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<blockquote data-quote="htetickrt" data-source="post: 1525037" data-attributes="member: 16534"><p style="text-align: center">Battle for the Entry Post</p><p></p><p>Calla’s eyes narrow at the thought of another drow trap. Without hesitation the nimble rogue begins climbing the side of the hole, tossing her heavily enchanted dagger when she can spare the hand. The corrosive blade bites into the hide of one of the wraith spiders with a dry shearing sound that grates on the ears.</p><p></p><p>Kai remains topside, speaking the familiar words of a spell. With the increased speed this magic brings, the sorceress gifts Kyree with flight.</p><p></p><p>Rhien charges the advancing warriors as if to engage them, but at the last moment dives into a roll that carries him through their line, right into the face of a surprised wizard. Plunging his feet through the wizard’s fire shield without harmful effect, the monk cracks ribs with a body blow.</p><p></p><p>Danek scans the battlefield from on high, waiting to see if her help is needed. From her vantage point she cannot see the spellguards take flight and begin casting. In perfect unison, all five fire sickly green rays at Rhien, Quid, Trella, and Khail, with two at the latter. Only Khail and Quid are struck, and each easily avoids the strength-sapping spell. Undeterred, the five fire off volleys of three missiles each against the same targets. These have a greater effect, though the mystical projectiles dissipate before striking Rhien.</p><p></p><p>Cerridwin revels in her embeddedness, hoping one day to sit at the anchor desk. She delivers a brilliant sung synopsis of the battle thus far that has the added effect of rendering Kyree much more difficult to hit. The bard stumbles over her lines when the archer smiles at her in thanks, however, and she wonders why all this is happening to her.</p><p></p><p>The archer pays none of this any mind as he flies down through the hole and prepares to unleash a shock and awe campaign, not even pausing when Trella rolls her eyes over his copying of her earlier topical reference. A single arrow plunks into the injured mage, letting him know the archer is around, before Kyree begins concentrating on having his bow produce a different effect.</p><p></p><p>Andy peers into the hole and lays down covering fire with her light crossbow. Her bolt nicks undead flesh, and she pumps her tiny fist as she reloads it. Trella drops to the ground with her quarterstaff already twirling, and she batters the undead marked by the bolt with extreme prejudice, connecting with its exposed musculature four times.</p><p></p><p>Dobi briefly contemplates wantonly jumping into the pit and tumbling to soften his fall, but instead decides to activate his boots, climb down the side of the wall, and get ready to disrupt the wizards’ spells. Buttercup moves to stand with Danek, mirroring the half-elf’s watchful actions.</p><p></p><p>Quid sighs. "This could have been the driders in this trap and not us," she mutters to herself, slightly peeved as, after years of working within the church, she is not used to dealing with those of a less mercantile nature than she. "Negotiations (Aggressive) 22<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/5.gif" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":5:" title="Five :5:" data-shortname=":5:" /> never bargain on your opponents’ terms," she is heard to mutter.</p><p></p><p>Putting those thoughts aside, Quid cries, "It’s a trap, gosh darn it, we're like goldfish in a fishbowl—grab hold," and then defensively envelops herself, Khail, and Trella in a luminescent doorway that slams shut on them, transporting the trio to a location behind three of the spellcasters.</p><p></p><p>Lenara cheers the escape of her new obsession, firing off two missiles at the injured undead to show her appreciation. The object of this attention, Khail, recovers swiftly from his sudden translocation and chooses a different target. This happens to be a rather hapless evoker, whose body—hovering too close to the ground—is sliced into four roughly equal pieces without even the dignity of having his fire shield be efficacious.</p><p></p><p>Having let the party make its presence known, the remainder of the enemy retaliates. Two wraith spiders have no target, but the quth-maren do not let the sentries’ bodies stop them. In a coordinated assault, all six spit acidic blood at Khail, who suddenly feels very put upon as he is splattered with the corrosive goop. Neither Trella nor Quid are amused as they are hit as well.</p><p></p><p>As acid etches the stone floor of the cavern, the sentries move in for the attack. Four swarm Rhien, managing to stab the monk with their rapiers once in eight tries. Constrained somewhat by their positioning, two assault Quid, while three move off to engage both Trella and Khail. Perhaps startled by their foes’ tactics, their aim is poor and they collectively manage only one hit. The remaining three take aim with their hand crossbows at Calla and Kyree. Only the archer is struck, and his elven blood renders the drow poison ineffectual.</p><p></p><p>Calla climbs down a little further, and is now able to see the mages. Taking aim at the most injured one, she launches her newly-returned dagger at his face. The blade tears a good chunk of his nose off, but the wizard doesn’t pause in his ascent, except to glare at the impudent rogue.</p><p></p><p>Kai takes flight after some words of magic and wings down to join Kyree. Assessing the situation, she wills the healthy mage flying over to Rhien to turn into a chick. Unfortunately, his enhanced constitution proves just enough to turn away his body’s sudden desire to grow yellow feathers and look cute, and the drow remains what he is.</p><p></p><p>Rhien’s target now out of reach, the monk turns and confronts the sentries ringing him, smashing one in the gut twice with his fist. Seeing a clear shot at an undead spider, Danek plunks two arrows into its damaged exoskeleton, dropping it to the stony ground. The barbarian nods to herself, clearly pleased at the outcome.</p><p></p><p>Dobi watches as the four evokers fly towards him, then up the shaft of the pit toward the rest of the party. Climbing upwards, the wily rogue waits for his chance, ready to interrupt whatever magic they have planned. Seeing the four start casting in unison, he attempts to activate his wand. His attempt is successful, sending four blue-green bolts flying at the injured spellguard as his hands trace patterns in the air. Dobi only hopes that the damage will be sufficient to distract him, and so is quite satisfied as the magic missiles kill him instead before he can cast. This feeling rapidly fades as he realizes what is about to happen.</p><p> </p><p>The three remaining casters finish their spells then, summoning huge hailstones to rain down upon the half of the party still topside. Defenseless, the less-experienced group can only scream in horror and pain as they are alternatingly pummeled and frozen by the hail. The damage is immense, instantly slaying both Cerridwin and Lenara, badly injuring Danek, Andy, and Buttercup, and damaging Steve and two of the “friendly” drow as well. Dobi and Calla, shielded from half the impact (though not the cold) by virtue of their positions, suffer somewhat mitigated wounds. Calla is barely able to hold on to her perch, but Dobi, fading rapidly into unconsciousness, is not. The halfling falls rapidly to the earth, and ends up sprawled on the cold stone below, clinging to life by the barest of margins. It is of no consequence to him that the body of the spider onto which he fell no longer holds to unlife.</p><p></p><p>Glorying in the success of their cruel plan, the spellguards reveal its second step, blanketing dispelling fields over the party’s drow companions. This time their luck fails by a hair, and the two drow remain firmly under Kai’s control. Their anger over this turns to shock as the battered and frozen bodies of Lenara and Cerridwin melt into a pool of multihued color, swirling in tightening circles before reforming. Cerridwin’s body becomes that of a satyr—a red-haired horned man with the legs of a goat. Lenara, meanwhile, does not change race, but her long blond tresses now look substantially different on the body of a human male. Confused by the sudden alterations, the two wander away from the fray.</p><p></p><p>The screams above barely registering with him, so intent is he on his task, Kyree summons a powerful arrow of dispelling and sends it at the sentry holding the rock of darkness. Kyree’s aim is true and the arrow strikes the rock soundly, beginning a soundless battle to stifle its effect. In the end, the elf’s magic proves the stronger, and the rock loses all enchantment, immediately bathing the area in bright light. Those non-drow below are momentarily stunned as their eyes adjust to the sudden daylight, but not nearly so much so as the fifteen sentries, who find themselves quite unable to act.</p><p></p><p>Andy sees the glow from the other side of the hole, but takes little comfort in its presence. Barely holding to consciousness, the monk backs away, calling for aid while she concentrates on healing some of the numerous bruises blanketing her body.</p><p></p><p>Having seen Dobi fall, Buttercup makes the split-second decision that he can be of more good below than above, and dives for the rope. Reaching the ground quickly, the cleric prays for healing magic on the fly, and brings the halfling back from the brink.</p><p></p><p>The battle splits into halves. Below, Trella calls holy fire down on all she can reach with it. The grouped quth-maren are caught in its area and burned to varying degrees, as are five of the nearest sentries. Quid matches her, and this time three foes fall; nearby Khail slays an injured sentry with two hits, cutting the number to twelve.</p><p></p><p>Calla drops from her perch on the stone wall, sliding down the rope and coming to rest in front of a blinded sentry. Her teeth bared in hatred, she swiftly stabs her dagger into his back, opening a gaping wound that leaks both blood and acid.</p><p></p><p>Above, Kai acts to eliminate her wizardly competitors. Her dominated drow provide a physical threat, launching projectiles and swinging a spiked chain at their flying foes, while she offers a mental one. Moving two fingers of her right hand from left to right, she helpfully suggests, “You want to sit down and rethink your life. Take your time.” Two suddenly get very pensive looks on their faces and fly off to take a seat outside of combat, going over all aspects of their lives up to now. Given the longevity of their race, this promises to take a while.</p><p></p><p>The third mage remains defiant, and this feeling only deepens as Kai’s second attempt to turn him into something else—a fish, this time—fails again. Below, Rhien punches a blinded drow in the face in sympathy.</p><p></p><p>Danek withdraws from combat, healing Andy with a touch. Confused, the monk asks, “Are you coming on to me?” Danek shivers and moves away.</p><p></p><p>Stunned by how close he came to death, Dobi is momentarily speechless. Mumbling thanks to Buttercup, the bard crawls off toward the side of the cavern, leaving a trail of blood as he tells himself a healing tale.</p><p></p><p>The remaining wizard is ticked off, to put his expression mildly. His first action replicates the previous one, dropping a hailstorm of ice on Kai and the drow. The sorceress buffets in the storm, which continues downward to strike Buttercup as well. The brave half-orc crumbles to the ground, nearly as badly off as Dobi was seconds earlier. His second action summons a forked bolt of lightning with the same target as before. Kai dodges the worst of it and the drow are unaffected, but the bolt continues on to strike Andy, Danek, and the newly reformed Lenara and Cerridwin as well. The monk barely leaps out of the way, avoiding all injury, but Danek takes the bolt full in the chest, leaving her stunned and gasping. Lenara just catches sight of the bolt as she wanders away, twisting to avoid some of the jolt, while Cerridwin feels his life threatened again as he is hit full on. The two pick up speed in their retreat from combat.</p><p></p><p>Freed from concentration on his bow, Kyree’s sharp senses quickly discern the relevant details of the combat. Making a split second decision, the elf decides that Kai and the others can handle the remaining mage and instead trains his fire on the quth-maren. Four arrows later, one falls.</p><p></p><p>Trella takes out her aggression on one of the sentries surrounding her, sending him crashing to the ground with three brutal smashes of her quarterstaff. The druid spits on his body as she twirls the staff behind her, striking a second one offhandedly. Quid and Khail converge on these as well, laying about themselves with scimitar and longsword.</p><p></p><p>A dominated drow joins them moments later, tasked with the protection of Buttercup. The sheer number of combatants now in the enclosed space turns the battle below into a free-for-all, with fists and weapons flying in every direction. Dobi bravely tumbles through it all to reach Buttercup, returning him to consciousness with a song. The pair retreats further into a corner, leaving the scrum to those better suited to handling it.</p><p></p><p>While copious blood is shed in the pursuit of this goal, Kai faces off against the remaining mage above. Ten missiles of hers are answered by a lightning bolt of his, but the sorcerer comes out ahead in the end as she wills her foe to change form. This time the force of her personality crushes his body’s resistance, and the drow is abruptly a fish, flopping in the air as he desperately seeks needed oxygen.</p><p></p><p>Satisfied, Kai flies off after the retreating quartet of Danek, Andy, Cerridwin, and Lenara. She overtakes them as her comrades below finish their grisly task, returning the last of the quth-maren below to death.</p><p></p><p>Trella steps forward once they are gone, marveling at the carnage. All business, she takes in the group’s status and the tactical situation, noting the way the entry room opens into a chasm before saying, “I’d bet my boots that we’re not going to have much peace here, so we’d better figure out fast what we’re going to do now.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="htetickrt, post: 1525037, member: 16534"] [CENTER]Battle for the Entry Post[/CENTER] Calla’s eyes narrow at the thought of another drow trap. Without hesitation the nimble rogue begins climbing the side of the hole, tossing her heavily enchanted dagger when she can spare the hand. The corrosive blade bites into the hide of one of the wraith spiders with a dry shearing sound that grates on the ears. Kai remains topside, speaking the familiar words of a spell. With the increased speed this magic brings, the sorceress gifts Kyree with flight. Rhien charges the advancing warriors as if to engage them, but at the last moment dives into a roll that carries him through their line, right into the face of a surprised wizard. Plunging his feet through the wizard’s fire shield without harmful effect, the monk cracks ribs with a body blow. Danek scans the battlefield from on high, waiting to see if her help is needed. From her vantage point she cannot see the spellguards take flight and begin casting. In perfect unison, all five fire sickly green rays at Rhien, Quid, Trella, and Khail, with two at the latter. Only Khail and Quid are struck, and each easily avoids the strength-sapping spell. Undeterred, the five fire off volleys of three missiles each against the same targets. These have a greater effect, though the mystical projectiles dissipate before striking Rhien. Cerridwin revels in her embeddedness, hoping one day to sit at the anchor desk. She delivers a brilliant sung synopsis of the battle thus far that has the added effect of rendering Kyree much more difficult to hit. The bard stumbles over her lines when the archer smiles at her in thanks, however, and she wonders why all this is happening to her. The archer pays none of this any mind as he flies down through the hole and prepares to unleash a shock and awe campaign, not even pausing when Trella rolls her eyes over his copying of her earlier topical reference. A single arrow plunks into the injured mage, letting him know the archer is around, before Kyree begins concentrating on having his bow produce a different effect. Andy peers into the hole and lays down covering fire with her light crossbow. Her bolt nicks undead flesh, and she pumps her tiny fist as she reloads it. Trella drops to the ground with her quarterstaff already twirling, and she batters the undead marked by the bolt with extreme prejudice, connecting with its exposed musculature four times. Dobi briefly contemplates wantonly jumping into the pit and tumbling to soften his fall, but instead decides to activate his boots, climb down the side of the wall, and get ready to disrupt the wizards’ spells. Buttercup moves to stand with Danek, mirroring the half-elf’s watchful actions. Quid sighs. "This could have been the driders in this trap and not us," she mutters to herself, slightly peeved as, after years of working within the church, she is not used to dealing with those of a less mercantile nature than she. "Negotiations (Aggressive) 22:5: never bargain on your opponents’ terms," she is heard to mutter. Putting those thoughts aside, Quid cries, "It’s a trap, gosh darn it, we're like goldfish in a fishbowl—grab hold," and then defensively envelops herself, Khail, and Trella in a luminescent doorway that slams shut on them, transporting the trio to a location behind three of the spellcasters. Lenara cheers the escape of her new obsession, firing off two missiles at the injured undead to show her appreciation. The object of this attention, Khail, recovers swiftly from his sudden translocation and chooses a different target. This happens to be a rather hapless evoker, whose body—hovering too close to the ground—is sliced into four roughly equal pieces without even the dignity of having his fire shield be efficacious. Having let the party make its presence known, the remainder of the enemy retaliates. Two wraith spiders have no target, but the quth-maren do not let the sentries’ bodies stop them. In a coordinated assault, all six spit acidic blood at Khail, who suddenly feels very put upon as he is splattered with the corrosive goop. Neither Trella nor Quid are amused as they are hit as well. As acid etches the stone floor of the cavern, the sentries move in for the attack. Four swarm Rhien, managing to stab the monk with their rapiers once in eight tries. Constrained somewhat by their positioning, two assault Quid, while three move off to engage both Trella and Khail. Perhaps startled by their foes’ tactics, their aim is poor and they collectively manage only one hit. The remaining three take aim with their hand crossbows at Calla and Kyree. Only the archer is struck, and his elven blood renders the drow poison ineffectual. Calla climbs down a little further, and is now able to see the mages. Taking aim at the most injured one, she launches her newly-returned dagger at his face. The blade tears a good chunk of his nose off, but the wizard doesn’t pause in his ascent, except to glare at the impudent rogue. Kai takes flight after some words of magic and wings down to join Kyree. Assessing the situation, she wills the healthy mage flying over to Rhien to turn into a chick. Unfortunately, his enhanced constitution proves just enough to turn away his body’s sudden desire to grow yellow feathers and look cute, and the drow remains what he is. Rhien’s target now out of reach, the monk turns and confronts the sentries ringing him, smashing one in the gut twice with his fist. Seeing a clear shot at an undead spider, Danek plunks two arrows into its damaged exoskeleton, dropping it to the stony ground. The barbarian nods to herself, clearly pleased at the outcome. Dobi watches as the four evokers fly towards him, then up the shaft of the pit toward the rest of the party. Climbing upwards, the wily rogue waits for his chance, ready to interrupt whatever magic they have planned. Seeing the four start casting in unison, he attempts to activate his wand. His attempt is successful, sending four blue-green bolts flying at the injured spellguard as his hands trace patterns in the air. Dobi only hopes that the damage will be sufficient to distract him, and so is quite satisfied as the magic missiles kill him instead before he can cast. This feeling rapidly fades as he realizes what is about to happen. The three remaining casters finish their spells then, summoning huge hailstones to rain down upon the half of the party still topside. Defenseless, the less-experienced group can only scream in horror and pain as they are alternatingly pummeled and frozen by the hail. The damage is immense, instantly slaying both Cerridwin and Lenara, badly injuring Danek, Andy, and Buttercup, and damaging Steve and two of the “friendly” drow as well. Dobi and Calla, shielded from half the impact (though not the cold) by virtue of their positions, suffer somewhat mitigated wounds. Calla is barely able to hold on to her perch, but Dobi, fading rapidly into unconsciousness, is not. The halfling falls rapidly to the earth, and ends up sprawled on the cold stone below, clinging to life by the barest of margins. It is of no consequence to him that the body of the spider onto which he fell no longer holds to unlife. Glorying in the success of their cruel plan, the spellguards reveal its second step, blanketing dispelling fields over the party’s drow companions. This time their luck fails by a hair, and the two drow remain firmly under Kai’s control. Their anger over this turns to shock as the battered and frozen bodies of Lenara and Cerridwin melt into a pool of multihued color, swirling in tightening circles before reforming. Cerridwin’s body becomes that of a satyr—a red-haired horned man with the legs of a goat. Lenara, meanwhile, does not change race, but her long blond tresses now look substantially different on the body of a human male. Confused by the sudden alterations, the two wander away from the fray. The screams above barely registering with him, so intent is he on his task, Kyree summons a powerful arrow of dispelling and sends it at the sentry holding the rock of darkness. Kyree’s aim is true and the arrow strikes the rock soundly, beginning a soundless battle to stifle its effect. In the end, the elf’s magic proves the stronger, and the rock loses all enchantment, immediately bathing the area in bright light. Those non-drow below are momentarily stunned as their eyes adjust to the sudden daylight, but not nearly so much so as the fifteen sentries, who find themselves quite unable to act. Andy sees the glow from the other side of the hole, but takes little comfort in its presence. Barely holding to consciousness, the monk backs away, calling for aid while she concentrates on healing some of the numerous bruises blanketing her body. Having seen Dobi fall, Buttercup makes the split-second decision that he can be of more good below than above, and dives for the rope. Reaching the ground quickly, the cleric prays for healing magic on the fly, and brings the halfling back from the brink. The battle splits into halves. Below, Trella calls holy fire down on all she can reach with it. The grouped quth-maren are caught in its area and burned to varying degrees, as are five of the nearest sentries. Quid matches her, and this time three foes fall; nearby Khail slays an injured sentry with two hits, cutting the number to twelve. Calla drops from her perch on the stone wall, sliding down the rope and coming to rest in front of a blinded sentry. Her teeth bared in hatred, she swiftly stabs her dagger into his back, opening a gaping wound that leaks both blood and acid. Above, Kai acts to eliminate her wizardly competitors. Her dominated drow provide a physical threat, launching projectiles and swinging a spiked chain at their flying foes, while she offers a mental one. Moving two fingers of her right hand from left to right, she helpfully suggests, “You want to sit down and rethink your life. Take your time.” Two suddenly get very pensive looks on their faces and fly off to take a seat outside of combat, going over all aspects of their lives up to now. Given the longevity of their race, this promises to take a while. The third mage remains defiant, and this feeling only deepens as Kai’s second attempt to turn him into something else—a fish, this time—fails again. Below, Rhien punches a blinded drow in the face in sympathy. Danek withdraws from combat, healing Andy with a touch. Confused, the monk asks, “Are you coming on to me?” Danek shivers and moves away. Stunned by how close he came to death, Dobi is momentarily speechless. Mumbling thanks to Buttercup, the bard crawls off toward the side of the cavern, leaving a trail of blood as he tells himself a healing tale. The remaining wizard is ticked off, to put his expression mildly. His first action replicates the previous one, dropping a hailstorm of ice on Kai and the drow. The sorceress buffets in the storm, which continues downward to strike Buttercup as well. The brave half-orc crumbles to the ground, nearly as badly off as Dobi was seconds earlier. His second action summons a forked bolt of lightning with the same target as before. Kai dodges the worst of it and the drow are unaffected, but the bolt continues on to strike Andy, Danek, and the newly reformed Lenara and Cerridwin as well. The monk barely leaps out of the way, avoiding all injury, but Danek takes the bolt full in the chest, leaving her stunned and gasping. Lenara just catches sight of the bolt as she wanders away, twisting to avoid some of the jolt, while Cerridwin feels his life threatened again as he is hit full on. The two pick up speed in their retreat from combat. Freed from concentration on his bow, Kyree’s sharp senses quickly discern the relevant details of the combat. Making a split second decision, the elf decides that Kai and the others can handle the remaining mage and instead trains his fire on the quth-maren. Four arrows later, one falls. Trella takes out her aggression on one of the sentries surrounding her, sending him crashing to the ground with three brutal smashes of her quarterstaff. The druid spits on his body as she twirls the staff behind her, striking a second one offhandedly. Quid and Khail converge on these as well, laying about themselves with scimitar and longsword. A dominated drow joins them moments later, tasked with the protection of Buttercup. The sheer number of combatants now in the enclosed space turns the battle below into a free-for-all, with fists and weapons flying in every direction. Dobi bravely tumbles through it all to reach Buttercup, returning him to consciousness with a song. The pair retreats further into a corner, leaving the scrum to those better suited to handling it. While copious blood is shed in the pursuit of this goal, Kai faces off against the remaining mage above. Ten missiles of hers are answered by a lightning bolt of his, but the sorcerer comes out ahead in the end as she wills her foe to change form. This time the force of her personality crushes his body’s resistance, and the drow is abruptly a fish, flopping in the air as he desperately seeks needed oxygen. Satisfied, Kai flies off after the retreating quartet of Danek, Andy, Cerridwin, and Lenara. She overtakes them as her comrades below finish their grisly task, returning the last of the quth-maren below to death. Trella steps forward once they are gone, marveling at the carnage. All business, she takes in the group’s status and the tactical situation, noting the way the entry room opens into a chasm before saying, “I’d bet my boots that we’re not going to have much peace here, so we’d better figure out fast what we’re going to do now.” [/QUOTE]
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