss" sound.

Alaria and Erevan each sent a wave of magic missiles into the cell, unerringly striking the beast. Even as the shadow snake took full force of the magical energies, the wounds from Braddok and Fen seemed to be closing.

"It CANNOT escape!" Alaria cried in panic. "He'll know we're here!"

It released the hobgoblin who fell, dessicated to the cell floor.

"If he doesn't already." Duor added to everyone's disapproval.

Braddok and Fen stabbed and jabbed as best they could through the bars, but were unable to strike the again swirling serpent of shadow.

Alaria, lamentably, released another battery of energy missiles. The creature made a dive straight for the magess.

Festus now entered the fray, at once shoving Alaria aside with a none-too-gentle shove as he brought his magical short sword up to bare on the attacking snake.

The creature struck the satyr even as is "landed" upon his blade. Now outside of the cell bars, Braddok and Fen renewed their attacks with increased vigor.

In short order, and with an additional stab of Duor's ethereal blade, the creature hissed loudly in defiance even as its shadowy force seemed to shred and separate and finally disappear from view in wisps of shadow and green smokey energy.

"HA! 'Nuthuh kill fer the dwarf with the magic dagger!" Duor said triumphantly.

Haelan raced to the wounded Festus. There was no obvious wound, but the satyr ranger was shivering and shaking from the unseen bite of the shadow snake's fangs.

The Hilltender quickly invoked his goddess before any other effects could take hold and the ranger immediately felt renewed and (most importantly) warmed with a wave of the scent of honey and baked bread.

"Everyone else ok?" Haelan asked with tracemark sincerity and concern.

Braddok helped Alaria to her feet. The magess brushed off her violet robe/gown and held her arm which she'd landed on rather heavily, but was undamaged.

"Arkanaviz!" Alaria intoned and scanned the rest of the corridor as best she could see (up to the bend). There was no other indication of supernatural energies, other than the somewhat distracting auras of the litany of enchanted weapons her companions held.

"I think, we're clear....for now." Alaria said. "Festus, how did you see the creature?"

The satyr rubbed the back of his neck with a characteristic pride-filled smirk. "Well, ya know. I didn't exactly. I saw a tube of shadow slithering along the floor. And since you're the only companions I've had who ever had trouble with snakes made of shadow, I made an educated guess."

"Good guess, my friend." Braddok said. "But that was MUCH larger than the serpents I recall from Welford."

"Yeah, we'll fill yeh in some time. After we get outta here." Duor said. The dwarf looked into the cell where the entirely life-sucked hobgoblin laid. "Not gettin' anything outta him now."

Haelan bowed his head in sorrow for the attempting-to-be-helpful hobgoblin.

"Up side, don't hafta worry 'bout lettin' him out now." the dwarf added with a grin.

Haelan's lip curled in distaste at the dwarf's severe lack of empathy.

"What else did you see down aroudn the bend, ranger?" Fen asked stoically.

"Oh! Right. Something interesting. I'm not sure what it is though." Festus said.

The companions collected themselves and continued into the dungeons.

Festus signalled silently for everyone to stick to the left of the corridor as he came slowly up to one of the cells on their right. Just passed this final cell was a large thick looking door, banded in iron and obviously engraved with mystic symbols.

"Look in there." the satyr whispered to Duor and Fen who were the closest.

"Feorn's Beard!" Duor cursed.

"By the Balance!" Fen similarly gasped.

Inside the cell, hovering a few feet above the floor was a creature that looked a bit, in the various glowing light sources, like a giant floating jellyfish.

Closer inspection, as Braddok and Alaria neared with their light, revealed the creature's "body" appeared to be a giant brain...with a squid-like beak in the front. Hanging below it, for a good ten feet, was a tangle of long thick green tentacles. The twitching and weaving of them made their number impossible to determine.

It let out a weak but nasty sound that could, most closely, be described as a "caw." With the light now upon it, some of the tentacles reached forward, slowly. Whether this was out of some weakness or hunger or merely a ploy to lure them closer could not be determined.

"Abomination." Fen said with the usual seriousness he used with that word. "It must be..."

"No Fen. Not this time, I'm afraid." Alaria quickly interjected. "It is bound and it will remain so. We do not have time to waste on another battle. For all we know, Tresahd might be aware of our presence already. We must leave this place."

Alaria noted the feint aura of enchantment around the creature and had no desire to determine what else it might be capable of. The door before them, quite obviously even if she had not her mystic sight in effect, was magically barred, as well.

"Magess, I understand your urgency. But you must respect that such an affront to the Balance must be terminated. Such is my oath, at all times."

"Does the fact it is contained not meet your oath, killi?" Erevan attempted to reason. "It can not disturb the Balance trapped as it is.

"It might be released if left to live." the half-elf replied. He took a step closer to he cell and the leaf-shaped tip of his spear again flared with its spring-green light.

As the spear began to glow, the creature again cawed softly. A single tentacle now reached forward even as the blade neared the bars. The thick green appendage reached out through the bars and seemed to reach for the spear. It cawed and almost "cooed" over and over.

"It sounds sad." Haelan said.

"Well, lookit it. Wouldn't you be if yeh looked like that?" Duor answered. He was all ready to bolt for the entrance if this fool of a druid was going to try to let it out.

"Fen, we cannot. Erevan, do something." Alaria argued. The magess' notice was now entirely upon the creature, the aura that surrounded it was taking a more definitely form and color...what was it?...transmutation?

Fen stabbed at the bars which caused the tentacle to flinch but then reach again for the spear.

"Fen...why's it want your spear?" Festus observed.

"This is madness. Duor, the keys." Braddok now commanded.

"Are yeh daft?! I'm not lettin' yeh let that thing out!" Duor said.

"We end this quickly. Sate Fen oath and move on. The longer we wait, the longer our presence might be revealed." the warrior said sternly. "I think none of us are against fulfilling our respective vows."

"It's true, Duor. Think of Coerraine." Haelan said.

"I don not think, Fen, that this creature is what it appears." Alaria said.

"Of course not, it is abomination. It can not, should not appear as anything in the natural world." the druid replied again jabbing but not striking.

The druid was now easily within the grasp of the thing's tentacles, but it did not attack the druid. It just kept reaching, now with multiple green "arms" for the spear...but was careful not to get cut.

"No, Fen. I mean, I do not think it is an abomination. I think it is something...or someone...changed...by magic." Alaria explained.

The creature cawed again and several of its tentacles seemed to wave in Alaria's direction.

At this the druid quickly backed away. He whispered his own incantation for mystic sight in the order's sacred tongue. Sure enough, the druid immediately saw the slight flickering aura around the creature. The druid, however, could not discern varying enchantments as the magess could.

"Are you certain? It could just be the creature itself is magical...maybe it is enchanting you, Alaria. Or some worthless defensive glamour." Fen inquired.

"Do you understand me?" Alaria said cautiously. She refused to move closer.

The creature cooed.

"The keys, Duor. We do not have time for this. Are we killing it or not?" Braddok said, getting annoyed.

Now the creature cooed again softly and reached its green appendages toward Braddok.

"It...it wants to die?" Haelan said with some attempt at understanding from whence he knew not where.

"Then we are in agreement!" Fen said and again moved closer to the cell.

"Fen wait!" Alaria tried to stop him but the druid moved closer and severred two of the thing's tentacles that were sticking through the bars.

The cawed out, loudly, in obvious pain. Then it floated closer to the bars, or as close as its bulbous form could get. All of its remaining tentacles were now flailing about reaching for the druid...or the druid's spear?

Alaria's lips began to invoke the spell of Unmaking. It was, by far, her most powerful incantation and the only of her highest tier. She had hoped not to use it so early in the day, if at all, but this nonsense had to stop!

As her mouth formed each syllable, the power rose around and through her. The threads and streams of magic that existed, throughout the world, became evident to her entranced sight. The feeling of power was more intoxicating than any spell she had cast to date. She had such control. Such command. She was a mistress of the Mysteries. She was a Magess of R'Hath. She would undo what had been done to this creature..which was now in the trance of the spell, so clear to her senses.

Braddok now had moved in to protect Fen from the flailing tentacles. His new enchanted sword cut through the things like butter on a hot day.

As Alaria's voice rose to fill the corridor and the cell and the final syllable of power left her, the magess nearly felt her legs buckle at the release of energy. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Alaria subconsciously thought, "What a rush!"

There was a series of "stop motion" as flashes of sorcery competed with each other for dominance. With each flash of light (to Alaria and Fen's eyes at least), the creature was thrown side to side, up and down, crashing against the cell walls, the bars, the ceiling, the floor.

To the rest of the group, devoid of any magical detection senses, it just appeared the creature was thrashing about madly and shrieking caws erupted through the corridor from the thing's beaked maw.

Finally, the creature's shape altered and glowed and flickered and flashed. Each burst of visible energy revealed a shape similar but obviously different than the last. Ever-smaller. The tentacles and "brain body" shrank away. Were those legs? Did it have a neck now?

After a few tense moments of mystic strobing lights and flaring energies the significantly smaller form came to rest in the back corner of the cell. No longer a great bulbous "head" and mass of tentacles, but a very very elderly man with a long dirty and knotted beard and the remnants of what might have once been white robes, now utterly smeared with grey and brown and yellowed with age. The arms and legs they could see through the tears in his sleeves and robes were naught but skin and bones.

The old man's wrinkled face turned toward the party. His eyes did not open but he managed to weakly, hoarsely say, "Thank you." Then he slumped over unconscious.

Some of the party stood, staring agape at Alaria who leaned heavily upon her staff. Some stood staring agape at the old man in the cell who had, moments before been twisted floating horror.

"Give me the keys!" Haelan said, breaking the post magical silence.

"Wut? Nuh uh! Could still be some crazed magician or something." Duor protested even as Braddok reached over and grabbed the keys away from the dwarf.

After some fumbling, they found the correct one and Haelan raced inside the cell.

"He's alive. Barely." Haelan said. "Uh, Fen, you should look at this." the daelvar said with some shock before attempting to invoke his goddess to heal the man's old form.

The druid moved into the cell and the daelvar brushed aside the man's lengthy wiry and filthy beard, around the man's neck, clasping the remnants of his robes was the crescent moon set in a half-sun wooden carved symbol of Fen's Ancient Holy Order of Mistwood.

"What? How is that possible?" Fen said, sincerely sorrowful that he had attacted one of his brothers of the Order.

Haelan concluded his simple prayer and the man coughed...hacked really...and turned his head, still not opening his eyes. The daelvar recoiled at the sight of the man's eyes being sewn shut. Lines of long blackened dried blood streaked part way down his dirty cheeks.

"Who's there?" he said meekly. The old man threw his arms up in a defensive, full of fear, manner. It was then the companions could plainly see, the man had no hands. The skin covering his wrists was obviously bruised and raw looking.

"Brother. Forgive me! I am sorry to have attacked you. Who are you? What brought you to this awful place? How did you end up in that monstrous form?!" <translated from the Druidic tongue> Fen said, full of concern.

Haelan edged away, the sound of the archaic unknown language bit at his ears.

"Brother?! You are of the Holy Order? Tell me the names of the sacred 10." the old man said, staring through closed eyelids.

Fen looked quizzically at the old man. He knew the sacred tongue...but..."Brother, there are 13 sacred trees." he replied.

The old man coughed and grinned, close lipped. "Just so." he said in the common language of men.

"I am...Brother...Father?...I am here with others, my friends and companions, not of the order. Can you speak the Common tongue?" Fen asked gently.

"I can." he coughed again. "Ye hast undone the most cruel of curses. I would thank ye. But I fear, mine time is short. I am to finally return to the Cycle...long denied me." the old man said.

"Haelan! Can you heal him more?!" Fen turned to the daelvar who had moved back to the cell door.

"I...I can..."the Hilltender began to take a couple of steps toward the druids.

"Nay, Brother. Nay. Mine time is long done. I've been kept by the Deceiver for longer than I can recall. Twas a fit fate for my folly." the old man replied and then descended into another fit of hacking cough.

"Are....are you the druid that brought the Dark One to Gorathgraard?" Erevan asked, without any hint of emotion.

"Erevan! That would not be possible...even with magic." Fen said. It was the first time her realised later that he'd ever spoken to Erevan in haste or anger.

"Nay, my Brother...or my son perhaps? Your voice sounds as young men sound...Do not speak in anger. Your friend...elf is he?...he is correct. I am Ornfael the Long Cursed." the old man said.

"It was by my folly that I allowed the Dark One, Desaarthal, to come unhindered into Gorathgraard. It is my folly that I brought about the destruction of the Gleaming Land....and betrayed, unknownst to me, my lord's trust."

Now the man seemed wracked with a twitching seizure. "My time is not long." he said. "What is the year?"

"Nearly 5 centuries A.G." Alaria replied. "After the Godswar by today's accounting." she added, realizing, if this druid was actually from the time of Evaranthriine and Amthyriine, he would have no idea what "A.G." was.

"Godswar? The Gods of Men had a war? heh *hack* heh heh heh. Typical."

"High Father <Fen now realizing this druid could be no "Brother">, we can save you. you may again work the Holy Order's will." Fen said desperately.

"Nay. *cough* Nay. I did the Order's will...once...and brought about the fall of Gorathgraard. In seeking the Balance, in our hubris, we released a great evil the world was not prepared for. I will return now, to the Cycle and continue in a form that, I pray to the Balance, shall not bring more evil to Orea." the old man said. His face turned to the floor.

"Ornfael, might you have knowledge of a way out of this place?" Alaria asked gently.

"Alas,...wizard? Unless I miss my guess...I have been a creature of her design for more ages than your Godswar. Indeed, the time in this cell has passed without accounting of the sun or stars....I will miss the stars...but see them again."

"The time is short...give me your spear, son of Oak." Ornfael said.

Fen handed to him without question or thought. As soon as it entered the old man's hand, the blade flared into green flames much larger and brighter than Fen's enchantments ever did.

The old man began, again, speaking in the sacred tongue, loudly. Even Fen had to cover his ears! The syllables he intoned meant nothing to the young half-elf.

The corridor, perhaps the whole mountain, seemed to shake with an alarming force. Several of the companions were thrown from their feet by the shuddering floor. Duor cursed under his beard, expecting a cave-in.

As the old man's chanting ended, the flame at the tip of his spear spread down the shaft and engulfed, first himself and then Fen as well.

The companions were helpless to attempt to aid their friend. They could barely stand and shielded their faces from the green flames that licked even to the outside of the bars.

Then everything subsided. Where the old man had been sat a small lump of dirt atop which grew bright green grass, Fen's spear laying beside it. The druid himself seemed completely unharmed.

From the mound, a sprout shot up and grew with incredible speed to become a great, wooden trunk. The pointed branches and leafing boughs forced their way through the ceiling and rumbled for some time before ending.

Fen took up his spear and looked, in complete and utter shock up where the thick oaken trunk had pressed through the ceiling. Branches and bough struck out, periodically generating a wide enough opening that one could climb up through the hole. At the end of the twisting passage, Fen could see the bright light of real sun ad feel the sudden flow of fresh air. An...exit?!

*Take them.* the voice of Ornfael sounded in Fen's mind. The half-elf looked down about the base of the tree trunk that now took up nearly half of the cell. There were a dozen acorns laying about the grassy mound. *Use them with wisdom. Use them to restore the Balance I have sorely undone.*

Fen did as he was bid. And then, again, looked up through the huge tree's opening.

The sunlight on his face and fresh air that streamed down into the stale dungeon caused the others to come into the cell.

Erevan first of all. He looked to Alaria and nodded an affirmative. "We can get out through this."

"Thank you, Ornfael. May your Balance bless you." Alaria said in relief.

"Buh...wutabout this magic door?" Festus asked looking at the thick door engraved with arcane symbols.

"Wut about the dragon's treasure?! I'm not goin' anywhere! We're here! Braved the swamp. Beat the behir. Found the traitorous druid...There's that other opening at the end of the stairs...Hells we even killed that crazy witch!" Duor argued. His voice faded off as one companion after the other began climbing the thick twisting tree.

There were thin branches or knobs in the bark or thick boughs that made getting hand and foot holds very simple.

Festus was the last standing at the base of the tree with the dwarf. He looked at his bearded companion and shrugged before taking a hand hold and beginning to climb the trunk.

"NO! No, Festus stay here! We'll do it ourselves! We'll do it together!" the dwarf implored in a manner he had never done before. A dwarf to beg, Duor thought to himself in disgust.

The sound of garbled hoops and hollers sounded through the corridor. Goblins...or goblinoids. Large numbers by the amount of noise.

This'll do it. Thought the dwarf. I'll get into a fight. The others will be forced to come to my rescue...daft wanna-be heroes. Stupid sorceress. Sentimental hairfoot. This'll do, nicely.

The dwarf raced out of the cell of Ornfael and ran to the bend in the cell corridor. Many tens of creatures were running back and forth passed the dungeons' entrance.

"Here! They're here! Hurry! Hurry! They're freeing the druid! HOOMUNS! HOOMUNS n' ELVES!" Duor shouted down the corridor in goblin.

Seeing more than a few goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears hear him and enter the dungeon corridor, shouting commands to others as they came.

The dwarf smirked to himself and ducked back around the bend, unnoticed. He backed into the now completely shadowed alcove across the way from the druid's cell.

His heel dipped over the edge of something.

Duor found himself plummeting into darkness only to come to a hard landing and begin tumbling, ass over head, to come to another free fall and another hard, metal hard, landing (inside an iron mining cart though he had no conscious awareness of that).

Consciousness slipped out of the dwarf's grasp as easily as had the lip of the circular opening in the floor that was used to transport Rach'sha's feedings to the cart below (which the goblins in the lower chamber would then push down the shaft through which the party entered and dump into the behir's cavern.)

<DM's note: 2 failed Dex checks later. Think there was even a botched "climb walls" check, just to be nice- maybe he could have ended or slowed his descent before dumping into the cart? Nope. Luck o' the dice, dear readers. Luck. O'. thuh. Dice. "Best laid plans" n' all o' that.>

Oh no, not Duor!

Fen, Erevan and Haelan looekd up in disbelief at the enormous oak tree that stretched out and up from the opening beneath its roots, through which they had just climbed to exit the mountain of/at/around Nor Gorthok.

Alaria wasted no time to pull out the teardrop emerald and began to concentrate again.

Braddok stood, alert and weapon drawn, near her and took in their surroundings.

Festus emerged from beneath the roots and let out a long whistle at the size and girth of the oak tree that formed a canopy of fresh green leaves, about 40 feet of shade, on the size of the craggy rocks.

"We should move." Fen said plainly.

"Why? Festus where's Duor?" Haelan asked.

Before the satyr could respond, the half-elf druid said, "It is nearly winter. The sudden appearance of a giant tree, in full summer bloom, on the side of the mountain is sure to draw attention...not the least from the lizard folk and behir below us somewhere. We'd best not be here when it does."

No one could argue with that.

"But where's Duor?" Haelan said again.

"He...um...I think...I mean, it seems...he is not coming. He wants to stay and get the treasure." Festus replied.

"Damned idiot dwarf." Haelan said in a frustration and chastisement the companions were unaccustomed to. The daelvar hefted his mace to his shoulder and began to trek back toward the opening beneath the roots that had spread out on the surface of the rock face.

"Where are you going?" Erevan said, stepping in front of the halfling.

"Whatever else he is, " Haelan replied forcefully, "Duor is a Stormrider. And we've already lost one on this venture. I am not losing another. We don't leave anyone behind...least not if they're alive."

Erevan's right eyebrow arched in his typical way. Whether it was out of curiosity, concern, surprise at being rebuked by the Hilltender, or anything else was impossible to determine.

"He is a grown dwarf, Haelan. Right or wrong, he can make his own decisions." Alaria said, overhearing the exchange.

"Did it work?" Braddok asked the magess quietly as she placed the teardrop gem back into her belt pouch.

Alaria shook her head in the negative.

Haelan continued for the tree. Erevan had stepped out of his way and crossed his arms, but did say, "Alaria is right, Hilltender. Like it or not, he is a grown being. It is Duor's decision to make."

"Indeed it is." Haelan replied as he began crawling back between the twisted roots. "And it is mine that I will not let my companion and brother-at-arms meet a foul end with no support from us. We are the Stormriders and I will not lose another of us if it can be helped."

The other companions looked to each other and then to Alaria. Before the magess could speak, Haelan continued his argument.

"We must go back. Coerraine would never forgive us. I wouldn't forgive myself.

"Fen, you spoke of fulfilling your oath. Braddok, I know you are an honorable man and have given your word and sword to our cause all of this time. Alaria, you know Coerraine would not stand for us just leaving him...not to mention you said there is something here we are meant to do."

Alaria frowned at the halfling's presumption of arguing with her and then realized, to her own embarassment, that everything Haelan was saying was true.

"But...the Eye of Arinane...the Ihs Repahl...we need it to fight the dragon." Alaria made a half-hearted argument.

"So...I mean, I don't get all of the ins n' outs of magic stuff...but that crystal orb that we risked life n' hoof to get to the Dragonmange's keep in Daenfrii...specifically to keep it away from Tresahd...Your plan is to spend weeks returning to Daenfrii, get that same orb, and bring it back right to the heart of where Tresahd, or at least his agents, might be?" Festus said.

He was polite in the query but obviously confused by this reasoning.

Alaria had to admit it did not sound like a wise course of action.

"Well, when you put it like that..." Alaria looked to the swamp, spreading out before them, to the north if she wasn't mistaken. "...Maybe it isn't the best idea." she quietly finished.

"But we have these other treasures...we don't know what those potions do...or Braddok, this new enchanted blade of yours...By the Blue Star we don't even know where Duor might have gotten to by now." Alaria attempted to make further debate.

Braddok then felt a strange vibration in his hand. The handle of his sword was practically buzzing in his grip. A low hum came to his ears. The others seemed not to notice.

*Can...doo....can...help....with that.* came an odd sounding buzz of a voice in his head.

"I...uh...what?" stammered the warrior.

*Can...doo...see....for you...* came the buzzing in his mind in reply.

Braddok nearly dropped the blue-glowing blade and then looked at it in disbelief.

"What was that Braddok?" Erevan said. The elf was replying in curiosity to what the swordsman said...not hearing the sword, itself.

"We should probably head back into the mountain." Festus interjected from abot ten feet below their position along a narrow ledge that wrapped toward the west of the mountain.

The satyr looked down from a small flat space of rock, though shielded frmo below by some craggy outcroppings. He readily saw what looked like the ruined remains of a gatehouse at the base of crater's ridge. It was the "tower-like" building from which they'd exited the lizardmen's lair. The long narrow trench that led from there to the base of the mountain was obvious. So too was the slightly elevated and thoroughly overgrown with vegetation of what must be the bulk of the lizardmen's colony.

The tree and most of the party would not have been visible from there and they were a good hundred or more feet above the crater's base. But from time to time, the astute satyr noticed the movements of figures through the tall grasses and brush that covered the mound. At this height the sprawling lair was easily identifiable, though from the ground, Festus knew, one might walk right passed it without knowing.

"The lizardmen might see the tree and wish to explore it. Or worse, that dragon-snake." the satyr concluded.

"Haelan is correct." Fen said finally after several moments of thought. "I am of the Ancient Holy Order first of all. But I am, as are we all, Stormriders. We should not...do not abandon our own." he grinned his charming crooked grin at Alaria.

Alaria placed a delicate hand to her temple and closed her eyes. This was not what she wanted. This was not how things should go. Why had she relinquished control of the group?

She took a few long calming breaths, as she had learned very early in her training, and opened her eyes. "Alright. You are correct Haelan...and Fen...and you, as well, Festus. I thank you for your reasonable arguments to my irrational reaction. Let's go save a dwarf and bag a dragon."

"Or bag a dwarf and save ourselves." Erevan smiled broadly in uncharacteristic joking response.

The companions, one by one, RE-entered the passage, now thoroughly concealed by the tree's roots and patch of grass and small yellow flowers that had sprung up around it.

***

Duor groaned and half-opened his eyes...or eye, as the left was swollen shut. His whole body ached though nothing seemed broken. The dwarf looked and felt about in the total darkness. He was...in a box? A metal box? No...there was no lid. He stared up at the dark circle open hole in the ceiling.

He checked, in reflexive panic. He still had his weapons...and pouches clinked with his gems and coins. He...he wasn't dead, as best he could tell. Otherwise, surely, he'd be enjoying a large draught of ale beside the warming fires of the Great Forge.

"Where in the hells am I?" the dwarf wondered to himself, silently, and then froze as his ears picked up the sounds of goblins speaking. He couldn't quite make out what was being said, but they were getting closer.

"Great." thought Duor.

Duor laid in wait. His hand on his glowing dagger which he dared not draw in the utter darkness in which he found himself. He listened intently, though tried to keep himself covered in the dark grey cloak he'd recovered form the stash of "tribute" to the behir, Rach'sha.

Why it had been there, the dwarf had no idea. It had no magical properties just a well-worn, oiled against rain, dark grey hooded cloak. Perhaps too small/short to be of any interest or use to the lizardmen.

Finally, the voices came close enough to make out words.

<translated from Goblin> "Shame 'bout Gak. Him nice guy. Killed my brother-in-law for me, once." said goblin 1.

"Yeah..." was the response from goblin 2. "Him nice guy. Too bad." .

"Commander says it was elves. I don't think so."

"You question the Commander?! Him smart! And the Overseer listens to him."

"Pfft. Only way in is Rach'sha's cave. Only ones in Rach'sha's cave is the lizards...'Sides there's no elves in the swamp!" goblin 1 said assuredly.

"Ohhhh." goblin 2 seemed to be in agreement. "You smart! Rach'sha eats everything else. Eats the lizards sometimes, too."

"Yep." said goblin 1 sounding like he was exerting himself. "Unh!"

With that, a mostly naked and bloody goblin came crashing down into the deep metal mining cart, next to Duor. The dwarf could determine that it was, in fact the goblin they'd questioned, called "Gak."

Then another...and a third directly on top of Duor. The goblins were obviously not paying too close attention to the contents of the cart. The caps of their leather capped heads were barely visible over the edge of the cart.

Duor, properly assumed they had been sent to clear out the goblins they'd killed from the chamber down the hall.

The dwarf then felt a nudge and could feel the cart moving. His best guess, direction wise, was that they were heading down the shaft they'd climbed up through from the behir's lair.

That's not gonna work, Duor thought. The shaft is closed off and then these two will take that info back to this "commander."

In a stroke of utterly inspired brilliance, the dwarf formulated a plan.

He grabbed the corpse of Gak and began raising it up above him. Careful to only grip places that would not be seen over the rim of the cart, he forced Gak up through the other two dead bodies.

The cart stopped, abruptly.

"What...by Maga-" said goblin 1.

Duor withdrew his ethereal blade. The smoky green light of the dagger filled the interior of the cart and, Duor imagined, lent a lovely unworldly sheen to the dead goblin's grey skin.

"Give meeee gobble braaaaainssss...." Duor growled in his best goblinese. For added effect, he flopped/forced one of Gak's quickly stiffening arms over the edge of the cart.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" came the cry from both goblins and trailed off back through the corridors that Duor knew the'd have to use to escape.

Well, that bought some time, Duor thought to himself. Probably not very much though.

He tossed the dead goblin back into the bin and climbed himself out. "Thanks a million, Gak. Seems you are a nice guy. heh heh heh."

The thoroughly bruised and sore dwarf cautiously trotted back out as far as the chamber with the hole in the ceiling (through which he'd carelessly fallen) and looked up at it.

Duor's hand went to the silvery cord of rope he'd recently acquired and looked up at the hole.

*

Erevan insisted he be the first to climb back down through the "oak tunnel". His elven ears picked um mumblings, not very close, about half way down. The language was undoubtedly goblinese.

Festus was next with Haelan, satisfied they were going back down for their "fellow Stormrider" cautiously climbed down after the satyr.

Both Festus and Haelan were shocked when they were stopped by a silent hand motion from Erevan as they neared the opening in the jail cell ceiling.

The elf's smooth voice began intoning a series of syllables they did not understand but, even whispered, easily heard.

"Hseeelp er repleesh." said Erevan and immediately blinked out of view. The elf casually discarded the curious feelings of elation and slight intoxication, Alaria had told to him about, of working higher tiered spells.

He slipped down into the chamber and padded his way to the edge of the cell, silent and completely unseen.

Festus turned to Haelan with a look of surprise. "Now what?" the satyr whispered. "How're we s'posed to follow him if we can't see him?!" Festus turned back in the direction that the elvin tracker had been and hissed, "Lil' warnin' next time, Erevan!"

Very cautiously, the remaining party members finished their return and took positions around the cell. Festus, then Fen, carefully exited and stuck close to the wall.

Fen took a position just at the edge fo the bend in the corridor of holding cells and back against the wall. In a shimmer of darkness, the druid faded from view, appearing as nothing more than another crag in the rock wall.

Great, thought Festus, lost another one.

The satyr jumped, visibly, when the voice of the silver-haired elf came very near his ear.

"I am here, Festus. There are two hobgoblins guarding the entrance to the cells. I will remain unseen until absolutely necessary. Take care and stay quiet.

"Killi...?" the unseen elf then said.

"I am here." came Fen's voice even as the image of his hooded head seemed to 'rip' out of the rock face he had just 'become.'

Festus was thoroughly unsettled by the appearance of the half-elf's head, seemingly stuck through the wall. These elves and their magics, Festus thought to himself. I don't think I'll ever get used to it...and I've seen nymphs and dryads turn into plants or trees or water! I've seen swans turn into pegusi and plant monsters turn into warrior-princes. Still...just weird.

"Can you block the entrance somehow? I don't think slaying more guards would be good for our secrecy." Erevan's voice said.

"But," Festus interjected, thoroughly in confused awe that he was speaking to a hooded head sticking out of the rock and some invisible elf, "if we block the entrance how are we getting out of here? We'll be sitting ducks!"

"I could...but it would not be quiet." said Fen in a slightly apologetic tone.

All of the party had now come out into the corridor, secure in the knowledge they could not be seen around the bend.

"We could go through here." said Alaria quietly. The magess was thoroughly examining the heavily enchanted iron-banded door behind them.

"But is there was out of there? We might be backing ourselves into even more of a corner." Haelan, most astutely, asked.

"Um...ok...uh, I could ask the sword?" Braddok said.

This received many raised eyebrows and questioning glances from all of the [visible] companions.

"You could...what?" Festus finally asked.

"The sword..." Braddok began. He had sheathed the weapon so as to not have its blue glow give them away. "...out side, it...well, it...uh...'spoke' to me. Said it could see where Duor was...I think."

"They're waiting for some 'Overseer' to come examine the magic tree." came Erevan's voice again. Apparently, he'd returned to the guards in the doorway for more eavesdropping and had returned.

"Soooo...what then? Do we just make a break for it?" Festus asked, not believing, himself, what he was suggesting.

A fist-sized rock that had shaken loose during mini-earthquake of the druid Ornfael's transformation rose up off the floor, seemingly of its own accord.

"I could try to distract them with this." said Erevan's disembodied voice again. "Send them down the stairs, perhaps. We could make a break for the opening at the top."

"What about, if they didn't know we'd closed off the corridor?" Braddok said after a moment. "If we blocked it here, at the bend, or just behind. Could you do that without them noticing?" the warrior asked quietly.

The druid, who had become completely visible again, studied the corridor, the walls, the ceiling. "I...I'm really not sure." Fen answered truthfully.

"Can you get this door open? It looks very...um...protected." Haelan whispered to Alaria. The daelvar priest was also, now, examining the lines of runes on the door and even the bands of iron. "This here looks to be Old Selurian...I think it is protected from more than just sorcery, Alaria."

The magess looked at the place indicated by the hill-priest. He was correct, as far as she could tell. While she was versed in the spoken language of the ancient empire, their magical significance or effects were beyond her understanding.

"Oh fer the ever-lovin' Forge of Feorn, just help me up!" came the voice of Duor out of the darkness shrouded alcove across from the druid's cell.

"Duor?!" Haelan said in surprise and happiness. The daelvar's limited vision could make out the hands and top of the dwarf's head.

Unfortunately, the dwarf's ignorant exclamation echoed through the corridor and the hobgoblin guards easily heard the none-too-stealthy dwarf who was trying, unsuccessfully to hoist himself up out of the hole in the floor that none of the party had noticed before.

"Who goes there?!" called one of the guards in the garbled tongue of the goblinoids.

"That tore it." came Erevan's voice again. "Killi, now! Braddok, Festus don't let them get away!"

Fen rushed around the bend to see the two hobgoblins, both armored in thick scale and carrying nasty-looking serrated glaives, edging their way down the corridor toward the party.

"HALT THERE! Elves! Elves in the dungeon!" called one guard.

"That won't do." said Haelan and trotted back to the edge of the bend. The daelvar reached down and picked up a pebble sized piece of scree.

Even as Fen smacked his open hand against the wall and began to murmur his sacred tongue, the Hilltender raised his voice in prayer to Faerantha. A raised voice that quickly turned to a whisper and finally, though he still seemed to be speaking, was making no sound at all.

Haelan then threw the pebble with all of his might to land it somewhere behind the guards who were now charging down the corridor. Their shouts of alarm, or were they war-cries, faded from the ears of all of the companions, though the chanting of Fen was still audible.

Lost in the casting of his spell, the druid did not even notice when the wide hall was suddenly bathed in a blue glow as Braddok raced forward and unsheathed his mystic blade just in time to catch a swipe of one guard's glaive aimed at the half-elf's head.

The catching blades clanged loudly...to the companions. However no sound escaped the dungeons thanks to Haelan's invocation of Silence.

Even as Fen continued to chant, the walls and ceiling of the hall seemed to begin to melt and stretch and begin to form a wall behind the hobgoblins <druid spell: Stone Shape> but still around the bend of the corridor...hopefully, in theory, not obvious to anyone passing by the entrance.

Braddok took a solid swing at the hobgoblin who'd attempted to hit Fen. The blue glow faded from view for a moment as it passed, easily, through the thick scale mail and passed out the back of the soldier.

Festus, who rushed forward to engage the second guard made two swipes but failed to connect.

Seeing his fellow guard flop to the floor (nearly severed in two!) turned to race back out of the corridor.

"Interlopers! Interlopers!" he was yelling at the top of his lungs, though no one else in the mountain would know that.

The hobgoblin stopped in mid-retreat as he watched, in disbelief, as the very rock of the corridor coalesced before him forming a single small hole in the center.

As he stood in his shock, he felt the blade or blades sink into his back. As his vision faded into the deep darkness of death, he saw the last moments of the rock wall fully close off any view of the hall before him.

"I knew yeh couldn't give up the treasure...or yer ole pal Duor." said the dwarf, finally aided by Alaria and Haelan completely out of the hole. "Not even you lot are daft enough to give up a whole dragon's hoard cuz of a few goblin-kind."

"We came back, Duor...believe it or not...for you. You have Haelan to thank, once again, for reminding us that we are the Stormriders." Alaria said.

"Heh heh. Ok, magess. Missed yeh too. Was a haggering 10 minutes, weren'it? Wut would yeh do without yer pal Duor?" the dwarf chuckled and gave the wizard a wink.

"Was more like a half an hour, Duor. Were were you?! What happened to you?" Haelan said with concern at the first good look at the dwarf's bruised and swollen face.

"Ach. Nothin' serious. Just fought off a dozen goblins on my own. A lil' of yer blessed Hill-Mother's magic wouldn't hurt." the dwarf said casually as he settled against the druid's cell bars to let the halfling cure his wounds.

Haelan was, of course, all too happy to oblige.

"Ok. Well...now what?!" Festus said in some consternation. He wiped the hobgoblin blood off of his blades and looked in concern at the newly formed magical stone wall...and then back down the corridor to the heavily enchanted iron-banded door...and back again. "Someone's bound to notice this is here." he added, knocked a knuckle against the magically smooth rock face.

"Now, it would seem...it's up to me." Alaria said with as much assurance as she could muster....though unsaid, the R'Hathi wizard was not at all assured about undoing the magics inscribed before her.

Next time: Tresahd's Personal Dungeons.

"So, what now?" Haelan asked in typical ignorance.

"Now, Haelan, our magess impresses us again with her mastery of her Arts." Fen said with a smile toward Alaria.

Alaria half-smirked and half-scowled at the druid before turning her attentions, again, to the magically locked door that stood before them.

If their limited questioning of the goblins below was correct, these would lead to the "master's ", Tresahd (a.k.a. Desaarthal), rooms.

Alaria was not the only among them hoping that did not mean his personal sleeping chambers and, even moreso, that the wizard-posing dragon was not currently in residence.

The R'Hathi magess steadied her mind with practiced ease and began with her detection cantrip. The purple haze formed around her outstretched hand and filled her eyes. She concentrated for several moments. The longer she looked, the more surprised she was to see layer after level of arcane threads woven around the door. Whatever was on the other side was obviously quite important...or dangerous...or both.

Having spent her spell of Unmaking on changing the long-cursed druid, Ornfael, back to his mortal form...if even for a short time, Alaria was unclear how to proceed. She conferred with the Hilltender and druid and, still invisible, Erevan.

The other spell casters were unequipped to lend any sort of aid to dismiss the enchantments on the door. The best they could come up with was a defensive strategy. Everyone except for Alaria and Haelan backed into the druid's cell and/or climbed back up the oaken trunk to the relative cover above the ceiling. The companions were all instructed that the spell (if it worked, Alaria left that part out) would only last a short time and they would have to move quickly.

Haelan invoked his prayers to Faerantha to protect them from fire and heat. A soft glow of red surrounded the magess and cleric for a moment then faded from view. Haelan then invoked his circle of Sanctuary. The silvery ring flashed into being around them and also faded from view. Finally, he invoked a Protective field, specifically attuned to ward off Evil, should some of the door's enchantments not be fire-based.

When the halfling's chanting was complete, he nodded solemnly at the magess.

Alaria again focused her mind and began reciting the incantation of Opening which, thankfully, she had prepared for that morning, rightfully expecting that in the lair of a wizard, there might be magically locked portals.

"This is going to hurt." Alaria thought to herself as the spell began to take form around her.

The air swirled and rustled her hair and robe and cloak. Milky white light surrounded her hands as she reached out forward to the door and slapped the portal with her open palms.

Immediately, she felt herself in a battle of the Art. One layer of protections and then the next began to fight her attempts to push them aside. To her vision, the lines of light flared and bent, snapped back into place and brushed aside again. The magess strained to control the spell and the arcane weaves before her.

After what seemed a very long time to Alaria, but was in reality a mere moment, the door flared with the milky white light and flashed (visible to all) through the limited area in which the party was trapped.

The magess was thrown clear of the door, out of the Sanctuary circle (with flashed out of existence at her passing) and into the stone-shaped wall some twenty feet behind her. She was shocked and had the air knocked form her lungs. But when she opened her eyes and looked at the door, it swung open slightly.

"Now! Hurry!" Alaria called and everyone raced through the portal. Haelan helped Alaria to her feet and the two raced to the door and dove through in the last moment as the portal slammed shut behind them with a thundering bang.

The party looked to the magess and hilltender with approving smiles.
"Well done, magess." Braddok smiled. "Are you unharmed?"

Alaria shook her head and brushed the dust off of her robes as she rose to her feet. "I am. Let us hope there is another way out of here. I severely doubt I will be able to open that again without setting off the wards and traps."

The wide hall they found themselves in seemed to be a continuation of the one they had left. It was about 30 feet wide and seemed to curve gently to the right beyond their vision. Alcoves lined either side of the corridor, some had bars in front of them, some did not. Periodically, from certain alcoves, dull glows of blue or red or violet emanated providing some eerie light by which to see their surroundings.

Braddok drew his weapon. The blue glow did little to add to their vision but, keeping the blade low, was also not readily evident among the other colored lights.

Haelan and Fen both felt a chill up their spines. Haelan was again pressed upon his soul with a darkness he could not explain...a limiting to his senses of his connection with his goddess. Fen merely felt the "imbalance" he often sensed in the presence of undead or abominations...but this was different...stronger...more extreme.

"I dooon't like it here." Haelan said quietly. "There is an evil pressing upon my spirit. Like in that dreadful cursed chapel in Shafton...but different...worse. Do you feel it?"

The others admitted, though they definitely felt the foreboding and an imminent kind of danger, they could not say specifically if it was the feeling the priestly types were sensing.

They moved with quiet caution down the corridor. The first several alcoves they passed were empty though one, to the right, contained inscriptions upon the floor which were giving off an eerie red glow.

"Do not touch ANYthing! These circles could be meant for any number of purposes. Disrupting them could prove hazardous." Alaria said as she neared the markings.

She could make out a few protective sigils, but they were strange to her. Reversed, in a way. There was another that seemed similar to what little she knew of conjuration.

Alaria guessed, out loud, "The circle seems designed (as best she could tell) to protect from something within the circle as opposed to the symbols for keeping things out with which she was somewhat familiar.

"Release me." came a low voice from within the alcove. Even as the words met the ears of the party, a horrid visage came into view hovering above the circle.

It was sickly and bird-like...like a vulture or buzzard, though had reddish spiky hairs sprouting from its head instead of feathers.

A long neck became visible and finally, the hovering head was attached to a bipedal body of monstrous proportions. Nearly eight feet tall and hunched with thin black arms ending in talons and "feet" at the end of its goat-like legs that appeared to be hands. It was huge with black and red feathers sprouting from some areas and the sharp spiky hairs from others.

Alaria took a step back even as Festus and Braddok were nearing it.

"NO!" shouted Alaria. "Do not touch it. Do not cross the circle!"

The warriors immediately stopped in their tracks.

"Release me and all manner of riches shall be yours." it said again.

Haelan was shaking in his toe-hairs at the sight of the creature that washed him in waves of despair and evil. "Is...Is that...a demon?" the Hilltender barely managed to wheeze out.

The hideous creature's face looked at the daelvar. It looked as if its hooked beak smirked in Haelan's direction. "You are no agents of the Dark One. Does the presence of power truly scare you so, little hill-priest?"

Haelan shifted to stand behind Braddok. Only his helmed head poking out from behind the warrior's trunk-like legs.

"I have no quarrel with you and yours, good magess. Release me that I might avenge myself upon the dark wizard who has held me here against my will. I will do whatever you ask." it said again, this time directing its statement to Alaria.

"What are you called? From what plane do you hail?...and why is Tresahd keeping you here?" Alaria asked cautiously. Whatever it was, if it was in fact a creature of the "lower planes", the magess knew caution was of the utmost importance...and specificity. Her mind reeled to recall the lessons of her mentor for dealing with summoned creatures. She could almost certainly expect deceit and treachery if she got any straight answers at all!

The demon seemed to snort at Alaria's questions. "I am not bound to answer you...and I suspect you are not of a position or power to force my tongue."

"Quite right." said Alaria back at the creature. Then, as calmly as she could, to her companions, "Let's go." She turned in an imperious gesture and began to walk away.

"Wait!" called the demon. "Wait. I can help you...if you help me. It's only fair, is it not? Release me and I will tell you want you seek...the dragon's treasure perhaps?" it said slowly after a quick glance at Duor.

"Or a way to thwart the wizard's plans?" it said to Alaria's back. "The thing you are meant to do here? Why the Fates have seen you to this place?"

"We cannot believe a thing that it says. It must be destroyed. It is an assault upon the Balance." Fen spoke up, trying to distract from the demon's words.

"It is no threat to anyone, Fen. We are NOT releasing a demon, no matter what it says. It is also, technically, not here...not exactly. It is trapped, between the planes, no doubt to do Tresahd's bidding in some fashion."

"Cruel Treshad. He keeps me here to answer questions. He has bound me to unleash upon your world at his whim. I know not what he waits for, but I have been here long...so long." the demon offered.

"See, I have helped you. I have given you information you did not posses. I have warranted my release." it concluded.

"It's reading our minds!", Alaria realized. "Do not listen to it. Best to leave it and not look back.

"That information, I am afraid, will not do. As you noted, we can not help you." Alaria replied. "Come on." she said and began walking down the corridor.

"Magess! Magess I will do what you want! Just break the circle and let me go. I have no desire to remain here." the demon implored.

"Warrior! Your father's realm! I could help you. I am powerful. I could return your keep to you and decimate those that stole it from your family.

"DWARF! The treasure is near! So very near you could taste it! I call tell you where it is." it implored as one by one the companions wandered away from its alcove.

Seeing Duor hesitate a moment, Festus pointed out that since it was trapped in the this place in this circle, apparently, it would have no idea where the treasure was.

The dwarf scowled at the logic but could not find fault with it.

"Sorry, demon. The satyr's right. And I have no desire to do battle with a creature of the Abyss this day." Duor snorted in reply.

As Haelan looked nervously back, to make sure the creature wasn't going to follow them down the hall, he saw the creature again fade from view until only its head was left. It opened its beak wide and shrieked down the hall after them. as it did so a hundred snakes seemed to sprout from its mouth.

Haelan visibly jumped and ran further ahead but did note that neither the snakes nor the demon moved from the confines of the circle...thank Faerantha.

The demon's loud call echoed down through the corridor for several moments. Whether it was some form of warning or a curse in its twisted language none could tell, but the chill in the air was palpable to even the less spiritual of the group.

Sure enough, alcove after alcove they passed with similar glowing circles within, creatures of unthinkable, impossible forms came into view.

It seemed, as best the party could discern, that circles glowing red were "occupied" and those that were violet or blue were not. It also seemed, as they passed, that all of them were being held against their will as most of the creatures made no sound or movement to assail the party. One particularly large creature looking like a horrid combination of a gorilla and a bear did thunder against its bonds. But a few sparks of red light were all its huge clawed hand-paws could do against the mystic prisons.

Haelan's hand went, instinctively to the holy symbol hanging upon his chest. It did little to assuage the halfling's fears that bit at his very bones. The Hilltender tried to call to mind the peace and tranquility of his goddess' presence. Images of a spring rain on a grassy knoll. The scent of freshly baked bread. The taste of a berry cobbler...or honey. He loved honey! None of them seemed to help.

The others, to less obvious degrees, shared the cleric's concerns. They were, obviously, in some kind of holding cells for demonic otherwordly creatures, summoned and bound by Tresahd's magics for gods knew what sinister purposes.

"Help me druid! Save me from this doom!" one particularly beautiful looking woman implored. She was "dressed" in a short tunic of leaves and twigs. Her hair seemed a mixture of fading green hair and leaves that were brown as the end of autumn.

"I have been here too long." she said weakly. "I must return to my tree or I shall die." tears came to the large doe-like eyes of green.

"A dryad?!" Fen said in surprise. "That fiend Tresahd will pay for this affront! Have no fear, gentle one. We shall help you." The druid's sacred spear flared with green light and he stepped toward the alcove.

"Heh heh. Oh yeah. I'll definitely help you out my lovely nymph." Festus leered and moved forward with the druid.

"Fen, Festus, NO!" Alaria called.

"But Alaria, surely this one is a true prisoner." Braddok began to defend, also taken in by the obviously weak lovely female.

Alaria called the electrical sparking ball at the end of her staff and thrust it between opening of the alcove and the druid and ranger, both mere steps from crossing the binding circle.

"Show your true form, evil one!" Alaria commanded of the dryad.

"I...I don't know what you mean, magess. I am so weak. Help me." the dryad replied.

"Alaria, I really must protest. The others, of course are better left where they are." Fen tried to reason. "But dryad's cannot live without their trees. She will die!"

"I doubt, Fen, that she is capable of ever dying. Not here, at least.

"How long have you been here?" Alaria said forcefully. "Answer quickly!"

"I...I really don't know...it seems an eternity." the dryad answered weakly and then placed a hand to her forehead and seemed to swoon, unconscious.

"Alaria, this is ridiculous!" Fen said with an agitation in his voice that was rarely heard. He pushed the wizard's staff aside and began to take another step.

"Haelan, can you look upon it with gifted sight?" Alaria asked quickly.

Haelan nodded dumbly and began to prayer to Faerantha to reveal evil to him.

"Fen, think...how long can a dryad live outside of her tree? If she's been here an 'eternity', shouldn't she be dead by now?"

This reasoning did give the druid pause as he recalled his training.

Haelan's eyes glowed with an amber colored light, much as Coerraine's used to. Immediately the halfling's eyes widened to see aura of pure evil nearly encase the whole of the binding circle.

The dryad before him appear to be a fully naked woman, with horns like Festus and a long tail, barbed at the end, twitching furiously back and forth. She also had two giant bat-like wings stretching out from her back. Cold, solid black, glossy eyes looked directly back at the Hilltender as her beautiful face twisted in fury and her perfectly formed pouty lips stretched inhumanly wide to reveal vampire-like fangs.

Haelan nearly tripped over himself backwards at the sight of the creature. The hairfoot stepped on Duor's toes in his mad dash to get behind any of the companions.

"Oy! Watch yerself, daft hairfoot." Duor protested.

"D-...D-D-...DEMON! It's an illusion! She's definitely a demon!" Haelan chattered, raising his mace before him. The weapon visibly shook in the Hilltender's hand.

The "unconscious dryad" now shimmered in their view and disappeared, revealing the true occupant that Haelan had just seen.

Festus and Fen similarly backed away in shock at the sight of the naked bat-winged woman. Though Festus did have a momentary thought "that the bat wings wouldn't really get in the way of some fun with so lovely a creature." The satyr had never slept with a proper demon before.

"T'ugh. FINE! You got me. There, you feel better, magess? There. You've bested me. My aren't you smart! True form and all. Get me out of here and I'll grant you whatever you wish. I'll give you a proper deal and everything. Immunity to attack, one boon, whatever you want, the whole nine." the newly revealed succubus said nonchalantly.

"A succubus. Not so surprising. Your kind I know full well enough. I also know not to 'deal' with demons." Alaria replied. "And yes...I am intelligent." she added as she waited for the males to continue down the corridor.

Fen took this "close encounter" as a sign that he needed to be more careful in the bowels of an evil wizard's belly and summoned up his own magical sight to scan their way as long as he could.

It was not long before the druid's precaution bore fruit as the form of a large shadow snake was revealed hovering very near the ceiling of the place. A short battle ensued as the companions were now more than experienced in dealing with them. A few strikes of magical weapons, Braddok's new sword seemed particularly effective, and some well placed "light" made short work of the shadow-summoned creature.

The next alcove they came to that glowed with an "active" binding circle revealed something none of the Stormriders were expecting to see.