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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Medriev" data-source="post: 4868945" data-attributes="member: 21864">Chapter 20 - Gates of Agony (Part 1)The companions made their way back westward from the dragon’s lair, through the ice chambers of the elves and then they turned south down the passageway they had previously passed. It ended after a little way at double doors that opened into another long hallway that widened a little way in and then ended in arched double doors with vigilant sentinels carved into the archways beside the portals. As Dulvarna and Erlmoor drew close to the arched doors, they transformed before their eyes into the gaping maw of a devil or demon and the sentinels suddenly came to life as demonic warriors with vicious spears. One stabbed at Dulvarna but as she lashed her blade out to parry, it passed through the creature’s weapon.“The sentinels are illusions,” she called out to the others. “But the maw I am not certain of. We should go back and try another way.”“If the maw is an illusion then we can pass through,” Enlishia said. “We should go on.”“Agreed,” said Lavren. “We should go on.”“We cannot,” Dulvarna said firmly. “We go back and seek the way southward from the foulspawn chamber.”When the companions came to the chamber of the demonic faces they found the corpses of the foulspawn lying where they had fallen and the mouths of the faces silent and motionless once more. The double doors at the southern end of the hall led into another chamber with two doors that led southward. Dulvarna opened the western most door and revealed a chamber holding three statues. The closest statue was of a tiefling in plate armour and carrying a greatsword while the other two statues depicted orcs. One wore the robes of a shaman or wizard and the other carried a two handed axe and wore armour of metal scales. To the south, the companions all heard the ragged breath of some large creature.Suddenly, an arrow shot out of the shadows behind one the statues and drove into Dulvarna’s thigh. She staggered back and as numbness began to spread around the wound, she came to the horrible realisation that she had been poisoned. Dulvarna reached down and yanked the shaft from her leg despite the searing pain and then raised her sword before rushing into the chamber. She saw her enemy almost at once, a robed figure with a bow in her hands and a quiver at her belt. Writhing snakes were her hair and her eyes were a pale yellow. Dulvarna rushed at the creature, lashing out her blade as she reached her, but the creature leapt back beyond the blow. Erlmoor came into the chamber next and circled left behind one of the statues to come at the creature from the other side. Enlishia came in behind the dragonborn and as she did, she saw the archer’s companion, a huge humanoid with pale brown skin wearing only a loincloth and wielding a huge, spiked flail. It was just stirring into motion as the ranger entered the room and she recognised it at once.“An ogre warhulk!” she called to the others. “Beware its flail for it has terrible strength.”Enlishia raised her bow and loosed an arrow that drove into one of the ogre’s huge arms and then fired again. Her second arrow clattered off the ogre’s thick hide and fell to the floor as the lumbering giant slowly raised the heavy chain and spiked ball of its flail. Behind Enlishia, Telkya rushed into the chamber and moved to aid Dulvarna, stepping between two of the statues and loosing a bolt of divine light at the archer. The bolt flashed past the creature and seared into the wall of the chamber next to it. Lavren moved past Enlishia to block the ogre’s path to the ranger and then loosed his own bolt of energy at the archer. The black blast of eldritch power seared into the archer’s side and hurled her back against the wall but she hissed her defiance in response.“The archer is a medusa,” he called out. “Beware her gaze for that is how these statues were made.”A moment later, the ogre burst forth from the far end of the chamber, smashing apart one of the statues as it lumbered forward. It lashed out with its flail at Dulvarna who ducked under the heavy weapon and the spiked ball smashed into the statue behind her. Stone splintered and fell down on Telkya and Dulvarna and as it did, the medusa’s eyes seared with golden light. Thorn came into the chamber and immediately recognised the peril, ducking behind the statue that Erlmoor stood behind. Lavren, Telkya and Dulvarna could not avert their eyes in time and felt their limbs begin to slow a moment later. Dulvarna roared her defiance and slashed her blade across the front of the medusa’s legs, forcing the creature back against the wall again. The medusa hissed again, its snake hair joining it defiantly, and Dulvarna felt her limbs stiffen even more as the effect of the creature’s terrible gaze took hold. Still the warrior woman faught on and from around the statue came Erlmoor with his blade before him.</blockquote>

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