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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Drazulfel" data-source="post: 5281037" data-attributes="member: 43826"> <a href="http://draz01keepontheshadowfell.blogspot.com/2010/08/moonday-27th-anyas-528-nr-mid-morning.html" target="_blank">Moonday, 27th Anyas, 528 NR, Mid-morning, Part One</a>      The five weary companions trudged through the forest south of  Winterhaven for at least an hour before they started to come upon  identifiable landmarks. Using Raxil's map, they finally found an old  hunting trail that led to the supposed dig site where "they" dragged the  archaeologist prisoner off to, after the wagon ambush. The party was  mildly concerned about the fact that they had no idea who--or what--this  mysterious "they" consisted of. Humans? Kobolds? Goblins? Or, something  altogether different, and more sinister? They were about to find out!A steep-sided crater punctured the wilderness. Near the center of the  depression, several humanoid figures clustered around a collection of  bones. Two small, dragon-like creatures near the crater rim stood alert  and stared at the companions' approach. On the far side of the crater, a  sinister apparition presided over the gathering.<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FJjQESU4S8/TGWvneW2_jI/AAAAAAAAAJU/ADgdbRJlg8Y/s1600/Map+-+Dark+Pit+-+Web.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4FJjQESU4S8/TGWvneW2_jI/AAAAAAAAAJU/ADgdbRJlg8Y/s400/Map+-+Dark+Pit+-+Web.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>Gildras raised a hand in warning, and the friends stopped dead in their  tracks. The five of them stared down the sloping path into the pit, and  those within stared back up at them. After a few moments of tense  silence, many of the robed figures picked up their tools and resumed  digging, effectively ignoring the newcomers. One short, stout creature  waved its hand in what appeared to be a greeting. The friends were  confused at this behavior. Gildras, in particular, was very  apprehensive.Within the excavation site, there were several men who clearly appeared  to be normal human beings. They were all armed, and appeared to be quite  strong, and yet they made no threatening gestures. Two guard drakes  paced nervously at the bottom of the road, eyeballing the companions,  and occasionally letting out a loud hiss, but they were otherwise  docile. The small creature, which Gildras determined to be a gnome,  occasionally looked up at the party with mild interest, but was  obviously more focused on the work at hand. What truly frightened the  tiefling warlord, and the deciding factor in his dilemma, was the  spectral apparition. There was no way the presence of the undead could  be tied to anything good. With grim determination, Gildras drew his  sword, and raised it high.The gnome froze, and stared up at the warlord in unfeigned disbelief. "They're attacking us? They're attacking  us! To arms! You men, there... protect the site!" Pointing to the  drakes, the tiny dig master cried out, "Get them, you useless lizards!  GET THEM!" With that, the gnome drew his cloak up over his head and  vanished from sight!One of the guard drakes rushed up the hill, its rapid, reptilian,  side-to-side stride dizzying to look at. It snapped at Phoebe, who  forced it to back down with a misfired Lance of Faith. Her aim was off,  but it was enough to startle the creature into temporary submission.  Gildras, sword at the ready, stepped forward, shoved Bakbuk into  flanking position behind the drake, and brought his blade down hard,  slashing the beast across the left cheek. It hissed and snapped at the  tiefling, and Bakbuk whipped his maul around in a Reaping Strike and  clobbered it in the haunches. Bone cracked, and dwarf smiled.<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FJjQESU4S8/TGWv96ZGyaI/AAAAAAAAAJc/qpcyAZ5E_Zk/s1600/Kalarel%27s+Spectral+Apparition.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FJjQESU4S8/TGWv96ZGyaI/AAAAAAAAAJc/qpcyAZ5E_Zk/s320/Kalarel%27s+Spectral+Apparition.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FJjQESU4S8/TGWwBYjtpII/AAAAAAAAAJk/INfdtdNj3gM/s1600/Human+Rabble.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4FJjQESU4S8/TGWwBYjtpII/AAAAAAAAAJk/INfdtdNj3gM/s320/Human+Rabble.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FJjQESU4S8/TGWwFHs0KCI/AAAAAAAAAJs/qaxTKlzTDNo/s1600/Agrid.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4FJjQESU4S8/TGWwFHs0KCI/AAAAAAAAAJs/qaxTKlzTDNo/s320/Agrid.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FJjQESU4S8/TGWwGXo8V_I/AAAAAAAAAJ0/3GWurWjr5aw/s1600/Guard+Drake.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4FJjQESU4S8/TGWwGXo8V_I/AAAAAAAAAJ0/3GWurWjr5aw/s320/Guard+Drake.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a> The Enemy!Paget scrambled up and over a short, rocky landfall as the guard drake  hissed and spit at him. He leaped off of a medium-sized boulder and  tried to plant a Deft Strike between the creature's shoulderblades, but  the beast stepped aside and the halfing missed his mark. The second  drake came slithering up the hill and opened its wide jaws as if to  chomp Bakbuk in two, but Raxil fired an expertly timed Magic Missile  into its gaping maw, causing it to snap its mouth shut and flail its  head back and forth in shock, pain, and anger. Hearing the drake's  shriek of agony, the four human diggers fisted whatever weapons they  could find nearby... pickaxes, shovels, hammers, and the like... and  started rushing up the hill. At the same time, the spectral apparition  floated down into the pit. Icy, undead claws sprouted from the dirt near  Gildras' boots and tried to grope him, but the warlord managed to kick  them aside with fear and revulsion, and avoided their deadly grasp.The gnome's high-pitched and gravely voice could be heard above the  chaos, yelling, "Kalarel, fear not. Your treasure is safe in my hands."  The spectral image nodded towards its left, as if in response, but none  of the companions could see the gnome apart from a tiny swirling dust  cloud that marked its passage.Back up on the road, one of the drakes lunged at Paget, but Bakbuk drew  its attention and its teeth snapped together mere inches from the  halfling's head. Phoebe summoned and launched a Lance of Faith at the  beast, but the drake's powerful, long tail swept it aside and the divine  weapon shattered in the dirt. Paget grinned at the cleric and offered  up a cocky shrug, but his smile turned into an expression of terror and  pain as one of the specter's icy claws emerged from the ground and  gripped the rogue's ankle. Flesh withered and cracked, and Paget felt as  if his very life was being drained from him.4E Meta: Those claws are nasty. On a hit they deal instant necrotic damage, and drain the victim of a Healing Surge.Gildras  managed to push Paget out of harm's way by using his Wolf Pack Tactics,  but the maneuver unbalanced him and his follow through with his  longsword against the lead drake cut nothing but air. Bakbuk, on the  other hand, landed a mighty side-swiping Cleave, which smashed into the  drake's side just as one of the human rabble was stepping into melee  range. The force of Bakbuk's blow knocked the reptile sideways into the  rocky landfall, crushing the unfortunate worker between scaly flesh and  unyielding stone. The man slumped to the ground, dead, leaving a red,  wet smear on the boulder behind him. The dwarf smiled and grunted in  satisfaction."Nice one!" Paget yelled as he muscled past in an attempt to finish off  the wounded drake with a Sly Flourish. The creature went unexpectedly  wild, however, and swatted the rogue aside easily with the side of its  head. It turned with lightning reflexes and bit down hard. Paget cried  out as he felt the bones and tendons in his wrist being crushed in the  drake's iron jaws. Suddenly, two glowing beams of energy seemed to come  out of the sky and slammed into the lizard's neck, causing it to release  its grip on the halfling instantly. Paget looked up, and saw Raxil  standing above him on the hillside, wand in hand, and laughing like a  school boy. As the drake shuddered one last time, dropped to the ground,  and started to slide down the rocky hill--dead--the young wizard raised  his arms and victory and declared himself to be "Raxil, the dragon  slayer!"Paget rubbed his sore wrist, and growled "Congratulations, you get an achievement."DM Note: This is something of a family personal  joke, based on WoW's achievement system. Somehow, the standard "grats"  that are offered when a player earns a new achievement has leaked into  our home life. Whenever someone in our household is overly proud of  himself for accomplishing something that might generally be regarded as  unimpressive, X will shrug and sarcastically remark, "Congratulations,  you get an achievement."By this time, the remaining  three diggers had reached the battle on the road and engaged the heroes  in melee with their primitive weapons. As each ducked and dodged, trying  to find an advantageous position, blows were traded with Gildras,  Bakbuk and Paget. Just about everyone took cuts, scrapes and bruises as  the combatants squared off to face one another in earnest.</blockquote>

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