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Medriev's FR Pyramid of Shadows - Concluded Nov 1
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<blockquote data-quote="Medriev" data-source="post: 4850239" data-attributes="member: 21864"><p><strong>Chapter 16 - The Hard Way Up (Part 3)</strong></p><p></p><p>Thorn snarled and lunged at the other gargoyle, his wolf teeth tearing at the creature’s leg and dragging it back toward the ledge. The creature screeched again, pulling its leg free, and as it did, Thorn turned away from the edge to follow Erlmoor. Dulvarna lashed out at the creature with her blade and as it flew back beyond her reach, she darted past Erlmoor to the bottom of the second shifting staircase.</p><p></p><p>Enlishia reached the upper landing as the ash cloud dispersed and fired two arrows quickly at the harpy, both flying wide of the creature. Lavren stumbled onto the landing behind the ranger and loosed a bolt of black energy blindly at the harpy. It too flew wide of the mark and the creature let out a screech of defiance amidst its song of fire. The gargoyle rose from the lower landing, passing behind the harpy and rising up to a ledge that Enlishia decided was at the top of the stairs that rose to the west from the landing on which she stood. Boldly, she started forward, hoping they were not trapped as the lower stairs were while behind her, Telkya loosed a bolt of light from her amulet blindly while wiping her eyes with the back of her other hand. The bolt missed the harpy and with another screech, the creature leapt from the ledge to circle the pit once more.</p><p></p><p>Erlmoor rushed up the shifting stairs, keeping his balance as he did so and reaching the upper landing. He looked around at the others and at a nod from Enlishia, he started up the westward-leading steps. No sooner had he stepped onto the staircase than the step on which he stood gave way, catching his foot in a hole beneath it. The dragonborn staggered forward but his left foot was caught on the next step and he stumbled. </p><p>Behind him, Thorn’s wolf form bounded up the shifting stairs without falling and then leapt forward onto the next staircase. Again, individual steps gave way beneath the druid-wolf and he stumbled, his paws trapped as Erlmoor’s feet were. Seeing her companions trapped, Enlishia moved to the edge of the pit and began firing arrows at the harpy as it circled. One shaft tore into the creature’s wing and drew another screech from it but another missed, clattering down into the pit, lost to the ranger. Lavren stumbled toward the western staircase and climbed up beside Erlmoor and Thorn before the stairs below him gave way too and trapped him with his companions. Still, the ash blinded him and he cursed his ill luck.</p><p></p><p>On the lower landing, Dulvarna steeled herself to ascend the shifting staircase but as she heard a screech from a ledge above, she started forward. She rushed up the stairs, keeping her balance and making the higher landing just as one of the gargoyles swept down the western staircase and lashed out with its claws at Thorn. The claw tore open the side of the druid’s wolf form and he slumped down on the stairs, his blood flowing down the steps toward Dulvarna. Telkya loosed a bolt of light from her amulet toward the gargoyle but without her sight to guide it, it flew past the creature. The priestess finally wiped the ash from her eyes a few moments later and rushed to the edge beside Enlishia, to defend her husband and friends.</p><p></p><p>The harpy swept around the pit and as it drew near to Enlishia and Telkya again, it roared once more and disgorged yet more hot ash. Both fell back from the edge, blinded and burned as the ash engulfed them. Erlmoor roared his anger and turned on the stairs to face the harpy. He raised his voice in prayer, extended one hand while using his sword in the other to lever himself up on the stairs. Ribbons of flame seared out and tore into the harpy sending it spinning away around the pit. The dragonborn turned back and raised his blade as the second gargoyle dove down the stairs toward him. Its claws lashed out and struck him across the face sending him reeling clumsily around on his trapped lower limbs. With another roar, the paladin pulled his feet free of the trapped steps and raised his blade defiantly, determined not to be caught off balance by the gargoyles a second time.</p><p></p><p>At the edge of the pit, Enlishia decided to ignore her blindness for a few moments and drew two more arrows from her quiver. Nocking both to her bow, she drew back the string and aimed carefully, judging where her enemies using only the sound of their wing beats and the occasional screech. She let fly both arrows and as they left her bow, they split, one heading toward the harpy and the other toward the gargoyle that just wounded Erlmoor. She heard both strike their targets with reassuring thuds and as she wiped the ash from her eyes, she saw the harpy plummeting downward into the pit with a shaft through its chest. The gargoyle banked to the right, the arrow having driven into its left side, and as it did, a bolt of black from Lavren’s wand flew just over its head. </p><p></p><p>“Gods damn it,” he cursed as he wiped the ash from his eyes and saw that his spell had missed. He pulled his feet from the trapped stairway and turned to start down it.</p><p>“Maybe I can disarm this thing,” he said, reaching for his sword.</p><p></p><p>Dulvarna rushed up the western stairs as delicately as she could and as the steps collapsed, she leapt to new ones until she stood close to where one of the gargoyles circled. As it drew close to her, she lashed out with her blade, almost toppling into the pit as she did. The sword drove into the creature’s belly and with a screech, the gargoyle tumbled into the darkness after the harpy. The other gargoyle swept away toward the top of the collapsing stairs, disappearing from sight again and giving the companions a momentary reprieve.</p><p>“Thorn is wounded,” Dulvarna called to Telkya.</p><p></p><p>The priestess began a healing prayer despite her blindness and a few moments later, the druid’s wolf form opened its eyes. Telkya wiped the ash from her eyes and smiled at the druid who bowed his wolf head in thanks. Beside the druid, Erlmoor started up the steps again but he did not get far before more steps collapsed and trapped his feet again. Behind him, Enlishia started up the stairs but she barely got to Thorn before her feet became trapped in the collapsing steps.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Medriev, post: 4850239, member: 21864"] [b]Chapter 16 - The Hard Way Up (Part 3)[/b] Thorn snarled and lunged at the other gargoyle, his wolf teeth tearing at the creature’s leg and dragging it back toward the ledge. The creature screeched again, pulling its leg free, and as it did, Thorn turned away from the edge to follow Erlmoor. Dulvarna lashed out at the creature with her blade and as it flew back beyond her reach, she darted past Erlmoor to the bottom of the second shifting staircase. Enlishia reached the upper landing as the ash cloud dispersed and fired two arrows quickly at the harpy, both flying wide of the creature. Lavren stumbled onto the landing behind the ranger and loosed a bolt of black energy blindly at the harpy. It too flew wide of the mark and the creature let out a screech of defiance amidst its song of fire. The gargoyle rose from the lower landing, passing behind the harpy and rising up to a ledge that Enlishia decided was at the top of the stairs that rose to the west from the landing on which she stood. Boldly, she started forward, hoping they were not trapped as the lower stairs were while behind her, Telkya loosed a bolt of light from her amulet blindly while wiping her eyes with the back of her other hand. The bolt missed the harpy and with another screech, the creature leapt from the ledge to circle the pit once more. Erlmoor rushed up the shifting stairs, keeping his balance as he did so and reaching the upper landing. He looked around at the others and at a nod from Enlishia, he started up the westward-leading steps. No sooner had he stepped onto the staircase than the step on which he stood gave way, catching his foot in a hole beneath it. The dragonborn staggered forward but his left foot was caught on the next step and he stumbled. Behind him, Thorn’s wolf form bounded up the shifting stairs without falling and then leapt forward onto the next staircase. Again, individual steps gave way beneath the druid-wolf and he stumbled, his paws trapped as Erlmoor’s feet were. Seeing her companions trapped, Enlishia moved to the edge of the pit and began firing arrows at the harpy as it circled. One shaft tore into the creature’s wing and drew another screech from it but another missed, clattering down into the pit, lost to the ranger. Lavren stumbled toward the western staircase and climbed up beside Erlmoor and Thorn before the stairs below him gave way too and trapped him with his companions. Still, the ash blinded him and he cursed his ill luck. On the lower landing, Dulvarna steeled herself to ascend the shifting staircase but as she heard a screech from a ledge above, she started forward. She rushed up the stairs, keeping her balance and making the higher landing just as one of the gargoyles swept down the western staircase and lashed out with its claws at Thorn. The claw tore open the side of the druid’s wolf form and he slumped down on the stairs, his blood flowing down the steps toward Dulvarna. Telkya loosed a bolt of light from her amulet toward the gargoyle but without her sight to guide it, it flew past the creature. The priestess finally wiped the ash from her eyes a few moments later and rushed to the edge beside Enlishia, to defend her husband and friends. The harpy swept around the pit and as it drew near to Enlishia and Telkya again, it roared once more and disgorged yet more hot ash. Both fell back from the edge, blinded and burned as the ash engulfed them. Erlmoor roared his anger and turned on the stairs to face the harpy. He raised his voice in prayer, extended one hand while using his sword in the other to lever himself up on the stairs. Ribbons of flame seared out and tore into the harpy sending it spinning away around the pit. The dragonborn turned back and raised his blade as the second gargoyle dove down the stairs toward him. Its claws lashed out and struck him across the face sending him reeling clumsily around on his trapped lower limbs. With another roar, the paladin pulled his feet free of the trapped steps and raised his blade defiantly, determined not to be caught off balance by the gargoyles a second time. At the edge of the pit, Enlishia decided to ignore her blindness for a few moments and drew two more arrows from her quiver. Nocking both to her bow, she drew back the string and aimed carefully, judging where her enemies using only the sound of their wing beats and the occasional screech. She let fly both arrows and as they left her bow, they split, one heading toward the harpy and the other toward the gargoyle that just wounded Erlmoor. She heard both strike their targets with reassuring thuds and as she wiped the ash from her eyes, she saw the harpy plummeting downward into the pit with a shaft through its chest. The gargoyle banked to the right, the arrow having driven into its left side, and as it did, a bolt of black from Lavren’s wand flew just over its head. “Gods damn it,” he cursed as he wiped the ash from his eyes and saw that his spell had missed. He pulled his feet from the trapped stairway and turned to start down it. “Maybe I can disarm this thing,” he said, reaching for his sword. Dulvarna rushed up the western stairs as delicately as she could and as the steps collapsed, she leapt to new ones until she stood close to where one of the gargoyles circled. As it drew close to her, she lashed out with her blade, almost toppling into the pit as she did. The sword drove into the creature’s belly and with a screech, the gargoyle tumbled into the darkness after the harpy. The other gargoyle swept away toward the top of the collapsing stairs, disappearing from sight again and giving the companions a momentary reprieve. “Thorn is wounded,” Dulvarna called to Telkya. The priestess began a healing prayer despite her blindness and a few moments later, the druid’s wolf form opened its eyes. Telkya wiped the ash from her eyes and smiled at the druid who bowed his wolf head in thanks. Beside the druid, Erlmoor started up the steps again but he did not get far before more steps collapsed and trapped his feet again. Behind him, Enlishia started up the stairs but she barely got to Thorn before her feet became trapped in the collapsing steps. [/QUOTE]
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