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Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5724089" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">With painfully slow care the party continued into the Shafton mine which, the revived Kurn explained was, “the lower mine.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Between Duor, Festus and Kurn’s brother Kordun, three more traps were discovered before they even arrived at the first cross-chamber. One, a series of simple bent branches with rows of sharpened stone tips haphazardly tied to it, which snapped down from one of the walls to the floor startled the entire party. Duor assured he had done so on purpose and no one was injured.</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">"Primitive. But effective." Kurn said, almost as if in approval.</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The party cautiously stepped/through over the six branches firmly attached to the floor.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">At the first cross chamber, Kordun deemed it safe enough to light one of the lanterns that hung on a hook. There was an overturned table. The maps and sheets of engineering computations and diagrams were strewn throughout the wide circular area. Three other passages led off from the chamber in four cardinal directions. They had entered through the passage to the west. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">An odor they were all too familiar with lingered in the chamber, though was significantly weak to not attack the senses, simply unpleasant.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">With careful inspection, Erevan and Fen concurred the “ghoul-stank”, as Duor had deemed it, was stronger in the passage to the south. Kordun explained the initial kobold incursion had, initially, come from the south but in the lower levels of the mine. There was a shaft with a lift, however, down that passage that took one directly to the third level.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The passage to the north, according to Kordun led up and wrapped to the east, eventually connecting with “the upper mine” which was accessible from outside the mountain on the north face. It also had passages that sunk deeper into the mountain, but several of them were long closed-off either because their ores had been spent or the tunnels had become unstable. “The right one, though, would take us down…if we were careful. Might be a good ‘back door’ way down.” The dwarf miner offered.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The passage directly across from the one they had entered would lead them straight down to the second level, “…insofar as any mine passage is ‘straight’,” Kordun chuckled. On the second level, he added, there would be the lift to take them either down to the third level, or up into the upper mines.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">As the party debated their direction to descend, a rustling or scurrying noise came toward them from the eastern passage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria, Duor and the wounded Kurn backed away from the opening.</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Erevan and Festus nocked their bows and took positions to either side of the passage.</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Coerraine and Kordun immediately leveled weapons and moved to stand before everyone. To their collective surprise, Haelan took a forward position between the warriors, prepared to call upon his Hill Goddess again to ‘turn’ any undead the instant he saw them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Unfortunately, what came into view was no ghoul…nor any kobold, but a multi-legged creature, oddly insectoid. Two huge multi-facetted eyes perched atop a rounded ‘head’ which sported a series of writhing tenatcles around a circular maw. The slimy green and pukish purple segmented body moved with alarming speed as it came into the chamber, attracted by the light. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Also unfortunate, and disconcerting to many of the party, the creature was not on the ground, but skittering along the ceiling of the passage. A portion of its body scurried out of the passageway and, with a cursory ‘look’ around the room, began to climb up onto the naturally arching wall/ceiling of the chamber. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“AH! That’s not a ghoul!” cried the Hilltender as he all but fell backward over his own blond-topped feet, leaving Coerraine and Kordun in the front.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Orcass! A bloody Crawler.” Kordun burst. “Kill it, quickly. Don’t let the feelers touch you!”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The creature let out an inhuman sound as arrows sunk into it from Erevan and Festus. Kurn’s crossbow bolt clanked harmlessly against the stone beside it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Looks like a bug. Big…BIG bug! Can you talk to bugs, Fen?!” Haelan asked, half-inquiry half-plead.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Releasing the front half of its body from the wall, the crawler twisted and swiped down at the possible meals before it. Erevan thanked his elvin “grace” to avoid two of the ‘feelers.’ </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Kordun, in his attempt to get near enough for his broadsword to aid the cause, received an unexpected swipe across his exposed face by one of the twitching and wriggling tentacles. The dwarf fought the paralytic enzymes that sunk into his skin with almost immediate reaction. He was able to muster a groan of defiance before succumbing to the creature’s potent natural poison.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">He stood immobile, within easy grabbing reach of the crawler’s several front legs. All he could do is watch as three of the creature’s suckered feet attached themselves to him and pushed the dwarf over into the mouth of the passageway.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The crawler maintained its advantageous position on the ceiling, however, expecting to be able to glean some more of the juicy treats it had found…or at least scare them off of its already captured meal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Coerraine now moved in, jabbing from a distance with his spear and landing a good strike on it. A thick green fluid began to ooze from the wound.</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">This distracted the creature enough for Festus to move forward and begin to attempt to drag the incredibly heavy, plate-clad, dwarf away from the passage. The satyr strained with all of his might but was hardly able to budge the dwarf.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Another crossbow bolt from Kurn did manage to sink into the creature’s apparently very soft under-flesh. It wheeled about on the ceiling once again, it’s paralytic feelers stretching out for anything they might encounter.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Erevan, daringly, ducked beneath the swinging creature and grabbed another of Kordun’s legs. Between the elf and satyr, they were able to drag the immobilized dwarf back into the chamber a bit.</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Coerraine attempted to stay between them and the crawler. His spear swipe clattered off of the creature's shell-like carapice that armored its back and sides.</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Fen had moved forward now and took jabs at the creature, intending to be more distracting than damaging.</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Duor remained near the magess, feeling things looked well in hand.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Noticing its meal being dragged back into the chamber, the creature now scurried its whole length out on the wall of the chamber and came to the ground. It charged toward the creatures attempting to take its honestly won prey.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria’s eyes widened to see the thing was easily eight feet long. Why had they left the damned ferret back in the Silver Platter stables? This thing would be right up its ally, the wizardess supposed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Fen was smacked with one of the tentacles and did, himself, haltingly become paralyzed.</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Coerraine blocked the flaring appendages with his shield.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Unexpectedly, the creature used the shield to climb up and push off of the paladin. Its sheer bulk forced the startled Redstar back a few steps.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Haelan made a swing with his mace, but his reach fell just short of the writhing body that flashed before him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Look wohwahhh!” Festus managed to get out as he unceremoniously dropped Kordun’s leg and drew a short curved sword in a flash, just in time to sever one of the wriggling feelers from the crawler’s face. A greenish goop spurted out onto his breastplate. He was disgusted, but not paralyzed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Erevan similarly dropped the leg he had been dragging and leapt back, avoiding the creature again. In a single motion, his bow was off his back, drawn and released before the elf’s feet again hit the ground. The arrow sunk painfully into the back of the creature’s second segment.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">It shrieked a small sound again and decided the small morsel was not worth the pain. It sped its way in a serpentine motion through the remainder of the chamber, up on the southern wall and disappeared into the south passage. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Everyone stood ready for a moment before a cough broke the tense silence. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Kordun coughed another couple of times, slowly regaining the use of his limbs. The embarrassed dwarf gave a gruff thanks to the “point-ear” and “goat-man” and cursed his own foolishness at being incapacitated by such a disgusting lowly creature.</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Musta been some kinda demon crawler or something to break through my dwarven constitution.” The blond bearded dwarf supposed in his own defense.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Musta been.” Duor nodded in all serious agreement.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Fen was also soon to recover. He stretched and worked his shoulder joints as the last of the toxin was diluted in his system.</span><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“That was unpleasant.” He smiled at the companions, his gaze lingered on Erevan as he reassured everyone, “I am fine.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">With a‘wicked’ looking grin and sparkle in his bright green eyes Alaria had not seen in a while, the druid made a flourishing bow toward the eastern passage. “Shall we?” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Well, between ghoul-stank and a slimey squid-faced centipede-thing, we’re not going south.” Haelan said in all seriousness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“It was a Carrion Crawler.” Kurn amended.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Well, we’re not ‘carrion’!” the halfling relied with indignation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“I believe, friend Hilltender,” Kurn explained, “They are so called for <em>creating </em>carrion, not consuming it.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Haelan thought on this for a moment before understanding dawned. “Oooohhhh…Ewww.” The halfling cleric shuddered a bit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Whatever the reason, let us hope our efforts against the thing have not alerted any other denizens of this place to our presence.” Alaria said seriously.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The rest nodded their agreement. Everyone took up their marching positions and the companions ventured into the eastern passage.</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 5724089, member: 92511"] [FONT=Verdana]With painfully slow care the party continued into the Shafton mine which, the revived Kurn explained was, “the lower mine.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Between Duor, Festus and Kurn’s brother Kordun, three more traps were discovered before they even arrived at the first cross-chamber. One, a series of simple bent branches with rows of sharpened stone tips haphazardly tied to it, which snapped down from one of the walls to the floor startled the entire party. Duor assured he had done so on purpose and no one was injured.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]"Primitive. But effective." Kurn said, almost as if in approval.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The party cautiously stepped/through over the six branches firmly attached to the floor. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]At the first cross chamber, Kordun deemed it safe enough to light one of the lanterns that hung on a hook. There was an overturned table. The maps and sheets of engineering computations and diagrams were strewn throughout the wide circular area. Three other passages led off from the chamber in four cardinal directions. They had entered through the passage to the west. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]An odor they were all too familiar with lingered in the chamber, though was significantly weak to not attack the senses, simply unpleasant. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]With careful inspection, Erevan and Fen concurred the “ghoul-stank”, as Duor had deemed it, was stronger in the passage to the south. Kordun explained the initial kobold incursion had, initially, come from the south but in the lower levels of the mine. There was a shaft with a lift, however, down that passage that took one directly to the third level. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The passage to the north, according to Kordun led up and wrapped to the east, eventually connecting with “the upper mine” which was accessible from outside the mountain on the north face. It also had passages that sunk deeper into the mountain, but several of them were long closed-off either because their ores had been spent or the tunnels had become unstable. “The right one, though, would take us down…if we were careful. Might be a good ‘back door’ way down.” The dwarf miner offered. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The passage directly across from the one they had entered would lead them straight down to the second level, “…insofar as any mine passage is ‘straight’,” Kordun chuckled. On the second level, he added, there would be the lift to take them either down to the third level, or up into the upper mines. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]As the party debated their direction to descend, a rustling or scurrying noise came toward them from the eastern passage. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria, Duor and the wounded Kurn backed away from the opening.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Erevan and Festus nocked their bows and took positions to either side of the passage.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Coerraine and Kordun immediately leveled weapons and moved to stand before everyone. To their collective surprise, Haelan took a forward position between the warriors, prepared to call upon his Hill Goddess again to ‘turn’ any undead the instant he saw them. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Unfortunately, what came into view was no ghoul…nor any kobold, but a multi-legged creature, oddly insectoid. Two huge multi-facetted eyes perched atop a rounded ‘head’ which sported a series of writhing tenatcles around a circular maw. The slimy green and pukish purple segmented body moved with alarming speed as it came into the chamber, attracted by the light. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Also unfortunate, and disconcerting to many of the party, the creature was not on the ground, but skittering along the ceiling of the passage. A portion of its body scurried out of the passageway and, with a cursory ‘look’ around the room, began to climb up onto the naturally arching wall/ceiling of the chamber. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“AH! That’s not a ghoul!” cried the Hilltender as he all but fell backward over his own blond-topped feet, leaving Coerraine and Kordun in the front. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Orcass! A bloody Crawler.” Kordun burst. “Kill it, quickly. Don’t let the feelers touch you!” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The creature let out an inhuman sound as arrows sunk into it from Erevan and Festus. Kurn’s crossbow bolt clanked harmlessly against the stone beside it. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Looks like a bug. Big…BIG bug! Can you talk to bugs, Fen?!” Haelan asked, half-inquiry half-plead. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Releasing the front half of its body from the wall, the crawler twisted and swiped down at the possible meals before it. Erevan thanked his elvin “grace” to avoid two of the ‘feelers.’ [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Kordun, in his attempt to get near enough for his broadsword to aid the cause, received an unexpected swipe across his exposed face by one of the twitching and wriggling tentacles. The dwarf fought the paralytic enzymes that sunk into his skin with almost immediate reaction. He was able to muster a groan of defiance before succumbing to the creature’s potent natural poison. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]He stood immobile, within easy grabbing reach of the crawler’s several front legs. All he could do is watch as three of the creature’s suckered feet attached themselves to him and pushed the dwarf over into the mouth of the passageway. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The crawler maintained its advantageous position on the ceiling, however, expecting to be able to glean some more of the juicy treats it had found…or at least scare them off of its already captured meal. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Coerraine now moved in, jabbing from a distance with his spear and landing a good strike on it. A thick green fluid began to ooze from the wound.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]This distracted the creature enough for Festus to move forward and begin to attempt to drag the incredibly heavy, plate-clad, dwarf away from the passage. The satyr strained with all of his might but was hardly able to budge the dwarf. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Another crossbow bolt from Kurn did manage to sink into the creature’s apparently very soft under-flesh. It wheeled about on the ceiling once again, it’s paralytic feelers stretching out for anything they might encounter. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Erevan, daringly, ducked beneath the swinging creature and grabbed another of Kordun’s legs. Between the elf and satyr, they were able to drag the immobilized dwarf back into the chamber a bit.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Coerraine attempted to stay between them and the crawler. His spear swipe clattered off of the creature's shell-like carapice that armored its back and sides.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Fen had moved forward now and took jabs at the creature, intending to be more distracting than damaging.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Duor remained near the magess, feeling things looked well in hand. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Noticing its meal being dragged back into the chamber, the creature now scurried its whole length out on the wall of the chamber and came to the ground. It charged toward the creatures attempting to take its honestly won prey. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria’s eyes widened to see the thing was easily eight feet long. Why had they left the damned ferret back in the Silver Platter stables? This thing would be right up its ally, the wizardess supposed. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Fen was smacked with one of the tentacles and did, himself, haltingly become paralyzed.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Coerraine blocked the flaring appendages with his shield. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Unexpectedly, the creature used the shield to climb up and push off of the paladin. Its sheer bulk forced the startled Redstar back a few steps. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Haelan made a swing with his mace, but his reach fell just short of the writhing body that flashed before him. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Look wohwahhh!” Festus managed to get out as he unceremoniously dropped Kordun’s leg and drew a short curved sword in a flash, just in time to sever one of the wriggling feelers from the crawler’s face. A greenish goop spurted out onto his breastplate. He was disgusted, but not paralyzed. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Erevan similarly dropped the leg he had been dragging and leapt back, avoiding the creature again. In a single motion, his bow was off his back, drawn and released before the elf’s feet again hit the ground. The arrow sunk painfully into the back of the creature’s second segment. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]It shrieked a small sound again and decided the small morsel was not worth the pain. It sped its way in a serpentine motion through the remainder of the chamber, up on the southern wall and disappeared into the south passage. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Everyone stood ready for a moment before a cough broke the tense silence. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Kordun coughed another couple of times, slowly regaining the use of his limbs. The embarrassed dwarf gave a gruff thanks to the “point-ear” and “goat-man” and cursed his own foolishness at being incapacitated by such a disgusting lowly creature.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Musta been some kinda demon crawler or something to break through my dwarven constitution.” The blond bearded dwarf supposed in his own defense. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Musta been.” Duor nodded in all serious agreement. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Fen was also soon to recover. He stretched and worked his shoulder joints as the last of the toxin was diluted in his system.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“That was unpleasant.” He smiled at the companions, his gaze lingered on Erevan as he reassured everyone, “I am fine.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]With a‘wicked’ looking grin and sparkle in his bright green eyes Alaria had not seen in a while, the druid made a flourishing bow toward the eastern passage. “Shall we?” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Well, between ghoul-stank and a slimey squid-faced centipede-thing, we’re not going south.” Haelan said in all seriousness. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“It was a Carrion Crawler.” Kurn amended. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Well, we’re not ‘carrion’!” the halfling relied with indignation. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“I believe, friend Hilltender,” Kurn explained, “They are so called for [I]creating [/I]carrion, not consuming it.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Haelan thought on this for a moment before understanding dawned. “Oooohhhh…Ewww.” The halfling cleric shuddered a bit. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Whatever the reason, let us hope our efforts against the thing have not alerted any other denizens of this place to our presence.” Alaria said seriously. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The rest nodded their agreement. Everyone took up their marching positions and the companions ventured into the eastern passage.[/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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