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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 1681511" data-attributes="member: 99">Speaks rejoined the group to find them all awake and packed, ready to come in search for him if he didn’t return soon.  They were glad not to have to address the matter of how to climb the nearly hundred feet to the top of the sinkhole with the stony walls rimed with slippery frost.  They huddled in the mouth of the tunnel keeping a wary eye turned toward the top of the hole as Speaks told them of how he was unable to ensnare the fleeing giant.In turn they told him that the blue skinned demon woman’s body had disappeared in a puff of smoke shortly after he had taken flight.  The body of the fallen Druid had been partially consumed by the very hungry Scipio (who hadn’t much cared for the charred lizard flesh).  The other Druid had been lost in the chaos of the melee and nobody had seen what became of him.They began to discuss their options but soon decided that, with most of their spells depleted and still no good way to gain the top of the hole again, it would have to wait until morning.  They set a double watch and slept fitfully until morning.As the pale morning light began to peer down into the sinkhole they noted that the sky was clouded over and Speaks felt certain that snow, perhaps heavy snow, would be falling before midday.  They began to debate what to do next.Their first instinct was to get away from the sinkhole.  An enemy had escaped who knew their location and may return with an even greater force.  The problem was where to escape to.  They would be flying blind, further north into the mountains, into bad weather, with no guarantee that they could find good shelter.  Lazarius offered to solve that problem by preparing his mystical Rope Trick that had last been used on their disastrous first night out of Aquae Sulis.This would solve their shelter problem but it did not change the fact that they had no idea where Ilrath might be and their proposed mode of transport, flying using Speaks’ Feathers spell, would leave them virtually no chance of seeing any signs of his passage.  They could of course travel on foot but that would mean having to attempt to cover their tracks or else be easily followed through the snow by the escaped giant and whatever forces he could gather.Lazarius called again for the group to stay put long enough for him to complete his scribing.  He maintained that once he finished putting this latest spell into his book that he would be able to take them directly to Ilrath no matter where he was.  The others looked incredulous.“I know that none of you have ever been around a real Wizard before, but let me assure you that this is possible.  It is among the more potent magics they teach at the Imperial College of Wizardry but I feel that it is within my grasp to use this spell once I have worked through it fully.  I’ll be able to Teleport us right into Ilrath’s lap!”All of them had been burned (literally) by Lazarius’s magic before but he seemed confident in his abilities and they had few options that looked better.  That left the matter of fortifying their position as much as possible while they waited for the Wizard to finish his studies and writing.  Speaks came up with an answer quickly.He simply called forth another Wood Wose and had it set about making another wall of stones pulled from the Bag of Endless Rocks.  They would wall off the mouth of the tunnel and stay camped between the two walls where any giants would have a very difficult time getting at them.Thus passed another two days with the group nervously encamped within their walled off section of tunnel.  It seemed as though they would never actually escaped the confines of that damned tunnel.  Each found reasons to squirm through the narrow opening they had left allowing access to the chamber at the bottom of the sinkhole.  It quickly became obvious that they didn’t want to stay here much longer.  Despite the cold weather the enormous bodies of the giant and the sting-tailed dragon were starting to decay.  In another week the bottom of the sinkhole was going to stink to the top of Celestia.Speaks would take time when he ventured out to get water to use the pool at the center of the sinkhole in order to Scry for any activity at the top of the hole.  Early in the morning on the third day he spotted something that had him hurrying back to warn the others.  Gathered near the top of the hole was a strange but sinister looking group of enemies.  There were a pair of giants, two large wolves (dire wolves by Speaks’ estimation) and a man who Speaks was certain was one of the Druids hunting them.  In the midst of this group a thick pole had been pounded into the ground and a cross beam lashed to it.  Upon this pole a man was crucified.“Who in the hells could that be?” Marcus wondered aloud.“I’m afraid to guess,” said Speaks, his mind racing in horror at the possibilities.“They’re clearly meaning to ambush us,” interjected Cathal.“Clearly,” said Marius.  “Let’s ambush them first…”</blockquote>

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