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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spider_Jerusalem" data-source="post: 242417" data-attributes="member: 5507">Ice, Luck and HonourChapter 4: The Eight Blades of TalagbarEarly to Middle Winter, Realms Date 1372…Thalin twirls Shard into his familiar Ulutiun style before advancing towards the throng of goblins. Raising his arms to strike a poised goblin, a sudden searing pain strikes through his right arm as a black-feathered bolt slices neatly into the mages flesh, halting the sword strike mid air. Thalin gasps in agony and falls sideways, dropping Shard as he sees the scarred man from the tavern step from the trees behind him. The man sneers and quickly cocks another bolt, ready to loose it straight at the defenceless mage… Dariel swoops off of Thalin’s shoulder and out of danger as, roaring with pain, Thalin pushes himself to his feet with his splintered arm and with a scream of arcane power the ground all around Thalin frosts suddenly and a shimmer of ice covers the mage. A black-feathered bolt scythes through the air, whistling straight between the mage’s shoulder blades. With a crack the bolt shatters on the mages chest, frozen slivers exploding in all directions. As the man stands shocked, Thalin immediately pushes the attack, and picking up Shard in his untrained left hand, sprints through the cloud of ice to engage the man in single combat.Milo watches King Doom drop to the ground before turning to aid his companions. Watching the Doomguard bring their swords down again and again into the now unconscious form of Torious, Milo slides forward to attack but then pauses and delving into a side pocket on his pouch, grabs a handful of silver coins. Leaping into the air and using what limited goblin language he has learnt, shouts “Silver! Silver!” and with a shout of exertion, hurls the coins as high as he can. Two of the Doomguard swing their heads round and seeing the silver raining around them, squirm away from the throng around Torious and begin scrabbling round in the dirt, clutching as many coins as they can. As their friends disengage, the other Doomguard jump away and begin to find all the silver they can, leaving the nearly dead Torious lying in a bloody heap.Thalin brings Shard up in a lazy arc, his left hand offering no real power compared to his right. With a laugh, the man clatters the scimitar aside with a deft blow from his own short sword, Vampire. The man forces Thalin back with a quick flicker of his sword at the mage’s face. Looking for any weakness the man might display, Thalin notices his opponents chainmail slide aside for a moment, and spots a faded family badge depicting a black crag on a starry sky on the mans black doublet. Seeing the mage staring at his family’s badge, the man darts forwards and drives Vampire into Thalin’s stomach with a roar of anger, covering his family’s badge as he moves. The mage falls backwards onto the floor, and the man steps over Thalin with a twisted grin.Seeing that his plan worked, Milo darts through the distracted Doomguard and crouches next to Torious. The priest’s helmet has almost been sundered through and his breastplate is punctured beyond repair. With a quick prayer to Tymora to help guide Torious back to the living, Milo uncorks a small green bottle that his mother told him only to use it if he ever gets hurt. Pressing the flask to Torious’ lips, Milo upends the bottle, tipping the potion into the priest’s mouth. After a moments pause, Torious coughs violently, spluttering some of the potion into the air, then sits up. Milo looks in astonishment at the bottle, then carefully wraps it up in a handkerchief and places it back in his pack next to the two full bottles, reminding himself to thank his mother when he got the chance.The Doomguard, having picked up the thrown coins, suddenly break into a racket of barks and squeals as they point at the dead body of King Doom. With a roar, Torious stands and throwing his helmet to the side, picks Justicar from the ground and with a snarl of rage issues a challenge to the Doomguard themselves. With a quick look at each other, and then their dead king, the Doomguard turn and flee. Torious stands triumphant for a moment then staggers once and collapses to the ground.Thalin pushes himself backwards as the man advances, desperately clutching at the ground behind him. He grasps the clothed shaft of Erifeci. With a quick dart sideways, Thalin shakes the bandages away from the staff and with a shout of rage swings the staff towards his opponent, screaming the command word “Ice” as it carves through the air, with a blast of blue light, the iced tip shimmers cold blue.Too confident in his advantage, the man in black steps too far and is unable to defend his sword arm, taking the full brunt of the powered staff to his right arm. With a sickening crackle then a snap, his sword arm frosts completely then breaks off altogether, falling to the ground with a soft thud and a scream of horrified pain from the man. With another scream, the man stumbles backwards, clutching his shattered stump in his left hand. With a snarl of defeat, he dashes into the tree line and disappears into the shadows.Seeing that the battle is won the three companions, quickly ensuring that neither the man in black nor the Doomguard are coming back, use Torious’ ability to heal and regroup. Thalin informs the other two about the faded insignia worn by the man in black and immediately Torious identifies it as a marking of the Blackrock family, although he says the family is based in the Dales and have no real business up north. Deciding to investigate further, Torious and Thalin advance into the jagged cave leading to King Doom’s lair, whilst Milo, Isplit and Dariel keep watch.As Milo keeps a lookout, he feels a crunch under his boot and looks down, only to find the thawing remnants of a human arm, still grasping a shortsword with the inscription “Vampire” on the blade. With a quick look about, Milo prizes the shortsword out of the frosted hand and throwing his old shortsword away, slings the new weapon into his belt. Suddenly the halfling remembers King Doom’s ring and bounds back over towards the fallen goblin to collect what they came for.- - - - - - - - - -Finding that nobody else is in the lair, Thalin and Torious come to the conclusion that it must have been a barracks of some sort and only housed the fighters of the goblin clan. Torious suggests tracking down the lair and checking for any prisoners, but Thalin points out that the goblins would most likely eat anything they captured and also that they were restrained by time. However, after searching what were presumably King Doom’s quarters (complete with stick drawing of King Doom ruling over the entire world, and a box with various staffs with different animals nailed to the ends), the two adventurers unearth a small, metallic box that is locked shut. There is no key in the room, and failing brute strength, Thalin suggests taking it to Milo to see if he can open it with his lock picks.- - - - - - - - - -Milo and Isplit had busied themselves with making a small grave for King Doom when Torious and Thalin emerge and give him the box to open. Thalin informs the halfling that he can feel the tremors of magic inside, so be careful of traps. Before he opens the box, Milo presents to his companions King Doom’s bronze ring and Thalin analyses it as possessing moderate transmutation and necromancy magic. It’s unanimous that it should not be worn. Milo looks over the box and after checking for traps and a few minutes of tinkering with lock picks, springs the lid open.Inside the box are a small letter and a scroll bound in a length of dried human skin. Thalin takes the scroll but can’t read it, saying it is in some sort of goblin language and would need to be deciphered. However, the letter reads the following:    Doom – your hide is hunted. Lyle B is sent to assume command.After making the connection that Lyle B was the Blackrock man, Torious can’t bring any more light as to whom Lyle Blackrock is. Milo suggests taking the box with them to see if anyone can identify where it’s from. The other two agree, and Thalin places a black-bottled potion his father gave him and a magical protection scroll in the box for safe keeping. Without wanting to give the Doomguard time to reform and attack, the three adventurers quickly head back to Darmshall to deliver the ring to Noristour.- - - - - - - - - -With a flourish Milo places the ring on Noristour’s desk. Emitting a strange hissing sound, Xsistass leaps from a perch in the shadows and lands next to the ring, guarding it jealously with chitinous little arms.Noristour turns from a huge star chart behind him, which has hundreds of lines and calculations scribbled all over it.“You have done well, although I can’t allow you to stay in Darmshall any longer,” says Noristour thinly, his eyes not even looking at the three adventurers as he gazes at the bronze ring lying on the table.Torious, Thalin and Milo look at each other in amazement.“But we got your damn ring for you! What more do you want from us?” shouts Thalin in a sudden outburst. Dariel screams in unison, beating his wings in frustration. “Nothing,” says Noristour flatly, “which is exactly what I expect. Leave in three days or I’ll see to it that you’ll never leave.”Torious takes a step forwards to confront the mage, but Milo turns and pushes both the humans back, placing a small hand on each of their stomachs and holding them at bay. “Don’t waste your time. Lets just leave,” says Milo, glaring at each of his companions in turn, “I know where we can get some money together for travels.”With a final smile, Noristour opens the door behind them with a gesture of his hand. The three heroes walk out reluctantly, herded as they go by a hissing and jumping Xsistass. - - - - - - - - - -As the three adventurers vent their frustrations to each other about being hounded out of Darmshall, Milo remains level headed and suggests returning to the Talagbar mines he recently visited, where he is sure there are more gems like the one he owns. Backing this claim up, Milo says the mines have only recently been revealed due to the melting of a small snow drift covering the entrances, and they can make it there and back within a day’s light. Showing the massive gem to Torious and Thalin, they agree to venture back to the mines to look for more keystones. Each checking their money pouches, the heroes decide to save what little they have for passage away from Darmshall, and simply shelter in a nearby barn.With a fear of ambush from Lyle Blackrock, Torious suggests leaving before dawn light so as to avoid any kind of commotion that they might cause. With this in mind, the three adventurers sleep fitfully but rise on time to journey to the Talagbar mines. Before they travel, Milo digs out the map that he made of the mines and decides to brief the other two on what to expect.Milo talks about his travels through the mines for almost the entirety of the five-hour journey, only pausing for Torious to pray in silence to Tyr at first light. The three adventurers are more than ready to get going into the mines when they reach the massive stone doors at mid-day. Eventually the heroes prize the heavy doors open enough to fit humans through, light torches, and advance into the darkness of the Talagbar mines.- - - - - - - - - -Lyle throws the set of keys to the floor with his left hand as the barkeep stammers to apologise for not knowing where the three stayed for the night, although he did give a clue as to where they were heading. With a snarl of dissatisfaction and cradling his bandaged stump, Lyle storms out of The Headless Woman and joins the man in red outside. The man in red sits atop a huge crimson stallion which stamps impatiently. Lyle, using his only arm, clambers unsteadily onto a sleek black riding horse before trotting once around his companion, who turns in his saddle and hands Lyle a small leather bag.“Kill all three, retrieve the staff, then report back to me,” says the man in red, pressing the bag firmly into Lyle’s open palm.“Use these as you wish.” “I’ll finish the mage myself, the Abyss itself won’t know such suffering.” hisses Lyle, his scar twitching erratically.“No. You’ll do as instructed. Now go.” Answers the man in a commanding tone.Without another word, the man in red gouges his boots into the stallion’s sides and bolts away in a cloud of dust, heading eastwards. Lyle watches him go before opening the leather pouch and looking at the contents – a handful of black onyx gems, a small scroll, two strange coins with a green mailed fist on one side and a human skull on the other, and a folded sheet with instructions on what to do. Lyle shakes them once in curiosity then guiding his horse slowly around, whispers in its ear and canters Northwards, towards the Talagbar mines.- - - - - - - - - -With a careful step, Milo tiptoes into the first antechamber of the Dwarven mines. Milo can feel the shivering, scared form of Isplit curled up in his pocket. Motioning for his companions to follow, the halfling treads carefully across the room and checks the way out, making sure there are no ghosts waiting to pounce. With a sigh of relief he turns back to his friends. The room they stand in would probably have been some sort of guardroom when the Dwarves still mined here. Separating the room almost into two is a thick, partially shattered pane of glass slotted between two heavy posts, one of which has collapsed to the ground. Behind the broken glass are a desk and two chairs, which Thalin carefully makes his way towards and begins to check through.“And you didn’t check this room at all?” says Torious, looking away from inspecting the thick glass pane and staring at Milo.“Well no, not really. It’s boring. There’s nothing in here.” Says Milo, twitching eagerly to continue onwards.“You mean this boring?” says Thalin, holding a small red gem to the torchlight. Milo looks at it once then rolls his eyes.“They won’t get us any money at all.” Milo says matter-of-factly. With that, he pulls open the second door wider and steps into the corridor beyond, waving his torch like a sword. Torious and Thalin look at each other then leave what they are doing and follow the halfling. As Thalin exits he brushes a hanging spider web with his hand.“Well, at least they like this place.”Torious, being the last out, looks back at the broken pane of glass, not understanding what a pane of glass would be used for in a place such as this.- - - - - - - - - -Milo leads the way through two or three more dusty rooms which were, Milo says, the quarters of the Dwarven miners and hold absolutely nothing of interest. However, searching through a crumbled corner of what seemed to be draws of valuables (which Milo missed on his first trip), Torious smashes open the only locked drawer and withdraws a magnificently crafted pick with a head that looks like some sort of insect. Thalin informs Torious that it is the head of a stirge, and after a moment of concentration, confirms that the pick is magical. As Milo pushes onwards, Torious slings the pick into his belt, not really wanting to discard Justicar just yet.Reaching the end of a long corridor, Milo darts ahead and runs into a huge chamber then skids to a halt, trying hard to remember the steps he took when he last came here. Thalin pushes into the dimness of the chamber, spitting abruptly as a strand of spider web brushes his face. Searching for definition to the room, Thalin sees no walls are visible beyond the meagre light. After straining to look at Milo’s tattered map in the torchlight, Thalin sighs in exasperation and speaking a simple draconic verse, lights the blade of his scimitar with a brilliant glow, illuminating the entire chamber. The chamber is shaped like a semi circle, with the door Thalin just entered from being opposite to three immense stone doors set into the flat edge of the chamber, all of which are closed. The floor is riddled with a matrix of rail tracks that disappear into the thick stone of the three doors, and also into a solid wall to the mage’s left. On the right is a small ring of steps leading to a polished wooden door with a large, circular handle. Closed also. Looking up, Thalin sees the chamber disappears into a mesh of huge spider webs only five or ten feet above him, the webs cover the entirety of the chambers ceiling. A small draft whistles from above.Milo looks puzzled for a moment, and then turns to Thalin and Torious, as the priest catches up.“That middle door was open when I came. It was just open. Why is it closed now?” whines Milo, not sure why something in the ancient mines had changed in the short time since he had left. Torious stands for a moment then shouts out, pointing to a large lump in the centre of the room, almost completely obscured by the railings. With a cry he leaps over a mine cart and jogs to the centre of the room. Milo bounds alongside the priest to find what new surprise he had uncovered. Thalin, distracted with trying to look for the source of the breeze, sees the running forms of his companions too late.Milo crouches next to priest and rolls the bundle over. As it turns over, Torious jumps back at the sight of a dwarf face staring back at him. After a moments shock, Torious sees the dwarf is dead, and recovering his wits about himself, the priest looks closer at the deep stab wounds all over the dwarf body, but his fingers are caught suddenly in a dust-thin strand of web leading into the mesh above him.- - - - - - - - - -The sword spider tensed its huge form as the first of its webs tingled. Moving closer, the arachnid eased silently into a pouncing position and without even shaking a single strand of its web, crept above the two men and child in absolute silence. Waiting for a moment to strike, the spider followed the metalled man and child as they moved. With no more than the sound of a breath, the sword spider drops from its hiding place and with incredible speed, guides all eight of its chitinous legs towards the back of the metalled man.- - - - - - - - - -Torious looks up at the last moment, only to see a blur of a huge creature land on his back and sprawl him forwards. - - - - - - - - - -There was no pain, only the sensation of something running fingers along my back, then a soft push on the spine and a wet snap as something slid through my rib cage, protruding from my chest. There was no pain, only a hot spill onto my chest and legs as the life’s blood surged forth, quick to escape the body when it is needed most.I looked down and saw my death; three blades of bone had tunnelled through me. And then the blades withdrew, and there was pain. Such black pain as to swallow you completely, so utterly you can do nothing but shiver in agony. My soul was leased then, and I was taken to Elysium.- - - - - - - - - -Milo reacts before Thalin and flips back, drawing his crossbow and screaming for Torious to get up.Torious lay sliced in a heap, a mesh of blood and bones protruding from his chainmail. His face is blank, but his scars are not extinguished.With a thunderous scream of arcane words, Thalin draws from terrible sources of dark power and for a flicker of a moment, sees the chamber fill with the souls of dead dwarves, all clawing at the spider. The sword spider, about to pounce at Thalin, cowers back suddenly and scuttles backwards, lashing into thin air with its deadly legs as it retreats. Thalin moves forwards, then steps over Torious’ body, forcing the Spider back. Milo falters for a moment then jumps forwards and fires a crossbow bolt into the spider’s side before throwing his rucksack to the ground, and fumbles for the remaining two bottles that his mother entrusted to him.With shaking hands, Milo tips one bottle into Torious’ open mouth then in desperation splashes the contents of the second bottle into the gaping wound in his chest. With a squeal of delight from Milo, the potion has immediate effect and the bones that were snapped and shattered begin to realign themselves and the muscles bulge back into place. Transfixed by this, Milo only hears Thalin after the mage has screamed twice already,“MILO! Take Torious through the side door!” shouts Thalin, still holding the spell as best he can as he talks. With a mighty grunt, Milo heaves Torious onto his back and begins dragging him to the side door. Thalin curses again as the spider sprints across the web, causing the spell to lose some potency as Thalin has to turn to keep the spider in his field of view. With a sickening feeling, Thalin watches in defeat as the spider emerges fully from the web and drops silently into the corridor that they originally came in from. The spider stops at a safe distance, its glistening eyes watching the mage with an alien intelligence.“Get that door open Milo! Now!” Shouts Thalin, risking a look over his shoulder at his halfling companion. Milo throws his weight into the circular door handle again, inching it closer to opening.“I’m trying… its too heavy!” answers Milo in desperation.With a final surge of magic, Thalin forces the spider back another few feet before dropping the spell completely, and not looking back, begins to sprint across the huge chamber towards Milo and Torious.- - - - - - - - - -As the oppression around it suddenly dies, the sword spider creeps from the tunnel and seeing the man running, launches itself towards the fleeing adventurers. Landing, the spider scuttles forwards to recover its lost meal.- - - - - - - - - -With a clatter of metal, Thalin hurls Shard to the floor and not stopping to slow, clasps the handle with both hands and using the momentum from running, spins the handle round in a whir of metal. With a combined thrust, Thalin and Milo spill through the door and onto damp, moss-covered floor. With a scream, Milo looks back and sees the spider about to pounce. Thalin acts quickly and drags Torious through the door as Milo begins to inch the door closed again.Rolling backwards, Thalin unhitches his crossbow as the sword spider leaps, and with a smooth action releases a bolt into the spider’s cluster of eyes. The spider sprawls short, but suddenly jumps again as Milo forces the door closed. The thump of the spider hitting the door shocks Milo back, but he leaps up and spins the handle closed, locking the sword spider out. With a gasp of utter relief, Milo collapses onto Torious, who promptly sits up and stares around.Opening his mouth to say something, Torious shuts his mouth again as he realises no words could detail what he just saw.Breathing heavily, Thalin sits back against the lichen-coated wall and rolls his head to the side, looking down the wide corridor they now sit in. Five small blue-skinned humanoids look back in fear at the three invaders, and dropping their bag of fish in front of them, scream in panic and race back down the corridor to raise the intruder alarm…To be continued in…Ice, Luck and HonourChapter 5: The Early Wyrm Catches the BirdsAs the heroes flee from the lair of aquatic goblins and fiendish birdmen, they must confront the mightiest of dragons. But the situation goes from bad to worse as Lyle tracks the heroes down, cutting off their escape.</blockquote>

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