Medriev's FR Thunderspire Labyrinth - Concluded Apr 13

[Medriev]

Chapter 21 - The Inner Sanctum (Part 5)

Beside Lavren, Litiraan raised his wand and loosed a silver bolt followed by another. These found their marks in the demon’s chest and drove it back against the stone platform behind it. Telkya retreated from the demon’s fury and knelt beside Erlmoor. She uttered her most powerful healing prayer and laid a hand on the dragonborn’s chest as light filled her palm. It flowed into the dragonborn, closing the terrible wound in his chest and as she prayed, Telkya saw Erlmoor’s eyes open once more. She smiled for a moment but then a bolt of black, crackling power lanced out from the gnoll near the altar and struck her in the shoulder, hurling her back against the wall.

The demon leapt forward after the priestess, snarling as it came but Erlmoor rolled over on the floor as it drew near and stabbed his blade into its leg. The demon turned and lashed a claw across the dragonborn’s back but he paid it no mind. He could feel little pain now and began to push himself to his feet. Even as he rose, Lavren cursed the demon and loosed a bolt of black energy that drove it back from Telkya. Enlishia loosed an arrow from her bow that nicked the demon’s cheek and then another, that flew past to strike the cauldron at the far end of the raised platform. The demon snarled for the last time and then Litiraan raised his wand to loose a silver bolt at the demon. It seared through its chest, pierced its foul heart and felled it against the platform from which it had come. Litiraan vanished in a shower of light motes and reappeared on the platform a few feet from the gnoll who turned towards him while behind the elf, Erlmoor rose again with a roar. He rushed up the steps and moved to meet the gnoll with his blade before him.

Telkya watched her brother and the dragonborn advance on the gnoll and knew that she had a chance now to tend to Dulvarna. She knelt beside the warrior woman and uttered a healing prayer while resting her hand on the terrible wound at her throat. Again golden light filled her hand and flowed into her companion to close the wound before finally, Dulvarna’s eyes flicked open.

The gnoll growled at Erlmoor and lashed out with its tail which bore sharp spikes. The tail struck the dragonborn’s right knee and drove its spikes deep into his leg. He staggered and lurched to the right as the gnoll threw down its rod and drew a large mace from its belt. It lashed out at the paladin while still reading from the parchment in its left hand and Erlmoor parried desperately, stopping the mace mere inches from his head. The gnoll’s voice rose to a crescendo for a moment and to his right, Erlmoor saw one of the elf prisoners consumed in a flash of bright light. He roared his defiance again and shoved the gnoll’s mace away from him though he knew that his knee would not hold him for much longer.

As Erlmoor roared, Dulvarna rushed up the steps behind him with Aecris before her and behind her came Lavren, loosing black lightning at the gnoll to drive it back from the others. Enlishia came next, loosing arrows one after the other and wounding the gnoll twice and then Litiraan unleashed a silver bolt into the gnoll’s side. For the first time, the terrible creature staggered and seemed to falter in its reading of the parchment in its left hand. As he saw his companions arrive, Erlmoor summoned the last of his strength and channelled it into his blade before swing out at the gnoll. The sword glowed brightly and clove into the creature’s left shoulder, tearing through flesh and bone. The gnoll howled and its grip on the parchment loosened but it continued to chant the ritual phrases. Erlmoor roared and rushed forward and the gnoll raised its mace to meet him.

Telkya watched the battle on the platform unfold for a moment and then focused her fey energy on moving to join her companions. She vanished in a shower of motes and reappeared next to the gnoll as it moved to meet Erlmoor. Despite its distractions, it seemed to sense her presence and lashed its spiked tail around towards her. She could not avoid the terrible weapon and it struck her in the wide, driving the breath from her body and audibly cracking several ribs. The priestess staggered to the right and uttered a short blessing to enchant her sword before rushing in at the gnoll and stabbing at it. The gnoll twisted away from her and brought its mace down to parry her thrust with amazing speed. It whipped the mace back up and struck the side of the elf’s head before turning back towards Erlmoor and Dulvarna. Telkya staggered away in a daze but saw the gnoll feint low towards Erlmoor before raising the mace over his head and bringing its down on the dragonborn’s skull. Erlmoor crumpled and fell for the third time in a shower of blood.

 

[Medriev]

Dulvarna cried out as Erlmoor fell again and rushed at the gnoll while sweeping her blade out to the right. It slashed into the gnoll’s hip and sent it lurching towards Telkya. The gnoll lifted its head as Lavren uttered a new curse that would fill its head with terrible images and dark dreams. The gnoll turned towards the warlock as he finished the curse and snarled its defiance, refusing to be beaten by the images that filled its head. From the other side of Dulvarna, Enlishia raised her bow with two arrows nocked to its string and loosed both at the same time. They separated in the air but both flew straight and true towards the gnoll and drove into its right side. It staggered again and it faltered in its chanting for a second time.

Instead, Litiraan’s voice filled the chamber and as his chanting reached its conclusion, a cloud of chill fog appeared behind the gnoll that coalesced into a hand of ice almost as tall as a man. The hand rushed forward and seized the gnoll around the waist in a crushing grip. Again the gnoll howled and as it did so, Telkya stabbed at it with her blade. It parried and lashed out at her head again. The mace struck the elf’s cheek and spun her away towards Litiraan and Enlishia. For a moment, Telkya saw blinding light and then there was blackness.

Dulvarna and Lavren cried out together and both surged at the gnoll. Dulvarna lashed her blade across the gnoll’s chest and Lavren loosed a black bolt that passed close to the creature’s head. It growled fiercely but then an arrow from Enlishia’s bow drove into its throat and finally silence it. The gnoll slumped forward, held upright for a moment by Litiraan’s ice hand but then he dismissed the conjured appendage and the gnoll collapsed beside Erlmoor and Telkya. The battle was won and the last survivor of Litiraan’s band of elves was safe.

Next......The Tower of Mysteries

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 22 - The Tower of Mysteries (Part 1)

Once the companions had tended to their wounded, Telkya moved over to the fallen gnoll and checked his belongings for clues to who he was. At his belt was a pouch of letters that she took from him and put to one side while in another pouch she found a silver key. She reached out and took it but as she touched it, a powerful sensation of motion struck her and she reeled. Before herm, she saw a passage behind a hidden door that she knew lay to the north of the Seven Pillared Hall. She knew as well that she could find the tunnel again from the vision that she had been granted. She reeled again and her view of the chamber and the dead gnoll returned.

“What happened?” asked Lavren, kneeling beside her and placing his arm around her shoulders.
“This is not over,” Telkya answered. “There is a hidden tunnel under the northern flank of the mountain that we must seek. The letters there will likely tell us why.”
“And what of the last of our band,” said Litiraan from close to the circle of runes where he comforted the elf maid that had survived the ritual. “We cannot let Tahlvinae find her way back to Cormanthor alone”
“You are right, Litiraan,” said Erlmoor softly from where he sat against the altar. “We must go with her to ensure she arrives home safely.”
“Could we not take her there once our business here is done?” Lavren put in. “Telkya and I have business at our homes if she is still willing to be my wife.”
“I am,” Telkya said with a warm smile at Lavren.
“Then we set out for Cormanthor once we have brought an end to whatever darkness is behind all of this,” said Erlmoor.

The companions nodded their agreement and Litiraan softly whispered to the traumatised elf maid what had been decided. Once they had made their decision, the companions settled down to rest and recover for the remainder of the day before returning to the Seven Pillared Hall when morning came.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 22 - The Tower of Mysteries (Part 2)

“All letters are from this Paldemar whose name has crossed our path before,” said Erlmoor as the companions finished their breakfast in the common room of the Halfmoon Inn. “He has sought to trap us before and may seek to do so again but he also says that he seeks to topple the other Mages of Saruun. I have not heard of these mages before.”
“They rule the Hall and the Mountain and keep order,” piped up Rendil Halfmoon as he reached up to take away the dragonborn’s platter. “It is said that they came here from the east two decades and more ago and founded this Hall as a trading post. They all wear red robes and are rarely seen so I know not if this Paldemar is one of them.”
“We are lucky you listen in on our conversations,” said Lavren with a smile at the halfling. “Do the letters say more that may give us a clue to Paldemar’s plans.”

The elf pulled the letters across the table and read through them again as they all had several times, seeking some hidden lore that might guide their way ahead.
“He has sacrificed demonic relics from the Well of Demons to Bane and gained access to an ancient hold of the Black Lord,” Lavren read out.
“The Tower of Mysteries,” Erlmoor finished, having memorised the name.
“That must be the place that the silver key showed me,” said Telkya. “I can lead us there.”
“Then we go at once,” said Erlmoor grimly. “The sooner we rid this mountain of the last of its evils, the better.”

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 22 - The Tower of Mysteries (Part 3)

Guided by Telkya, the companions left the Hall behind once more and set out along the Road of Lanterns, back towards the Minotaur gate. At one of the double backs where the passage turned left to slope upwards, the priestess gestured that they should turn aside down an unremarkable side passage that they had not noticed before and led northward into the darkness.
“It is almost pulling me toward the Tower,” said Telkya as the six entered the tunnel.

They travelled onward, their path lit only by the dim light of Litiraan’s wand and by torches that Dulvarna and Erlmoor carried. Finally, the passage ended at a dead end and here the key began to glow with a pale blue light. Telkya stepped forward, the key dragging her towards the wall. She held it out before her and it guided itself into a barely visible keyhole that had seemed to be nothing more than a shadowy aberration in the rock. Telkya staggered forward and fell against the wall but as she did so, the pull of the key was gone. She reached out and pulled the key from the keyhole and a grinding sound followed as the rock wall of the dead end, slid to one side. Within, another passage led away into the darkness. Dulvarna and Erlmoor handed their torches to Lavren and Litiraan and drew their sword while the warlock and the wizard drew their wands from their belts. Enlishia drew an arrow from her quiver and nocked it while Telkya drew her sword in her right hand while clasping her amulet of Corellon in her left. Together, they started forward.

The passage led on into the darkness until the secret door through which they had come vanished into the blackness behind them. Finally, it emerged into a wide, square chamber with a glowing circle of pale blue runes at its centre.
“A teleportation circle,” said Litiraan as he recognised the pattern of the runes.
“Which must lead us into the Tower,” said Enlishia, lowering her bow and starting forward.
“Enlishia is right,” said Lavren. “But we should enter it together. We know not what lies on the other side.”
“And we know not where it leads yet,” said Dulvarna. “We should be cautious.”

Suddenly, as Enlishia neared the circle, it flared with blinding energy for a moment and when the light faded away, a spectral figure in black armour was standing within the circle. Its face was hidden beneath the faceguard of a black helmet and a cloak of ebony silk flowed down from the creature’s shoulders. It raised a gauntleted hand to indicate that Enlishia and Lavren should stop and then it spoke in a deep, booming voice.
“The secrets of the tower come at a price,” said the figure. “You must each pay for the right to enter this place. What can you offer to the Black Lord? I seek lore, power, and your souls.”

“My soul is my own to keep,” said Litiraan. “And my lore will only frustrate you. Know you, Black One that the fey of Cormanthor are not yet defeated by the darkness. The mythal of Myth Drannor remains strong and unbroken despite the demons and devils that haunt the ancient ruin.”
“Bravely spoken, elf,” answered the spirit of Bane. “But your lore does not frustrate me. Those who serve me in Myth Drannor will only have to try harder to break the power of the mythal.”
“From me you will learn nothing and take nothing,” Dulvarna hissed. “My blade speaks for me and for Lathander. I spit on you, Dark One and command you to let us into the circle.”
“No one commands me,” the apparition said and then laughed deeply, mocking Dulvarna. “Your blades cannot defeat me, nor can your pitiful spells. I ask for lore and power and then your souls. Nothing else will let you pass here.”

“My friend spoke rashly, mighty Bane,” said Erlmoor then. “We seek enemies here and merely ask that you let us pass so that we may face them.”
“I have named my price,” the spirit laughed again. “And the enemies you seek are my servants. I will not let you pass through without a price. I will take your souls and my servants will take your lives when you pass within.”
“We do not die easily but we will pay your price,” said Enlishia. “I am poorly blessed in the lore of the Realms beyond the forests and trails of Cormyr but my companions are learned and wise. We will give you that which you seek.”
“Then you had best be swift about it,” said the spirit. “My patience wears thin and I have heard little of value beyond the news of Myth Drannor that the elf has given. Speak quickly oh wise and learned ones or my price will be steep indeed.”
“My brother spoke lore that was valuable to you and now I shall, too,” said Telkya quickly. “Know you that we are descended from a great house and that our father stood with the Emerald Enclave when the druids of that circle defeated your dark servant Borran Klosk at the Battle of Morningstar Hollows. He aided the magic that brought flood to the Alaoreum River and brought low your foul undead general.”

“Of course I knew that, foolish elf maid. “Do you think that the Dark One does not study his enemies? Especially those that score victories, however minor, against him. Your house is known to me but insignificant unless it stands against me again. Now, I grow tired of this and my price rises with every passing moment. Speak well, each of you, or pay with your souls.”
“We have spoken well and will continue to do so,” said Lavren then. “It is merely difficult for us to outwit an apparition that possesses the knowledge of such a powerful and wise god. Give us more time, Dark Lord, lest we may speak lore worthy of you.”
“Well spoken at last, elf,” said the spirit. “You at least show some appreciation for who you face here. I will contain my patience for a little longer.”

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 22 - The Tower of Mysteries (Part 4)

“You say that you know of our house, Dark One,” spoke up Litiraan then. “But know you that my great grandsire stood at the Standing Stone when we first made our Compact with the Dalesmen. Maidar Zysel lived later in the City of Song until its fall and fell there in the last defence. Powerful enemies you face here, Dark One.”

“Indeed,” answered the spirit with a grim nod. “Your house is greater than even I knew but will fall just as easily as the other elven houses have fallen.”
“Perhaps they will and perhaps they won’t,” Dulvarna answered. “You are truly mighty among the gods of the Realms and worthy of the praise of your worshippers here.”
“Good,” the spirit answered. “Another among you recognises the unstoppable power that stands before you.”

“We all recognise it,” said Erlmoor, recognising the flattery that seemed to calm the apparition. “We shall provide for you the lore that you seek so that we may pass by to confront your mighty followers. Perhaps then, we will become sacrifices for you or we shall cull the weak from amongst the ranks of your servants.”
“I am glad that you all seem to be finally seeing sense,” answered the black-armoured creature. “Now who will provide me with more lore for me to use against my enemies.”

“I will,” spoke up Enlishia though she knew that she had precious little to offer. “My kindred too have a great history and were once huntmasters to the mighty Palaghard the First of Cormyr. We still hold knowledge of the hidden trails of the King’s Forest that few know of.”
“You lie!” the spirit roared immediately. “Palaghard despised hunting and employed no huntmasters. You know nothing of the King’s Forest and its hidden trails.”

Enlishia retreated before the wrath of the apparition, knowing the truth of its words. Her lie had been a desperate one that she had crafted quickly to try and fool the manifestation before her.
“Know you then that we have recently defeated a great evil in the Thunder Gap,” Telkya said. “There the town of Winterhaven lies and the Keep that once guarded the eastern boundary of Cormyr with Sembia is now a place of goblins, undead and fouler things. Still the border holds and Cormyr’s lords guard it.”

“They shall not forever and I know of the evil that you speak,” answered the spirit. “Though not the eastern border that the town and Keep mark. When last I ventured forth into the realm of mortals, Cormyr and Sembia yet squabbled over their borders. This is the useful lore that I seek from you.”
“My own kin have power themselves and are a great house,” Lavren said next. “We made a pact with powerful fey nearly thirteen centuries ago when Cormyr and the Dalelands were young realms. They aid us still with magical power that has made my father and my family strong amongst the elves of Cormanthor. Myth Drannor may lie in ruins but the Elven Court lives on.”

“Also well spoken elf,” the manifestation of Bane answered. “Though as hopeless as the words of your kin. The elven houses of Cormanthor are shadows of their former selves and doomed before the might of my servants.”
“On that we cannot agree,” said Litiraan fiercely. “Surely your greatest servant was the lich, Szass Tam who was defeated by the Harpers at the end of the Harpstar Wars a century and more ago. If your greatest servant is no match for the power of the Dales and Cormanthor then you will never prevail.”
The apparition seemed to pause and behind the faceplate of the helm, a faint smile was visible.

“Szass Tam yet lives though,” it answered softly. “And he may yet return to plague your lands. But I grow tired of this talk. You may now enter the Tower of Mysteries. May its secrets intrigue you.”
The apparition vanished and as it did so, the companions felt a sudden weakness overcome them as a portion of their strength was sapped away. Each staggered but then made their way slowly forward into the teleportation circle.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 22 - The Tower of Mysteries (Part 5)

With a flash of light, the teleportation circle activated. Suddenly, the six companions were standing in a room, perhaps twenty feet by twenty feet, with two exits, one to the north and the other to the west. The walls of the chamber were covered with carvings that depicted human faces with each face wearing a blindfold or gag. No sooner had the companions appeared in the chamber than the blindfolded faces animated and began to chant while the eyes of the gagged faces glared at the newcomers with rage.

Enlishia was the first to move from the circle, raising her bow and leaving the chamber through the northern exit. Beyond, she found herself in a wide, columned hall that seemed to circle the central chamber As she turned right to circle to the east, a hobgoblin-like creature with black, warty skin, scarred leather armour and a notched battleaxe, rounded the corner coming towards her.
“Norkers!” she called out as she identified the creatures from a story that her father had once told her. “They will bite and gnaw so keep your distance.”

The ranger raised her bow and loosed an arrow that flew past the norker and then in one fluid motion, nocked and loosed a second shaft. This one flew true and drove into the goblin’s shoulder, stopping it in its stride. As she raised her bow again, Enlishia saw another of the goblin creatures coming up the columned hallway from the south behind its companion.
“There’s more than one,” she shouted back to others and as she did, Dulvarna emerged from the chamber with her sword in her hands.

The warrior womon rushed forward to meet the first of the norkers as it started forward once again and then Telkya emerged from the chamber. Raising her symbol of Corellon, she uttered a prayer and unleashed towards the leading creature that struck the wall behind it. The creature snarled and came forward in a rush then to meet Dulvarna blade to blade. Suddenly, from a pillar to the left of Dulvarna, a bolt of lightning crackled out, missing the warrior woman by bare inches. She stepped back and the norker rushed on, trying to seize its chance.

At the southern end of the hallway another norker appeared but Lavren had joined the group at the northern end and with a chanted curse, he loosed black, crackling energy into the nearest of the goblin creatures. Erlmoor came forth next and rushed to join Dulvarna in battle with the first Norker. He roared and sprayed acid from his mouth over both of the nearer creatures, driving them back a step and pushing their furious assault back for a few more previous moments. Litiraan emerged to stand beside Lavren, raising his wand and seeking a target for his spells but Erlmoor and Dulvarna blocked his sight as they raised their blades and parried the first blows from the norkers.

A fourth norker rushed to join its companions in the eastern hallway and rushed to join the battle and as it did so, the lead goblin creature lashed out with its axe and nicked Dulvarna’s left arm. She fell back, bleeding but barely hurt and gave Enlishia the opening she needed. The ranger raised her bow and loosed first one and then a second arrow into the chest of the goblin. It staggered and fell back from the battle with the woman and the dragonborn but from behind, its companion rushed forward to aid it. The second norker swung out with its axe but Erlmoor saw its rushing attack and leapt back. The jagged blade nicked his right arm as he dodged out of reach, drawing blood but causing the dragonborn little hurt. He roared his defiance and Dulvarna joined in the battle cry as she swept her blade out wide. Aecris clove through the neck of the first norker and dropped it art her feet.

Another norker rushed along the east wall of the hallway with a flail in its hand but Telkya saw it coming and loosed another bolt of light. This bolt flew true and seared through the chest of the norker before burning the wall behind it. The creature stopped, looked down at the gaping hole in its body and then pitched forward, face down on the floor. Telkya smiled for a moment but then, as if an unseen force sought to punish her for her triumph, a bolt of lightning lanced out from the pillar behind her and struck her back, throwing her to her left against the north wall of the corridor. Telkya looked back towards the pillar and as she did so, a dark mist seeped out and enveloped Lavren’s legs. The elf cried out as a sudden cold assailed him and staggered towards his betrothed. She looked at him pleadingly and he leapt clear of the mist but as though again directed by some unseen foe, the mist turned aside and drifted gently towards Litiraan.
“Stay away from the pillars!” Lavren called out to Litiraan in particular but to his companions also.

Cursing under his breath, he raised his wand and pointed it at the next norker that he could see rushing up the eastern hallway towards him. With an uttered curse he loosed more black, crackling energy at the norkers but this time his aim was awry and the bolt seared into the pillar next to the goblin creature he had been aiming at. Behind him, he heard Litiraan cry out as the mist sought to engulf him. He too, leapt clear within a heartbeat and rushed past Lavren to the eastern wall. There, he turned towards the advancing norkers and with a few words, he unleashed flame from his wand that engulfed the nearest of the creatures. The norkers cried out in pain and fell back for a moment but more were coming. Litiraan quickly counted half a dozen of the creatures massing before him in the hallway now and wondered if there was any end to the horde of creatures. Then a bolt of lightning lanced out from the pillar behind him and he was forced to duck as it struck the wall above him. Putting aside his thoughts, he raised his wand once more as three more norkers rushed up the hallway from the south.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 22 - The Tower of Mysteries (Part 6)

Enlishia raised her bow and loosed an arrow into the next norker as it came forward. It lurched backward but then snarled and came forward again. She loosed another arrow but this time the creature lashed out with its axe and swatted the arrow from the air. The goblin creature fixed the ranger with a predatory glare and then started forward again. As it did, it hollered a high, ululating battle cry that the other goblins took up. The one facing Erlmoor surged forward and lashed out with its axe, driving the blade down on the dragonborn’s shoulder. The paladin roared in pain but as it did, Dulvarna came forward and lashed out with her blade. Aecris cut into the norker’s right arm and it turned on her with a sudden ferocity, snapping at her with its teeth. She leapt back beyond its reach and it snarled at her, seeming to promise bloody revenge.

Two more norkers rounded the corner to the south and rushed up the hallway, one pushing through its companions to charge at Litiraan. Telkya came forward to aid her brother, uttering a prayer and unleashing another bolt of golden light at this new enemy. The goblin creature slowed its charge and the bolt struck the wall between it and Litiraan. With a snarl it raised its flail and came on while from the pillar in front of Telkya came more revenge from the unseen enemies that plagued the companions. This time, a pale white bolt flashed out and struck Telkya, dazing her for a moment but leaving her otherwise unharmed. The priestess shook her head and then turned her attention back to the battle, silently thanking Corellon for a lucky escape.

Another norker pushed forward, raising an axe above its head and bringing it down towards Dulvarna. She raised her blade and parried deftly, turning the axe aside. Another pushed forward and rushed at Litiraan, lashing its axe around to its left. He brought his blade down and half-parried but the axe drove on and tore into his right thigh. He staggered to the left, lurching into the wall next to him. Lavren cursed the goblin again and loosed more black, crackling energy that seared into the creature’s chest and drove it away from the wizard for a few moments. The creature snarled as it staggered back and then raised its axe to come forward again.

Erlmoor roared and clashed blades with the norker before him as he tried to find a way through its wild and ragged defences and Litiraan took heart from the dragonborn. He raised his own blade and met the norker before him as it came forward, parrying its flurry of axe blows and slashing low toward its belly. It leapt back and again, the elf gained a few moments of breathing space. Behind the two foes he now faced, Litiraan saw others snarling and with spittle dripping from their vicious teeth. They surged forward as one and pushed the front line towards the companions once more, forcing Litiraan to parry desperately again. Then a bolt of lightning lanced out from the pillar behind Litiraan and struck the wall next to him. The norkers surged forward again and again, the elf raised his sword.

Enlishia raised her bow and took aim at a norker in the front row that she had already wounded. She let fly but at the last, the goblin ducked to the left and the arrow flew through the ranks to clatter into the eastern wall of the hallway. Calmly, the ranger nocked another arrow and took aim again, loosing the shaft a heartbeat later. This time, the arrow drove through the throat of the norker that had wounded Litiraan, throwing it back into its companions before it fell to the floor amongst them. The norkers snarled their derision and came forward again, one lashing its axe high towards Erlmoor. The dragonborn parried and as he did so, Dulvarna stepped forward and lashed her blade into the side of the goblin before her. The creature shrieked and fell back before being pushed forward again by its companions.

Another norker came forward to replace the one that Enlishia had felled, raising its flail above its head and then bringing it down towards Litiraan. The elf leapt back beyond its reach but as he did, his remaining foe came forward, lashing its flail across towards his wounded thigh. He brought his blade down at the last moment and parried the chain and spiked ball down into the stone floor. The norker snarled but as it did so a bolt of light seared out from Telkya’s amulet and blasted into its side, throwing its against the wall. It let out one last gasp and slid down to the base of the wall beside the other goblin that the priestess had slain. Once again the pillars let loose the revenge of the hidden enemies and this time, lightning lanced out at Telkya. It struck her left shoulder and threw her back against the corner of the wall where the passage bent around to the south. She cried out and Lavren looked over to her with concern until she pushed herself away from the wall and half-smiled at him through the pain.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 22 - The Tower of Mysteries (Part 7)

The norkers came forward again then as though drawing inspiration from the power of their unseen allies. Dulvarna’s wounded foe feinted left and then brought its axe around to the right to slash it across the front of the warrior woman’s hip. She staggered back a step but then black, crackling energy lanced out again from Lavren’s wand and blasted through the chest of the goblin next to Dulvarna’s foe. The creature was hurled like a doll against the pillar behind it before it collapsed on the floor amongst the bodies of its companions. Erlmoor roared and surged forward as the norker fell, lashing his blade across the chest of the foe he faced. The norker snarled in response and seized his arm as he swept his blade past, tearing flesh from the dragonborn’s elbow. Erlmoor slammed his arm into the creature’s face and forced it away but both had been hurt in the exchange of blows. The dragonborn roared again and in response, the norkers took up their ululating battle cry.

Litiraan looked at the norkers before him and realised that he had a chance to use his spells once again while the goblins mustered another attack. Raising his wand, he uttered an incantation and let fly a small orange ball that flew between the goblins and past the pillar in their midst. When it passed their back rank it exploded and fire filled the hallway, searing the goblin creatures. New screams filled the corridor then as the terrible flame burned the norkers. Five fell with their armour burned away and their dark flesh blistered and melted. The three that remained staggered and all but fell as the flames died away to leave them only barely alive. One of the creatures mustered a weak ululating battle cry and then with a snarl, it rushed at Litiraan. It lashed out with its axe and the elf parried with his sword but the blow was strong and the jagged blade nicked the elf’s calf. Then lightning struck him from behind and he fell against the wall next to him, helpless before his enemy.

Enlishia saw Litiraan’s plight and raised her bow. She loosed an arrow and then another but both were hasty shots and struck the wall next to the goblin. She cursed but as she looked towards the other norkers, she could see that this part of the battle at least was won. Dulvarna swept her sword out and lashed a deep wound across the chest of the norker she faced. It snarled and came at her with its teeth bared but she kept it at bay, meeting axe with sword while moving towards Litiraan.

As Dulvarna moved, Telkya saw her chance and loosed a bolt of light towards the goblin creature. It seared through the chest of the norker and threw it back to land in the pile of burned and bloodied bodies that filled the hallway behind it. Again, lighting flew out from one of the pillars and threw the elf maid against the wall but this time, Lavren this time dismissed his concern for Telkya and with an act of will, vanished into a cloud of light motes. He appeared amongst the smoking bodies of the slain norkers, behind the two remaining goblins. He raised his wand and loosed a black bolt fo energy into the back of the nearest enemy, throwing it forward towards Erlmoor. The dragonborn threw the norker to one side and let it fall to the stone floor of the hall, already dead.

Erlmoor rushed across the hallway to where the remaining norker snarled and lashed out at Litiraan and Dulvarna. He lashed out with his blade but the goblin twisted on the spot and brought its axe down to parry the dragonborn’s blow. Litiraan saw his chance and thrust his sword into the goblin’s hip. The creature turned back towards him and leapt forward, seizing his sword arm in its vicious teeth. Litiraan recoiled but as he did so, the norker tore flesh from his arm and snarled its continued defiance at him. It lashed out with its axe, cleaving the jagged blade into the elf’s shoulder and throwing him sideways into the wall once again. A bolt of lightning lanced out from the pillar behind Litiraan and struck him in the back, throwing him face first into the wall. He gasped once and then slid down the wall to lie awkwardly next to the enemies that had fallen before him.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 22 - The Tower of Mysteries (Part 8)

Enlishia came forward with her bow raised and loosed one and then a second arrow into the norker’s side. It lurched to its right and hissed through its teeth in obvious pain. Dulvarna lashed her blade across the creature’s shoulder and it staggered back just as Telkya raised her amulet and unleashed another bolt of light. The golden missile seared into the creature’s neck blasting through flesh and bone before striking the wall beyond the norker. It staggered again and then fell to the floor, its head lolling grotesquely on its all but severed neck. Lightning leapt out from the nearest pillar and again threw the priestess back against the wall.

Lavren looked towards Telkya and then with a grim and vengeful expression he turned away from the bodies of the norkers and headed southward along the hallway to seek the unseen enemies that remained. He rounded the corner at the southern end of the hall and there, lurking against the north wall of the passage where it turned westward, stood two terrible creatures. Each was dressed in black armour as the apparition of Bane had been but these showed their faces beneath their round helms. Each was a terrible undead parody of a man with fierce, glowing green eyes and vicious, sharp teeth. They held daggers in their right hands and snarled at him when he rounded the corner as the norkers had. He raised his wand and cursed the nearest creature, unleashing a black bolt towards it but the creature was surprisingly fast. It shrank away from the bolt and it struck the wall next to it.
“I have found our hidden foes,” he called out to the others, and then raised his wand again.

Erlmoor heard Lavren’s cry as he knelt beside Litiraan. He uttered a swift healing prayer and as light flowed from his hand to the elf, he rose and started southward after the warlock. Behind him, Litiraan rose, paused for a moment to recover his strength and then started after the dragonborn. Before he had reached the corner, he saw a pale white bolt throw Lavren back a step and leaving him shaking his head in momentary dazed confusion. Enlishia rushed past them, rounding the corner to stand beside Lavren and raise her bow. She loosed an arrow towards the nearest of the armour creatures but it bounced off its armour. She nocked a second shaft and let fly, this one flying true and driving into the chest of the nearest creature. The undead warrior snarled and hissed in response before raising its hand to loose another bolt of energy.

Dulvarna ran the length of the corridor and moved to stand on Lavren’s left with her blade before her. Telkya followed, squeezing between Lavren and Dulvarna to stand in the entrance of a wide southern atrium with glowing runes decorating the floor at its centre, surrounded by four of the carved pillars. She raised her amulet and began a prayer but then the second of the creatures moved away from the north wall and started towards her. It raised its left hand and with an uttered word, unleashed the terrible lightning at the elf maid. It struck her in the chest and again she was hurled back painfully into a stone wall, to lean there, gasping as she desperately heaved breath painfully into her lungs.

Lavren glanced to the left as Telkya was struck and for a moment contemplated going to her aid. Dismissing the idea, he turned his attention back to the foe before him and spoke another curse that loosed black, crackling energy towards the creature. This time, the undead foe could not avoid the blast and was struck in the shoulder, lurching back a step as it was struck. Erlmoor rushed around the corner before the creature had chance to recover.
“Black Warriors of Bane,” the paladin spat as he saw the foes that confronted him. “This is how the Black Lord rewards loyalty, by trapping fiends in human form. Ware them if they are sorely hurt, for they will become terrible clawing berserkers.”

At that, he rushed forward, raising his sword and his voice at the same time. He chanted a prayer as his sword descended until it glowed bright gold just before it struck. It clove into the shoulder of the black warrior, splitting its armour and the bone beneath. Sure enough, the creature snarled, hissed, and then threw aside its dagger. In a swirling rage, it leapt at the dragonborn, seeking to rend his flesh from his bones.

Litiraan appeared in a shower of light motes beside Telkya just as the first black warrior began its terrible rage. He raised his wand towards the foe that had wounded his sister but Enlishia was far quicker. She loosed one arrow and then another, the first missing its mark but the second driving into the side of the black warrior. Dulvarna rushed forward to meet the terrible foe then, her sword dancing before her until she came forward suddenly. The creature parried desperately with its dagger and kept the warrior woman at bay while from the pillars, the dark mist crept forth seemingly to reach for Erlmoor and Dulvarna. The dark warrior retreated before the warrior woman’s onslaught and unleashed lightning from its left hand. The bolt struck Dulvarna’s left shoulder and threw her back a step but she shrugged off the pain and numbness to raise her blade again. The black warrior snarled at her as though goading her to come forward and she did as she was bade.