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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 943869" data-attributes="member: 6294">"The Burning Plague" by Miguel Duran (WotC Free Adventure) - Part 8The night of rest passes uneventfully, and the next day, the Padre calls upon his god to provide more healing for his companions, until most of them have reached some semblance of their usual strength.  Despite all the healing, it appears that Twinkle, perhaps as a memento of her brush with death, has still not recovered her hearing, though Anastria's is back in full - as are her acerbic comments."Should we send her back to town?" Mantreus suggests."WHAT?" Twinkle asks, "Speak up!""We might need her help, if there are more kobolds." Rose observes."WHAT?""Her help?  Won't she just be a liability?" the sorcerer persists."No more than usual." The Padre grunts in response: as well he might, for he still bears scars he earned while healing her in the midst of the melee."Hey!" Twinkle protests, glaring at the cleric.  The priest returns the glare coolly."Hearing improved, has it?" he asks sweetly, prompting a sulky pout from the gnome."Everybody spoils my fun.""Not true at all." The Padre smiles.  It's not an altogether nice smile. "Here's some fun for you: you can take the lead when we head deeper into the mine.  After all, with your faculties back in working order, you're the best equipped of us to spot any danger ahead."Still pouting, the gnome moves to the front of the group.  Her mercurial nature soon reasserts itself, however, and within a few minutes she is proudly reminding everyone of her position at the head of the group.As the adventurers proceed down the sloping tunnels that lead deeper into the mine, the dim and flickering light of their lantern makes it hard for them to see any distance.  Their ears still work, however, and Twinkle clearly hears the scampering sound of some kind of creatures in the darkness ahead, just beyond the reach of their light.  Unfortunately, as she strains their eyes in search of any threats that might lurk ahead, she misses one that lies beneath her feet.The ground gives way beneath the lead row, and both Twinkle and Anastria tumble into a pit, landing heavily at the bottom of a jarring, twenty foot drop.  Still bearing injuries from the great battle in the store room, both women lose consciousness."We should have gone back for the rope." The Padre grumbles, moving up to the side of the pit and peering down.  He frowns, gauging the condition of the two women and the climb that will need to be made to reach them.  "They look bad.""It's a good job our healer isn't one of those clerics in a can, then." Mantreus slaps the priest on the back, nearly toppling him into the pit, "You'll be able to climb down just fine, right?""Right." The cleric gives the sorcerer a sour look, and the shrugs off his pack.  Moving to one corner of the pit, he carefully begins the climb, wedging himself tightly between the two walls so that he does not simply fall.  It's far from the most elegant of climbing techniques, and he becomes extremely dirty in the process, but it does the job. "The pit is freshly dug." He calls up in a hoarse whisper, "Some of the earth is still damp.  Keep an eye out for trouble."The others quickly prepare to defend themselves if an attack should come, while the Padre stabilises the two women, and then uses his remaining healing spells to restore them as best he can.  Unfortunately, Anastria was so badly injured that she remains unconscious, even after the cleric's curative spells are exhausted."Can you carry her up?" Rose stares down from the lip of the pit.  Her expression makes it clear what she thinks of the priest's chances.  The Padre shakes his head,"Mantreus will have to do it.  He's the best climber here.  But wait for me to climb up, before sending him down.  Anastria's not in any danger, and we don't want three of us to be caught down here if someone does attack."Twinkle, who is still in the pit, coughs meaningfully at the count of 'three down here'.  The cleric ignores her, and begins the climb out.  Pouting once more, the gnome quickly scurries up past the slow-moving Padre, showering several clods of loose dirt upon him as she does so.  Quite by accident, no doubt.As suggested by the priest, Mantreus climbs down into the pit, then uses the group's belts to crudely lash the unconscious Anastria to his back, after which he slowly and laboriously clambers out once more.Once the group are all gathered together again, those who are still conscious discuss their options.  Eventually, it is decided that Rose and Mantreus will climb past the pit to scout further along the tunnel.  Twinkle actually has better low light vision than them, but she is still quite badly injured after her fall.  Besides, having dimmed their own lights to conserve oil, the group can now see that there is a very faint luminescence in the tunnels ahead.  It is surely not enough for a human to use for navigation at any speed, but the pair are confident that it will be sufficient for the slow, careful movement that they have planned.Quietly bidding farewell to their companions, the two scouts slip off into the darkness.</blockquote>

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