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Message: <blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 24701" data-attributes="member: 11">Session #22“We have to find Tirhas,” Ratchis yelled, and began to run up one of the broad corridors that led further into the fort.   Kazrack followed on stumpy legs.Janx popped into existence beside the elf Jeremy was still struggling with, trying to distract it, but not actually biting or clawing at it.  “About time I get some help,” Jeremy quipped.Martin examined the green cloud of noxious gas, trying to identify the spell that caused it, but failed.Jeremy was able to knock the elf he fought in the head with the pommel of his sword, staying clear of its proficient dagger-work, but still the elf would not give up. The cloud disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and Jana risked passing by the trapdoor in the ceiling again, and felt the bite of another arrow.  She fell to the ground, blood pouring out of her at an alarming rate.  Martin moved his magical shield to above his head with a thought and quickly pulled Jana out from under the trapdoor and into the perpendicular hall where Jeremy was cursing the elf he battled.  “Ratchis! Kazrack! Where are you?” Martin called desperately.Ratchis noticed that the broad hallway had staggered alcoves, with tall wooden statues in them of elvish figures.  He slowed his jog to look at one more closely.  They seemed to be made of living wood, but still had clothing painted on them.  It was strange to the half-orc, looking at the statue of an elven maid of pale blue skin.   He shrugged and ran on, Kazrack not too far behind him.“Gee, I hope these things don’t come to life that one at the door did,” Kazrack commented as he stole a glance at the statues as he ran past.The broad hall connected with another hall that ran the width of the fort, and Kazrack took a left down this new hall, and saw two sets of earthen steps going downward towards each other, with a tall statue of an muscular elf dressed in green, wearing a crown, wielding a spear, standing beneath an arch of elven runes carved into the stone wall behind him. <img src="http://www.aquerra.com/bully/elf-runes_01.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />(52)The two companions moved towards where the other broad corridor met the rear hall they had found.  It must lead back to the front.“We should try and get back and rejoin the others if we can.  Hopefully this does lead around,” Kazrack said to Ratchis who was a good twenty feet ahead of him, but he suddenly heard a sound on the steps they had passed and he looked back over his shoulder.  An arrow whizzed past him and he flinched.  Another elf had appeared on the top of the stairs.  He turned around and ran up to deal with the new opponent.  The elf leapt aside dropping his bow and drawing his sword, avoiding the blow of Kazrack’s halberd.  While Ratchis, hearing the sound of combat behind him snuck back down the corridor quietly.  He came around the corner, but the elf and Kazrack were in clear view.  There was no way the half-orc could sneak up on the new opponent, so he merely joined the melee.  The elf was overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of a second combatant, and Kazrack took advantage of the moment’s distract and sent the elf’s weapon flying out of its hand, dropping on he top step.  The elf stepped back and tossing a handful of sand at the dwarf called out “dormu!”.  The dwarf did not even feel drowsy.  Ratchis swung his powerful fists at the elf, but the elf was bobbing and weaving, avoiding the blows.  Kazrack swung his polearm at the elf’s feet, but over extended himself towards the steps, and in a frantic attempt to keep his balance, only managed to fall in place instead of tumbling down the stairs. Again the elf retreated, “Dormu!”   This time the dwarf could not resist and he fell asleep right where he lay, snoring loudly.Ratchis took a step down the stairs and swung again with all his might, feeling the sharp chin of the elf against his knuckles twice.   Head reeling, the elf ducked and grabbed his sword from the floor, but this allowed Ratchis an opening, slamming another blow against the back of his head.The elf barely had time to look up when the second fist came down on his eye.  He tumbled down a few steps unconscious.Ratchis kicked Kazrack awake.  The dwarf awoke with a snort.“What happened?” he asked.“Magic,” Ratchis replied.  The dwarf stood and went down and hefted the elf onto his shoulder.“What are you doing?” Ratchis asked.“I don’t want to leave it right here.  Someone might see.  Let’s go back to the group,” the dwarf said, and dropped the elf at the top of the stairs.“I think I hear someone calling our names,” Ratchis said, turning to hurry back to the others.Kazrack collected the elf’s weapons, a Janx appeared from around the corner.  The blink dog sniffed the unconscious elf and popped down the stairs.The dwarf looked after the dog for a moment, and then took off after the half-orc.--------------And so someone was.  “Drop! It’s for your own good!” Jeremy cried, and slapped the elf he fought across the face with the flat of his blade, drawing some blood, but finally succeeding in defeating him.Martin was frantically trying to bind Jana’s bleeding wound, but the blood just seemed to seep into everything, and would not stop. (53)Jeremy walked over to the Watch-Mage, as Janx popped out of sight and reappeared near the hall Ratchis and Kazrack had gone down, and ran that way.“Martin, what happened?” Jeremy asked with concern in his voice.“She was hit by an arrow,” Martin pointed up at the trapdoor.“Is she alright?” Jeremy asked.“No!”“Can you help her?”“No!”“Where is Ratchis when you need him?” Jeremy said.“Ratchis!” Martin called, cupping his hands about his mouth.  “Ratchis!  Kazrack!”The Watch-Mage sighed in resignation and tore more strips of cloth from Jana’s skirt to bind her wounds.  The bleeding slowed. (54)“Okay, I’ve got her wounds staunched,” Martin said, with a long exhale of breath.“Good,” Jeremy replied.  “Can she move?”“No!”“I mean, can you move her?”“No!”“Well, we need to do something about the elf up there,” Jeremy whispered, pointing up.  “Can you flush him out?”“I can try,” Martin said, pulling a piece of wool from the pocket of his blood-stained emerald robes.  In a second an illusory Ratchis stood beside the Watch-Mage, and then ran to the ladder and clambered up.  The elf above who was holding an arrow in wait for someone to do jus that, let loose the shaft, with through flew through the hulking figure with no effect.  Jeremy leapt upon the ladder and climbed up after the illusion, which disappeared as soon as it left Martin’s view, but now the Neergaardian was in the tiny space and pulled his short sword.  The elf dropped his bow and drew his own sword, just barely getting out of the way of a thrust from Jeremy.“Why’d you have to draw a weapon?” Jeremy said. “Make this easy for once.”  The ringing of blades resonated from the tiny room as Jeremy and the elf struggled to get the upper hand on each other.  However, Jeremy was quicker in a small space, and despite the elf’s parry, he was able to force him back against the wall, pressing him into an awkward position, and then slam!  The flat of his blade slapped the elf in the neck.“You like shooting from holes, huh?” Jeremy mocked.  “You don’t seem to be doing so well in a straight up fight.”As the elf made a futile attempt to counter strike, Jeremy struck again, shoving the hilt of his sword into the elf’s gut.  The elf groaned in pain, but spied Ratchis coming up the ladder and struck an awkward blow with his sword against the half-orc, but Jeremy took the opening and the elf dropped unconscious.The party collected themselves in the entrance hall.“We need to find Tirhas,” said Ratchis.“Jana is really hurt,” Jeremy said.Kazrack laid a hand upon Jana’s shoulder, and another on his bag of runestones about his neck, “Rivkanal, please give you protecting hand to this young lady who is trying to learn to do good in this world.”Jana coughed and opened her eyes.“Take a moment to rest,” Kazrack said, and then cast a spell of healing upon himself as well.“Kazrack?” Martin asked.  “Did you see where the wizard went?”“He disappeared,” Kazrack replied.”He’s probably still here, somewhere,” Martin mused.“I got the impression he wasn’t going far,” Kazrack said. “We’d better get moving.  Jana, can you accompany us if you stay near the rear ranks?”“I’ll slow you down, but yes,” replied Jana.“She and Martin can be in the middle,” Ratchis suggested.  “Jeremy, you take the rear.”The party gathered themselves and made their way down the broad hallway, pausing only a moment to look at the tall wooden statues of elven figure, with elven characters carved behind them on the alcove wall.“They seem to be growing out of the floor,” Martin noted of the statues.“I thought maybe these statues might be of elves that reside here,” Ratchis said.  “If we could read elvish, we might be able to discern their titles and ranks. We do not know what Tirhas’ position is here, if any,” Ratchis said.“She seemed like more a wandering person.  She may not have any real ties to this place,” said Jeremy.“I think these are elven gods or heroes,” commented Martin.“Let’s continue, and explore the lower level,” Kazrack said, eager to have earth and stone above his head.The party made it to the rear hall and as quietly as they could made their way down one of the two earthen staircases.“Do you see any sign of Janx?” Kazrack asked Ratchis, as the half-orc kneeled way down to look for signs of passage.“No, let’s move forward down that corridor,” Ratchis said.The walls here where horizontal slats of lacquered wood set against earthen walls.  The smell of fresh dirt filled the place and Kazrack took a moment to breathe it in and enjoy –and then returned to his usual vigilance.  The moved in a close line, as they carried no light source.  Instead, within touching distance they crept along the low-ceiling corridor.  A cold draft circling about their wet feet.Only a few feet down they came to a small alcove with a wooden door.  Kazrack signaled the others to wait and he snuck forward and listened, hearing faint sound of movement and breathing.He signaled the others to come forward, and drew Jeremy nearby, whispering, “Be ready, someone is in there.”“I’m ready,” Jeremy said, grim-faced.Ratchis threw open the door and Kazrack leapt into the dark room.  Jeremy looked both ways down the hall trying to see in the dim light of lamps on either end of corridor. The room was small, like a monk’s cell.  A small hearth burned low in the opposite wall, and the air smelled of herbs.  The dwarf held up a hand to Ratchis as he noticed a figure lying on a sleeping mat on the floor.  The figure moaned softly.  Ratchis walked over and kneeled beside it.  It was an elf.  The one had critically injured with his fists two days before.  The elf’s face was swollen and black, and his head lolled back and forth. “Remember, I can provide light if we need it,’ Jana whispered, leaning her head in the door.  “We don’t need it yet,” Ratchis said, taking a last sad look at the elf he had been forced to beat that no one could see in the dark.  “But be ready, we may need it at a moment’s notice.”The party moved further down the long corridor and came upon large oaken double doors reinforced with iron plats gilded like leaves.Again Kazrack listened, and Ratchis joined him.They could hear a sound like water dripping and echoing and perhaps an intermittent rush of air. “Get ready everyone,” Ratchis said.  “This could be—”The doors opened.An elf had pulled them open and stood to one side, as if to make room for the party to walk in. They stood at the entrance of an immense chamber. The ceiling was open, but a the thickest tangle of thorns, vines and branches covered it over, but some light did pour down, as did the drippings of melted snow that tumbled down into the dark recesses of whatever was below them.  This room was an open shaft crossed by wide platforms of stone, one of which leading to a large rock pedestal upon which three tall stone columns of oblong shape and rough unworked exterior.  Kazrack could identify it as volcanic rock. The way it was pocked-marked showed where bubbles of air had escaped.   They were nine feet high, and each had a gemstone embedded in it at about a seven-foot height.  They were flanked by braziers with tall flames burning in them.Another elf stood with bow drawn on the other end of the platform the party stood at.  There another set of double doors led out of the chamber.  On the broader section of the crossing platform stood another elf, his face bruised, with bow drawn.   Upon the pedestal stood Richard the Red, smiling.  And behind him on a low stone slab lay the form of a maiden, with slight features – but not quite elfin.And between them all stood four growling wolves, with streaks of red in their ashen gray fur. Their saliva steamed as it slathered the stone before them, and the cool breeze from below wafted the smell of sulfur from the beasts. Ratchis took a step forward, warhammer in hand.  Kazrack stepped in beside him, as the others leaned forward to see what the first two could more clearly.“Perhaps, we should take this time to talk, Richard the Red said, with a smiled that shone even in the dim light of the braziers.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Notes:(52) This reads: Cieladorn banar en saniel Geled-Treead.(53) In Aquerra, it take 1d10+10 rounds to administer first aid and the skill check is made at the end of this time.  Needless to say, characters do not die at –10 hit points.(54) Actually, Jana stabilized on her own.  Martin no ranks in heal and would have likely failed the check when time came to make it.</blockquote>

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