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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kayne" data-source="post: 1315706" data-attributes="member: 13153">Miles' Journal - Part Twenty ThreeTarsakh 30th - We set off down the tunnel away from the lake towards a feature marked on out map as Glouroth's chasm. Quite who or what a Glouroth is I don't know, but we should reach there in a day or so, it is hard to tell exactly as there is only a very crude scale to the map. the day was utterly mundane, with a lot of trekking through tunnels and that was it, no encounters at all during the day or night.Greengrass Holiday - We travelled all day with no incidents which is highly unusual as in the past we have always fought major battles on all of the festival days. We made camp and Halbrinn decided that from now on he is going to create an illusionary camp some distance away from us to distract any would be attackers.However while the day was without incident the same cannot be said of the night as shortly into first watch, a monstrous acid oozing slug-like creature with large forelimbs dug its way into our campsite, seriously injuring Adamo and Aeron before Halbrinn fireballed it and Yvgeny, Stedd and myself surrounded it, my blades tearing it to shreds. That done, we went back to sleep.Mirtul 1st - We continued travelling along and down the tunnel and after an hour or so it opened out into the base of an immense chasm, the top of which was far beyond our range of sight. A large chime and hammer were hung nearby. A tunnel continued onwards from the other side of the chasm, only from the top of it, and we only knew this from the air current that flowed down from somewhere up there. Changing form to that of a pixie and rendering himself invisible, Halbrinn flew up to investigate.While he was gone, Aeron cast a spell and it seems that must have triggered an alarm as a deep howling noise started up. All of us then began casting as we anticipated an attack to be imminent, but we had no idea by what. then up above, we saw Halbrinn briefly illuminated as he fireballed a tunnel entrance about eighty feet up. I quickly cast spells to give myself wings and make me invisible and then hid along a chasm wall ready to surprise one of our oncoming attackers, whatever they might be.As Halbrinn and Yvgeny fought them above, I waited until they came low enough for me to spot a likely leader amongst their number and then launched myself up at him, cathing the winged thing completely by surprise and tearing it to ribbons before it had a chance to react to my attack.From below, Adamo had summoned an air elemental and several lightning firing bird-like creatures to aid us. The elemental caught several of our assailants in a whirlwind, battering them around against the chasm walls as they struggled to escape. the creature we battled appered to be some form of gargoyles, though they were larger and stronger than any gargoyles I have ever heard of. Halbrinn then encased on of them in a sphere of force, imprisoning him as we dealt with the others. the group speedily disposed of the remaining gargoyles and as the sphere wore off, we butchered the caged one also, can't leave a foe behind you. We began our ascent of the chasm then only to be met head on by a descending Shadow Dragon and several more of the gargoyles. The arrival of this overwhelming creature threw us into total disarray and the battle went completely against us. Aftyer a brief flurry of spells and strikes, including my attempt at a direct death strike on the dragin itself, we were forced into a near rout. Our only saving grace in this second battle being Halbrinn slaying a gargoyle that looked distinctly draconic with his parting spell, which enraged the dragon no end.We continued to flee for several hours to put a safe distance between us and it, hoping that it could not pursue down the tunnels we took owing to its considerable size. This dragon is the biggest we have faced yet with the exception of Gran'Rath who, thankfully, we have never yet faced in direct combat. We made camp and intend to remain here for at least a day to enable Aeron and Adamo to recover from the effects of the dragons breath that engulfed them.Mirtul 2nd - We were attacked in the night (if there is such a thing underground) by a pack of five strange cloak-like creatures which howled and moaned something terrible, literally scaring more than half the party into flight, leaving just Stedd and I to battle them. We fought well, destroying three of them in mere seconds, before my mind suddenly went hazy. I recall nothing of what happened then, but my companions told me that I stood drooling and apparently mindless for some time as they (the others having shaken off the fear effect and rushed back) fought the remaining two such creatures.We spent the day resting up, as well as a couple of us locating the cloakers lair and emptying it of valuables. Halbrinn used a spell to identify some of the recent magical loot that we have been carrying, but were unsure of exactly what they did. None of the items Halbrinn identified really interested me, save for a potion of blurring, but I lost out at dice to Stedd for it. Aeron used a couple spells to partially restire himself and Adamo, but reckons he will need at least another day to fully restore our summoner.As Halbrinn identified items, we were attacked by a group of zombies backed up by a trio of drow rangers (one of whom escaped) and a vicious drow priestess who caught me totally off guard and greviously wounded me with her greataxe. Thankfully Aeron was alert, and used a dispel to strip away her magical protections, and then Stedd and I double teamed her, my blades reducing her to a fine bloody pulp. Revenge was sweet. Looting the bodies, we found a nice haul of gold and magic on them, and settled back down on watch, and to patch ourselves up.Mirtul 3rd - We spent another day resting up, with Aeron using his spells to help restore himself and Adamo, whilst Halbrinn identified the loot we took from the drow yesterday. Again as Halbrinn was occupied we were attacked, this time by a pack of four ghoulish creatures with a truly terrfying gaze. One of these things just looking at me, dredged up memories I had long supressed of some of the acts I have done in the carrying out of my duties. whilst the experience of reliving these past sins of mine was near overwhelming, I did not succumb to despair. Everything I have done I have done to ensure the safety of Daggerdale, and I rallied that on that strength, and fought back, badly wounding one of them.Aeron to his credit turned all of them, and they did not come back once the effect of his repelling wore off. Alas the day was not without loss, as it seems the gaze of one of these dreads creatures proved to be too much for Adamo to bear, and he died instantly from it, A look of mixed horror and utmost sorrow on his face.The last time we returned him to life after our first encounter with the Quth Maren, he made clear his feelings that he did not want such done again. In keeping with his wishes (and because his corpse bagan to change into one of the ghoul-like creatures), we destroyed his body after taking everything of worth from it. I asm not sure how looting the body of a fallen comrade sits with some of the idealistic members of the Crusaders, but I say we need everything we can get to give us an edge in this place. I managed to procure a headband to boost my intellect, which I hope will help me in our endeavours.Mirtul 4th - Well just as we were packing up our camp to head back towards the chasm, with the aim of wiping out that dragon and his remaining gargoyles, we were witness to a most peculiar sight. A hellish portal opened in the middle of our camp and a man was flung through, closely followed by his things which he dragged through the planar opening with a spell of some sort before it snapped shut. This man was almost naked, covered in blood and filth and most oddly of all, had metal rings inserted into his flesh, each one looping around a rib bone, more than thirty of them in all.After some healing, we were able to identify him as our old colleague Rand Stormseeker. Once he had woken up, he was able to explain that he had been trying to contact us, casting a spell to bring him to our location. He has no memory, or none that has returned yet, of where in the nine hells he has been, but appears from his relating of things to have lost about 4 days. He has sought us out to inform us that his scrying has determined that our old (and thankfully slumbering) foe Gran'Rath Tendathaloth is waking up, and in a season, or two at the most, he will be healed up after what Elminster did to him in their battle, and oince more out for our blood.We swapped information about out current situations, and Rand has rejoined the group as he needs us to stop Gran'Rath, and we need him in the meantime to help us stop whatever it is that the drow have planned. but simply, the faster we are done with this mission, the faster we can go and help him stop that blasted dragon from wreaking havoc on the surface, and especially on Clearwater again. Given how injured Rand is, we have decided to abandon moving camp today and spend another day to ensure that he is fully healed up, especially as he is very intent on cutting the metal rings out of him. Can't say I blame him!</blockquote>

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