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Al-Qarin: Into the Desert (3-1-24)
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<blockquote data-quote="EternalNewbie" data-source="post: 1556198" data-attributes="member: 6489"><p>Thanks for the posts guys, it's always nice to know that people are enjoying the story. To show my appreciation, here's an update.</p><p></p><p>I realize that it might be a little hard to follow my description of the goblin mines. I'll see if I can get Galeman to post some of the maps when he gets back.</p><p></p><p>Lastly, to give you an idea of where we are in the campaign, there are at least two more 'chapters' after the Mines of Malakai, that will probably end up being roughly the same length when written out. We're in the middle of the 6th 'chapter' now, with everything on hold as people have scattered to the far ends of the earth...</p><p></p><p>Anyhow, that's enough fluff for one day. Now on to what you came here for in the first place...</p><p></p><p>(PS. Hasn't been proofed, so it's subject to revision...)</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * * * * * * * * *</p><p></p><p> "Ah, how many does that make?" Khalid asked wearily, as he shook out his bedroll on the muted grey floor of the extradimensional space.</p><p></p><p> "Twenty seven," Gorak grunted, wiping gore off his leather armor with a rag.</p><p></p><p> "Yes, quite," Khalid agreed. "How many did Jalaal say were in here?"</p><p></p><p> Gorak's brow furrowed as he tried to recall the conversation with Jalaal. Shayla, who had been sitting on the floor, absently stroking Emma, finally broke the silence. "I think he said two score, maybe more."*</p><p></p><p> "Ah, was that able combatants, or for, yes, the whole tribe in total?" Khalid pressed.</p><p></p><p> Shayla shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry Khalid, I don't remember." Shayla looked completely drained after the day's foray into the mines.</p><p></p><p> Khalid too, felt a deep exhaustion that seemed to penetrate him to the very bone. He sat back, propped himself up on his rucksack, closed his eyes, and replayed the events of the day in his mind. There hadn't really been any question as to their course of action after Jalaal died. Faced with the prospect of returning empty handed and battling their way out past alert Dwerro sentries, they had decided to remain in the caves and attempt to finish their task. Their only chance now was to inflict such dreadful losses upon the goblins that they would be forced to retreat or hole up, allowing the group to flee through the front exit of the mine, hopefully after they had recovered enough adamantium to satisfy Arbaq.</p><p></p><p> After recuperating from the prior day, they had set out at roughly the same time. Heading down the main passage, this time they opted to head straight to the larger room, in the hopes of surprising the goblin miners and blocking the cart's escape.</p><p></p><p> It was, as Khalid had guessed earlier, quite difficult to sneak up on the crafty goblins carrying a lantern and despite their best efforts, the goblins were waiting for them. As they hurried down the larger side passage, the alarm was raised. Khalid recalled with a shudder what the goblins had planned for them. As soon as the alarm had been raised, four goblins hopped on the mining cart, and had begun to feverishly work the levers that propelled it. In the narrow confines of the mining tunnel, there was no room to flee the cart and they would have been crushed against the walls or worse still, overrun by the cart entirely. Fortunately, the two in the front had succumbed to his magical slumber, while one in the rear had fallen to Shayla's magical darts. The lone remaining goblin, unable to propel the cart by himself, had fled shrieking into a side passage. After dispatching a few more goblins and finding no ore, refined or otherwise, they had departed, heading back for the main path.</p><p></p><p> The goblins however, had another surprise waiting for them. Where the passage met the main tunnel, several archers lay in wait armed not only with crossbows, but also with vials of naphtha that burst into flame upon contacting the air. Even so, they were no match for Gorak and Shayla. Between Shayla's lancets of force and Gorak's unerring aim with his conjured balls of fire, they had decimated the archers and drove them back. At the intersection, they met the commander of the ambush, another red skinned goblin who by some dweomer was clinging to the ceiling. Despite his concealment however, the goblin managed to strike only a glancing blow on Gorak. After suffering the effects of one of Shayla's spells, the goblin attempted to scuttle away along the ceiling. Gorak, with a plundered spear, neatly skewered the goblin, pinning it to the ceiling and then slamming it to the cavern floor. Fortunately, the vials of naphtha the goblin was carrying were well protected, and several now took the place of used potions on Khalid's belt. Shayla, after thoroughly cleaning it, had donned the red skinned goblin's bandolier, and carried the remaining vials of liquid flame.</p><p></p><p> Exhausted and wounded, the party had retreated back beyond the range of the goblin miners, but not before derailing the cart and rendering it inoperable. While Khalid had no illusions about the effect that would have on the mining operation, he reasoned that at the very least, it couldn't be used for any more attacks.</p><p></p><p> Khalid sighed and propped himself up on one elbow. "Ah, perhaps we should discuss our next move. Yes, quite."</p><p></p><p> Gorak, with a glance at Shayla who was curled up in a ball, sleeping soundly, shook his head. "Nah, it can wait until morning."</p><p></p><p> Morning came far too early for Khalid's liking. Roused from a pleasant dream featuring several of the more comely women of Arbaq's harem, Khalid groggily joined Shayla and Gorak in the tunnels and dismissed his spell. Splashing some water on his face, he wondered if he looked as haggard as they did. </p><p></p><p>"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Shayla mumbled around a mouthful of bread.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes, I was considering a few options. Thanks to Emma, we know that the main path continues on, fairly straight after the side passages until it reaches a fairly stout wooden door."</p><p></p><p>"There's a bit of a turn near the end," Shayla interrupted, "but for the most part, yes. There's also more passages that branch off, opposite the ones we've already been down."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, quite," Khalid continued. "Well, I was thinking that perhaps, yes, perhaps if we can make it past the goblins and reach the door, we can find a way to bar it. Then we can roam around the tunnels, making noise and ah, well, killing goblins. When they try to flee, they'll find the exit impassable, yes quite impassable and we can trap them in a dead end."</p><p></p><p>"How are we going to bar the door?" Shayla asked.</p><p></p><p>"I got a spell that'll help. I can warp the door, bend it so it's jammed against the frame. They'll have to hack it to pieces to get out." Gorak replied.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, excellent, yes, excellent. That should work nicely." Khalid said, feeling rather pleased with himself.</p><p></p><p>"There might be another way out of the mines." Shayla pointed out.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, indeed. Still, if they don't know that the door has been barred they will attempt to flee to the nearest exit. We should still be able to trap some of them. Yes, quite."</p><p></p><p>"I was thinking of something else too," Gorak rumbled. "We can maybe mine the ore ourselves, then at least all we'll have to do is figure a way outta here."</p><p></p><p>"Ah, Gorak, not to be overly critical but, ah, I know nothing of mining, and I don't exactly have the physique for it. Yes, quite."</p><p></p><p>"I know that," Gorak grunted. "I've got another spell. I can soften the earth around a vein. We can just dig it out with our hands if we need too, but there should be some goblin tools around."</p><p></p><p>"Indeed. That sounds much better then. Yes, quite." Khalid replied. "Ah, Let's block the door first, yes? That way, we'll either, ah, hear them chopping down the door, or if we're attacked, perhaps close off their avenue of escape."</p><p></p><p> "Right," Gorak agreed. "I'll prepare those spells." He paused for a second. "Those bastards are probably going to be a lot more organized today. We should probably come up with a signal or plan or something, that calls out the retreat."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, quite. I've been giving it some thought and ah, if it becomes necessary, Shayla can provide cover by shrouding us in mist. Yes, and then I will open a portal. If we're, ah, quick enough we should be able to vanish, without them knowing where we've gone. Yes, quite." Khalid glanced at the others.</p><p></p><p>"Sounds good to me," Shayla replied.</p><p></p><p>"Yup. It should work. Just be ready to move. Things could turn ugly pretty quick." Gorak rumbled. "Now leave me alone, I need to concentrate."</p><p></p><p>As Gorak resumed his meditation, Shayla and Khalid moved down the passage and talked idly for a while. They both carefully avoided mentioning Jalaal, or the upcoming day, instead reminiscing about pleasanter times and nicer places. Eventually however, the weight of the mountain overhead crushed their conversation, and they sat in silence until Gorak appeared. "I'm ready," he grunted. "Let's get moving."</p><p></p><p>They began the long trek back into the goblin mining complex, with Khalid carefully shielding the light. The pace was slow, hampered by the gloom and uneven terrain, but Khalid felt as they he was getting a feel for the path, having traveled it so many times in the past few days. They walked in silence, and Khalid strained to catch any sound that might indicate their presence was detected. Quite by accident the day before he had caught the ingenious goblins sending signals through the stone, by tapping it in rhythmic bursts. Today however, the caves were ominously quiet.</p><p></p><p>Gorak motioned for them to halt and Khalid covered the light. Creeping forward into the darkness, Gorak glanced around the corner of the intersection leading to the main mining area. Seeing nothing, he retrieved the others and they continued their agonizingly slow pace through the mines. They passed the smaller branch, and still there were no sign of the goblins. Khalid dared to let himself hope that their foray yesterday had soured the goblins hunger for conflict, as they moved into the most dangerous area of the mine. From Emma's scouting, they knew that there were no branches off the main tunnel as it approached a huge wooden door leading out of the mines. The tunnel twisted slightly, about thirty feet from the door, preventing a clear view down the passage. They all knew that if a goblin raiding party appeared from the tunnels behind them, they would be pinned against the door, and have to fight their way out. Worse still, until the door was blocked, they would most likely be attacked from both sides at once.</p><p></p><p>Khalid, his nerves frayed from days beneath the earth, couldn't take it any longer. "Ah, perhaps we should move quickly now and block the door," he hissed.</p><p> </p><p>Gorak, nodding, picked up the pace as they rounded the small bend. Seeing nothing, he sprinted to the door, with Khalid and Shayla close behind. As Gorak began to chant, Shayla knelt down and picked up a small rock, ready to illuminate the passage if necessary. Khalid, carefully shielding the lantern, tried to make himself as small a target as possible and crouched down along the cave wall. Gorak finished his spell and touched one of the oaken planks of the huge iron bound door. Khalid, glancing over his shoulder, watched in amazement as the wooden door began to warp. There was a thin screech as the iron bands binding the planks buckled under the spell, and Shayla ducked as a bolt burst from the door and ricocheted down the tunnel. The doorframe splintered as the wood continued to twist and move. With a final groan, and shower of dust the door stopped moving.</p><p> </p><p>There was complete silence for a moment, then the sound of panicked voices reached them from the other side of the door. One of the goblins on the other side rattled the small viewing slot in the door, but it too had warped by Gorak's spell. "There," Gorak grunted in satisfaction. "Nobody is getting through that door without chopping it down."</p><p> </p><p>"That's great," Shayla said, scanning nervously down the tunnel, "now can we please get out of the dead end death trap?"</p><p> </p><p>The group turned and hurried back down the main passage. Even after the disturbance, there was no sign of activity in the caves. Khalid was beginning to get worried again. Alternating between relief that they hadn't encountered anyone and panic that the goblins were closing in around them, Khalid felt as though he was going to fly apart. They turned down the smaller side passage and followed it past the place where Jalaal had fallen. His body had been removed, but in the flickering light of the lantern, Khalid could see the reddish brown stain on the floor and walls. With a shudder, he hurried after Gorak into the main room.</p><p> </p><p>Khalid and Shayla took up defensive positions near the entrances while Gorak prowled around the room, searching for the best spot to target with his spell. "Gimme some light over here, Khalid," he growled. Khalid obligingly uncovered the lantern and shone it around the room. Nodding to himself, he picked a vein of ore that roped its way across the wall and up into the ceiling.</p><p> </p><p>Khalid was only half watching as Gorak cast his spell, intent as he was on detecting any approaching goblins. As Gorak finished chanting, Khalid looked back over his shoulder. Gorak moved forward and tapped the rock wall with a goblin pick. "Ah, Gorak, did I miss something?" Khalid asked.</p><p> </p><p>"No," Gorak growled, his expression darkening. "It didn't work."</p><p> </p><p>"Ah, Gorak," Khalid began, "why…"</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know why it didn't work, Khalid," Gorak snarled. "It just didn't."</p><p> </p><p>"So what do we do now?" Shayla asked.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm not sure," Gorak rumbled. "I guess…" he trailed off as a noise echoed down through the tunnels. They all strained to listen, as Khalid hid the light. From down the main passage, the panicked sound of a fist hammering on wood reached their ears. With a feral grin, Gorak turned to others. "I guess we go kill goblins."</p><p> </p><p>They set off down the twisting, narrow passages, moving quickly to spring their trap. As Gorak rounded the last bend, he skidded to a halt. Khalid, in full stride had to twist aside to avoid crashing into him. Facing away from them, pounding frantically on the wooden door was a small, red skinned goblin draped in blood red robes that matched almost perfectly the tinge of his skin. Pouches and fetishes hung from belts and straps that crisscrossed the goblin's body. At the sound of their approach, the goblin slowly turned to face them. Gorak, with a curse whirled around and raised his shield, as Khalid and Shayla stood there, completely unnerved. Khalid felt a sickening fear seize him, as the look of panic slowly faded from the goblin's face to be replaced with a vicious, evil sneer. Then all hell descended upon them.** </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center">* * * * * * * * * *</p><p></p><p>*This sparked an argument between Galeman and I. I had originally asked how many goblins where in the caves, before we left Gem-Sharad I think, but somebody else interrupted and I never got an answer (it happens). My point was that Khalid wouldn't go in there without knowing how many opponents were in there, while his was that if it was so important I should have asked Jalaal while we still knew where his head was. Anyhow, Shayla was the only one to make the int check. Thus began our war of attrition. I remember the number 27 coming up, and the final total as well <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>**Sigh. We really should have barred the door a day earlier, in retrospect.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="EternalNewbie, post: 1556198, member: 6489"] Thanks for the posts guys, it's always nice to know that people are enjoying the story. To show my appreciation, here's an update. I realize that it might be a little hard to follow my description of the goblin mines. I'll see if I can get Galeman to post some of the maps when he gets back. Lastly, to give you an idea of where we are in the campaign, there are at least two more 'chapters' after the Mines of Malakai, that will probably end up being roughly the same length when written out. We're in the middle of the 6th 'chapter' now, with everything on hold as people have scattered to the far ends of the earth... Anyhow, that's enough fluff for one day. Now on to what you came here for in the first place... (PS. Hasn't been proofed, so it's subject to revision...) [CENTER]* * * * * * * * * *[/CENTER] "Ah, how many does that make?" Khalid asked wearily, as he shook out his bedroll on the muted grey floor of the extradimensional space. "Twenty seven," Gorak grunted, wiping gore off his leather armor with a rag. "Yes, quite," Khalid agreed. "How many did Jalaal say were in here?" Gorak's brow furrowed as he tried to recall the conversation with Jalaal. Shayla, who had been sitting on the floor, absently stroking Emma, finally broke the silence. "I think he said two score, maybe more."* "Ah, was that able combatants, or for, yes, the whole tribe in total?" Khalid pressed. Shayla shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry Khalid, I don't remember." Shayla looked completely drained after the day's foray into the mines. Khalid too, felt a deep exhaustion that seemed to penetrate him to the very bone. He sat back, propped himself up on his rucksack, closed his eyes, and replayed the events of the day in his mind. There hadn't really been any question as to their course of action after Jalaal died. Faced with the prospect of returning empty handed and battling their way out past alert Dwerro sentries, they had decided to remain in the caves and attempt to finish their task. Their only chance now was to inflict such dreadful losses upon the goblins that they would be forced to retreat or hole up, allowing the group to flee through the front exit of the mine, hopefully after they had recovered enough adamantium to satisfy Arbaq. After recuperating from the prior day, they had set out at roughly the same time. Heading down the main passage, this time they opted to head straight to the larger room, in the hopes of surprising the goblin miners and blocking the cart's escape. It was, as Khalid had guessed earlier, quite difficult to sneak up on the crafty goblins carrying a lantern and despite their best efforts, the goblins were waiting for them. As they hurried down the larger side passage, the alarm was raised. Khalid recalled with a shudder what the goblins had planned for them. As soon as the alarm had been raised, four goblins hopped on the mining cart, and had begun to feverishly work the levers that propelled it. In the narrow confines of the mining tunnel, there was no room to flee the cart and they would have been crushed against the walls or worse still, overrun by the cart entirely. Fortunately, the two in the front had succumbed to his magical slumber, while one in the rear had fallen to Shayla's magical darts. The lone remaining goblin, unable to propel the cart by himself, had fled shrieking into a side passage. After dispatching a few more goblins and finding no ore, refined or otherwise, they had departed, heading back for the main path. The goblins however, had another surprise waiting for them. Where the passage met the main tunnel, several archers lay in wait armed not only with crossbows, but also with vials of naphtha that burst into flame upon contacting the air. Even so, they were no match for Gorak and Shayla. Between Shayla's lancets of force and Gorak's unerring aim with his conjured balls of fire, they had decimated the archers and drove them back. At the intersection, they met the commander of the ambush, another red skinned goblin who by some dweomer was clinging to the ceiling. Despite his concealment however, the goblin managed to strike only a glancing blow on Gorak. After suffering the effects of one of Shayla's spells, the goblin attempted to scuttle away along the ceiling. Gorak, with a plundered spear, neatly skewered the goblin, pinning it to the ceiling and then slamming it to the cavern floor. Fortunately, the vials of naphtha the goblin was carrying were well protected, and several now took the place of used potions on Khalid's belt. Shayla, after thoroughly cleaning it, had donned the red skinned goblin's bandolier, and carried the remaining vials of liquid flame. Exhausted and wounded, the party had retreated back beyond the range of the goblin miners, but not before derailing the cart and rendering it inoperable. While Khalid had no illusions about the effect that would have on the mining operation, he reasoned that at the very least, it couldn't be used for any more attacks. Khalid sighed and propped himself up on one elbow. "Ah, perhaps we should discuss our next move. Yes, quite." Gorak, with a glance at Shayla who was curled up in a ball, sleeping soundly, shook his head. "Nah, it can wait until morning." Morning came far too early for Khalid's liking. Roused from a pleasant dream featuring several of the more comely women of Arbaq's harem, Khalid groggily joined Shayla and Gorak in the tunnels and dismissed his spell. Splashing some water on his face, he wondered if he looked as haggard as they did. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" Shayla mumbled around a mouthful of bread. "Ah, yes, I was considering a few options. Thanks to Emma, we know that the main path continues on, fairly straight after the side passages until it reaches a fairly stout wooden door." "There's a bit of a turn near the end," Shayla interrupted, "but for the most part, yes. There's also more passages that branch off, opposite the ones we've already been down." "Yes, quite," Khalid continued. "Well, I was thinking that perhaps, yes, perhaps if we can make it past the goblins and reach the door, we can find a way to bar it. Then we can roam around the tunnels, making noise and ah, well, killing goblins. When they try to flee, they'll find the exit impassable, yes quite impassable and we can trap them in a dead end." "How are we going to bar the door?" Shayla asked. "I got a spell that'll help. I can warp the door, bend it so it's jammed against the frame. They'll have to hack it to pieces to get out." Gorak replied. "Ah, excellent, yes, excellent. That should work nicely." Khalid said, feeling rather pleased with himself. "There might be another way out of the mines." Shayla pointed out. "Ah, indeed. Still, if they don't know that the door has been barred they will attempt to flee to the nearest exit. We should still be able to trap some of them. Yes, quite." "I was thinking of something else too," Gorak rumbled. "We can maybe mine the ore ourselves, then at least all we'll have to do is figure a way outta here." "Ah, Gorak, not to be overly critical but, ah, I know nothing of mining, and I don't exactly have the physique for it. Yes, quite." "I know that," Gorak grunted. "I've got another spell. I can soften the earth around a vein. We can just dig it out with our hands if we need too, but there should be some goblin tools around." "Indeed. That sounds much better then. Yes, quite." Khalid replied. "Ah, Let's block the door first, yes? That way, we'll either, ah, hear them chopping down the door, or if we're attacked, perhaps close off their avenue of escape." "Right," Gorak agreed. "I'll prepare those spells." He paused for a second. "Those bastards are probably going to be a lot more organized today. We should probably come up with a signal or plan or something, that calls out the retreat." "Yes, quite. I've been giving it some thought and ah, if it becomes necessary, Shayla can provide cover by shrouding us in mist. Yes, and then I will open a portal. If we're, ah, quick enough we should be able to vanish, without them knowing where we've gone. Yes, quite." Khalid glanced at the others. "Sounds good to me," Shayla replied. "Yup. It should work. Just be ready to move. Things could turn ugly pretty quick." Gorak rumbled. "Now leave me alone, I need to concentrate." As Gorak resumed his meditation, Shayla and Khalid moved down the passage and talked idly for a while. They both carefully avoided mentioning Jalaal, or the upcoming day, instead reminiscing about pleasanter times and nicer places. Eventually however, the weight of the mountain overhead crushed their conversation, and they sat in silence until Gorak appeared. "I'm ready," he grunted. "Let's get moving." They began the long trek back into the goblin mining complex, with Khalid carefully shielding the light. The pace was slow, hampered by the gloom and uneven terrain, but Khalid felt as they he was getting a feel for the path, having traveled it so many times in the past few days. They walked in silence, and Khalid strained to catch any sound that might indicate their presence was detected. Quite by accident the day before he had caught the ingenious goblins sending signals through the stone, by tapping it in rhythmic bursts. Today however, the caves were ominously quiet. Gorak motioned for them to halt and Khalid covered the light. Creeping forward into the darkness, Gorak glanced around the corner of the intersection leading to the main mining area. Seeing nothing, he retrieved the others and they continued their agonizingly slow pace through the mines. They passed the smaller branch, and still there were no sign of the goblins. Khalid dared to let himself hope that their foray yesterday had soured the goblins hunger for conflict, as they moved into the most dangerous area of the mine. From Emma's scouting, they knew that there were no branches off the main tunnel as it approached a huge wooden door leading out of the mines. The tunnel twisted slightly, about thirty feet from the door, preventing a clear view down the passage. They all knew that if a goblin raiding party appeared from the tunnels behind them, they would be pinned against the door, and have to fight their way out. Worse still, until the door was blocked, they would most likely be attacked from both sides at once. Khalid, his nerves frayed from days beneath the earth, couldn't take it any longer. "Ah, perhaps we should move quickly now and block the door," he hissed. Gorak, nodding, picked up the pace as they rounded the small bend. Seeing nothing, he sprinted to the door, with Khalid and Shayla close behind. As Gorak began to chant, Shayla knelt down and picked up a small rock, ready to illuminate the passage if necessary. Khalid, carefully shielding the lantern, tried to make himself as small a target as possible and crouched down along the cave wall. Gorak finished his spell and touched one of the oaken planks of the huge iron bound door. Khalid, glancing over his shoulder, watched in amazement as the wooden door began to warp. There was a thin screech as the iron bands binding the planks buckled under the spell, and Shayla ducked as a bolt burst from the door and ricocheted down the tunnel. The doorframe splintered as the wood continued to twist and move. With a final groan, and shower of dust the door stopped moving. There was complete silence for a moment, then the sound of panicked voices reached them from the other side of the door. One of the goblins on the other side rattled the small viewing slot in the door, but it too had warped by Gorak's spell. "There," Gorak grunted in satisfaction. "Nobody is getting through that door without chopping it down." "That's great," Shayla said, scanning nervously down the tunnel, "now can we please get out of the dead end death trap?" The group turned and hurried back down the main passage. Even after the disturbance, there was no sign of activity in the caves. Khalid was beginning to get worried again. Alternating between relief that they hadn't encountered anyone and panic that the goblins were closing in around them, Khalid felt as though he was going to fly apart. They turned down the smaller side passage and followed it past the place where Jalaal had fallen. His body had been removed, but in the flickering light of the lantern, Khalid could see the reddish brown stain on the floor and walls. With a shudder, he hurried after Gorak into the main room. Khalid and Shayla took up defensive positions near the entrances while Gorak prowled around the room, searching for the best spot to target with his spell. "Gimme some light over here, Khalid," he growled. Khalid obligingly uncovered the lantern and shone it around the room. Nodding to himself, he picked a vein of ore that roped its way across the wall and up into the ceiling. Khalid was only half watching as Gorak cast his spell, intent as he was on detecting any approaching goblins. As Gorak finished chanting, Khalid looked back over his shoulder. Gorak moved forward and tapped the rock wall with a goblin pick. "Ah, Gorak, did I miss something?" Khalid asked. "No," Gorak growled, his expression darkening. "It didn't work." "Ah, Gorak," Khalid began, "why…" "I don't know why it didn't work, Khalid," Gorak snarled. "It just didn't." "So what do we do now?" Shayla asked. "I'm not sure," Gorak rumbled. "I guess…" he trailed off as a noise echoed down through the tunnels. They all strained to listen, as Khalid hid the light. From down the main passage, the panicked sound of a fist hammering on wood reached their ears. With a feral grin, Gorak turned to others. "I guess we go kill goblins." They set off down the twisting, narrow passages, moving quickly to spring their trap. As Gorak rounded the last bend, he skidded to a halt. Khalid, in full stride had to twist aside to avoid crashing into him. Facing away from them, pounding frantically on the wooden door was a small, red skinned goblin draped in blood red robes that matched almost perfectly the tinge of his skin. Pouches and fetishes hung from belts and straps that crisscrossed the goblin's body. At the sound of their approach, the goblin slowly turned to face them. Gorak, with a curse whirled around and raised his shield, as Khalid and Shayla stood there, completely unnerved. Khalid felt a sickening fear seize him, as the look of panic slowly faded from the goblin's face to be replaced with a vicious, evil sneer. Then all hell descended upon them.** [CENTER]* * * * * * * * * *[/CENTER] *This sparked an argument between Galeman and I. I had originally asked how many goblins where in the caves, before we left Gem-Sharad I think, but somebody else interrupted and I never got an answer (it happens). My point was that Khalid wouldn't go in there without knowing how many opponents were in there, while his was that if it was so important I should have asked Jalaal while we still knew where his head was. Anyhow, Shayla was the only one to make the int check. Thus began our war of attrition. I remember the number 27 coming up, and the final total as well ;) **Sigh. We really should have barred the door a day earlier, in retrospect. [/QUOTE]
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Al-Qarin: Into the Desert (3-1-24)
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