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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Milo Windby" data-source="post: 128699" data-attributes="member: 202">Temple of Elemental Evil - part 30 (session 12)"Shall we find out where those bugbears came from?" Milo asked pointing to the southern door of the large minotaur room."Aye, buggers tried ta sneak up on us!" said Brigit.The door led to a long hallway that stretched off into the darkness like the yawning throat of some great beast.  They tread cautiously with Brigit and Jeremiah in the lead.  Brigit searched for traps as they continued down the dim passage.  In what seemed like an eternity to Milo, they reached the end.  There was a door to the east and a blank wall to the south."Nuh uh.  No way someone builds a passage this long that doesn't lead straight into something." Milo said as he shook his head.Within moments Milo found the secret catch that he knew would be there.  The heroes ignored the door to the east and watched as the south wall swung forward easily.  Another long passage led south.  They could make out a bend towards the southeast from the vantagepoint at the door.  A single door was set in the eastern wall a few paces from the secret passage.Milo set his sensitive ear to the wood of the door and listened.  He could hear the snuffling grunts that they associated with the denizens of the temple."Before we go in," Milo whispered, "Let me toughen you up a little."With that Milo whispered an incantation and cast a shield of faith on Brigit and Jeremiah.  A shimmer of divine light played about their bodies before settling into a minor sheen, barely noticeable."A'right, it be hack 'n slash time!" Brigit said quietly right before Jeremiah kicked in the door.Four pairs of bugbear eyes met their gaze on the other side of the door.  The room was fair-sized with two doors leading to the north and east.  The bugbears were seated around a table, apparently engaged in a dice game.  Food and drink were set as well.Before the bugbears could move Brigit and Mazi pierced one with two arrows followed closely by a fatal slash from Jeremiah's Windsword.  The other bugbears jumped from their seats and backed away from the group.  Just then the eastern door slammed open.  A huge bugbear entered, its patchy fur hiding bunched muscles.  Its fierce gleaming gaze finally rested on Brigit.  Brigit beckoned to the bugbear, daring it to attack.  Milo could see the years of racial enmity spark between the two before the battle was joined in full.The huge bugbear shoved one of its kindred aside in its haste to reach its dwarven enemy.  The other bugbear sprawled to the ground and had to take a moment to retrieve its weapon and rejoin the fight.Jeremiah and Brigit, enhanced by Milo's spell, avoided the rain of blows that fell upon them from the bugbears.  Jeremiah returned the attack while Milo and Mazithra concentrated on assisting him.  Jer slashed into one, followed by two missiles from behind thunking into the bugbear's hide.The leader shouted at the top of its lungs in its guttural language and attacked Brigit again.  She warded off the blow and attacked herself.  Trollgrater tasted bugbear flesh twice, dropping the leader before it could recover.  Her axe wounded her other attacker in almost an offhand manner as it continued its arc.Brigit was too late though, the leader's shouting brought four more bugbears tromping into the room.  Instead of disappointment Brigit grinned in anticipation.  Meanwhile Milo and Mazi continued to fire as fast as they could from the rear.After seeing the battle one of the rear bugbears left the way it came, a crafty grin on its fanged mouth.  The others attacked.  One managed to break past Jeremiah's magical defenses and scored a critical blow, finding a weak spot to exploit.  Jer shook off the pain and fought back.  He too landed a critical blow, proving too much for the bugbear.Near him Brigit turned into a whirling force of destruction.  In four quick attacks she dropped all three bugbears that attacked her.  The other bugbears seemed reluctant to approach the bloodthirsty dwarf.Mazi and Milo continued to lend support from behind.  Jeremiah cleaved through the next to last bugbear, leaving only one of the beasts to face the fury of the four.  Just as the bugbear seemed ready to flee Milo heard a stomping from behind the eastern door.  The source of the minor vibrations felt through the floor soon revealed itself.  The lumpy face of a large ogre emerged through the doorway, followed shortly by its enormous bulk.  The ogre grinned with a dim-witted expression, revealing a broken tusk and a fair amount of drool.  It focused on the only enemy near its size and swung its heavy club at Jeremiah.Jer avoided the slow attack and sliced a chunk of flesh from the ogre's hide.  That really got its attention.  The ogre howled in rage and the speed of its attacks seemed to gain momentum.At the same moment Brigit attacked the last bugbear.  It seemed to take courage from the presence of the ogre and deflected Brigit's attack with surprising skill.  Brigit's axe was thrown to the side from the deft defense of the bugbear.  Before the beast could press its advantage Milo shot his crossbow.  The bolt sunk deep into the bugbear's chest, puncturing a critical organ.  The bugbear recovered but was much worse for the wear.The ogre and Jeremiah swung their huge weapons repeatedly.  Only the barbarian seemed able to land any blows.  Jeremiah patiently whittled away at the huge grotesque, confident that he would eventually defeat it.  Brigit recovered her axe and dealt with the bugbear quickly, putting it out of its misery.  With only one target left, Milo shot his next quarrel at the ogre.  The missile sped true and turned out to be fabled straw that broke the camel's back.  The ogre fell with a crash on the table, scattering the dice and splattering food all over the room."They just keep coming, don't they?" said Milo."Let em come!  My axe'll be here ta meet em!" Brigit exclaimed."Let's not get too overzealous, Brigit.  I'd rather not face an army just yet." Mazi said.They found some coins on the corpses as well as some semi-precious stones on the ogre.  Mazi pointed at the ogre's topknot."Could you get those for me Jer?" she said indicating three silver pins set with pearls.  "They'll match the others perfectly""Ogre too dirty for you, Mazi?" Milo teased."I finally got myself dry and clean from the pool, I don't want to get any more mess on me."It was then that Milo noticed, to his amazement, that it seemed Mazi was the only one out of all of them that avoided the splatter of foodstuffs the ogre's fall caused."Hey Mazi, you've got something on your tunic." Milo said.  He laughed out loud when she hastily pulled out her mirror and looked frantically about for the imaginary speck of filth."I'll remember that one Milo!" she said after assuring herself that she was clean.  Jeremiah actually giggled as he handed Mazi the three pins from the ogre's hair.  "It was only a joke Mazi, take it easy." Milo grinned.  "On a more serious note,  one of the bugbears left to fetch that ogre.""An' never came back, tha coward!" Brigit said as she pounded her fist."Cowardly?  Yes, dangerous?  More so.  I'm sure it went to get more reinforcements.  We'll have to be especially careful." said Milo."Why do I get the feeling that the word 'ambush' figures into our near future?" Mazi groaned.</blockquote>

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