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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 1793455" data-attributes="member: 99">Speaks used a minor magic to Shape the Wood of the door in such a way as to hold against the thumping coming from the other side.  Then they quickly retreated across the Forge to the doorway that led down to the long passage away from the City, back to the Foundry.  They moved along the broad corridor and soon found themselves approaching the intersection where the passage had split as they entered the City.  Ahead the way looked clear in the direction toward the large set of doors where they had first encountered the Ogres.  They slowed their advance and Marius led them up to where the sharp corner doubled back and ascended, presumably ending at ground level in the huge open courtyard and gardens of the City.  The Imperial Explorer leaned around the corner and peered into the darkness of the passageway.  “I don’t see anything.”  A moment later, this was even more true as their Everburning Torches were snuffed.“What?!”, cried Lazarius.  He, Speaks and Cathal all fumbled for some other light source but none came quickly to hand.  Then their torches flickered back to life and they saw before them a stone statue, holding the exact pose that Marius once held as he looked around the corner.  Marcus rushed forward to aid his friend but found that there was little he could do for him in his present condition.Cathal summoned his mystical Shield and dashed around the corner to face their adversary.  He found himself staring down the corridor at the abominable form of the Watcher, floating some sixty feet away, its mouth grinning and eyestalks waving.  The Brigante steeled himself and cried out in his native tongue, “You have not weakened us!  I now fight with the strength of my fallen brother in arms!”  He brandished his sword, which crackled with lightning.Lazarius called upon his defensive magic and moved up near Marius as a half-dozen Mirror Images of the Wizard sprang into being around him.  Speaks now knew only a fraction of what their adversary was capable of.  But he reasoned that if it was called The Watcher, it would be better if it couldn’t see them.  He called forth an Obscuring Mist that enveloped the entire party.Cathal was only at the outer edge of the mist however and could see as a ray shot from one of the eyes of the Watcher and struck him.  He felt it try to fill his veins with granite but he fought off the creature’s petrification magic.  He was still reeling from the joy of having survived as Marcus dashed past him and boldly charged up to the creature, shield and mace in hand.  Cathal too dashed forward, diving beneath the floating Watcher and coming to his feet behind it and slashing out with his blade in the same smooth motion.  He struck and saw translucent gray ocular material ooze from the wound.Lazarius burst through the mist with some trepidation but was heartened to find his allies already having brought the Watcher to battle.  A crackling Orb of Electricity shot from the War Wizard’s outstretched hand but flew wide and missed the entire melee.Speaks too hurried around the corner and burst from the mist.  He saw Marcus and Cathal locked in battle with the creature and moved to enter the fight.  As he did so, the creature floated from between the warriors and retreated further up the hallway, Cathal slashed another deep gash along its side as it passed and earned its ire.  A trio of rays blazed from its eyes and struck the Brigante warrior but whatever horrible effects they held (Slow, Charm Person and Finger of Death in case you’re interested) were deflected by his righteous rage.Marcus knew that they had to keep the creature engaged in close battle if they were to stand a chance so he raised his shield and charged, slashing out with his mace.  His blow struck home and raised a tremendous welt along the side of the creature, just below one of the smaller eyestalks.Cathal’s magical boots danced across the floor as he deftly maneuvered to flank the eyeball horror once again.  The creature had learned that this human was a slippery enemy and turned its gaze away from Marcus.  And thus its large, central eye was looking directly at Cathal as he brought his blade down in a two handed slash that clove deep into the eye and sent the Watcher crashing to the stone floor.A celebration of their victory over the Watcher would have to wait however, as Lazarius heard the clash of large armored combatants approaching from the other direction, toward the Foundry Gate.  He drew a veil of Invisibility (Improved) around himself and moved around the corner near the statue of Marius, hidden in the depths of the fog.Speaks could not see the Ogres clearly yet, but he was fairly certain that Lazarius had retreated back around the corner from the echoes of his footsteps.  He decided that he would have to chance it and summoned forth a nearly invisible sheen of Spike Stones, blanketing the floor back in the direction the Ogres were coming from.  He called out in Elven to Lazarius, “Beware of the stone spikes in the corridor out here!”  He hoped that the Ogres had had no occasion to study that language.From the sound of things the Ogres must have charged into Speaks’ trap as they heard one of them howl in pain and yell, “They’ve trapped the hallway!” in Orcish.  What looked to be a javelin, seemingly thrown at random, shot from the mist and clattered harmlessly to the floor.  But a moment later it seemed far less harmless as it grew into a huge constrictor snake.  It immediately coiled and bit at Speaks but the Druid leapt backwards out of its reach.Marcus was closest to Speaks and struck at the snake with his mace, tearing away a cluster of scales where his weapon hit.  Cathal too dashed over to aid the Druid and landed a powerful blow with his sword, which seemed as though it were guided by the spirits of his ancestors.  (Cathal was hitting everything he swung at that night and doing great damage too.)Lazarius crept closer to edge of the mist closest to the Ogres, wary of stepping on the spikes that covered the floor.  He began to be able to see the large shapes clustered in the hallway, trapped by the Spike Stones that lay in front and behind them.  “Since you’re all standing so nice and close…” muttered the Wizard as a crackling bead of light leapt from his hand and exploded in a Lightning Ball amid the mailed enemies.  They shuddered and smoked as their bodies were wracked with electricity.Back in the other hallway, the melee with the giant snake became suddenly blanketed in utter darkness.  Who was responsible was a mystery Speaks knew that the snake was his major concern for the moment.  If it managed to get its coils around him, he would stand little chance against the creature.  He transformed himself into a large bear and could immediately smell the snake’s scent in the air.  His jaws surged out and closed on scale and meat, biting down on the serpent.But the great snake was far from defeated.  It turned its own jaws on the thick fur of the bear it now faced and its teeth sank deep.  In the blackness, Speaks felt its coils encircle him and begin to squeeze the breath from his lungs.  Cathal and Marcus could hear the struggle taking place nearby but were unable to pinpoint where.  They moved blindly in the darkness, weapons outstretched trying to locate their enemy.  They called out above the sounds of battle, “Wizard!  They’ve shrouded us in blackness!  Help!”Lazarius carefully withdrew from the edge of the mist and peered intently in the direction of the melee.  He could just barely make out the edge of the magical blackness that enveloped his friends.  Pulling a coin from his purse, he infused it with Light and hurled it in the general direction of the fighting.  His heart sank as a voice behind him whispered evilly, “Ah, there you are!”  Out of the mist strode the towering figure of the Blue Demoness, her scythe raised high.She struck at Lazarius but hit only one of his false Images.  Her swing continued, cleaving through another such Image that burst like a soap bubble.  (Note:  If you’ve got some great ideas about how Invisibility and Mirror Image should interact, I wish you’d been there that night to help me out.  As it was, I decided to give Lazarius the benefit of the doubt and rule that the glow from the light-coin – which is how she located him – was replicated on all the images and therefore they’d kick in.)  She cursed in an unknown language and cried out in Orcish, “Over here!”Meanwhile the battle with the snake continued, now with illumination provided by Lazarius’ coin.  Speaks’ ursine muscles surged and his teeth and claws slashed at the reptile, finally managing to pull himself free of its serpentine grip.  It lashed out at the bear again as the wounded Druid escaped its grasp but its teeth found only a bit of brown fur.  It turned on Cathal as the warrior menaced it with his sword but failed to penetrate his magical Shield.The Ogres, seemingly in response to the call of the Blue Demoness came charging toward Lazarius.  The first managed to avoid the worst of the Spike Stones and drew close enough to strike at the spot indicated by the Demoness but his blow lacked precision against an unseen foe and only hit the floor.  The second Ogre must have run through the thickest part of the Spike Stones and his feet and legs sustained terrible damage.  Leaking blood, he slowed to a crawl and staggered toward the battle forming around the War Wizard.  The third fared little better and limped after his comrade, anxious to get into the fight.  Both were uttering a string of curses and threats as to what they would do to the Wizard when they got there but these were cut off in an instant as the area was shrouded in magical Silence.  “Oh Hells!” Lazarius yelled soundlessly.Cathal spun as he ducked beneath the darting jaws of the huge snake and swung his blade in an upwards arc with all his might.  He felt it slow and then speed up again and blood poured down around him as the creature’s head fell from its neck. The head rolled over once and disappeared as the snake’s body shrank in on itself and became a staff.Marcus knew that Lazarius was in trouble and dashed off into the misty melee as fast as his armor would allow.  But now it was his turn to face the magical trap laid by Speaks.  He felt the needle-like stone protrusions dig into and through his boots to slash open his ankles.  The pain was tremendous and he his will alone could not help him move faster than a limp.Lazarius knew that he would die if he stayed where he was.  Invisible or not, the huge weapons wielded by the Ogres and Blue Bitch would find him if he held his ground.  He weaved his way past their weapons, the magical Silence concealing his footsteps and moved back up the hallway in the direction they had originally come from.  Once out of their reach and out of the Silence he cast a spell to allow himself to Fly.Speaks, still in bear form, called upon the Wild to heal some of his wounds.  He also moved to interpose himself between Cathal and the trapped area.  Not speaking Elven, it seemed that Cathal and Marcus had both failed to get the warning he had yelled to Lazarius.  The Brigante seemed to sense that the Druid was trying to tell him something and held back from running into the deadly mist ahead.  Peering ahead, he saw the limping shadow of one of the Ogres pass deeper into the mist.  Watching Marcus, similarly limping ahead toward the battle, Cathal suddenly understood what was going on.Marcus felt like his legs were on fire from the pain of the Spike Stones.  He gritted his teeth against the agony and moved forward, looking for an enemy to share his pain with.  Ahead he spotted one and forced himself to keep going ahead, leaving a trail of blood in his path.Lazarius continued to move back away from the misty mass of enemies in front of him.  As he did, he called upon another magic that would let him See Invisible enemies as he knew the Blue Demoness was wont to vanish at the slightest opportunity.  Ahead he saw a flash of light in the mist, but could not make out who cause it.Marcus was not so lucky.  He caught the blaze of Searing Light emanating from the headband worn by the Demoness right in the chest.  The burning from it was almost a welcome distraction from the pain in his feet.  Almost.Speaks stalked back and forth near the edge of the Spike Stones, sniffing the air for signs of any invisible enemies but finding none.  Cathal knew that the battle was unfolding without him ahead and was not going to let that happen.  He backed up and took a running leap, his magical boots propelling him much further than would be humanly possible.  He soared nearly sixty feet but still landed within the area blanketed with those accursed Stones.  His magically Stony Skin, enchanted by Lazarius before they left Hell, protected him somewhat but he still suffered enough damage to hobble him.  As if to add minor insult to minor injury, a shadowy figure, partially obscured by the mist gestured in his direction with another magical compulsion of some kind but he resisted the effects once again.Marcus could tell that he was not going to last much longer against these adversaries in light of the many wounds he’d sustained just getting to the fight.  He called upon the Divine Shield of St. Cuthbert to deliver him from his enemies’ blows.  And prayed.In seeming answer to his prayers, the area in front of him exploded in crackling blue light as Lazarius unleashed more Lightning upon the Ogres and the Demoness.  All of them looked badly wounded but none yet fell.Speaks decided that he could no longer afford to wait while his companions fought up ahead.  He took the form of a large Owl and silently flew ahead to the battle at the intersection.  As he did so, he saw Cathal take another bound, deeper into the mist, and let go a battle cry.The Brigante sailed inside the reach of the Ogre and slashed open his thigh with his crackling bastard sword.  Caught off guard, the Ogre scrambled away from the enraged barbarian and guzzled down a vial of some liquid, vanishing from sight.  The other enemies turned their attention to this latest arrival to the combat.Marcus took advantage of the brief break to heal himself with the blessing of St. Cuthbert.  Further up the hall, Lazarius came closer to engage the enemy once again, gliding safely above the ground where he was sure to avoid the Spike Stones.  Speaks too was gliding above the ground and just when he needed a place to alight and survey the situation, he found one in the form of Marius’s petrified form peering around the corner.The fog of war parted briefly and Marcus saw an Ogre lunge at him with its spear.  But the creature was gone again before he could react and it hurt too much to give chase.  Cathal had no better luck as he struck the area where his adversary had vanished and hit only air.  Then he heard fresh cries of pain and new blood as the invisible Ogre retreated back through the Spike Stones.Marcus gritted his teeth with resolve and made his torn feet move him forward to confront his attacker.  His mace creased the creature’s armor and the Ogre cried out in pain.  It felt good to inflict some hurt for a change instead of simply absorb it.Lazarius was suddenly cast into Darkness but reacted in a brief moment, calling forth a magical Light upon another coin.  He felt a breeze and sensed that someone invisible, and probably flying had just passed him, headed back toward the Forge.  He cursed in frustration at that infernal Blue Bitch’s ability to evade him.  He swore that he would not let her take him by surprise again today.Cathal saw another hulking form looming in the darkness and tumbled past the creature’s spear to sink his sword into its hide and send it sliding to the ground, limp and dying.  Speaks could still hear sounds of Lazarius cursing from up the hallway and flew in that direction but was batted fiercely to the ground by the mighty spear of the Ogre that Marcus faced.  The Druid hovered on the edge of consciousness and retreated to the relative safety atop Marius’ arm.Cathal limped over to aid Marcus but fell victim to the edge of the Spike Stone trap and suffered severe damage to his feet despite the Stone Skin that protected him.  Marcus needed no help but that of his god however.  He summoned up the Strength of his faith and let go a mighty blow against his Ogrish adversary and smote him down once and for all.Lazarius hovered near the edge of the tattered remains of the Mist, his eyes peering through the darkness for any sign of the Demoness trying to return to the battle.  Crackling death awaited her at his fingertips.  She did not indulge him.The only sound in the air was that of the ragged breathing of the party and then the brief command word given repeatedly as Marcus applied their Wand of Healing to the worst of their wounds.  They awaited nervously for more enemies to arrive as they silently urged Speaks Spike Stones spell to go away allowing them to escape.  At length it relented.They procured an ore cart from the Forge and carefully loaded the statue of Marius into it and wheeled him north, past the gate and off into the darkness beyond.  They were free of the grip of the City of Endless Summer.  For a while at least.</blockquote>

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