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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Medriev" data-source="post: 4497021" data-attributes="member: 21864">Chapter 6 - Death at the Keep (Part 4)They heard goblin voices as soon as they had passed through the door and descended the steps beyond. The exact words were hard to distinguish but it sounded as through the goblins ahead were arguing. As the companions advanced, past another set of steps descending to the right, Mandratan managed to make out that the goblins seemed to be arguing about whether the room they were in contained treasure. One of the voices complained that he had been digging for weeks and found nothing of value while another, presumably the goblin who had fled from them, kept interrupting, trying to warn them that intruders were abroad in the dungeon. All this Mandratan translated to the others in whispers and then they readied weapons and spells and strode into the chamber.The room at the end of the corridor looked like a disaster area. Here and there, remnants of the original floor stood like short towers protruding from a depression. Narrow wooden planks connected the patches of original floor, and a few goblins toiled in the room, attacking the floor and walls with shovels and picks as they seemed to argue amongst themselves. The goblin that had fled from the chambers to the west stood in the centre of the chamber and seemed to be demanding the attention of the others. While the goblins were still unaware, Mandratan and Lavren strode forward to the edge of the platform on which they had entered the room. The elf hurled dark, crackling fire at the nearest goblin and Mandratan filled the depression with flame. A dragon-like creature with a crest along its back darted from behind one of the towers and surged up the ramp before Gevarn to charge the cleric. The goblins began to fire crossbows and hurl javelins from the depression while another of the dragon-like beasts charged up the ramp. Dulvarna and Erlmoor met both with their swords. A crossbow bolt drove into Mandratan’s shoulder fired by a goblin on a platform in the far corner of the room. Enlishia strode to the edge of the platform and began firing arrows down into the depression beneath the original floor of the room.The dragon beasts surged forward and one seized Gevarn and tore at his arm. Two crossbow bolts struck Mandratan and sent him reeling back and then a third drove into his throat and felled him. Erlmoor and Dulvarna pushed the dragon creatures back with blows from their blades and kept them at bay while Gevarn retreated and began to pray for Mandratan. White light washed over the wizard and the wound at his throat closed. He opened his eyes and rose, unsteadily to his feet.Lavren cursed out in elvish at the nearest of the goblins and loosed more black, crackling fire but the goblin ducked aside. Beside him, Mandratan stopped to get his breath back but was struck by two more crossbow bolts and fell beside the elf once more. At the ramp, the dragon beasts surged forward again and one seized Gevarn’s leg to drag him towards it. Dulvarna slashed at the beast and distracted it so that it turned from Gevarn. The other snapped at her and she ducked back as Erlmoor struck the beast with his sword. The creature shrieked and shrunk back and away. Gevarn struck at the other beast with his morningstar which now glowed with divine radiance. As he struck the beast a blessing washed over him and gave him strength. Lavren loosed more dark fire and then looked down at Mandratan, fearful for the wizard. Suddenly he saw the wizard’s eyes open and he winked at the elf.“You have the luck of Tymora herself,” said Lavren with a smile and then he turned back to face his enemies. Another crossbow bolt struck his shoulder then and he was spun back and away. Enlishia stepped to the edge beside him and loosed an arrow that struck a goblin in the chest and felled him. Meanwhile, behind them both, Erlmoor struck down one of the dragon beasts and then moved to strike at the other from its back.Lavren cursed at another of the goblins and then called fire forth from within the creature that burned its skin and clothes. The goblin screeched in pain and staggered around trying to douse the flames. Mandratan rose to his feet and hurled a silver bolt that struck the goblin in the side and spun it back towards the wizard. The goblin loosed a crossbow bolt that drove into Mandratan’s belly and floored him for a third time. Behind them Erlmoor plunged his blade into the spine of the second dragon beast and felled it with a screech of pain. The dragonborn turned from his enemies then and rushed down the ramp into the depression. He turned towards the remaining goblins there with his blood stained sword before him. The goblin he had faught in the corridor to the west came forward to meet him with a spear in its hands. It leveled it and drove it into the dragonborn’s leg, stopping him in his stride and throwing him off balance to his right. The goblin on the platform in the far corner hit Lavren with another crossbow bolt that wounded him in the left shoulder  He staggered but then heard Gevarn praying behind him. A warm glow of white radiance washed over him and his strength was restored. The elf turned to thank the young priest then but he was already rushing down the ramp into the depression. Enlishia darted forward again then and fired an arrow into the remaining goblin below them. The goblin fell beside its companion and died on the chamber’s new floor.Lavren now cursed the goblin on the far platform and hurled dark fire at him. He ducked back and leveled his crossbow. Dulvarna, meanwhile, rushed down the ramp to aid Erlmoor who called a challenge to the goblin that had escaped him once and would not escape him again. The dragonborn struck the goblin a mighty blow while calling forth a glowing shield of light to protect Dulvarna. He breathed acid then and the goblin cowered back from him before stabbing out desperately with its spear. Erlmoor knocked the spear aside but it nicked his hip and drew blood. Gevarn reached the platform at the far side of the room then and began to clamber up the side of it.Lavren and Enlishia continued their onslaught on the far platform and as they did so, Dulvarna and Erlmoor cut down the goblin before them and rushed towards the foot of the platform. Another bolt struck Lavren and sent him reeling but it was already too late for the goblin for Gevarn was climbing up to his platform. Just as panic set in the goblin’s eyes, the side of the platform crumbled beneath Gevarn’s hands and tumbled the cleric back onto the lower floor. Enlishia loosed another arrow that struck the goblin and forced it back a step and then Lavren loosed more black, crackling energy. The goblin ducked but Dulvarna was up on the platform beside it then and slashed her sword across the backs of its legs. The goblin staggered and looked down at Erlmoor who was struggling to climb the platform. The goblin threw down its crossbow and drew its sword, turning to face Dulvarna. Gevarn fell back again as the side of the platform refused to support his weight but Enlishia found the back of the goblin with an arrow and pitched him forward. He staggered but stayed on his feet. Lavren knelt beside Mandratan and tried desperately to staunch the flow of blood from the wizard’s wounds. The wizard gasped, seemed to reach out his hand weakly to his friend and then breathed out his last breath. Lavren cursed and turned away from his fallen friend. He looked over at the far platform just as Dulvarna swept the head from the goblin there. Victory had come but it had come too late.</blockquote>

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