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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Milo Windby" data-source="post: 29575" data-attributes="member: 202">Temple of Elemental Evil - part 11 (session 8)Temple of Elemental Evil - part 11 (session 8)---------------------------------Milo peeked through the curtain before they left the area for good.  He could see the other three elementals patrolling the room, circling the pyramid.  The mound that was the earth elemental they fought remained, it appeared they had put it to rest permanently.The cavernous hallway stretched on from where they stood.  A passage branched off from the left and another door was set in the same wall a few paces down.  The door was the priority, so Milo set to work checking it out."No traps, but," he said after he checked the door, "I hear something on the other side."  Milo placed his ear to the wood.  "Some voices, human I think, and a lot of movement.""Right, this be our area O expertise," Brigit said while she motioned to Jeremiah.  "Lemme through, Milo."Milo hurried out of the way.  Brigit and Jeremiah kicked the door in simultaneously, swinging it wide on its hinges.  Four half surprised guards were on the other side.  One guard stood next to a bell-pull while the others were sitting around a low table.  A jangling alarm sounded seconds after they burst into the room.  Milo could see the guard pulling on the rope above as the others stood and drew their weapons.Jeremiah rushed into battle, his sword trailing behind.  He swung his arms upward for a vicious slash when his grip slipped.  The sword clattered to the ground and a rather sheepish barbarian stood empty handed in front of four grisly guards.Milo and Brigit drew their attention from the weaponless barbarian.  A crossbow bolt stung the face of the guard yanking on the alarm.  A trickle of blood seeped from the wound.  Brigit caused much more than a trickle as she leaped forward, brandishing Trollgrater high.  Her first attack robbed the life from the nearest guard, he barely had time to draw his longsword.  Her following attack was even more brutal as she slashed into the other guard, ending his life just as quickly.Their number suddenly decreased by half, the guards looked frightened.  One lashed out at Jeremiah, hoping to wound the disadvantaged human.  Jer leaped away from the stabbing longsword, barely saving his skin.  The other guard, the one that sounded the alarm, wiped the blood from his face and attacked Brigit.  The sturdy dwarf easily fended off the blow with her shield.Jer scrabbled away from the guard and retrieved his sword.  He jumped up with his sword held between himself and the approaching longsword.  From near the door Milo tried another new spell he had prepared.  He stabbed a finger towards the guard that triggered the alarm and uttered a quick phrase.  He was disappointed to find the guard's will stronger than the spell, the human didn't break into random action as he had hoped.Brigit was oblivious to the spell firing off behind her as she attacked the same guard.  Her axe crashed down onto the guard's shield.  The wooden defense cracked under the pressure and her axe won through.  Brigit scored a nearly fatal wound on the surprised human.  He staggered back with half of his shield still attached to his arm.He recovered quickly though, and holding his sword in two hands, he charged at Brigit.  She brought her axe up to meet the downward thrust and held true.  The wounded guard howled in a rage.  To his left his comrade struggled with Jeremiah.  The two traded blows back and forth.  It was plain to see the guard's defense using the longsword was weakening against Jeremiah's greatsword.  The clash of steel gave way to the guard's dying scream after Jeremiah broke his defense.  Jer's sword sought another combatant as he continued his attack.  The final guard, the one who triggered the alarm, was the last to fall as the Windsword of Sharda sliced through his abdomen.  Milo surveyed the room in the short moments that followed the battle.  It was a small guardroom with a table in the center and another door leading out the rear.Just then that very door burst open and two swordsmen charged in.  Reacting quickly, Milo tumbled past the charging guards and attacked from behind.  His crossbow once again merely grazed the guard.  The guard's counter was much more painful.  Milo's thigh blossomed with pain as the guard's longsword sliced into him.  He was quick enough to avoid the other guard's attack but he would be feeling the bite of that wound for some time.Brigit ended the conflict swiftly.  She stepped forward, swung her axe back, and then rained vicious blows on both guards.  Her axe cleaved cleanly through the guard that wounded Milo.  She then hammered past the other guard's sword and sliced into his leather armor.  The guard didn't survive her assault.  The adventurers gathered their wits quickly and charged through the door before any more guards emerged.  Milo and Brigit led the way.  The room they entered was larger than the last.  Bunks lined the right wall and a short hallway led into a larger room.  Two crossbowmen stood behind the bunks and four guards stood behind a solid barricade in-between the adventurers and the hallway, two crossbowmen and two swordsmen.The crossbowmen fired immediately, taking Milo and Brigit by surprise.  Their aim was horrible, Milo dodged two bolts while the other two whizzed by Brigit without coming close.  Milo grabbed one of his scrolls and read its contents.  He splayed his fingers and stretched his hand towards the guards behind the barricade.  The air coalesced into tiny shards that flew from his hand in a blinding flash.  The small daggers of air sped towards the guards, some thunked into the barricade but even more flew past and into the guards behind.  The crossbowmen took the brunt of the magical force, but the swordsmen behind felt the sting of Milo's spell as well.The crossbowmen had been busily reloading their weapons right after the first volley was loosed.  They fired off a second at the halfling and dwarf.  Luckily their aim hadn't improved.  The bolts flew far too high to hit even the tall Jeremiah.  The swordsmen behind the barricade sheathed their swords and reached for long pikes to defend the crossbowmen if the party decided to assault them.Brigit didn't bother, she pulled out a glass vial, took aim, and chucked it straight at one of the wounded crossbowmen.  He chose the wrong moment to peek over the barricade.  The alchemist's oil broke over his helmet and coated his head and shoulders.  The unique oil flamed up on impact, turning the crossbowman into a flaming brand.  With a gurgling sigh, the guard sunk to the floor in a smoldering heap.Jeremiah saw the vicious pikes the rear guards were wielding and chose to attack the men behind the bunks.  He slipped by the narrow space between the bunk and the wall and attacked the closest guard.  Twice his sword cut into the crossbowman, the guard died in mid-reload.  The other guard backed away from the fierce barbarian and groped a bolt to reload.Mazithra thought better of a frontal assault as well.  She sheathed Sylvanglade and drew her new mighty composite bow.  She had an arrow knocked and ready to fire in moments.Just a few feet from the barricade Milo fired off his crossbow at the other front guard.  The bolt struck the crossbowman in the face, dropping him out of sight behind the barrier.  The other two guards moved forward to bring their long pikes to bear.Behind the bunks Jeremiah was advancing on the fumbling crossbowman.  He fired his weapon at the hulking barbarian, but missed with Jer's sword swinging in his face.  Jeremiah growled as he swung his sword at the guard.  The frightened man ducked at the last second and Jer's sword whistled inches over his head.  The heavy blade sunk deep into the sturdy wood of the bunk, temporarily lodged.  Jeremiah struggled to get it free.Mazithra and Milo stood side by side, aiming at the pikemen behind the barricade.  They fired their weapons at the guards, aiming for vital organs.  Neither shot landed though.  Milo's bolt quivered in the wood of the barricade while Mazi's arrow flew in-between the two guards.The pikemen laughed at their foes, relying on the safety provided by their barricade.  They taunted the heroes to attack them then waved their long pikes over the barricade, exhibiting their superior reach.  Jeremiah's enemy saw his opportunity as Jer struggled with his sword.  He dropped his crossbow and drew his longsword, prepared to strike.  Before he had a chance Jeremiah wrenched his blade free.  He turned with a fierce, defiant glare at the guard.In a blindingly fast maneuver Brigit stowed her axe and drew her own mighty composite bow.  She knocked an arrow and let it fly in mere seconds towards the guards behind the barricade.  The guard to the right was caught completely by surprise.  The arrow sunk into his shoulder, rendering his arm almost useless.  Brigit grinned toothily at him.  Mazi fired her own arrow at the same guard.  He had already ducked behind the barricade to recover from Brigit's arrow.  Mazi's missile flew over the barricade to splinter against the far wall.Milo chose the other guard to fire upon.  It appeared that with Brigit's attack the pikemen had gained a new respect for the missile weapons.  He too ducked behind the barricade before Milo's bolt reached its mark.  On the other side of the room the guard behind the bunk swung ineffectively at Jeremiah.  His inexpert wielding of his longsword was not enough to wound Jeremiah.  Jer countered with two attacks of his own.  He slashed towards the warrior's abdomen, guarded by his longsword, then reversed his swing into a thrust.  His aim was off slightly and the sword sunk into the guard's shoulder.  It was a grisly wound nonetheless.Both guards had stood up behind the barricade to ensure the heroes kept their distance.  That was one thing they had no problem with.  Brigit, Milo, and Mazi all were waiting for the pikemen to show their faces.  Brigit shot the wounded guard, her arrow hitting him square in the chest.  The guard keeled over behind the barrier.  Milo and Mazithra aimed at the frazzled guard left standing.  Both arrow and bolt left their mark.  Mazi's arrow pierced his arm while Milo's bolt grazed his abdomen.  The guard looked surprised at the wounds from behind his barrier.Jeremiah ended his struggle with the guard with a decisive thrust of his greatsword.  The blade sunk into the guard's chest, finishing his battle.  A clamor rose from the room behind the barricade.  More guards emerged, all carrying pikes.  The last original guard glanced into the room behind, nodded, then grinned evilly at the heroes.Mazi wasted no time, she concentrated for a second, chanted a familiar spell, then pointed at the guards.  A sticky substance appeared mid-air and expanded quickly to fill the entire room behind the barricade.  A giant web soon filled the space, suspending the guards in place.Milo giggled at their predicament.  He fired his bolt at the last original guard, leaving a dead body to hang in Mazi's web.  Brigit pulled out another vial and lobbed it into the web.  The vial cracked and broke on impact, spreading liquid fire all over the sticky strands.  The party could hear a scream of "Nooooooo!" filter in from the back of the room before the room flashed bright as day.  A huge explosion shook the room, blasting into Milo and Brigit, the closest to the web.  They were thrown backwards into the far wall and left slumped on the floor.  Both came to in seconds to find Mazi and Jeremiah stooped over them with concerned looks.  The room was empty of any guards, the smoke still clearing.  "Wha - what happened Mazi?  That wasn't like your normal webs!" a rather shocked Milo asked."I don't know!  They've never exploded like that before."  Mazi replied.Jeremiah had already climbed over the barricade and was surveying the smoky room beyond.  He motioned for the others to climb over as well.Milo was the last to struggle over the barricade, his head still ringing from the blast.  What they found on the other side answered his question.  A metal vat lay blasted in the corner, next to a sturdy door.  Glass shards lay all over the room.  They figured the guards in this room were filling containers with some sort of explosive to throw at the party when they were caught in Brigit and Mazi's fire trap."Heh heh heh, I guess you could say that plan backfired." Milo joked.  "You know, explosion, backfire, boom?" Milo trailed on.  "You guys need to loosen up!" He finished.The others had all but ignored Milo, more interested in the door that somehow withstood the blast from the vat and web.  Jer and Brigit both got that glow in their eye and before Mazi or Milo could object the door had been kicked in.Two huge men waited for them.  One carried a greatsword, the other a huge battleaxe.  The room was lavishly furnished with couches, wardrobes, and a chest in the corner.  Another closed door led out of the room behind the lieutenants.  Jeremiah charged at the axeman, raising his sword high.  His sword sliced into the axeman, the huge man tried to block Jer's assault but couldn't keep his greatsword from wounding him twice.  Brigit ran at the same enemy, concentrating their attacks on one foe at a time.  Her axe cut underneath his defenses and slashed at his legs.  The axeman faltered, stumbling forward.  Milo finished him off with a well placed bolt, straight to the head.  The huge man fell forward heavily, stranding his comrade alone in a room full of four hostile fighters.The swordsman slashed ineffectively at Brigit, his greatsword glancing off her shield. Mazi stood back and fired her bow at the huge warrior.  She had to aim high to avoid hitting Brigit so her shot was off.  The arrow sailed past the swordsman before glancing off the wall behind.They could tell the swordsman would have bolted if he had an escape.  He knew he was outnumbered.  Jeremiah and Brigit attacked him at once, leaving him no quarter.  Their vicious assault left no resistance.  The last lieutenant was felled, no more guards emerged from any doorways or back rooms.  The party had a moment to breathe and gather themselves before investigating the door.</blockquote>

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