Story HourPost your ongoing tales from your campaigns, and read those from others for inspiration. Lots of other RPG boards post "Story Hours", but this is where it started!
“It has to be here,” Vyrellis insisted once the companions had searched the whole of the chapel. “I sense it.”
“Perhaps it is only nearby,” said Erlmoor as he looked around the chapel one more time. “It is not here.”
“And we have tarried here for long enough,” said Enlishia. “It is time that we moved on.”
The others nodded their agreement and slowly, the companions left the chapel while Vyrellis continued to try and persuade Lavren to remain and seek the shard of her life force that she was convinced was in the room. He paid her no mind and instead followed the others out of the chamber and into the southern passage. The corridor turned eastward after a short distance and then led into a wide but plain room with two open doors in the far wall and a strange bronze panel to the left of the passage entrance.
Telkya was the first to start forward, moving cautiously toward the northern doorway. It opened onto a short and narrow passage that led into an empty, square chamber that she crossed quickly. As she reached the far end, she saw that another narrow passage led out of the room at the far side and at its end, an door led into another, torch-lit room. She stopped as the torchlight fell across the form of a man sitting on the ground with a crossbow resting on his crossed legs. He was chewing on some dried meat but as he senses the priestess’ movement, he reached for a bolt from the quiver at his belt and began to crank back his weapon.
“More bandits!” Telkya called back to the others and Lavren came running.
The warlock crossed the square room quickly and rushed into the narrow passage ahead of his wife, shielding her from any crossbow fire that might come from the room beyond. Erlmoor rushed into the square room next and moved past Telkya toward the passage entrance. The crossbowman rose to his feet and levelled his weapon at Lavren while calling something inaudible to unseen companions.
Back in the entry chamber, Enlishia rushed toward the southern door and found a narrow passage within that led to an open door at the far end. In the far chamber, Enlishia saw three men in chainmail armed with long halberds, arraying themselves into a battle line hastily. She raised her bow and loosed an arrow and then another toward the bandits. Both shafts drove into the right leg of the man in the middle of the battle line and sent him reeling back.
“More in here!” she called back to others.
Dulvarna and Thorn rushed into the passage together, the druid already changed into his black wolf form. They ran the length of the narrow hallway and burst into the far chamber to charge at the bandit battle line. One of the men thrust out with his halberd and scored a gouge along the flank of Thorn’s wolf form while the others braced and held firm as Dulvarna rushed at them with her blade. The warrior woman fell back for a moment, frustrated by her enemies but then, as a halberd drove painfully into her right leg, she came forward again with renewed fury.
Lavren regretted his advance into the western corridor at once as crossbows clicked and deadly bolts flew toward him. One drove into his shoulder, another into his right thigh, and a third pierced his left arm, below the elbow. He cried out in pain and reeled back against the left wall of the passage, snapping the bolt in his left arm painfully as he did so. He cried out again but as he did, Telkya pulled him back gently and rushed past him, her blade and her amulet in hand. She darted to the right and charged at one of the crossbowmen, her blade slashing out into the man’s shoulder. He spun away and as he did, Lavren forced himself to rush into the room behind his wife. He turned toward the other two crossbowmen and as he raised his wand, he realised that he recognised one of them as the man who had escaped from the battle with the werewolf. The warlock uttered a powerful curse and watched with satisfaction as purple bolts of energy lanced out to strike the two bandits, sending them reeling.
Erlmoor rushed into the chamber next and recognised the crossbowman that had fled, as Lavren had done. He roared and charged at the line of bandits, letting searing acid spray from his mouth as he reached the men. He lashed out with his blade but the man before him leapt back beyond the reach of the dragonborn’s blade.
“Still a coward then,” Erlmoor growled and then stepped forward after the man.
Enlishia loosed more arrows from her bow, one driving into the chest of the bandit in the middle of the line and the other flying over the man’s head. On the right of the line, a bandit drove its halberd into the flank of Thorn’s beast form as the druid-wolf leapt at him and with a whimper, Thorn fell against the north wall of the chamber. Dulvarna faught back and forth with the two foes she faced but still she had been unable to wound them. Both stabbed out at her within a heartbeat of each other and she hesitated for a moment as she decided which to parry. Her delay allowed both weapons to drive into her hips, one each side and force her back from her enemies. She cursed her own indecision through the pain of the wounds and then rushed forward once more.
In the northern chamber, the archers retreated, loading their crossbows as they did and it was then that Telkya noticed that they shared the chamber with their companions. A barricade of ruined furniture, crates and barrels divided the northern half of the chamber from the rest of the room but the sounds of battle were unmistakeably loud. Her companions were nearby, she realised, and her hope for victory soared. Only when a crossbow bolt clattered off the armour that she had taken from the dragonborn bandit leader, did her mid return to the battle. Another bolt flashed past her left arm and struck the wall close to Lavren behind her and then a third missed Erlmoor by inches.
The elf maid steeled herself and then rushed at the bandit before her. The man ducked as she swung out her blade and the steel struck the stone wall above the man’s head. A bolt of black energy flashed out from behind Telkya and struck the shoulder of the furthest crossbowman, the one who had fled the werewolf, and hurled him back into the wall. Erlmoor followed up, a prayer on his lips and as his blade sang out it glowed brightly. The sword drove into the man’s side and threw him into the barricade of debris.
“You should have kept on running,” the dragonborn growled at the man. “We don’t spare bandits.”
Enlishia loosed an arrow that flew over the head of the bandit in the middle of the line and then loosed a second a moment later that drove into the man’s shoulder. He fell back but as he did, his companion on the left lunged forward and drove the halberd he held into the shoulder of Thorn’s wolf form. The druid retreated finally and shifted form back into his bestial, but human form. He raised his totem stick and uttered an incantation that called forth an icy whirlwind around the bandits. They ducked and evaded the worst of the icy blasts but the distraction was enough for Dulvarna, who darted forward and lashed her blade into the side of the left leg of the bandit before her. The man stabbed his halberd at her and she dodged to her right only for the other bandit to stab his own weapon into her side. She fell back, wounded and bleeding.
The crossbowmen in the northern half of the chamber threw down their crossbows and drew clubs from their belts. They came forward as a furious wave but Telkya was ready and parried the clumsy club blows of the man before her easily. The other two men clubbed at Erlmoor, striking his arms and forcing him back a step but the dragonborn roared and lashed out with his sword to keep his enemies at bay. Telkya uttered a healing prayer and lashed out with her sword, the blade glowing brightly with divine radiance. As it struck the hip of the bandit in front of the elf maid, a ribbon of golden light snaked out and touched Lavren, healing some of his wounds and restoring his strength. The warlock stepped forward an raised his wand to loose a black bolt into the bandit in the middle of the line. The man fell back against the wall and as he did, Erlmoor surged forward. He plunged his blade into the belly of the bandit he faced and the man fell back against the wall behind him, dying.
Enlishia loosed another barrage of arrows from her bow, one flying past the bandit in the middle of the line and the other driving into his hip. Again, the man fell back but again the line came forward fiercely, one bandit stabbing his long halberd into Thorn’s belly. The druid fell back, bleeding, but still managed to chant an incantation and call forth another whirlwind of icy gusts. One of the bandits reeled away from the wind but another ducked, holding his arms above his head, and evaded the blasts of ice and cold. Once the winds had passed, the bandits came forward ferociously, stabbing their halberds at Dulvarna. She parried one but another drove into her side and she fell back as blood poured from the wound.
Erlmoor reeled back as the bandit before him struck his right wrist with his club. He faught through the numbness and pain of the blow and raised his blade to keep his enemy at bay. Across from him, Telkya surged forward, slashing her blade into the hip of the man that she faced. He reeled back into the wall and the priestess pressed her attack. As she did, Lavren loosed another black bolt from his wand that struck the man before Erlmoor and as the man reeled away, the dragonborn rushed forward, lashing his blade out high toward the man’s neck. The enchanted sword cut through the bandit’s neck easily and beheaded him, his body falling against the wall and his head rolling away to the left.
Enlishia loosed two more arrows that flew past the man in the middle of the line and knew that Dulvarna was in trouble. As she watched helplessly, the ranger saw another halberd stab out and pierce the warrior woman’s side. She gasped, cried out and then fell at the feet of her enemies. Thorn raised his voice in another incantation and called forth a dark storm cloud above the bandits that loosed lightning at the men. They ducked and dodged and remained unharmed before coming forward at Thorn with their halberds in front of them. One man stabbed his weapon into the druid’s chest and with a whimper, the big man fell back against the wall behind him and collapsed, blood pouring down his body. The other bandit rushed down the narrow hallway toward Enlishia, stabbing out with his pole arm as he reached the ranger. The blade of the weapon drove into Enlishia’s right thigh and she fell back, pain filling her head. Desperately, she retreated toward the eastern chamber with her bow raised and an arrow nocked to the string.
Telkya swatted aside the club of the man before her and then lashed her blade toward his chest. The bandit dodged to his right and avoided the elf maid’s sword but as he did, a bolt of black energy lanced out from Lavren’s wand and seared into the man’s chest. He fell back into the wall behind him and as he did, Erlmoor came forward and plunged his sword into the bandit’s ribs. The man gasped and then slumped down the wall to die beside his companions.
Enlishia loosed an arrow quickly as she retreated but the shaft flew over the head of the bandit who pursued her. She reached for another arrow, nocked it and fired again, this one driving into the man’s shoulder but still he kept coming forward. Enlishia fled then, rushing back into the eastern chamber and then running north into the other passage that Erlmoor, Telkya and Lavren had taken. She looked behind her with an arrow nocked to her bow and saw no pursuit but she fled onward anyway, hoping to reach her companions and safety.
In the northern part of the chamber, Erlmoor, Telkya and Lavren moved toward the barricade but as they did, one of the bandits that wielded a halberd moved to the other side of the barrier and thrust his weapon over the top of the structure. Another appeared toward the western end of the barrier and beyond them, Telkya could just see Dulvarna lying on the floor of the southern part of the chamber. The elf maid loosed a bolt of golden energy at one of the men and threw him back from the barricade for a moment Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy into the same man and sent him reeling but still the bandits held the barricade. Erlmoor loosed a ribbon of light from his sword that flew past the other bandit and it seemed that the men would hold their barrier and keep the companions from their wounded. Then, Enlishia entered the chamber from the east and the battle turned. The ranger looked back over her shoulder and then loosed one arrow and then a second toward the man at the western end of the barricade. The first shaft flew over his head but the second drove into his throat and he fell back to the floor beyond the barrier, dying.
The other man raised a loaded crossbow and let fly a bolt that flew past Lavren and disappeared into a dark opening in the north wall of the chamber. The remaining bandit crossed the square room and rushed at Enlishia who still stood in the entrance to the eastern passage. He thrust his halberd at her but she ducked to the right to avoid the stab and then leapt back beyond the reach of the weapon. Telkya looked toward the eastern passage and then toward Dulvarna and made up her mind. She closed her eyes for a moment and disappeared in a shower of light. She reappeared in the southern half of the chamber beyond the barricade and the bandit stood there. She looked over at Dulvarna and extended her left hand, uttering a healing prayer as she did. White light enveloped Dulvarna and she opened her eyes cautiously as Telkya’s heart sang. The priestess turned and loosed golden light at the man at the barricade and as he realised he was surrounded, panic filled the bandit’s eyes.
Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy at the man but he ducked down behind the barricade and evaded the spell. Erlmoor roared and rushed at the barricade, leaping atop it only for it to collapse beneath him, trapping him amongst the debris, crates and barrels. Enlishia retreated into the northern half of the chamber, loosing arrow after arrow at the man who advanced down the corridor behind her. Two drove into man, one in his left hip and the other into his left thigh, forcing him back a step for a moment but still he kept advancing. Meanwhile, the other man turned his halberd around and stabbed at Erlmoor only for the blade to strike the remains of a table in front of the dragonborn instead. Then Dulvarna climbed unsteadily to her feet and rushed at the man from behind. She lashed her blade out, drawing it across the base of his back, and spun him into the barricade.
The man before Enlishia advanced down the narrow corridor and stabbed out at her with his halberd. It drove into her shoulder and forced he back into Lavren who stood behind her. Enlishia looked to the right and saw a golden bolt of light strike the other man and throw him against the barricade again.
“Finish him,” she hissed to Lavren. “I’ll hold this one here.”
Lavren retreated toward the north wall to give Enlishia room to fall back herself and then turned to loose a bolt of black energy from his wand. The bolt struck the man in the shoulder and threw him off the barricade towards Dulvarna. With a roar, Erlmoor leapt from amongst the wood and debris and lashed out with his blade. Desperately, the man brought his halberd up two-handed above his head as though it were a quarterstaff, and parried the paladin’s blow. The man slammed the haft of the weapon into the side of Erlmoor’s head and sent him reeling to his right but as he did, a burst of black fur leapt on him from behind. As the recovered Thorn brought his wolf jaws down on the man’s neck, Dulvarna plunged her blade into the bandit’s back and he slumped forward, collapsing onto the barricade to die.
In the northern half of the chamber, Enlishia retreated across the room, loosing arrows as she did. Both shafts drove into the man’s chest but still he found the strength to continue his advance. He rushed into the chamber and stabbed his halberd into Lavren’s thigh. The elf fell back and felt the fever of the previous night return suddenly and threaten to overwhelm him. He staggered back before realising that the dark opening in the north wall contained a stairway and desperately, he reached out an arm to steady himself. As he did, Telkya rushed forward to the barricade and loosed a bolt of golden light from her amulet that flashed past the man’s shoulder. As the man looked toward the barricade, Lavren retreated along the north wall and cursed the man, loosing black energy from his wand. The bolt flashed past the man and struck the wall next to the passage entrance. Unexplainable panic seized Lavren as the man raised his halberd again but then Erlmoor roared and leapt back across the barricade. As the dragonborn struggled through the barrier, Enlishia began firing again, two arrows flying past the advancing man. Then he stepped forward, snarling at Lavren.
“We thought Ference had got you,” the man sneered. “Never thought you’d survive against a werewolf but here you are.”
The man levelled his weapon to strike but as he did Thorn, now in human form once more, began to chant an incantation. An icy whirlwind engulfed the man and as he staggered, struggling against the chill wind, Dulvarna clambered over the barricade and leapt down beside the man.
“Well we did survive,” she snarled at the man. “And we’re glad of it.”
She drove her blade into the man’s side and he fell to the stone floor, dying.
The stairway leading from the northern part of the chamber led down into the water chamber where the dead lizard folk still floated in the dank, blood-stained water. The companions made their way carefully through the chamber, avoiding the pipe entrance at the foot of the stairs and the other scattered throughout the chamber. Torches taken from the bandit lair lit their way and more were tucked into the belts of the companions as they made their way forward. They turned north again when they reached the north-south passage from the pit of the dead and they ignored the side door on the left, passing on to the double doors at the end of the long hall. Dulvarna and Erlmoor pushed open the doors and each of the companions took a sharp intake of breath as they beheld the great chamber within.
“The library!” Vyrellis said from the orb, her voice hushed. “Heed not the whispers!”
Shelves packed with books lined the walls and stands to the sides of the wide chamber with barely the height of two men between the tops of the shelves and the ceiling. In the centre, a grassy square surrounded a proud statue of a moon elf princess. At first, the chamber appeared to be deathly quiet but then the companions began to hear faint whispers. They began as barely audible sounds but then grew louder and began to press upon the minds of each of the companions – an unintelligible jumble of words in many languages, like a thousand voices murmuring at once.
Erlmoor led the way into the room, moving right toward the nearest stand of shelves while looking closely at the statue. As he moved forward, he found himself drawn toward the shelves by the whispers and as he moved on, he had to exert real effort. As he reached the end of the bookshelf, he saw movement ahead of him and a hairless grey-skinned humanoid emerged from behind a stand of shelves in front of him. The creature wore dark, flowing clothes but also had pieces of spiked armour strapped to its shoulders and legs. It held a curved scimitar in its right hand and rushed at the paladin, swinging the blade in low.
Erlmoor retreated and brought his blade down to parry but he only succeeded in deflecting the scimitar away from his belly and into his thigh. He staggered and limped back as Enlishia came forward, nocking an arrow to her bow as she came. She loosed an arrow that drove into the creature’s right leg and then fired again, but the second shaft flew wide of the mark and drove into the end of a stand of shelves. The ranger staggered as something else beyond the whispers assailed her mind and as she saw Erlmoor do the same, she knew what they faced here.
“These are eaters of knowledge, oft called the Brood of Shar,” she called to the others. “And the one we see is not the only one.”
As if to emphasise the ranger’s point, there was sudden movement on top of the shelves that stood against the east wall of the room. Another of the creatures moved into view there with a longbow in its hands and as the companions looked, it reached for an arrow to nock to the string. Thorn started toward the creature high on the shelves, throwing down the torch he carried in his left hand and drawing forth his totem stick. He chanted an incantation and gestured at the creature, calling forth an icy blast of wind that threw the archer back against the wall.
Dulvarna rushed to aid Erlmoor, her blade singing out as she reached the creature he faced and driving into the eater’s right leg just below Enlishia’s arrow. The creature grunted and staggered to its left. Telkya moved forward to aid Thorn, throwing down her own torch and raising her amulet. A bolt of golden light lanced out and struck the archer creature just as it began to recover from thorn’s icy blast of wind. Then Telkya heard a shout from Lavren behind her and as she turned, she saw that another of the scimitar-wielding creatures had emerged from behind a long stand of shelves to the left and was advancing toward Enlishia’s back. The warlock moved into the room and rushed to stand beside Thorn but as he reached the druid, he turned around and raised his wand. He uttered a curse and a bolt of black energy crackled out to strike the creature in the chest and hurl it backwards. It jerked its shoulders as though loosening its muscles once it had stopped retreating and then it raised its blade to resume its advance.
Telkya looked back toward the archer high on the shelves and as she did, another eater of knowledge, this creature dressed in long, flowing robes, emerged from behind the stand of shelves in front of her. The creature raised both its hands and uttered something unintelligible at Thorn. The druid suddenly staggered as a terrible pain filled his head. He reached up his left hand to try to block out the agony and reeled to the left and right as the pain refused to leave him. Then, as suddenly as it had been summoned, the pain was gone but the druid was left dazed and confused by the attack.
Suddenly, Lavren cried out again as an arrow drove into his left shoulder and threw him back. He and Telkya both looked around for the second archer and spotted the creature atop the shelves that stood against the west wall of the chamber. Lavren cursed under his breath, snapped the shaft off in the wound and then raised his wand to face the warrior closest to him.
Erlmoor roared and sprayed acid at the eater before him only for the creature to duck and shield its body with the armour on its arms. The dragonborn surged forward before his enemy could recover and lashed his blade in from his right to drive into the hip of the creature before him. It spun away to its left and then turned around to let out a terrible scream from its mouth that pierced the minds of Dulvarna and Erlmoor and threw them back. Enlishia rushed forward to the foot of the statue and loosed an arrow into the side of the eater. She reached over to her quiver and drew forth another arrow that she nocked to her bow and released straight away. This shaft flew wide of the creature and drove into a book on one of the shelves against the eastern wall.
An arrow struck the floor in front of Telkya while beside her, Thorn shifted into his wolf form and leapt at the robed creature in front of him. His teeth seized the creature’s arm and dragged the eater toward Lavren and Telkya for a moment before the creature shook the wolf free. Telkya looked back desperately toward the other creature that advanced toward them with its scimitar in hand but as she caught Dulvarna’s eye, she realised that the warrior woman had seen the creature two. She spun on the spot, lashed out with her blade and beheaded the creature before her. Then she twisted away and moved to meet the new foe that came from the western side of the room.
Telkya turned her attention back to the archer on top of the shelves, loosing a golden bolt of light at the creature that struck the wall above its head. She cursed silently and as she did, she sensed movement behind her. She half turned and then felt the searing pain of a blade driving into the left side of her back. She cried out, reeling away, as blood began to pour down her side.
The robed eater drew a scimitar from its belt as it shook Thorn from its arm and drove the blade down into the flank of the druid’s wolf form. Thorn retreated with a whimper and Lavren looked around to check that the druid remained able to fight. Satisfied, the warlock raised his wand and cursed at the creature that had wounded Telkya, loosing crackling black energy into its side. The creature reeled right into the wall and Telkya turned around with her blade in hand to face her enemy. Then an arrow lanced out from the archer atop the western shelves and drove into Lavren’s leg. The warlock gasped and fell back as again, the fever that had plagued him since the battle with the werewolf, rose in his body again.
Erlmoor rushed past Lavren as he reeled from the arrow in his leg, and charged at the creature that battled Telkya. He swung his blade out with a prayer on his lips and as it glowed, it smashed into the hip of the creature, slamming it into the wall of the chamber again. Enlishia’s bow sang a moment later and an arrow drove into the creature’s shoulder. A second shaft flew forth and clattered into the wall next to the eater of knowledge but still it faught on. Another bow sang on the eastern shelves and this time, the arrow flew true and drove into the back of Telkya’s right leg, pitching her forward. Her enemy snarled but before it could strike, she leapt back out of its reach as Dulvarna charged in from its left.
Dulvarna rushed into the creature and plunged her blade forward, driving it into the side of the eater’s chest. The point found its heart a moment later and with a gasp, the creature slid off the end of the warrior woman’s sword and fell to the floor of the chamber. Dulvarna smiled at the others and then pushed her way between them as she rushed to join Thorn against the robed creature.
“Take care of the archers,” she called back to the others and without any further bidding, Telkya started toward the western shelves.
Telkya vanished into a shower of light a moment later only to reappear atop the shelves against the south wall. She raised her amulet and with a prayer, called forth a column of searing light that descended on the far archer and burned its grey skin. It gasped and cried out but still it managed to raise its bow and nock an arrow to the string.
The robed figure retreated as Dulvarna rushed at it and then it opened its mouth and let forth a terrible howl that sounded like thousands of voices screaming for aid in every language that had ever been spoken on Faerun. Thorn reeled back and away from the creature as the terrible sound reached into his mind and caused him terrible pain. Dulvarna paid the howl no mind and stepped forward with her blade before her. To her left, Lavren disappeared into light as Telkya had and reappeared next to his wife atop the shelves against the southern wall. He raised his wand and loosed crackling black energy at the archer against the western wall but the creature ducked to its left and the blast struck the stone behind where it had been standing. The creature raised its bow and loosed an arrow but the shaft drove with a thud into the books on the shelves below the two elves. The two smiled at each other and started forward, toward their enemy.
Erlmoor rushed past Thorn’s wolf form with a roar and charged at the robed eater of knowledge. He lashed out with his blade but the creature brought its scimitar across and parried expertly before retreating a step before the paladin’s furious charge. Beyond the creature, the archer atop the shelves raised its bow and loosed an arrow that drove into Dulvarna’s shoulder, throwing the warrior woman back. Behind her, Thorn shifted back into human form and stood for a moment, dazed and breathless. Dulvarna looked back at the druid and once she was satisfied that he would survive, she rushed furiously at the robed creature before her. Her blade sang out and drove into the eater’s left side, sending it reeling away to her left. The creature spun around, snarling at Dulvarna and the warrior woman stepped forward, raising her blade to strike again.
Enlishia moved away from the statue to the southern end of the nearest stand of shelves and raised her bow to take aim at the archer atop the western shelves. She loosed a sighting arrow that struck the wall next to the creature and then nocked another, loosing it quickly but knowing that it flew true. The shaft drove into the creature’s side just above its hip and threw it back against the wall behind it. A bolt of golden light flew out from Telkya’s amulet as she advanced along the shelves and struck the creature in the chest, throwing it back against the wall. Lavren moved along the shelves behind his wife, raising his wand as he came. He cursed at the archer, loosed a bolt of black energy and watched as the blast struck the creature in the face and slammed its head back into the stone wall behind it. The creature opened its mouth and then pitched forward off the shelves to land, twenty feet below, as a broken corpse.
Erlmoor parried repeatedly as the robed creature came forward fiercely but he knew he was a match for its skill. He lashed his own blade in low from his left, hoping to sneak it under the creature’s guard but the eater parried again and stepped back. Behind him, he heard Enlishia’s bow sing and saw an arrow strike the wall next to the archer atop the eastern shelves. A second arrow flew over the dragonborn’s head and this drove into the creature’s right leg, throwing it into the stone behind it. It raised its bow and loosed an arrow that drove into Dulvarna’s right leg, throwing her back a step. She cried out but as she did, Thorn raised his voice in an incantation. Thunder rang out above the archer on top of the shelves and then lightning struck downward, smashing into the shelf next to the creature. Dulvarna let out a guttural roar as she summoned more strength and surged forward. Her blade danced left and right and then lashed across the thigh of the creature before her. It staggered to its left but then snarled at her, showing its derision. It screamed then and lashed out with its blade, driving the scimitar into Dulvarna’s left hip. She fell into the wall as pain exploded in her hip and then inside her head. The warrior woman cried out, knowing that another attack like that would surely fell her.
Telkya paused for a moment to regard Lavren who seemed to be being consumed by the fever that had so plagued him for the last day. She uttered a healing prayer and then took his arm, leading him quickly along the top of the shelves against the western wall. Behind his wife, Lavren felt his fever abating and let his wife lead him onward. They would circle around the chamber it seemed to go to the aid of their companions.
Erlmoor roared and surged at the robed figure, his blade lashing out as he uttered a prayer. The blade drove into the creature’s right shoulder, under the plates of its armour and it reeled to its left while white light burst from the sword and engulfed Erlmoor, Dulvarna and Thorn, restoring some of their strength. Behind the others, Enlishia struggled to get away from the pain in her head that she knew was caused by the presence of the robed eater of knowledge. She circled around to the north, passing the end of a stack of shelves as she tried to find another way to attack the archer to the east. She found that she had circled around the side of the battle with the robed figure and raised her bow instead to aim at that creature. She loosed an arrow that flew just behind the creature and then loosed another that drove into the creature’s side. It staggered but then an arrow clattered into the stone in front of Dulvarna and Enlishia moved on, reminded of her purpose.
Still trying to shake off the daze of the robed eater’s howl, Thorn managed to chant another incantation and raise his totem stick. A blast of frost lanced out from the end of the stick and struck the archer in the chest, throwing the creature back into the wall and covering its limbs with stiffening frost. Dulvarna flashed a smile at her companion and then rushed at the robed creature, her blade flashing in from left and right and cutting into the eater’s legs and arms. It fell back for a moment from the fury of the attacks and then lashed out with its scimitar, the blade slashing across Dulvarna’s left cheek and spinning her into the wall again.
She pushed herself off the wall and heard Erlmoor uttering another prayer. He held up his blade for a moment and reached out a hand to touch Dulvarna’s shoulder. The hand flared with white light for a moment as new strength flowed into the warrior woman and then the dragonborn turned away with a roar and lashed his sword across the belly of the robed creature. Two arrows drove into the creature’s right side as Enlishia’s bow sang again and then the ranger was gone, moving on to pursue the archer on the shelves. Another arrow flew down from the eater of knowledge archer and tore into the side of Dulvarna’s right leg but she paid the wound no mind.
Thorn called icy wind to the heights of the shelves but the creature leapt to its left and avoided the worst of the cold. Thorn finally shook off the daze that had plagued him and retreated away from the battle, trying as Enlishia had done to get away from the terrible pain in his head. As he retreated, Dulvarna surged forward again despite the pain and lashed her blade into the belly of the robed creature. It gasped and fell back, staggering as blood poured from the wound. It reached a hand to the wound and Dulvarna stepped forward, thinking her enemy beaten. As she drew near, the creature moved suddenly and drove its blade up, driving the point into Dulvarna’s belly with a snarl. The warrior woman fell back, bleeding heavily herself as the creature snarled at its apparent victory. Then Erlmoor brought his blade down on the creature’s back and it fell to the stone floor at Dulvarna’s feet.
Enlishia moved north along the shelves and then turned, aiming carefully at the creature atop the shelves. She let fly the arrow and watched it fly straight and true into the archer’s right leg. The creature lurched to its right as it tried to raise its bow and Enlishia fired again. Her second arrow drove into the top of the shelves beneath the archer’s feet and the creature raised it bow and took aim toward Dulvarna and Erlmoor. It let fly the arrow and the shaft drove into Dulvarna’s chest, hurling her backwards. She gasped and then fell back onto the stone floor, her belly and her chest pouring blood.
Thorn saw Dulvarna fall and called forth another icy wind to envelop the archer. Again, the creature tried to take cover but still the wind bit at its skin and flesh. A golden bolt from Telkya’s amulet struck it next and threw it to its left as she and her husband rounded the north eastern corner of the shelves and made their way toward the archer. Erlmoor knelt beside Dulvarna and tended to her wounds while Enlishia raised her bow again. An arrow flew forth, drove through the creature’s throat and it fell from the shelves to land with a dull thump on the stone floor beneath.
“These may cure our fever,” said Lavren after he had searched through the library for several minutes.
He held in his hands three scrolls, two of which he knew would cure disease if the rituals written there were performed upon a sick individual. The other contained a ritual that he could not make sense of and as Thorn and Telkya looked over the scroll, they too, found it beyond their ken.
“The ritual would be taxing and dangerous,” said Telkya. “And we cannot rest here for long enough to perform it. I say we go on to the north until we find somewhere where we can rest.”
“I agree,” Thorn said in his deep baritone. “There is a risk, but the risk of staying here is greater.”
“But you are not the one with the fever,” Lavren snapped back. “I feel it consuming me when I am wounded in battle and I do not know what it might make me do.”
“You are all right,” Dulvarna said then. “But only Lavren and Erlmoor can judge this. They have the fever and we do not. We must go along with what they say.”
“But the risk is too great,” said Telkya. “If enemies came upon us here while I performed the ritual upon either of them we could all be slain.”
Lavren looked at his wife and slowly nodded his acceptance. Grimly, he gathered his belongings and started toward the ladder that led back to the top of the shelves. The doors in the north wall led out of the room from that level and all would have to climb back atop the shelves to leave the room.
The double doors opened into a rectangular chamber dominated by the stone statue of an angel with its wings folded around its body on an ornate pedestal. Cradled in its hands it held the black disc symbol of Shar pointing toward the companions. An L-shaped table and a heavy cabinet stood against the opposite wall, with a closed door between them . Another door pierced the left hand wall in the corner to the left of the cabinet.
Dulvarna led the companions forward but as she drew near to the angel, the black disk of Shar sent forth a burst of black energy. Dulvarna leapt back and Enlishia rushed forward, circling around the room away from the statue to reach the far door. She held back her bow and reached out to the iron ring that was the door’s handle, turning it and pushing open the portal. She saw the eater of knowledge within at once but it saw her at the same time. The creature drew its scimitar and began to advance.
“More of Shar’s brood,” she called out to the others.
The statue sent forth a burst of energy again and Dulvarna leapt away, rushing to aid Enlishia at the door. She moved past the ranger and rushed into the room to meet the eater of knowledge blade to blade. Behind her, Thorn rushed around the statue to the western door and pulled the portal open. Within was a square chamber with four stone pillars supporting a dome below the high ceiling. Two more eaters of knowledge drew blades within the room as the door opened but with them stood a tall man in midnight blue robes with long dark hair and the beginnings of horns jutting as little pyramids just behind his temples.
“More in here,” Thorn called. “And what might be a tiefling.”
Erlmoor roared and rushed to stand beside the druid in the doorway with his blade before him and as he did, the eaters of knowledge came forward. One rushed at the two companions and slashed its blade into Thorn’s shoulder, driving the druid back into the wooden cabinet behind him. The other creature rushed to aid its companion but the door was narrow and it could not reach Erlmoor or Thorn. Telkya and Lavren rushed to aid Dulvarna at the northern door and as they did, the eater of knowledge in that chamber charged at Dulvarna. It lashed out with its blade to the right but Dulvarna parried and the two began to trade blows, back and forth in the doorway to the room.
“There he is!” Vyrellis cried suddenly as the horned man appeared behind the eaters of knowledge in the western chamber. “A splinter of Draxius’ life force! Destroy him and find his key!”
“I know no Draxius!” the horned man roared in response. “I am Galaghard, King of Cormyr, and you will die for disturbing my studies here!”
Enlishia raised her bow with an arrow nocked, seeking a way to aim at the creature that Dulvarna fought and the warrior woman seemed to sense her dilemma. Dulvarna slashed her blade across the chest of the eater before her and as it reeled back, she darted past it to the right, putting her back up against a pile of crates and barrels. Enlishia loosed one arrow and then nocked and fired a second, both driving into the creature’s chest and throwing it back into the room. Suddenly, the horned man appeared to emerge from a curtain at the western end of the room and raised his staff. He uttered a command word and a bolt of blue energy shot forth from the stave to strike Dulvarna in the shoulder and hurl her back into the crates and barrels behind her. The eater of knowledge hissed its approval and raised its blade to come at her before she could recover.
At the other doorway, Thorn shifted into his wolf form and leapt at the creature before him, tearing at its arm and dragging it off balance. Erlmoor rushed at it at the same time and drove him blade into the creature’s hip, throwing it back from the door for a moment. The creature lashed out wildly at Thorn with its blade and tore a shallow wound across the top of the wolf druid’s back. He let go his grip and the eater came forward against both of its enemies with renewed fury.
Telkya looked toward Lavren and winked knowingly before closing her eyes and vanishing into a shower of light motes. She reappeared in the northern chamber a few feet from the man who claimed to be a King of Cormyr. She raised her amulet and loosed golden light at the horned man but he dodged easily to his right and evaded the divine bolt. A moment later, Lavren appeared, his back to the north wall of the chamber and his wand levelled at the eater of knowledge. He cursed the creature, loosing a crackling bolt of black energy that seared into the creature’s back and hurled it forward, towards Dulvarna. It let out a terrible scream and as it seared into the warrior woman’s head, she fell back into the barrels and crates again.
Enlishia loosed an arrow quickly to try and silence the creature and she succeeded for the eater stopped its scream as the shaft drove into its shoulder. The ranger fired again but her second arrow clattered off the stone wall next to the creature and struck the floor in front of Lavren. Dulvarna pushed herself off the crates then and lashed her blade across the eater’s belly driving it back another step into the room. She looked toward Galaghard as she heard the man utter another command and as she looked, lightning burst from his staff and struck Telkya in the chest, throwing her back into Lavren. The bolt coursed through her and then arced out to strike Lavren and then Dulvarna and once again, the warrior woman was hurled back painfully into the crates and barrels behind her. As Dulvarna looked up, dazed and wounded, she saw the horned man turn away from the battle and vanish into the curtain without moving it aside or indeed disturbing it at all.
Thorn and Erlmoor saw Galaghard reappear behind the eaters of knowledge at the same time and at the same time they surged forward. Again, Thorn in wolf form seized the arm of the creature that faced the pair and this time, as the eater was dragged to its left, Erlmoor drove his sword into its side. It reeled back but still it lashed out and this time, its blade struck the flank of Thorn’s wolf form and slammed him into the wall to his right. The druid snarled his annoyance as he regained his feet but in his heart he knew that he could not take many more blows like that one.
Telkya loosed a bolt of golden light at the eater of knowledge in the doorway and then turned toward the curtain, thinking to follow Galaghard. She rushed over to the curtain and with some effort, moved the heavy drape aside. She looked back toward Lavren and as she did he loosed a black bolt wildly at the eater of knowledge and rushed to pass through the curtain ahead of her. As he passed the curtain it seemed to tangle his legs as though it moved of its own accord but still he passed through it with a stumble and found himself in a bed chamber with a cot against the west wall and a desk against the south, covered in books and scrolls. He looked back to see if the others followed him just as an arrow from Enlishia’s bow drove through the throat of the eater and it fell to the floor of the chamber. He beckoned to the others and they made to follow him into the chamber.
As Enlishia reached the curtain, it seemed to slip from Telkya’s grasp to fall in front of the ranger. She made to push it aside but it enveloped her and held her firmly around the waist and legs, half in and half out of the bed chamber beyond. Dulvarna came forward and moved aside the left hand side of the curtain but as she tried to pass through, the curtain again fell back and enveloped her, holding her in place. She struggled beside Enlishia but despite their efforts, neither could get free.
Thorn summoned the fury of his werewolf ancestors and leapt at the eater of knowledge with a growl. He seized the creature’s leg and clung on as it tried desperately to shake the wolf druid free. Erlmoor roared, spraying acid onto both the creatures to force them back and as they retreated, he advanced. He stepped into the doorway and plunged his sword into the belly of the eater of knowledge that Thorn had seized in his wolf jaws. The creature gasped and then collapsed, falling limply to the floor. Thorn let the creature go and Erlmoor stepped into the doorway in front of him to meet the other eater blade to blade, determined to defend the wounded druid.
Telkya tried to slip past the edge of the curtain as her companions struggled with it but somehow, a part of the drape tangled around her left leg and held her firm just inside the bed chamber. Lavren looked back to his stranded companions and for a moment found their struggles funny. Trying to keep a smile from his lips, he rushed to the around the desk to the southern wall of the room where a similar curtain hung, decorated with the same grassy field beneath a starry sky as the other was. He pulled the curtain aside, noting a blood red full moon near the horizon of the tapestry scene but as he tried to pass through, the curtain somehow entangled him around the waist and he found himself trapped, a little way into the other room. To his left, Erlmoor faught an eater of knowledge while standing over the body of another while in front of the warlock, Galaghard stood beneath a dome supported by four columns. The robed man smiled as he saw the elf’s predicament and all humorous thoughts vanished from Lavren’s mind. Then Enlishia burst through the curtain to the elf’s right and became ensnared as he was. The horned man’s smile broadened.
Dulvarna marvelled at how easily Enlishia had twisted her way out of the curtain and decided that she could do something similar. She ducked down into the curtain and with all her strength, she dragged her body out of its tangles. Pulling the curtain to full stretch with her, she reached the desk before the hanging finally released her and even then, she staggered into the chair next to the writing table and nearly fell. She raised her sword and rushed to the southern curtain, easing it to one side with her blade as she reached it. Once she had a big enough opening, she dived through but again the curtain fell back and wrapped around her waist. She found herself looking into the fierce, evil eyes of Galaghard and as his eyes met hers, the horned man uttered a word of command and a bolt of blue light lanced out to strike the entrapped Lavren.
Thorn held back for a moment, gathering his strength while Erlmoor, seeing his companions trapped in the curtain at the northern edge of the room, surged forward. The dragonborn clashed blades again and again with the creature but its guard was strong and it refused to give ground as its companion had. Still, the paladin forced his way past the creature and into the room, leaving room for Thorn to rush at the creature once some of his strength had returned.
Enlishia twisted and ducked into curtain but could only manage to free her bow. She raised it and loosed one arrow and then a second, the first nicking Galaghard’s cheek and the second, driving into his left arm below the shoulder. The horned man snarled his derision but then his expression changed as Dulvarna pulled herself free of the curtain and rushed at him. She lashed out her sword and he leapt back, avoiding the cut by mere inches while bringing his staff across to parry the next attack. He retreated between the southern pair of pillars and uttered another command word, loosing a rolling blast of thunder that threw Dulvarna into the pillar next to her and hurled Lavren and Enlishia back into the tangles of the curtain.
In the chamber to the east, Thorn heard the peal of thunder and rushed at the eater of knowledge, knowing that powerful magic had been unleashed against his companions. He lunged at the ankle of the creature and tore open the flesh there with his jaws, driving the eater back into the room and hobbling it for a few moments at least. Erlmoor surged forward at the creature a prayer on his lips that made his sword glow brightly. He feinted to his left and then brought his blade over the creature’s head and down on its left shoulder. The creature hissed at the dragonborn who swept his blade around and up toward its belly. It brought its blade down just in time and parried the blow before letting out a piercing scream.
Lavren struggled to free himself from the curtain but found himself held firm although he managed to free his wand and his sword. He raised the former and loosed a bolt of black energy that caught Galaghard in the shoulder. The horned man staggered back and as he did, Enlishia let fly two arrows in quick succession. One drove into his left shoulder and the other into his right hip, forcing him back another step away from Dulvarna. The warrior woman retreated in turn, gathering her strength for another charge and the horned man took his chance, loosing another blast of rolling thunder at the three companions.
Thorn came forward again in a snarling fury and as the eater of knowledge looked toward him, Erlmoor rushed at it from the other side. The dragonborn roared, forcing all of his strength into one mighty overhead blow but the creature raised its scimitar to parry the dragonborn’s sword. The paladin’s blade smashed the weapon in two and continued its descend, cleaving into the top of the creature’s skull and splitting it almost in two. The creature fell, broken to the stone floor and the dragonborn turned away to circle around behind Galaghard.
Telkya burst through the northern curtain a moment later but it moved back seemingly on its own and ensnared her alongside Lavren and Enlishia. The ranger looked over at the priestess and smiled before ducking and wriggling through the entangling cloth to escape its folds and move into the chamber. She moved to the right of the nearest pillar, raised her bow toward the horned man. Her bow sang once and then a second time, both arrows driving into Galaghard’s side and forcing him back toward Erlmoor who now stood ready at the man’s back. Dulvarna rushed past the ranger and lashed her blade into the horned man’s belly forcing a gasp from his lips as he fell back another step.
The man paused for a moment then, glancing over his shoulder at Erlmoor and managing to sneer at the dragonborn. Then he raised his staff, uttered a now familiar command and loosed rolls of thunder at the companions. Dulvarna ducked to her right behind the pillar and escaped the worst of the spell but Enlishia was flung back against the north wall of the room next to the curtain. Lavren was also hurled back, his head striking the wall next to the curtain and his body falling limp amongst the entangling folds of the curtain. Thorn leapt at the man then from between the two western pillars while Erlmoor rushed at the horned man from behind, slashing his blade once and then a second time into his back. Galaghard cried out then for the first time, reeling and swinging his staff out wide to try and ward of the enemies that now surrounded him.
“I ruled wisely!” he cried out. “How came I to be imprisoned here!”
Telkya watched the man’s desperation and almost felt pity for him but as she struggled against the curtain, her anger returned. She looked down at Lavren and judged that he would live, for a little while at least, and decided that Dulvarna needed her aid more. She raised her voice in a healing prayer and held her amulet out clumsily toward the warrior woman. Golden light enveloped Dulvarna and the worst of her hurts were healed. She smiled her thanks at Telkya who looked down at her husband, hoping that her assessment of his injuries had been right.
Enlishia circled around the back of Galaghard and aimed carefully before loosing an arrow that flew straight and true into the man’s back. He spun around as she levelled her bow again and her second arrow missed him and clattered into the pillar beside him. He cursed this new foe and as he did, Dulvarna rushed at him and plunged her blade into his side. The man gasped and lashed out with his staff, unleashing one last burst of thunderous power. Thorn and Dulvarna were hurled away from the horned man and Telkya was slammed against the wall close to where Lavren’s blood still stained the stone. Thorn the wolf rushed back at the man almost at once and as he did, Erlmoor rushed at Galaghard from the other side. The horned man’s staff kept Thorn at bay but the Erlmoor drove his blade into his back, forcing him to stagger forward. A moment later, an arrow drove into the back of Galaghard’s neck and he pitched forward onto the stone floor.
“I ruled wisely,” he gasped with the last of his breath. “How came it to this.”
Thus died the man who called himself Galaghard, King of Cormyr.
“Galaghard was the name born by Draxius’ father and grandfather,” said Vyrellis as the companions made ready to leave the library where they had rested to heal their wounds. They had made camp on the tops of the shelves above the chamber to better keep watch for enemies and there, Telkya had cured Erlmoor and Lavren of the disease that had assailed them since the battle with the werewolf. Vyrellis had expected to find a chard of her life force in the statue at the centre of the library, which she said depicted her in life, but she had not. She had become agitated for several hours after that and had only now really calmed down.
“Perhaps the man was Galaghard and he too is trapped here,” Dulvarna suggested.
“No!” Vyrellis shouted. “I know who I saw and who I sensed. That was Draxius, whoever he claimed to be.”
“Then why would he claim to be his own grandfather?” Lavren questioned. “It makes no sense.”
“I know not,” Vyrellis answered, speaking more calmly now as she always did with Lavren. “I only know that what I sensed was a fragment of Draxius and no one else.”
“It is a mystery for another time,” said Thorn sternly. “We must decide our onward path now that we have defeated at least a part of Draxius.”
“We are yet to recover the shards of Vyrellis’ life force,” said Lavren. “We know the way upward through the pyramid but there is more exploration to be done here before we move on.”
“Agreed,” said Telkya. “And we should journey back to face the plant creatures. I for one would avenge my brother and perhaps bring him forth for a proper funeral.”
“Though I sympathise,” Erlmoor rumbled. “We cannot. We must go on as quickly as we can to find a way out of here. Litiraan would have wanted that and you, Vyrellis, would surely seek your freedom above all else.”
“What use is freedom without a body and a life, dragonborn” Vyrellis snarled.
“That is as maybe,” Dulvarna said with her usual calm authority. “But Erlmoor is right. We cannot linger here any longer than we have to. We must go back to the stairs and make our way upwards.”
As usual, the others slowly nodded their agreement with Dulvarna and gathered up their belongings to make their way back to the stairway upwards. When they were ready to leave, Dulvarna paused and pulled out the adamantine key that they had found in the chest in Galaghard’s chamber. It bore draconic runes that Erlmoor had translated as first in hardness, not in place though Dulvarna did not understand the phrase’s meaning. Shrugging, she put the key back into the pouch at her belt and led the companions out of the room.
They found their way quickly to the ice chamber and then headed north into the stairwell where a wide set of stairs rose before them into the gloom above. As they began to ascend, the companions saw that the stairs wrapped around the walls of the room, leaving a deep pit in the middle. The first landing turned right and then led to another staircase ascending to the north. Telkya moved toward the stairs, looking warily up into the darkness above by the feeble light of the torch she carried. Erlmoor moved past her and began to ascend the next flight of stairs but as soon as he did, the stairs shifted and rocked as though a giant had was shaking them. Erlmoor fell over to his left and then slid across the rocking stairs to the edge of the central pit. Desperately, he tried to hang onto the stone stairs but then they tipped again and he tumbled over the edge into the dark abyss.
A screech came from Telkya’s left and as she looked up, a grey-skinned horned creature swooped down toward her on bat-like wings. It circled over the pit and then dived at the priestess, lashing out with razor-sharp claws. Telkya ducked and the creature swept over her head, letting out another screech as it saw the remaining companions nearing the top of the first flight of stairs. Thorn strode onto the landing, uttering an incantation as he came. A blast of chill wind struck the gargoyle and it stuttered in its flight as it sought to gain height and reach the upper landing from which it had come.
Enlishia moved onto the landing and raised her bow, loosing an arrow and then a second at the gargoyle but both bounced off the creature’s stony skin. Lavren moved in front of Telkya and loosed a black bolt of energy from his wand that flew past the gargoyle and struck the side of the western staircase. Dulvarna rushed up the last few stairs and charged at the gargoyle, her blade lashing out and tearing into the creature’s leg. It screeched again and as it did, another creature answered it. A second gargoyle swept around the wall to Dulvarna’s left and bore down on her. It swooped down and lashed out with a claw toward the warrior woman but Dulvarna ducked back and the gargoyle swiped only at air.
Telkya threw down her torch and rushed to aid Dulvarna, her blade in hand. She lashed out at the second of the gargoyles, her blade cutting into the right arm of the creature as it beat its wings to take to the air again. The creature screeched and this time, another creature answered it. From the northwest corner of the stairwell came a harpy whose wings were wreathed in fire. The creature swept down and with a roar, it disgorged a cloud of burning ash from its mouth as it neared the ledge. Lavren and Thorn threw their arms over their faces as the ash clouded the ledge but Enlishia was not quick enough. Searing ash burned her face and arms while the ash clogged her eyes and blinded her. Desperately, she clawed at her eyes to clear away the ash while Lavren tried to keep her away from the treacherous edge of the pit.
The gargoyle that had attacked Telkya swept up over the pit and seemed to land out of sight on a landing high above. On the lower landing, Thorn shifted to his wolf form and rushed at the harpy and the remaining gargoyle. He leapt at the harpy and seized the creature’s left leg, trying to drag it down onto the ledge. The harpy screeched and pulled the limb free, almost dragging the druid into the pit but using the claws of his wolf form, Thorn kept his footing on the ledge. Behind the druid, Enlishia heard the harpy’s screech and loosed an arrow despite her blindness. The shaft flew wide of the harpy and clattered into the side of the western stairs but she loosed a second a moment later and this shaft flew straight and true. The arrow drove into the side of the harpy and with another screech, the creature beat its wings to get away from the companions.
At the edge of the pit, Lavren pulled a rope from his belt and tied one end around his waist while dropping the other end down into the pit for Erlmoor to climb up. He looked back to Enlishia and saw that the ranger had now wiped the ash from her eyes and was nocking another arrow to her bowstring. Satisfied that he would be defended, the elf let the rope fall and braced himself to hold the weight of the dragonborn as he began to climb up.
Dulvarna lashed out at the gargoyle that had landed before her but as she did, it beat its wings and flew backwards beyond her reach. Then, with a screech, it swept left out over the pit and climbed up to the ledge where its companion had disappeared before vanishing from sight itself. Telkya turned away from where the gargoyle had stood and moved to the bottom of the shifting stairs that had pitched Erlmoor into the pit. She turned back then and loosed a golden bolt of light at the harpy that flew just past the creature’s left wing. Cursing, she turned back to the shifting stairs and began to contemplate how she might make her way past the obstacle.
Erlmoor climbed up Lavren’s rope quickly, cresting the pit edge wearily and then looking around to see how his companions faired. Close by, the harpy lashed a claw across the back of Thorn’s wolf form and then swooped away, circling the central pit while singing a song that burned all who heard it as though it were flame.
“We have to get up the stairs,” the dragonborn called to the others. “Keep to the outer wall and move quickly.”
Thorn looked back at the dragonborn and barked his agreement but as he did, one of the gargoyles swept down from its high ledge again. It lashed out with its claws and tore wounds along the left flank of the druid’s wolf form. Thorn turned and snapped at the creature, his jaws closing on its left leg for a moment and threatening to stall its flight. The creature pulled itself free and beat its wings to rise beyond the druid but as it did, Enlishia loosed two arrows in quick succession, both driving into the gargoyle’s right thigh. The creature jerked to the left in the air but kept its wings beating to hold itself in the air. Enlishia smiled and turned away, rushing to the bottom of the shifting stairs. After a moment’s pause, she rushed up the steps, keeping her balance and making her way steadily toward the top.
Lavren threw his rope over his shoulder and then loosed a bolt of black energy at the gargoyle. It struck the creature in the chest and threw it backwards in the air. The elf turned away as Enlishia had and rushed up the steps behind the ranger. On the landing, Dulvarna looked up at her companions on the stairs and then rushed forward to aid Thorn against the gargoyle. She lashed out with her blade and tore a gash in the creature’s wing. The gargoyle beat its wings desperately to get out of her reach but as it did, another screech sounded from above. The second gargoyle swept down from the high ledge, its flight taking it over Thorn as its claws reached down and raked the druid’s back.
Telkya rushed up the steps behind her husband, passing both him and Enlishia close to the top. She kept her balance and reached the top without stumbling or falling. She turned as she reached the landing and raised her amulet to loose a bolt of golden energy at the harpy that circled in the central pit. The bolt struck the creature on its shoulder and sent it reeling downward for a moment before it recovered. Then it beat its wings and swept upward toward the ledge on which Telkya stood. As the harpy crested the ledge, it landed on its clawed feet and then, with a roar, it let forth another cloud of burning ash. Telkya and Lavren were burned and blinded but Enlishia threw herself against the right wall of the stairs and covered her face with her arms.
On the lower landing, Erlmoor roared and sprayed acid at the gargoyles but both beat their wings to retreat out of reach of the noxious liquid. The gargoyles snarled and came forward again but as they did, the paladin lashed out with his blade, a prayer on his lips. The sword glowed brightly and clove into the hip of the nearest gargoyle, hurling the creature to the right and into its companion. Both creatures screeched and Erlmoor moved along the ledge toward the shifting stairs. One of the gargoyles twisted in the air and swept away across the pit, climbing up the ledge from which it had descended, vanishing from sight.
Thorn snarled and lunged at the other gargoyle, his wolf teeth tearing at the creature’s leg and dragging it back toward the ledge. The creature screeched again, pulling its leg free, and as it did, Thorn turned away from the edge to follow Erlmoor. Dulvarna lashed out at the creature with her blade and as it flew back beyond her reach, she darted past Erlmoor to the bottom of the second shifting staircase.
Enlishia reached the upper landing as the ash cloud dispersed and fired two arrows quickly at the harpy, both flying wide of the creature. Lavren stumbled onto the landing behind the ranger and loosed a bolt of black energy blindly at the harpy. It too flew wide of the mark and the creature let out a screech of defiance amidst its song of fire. The gargoyle rose from the lower landing, passing behind the harpy and rising up to a ledge that Enlishia decided was at the top of the stairs that rose to the west from the landing on which she stood. Boldly, she started forward, hoping they were not trapped as the lower stairs were while behind her, Telkya loosed a bolt of light from her amulet blindly while wiping her eyes with the back of her other hand. The bolt missed the harpy and with another screech, the creature leapt from the ledge to circle the pit once more.
Erlmoor rushed up the shifting stairs, keeping his balance as he did so and reaching the upper landing. He looked around at the others and at a nod from Enlishia, he started up the westward-leading steps. No sooner had he stepped onto the staircase than the step on which he stood gave way, catching his foot in a hole beneath it. The dragonborn staggered forward but his left foot was caught on the next step and he stumbled.
Behind him, Thorn’s wolf form bounded up the shifting stairs without falling and then leapt forward onto the next staircase. Again, individual steps gave way beneath the druid-wolf and he stumbled, his paws trapped as Erlmoor’s feet were. Seeing her companions trapped, Enlishia moved to the edge of the pit and began firing arrows at the harpy as it circled. One shaft tore into the creature’s wing and drew another screech from it but another missed, clattering down into the pit, lost to the ranger. Lavren stumbled toward the western staircase and climbed up beside Erlmoor and Thorn before the stairs below him gave way too and trapped him with his companions. Still, the ash blinded him and he cursed his ill luck.
On the lower landing, Dulvarna steeled herself to ascend the shifting staircase but as she heard a screech from a ledge above, she started forward. She rushed up the stairs, keeping her balance and making the higher landing just as one of the gargoyles swept down the western staircase and lashed out with its claws at Thorn. The claw tore open the side of the druid’s wolf form and he slumped down on the stairs, his blood flowing down the steps toward Dulvarna. Telkya loosed a bolt of light from her amulet toward the gargoyle but without her sight to guide it, it flew past the creature. The priestess finally wiped the ash from her eyes a few moments later and rushed to the edge beside Enlishia, to defend her husband and friends.
The harpy swept around the pit and as it drew near to Enlishia and Telkya again, it roared once more and disgorged yet more hot ash. Both fell back from the edge, blinded and burned as the ash engulfed them. Erlmoor roared his anger and turned on the stairs to face the harpy. He raised his voice in prayer, extended one hand while using his sword in the other to lever himself up on the stairs. Ribbons of flame seared out and tore into the harpy sending it spinning away around the pit. The dragonborn turned back and raised his blade as the second gargoyle dove down the stairs toward him. Its claws lashed out and struck him across the face sending him reeling clumsily around on his trapped lower limbs. With another roar, the paladin pulled his feet free of the trapped steps and raised his blade defiantly, determined not to be caught off balance by the gargoyles a second time.
At the edge of the pit, Enlishia decided to ignore her blindness for a few moments and drew two more arrows from her quiver. Nocking both to her bow, she drew back the string and aimed carefully, judging where her enemies using only the sound of their wing beats and the occasional screech. She let fly both arrows and as they left her bow, they split, one heading toward the harpy and the other toward the gargoyle that just wounded Erlmoor. She heard both strike their targets with reassuring thuds and as she wiped the ash from her eyes, she saw the harpy plummeting downward into the pit with a shaft through its chest. The gargoyle banked to the right, the arrow having driven into its left side, and as it did, a bolt of black from Lavren’s wand flew just over its head.
“Gods damn it,” he cursed as he wiped the ash from his eyes and saw that his spell had missed. He pulled his feet from the trapped stairway and turned to start down it.
“Maybe I can disarm this thing,” he said, reaching for his sword.
Dulvarna rushed up the western stairs as delicately as she could and as the steps collapsed, she leapt to new ones until she stood close to where one of the gargoyles circled. As it drew close to her, she lashed out with her blade, almost toppling into the pit as she did. The sword drove into the creature’s belly and with a screech, the gargoyle tumbled into the darkness after the harpy. The other gargoyle swept away toward the top of the collapsing stairs, disappearing from sight again and giving the companions a momentary reprieve.
“Thorn is wounded,” Dulvarna called to Telkya.
The priestess began a healing prayer despite her blindness and a few moments later, the druid’s wolf form opened its eyes. Telkya wiped the ash from her eyes and smiled at the druid who bowed his wolf head in thanks. Beside the druid, Erlmoor started up the steps again but he did not get far before more steps collapsed and trapped his feet again. Behind him, Enlishia started up the stairs but she barely got to Thorn before her feet became trapped in the collapsing steps.
“I said I might be able to disarm this,” said Lavren. “Give me a chance.”
With that, the elf vanished in a shower of light only to reappear atop the steps. He looked around and saw that the remaining gargoyle stood as a statue in the middle of this upper landing and so, with a wary eye on it, Lavren knelt beside the steps and began probing with his sword for a mechanism that would disable the trap.
On the stairs, Dulvarna moved on after Erlmoor but two steps collapsed beneath her soon after and she became trapped. Then, with a screech, the remaining gargoyle swept down the stairs toward her and Erlmoor. The dragonborn ducked as it swooped down on him and Dulvarna ducked to one side, avoiding the creature’s terrible claws. A bolt of light from Telkya’s amulet flashed past in front of the creature and Erlmoor roared his defiance despite being powerless to strike at the creature. Thorn bounded toward the gargoyle but the steps trapped him again Dulvarna lashed out at the creature as it passed her but her blade struck only air and again the creature circled back toward a higher ledge. The creature swept across the pit and up another flight of stairs to the south of Lavren to an even higher ledge beyond the sight of the companions.
Telkya moved to the edge of the pit to watch for the gargoyle’s return while the others struggled with the stairs. Finally, Lavren called down from the top of the staircase.
“Found the mechanism,” he called. “It should be disarmed now.”
Telkya, with total faith in her husband, rushed up the steps and found he was right. No steps gave way and she reached the top quickly, embracing Lavren with a broad smile on her face. Erlmoor climbed the steps behind the priestess, passing the two elves on the landing and then starting up the long flight of stairs to the south. No traps activated on this staircase and steadily he climbed toward where they had all seen the gargoyle disappear. Thorn bounded up the stairs behind the dragonborn and behind him came Enlishia, Lavren and Dulvarna, all with weapons and spells ready for when the gargoyle reappeared.
The gargoyle swept down the stairs like a whirlwind a few moments later, lashing its claws across Erlmoor’s shoulders and sending him reeling back down the steps. Telkya called a column of light down on it as it swept out over the pit but the divine fire missed its target and the gargoyle circled around to come back at the companions. Erlmoor met it on the edge of the stairs, his blade slashing out and striking it in the side, sending it spinning away. Healing magic burst from his sword and mended some of the companions’ worst hurts as Thorn rushed to the edge of the steps, still in wolf form and lunged forward. He seized the gargoyle’s left leg in his jaws and dragged it back toward the stairway. Enlishia’s bow sang and two arrows flew past the creature but then Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy that seared into the gargoyle’s side. It fell limp and Thorn let go with his jaws, allowing the creature to plummet into the darkness of the pit after its kin.
At the top of the stairs a wide corridor stretched away in front of the companions to the south and another branch led to the east, ending in double doors. The southern corridor also ended in a set of double doors but just north of the corridor’s end, another set of double doors led to the east. Seven leering, demonic faces hung on the walls, two flanking each door and another three evenly spaced along the western wall across from the door to the east. The idols were vaguely humanoid, with long horns and mouths that were agape, revealing darkness beyond. Each face was perhaps the height of a man’s breastbone with the mouth making up most of its height.
“I don’t like the look of those faces,” said Dulvarna. “We go east.”
She turned away from the demonic faces of the southern hall and made her way eastward. Thorn hurried after her, reaching the double doors ahead of the warrior woman as she made her way warily down the corridor with her blade held before her. The druid held his scythe up in one hand and, putting down the torch he held, he opened one of the doors with his left hand revealing a narrower north-south hallway beyond. Suddenly, the remaining companions saw a humanoid creature leap from the nearest demon face on the western wall. It had grey skin with purple blotches and wore a jerking of scaly hide as armour. Its left shoulder was protected by the top jaw of a toothed beast while its head was bald with sharp ears and jagged teeth. In its hands, it held a huge sword and as the companions watched, it turned toward them and snarled.
Behind the creature, the demonic face became animate suddenly and with a hiss and a snarl, it bit at the hindquarters of the monster, forcing it to leap away from the wall. From a face on the opposite wall emerged another creature, similar in appearance but smaller and with bluish skin. This newcomer had four arms and in each hand it held a dagger of sharpened bone. The face behind it growled and snapped at it, forcing it into the middle of the corridor. From the same face another creature emerged, appearing just behind the first and this thing was smaller still. It had bluish skin as its companion had but it had only two long, spindly arms and carried no weapons. Its hands bore sharp claws though and as it looked toward the companions it seemed to be muttering to itself as though touched by madness.
Erlmoor roared to alert Dulvarna and Thorn and then charged the creatures, loosing acid from his mouth as he reached them and then lashing out with his sword. The creatures shrank back from the spray of acid and shielded themselves with their arms but as the paladin’s blade sang out there was no defence and the nearest creature, a sword-wielder, reeled away as the sword bit into its right shoulder.
“Foulspawn!” Enlishia called out as she recognised the creatures. “They are said to be clannish creatures corrupted by contact with the Far Realm.”
She loosed an arrow and then a second but both flew past the creature that Erlmoor had wounded as it recovered its balance. Telkya came forward to stand beside the ranger and threw down the torch she carried before loosing a bolt of light from her amulet into the chest of the wounded creature, throwing it back. Another of the four-armed foulspawn appeared next to the first as Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy from his wand that flashed past all of the monsters. A third of the four-armed creatures appeared behind the others and then together, the foulspawn hissed angrily at their enemies.
Dulvarna turned away from the doors as soon as she heard the shouts of her companions and rushed to aid Erlmoor. Thorn followed a moment later, shifting into his wolf form as he ran to join the battle. Dulvarna clashed blades with the wounded foulspawn sword-wielder while one of the dagger-wielders danced forward, slashing at Erlmoor and Thorn with each of their weapons. Wounds were slashed across Erlmoor’s arms while Thorn the wolf leapt back as his snout was torn by the vicious blades. Beyond the dagger-wielders, the unarmed foulspawn pointed at Erlmoor and raised its voice in an unintelligible babble. The paladin reeled back for a moment as the voice seemed to reach into his mind but then he forced discipline upon his thoughts and drove the babble back. With a roar, he lashed out with his blade at the dagger wielder and struck it in the side, sending it staggering away into the corridor wall in front of Thorn.
Enlishia came forward behind the others and loosed an arrow into the shoulder of the sword-wielder. It staggered back a step and she fired again but this time, the arrow bounced off its scaly armour and clattered into the floor. Telkya rushed into battle beside Dulvarna, clashing blades with the sword-wielding foulspawn but as she did, another of the creatures emerged from the demon face before her and lashed out with its blade. Telkya raised her blade to parry but she was too slow and the creature’s sword lashed into the top of her right arm, spinning her away. The demonic faced snarled and tore at her wrist before snapping at Dulvarna and the foulspawn that surrounded it, wounding each in turn and forcing them away from it.
“We have to pull back,” Lavren called from behind the others. “Fall back so that Enlishia and I can aid you.”
He waited with his wand in hand as the second of the four armed creatures rushed at Erlmoor, lashing out with one of its daggers at the dragonborn. The paladin ducked back but the blade still tore across the front of his left shoulder and drew blood. Dulvarna looked back toward Lavren and nodded to him before lashing her blade low into the left leg of the foulspawn before her. The creature staggered back and away and as it did, she retreated toward the elf. He reacted at once, rushing forward and levelling his wand at the wounded sword-wielder. He loosed a blast of black energy toward the creature that flew over its head and struck the west wall of the corridor. The elf grimaced and Dulvarna threw him a stony look as the foulspawn recovered and came forward again.
On the left of the line, Thorn snarled at the four armed creature before him and then leapt, his claws and teeth tearing at the creature’s chest and driving it back a few steps. The wolf druid landed on his four paws and with another snarl, retreated around the corner, leaving room for Erlmoor to follow him. With a maniacal snarl, the four armed foulspawn rushed after the wolf, lashing out with one of its daggers but Thorn was too quick for it and ducked under the swing. The unarmed foulspawn followed its companion and raised its hand toward Erlmoor again. It began uttering mumbled phrases that drove into the dragonborn’s mind but he was ready for the attack this time and banished the creature’s voice as soon as he heard it. With a roar of defiance, he raised his blade and turned away from the foulspawn, a prayer coming to his lips as he did so. He lashed out at the four armed creature that now fought Thorn beside him and, as the creature ducked under the swing, he retreated to fight beside the wolf druid.
Enlishia raised her bow and loosed one arrow and then a second into the body of the sword-wielder before Dulvarna and then she danced backward so that Telkya could retreat after her. The priestess lashed out wildly with her blade and then fell back but her sword-wielding foe came after her with a growl. The horrible creature lashed out with its blade at the elf maid’s head but Telkya was quick enough this time and ducked under the blow while raising her blade to defend herself. Another of the four-armed creatures rushed forward next, following the retreating line and coming at Lavren and Dulvarna in a frenzy. It danced back and forth before the elf and the warrior woman, lashing out with its blades in a whirlwind of sharpened bone. Lavren reeled back as a dagger tore across his chest and Dulvarna spun away as one of the creature’s weapons cut her left shoulder. When its dance was done, the creature stopped in front of Lavren, snarling and salivating, its blood-stained daggers promising more pain to the elf. Lavren shrugged at the creature and retreated, raising his wand as he did so. He loosed a bolt of black energy that flew past the creature and grimaced again at his poor aim. The four armed creature snarled in response and raised one of its daggers to its lips, licking off the elf’s blood with a sharp, pointed tongue.
The third of the four armed creatures rushed forward next, leaping between its companions and slashing at Dulvarna with one of its daggers and nicking her across the top of her chest. It spun away between her and Erlmoor, stabbing at her hip as it did so, but she twisted aside and avoided the blow. It spun away again and slashed yet another blade into Enlishia’s side before dancing past the ranger and lashing its fourth blade across Lavren’s back. It spun to face the backs of the companions close to the entrance to the corridor which led back to the staircase that had brought them up from the level below.
“Deal with it,” Dulvarna snarled at the others and then surged at the nearest of the sword-wielders.
The warrior woman’s blade danced left and right but each time it was met by the sword of the foulspawn. She gritted her teeth in anger and came at the creature in a new fury but still it met each of her blows with its own blade. To her left, Thorn barked his answer to her command, snapping at the four armed creature before him and then darting away toward the foulspawn that had broken through the companions’ lines. Dulvarna glanced to her left as she saw the druid wolf move and then turned back toward her enemies as the other sword wielder, the more wounded of the two, came forward in a rush. The creature feinted to the left and as Dulvarna moved her blade to parry it reversed the swing and with all of its weight behind the blow, it drove its sword into the warrior woman’s left hip. She gasped as pain lanced down her leg and up her side, spinning away to avoid the killing blow that was sure to follow. It did, missing her head by mere inches and leaving Dulvarna gasping for breath as she tried to fight through the pain that assailed her. In that moment, one of the four-armed foulspawn leapt between her and Erlmoor and drove its blade into her left arm. Dulvarna cried out and fell back, blood pouring down her left side.
Erlmoor glanced to his right as Dulvarna cried out but as he did, the unarmed foulspawn’s voice crept into his mind again, whispering a terrible babble of madness. Again he fought inwardly, roaring his defiance and drove the voice out, lashing out to his right at the four-armed creature that had struck Dulvarna. His blade drove into its right leg and spun it toward the warrior woman but she fended it off and the creature reeled back a step away from both companions. Behind Dulvarna, Enlishia leapt back toward the western wall of the passage junction and loosed an arrow quickly that narrowly missed the foulspawn that had broken through. She fired again but this arrow also flew wide, clattering into the wall behind the creature and disappearing into the darkness of the stairwell to the left. Telkya also drew herself back from the battle, uttering a healing prayer as she did so and raising her left hand towards Dulvarna. White light covered the warrior woman and the blood pouring down her side slowed and then stopped. She turned and nodded her thanks to Telkya but the elf maid had already turned her gaze on the foulspawn that Enlishia had loosed arrows at. The priestess reached out with her hand and a column of light descended from the ceiling to engulf the four-armed creature, searing its flesh with divine fire. It snarled and hissed at the pain, raising two of its daggers as it fixed the elf with a gaze of pure hatred.
Dulvarna turned back to the battle then, her strength renewed, just as one of the sword wielders rushed at her. It lashed out with its blade and Dulvarna parried, driving the sword downward so that it only nicked her right knee instead of driving into her side. She grimaced at this new pain but then raised her blade again as a four armed creature came at her from the left. It feinted left and then lashed a dagger in with one of its right arms only for it to be met by the hard, unyielding steel of Aecris.
Behind Dulvarna and Erlmoor, Lavren retreated before the four armed foulspawn that had dodged between the warrior woman and the dragonborn. Turning beside Thorn, he raised his wand and loosed bolts of purple energy that seared out toward that foulspawn and its companion that had already broken the line. One bolt flew over its target but the other struck the foulspawn near the passage entrance in the chest and threw it backward. The creature turned and hissed at the warlock but then turned back toward Telkya and hurled bones daggers from two of its hands at the priestess. One clattered into the wall next to Telkya but the other drove into her thigh, just above the knee. The elf maid gasped, looked down at the dagger and then, with a snarl of her own, pulled it from her flesh and tossed it aside. With a steely determination, she raised her blade and brought forth her amulet to face the foulspawn and the creature stopped its hissing, knowing that it faced a battle to the death.
Dulvarna surged forward with her renewed strength, lashing her blade across the belly of the creature before her. It fell back a step and she took the chance to glance behind her just as Thorn circled behind Lavren and then rushed at the four armed creature at the top of the stairs. The druid wolf leapt and seized one of the creature’s arms in his powerful jaws, dragging the creature toward him as he did. The creature shrieked and tried to pull its arm free but found the wolf’s grip too strong. Dulvarna turned back toward her own enemies, satisfied that her companions were dealing with the foulspawn just as the sword wielder before her rushed at her again. She parried once and then a second time but the creature’s third swing came in low and drove painfully into her left thigh. With a grunt, Dulvarna fell back a step and as she did the four armed creature to her left, leapt forward and drove a blade into her arm. It spun away behind her and plunged another dagger into her back before moving away again to attack Telkya and Enlishia. Both were slashed by daggers across their arms as they tried to defend themselves. It leapt away from them as quickly as it hand come and turned as it reached the top of the staircase. Another foulspawn now stood behind Dulvarna and Erlmoor.
Erlmoor looked around as the foulspawn spun past him and as he did, the unarmed creature attacked again. This time, the dragonborn was not ready and the terrible voice filled his mind, distracting and slowing him. He roared and lashed out at the remaining four armed creature, his blade cutting into the foulspawn’s side and spinning it away from him. The paladin retreated a few steps toward Lavren, hoping to draw his enemies onward and fight only one battle rather than the two that had been forced upon the companions.
Behind Erlmoor, Enlishia’s bow sang again and again an arrow clattered off the wall behind the foulspawn. The ranger raised her bow and aimed again before letting fly and this time, the arrow flew true, driving into the chest of one of the four armed creatures and throwing it back toward Thorn who still held its arm in his jaws. Telkya hurled ribbons of divine light at the creature that flew past it and struck the wall behind it while desperately, it tried to free itself from Thorn’s wolf jaws.
To Telkya’s right, Dulvarna fell back another step as one of the sword wielders came at her furiously. She parried each blow with her own sword but as she did, the four armed creature to her left darted forward and drove a dagger into her left leg again before darting away. She gasped and staggered, taking another step back toward her companions, knowing that she could not last much longer against three foes. Suddenly, a bolt of black energy seared into one of the sword wielders, hurling it away from Dulvarna toward the demon face. It staggered and fell dying while the face flicked a forked tongue from its mouth regarded the creature’s flesh with ravenous eyes. Dulvarna glanced to her left and nodded her thanks to Lavren. Two against one was much fairer, she mused wryly.
The four armed foulspawn that Thorn fought wriggled its arm free of the druid’s jaws and twisted away, slashing out at the wolf form as it did so. The dagger tore across the druid wolf’s snout and he twisted away, bloodied and wounded. Meanwhile, the creature danced to the wolf’s right and drove another dagger into his flank before leaping back in front of him and slashing the side of his head. It leapt to the side again and this time, Thorn leapt away, evading the fourth dagger but leaving him sorely wounded. The druid wolf snarled and then leapt at the creature again but the foulspawn danced back beyond the reach of the wolf’s jaws. With bared teeth, the wolf moved left and right before his enemy while the foulspawn hissed its defiance.
Dulvarna retreated again to gather what remained of her strength but her enemies granted her no rest. The four armed creature that had so plagued her hurled two daggers toward her a heartbeat apart and while the warrior woman dodged to the right to avoid one, the other drove into her arm. Her mind filled with the babbling voices called forth by the unarmed creature and as confusion reigned, the remaining sword wielder came forward. Parrying desperately, the warrior woman held the creature at bay while giving ground a step at a time.
To her left, Erlmoor saw Dulvarna’s plight but knew that he had to aid the others before he could aid her. He leapt back to where Thorn stood and twisted on the spot, throwing all of his weight into a huge blow aimed at the four armed creature before the druid. His sword clove into the foulspawn’s side and drove through into its chest until it seemed as if he had cloven the creature in two. The foulspawn hissed its last breath and then collapsed to the floor in a growing pool of its own blood. Seeing the creature fall, Enlishia loosed an arrow and then a second at the remaining creature, both shafts driving into the creature’s chest. It staggered back toward the top of the stairs and as it reached them, Telkya hurled a bolt light that seared into it and sent it tumbling down the staircase into the darkness below.
Dulvarna halted her retreat then and surged forward, parrying the fierce attacks of the foulspawn she fought while slashing Aecris left and right, seeking an opening in the creature’s defences. A bolt of black energy from Lavren’s wand seared past the creature’s back to strike the stone wall and as the foulspawn glanced to its left, Dulvarna took her chance and rushed forward. She lashed her blade into the creature’s side and moved to her left forcing it to put its back to the wall and face her. Enlishia, Telkya and Lavren all came forward to aid their leader while Thorn rushed at the last of the four armed creatures.
The druid wolf leapt as he reached the creature and forced it back a step while his teeth tore at one of its arms. The unarmed creature rushed to aid its kin but Thorn had regained his feet by the time the creature reached the battle and he danced away, beyond the foulspawn’s reach. Erlmoor rushed to aid the druid, forcing the unarmed creature back with his blade while behind the pair, Enlishia and Telkya began to loose arrows and divine fire at the warrior that Dulvarna faught. Still it faught on fiercely, lashing out with its blade and gouging a deep wound in Dulvarna’s left shoulder that forced her to lurch to her right. The four armed creature surged forward as well, lashing its blade across the back of Thorn’s wolf form. For a moment, the foulspawn pushed the companions back but then Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy into the four armed creature and it reeled back, giving Thorn time to recover. The druid crouched low and growled at his enemy while to his right, Dulvarna regained her balance and rushed at her enemy again.
Thorn leapt a heartbeat later, his claws and teeth tearing at the arms of the foulspawn he faced and forcing it back a step. The other foulspawn clawed at his flanks, tearing through fur and flesh until he regained his feet to dart away from his enemies and Erlmoor came forward to drive the second creature back with his blade. Behind the dragonborn, Enlishia’s bow sang again and two arrows drove themselves, one after the other into the chest of the foulspawn warrior that Dulvarna fought. It staggered and as it did, a bolt of light lanced out from Telkya’s amulet and seared into the creature’s face. Its face blackened and smoked as the divine fire burned it and then with a final hiss of anger, it collapsed on the floor.
The four-armed creature shrieked and in a fury, lashed a dagger across Thorn’s wolf-form muzzle. He yelped and the creature leapt past him to the left before lashing another dagger down his flank. Then it spun behind the wolf druid and slashed out at Thorn’s back, the dagger missing by a hand span, before the creature leapt toward Enlishia. It turned back toward Thorn quickly and plunged its fourth dagger into the druid’s back leg, drawing another yelp from his wolf form and forcing him to dart away toward the other foulspawn. Lavren quickly loosed a bolt of black energy that flew past the creature to strike the wall next to Telkya and as the creature turned its gaze on the warlock, Enlishia leapt away, raising her bow as she did so.
Dulvarna spun on the spot and swung her sword around in a wide arc, cleaving it into the side of the unarmed foulspawn. Blood spewed from the creature and it spin back and away from Erlmoor. Thorn leapt at the creature but it stepped back beyond its reach and then lashed its clawed hands across the wolf’s muzzle to keep him at bay. Erlmoor stepped forward and thrust his blade into the foulspawn’s right leg, forcing it back a step while behind him, Enlishia let fly an arrow from her bow. The shaft drove into the chest of the four armed foulspawn and as it staggered backwards, Enlishia nocked another arrow and loosed it to drive into the creature’s throat. The foulspawn gurgled, spewing blood from its mouth and then fell to its knees before collapsing, face down on the stone floor.
Beside the ranger, Telkya loosed a bolt of light that flashed past the remaining foulspawn while Lavren circled around the battle to stand before one of the demonic faces. It hissed at him, begging him to feed it but he paid it no mind and raised his wand to loose another bolt of black energy. The blast seared past the creature and struck the eastern wall of the passage but as the creature cringed, Dulvarna stepped forward and drove her blade into its hip. Thorn leapt at the creature and seized its right arm in his teeth, tearing at it until the creature lashed a claw across the side of his head and forced him to let go. It leapt back as Erlmoor slashed his blade at it but Enlishia was already raising her bow and as she did, the foulspawn realised that it was doomed. An arrow and then another flew, driving into its belly and forcing it back another step. A bolt of light from Telkya’s amulet struck it in the chest and then Dulvarna plunged her blade into its chest. With a gasp, the last foulspawn fell to the blood stained floor beside its kin.
“We take the eastern door as we had planned then,” Dulvarna said once the companions had tended to their wounds. “But we must remember this place as a safe place to rest.”
The double doors halfway down the corridor had led to a large side room with a smaller one off it that held two beds where the foulspawn had apparently been quartered. Two more demonic faces on the walls of the larger chamber seemed to allow a way to quickly get out of the chamber to the corridor as the foulspawn had.
“And what of the southern doors,” Erlmoor rumbled. “These foul creatures were surely placed to guard something that way else they would not have fought us so fiercely.”
“Perhaps,” answered Dulvarna. “But if there is an easier way to defeat Draxius here then I for one wish to take it. We have little food left and the quicker we escape this prison the better. We go east for now but we will come back this way if we cannot find Draxius that way.”
The north-south corridor beyond the eastern doors dead-ended a little way to the north and so Dulvarna led the companions to the south until a wide hallway opened up to the east. Ahead, the corridor continued southward into darkness but Dulvarna turned aside, determined to avoid confronting for now whatever the foulspawn guarded. An opening to the right halfway down the passage revealed a staircase that led upwards but the companions barely paused beside it, knowing that they had to defeat another form of Draxius before they could ascend further up the pyramid. The wide passage ended in a set of double doors limned with ice. Dulvarna pushed on them and they failed to move but when Erlmoor lent his strength to the effort, the doors reluctantly swung open, releasing a blast of freezing air that assailed the companions like a winter wind. The floor of the hall ahead was covered with a thick sheet of ice that looked dangerously slick while frost coated the walls and the five other sets of doors leading out of the hallway.
Dulvarna stepped forward cautiously onto the icy floor, picking ice that looked to offer her the most grip as she set her feet down. Despite this, she had barely gone a few feet into the hall when she slipped and fell painfully onto her back. She tried to get up but fell back again, jarring her back for a second time. Telkya followed Dulvarna into the room, stepping even more softly than the warrior woman had and for a moment, it seemed as if she might make progress. She passed Dulvarna with sword and amulet in hand, picking her way forward by the dim light that seemed to emanate from spots in the walls of the hallway. No sooner had she passed Dulvarna, she slipped and fell as her friend had, crying out as she jarred her arm painfully beneath her body. She tried to rise but she, too, fell back to lie beside the warrior woman.
Lavren half-smiled at the problems that his wife and friend were encountering and closed his eyes, vanishing into a cloud of light motes. He reappeared beside Telkya and after taking a moment to steady himself, he sheathed his sword and reached a hand down to help his wife up. Suddenly, he heard a noise from the north and looked up to see the double doors across from him open. In the doorway stood an elf lord with very pale skin and white hair. His eyes were icy blue and the chainmail he wore seemed frosted from the cold. On one arm he wore a small, teardrop shaped shield and in the other hand, he held a slender longsword. The elf looked down at Dulvarna, who lay helpless a few feet away, and strode toward her.
“To arms, to arms!” the warrior called out in elven and then stabbed his blade down into Dulvarna’s left arm.
Erlmoor tried to rush to Dulvarna’s aid but he slipped and fell before he reached the elf. Still, he stabbed out with his blade, driving its point into the elf’s calf and forcing it back from Dulvarna.
“Why do winter knights attack us?” he called to Lavren and Telkya, recognising the elves from a history he had read at the temple of Lathander in Eveningstar.
“I know not,” Lavren called back.
Another knight emerged from the northern chamber a moment later and strode easily across the ice to where Telkya lay. It stabbed out with its blade as the elf maid tried to scrambled backwards across the slippery surface. The sword nicked the side of her leg and Telkya’s blood, flowing freely in the cold chamber, stained the ice beside her. Enlishia came forward as quickly as she could but she too slipped as she neared the battle, falling to the ice but managing to keep her bow from falling beneath her. She loosed an arrow wildly that flew past the nearest knight but her second shaft drove into the shoulder of the elf warrior. As the elf recovered its balance and reached up to snap the arrow from the wound, a set of doors in the southern wall of the hallway opened. Another elf lord emerged from these doors, wielding the same longsword but seeming more slender and frail than the knights. This warrior wore chain mail but carried no shield and moved lightly across the ice towards Lavren, like a cloud of breath in wintry air.
Behind the companions, Thorn moved into the doorway but did not step onto the icy floor. Instead, he unshouldered his crossbow and loaded a bolt before raising it to his shoulder and waiting for a clear shot at one of the elves. As he watched, more of the slender elves that he recognised as blades of winter emerged from the southern room until five filled the hallway and another knight emerged from the northern room to advance on Enlishia. Only Lavren remained standing while the others struggled to rise and keep the elves at bay at the same time. Thorn knew that the situation was desperate, but he knew too that he could do little to aid his companions.
Dulvarna managed to scramble to her feet a few moments later, lashing her blade across into the left leg of one of the knights as she did so. She held her footing but beside her, Telkya struggled to rise, floundering on the slippery surface. Another blade of winter emerged from the southern room to join the battle and Lavren retreated before the onslaught, falling to the floor as he did so. He loosed a bolt of black energy from his wand even as he fell that seared into the chest of the nearest blade of winter. The elf flinched but as he did, the attack seemed to dissipate only for a nearby knight to cry out as though he had been wounded in his companion’s stead. The blade smiled and advanced while the knights came forward as one.
One of the knights stepped toward Dulvarna and feinted to the right before driving his blade into the warrior woman’s shoulder. She cried out as a cold pain lanced through her body and tendrils of ice leapt from the wound to envelop her body. Dulvarna staggered and almost fell but then Erlmoor rose to his feet, lashing his blade across the chest of the elf lord as he did so, a prayer on his lips. The knight cried out and fell back while Dulvarna struggled with her bonds.
Another knight stepped toward Telkya who still struggled on the floor and plunged his blade down into her side. She too cried out and again, the tendrils of ice shot from the wound and enveloped the elf maid. Behind Telkya, Enlishia scrambled to her feet and retreated out of the hallway and through the doorway, turning as she reached the safe ground of the corridor outside. She raised her bow and took aim at the nearest knight, before loosing an arrow that drove into the shoulder of the elf. She nocked another and let fly but this time the knight was ready and ducked to the left, letting the arrow fly past and on down the hallway.
The blades of winter came forward next, one advancing toward Lavren and then stabbing downward to his right at Telkya. The blade pierced the elf maid’s thigh and drew another cry of pain from her as she lay helpless on the blood-stained ice. Thorn saw Telkya’s peril and fired his crossbow, the bolt flying straight and true into the chest of the blade of winter. Again, the elf flinched and again the nearest knight staggered back as though he himself had been wounded. Another elf plunged his blade downward at Telkya but this time she managed to roll aside and the sword struck only ice. Still, the elves came forward fiercely and the companions seemed to stand little chance against them.
Another knight stepped toward Dulvarna and plunged his blade into her side just above her hip as she struggled with the icy bonds of her earlier wound. Yet more ice tendrils leapt out from this new wound to envelop and hinder her. Another blade stabbed down at Telkya but this sword snagged on the chainmail jerkin she wore and failed to reach her flesh beneath. Still she struggled, lashing out with her sword as best she could and trying desperately to free herself from the bonds of ice that enveloped her. Then, at the far end of the hallway, another elf emerged from a side passage to the south, this one an elf maid with snow white skin and pale blue hair. Her eyes were like ice and the point of the spear she held seemed to be made of ice as well.
“A sorceress,” Telkya hissed as she recognised the garb of the newcomer. “A blizzard speaker from the northern lands.”
“Kill them all,” snarled the blizzard speaker in Common so that the companions could hear her command. The elves looked back at their leader and surged forward with unquestioning obedience.
One of the blades of winter circled around to the north and leapt into the doorway to the northern chamber, stabbing his sword at Erlmoor as he did so. The dragonborn brought his blade down and parried the blow with his own sword before shoving the newcomer back into the chamber. Another came up behind the first and together they pressed forward again. Dulvarna meanwhile summoned what remained of her strength and lashed out with her blade toward the nearest knight. The elf brought his blade down to parry but Aecris clove though the sword, knocking it aside and then driving deep into the elf’s belly. The knight gasped and then fell to his knees, his sword clattering to the ice as he clutched at the blood and entrails pouring from the mortal wound he had suffered. He looked up plaintively at Dulvarna and then fell forward on the ice, a pool of blood growing around him.
Telkya uttered a healing prayer where she lay, restoring some of her strength and then she leapt to her feet, lashing out with her sword as she did so. Her blade slashed across the back of the nearest of the blades of winter but for the third time, the elven warrior flinched while one of the knights cried out in pain. The blades roared their defiance and rushed at the companions, one leaping over the fallen knight and stabbing his sword at Erlmoor. Again the dragonborn parried the blow but as he did, he slipped and fell to the ice again. Still he lashed out with his blade and as his sword struck the side of the elf before him, a crack of thunder sounded. The elf flinched and lurched to his right but it was the knight beside him who cried out, blood erupting from an unseen wound in his side and flowing down his mail and the cloak he wore over it.
“The knights are keeping the others alive,” Erlmoor roared. “Kill them first.”
Lavren heard the dragonborn’s cry and tried to stand but he fell back to the ice, stunned for a moment. As he recovered, he saw one of the knights hiss a challenge to Telkya and then stab his blade down into the elf maid’s shoulder. She cried out again and Lavren cried out himself as he felt the crushing weight of helplessness descend upon him. Then he heard Enlishia’s bow sing behind him and two arrows flew over his head one after the other. Both drove into the knight that had wounded Telkya and with a gasp, the elf fell back, blood pouring down his chest and arm. Lavren felt a measure of hope return for a moment but then he felt a blade stab into his leg and knew that he had problems of his own.
Thorn saw the elf wound Lavren and fired his crossbow, the bolt driving into the elf’s leg. Again, the warrior only flinched but elsewhere, the knight that faught Dulvarna staggered back as though the quarrel had struck him. On the ground, Telkya continued to roll back and forth as the elves around her stabbed at her and miraculously, she survived for a few moments longer. Another of the knights stabbed down with his blade to the left and then shifted the thrust as Telkya moved, the blade driving into the elf maid’s belly. She cried out and Lavren roared his own frustration and agony in answer. Then, Telkya’s bonds seemed to melt away and her arms were free again. More of the elves came forward but she scrambled away and as she did, Dulvarna swept her blade out and beheaded the knight that Enlishia had wounded. The elves hesitated for a moment and as they did, Telkya vanished in a shower of light motes. A bolt of light flashed from the doorway, seared through the chest of one of the blades of winter and the elf fell beside the slain knights. The elves hesitated again but then the blizzard speaker called out a command in elven and the warriors surged forward once more.
An elf rushed at Erlmoor and stabbed its longsword beneath his guard and into his thigh. The dragonborn roared, conscious now that Telkya had escaped the elves and that he could spray acid on his enemies. As he rose from the ice and drew in a deep breath, Lavren loosed two purple bolts toward the elves from where he lay on the floor. Both flashed past the elves but before they could resume their attack, the paladin roared and spewed acid from his mouth that engulfed the elves. Only the knight showed any pain, crying out and shrinking back from the terrible spray of liquid. Erlmoor roared again and lashed out with his blade, another prayer on his lips. His sword clove into the belly of the nearest elf with a flash of light that sent new strength surging through Erlmoor and Telkya who stood in the doorway behind him. The paladin’s sword clove through to the elf’s spine and in a spray of blood and gore, the warrior collapsed to the ground beside its companions. The last knight levelled his blade at the dragonborn in challenge and rushed easily across the ice to meet him in battle. The elf slashed his sword in from the dragonborn’s left but Erlmoor parried, driving the blade downward. Still, the elf’s icy sword cut across the front of the paladin’s knee, forcing Erlmoor to stagger and nearly slip on the treacherous ice.
In the doorway, Enlishia loosed one arrow and then a second toward the elves in front of Lavren. One drove into the chest of a warrior and the other pierced the second elf through his throat. Both gasped and fell back onto the blood stained ice. Thorn loosed a crossbow bolt at another of the warriors but the quarrel flew wide and clattered into the wall beyond the elf. Only then did the companions realise the peril that the defeat of the elves had put them in. The blizzard speaker began chanting an incantation while raising her left hand. A bolt of ice lanced out and struck the wall beside Lavren, missing the warlock by an arm’s length.
The elf warriors and the last of the knights drew strength from this and with a roar of defiance they charged at Dulvarna and Erlmoor, forcing them back a step. Dulvarna recovered quickly, holding an elf warrior at bay and then twisting her blade under his guard to drive it up into his belly. The elf gasped as blood gushed from the wound, dropping his sword in the doorway of the northern chamber. A moment later he collapsed on the floor to die beside his kin. Lavren loosed a bolt of black energy into the side of the knight, throwing the elf into the doorway and allowing Erlmoor to recover and advance himself. The knight lashed out wildly to defend himself and the paladin ducked under the reckless attack.
From the doorway, Telkya surveyed the scene as Enlishia raised her bow and took aim at the blizzard speaker at the far end of the hallway. She loosed and arrow and then a second, both driving into the elf maid’s left leg and throwing her back a step. She hissed something under her breath in elven and raised her hand as she began another incantation. Thorn loosed a crossbow bolt that nicked the sorceress’s shoulder and then a furious icy wind erupted in front of the doorway. Telkya, Enlishia and Thorn shrank back from the wind and from the curses of the elf maid deduced that the spell had not landed where she had planned. They raised their weapons and moved back into the doorway with smiles upon their faces as the elf witch fixed them with a furious gaze.
Dulvarna kept her footing as the elves fell back and stepped forward, weaving her blade before her. The elven knight watched her movements and as she darted forward, he tried to parry to his left only to find that the warrior woman had reversed her swing. Aecris plunged into the right side of his chest and clove through to his heart without stopping. The elf gasped and collapsed to the ice, dead before he hit the ground. Dulvarna stepped over him and started toward the blizzard speaker only to slip and fall a few steps beyond the fallen elf. Behind her, Telkya stepped out from the doorway and fell herself but Lavren kept his footing and loosed a bolt of black energy at the sorceress. The eldritch blast struck the elf maid in the shoulder and spun her back a step but still she did not fall.
In the northern doorway, Erlmoor feinted to the left and then plunged his blade in from the other side, driving it through the chest of the last elf warrior until it pierced his back. The elf fell and the dragonborn stepped into the northern chamber to find firmer footing. From the end of the hallway, Enlishia’s bow sang again and again, sending two more arrows into the elf sorceress and driving her back step after step. Thorn loosed another crossbow bolt that drove into the elf maid’s leg and desperately, the sorceress began another incantation. A bolt of ice lanced out from her hand and struck Dulvarna in the chest, freezing the warrior woman where she had fallen for a few moments but still she managed to regain her feet. Telkya rose and then fell again and Lavren slipped and fell but still a bolt of black energy seared past the sorceress, missing her by less than an arm’s length.
The elf maid looked toward Lavren and as she did, Erlmoor leapt from the northern doorway and made his way quickly along the left wall of the hallway. As he reached the sorceress, he lashed out with his blade, forcing what remained of his strength into the blow. His sword clove into the sorceress’s side and spun her to her left, blood gushing from the terrible wound the paladin had inflicted. An arrow thudded into the elf maid’s belly and she staggered back, spitting blood from her mouth.
Another arrow and a crossbow bolt flashed past the elf maid and desperately, she stabbed out with her spear. Erlmoor parried the thrust but still the weapon nicked the paladin’s leg and filled him with an icy chill. He raised his blade again but as he did, a bolt of light from Telkya’s amulet flashed past the blizzard speaker. She flinched but it was already too late. A bolt of black energy flashed out from Lavren’s wand and seared into her chest, throwing her several feet down the corridor where she landed in a sitting position.
“The Master will kill you and eat you,” she hissed and then fell back dead.
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