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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Joshua Randall" data-source="post: 932888" data-attributes="member: 7737">Brogun’s lungs ached as he hustled through the murky, water-filled corridors of the ciquali lair. He had seen no sign of pursuit for several minutes. Was that a hopeful sign? Brogun wasn’t sure. He had bought himself and his companions additional time by using stone shape to close off a key doorway after passing through it. But there was more than one way to the upper level of the fortress, and the ciquali could take alternate routes.At last, up ahead, he began to make out a faint light that dimly illuminated the staircase to the uppermost, dry level of the fortress. With the Dellaroccas at his side, Brogun staggered his way up the stairs, bursting from the water and feeling once again the comfort of air upon his face.As Brogun stood there, blinking water out of his eyes, he heard the unmistakable TWANG of crossbows being discharged. The ciquali must be assaulting Tomás and his men, he thought, moments before two bolts slammed into his armor.Brogun’s vision cleared, and he could make out Tomás and the other men of Lof deliberately reloading their crossbows and taking aim. The dwarf stood there, dumbfounded, as another two bolts struck the armor above his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dellarocca spin out of the way of the shots aimed at him, while to his left, Sara had raised her shield in front of her face.He stumbled forward, hefting his axe, but unwilling to strike. Why was this happening? What obscure betrayal would lead the baron’s men to fire upon him? Had he been meant to perish in the waters below?Just then, Brogun caught a glimpse of the Herbalish scout, Kell, lurking in the entranceway. Brogun watched in horror as Kell fitted an arrow to his bow and took aim. Not him too! Brogun thought, aghast.Kell loosed his arrow at – who was that? A ciquali – no, two – stood behind the row of Lofian crossbowmen. One was arrayed in typical warrior’s garb, but the other, somewhat smaller, wore a gold-colored circlet around her brow and carried a slender black wand in her hand. It was this priestess at whom Kell directed his shot, aiming for her left eye.The arrow passed by a few feet to her right.Lowering his head, Brogun forced his tired legs to carry him past the nearest crossbowman and straight towards the ciquali priestess. She shrieked and stabbed at him with her wand. Where it touched his arm, Brogun felt a momentary chilling numbness, but he shook off the effect and plowed into her. The other ciquali reversed grip on his trident and raised it in both hands before plunging it into Brogun’s back. But his borrowed armor held and the tines of the weapon bent.Kell dropped his bow, put his hands to his hips, and withdrew a shortsword in each. Darting forward, he struck at the ciquali warrior, slashing him twice. By this time Dellarocca had recovered from his shock and was stabbing at the priestess.Beset by three determined foes, the two ciquali fell. With their deaths, Tomás and his men seemed to come to their senses and looked dumbly about the room. Apparently, the priestess had placed some spell upon them, compelling them to turn against their friends.“And where were you when this happened?” Brogun demanded of Kell.“I was checking out the… pantry,” Kell replied, his face blanching.= = =The Kestrels wished to vacate the ciquali fortress as quickly as possible, before their unwilling hosts made it to the surface. Stopping only to gather up the bodies from the “pantry” that Kell had discovered, they beat a hasty retreat to the entrance. Along the way, they battled another large group of ciquali, including a four-armed brute whom they took to be the sea-devils’ leader. But the fierce fighting of the Kestrels and the disciplined archery of Tomás and his men sent the ciquali scurrying for safety under cover of several darkness spells.Once outside the fortress, the adventurers and soldiers fled down the coast towards Lof, relying on Kell to obscure their trail as best he could behind them. A few days later, the exhausted company reached the gates of the city. Brogun had never been so glad to see the drab, gray walls of Lof as at that moment.No ciquali pursued them.“Hah!” Dellarocca snorted. “The way we carved through them, they would be fools to seek out more punishment.”Sara frowned to herself as she stood up from the remains of Gunther, Kednor, and Leta. “They are beyond my help,” she said sadly. “We shall have to seek one on whom the light of Ishir reflects more strongly.”= = =Baron da Silva was overjoyed with the detailed report that Brogun delivered on the layout of the ciquali fortress, as well as the projected makeup of its forces, and suggestions for how to conduct an assault.“With the information you have provided,” the baron declared, “we shall crush the ciquali. Wipe them out. Let those croco-men back into their home.” He was clearly well pleased with the prospect of the coming battle.So it was that the Company of the Red Kestrel successfully completed its reconnaissance of the ciquali fortress.</blockquote>

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