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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sniktch" data-source="post: 604238" data-attributes="member: 7704">The Assault on Szith Morcane, pt. 3OK, now the big battle starts.  It gets pretty confusing to me - a lot was going on and it all happens in a short space of time.  I'd say all of the events in this update cover about 1 minute of game time...*****Gnish was the first companion to drop through the opening, eager to shed the blood of his enemies.  Before him the ogre was engaged with a strange skinless and bleeding dark elf that he recognized as one of the undead quth-maren, exchanging blow for blow.  The quth-maren was also surrounded by a group of Artimas’ undead that hacked at it mechanically with their scythes.  The rest of the undead had poured around the combat and marched across the chamber, where Gnish could see four dark elves taking cover and pouring arrows into them.  He raised his crossbows and sent a volley in their direction as he heard more of his companions enter the chamber behind him.Artimas and Tierak were the next to enter, the Loathegrot floating down behind them.  Tierak motioned and her dancing lights sped across the cavern, illuminating the drow that lurked there to her companions.  In response, one of the drow raised his arms and fired a blast of lightning that tore through the combat before them and crackled around the heroes.  However, Artimas had warned his companions about the dark elves’ proclivity for lightning use and they had all been enchanted with protective spells before hand.  Six of the skeletons battling the quth-maren fell, but the companions suffered nary a scorch mark.“Charge!” shouted Artimas unnecessarily and started making his way past the melee in front of him.  He cast a spell as he moved forward, firing a ray of blasphemous power that drained the vitality from one of the archers and further strengthened him.  Tierak responded to the lightning bolt by focusing her will upon the dark elf wizard, paralyzing his muscles and leaving him helpless.  Artimas noticed this and unleashed his last weapon.  “Mask, your time has come.  Slay any drow you see who do not bear Arawn’s mark.”  A whispering mirthless laugh was the only response.The drow continued to fire and fall back before the marching undead.  One of them trained its attacks on the massive ogre, the biggest target it could see, and the beast was slain and faded from view with an unearthly roar.  Back at the entrance to the chamber, Welby silently dropped into the room and began creeping unseen along the wall of the cavern, while Bruskin cloaked himself within a spell of invisibility and followed.  The sorcerer quickly took in the scene and then flew forward, throwing a greenish bead toward the drow across the room.  The bead struck the ground just behind them and exploded into a ball of powerful acid.  Unfortunately most of the drow resisted the attack but one was badly burned and fell back, disappearing from view over the side of the canyon.  Bruskin snorted in irritation and pulled forth a coin, enchanting it to shed the light of the sun before flipping it toward the enemy.  The drow screamed in pain as the light seared their sensitive eyes, and one of them quickly activated its innate powers of darkness to counter the spell.  Bruskin smiled and flew forward toward the chasm.Freed from its ogre attacker the quth-maren made short work of the two remaining skeletons that battled it, smashing them down with powerful blows of its fists.  Seeing this, Gnish dropped his crossbows and drew a pair of kukri from his belt, charging forward to engage the undead.  With a word one of his weapons began to emit a keening wail, and when he slashed into the beast his magical blade ripped through its undead flesh like rotten fruit.  He accepted a glancing blow to his shoulder and went through a simple attack routine, dropping it.  The gnome did not pause to savor his quick kill but started to sprint across the chamber toward the remaining foes.The two remaining drow that still had control of their limbs fired one last volley at the approaching undead and prepared to withdraw.  Unfortunately for them, they had lost time countering Bruskin’s daylight spell and the five remaining skeletons overtook them and surrounded them, forcing the drow to draw swords and defend themselves.  Artimas crowed in triumph as behind them a ghostly apparition manifested and stabbed the helpless wizard through the throat, slaying him instantly.  The Mask cackled and moved in behind the pair of embattled drow. Seeing that things were currently well under control, Higreld consumed a potion and faded from view.  A moment later Artimas, Tierak, and Gnish felt a telepathic intrusion in their minds.  The voice spoke to them, accompanied by disturbing images of unimaginable titans gliding across the floors of silent seas.  “Communicate this way we can at the speed of thought.  Artimas, one more ally you said we have.  Perhaps go get her should Higreld?”“Yes, it seems a good time.”  Artimas concentrated on visualizing the crack where he’d spoken with the psychotic half-drow and transmitted the image to his odd companion.  The goblin responded that he understood and glided silently toward the rift.Bruskin reached the edge before him and peered over the side.  The sorcerer gulped with sudden apprehension as he beheld a large group of drow racing to join the battle.  He turned his head to the side and felt a small twinge of panic as he saw that a massive, gargantuan spider crawled up the side of the chasm to join the fray.  “We have more coming!” he shouted, then flung another bead at a pair of flying dark elves.  It exploded between them and he heard their howls of pain and rage as the acid bath covered them, but he did not pause to watch the results.  Instead he flew to the great stony column in the center of the chamber and touched a wand to it, once more filling the room with bright daylight.Artimas and Tierak calmly followed Gnish toward the combat between the pair of drow and the remaining undead.  The four zombies and the Mask had joined the melee, and by the time any of the party members had reached the fight the drow had been torn to pieces.Suddenly the light of Bruskin’s spell was snuffed, and at the same time the air was filled with whistling crossbow bolts and crackling bolts of electricity.  Bruskin was struck by no less than three bolts and was sent spinning through the air.  Luckily his protective spells absorbed most of the damage, but the amulet around his neck was pulsing with energy and he knew it would soon crumble.  He turned to see the flying wizards hovering above the edge of the cliff, and he knew that the spider would only be moments behind them.Across the chamber, Artimas felt several small bolts pierce his flesh and the burning itch of poison racing through his veins.  He spun around and saw that at least a dozen drow, a pair of quth-maren, and a female drider encased in an aura of fire had entered the chamber behind them.  “It’s a trap!” he yelled.  “They were waiting in the tunnels behind us, we’re surrounded…”  The mage slumped to the ground as he spoke the words, and by the end of his warning he was fast asleep.  The rest of the companions found themselves surrounded by grinning dark elves as the jaws of the trap slammed shut.Next: the battle continues...</blockquote>

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