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Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 6101359" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p>Alaria, Braddok, Haelan and the elfin moon-priest, Cyrillian, sped through the battlefield, nothing more than vague outlines of mist. Meesh flapped his smalllish wings besides Alaria and remarked how much better the "sssolihhhdsss look likuhhh thisss. Remindsss Meeessh ovvv hhhome."</p><p></p><p>A moment later, at Braddok's direction, they came to the three Endoren bone-masked priests engaged in their ceremony of animation and control of all the dead and undead across the battlefield.</p><p></p><p>"Ready?" Alaria asked.</p><p></p><p>"Let's do this." Braddok said, even as Kandu remarked a similar sentiment in the warrior's head. He gripped the sapphire studded bastard sword more tightly and readied himself to "become solid" again.</p><p></p><p>With a thought from Alaria toward the Ihs Repahl, the four companions did just that. Even as their toes touched the ground, outlines became filled in, misty colors darkened and the whole of their bodies and beings again took on the solidity of their normal form. </p><p></p><p>It was a curious sensation, Alaria remarked to herself. The weightless airy feeling suddenly becoming heavy again. The magess wondered for a moment if she were actually as heavy as she now felt all of the time? An examination for another time. Right now, there was dark magic to concern oneself with.</p><p></p><p>The three clerics of Endore were caught by complete surprise as a broadly-muscled dark-haired human warrior suddenly appeared before them. The first cleric fell to Kandu's bluish gleam in a single stroke.</p><p></p><p>Haelan and the elf priest came into visible being behind the clerics and the daelvar lunged forward, catching the center cleric in the back of his knees. The Endoren buckled and fell, whatever wicked trance he had been maintaining utterly ruined. </p><p></p><p>Alaria stayed behind Braddok, readying her most potent spell to cancel their foes' incantations should the need arise.</p><p></p><p>A battle cry from the third cleric caught her attention as he shouted toward the heroes in some language the magess did not know. A moment later, 4 hobgoblin soldiers were racing for the melee's location from the dark shadows of the treeline.</p><p></p><p>The priest Haelan had knocked down turned with toward the daelvar as he raised his mace for another blow. The plague-priest's mouth twisted in obvious contempt and fury (the top half of his face and eyes obscured behind the bone skull-mask Endore's faithful wear). His brassy voice twisted the tainted tongue of unholy magics and reached out for the halfling's bushy-haired foot. </p><p></p><p>Haelan cried out as pain shot up through his limbs, assaulted his innards. It was only for a second, but very nerve of his being shrieked in burning pain. The Hilltender dropped to the ground, fighting to retain his consciousness, from the intense pain.</p><p></p><p>The other standing cleric also intoned the hissing dark language of evil, <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><em>“Essressstim Endore, Surevvv miclon etne aetuuundshaaaa!” <cleric spell, Spiritual Weapon. “Mistress Endore, attack your enemies with your [un]holy weapon!”></em></span> </p><p></p><p>A putrid green skull ensconced in purple flames appeared in the air beside the Endoren and with a wave of his arm, flew through the air to strike Braddok, hard, as the warrior turned to face the oncoming hobgoblins.</p><p></p><p>There's too much going on, thought Alaria. "Meeessh! Can you make your mist wall between us and those hobgoblins?"</p><p></p><p>The steam mephit, who was flitting in his usual place beside (and slightly behind) the R'Hathi wizard let loose with the hiss-teapot-squeal that Alaria had come to recognize as his laugh and wrung his steaming and dripping long fingered hands together. "Meeessh hhhhappy to hhhhehhhlp mihhhssstrisss."</p><p></p><p>The mephit flew up over the immediate battle and lowered himself directly in the hobgoblins path. The reddish-orange heavily armored goblinoids did not slow their advance as the mephit threw up his arms. A wall of steam, like a geyser, burst from the ground between the small elemental imp and the soldiers. That halted their advance, abruptly. Meeessh grinned to himself at the horrified scream that came from (the mephit could see perfectly well through the steam) the lead hobgoblin who'd gotten caught in the blast of superheated water and air, being half-boiled half-baked in his metal armor.</p><p> </p><p>The central priest had risen and from beneath the robes flowing around his skeletal waist, withdrew a mace with a skull-shaped head.<span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"> He raised the mace, fully prepared to have it crush the insolent little hairfoot. His blow was stayed, however, by a sudden gleam of silvery light as his mace was stopped by a crescent moon and star tipped staff. The elf, Cyrillian, stood over/before the Hilltender. "Your evil shall not have the night of my lady." the elf almost growled to the surprised Endoren.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The flaming skull flew around the field, striking both Braddok and Alaria before returning to the side of the cleric who had invoked it. A twisted smirk formed on the cleric's mouth, revealing a mouth missing at least half of its teeth. The gaunt figure threw his arm forward again and the skull surged forward toward the warrior once again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">This time, the spiritual weapon did not land, as the blue light of Kandu's blade rose to block the attack. Braddok raced forward in an attempt to strike before the cleric could redirect his spell. His attack struck true and the cleric shrieked and fell to the ground, still alive but sorely wounded. Even as it was coming around the purple flames and green skull burned away into nothingness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Meeessh's wall of steam had dissipated as well and the hobgoblins began their advance again, including the scalded "leader".</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria exhaled, she had hoped not to have to expend too much of her higher tiered spells, should they have the misfortune of encountering Tresahd, again, directly. There seems little choice but to use some. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">As the magess began to call to mind the secret words of arkanic she was shocked to see a small dart lodge itself in the lead hobgoblin's neck.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">"RAAAAAAAHHHHH! EAT CROSSBOW BOLTS GOBLIN SCUM!" came an all too familiar voice.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria whirled around to see Duor...and Fen...flying?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The zepharim, Pirnyon, diving toward their position, the dwarf hanging from one arm and the druid, his great cloak flailing out behind him, hanging from the other. The winged man lowered the two within 10 feet of the ground and droped them before immeidately taking to the air again, ripping out his broad bladed hand axe.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Fen hit the ground and rolled to a kneeling position to bring the butt of his sacred spear slamming to the ground. The streak of green lightning shot across the ground to beneath the approaching hobgoblins and seemed to seep into the ground.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria smirked to herself, knowing what came next. Shouts and holler erupted form the goblinoids as the vines and roots and blades of trampled grass burst up all around them, like vegetative tentacles, firmly halting and holding the soldiers where they stood.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p>Duor, similarly, hit the ground in a roll and came to his feet, just beside Alaria, a fresh dart somehow reloaded into his signature hand crossbow as he came to his feet and fired this one into the back of the black-robed cleric that seemed to be locked in battle with some robed elf.</p><p></p><p>"Hail Pirnyon!" Braddok shouted to the air, even as the Grinlian brought his blade around to swing at the toppled cleric, hoping to finish him off. Somehow, that strike missed and the warrior found himself off balance and unable to recover enough to back away when the cleric reached forward to grip his leg, another line of the tainted speech hissing across his cracked thin lips.</p><p></p><p>Braddok was seized with immediate panic as everything before his eyes went black. He made a wide circling swipe with his blade to try to give himself some room.</p><p></p><p>"Alaria! What's happened?! I cant' see!" the warrior called out.</p><p></p><p>Alaria turned to the swordsman with great concern to see the panic across his face. There was no evident issue about his head or eyes. He had been blinded by some curse of the wicked cleric, who was scrambling to get out of the warrior's reach.</p><p></p><p>"Do not worry, Braddok, Haelan will help you. Stay calm. Meeessh, watch Braddok!" the wizardess shouted across the field to where the daelvar had risen to his feet, though still sorely hurt and was preparing to aid the elf-priest against the chief cleric. </p><p></p><p><em>"Everx zaar!"</em> the magess let loose with two of her violet-blue energy shards slammed into the wounded crawling cleric. He ceased to crawl.</p><p></p><p>The winged Pirnyon had made short work of two of the hobgoblins trapped in Fen's entanglement spell, easily hacking away at them from aloft, above the twining vegetation's grip.</p><p></p><p>The druid, himself had gone to engage the Endoren cleric with the other two priests. His spear's leaftip caught the Endoren in the side for a solid blow, but the half-elf, then, did not avoid the whirling response of the skull-headed mace and caught a solid clock against the head, himself.</p><p></p><p>Haelan had now retaken his place in front of the not-very-battle-hardened Cyrillien. As the cleric was distracted by Fen's sudden inclusion in their fight, Haelan was able to connect with a solid crack to the priests ribs.</p><p></p><p>There was another trade of blows before the high-priest finally fell and the remaining hobgoblins were plant food.</p><p></p><p>The group formed up around the warrior. Alaria gently took Braddok by the shoulders and tried to calm him.</p><p></p><p>"But I can't SEE!" the swordsman protested.</p><p></p><p>"You will. You will." Alaria soothed.</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, Braddok, I should be able to cure that...I just need a bit of time to rest and pray first." Haelan tried to explain.</p><p></p><p>"We don't have time! We're in the middle of a battle!" Braddok ranted.</p><p></p><p>"Not quite. Looks almost done." Fen said absently as he looked out over the sloping field below them. With the elimination fo the necromantic priests, the undead were being quickly eliminated and the newly dead were staying that way. The elves had nearly carved their way all the way up the sloping field to the party's position near the tree line of the broad open glade. </p><p></p><p>"Hail and well met Stormriders!" came the friendly cry from the stag-mounted Soraryn captain. He waved his curved scimitar-like blade over his head even as the first pale blue of morning was forming over the treetops in the east. "The field is ours! The Bulgruch..."</p><p></p><p><em><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="font-family: 'arial black'">"Is here."</span></span></em> a growling boom rumbled around the party like thunder.</p><p></p><p>The soraryn and a few foot soliders around him turned to the tree line, some 50 yards from where the party had just concluded their fight. Their handsome chiseled elvin faces took on the serious concentration of decades (if not centuries) of training and battle-readiness.</p><p></p><p>A massively tall and broadly shouldered bugbear0ish goblinoid looking creature crashed through the brush into the open field. As they all watched, the creature's 10 foot tall frame seemed to arch back and hunch forward, the coarse black and grey hair that flowed frm just about everywhere on his body grew longer before their eyes, as did the goblinish noise, turning into a great wolf-ish snout, and its ears struck back, against its head, pointed and sharp and longer than any normal canine animal. Its arms ended in huge long fingered hands that eneded in longer still claws of gleaming black. The arms, which also seemed to function as forelegs, were significantly longer than its legs which snapped and cracked to reform from normal "knees front" humanoid legs to canine-like hind legs.</p><p></p><p>The transformation comlplete, the creature opened its large fang filled mouth and...kept opening it...and further...til, impossibly, the jaw was nearly touching the ground! Visible waves of heat rippled through the air as the Bulgruch expelled a thunderous roar across the battlefield.</p><p></p><p>Indeed, Alaira thought to herself as the whole party covered their ears, the whole of Miralosta must have shuddered from the bellow.</p><p></p><p>"Th-th-<em>that's </em>the Bulgruch!?" Haelan quaked near Braddok's knees.</p><p></p><p>Before any of the party could say or do anything, the demon-wolf-goblin-warlord-thing they'd only heard of as "the Bulgruch" lunged forward toward the soraryn and elves before him. There was little more than a blur as one, two and three of the foot soldiers were clawed into multiple sprays of blood from various sized pieces before they could even lift their blades.</p><p></p><p>The soraryn, maintained control on his rearing stag enough to get in a single attack before the Bulgruch, literally, tore the stag in half. The elf captain stood his ground, with determination until the beast again opened its maw, the jaw nearly touching the goround before him.</p><p></p><p>Alaria could not recall if she had ever seen absolute undiluted horror on an elf's face before. That was what was on the soraryn's face. Eyes wide. Mouth agape. His scimitar blade lowered as if suddenly much to much weight for the elf to wield. </p><p></p><p>The party watched as the rippling waves of heat usheered forth with another roar. Fen was almost certain he saw an orange-yellow flickering light licking forth from the creatures mouth as well.</p><p></p><p>The elf shrieked...actually shrieked a blood-curddling scream of unadulterated fear as the great monster's opened mouth literally came straight down over/upon him.</p><p></p><p>The Bulgruch clamped its mouth shut, threw its head back and reared up in a baying howl of triumph.</p><p></p><p>As his arms/forelegs slammed back into the ground, the wolflike head with glowing red eyes turned slowly to face the party. Saliva or bile dripped form the sides ofthe creature's mouth, a slight yellowish light to them, as if it were lava or acid.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="font-family: 'arial black'"><em><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="font-size: 15px">"And<span style="font-size: 15px"> now..."</span></span></span></em></span></span> an orange glow evident from somewhere back in the monster's throat when it opened its mouth, <span style="font-family: 'arial black'"><span style="font-size: 15px"><em>"You are the Storm Riders I've heard so much about<span style="font-size: 15px">?</span>" </em></span></span>the Bulgruch said with mild questioning amusement.</p><p></p><p><em>Next time...Battle of the Bulgruch.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 6101359, member: 92511"] Alaria, Braddok, Haelan and the elfin moon-priest, Cyrillian, sped through the battlefield, nothing more than vague outlines of mist. Meesh flapped his smalllish wings besides Alaria and remarked how much better the "sssolihhhdsss look likuhhh thisss. Remindsss Meeessh ovvv hhhome." A moment later, at Braddok's direction, they came to the three Endoren bone-masked priests engaged in their ceremony of animation and control of all the dead and undead across the battlefield. "Ready?" Alaria asked. "Let's do this." Braddok said, even as Kandu remarked a similar sentiment in the warrior's head. He gripped the sapphire studded bastard sword more tightly and readied himself to "become solid" again. With a thought from Alaria toward the Ihs Repahl, the four companions did just that. Even as their toes touched the ground, outlines became filled in, misty colors darkened and the whole of their bodies and beings again took on the solidity of their normal form. It was a curious sensation, Alaria remarked to herself. The weightless airy feeling suddenly becoming heavy again. The magess wondered for a moment if she were actually as heavy as she now felt all of the time? An examination for another time. Right now, there was dark magic to concern oneself with. The three clerics of Endore were caught by complete surprise as a broadly-muscled dark-haired human warrior suddenly appeared before them. The first cleric fell to Kandu's bluish gleam in a single stroke. Haelan and the elf priest came into visible being behind the clerics and the daelvar lunged forward, catching the center cleric in the back of his knees. The Endoren buckled and fell, whatever wicked trance he had been maintaining utterly ruined. Alaria stayed behind Braddok, readying her most potent spell to cancel their foes' incantations should the need arise. A battle cry from the third cleric caught her attention as he shouted toward the heroes in some language the magess did not know. A moment later, 4 hobgoblin soldiers were racing for the melee's location from the dark shadows of the treeline. The priest Haelan had knocked down turned with toward the daelvar as he raised his mace for another blow. The plague-priest's mouth twisted in obvious contempt and fury (the top half of his face and eyes obscured behind the bone skull-mask Endore's faithful wear). His brassy voice twisted the tainted tongue of unholy magics and reached out for the halfling's bushy-haired foot. Haelan cried out as pain shot up through his limbs, assaulted his innards. It was only for a second, but very nerve of his being shrieked in burning pain. The Hilltender dropped to the ground, fighting to retain his consciousness, from the intense pain. The other standing cleric also intoned the hissing dark language of evil, [FONT=Verdana][I]“Essressstim Endore, Surevvv miclon etne aetuuundshaaaa!” <cleric spell, Spiritual Weapon. “Mistress Endore, attack your enemies with your [un]holy weapon!”>[/I][/FONT] A putrid green skull ensconced in purple flames appeared in the air beside the Endoren and with a wave of his arm, flew through the air to strike Braddok, hard, as the warrior turned to face the oncoming hobgoblins. There's too much going on, thought Alaria. "Meeessh! Can you make your mist wall between us and those hobgoblins?" The steam mephit, who was flitting in his usual place beside (and slightly behind) the R'Hathi wizard let loose with the hiss-teapot-squeal that Alaria had come to recognize as his laugh and wrung his steaming and dripping long fingered hands together. "Meeessh hhhhappy to hhhhehhhlp mihhhssstrisss." The mephit flew up over the immediate battle and lowered himself directly in the hobgoblins path. The reddish-orange heavily armored goblinoids did not slow their advance as the mephit threw up his arms. A wall of steam, like a geyser, burst from the ground between the small elemental imp and the soldiers. That halted their advance, abruptly. Meeessh grinned to himself at the horrified scream that came from (the mephit could see perfectly well through the steam) the lead hobgoblin who'd gotten caught in the blast of superheated water and air, being half-boiled half-baked in his metal armor. The central priest had risen and from beneath the robes flowing around his skeletal waist, withdrew a mace with a skull-shaped head.[FONT=Verdana] He raised the mace, fully prepared to have it crush the insolent little hairfoot. His blow was stayed, however, by a sudden gleam of silvery light as his mace was stopped by a crescent moon and star tipped staff. The elf, Cyrillian, stood over/before the Hilltender. "Your evil shall not have the night of my lady." the elf almost growled to the surprised Endoren. The flaming skull flew around the field, striking both Braddok and Alaria before returning to the side of the cleric who had invoked it. A twisted smirk formed on the cleric's mouth, revealing a mouth missing at least half of its teeth. The gaunt figure threw his arm forward again and the skull surged forward toward the warrior once again. This time, the spiritual weapon did not land, as the blue light of Kandu's blade rose to block the attack. Braddok raced forward in an attempt to strike before the cleric could redirect his spell. His attack struck true and the cleric shrieked and fell to the ground, still alive but sorely wounded. Even as it was coming around the purple flames and green skull burned away into nothingness. Meeessh's wall of steam had dissipated as well and the hobgoblins began their advance again, including the scalded "leader". Alaria exhaled, she had hoped not to have to expend too much of her higher tiered spells, should they have the misfortune of encountering Tresahd, again, directly. There seems little choice but to use some. As the magess began to call to mind the secret words of arkanic she was shocked to see a small dart lodge itself in the lead hobgoblin's neck. "RAAAAAAAHHHHH! EAT CROSSBOW BOLTS GOBLIN SCUM!" came an all too familiar voice. Alaria whirled around to see Duor...and Fen...flying? The zepharim, Pirnyon, diving toward their position, the dwarf hanging from one arm and the druid, his great cloak flailing out behind him, hanging from the other. The winged man lowered the two within 10 feet of the ground and droped them before immeidately taking to the air again, ripping out his broad bladed hand axe. Fen hit the ground and rolled to a kneeling position to bring the butt of his sacred spear slamming to the ground. The streak of green lightning shot across the ground to beneath the approaching hobgoblins and seemed to seep into the ground. Alaria smirked to herself, knowing what came next. Shouts and holler erupted form the goblinoids as the vines and roots and blades of trampled grass burst up all around them, like vegetative tentacles, firmly halting and holding the soldiers where they stood. [/FONT] Duor, similarly, hit the ground in a roll and came to his feet, just beside Alaria, a fresh dart somehow reloaded into his signature hand crossbow as he came to his feet and fired this one into the back of the black-robed cleric that seemed to be locked in battle with some robed elf. "Hail Pirnyon!" Braddok shouted to the air, even as the Grinlian brought his blade around to swing at the toppled cleric, hoping to finish him off. Somehow, that strike missed and the warrior found himself off balance and unable to recover enough to back away when the cleric reached forward to grip his leg, another line of the tainted speech hissing across his cracked thin lips. Braddok was seized with immediate panic as everything before his eyes went black. He made a wide circling swipe with his blade to try to give himself some room. "Alaria! What's happened?! I cant' see!" the warrior called out. Alaria turned to the swordsman with great concern to see the panic across his face. There was no evident issue about his head or eyes. He had been blinded by some curse of the wicked cleric, who was scrambling to get out of the warrior's reach. "Do not worry, Braddok, Haelan will help you. Stay calm. Meeessh, watch Braddok!" the wizardess shouted across the field to where the daelvar had risen to his feet, though still sorely hurt and was preparing to aid the elf-priest against the chief cleric. [I]"Everx zaar!"[/I] the magess let loose with two of her violet-blue energy shards slammed into the wounded crawling cleric. He ceased to crawl. The winged Pirnyon had made short work of two of the hobgoblins trapped in Fen's entanglement spell, easily hacking away at them from aloft, above the twining vegetation's grip. The druid, himself had gone to engage the Endoren cleric with the other two priests. His spear's leaftip caught the Endoren in the side for a solid blow, but the half-elf, then, did not avoid the whirling response of the skull-headed mace and caught a solid clock against the head, himself. Haelan had now retaken his place in front of the not-very-battle-hardened Cyrillien. As the cleric was distracted by Fen's sudden inclusion in their fight, Haelan was able to connect with a solid crack to the priests ribs. There was another trade of blows before the high-priest finally fell and the remaining hobgoblins were plant food. The group formed up around the warrior. Alaria gently took Braddok by the shoulders and tried to calm him. "But I can't SEE!" the swordsman protested. "You will. You will." Alaria soothed. "Yeah, Braddok, I should be able to cure that...I just need a bit of time to rest and pray first." Haelan tried to explain. "We don't have time! We're in the middle of a battle!" Braddok ranted. "Not quite. Looks almost done." Fen said absently as he looked out over the sloping field below them. With the elimination fo the necromantic priests, the undead were being quickly eliminated and the newly dead were staying that way. The elves had nearly carved their way all the way up the sloping field to the party's position near the tree line of the broad open glade. "Hail and well met Stormriders!" came the friendly cry from the stag-mounted Soraryn captain. He waved his curved scimitar-like blade over his head even as the first pale blue of morning was forming over the treetops in the east. "The field is ours! The Bulgruch..." [I][SIZE=4][FONT=arial black]"Is here."[/FONT][/SIZE][/I] a growling boom rumbled around the party like thunder. The soraryn and a few foot soliders around him turned to the tree line, some 50 yards from where the party had just concluded their fight. Their handsome chiseled elvin faces took on the serious concentration of decades (if not centuries) of training and battle-readiness. A massively tall and broadly shouldered bugbear0ish goblinoid looking creature crashed through the brush into the open field. As they all watched, the creature's 10 foot tall frame seemed to arch back and hunch forward, the coarse black and grey hair that flowed frm just about everywhere on his body grew longer before their eyes, as did the goblinish noise, turning into a great wolf-ish snout, and its ears struck back, against its head, pointed and sharp and longer than any normal canine animal. Its arms ended in huge long fingered hands that eneded in longer still claws of gleaming black. The arms, which also seemed to function as forelegs, were significantly longer than its legs which snapped and cracked to reform from normal "knees front" humanoid legs to canine-like hind legs. The transformation comlplete, the creature opened its large fang filled mouth and...kept opening it...and further...til, impossibly, the jaw was nearly touching the ground! Visible waves of heat rippled through the air as the Bulgruch expelled a thunderous roar across the battlefield. Indeed, Alaira thought to herself as the whole party covered their ears, the whole of Miralosta must have shuddered from the bellow. "Th-th-[I]that's [/I]the Bulgruch!?" Haelan quaked near Braddok's knees. Before any of the party could say or do anything, the demon-wolf-goblin-warlord-thing they'd only heard of as "the Bulgruch" lunged forward toward the soraryn and elves before him. There was little more than a blur as one, two and three of the foot soldiers were clawed into multiple sprays of blood from various sized pieces before they could even lift their blades. The soraryn, maintained control on his rearing stag enough to get in a single attack before the Bulgruch, literally, tore the stag in half. The elf captain stood his ground, with determination until the beast again opened its maw, the jaw nearly touching the goround before him. Alaria could not recall if she had ever seen absolute undiluted horror on an elf's face before. That was what was on the soraryn's face. Eyes wide. Mouth agape. His scimitar blade lowered as if suddenly much to much weight for the elf to wield. The party watched as the rippling waves of heat usheered forth with another roar. Fen was almost certain he saw an orange-yellow flickering light licking forth from the creatures mouth as well. The elf shrieked...actually shrieked a blood-curddling scream of unadulterated fear as the great monster's opened mouth literally came straight down over/upon him. The Bulgruch clamped its mouth shut, threw its head back and reared up in a baying howl of triumph. As his arms/forelegs slammed back into the ground, the wolflike head with glowing red eyes turned slowly to face the party. Saliva or bile dripped form the sides ofthe creature's mouth, a slight yellowish light to them, as if it were lava or acid. [SIZE=4][FONT=arial black][I][SIZE=4][SIZE=4]"And[SIZE=4] now..."[/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/I][/FONT][/SIZE] an orange glow evident from somewhere back in the monster's throat when it opened its mouth, [FONT=arial black][SIZE=4][I]"You are the Storm Riders I've heard so much about[SIZE=4]?[/SIZE]" [/I][/SIZE][/FONT]the Bulgruch said with mild questioning amusement. [I]Next time...Battle of the Bulgruch.[/I] [/QUOTE]
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