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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 928421" data-attributes="member: 6294">"The Burning Plague" by Miguel Duran (WotC Free Adventure) - Part 6Mantreus checks the door for traps, and pronounces it clear, then sets to work picking the lock, taking things slowly and carefully.  The Padre stands over him with crossbow loaded, in case someone beyond the door should suddenly take it into their heads to open it and emerge.Once done, the sorcerer-rogue steps back and lets the priest move to the fore.  The Padre intones an invocation to his deity, creating a wave of chill air that emanates outwards from his holy symbol."It will turn aside the blows of our enemies." He assures the others, seeing several of them rub their arms as goosebumps rise.Then he thrusts open the door and steps into the room beyond.The group are once more greeted by a barricade of tables, but this time there are far more than just two kobolds crouching behind them.  However, this is clearly not the main threat: that rests with two huge dire weasels, each fully six feet long and bearing a kobold rider.  The giant, slavering beasts fix their reddened eyes on the adventurers.Mantreus reacts first, dashing out to sling a magic missile at one of the beasts.  Unfortunately, it strikes with far less impact than the one that felled the kobold, seeming only to irritate the creature.The weasels charge: one rider plunges his spear deep into the Padre's side, while the other curses in a guttural tongue as Mantreus continues to ride his luck, sliding aside from the kobold's blow at the last moment.  The Padre, though staggered by the force of the kobold's charge, dodges the weasel's slavering jaws to deliver an overhead swing of his mace.  The crumpled form of the kobold slides bonelessly from the creature's back.Unfortunately, that's about when things start to go wrong.Twinkle scuttles past the Padre, attempting to tumble past the weasels in order to flank them.  The damage to her ears throws off her sense of balance, however, and her wobbly somersault carries her too close to the jaws of the beasts.  One of the weasels twists it head, jaws snapping in the air, but the second latches onto flesh, and the gnome cries out as blood spurts from a hideous wound in her thigh.Twinkle's somersault collapses into a graceless tangle of limbs as the pain from the wound knocks her instantly unconscious.  She hits the floor and lies unmoving.Despite the gnome's failure, Rose decides to risk the same manoeuvre.  Her effort is far from the acrobatic ideal, but it comes too soon after Twinkle's attempt for the weasels to strike at her, as well.  Unfortunately, her move places her in clear view of the kobolds behind the barricade, and they fire at this open target, winging her twice with their crossbow bolts.Seeing what happened to Twinkle, Mantreus realises that the enormous weasel in front of him is a far greater threat than the rider atop it.  Drawing his shortsword, he slashes at the beast, opening a shallow furrow over one of its shoulders.  The creature snarls, and the sorcerer has only a moment to regret the mistake of entering the room before it's teeth rip into his stomach, opening a grievous wound.  For a moment, his vision swims from the pain, and then blackness overcomes him.The Padre, realising that the adventurers bunched position is making it difficult for the others to enter the room, steps between the weasels, striking at the one Mantreus has already injured.  His blow crashes home, shattering the beast's skull, and it drops to the ground, its rider vaulting from the saddle as it falls.Anastria takes advantage of the opening to step in and pin the second weasel between herself and Rose but, even distracted by the halfling rogue, the weasel has no difficulty in dodging her attack.  Stormstrider also moves in, and also has no success in his attack.The efforts of the two elves do bear some reward, however, as they distract the beast long enough for Rose to cut at the tendons of its back legs.  The blow is not mortal, but it leaves the creature hobbling, and maddened with pain.The battle seems poised: two adventurers are down, but so are one of the weasels and one of the riders.  All it needs is a single moment to push the balance in favour of one side or the other.And then Twinkle starts to convulse, as the last scraps of life begin to slip from her battered body.</blockquote>

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