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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Medriev" data-source="post: 4823576" data-attributes="member: 21864">Chapter 11 - Through Dark Waters (Part 2)The companions decided to go north again from the pit chamber so as to keep moving away from the arboreans and their servants. A long passage led north from the room toward double doors at its far end but before it reached the doors, a passage branched off to the right and double doors opened on the left. After a moment’s indecision, Dulvarna turned aside into the right hand passage.“We shall not take a chance on leaving enemies behind us,” Dulvarna said as she started down the side passage and the others nodded their agreement. The passage ended after perhaps twenty feet at a staircase that descended before the companions. As Dulvarna descended the stairs, she saw that they disappeared into murky water that covered the floor of an oddly covered chamber that opened up before her. Three other stairways led out of the chamber and a platform floated atop the water on the eastern side of the chamber. A heavy door stood in the wall beside the platform and two hulking, reptilian creatures rose from the water near the middle of the room. Around them, three smaller figures swam and as Dulvarna reached the bottom of the stairway, they turned toward her and hissed.Dulvarna raised her blade high and then waded out into the water to her left, ready to meet the blackscaled creatures in the middle of the pool. Enlishia waded into the pool behind her with her bow above the water level which came to just higher than her waist.“Lizard folk,” she called to the others. “Fierce fighters and used to water.”“They haven’t seen me fight yet,” Thorn called back from the steps as he came forward.Enlishia nocked an arrow to her bow and loosed it at a greenscale lizardfolk near the north wall. The shaft drove into the creature’s shoulder and the first splashed of red blood stained the water. She loosed a second arrow but this time, the water rippled around her and threw off her aim, the arrow clattering into the wall behind the creature. The shaft splashed into the water close to her enemy and the ranger cursed that she would not be able to recover the shaft. Since entering the pyramid, she had recovered all of her spent arrows to keep her quiver full and every one lost was a blow to her.Telkya leapt into the water next to Enlishia and loosed a bolt of golden light toward the nearest of the black-scaled creatures only for the divine fire to hiss into the water to the right of the lizardfolk warrior. It hissed its derision but a moment later, Lavren jumped into the water at the base of the steps and loosed a black bolt of energy that seared into the blackscale. The creature reared back, roaring its anger and pain at the warlock.The lizardfolk came forward then, the greenscale to the north leading the attack despite the arrow that still protruded from its shoulder. It rushed at Dulvarna as though the water was no obstacle and stabbed out at her with its spear. She twisted to face it and slashed down with her sword to drive the greenscale’s spear into the water to her left. One of the huge blackscales came next, rushing forward and swinging a massive spiked club at Dulvarna. The warrior woman ducked under the blow and then leapt back to try to stay beyond the creature’s reach.Thorn leapt into the water next, wading straight toward the nearest of the blackscales. He halted a little way into the pool and raised his totem stick in his left hand. He waved it before him while uttering garbled phrases in a low mutter. The incantation reached its conclusion and a howling gust of icy wind swept around the centre of the pool between the two blackscales. The one before Dulvarna leapt away but the other creature roared in pain as the terrible wind savaged it. The greenscale in the far northwest corner seemed to hiss at the druid then before swimming forward to stand just behind the two blackscales. The creature raised its left hand and began chanting its own incantation. Suddenly, the water around the companions began to grown darker and thick, cloying mud took hold of their feet. Dulvarna leapt free of the sticky mud but the others, apart from Erlmoor who had not yet entered the water, were stuck fast. The second blackscale surged at Dulvarna a moment later, lashing out with its club as its companion had, only for the warrior woman to duck again and avoid the blow. Erlmoor rushed into the water to meet this second blackscale, roaring as he did so. As he reached the creature, he roared again and this time, spat acid from his throat, the dark liquid searing the skin of the nearest blackscale and the greenscale shaman behind it. Dulvarna retreated beyond the reach of the huge blackscale’s club and then lashed out to her left, slashing her blade into the hip of the greenscale next to her. The creature reeled back, more blood staining the water around it. Enlishia loosed an arrow into the blackscale to try to keep it from advancing and then fired again but her second shaft flew wide of the creature and clattered into the far wall of the chamber. Telkya loosed a golden bolt of light into the same blackscale and then Lavren loosed a crackling black bolt into the chest of the other dark coloured lizard creature. Both reeled back but recovered quickly, surging through the water at the companions.</blockquote>

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