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Lazybones's Keep on the Shadowfell/Thunderspire Labyrinth
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 4828142" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Thanks, RR!</p><p></p><p>* * * * * </p><p></p><p>Chapter 48</p><p></p><p></p><p>Vhael saved them from chaos through a sheer effort of will. </p><p></p><p>“Form the line!” the dragonborn roared, pulling Surina back from the closing jaws of the trap before the gnolls could flank her. Gral followed in his wake, the dwarf knowing the warlord’s maneuver almost by instinct, the wizard anchoring one flank under the protective arc of the dragonborn’s huge sword. </p><p></p><p>Somehow Carzen found himself obeying as well, the drills of the training field coming back to him after years of neglect, and he shifted into the spot opposite Vhael at the front of what was becoming a defensive wedge. Gez took the far flank opposite Gral, the soldier protected by Carzen on one side and by the chamber wall on the other. Their position was not perfect, and a foe could still flank them by circling around the perimeter of the room, but it was a decent position, one formed just in time as the gnolls descended upon them. </p><p></p><p>They were greeted by a gout of fire as Vhael opened his jaws wide and unleashed a blast of flame that swept across the front of the enemy ranks. A hyena, already blinded in one eye by a stroke from Vhael’s blade, fell to the ground, its bloody face charred black. The two marauders fell back, wary, but their retreat was only for a few steps, and they reformed their own line as the scourge fell in between them, the fearsome gnoll roaring a defiant curse at them as he lifted his heavy flail. </p><p></p><p>“<em>Katek char narshak!</em> Vhael shouted in return, his cry echoing through the chamber as powerfully as the gnoll’s had. Carzen did not understand the language of either shout, but something in the dragonborn’s voice stirred him, and he found himself baring his teeth as he lifted his sword in a ready stance. When the gnoll spearman came at him the spear seemed almost like it was stuck in the air, and he easily came in under the thrust, driving six inches of his sword through the gnoll’s armor into his rangy flesh. The gnoll drew back, and only his training kept Carzen from charging forward to finish him. Instead he dropped back into position, protecting Vhael’s flank. </p><p></p><p>The scourge laid into the warlord with a powerful overhead swing that should have crushed the dragonborn’s skull like an overripe melon. But Vhael ducked under the stroke, escaping with only a glancing hit that scraped a bloody gash along the side of his neck. For just a moment the dragonborn faltered, and the scourge lunged again, hoping to finish his foe. But Vhael only shifted his stance and brought up his sword like the head of a pike. Now it was the scourge that had to dodge, and he had to abort his attack, nursing a cut of his own just over one beady eye. </p><p></p><p>For a second the two faced off against each other, terrible opponents who each now had a better measure of the other. </p><p></p><p>Gral held the warlord’s flank, a hastily-summoned <em>shield</em> keeping the other spearman’s initial thrusts at bay. He cursed as his <em>ray of frost</em> narrowly missed the enemy, the white streak shooting harmlessly out across the chamber before frosting the surface of one of the pillars. “Where’s that bloody demon?” he yelled, as the gnoll probed warily at the magical barrier protecting him. </p><p></p><p>The barlgura had started to follow the scourge toward the battle raging across the room, but its attention had been distracted by a flurry of motion to its left. The fiend turned to see the werewolf lifting one of the huntmasters off its feet, the gnoll squealing as it fought to tear free. Terrlen snarled and hurled the gnoll into the small, open pit that gaped in the floor between the two passages. The hapless huntmaster crashed into the lip of the pit and scrabbled to hold on, but gravity finally did its work, and the archer plummeted out of view with a scream that abruptly cut off. The werewolf looked a mess, blood running down its body and matting its fur from the half dozen or so arrows embedded in its body. But it seemed to get a second wind as it caught sight of the demon, and it issued a roar of challenge that the barlgura was quick to answer. </p><p></p><p>The two combatants met in a blur of claws and teeth. Droplets of blood flew out of the chaotic tumble, splattering in a wide radius upon the floor. Terrlen fought with an insane ferocity, but the demon was fresh and unwounded, and that advantage proved insurmountable despite the long gashes that the werewolf tore across the fiend’s furry hide with his claws. For one instant it looked as though Terrlen might have a chance, as he leapt upon the demon’s back, jaws seeking purchase on its fat neck, but the barlgura seized him with one muscled arm, pulling him forward over the demon’s head and slamming him hard into the ground. The werewolf tried to pull free, but his movements were growing weaker, and the demon repeatedly lifted him and slammed him down against the floor, once, twice, until a final impact, accompanied by a sick cracking noise, ended his struggles for good. </p><p></p><p>The demon stepped forward over the carcass of its defeated foe, and answered Gral’s question with a furious roar that promised the same treatment for the rest of the adventurers.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 4828142, member: 143"] Thanks, RR! * * * * * Chapter 48 Vhael saved them from chaos through a sheer effort of will. “Form the line!” the dragonborn roared, pulling Surina back from the closing jaws of the trap before the gnolls could flank her. Gral followed in his wake, the dwarf knowing the warlord’s maneuver almost by instinct, the wizard anchoring one flank under the protective arc of the dragonborn’s huge sword. Somehow Carzen found himself obeying as well, the drills of the training field coming back to him after years of neglect, and he shifted into the spot opposite Vhael at the front of what was becoming a defensive wedge. Gez took the far flank opposite Gral, the soldier protected by Carzen on one side and by the chamber wall on the other. Their position was not perfect, and a foe could still flank them by circling around the perimeter of the room, but it was a decent position, one formed just in time as the gnolls descended upon them. They were greeted by a gout of fire as Vhael opened his jaws wide and unleashed a blast of flame that swept across the front of the enemy ranks. A hyena, already blinded in one eye by a stroke from Vhael’s blade, fell to the ground, its bloody face charred black. The two marauders fell back, wary, but their retreat was only for a few steps, and they reformed their own line as the scourge fell in between them, the fearsome gnoll roaring a defiant curse at them as he lifted his heavy flail. “[i]Katek char narshak![/i] Vhael shouted in return, his cry echoing through the chamber as powerfully as the gnoll’s had. Carzen did not understand the language of either shout, but something in the dragonborn’s voice stirred him, and he found himself baring his teeth as he lifted his sword in a ready stance. When the gnoll spearman came at him the spear seemed almost like it was stuck in the air, and he easily came in under the thrust, driving six inches of his sword through the gnoll’s armor into his rangy flesh. The gnoll drew back, and only his training kept Carzen from charging forward to finish him. Instead he dropped back into position, protecting Vhael’s flank. The scourge laid into the warlord with a powerful overhead swing that should have crushed the dragonborn’s skull like an overripe melon. But Vhael ducked under the stroke, escaping with only a glancing hit that scraped a bloody gash along the side of his neck. For just a moment the dragonborn faltered, and the scourge lunged again, hoping to finish his foe. But Vhael only shifted his stance and brought up his sword like the head of a pike. Now it was the scourge that had to dodge, and he had to abort his attack, nursing a cut of his own just over one beady eye. For a second the two faced off against each other, terrible opponents who each now had a better measure of the other. Gral held the warlord’s flank, a hastily-summoned [i]shield[/i] keeping the other spearman’s initial thrusts at bay. He cursed as his [i]ray of frost[/i] narrowly missed the enemy, the white streak shooting harmlessly out across the chamber before frosting the surface of one of the pillars. “Where’s that bloody demon?” he yelled, as the gnoll probed warily at the magical barrier protecting him. The barlgura had started to follow the scourge toward the battle raging across the room, but its attention had been distracted by a flurry of motion to its left. The fiend turned to see the werewolf lifting one of the huntmasters off its feet, the gnoll squealing as it fought to tear free. Terrlen snarled and hurled the gnoll into the small, open pit that gaped in the floor between the two passages. The hapless huntmaster crashed into the lip of the pit and scrabbled to hold on, but gravity finally did its work, and the archer plummeted out of view with a scream that abruptly cut off. The werewolf looked a mess, blood running down its body and matting its fur from the half dozen or so arrows embedded in its body. But it seemed to get a second wind as it caught sight of the demon, and it issued a roar of challenge that the barlgura was quick to answer. The two combatants met in a blur of claws and teeth. Droplets of blood flew out of the chaotic tumble, splattering in a wide radius upon the floor. Terrlen fought with an insane ferocity, but the demon was fresh and unwounded, and that advantage proved insurmountable despite the long gashes that the werewolf tore across the fiend’s furry hide with his claws. For one instant it looked as though Terrlen might have a chance, as he leapt upon the demon’s back, jaws seeking purchase on its fat neck, but the barlgura seized him with one muscled arm, pulling him forward over the demon’s head and slamming him hard into the ground. The werewolf tried to pull free, but his movements were growing weaker, and the demon repeatedly lifted him and slammed him down against the floor, once, twice, until a final impact, accompanied by a sick cracking noise, ended his struggles for good. The demon stepped forward over the carcass of its defeated foe, and answered Gral’s question with a furious roar that promised the same treatment for the rest of the adventurers. [/QUOTE]
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