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Lazybones's Keep on the Shadowfell/Thunderspire Labyrinth
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 4888136" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 72</p><p></p><p></p><p>The heavy stone doors at the end of the passage swung ponderously open. </p><p></p><p>The survivors of the expedition from Fallcrest stepped warily into the chamber beyond, into a scene of nightmares. </p><p></p><p>The place was huge, the large open space ahead further extended by a higher tier on the far side of the room, an annex that continued out of their line of sight to the left. The air was hot and thick, the chamber lit by a diffuse crimson radiance that shone from the walls, and by the light that came from several massive iron cauldrons that glowed red with heat. Fetid vapors and an aggressive bubbling noise came from those containers, the nearest of which was directly to their right upon entering. A massive stone statue of a minotaur rose up behind the cauldron, its carved features staring down malevolently upon them. A raspy droning noise reached their ears, coming from somewhere atop the upper level, its origin out of their line of sight. </p><p></p><p>A flight of broad stone steps led up to that upper tier on the far side of the room. The chamber’s occupants were up there, including several evistro demons, their attention fixated upon the back of the platform, where an orb of sinister green flames pulsated in cadence with the droning sound. One of them turned as the doors opened, and upon spotting the companions, let out a foul cackling noise that echoed through the chamber. </p><p></p><p>“Stand ready!” Vhael warned. He and Carzen took up positions near the door, while Jaron, armed now only with his small sword and dirk, huddled near the wall to the fighter’s left. Gral stood behind and between them, protected but still able to get a clear view of the entire battlefield. Beetle, unsurprisingly, was nowhere to be seen. </p><p></p><p>The evistros leapt down from the platform, three of them in all, the last two joining the first in their fiendish cries. They were obviously eager to join the fray, but hesitated for a moment, slashing the air with their claws. </p><p></p><p>Vhael was quick to exploit their delay. “Gral, if you would,” he said. </p><p></p><p>The dwarf summoned his magic, drawing upon the power of his staff to enhance the <em>freezing cloud</em> that he summoned around the demons. The fiends shrieked furiously as they vanished within the icy fog, but they emerged almost at once, their fury quickly directed into a loping charge toward the intruders. </p><p></p><p>“Wait for them,” Vhael rumbled, lifting his big sword. Next to him, Carzen likewise readied to take the rush. The demons kept on coming, and as they reached the line, they sprang into the air, leaping at the defenders in a surge intended to overwhelm through sheer speed and ferocity. </p><p></p><p>But the adventurers were ready, and the terrible cackles of the demons failed to weaken their resolve, hardened by the terrible experiences they’d already overcome in the Labyrinth. Vhael caught the first with a two-handed swing that dashed it to the floor, snarling as blood jetted from a terrible wound that slashed from its shoulder to its breastbone. The demon failed to stay down, however, darting forward to tear at the dragonborn’s legs with its claws. </p><p></p><p>Just two paces distant, Carzen interrupted the second demon’s charge with his sword. He too scored a hit, but the demon caught his swordarm before he could draw back, tearing at the skin left unprotected since the Guardian had ruined his bracer. He grimaced but escaped the trap, trying to ignore the pain from the bloody rents that trickled bright red in long trails down his forearm. </p><p></p><p>He had no time to do more, as the last evistro leapt onto his shield. Claws scraped at the metal, and the demon’s weight almost overbore him. He couldn’t shake it off; the demon was too strong, too focused on taking his blood. But then, even as the base of the shield jabbed against his side, as the demon’s claws started to scrape off his helmet, it shrieked and fell back. As it dropped away Carzen saw Jaron standing there, his sword slick with the demon’s blood. </p><p></p><p>“Thanks!” he yelled, lashing out with his sword again to keep the other demon at bay. A pulse of white energy caught it in the chest before it could surge forward again, and it hissed in fury. Gambling that the fighters were too heavily occupied by its comrades, the demon darted toward the gap between them, intent on dealing with Gral. </p><p></p><p>Unfortunately for the demon, Carzen had been waiting for such a maneuver, and he slammed his sword down into it as it tried to get by, knocking it roughly to the ground. The demon snarled and sprang back, now bloodied from its multiple wounds. </p><p></p><p>Thus far the companions had more than held their own against the chamber’s defenders. But even as the <em>freezing cloud</em> started to dissipiate, they heard a new sound, a ponderous step that thumped upon the floor, an ominous noise accompanied by a faint scraping rattle. Even embattled with the evistros, both Vhael and Carzen looked up as the fog cleared, and a new monstrosity stepped through it to face them. </p><p></p><p>It was a skeleton, but only in the same sense that Vhael’s sword was a knife. It stood easily fifteen feet from its feet to the tips of the curved horns that jutted from its long skull. In life it had been a minotaur, a giant even for that race, and in death, it was a fearsome undead monstrosity. It carried a huge club, a maul easily nine feet in length, and as it reached the bottom of the stairs it turned toward them, promising a most unwelcome meeting. </p><p></p><p>And as if that wasn’t enough, as it came forward they saw another hulking figure behind it, coming forward to the edge of the platform. Smaller than the minotaur skeleton only by comparison, they recognized it easily, having fought a number of its kin over the last few days. </p><p></p><p>The barlgura waited only until the skeleton was clear, then it leapt down, ready to tilt the odds yet further against the would-be heroes.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 4888136, member: 143"] Chapter 72 The heavy stone doors at the end of the passage swung ponderously open. The survivors of the expedition from Fallcrest stepped warily into the chamber beyond, into a scene of nightmares. The place was huge, the large open space ahead further extended by a higher tier on the far side of the room, an annex that continued out of their line of sight to the left. The air was hot and thick, the chamber lit by a diffuse crimson radiance that shone from the walls, and by the light that came from several massive iron cauldrons that glowed red with heat. Fetid vapors and an aggressive bubbling noise came from those containers, the nearest of which was directly to their right upon entering. A massive stone statue of a minotaur rose up behind the cauldron, its carved features staring down malevolently upon them. A raspy droning noise reached their ears, coming from somewhere atop the upper level, its origin out of their line of sight. A flight of broad stone steps led up to that upper tier on the far side of the room. The chamber’s occupants were up there, including several evistro demons, their attention fixated upon the back of the platform, where an orb of sinister green flames pulsated in cadence with the droning sound. One of them turned as the doors opened, and upon spotting the companions, let out a foul cackling noise that echoed through the chamber. “Stand ready!” Vhael warned. He and Carzen took up positions near the door, while Jaron, armed now only with his small sword and dirk, huddled near the wall to the fighter’s left. Gral stood behind and between them, protected but still able to get a clear view of the entire battlefield. Beetle, unsurprisingly, was nowhere to be seen. The evistros leapt down from the platform, three of them in all, the last two joining the first in their fiendish cries. They were obviously eager to join the fray, but hesitated for a moment, slashing the air with their claws. Vhael was quick to exploit their delay. “Gral, if you would,” he said. The dwarf summoned his magic, drawing upon the power of his staff to enhance the [i]freezing cloud[/i] that he summoned around the demons. The fiends shrieked furiously as they vanished within the icy fog, but they emerged almost at once, their fury quickly directed into a loping charge toward the intruders. “Wait for them,” Vhael rumbled, lifting his big sword. Next to him, Carzen likewise readied to take the rush. The demons kept on coming, and as they reached the line, they sprang into the air, leaping at the defenders in a surge intended to overwhelm through sheer speed and ferocity. But the adventurers were ready, and the terrible cackles of the demons failed to weaken their resolve, hardened by the terrible experiences they’d already overcome in the Labyrinth. Vhael caught the first with a two-handed swing that dashed it to the floor, snarling as blood jetted from a terrible wound that slashed from its shoulder to its breastbone. The demon failed to stay down, however, darting forward to tear at the dragonborn’s legs with its claws. Just two paces distant, Carzen interrupted the second demon’s charge with his sword. He too scored a hit, but the demon caught his swordarm before he could draw back, tearing at the skin left unprotected since the Guardian had ruined his bracer. He grimaced but escaped the trap, trying to ignore the pain from the bloody rents that trickled bright red in long trails down his forearm. He had no time to do more, as the last evistro leapt onto his shield. Claws scraped at the metal, and the demon’s weight almost overbore him. He couldn’t shake it off; the demon was too strong, too focused on taking his blood. But then, even as the base of the shield jabbed against his side, as the demon’s claws started to scrape off his helmet, it shrieked and fell back. As it dropped away Carzen saw Jaron standing there, his sword slick with the demon’s blood. “Thanks!” he yelled, lashing out with his sword again to keep the other demon at bay. A pulse of white energy caught it in the chest before it could surge forward again, and it hissed in fury. Gambling that the fighters were too heavily occupied by its comrades, the demon darted toward the gap between them, intent on dealing with Gral. Unfortunately for the demon, Carzen had been waiting for such a maneuver, and he slammed his sword down into it as it tried to get by, knocking it roughly to the ground. The demon snarled and sprang back, now bloodied from its multiple wounds. Thus far the companions had more than held their own against the chamber’s defenders. But even as the [i]freezing cloud[/i] started to dissipiate, they heard a new sound, a ponderous step that thumped upon the floor, an ominous noise accompanied by a faint scraping rattle. Even embattled with the evistros, both Vhael and Carzen looked up as the fog cleared, and a new monstrosity stepped through it to face them. It was a skeleton, but only in the same sense that Vhael’s sword was a knife. It stood easily fifteen feet from its feet to the tips of the curved horns that jutted from its long skull. In life it had been a minotaur, a giant even for that race, and in death, it was a fearsome undead monstrosity. It carried a huge club, a maul easily nine feet in length, and as it reached the bottom of the stairs it turned toward them, promising a most unwelcome meeting. And as if that wasn’t enough, as it came forward they saw another hulking figure behind it, coming forward to the edge of the platform. Smaller than the minotaur skeleton only by comparison, they recognized it easily, having fought a number of its kin over the last few days. The barlgura waited only until the skeleton was clear, then it leapt down, ready to tilt the odds yet further against the would-be heroes. [/QUOTE]
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