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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Medriev" data-source="post: 4604293" data-attributes="member: 21864">Chapter 8 - Across the Chasm (Part 4)The duergar rushed at Erlmoor and smashed its hammer overhand into the base of the dragonborn’s neck. Gasping for breath, Erlmoor fell back and Litiraan loosed another silver bolt to keep the gray dwarf at bay. It flew high and wide and struck the wall beyond the dwarf and a moment later, a black bolt from Lavren’s wand struck close by. The duergar roared its defiance and came forward but then Erlmoor’s blade swept out and took its head from its shoulders. He roared himself then and charged into the chamber to meet the duergar magic-wielder within. Telkya followed him, praying as she went. Skirting the western wall of the chamber, she held forth her amulet and brought a burning column of light down upon the robed dwarf. Suddenly, the dwarf uttered an incantation and the chamber was suddenly filled with thick, noxious fumes. Telkya and Erlmoor bent over coughing while their enemy disappeared into the thick smoke. Blindly, they leaned on whatever furnishings they could feel nearby and waited, hoping and praying that the smoke would clear.Enlishia slashed out with her blade at the duergar in front of her but his hammer came up quickly and parried. He twisted his weapon then and brought his hammer in low but Enlishia drew back, pulling her body out of his reach. Beside her, Dulvarna tried to duck but the hammer of the duergar she faced glanced off the top of her head and sent her reeling back. She slashed out wildly with her sword but the duergar ducked easily under the swing and moved forward for the kill with a broad, yellow-toothed smile on his face.Litiraan rushed through the door into the side chamber and found a large room with three double bunks and a fire place. Two doors led to the west, and a third led to the east while a duergar retreated past the fire. Smoke filled most of the room and Erlmoor and Telkya were still rubbing their eyes to clear their vision but Litiraan could see the retreating robed duergar perfectly clearly. He loosed a silver bolt from his wand but at the last moment, the duergar darted aside and the bolt struck the mantle of the fire, shattering a portion of the stone. Lavren came into the chamber behind Litiraan, cursing the retreating duergar as he came. He leveled his wand and loosed black, crackling energy that struck the duergar in the side and threw him towards the fire. The gray dwarf reached up and grabbed the mantle to stop himself falling into the flames. He turned towards both elves and snarled a spell before bringing his hand down in a strangely fierce motion. Fire erupted from the dwarf’s hand then in searing balls of half molten rock. They pelted the four companions in the chamber who were knocked to the floor and forced to duck behind, beside and under the beds. Only Erlmoor was too slow and as Lavren glanced at him, he saw the paladin struck hard on the head by a burning ball of rock. The dragonborn staggered, sank to his knees and then fell face forward on the stone floor of the chamber. Just as Erlmoor fell, Telkya’s sight returned and she dashed over to him, crouching low behind a bed as she tended to his head wound. She uttered a healing prayer and the paladin’s eyes flicked open. He let out a low rumble from his chest and pulled himself to his feet. Raising his sword, he rushed at the duergar.Enlishia exchanged parries with the duergar she faced and then looked over anxiously to Dulvarna who was still reeling from the head wound she had suffered. The duergar feinted low then and as Dulvarna moved her sword slowly to parry, the hammer came up and struck the woman under the chin. Her head snapped back and she fell over backwards to land on her back in the doorway of the northern chamber. Enlishia looked from one dwarf to the other as they advanced on her snarling and wondered where her companions might be.A silver bolt from Litiraan’s wand struck the robed duergar, driving him back another step towards the fireplace and then a black bolt from Lavren struck another part of the mantle, splintering the stone. Erlmoor’s deep voice intoned a prayer to Lathander and as his blade glowed, he drive it into the arm of the dwarf. White light flowed up the dragonborn’s arm and then burst out from him in quick pulse, filling the room and seemingly passing through the walls. Light from Telkya’s amulet seared through the flames in the fireplace and struck the back wall and the duergar ducked away from Erlmoor again, chanting as he retreated. More noxious smoke burst from his hand and filled the chamber leaving the companions doubled over coughing and blinded. Unseen by them all, the robed duergar darted towards the eastern door.Dulvarna opened her eyes as the pulse of divine energy washed over her from the neighbouring room. She still felt woozy but as she looked up, she saw that Enlishia was being driven back towards the doorway in which she lay. Her friend needed her aid and so Dulvarna focused and gathering all of her remaining strength. When she was ready, she pushed herself to her feet and raised her blade. The duergar looked at her in amazement and as they did so, she surged forward.Litiraan loosed flame into the smoke without knowing whether he had come anywhere near hitting the robed duergar. He heard a door open close to the fireplace and as his vision cleared he saw that the duergar had gone but beyond the door, the strange contraptions with crossbows atop them were turning towards the open door. Lavren rushed to the corner of the fireplace and loosed a black through the doorway but he did not hear it hit anything. Erlmoor rushed to the doorway to keep the crossbow constructs at bay with his blade and Telkya moved to follow him, uttering another healing prayer as she went. The nearest of the strange constructs turned towards the doorway as it sensed this new threat and then it retreated. Erlmoor burst into the corridor after the construct and both retreated before him. The robed duergar lurked in the southern foyer of the hall and from there he loosed a bolt of fire that struck Erlmoor in the shoulder. The dragonborn roared his defiance and the constructs seemed to shrink back before his wrath. He took up his blade and started after them.</blockquote>

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