steeldragons
Steeliest of the dragons
Braddok, Haelan, Fen and Trihna races up the curving path to the "side" entrance to the dragon's mountain. Pyrnion, having winged his way ahead, alit when he saw them nearing.
"We need to find her." Braddok said.
The sea-priestess Trihna, in the guise of Alaria, pulled her locator orb from the pouch and with a brief command, the grey-green water within the crystal began to churn and swirl with a soft glow.
The companions raced through the stone corridors. They passed through the small cavern where the large iron chains that had once held the hellhounds lay discarded. They entered the cavern where they (minus Pyrnion) had first fought the water-hydra and reclaimed the Shoal temple's sacred pearl.
Unbelievable, Haelan thought to himself, that was still less than a year ago.
"What is that?" Pyrnion said with some disbelieve at the unconscious aquatic elf now occupying the space above the filled cistern.
"Karolostae." Trihna said in an awe-inspired whisper. The clerics of Tyris were schooled all manner of oceanic flora and fauna, including many "peoples", of whom the average land-dwelling races were unaware.
"A Watcher of the Deep. A branch of elfkind that lives beneath the seas." Fen explained for those who didn't know.
"That poor woman. We have to free her." Haelan said trotting over to the sea elf.
"Pyrnion, get that." Braddok said pointing toward the fire-gem topped staff, even as he raced toward the shelf on which Haelan's food-producing bowl sat.
Fen, racing for the Karolosta woman, noticed too late that the warriors were going to gather the treasures. "No wait!" he shouted seeing Pyrnion flap his way across the chamber and nearing the staff.
*BFFZZZAP!*
Magical energy sparked and flared with a yellow light as the zephari bounced off the mystical barrier.
Pyrnion growled as he stood from his knees. "I hate that! That's twice I've been electrocuted in the past twenty minutes."
Braddok stopped in his tracks and slowly retracted the arm that had begun to reach for the bowl.
"Can any of you cancel the barriers?" Braddok said softly toward the three spellcasters who were trying to determine how to free the sea elf.
Fen placed a hand against the stone wall of the cavern, as close to the edge of the cistern as he dared and murmured the incantation for shaping stone.
The rings of rock that bound the Karolosta's wrists and ankles began to ripple and melt away. The unconscious elf slumped down and nearly fell into the cistern. She was so light and small, that Trihna was able to catch her and slowly lower her into the water.
The elf's large eyes flitted open. All of the companions (who were near enough to see) were amazed by the large silvery-green irises that took a moment to focus on the faces before her. Questioning fear filled her face.
"Be at ease. We are elf-friends. We will get you out of here." Fen said in elvish.
She looked with a slightly crooked head at the half-elf.
"Maybe she doesn't understand, you?" Haelan muttered from the side of his mouth, though hardly quiet enough to keep everyone from hearing him.
"Pyrnion, can you mind-talk to her, maybe?" Haelan suggested to the zephari.
The winged man shook his feathered head. "It's only for communication with others of my kind...or others who already have the ability."
"Huh." Haelan mused. "Do succubi have telepathy?"
"Focus, Haelan." Fen repremanded gently.
But this gave Braddok and idea! The swordsman motioned for Pyrnion aside and quietly instructed the zephari to try to see if he could mentally find the demoness.
"I've never tried anything like that before. I don't know if it will work." Pyrnion's feathery eyebrows rose on his forehead at the warrior's suggestion.
The sea elf looked all of the companions up and down. Her gaze lingered on Braddok and Pyrnion the longest before going back to Trihna and noting the amulet displaying the holy symbol of Tyris. It glinted from beneath Alaria's cloak. She grabbed the medallion and pointed to it.
"Wear [something something] Waves! Waves [something] the Mother!" she said in elvish, though it was thickly accented to those with ears that understood and used certain sounds...that may have been words...that were completely different than land-elvish.
"Yes." Trihna said softly, intuiting something of what the elf was trying to convey. "I worship Tyris, blessed be Her depths." Trihna smiled gently.
"Tyris! Yes! Kama!" the sea elf said, very anxious.
All of the heroes eyes opened wide.
"You know Tidemaster Kama?!" Braddok said...in his language, forgetting himself.
The sea elf shook her head in agreement. "{something that sounded like an affirmative] 'Tidemaster'...Kama! Where he is? Find him?" she sounded very concerned for the elder priest.
"We don't know where the Tidemaster is, I'm afraid. He has been lost." Fen tried to explain in the sea elf.
Again she grabbed the amulet and pointed to the eteched waves. "Kama!" Then she pointed to one of the other passageways that led from the room. "Evil. [something] Dark. Come...[something something]...Kama!"
"Is she saying that Kama is here?!" Haelan said, unsure if he was getting the translation correct.
"I...think she is." Fen said, also unsure and a bit surprised.
"Shoulda known." Pyrnion grumbled.
"Where is he?!" Trihna said full of concern.
"Can you show us? Kama? Tell us where he is and we will get him." Fen asked gently.
"Evil [something] dark." she said, pointing again to one of the other passages. Then she held up her hands like one pantomiming something with claws and did her best to make a growling snarling sound and bare teeth.
"Oh boy." Braddok and Fen simultaneously said.
"What?" Haelan looked at the two quizzically.
"Well, my elvish isn't up to snuff, but I'm pretty sure she just told us that the dragon has Kama." Braddok said.
"I must concur." Fen added.
"Oh not to worry, heroes. My mistress has more than that wrinkled old wave-priest." Althrizz's sultry voice came from all around them, echoing throughout the chamber.
The companions all whirled around in time to see the succubus materialize in the air, her wings spread nearly across the whole passageway as she hovered above a force of goblinoids. The goblins were a motley-looking bunch. Many wore sailor or pirate-esque garb. Behind these miscreants were two sets of heavily armored hobgoblins.
"Looks like it worked." Pyrnion said under his breath to Braddok as the two warriors gripped their weapons more tightly.
Braddok scowled. He counted about 15 goblins and half dozen of the larger red and black armored hogomors, as far as he could see.
"And soon she will have five more than that. Take them!" she commanded.
The goblinoids charged.
"We need to find her." Braddok said.
The sea-priestess Trihna, in the guise of Alaria, pulled her locator orb from the pouch and with a brief command, the grey-green water within the crystal began to churn and swirl with a soft glow.
The companions raced through the stone corridors. They passed through the small cavern where the large iron chains that had once held the hellhounds lay discarded. They entered the cavern where they (minus Pyrnion) had first fought the water-hydra and reclaimed the Shoal temple's sacred pearl.
Unbelievable, Haelan thought to himself, that was still less than a year ago.
"What is that?" Pyrnion said with some disbelieve at the unconscious aquatic elf now occupying the space above the filled cistern.
"Karolostae." Trihna said in an awe-inspired whisper. The clerics of Tyris were schooled all manner of oceanic flora and fauna, including many "peoples", of whom the average land-dwelling races were unaware.
"A Watcher of the Deep. A branch of elfkind that lives beneath the seas." Fen explained for those who didn't know.
"That poor woman. We have to free her." Haelan said trotting over to the sea elf.
"Pyrnion, get that." Braddok said pointing toward the fire-gem topped staff, even as he raced toward the shelf on which Haelan's food-producing bowl sat.
Fen, racing for the Karolosta woman, noticed too late that the warriors were going to gather the treasures. "No wait!" he shouted seeing Pyrnion flap his way across the chamber and nearing the staff.
*BFFZZZAP!*
Magical energy sparked and flared with a yellow light as the zephari bounced off the mystical barrier.
Pyrnion growled as he stood from his knees. "I hate that! That's twice I've been electrocuted in the past twenty minutes."
Braddok stopped in his tracks and slowly retracted the arm that had begun to reach for the bowl.
"Can any of you cancel the barriers?" Braddok said softly toward the three spellcasters who were trying to determine how to free the sea elf.
Fen placed a hand against the stone wall of the cavern, as close to the edge of the cistern as he dared and murmured the incantation for shaping stone.
The rings of rock that bound the Karolosta's wrists and ankles began to ripple and melt away. The unconscious elf slumped down and nearly fell into the cistern. She was so light and small, that Trihna was able to catch her and slowly lower her into the water.
The elf's large eyes flitted open. All of the companions (who were near enough to see) were amazed by the large silvery-green irises that took a moment to focus on the faces before her. Questioning fear filled her face.
"Be at ease. We are elf-friends. We will get you out of here." Fen said in elvish.
She looked with a slightly crooked head at the half-elf.
"Maybe she doesn't understand, you?" Haelan muttered from the side of his mouth, though hardly quiet enough to keep everyone from hearing him.
"Pyrnion, can you mind-talk to her, maybe?" Haelan suggested to the zephari.
The winged man shook his feathered head. "It's only for communication with others of my kind...or others who already have the ability."
"Huh." Haelan mused. "Do succubi have telepathy?"
"Focus, Haelan." Fen repremanded gently.
But this gave Braddok and idea! The swordsman motioned for Pyrnion aside and quietly instructed the zephari to try to see if he could mentally find the demoness.
"I've never tried anything like that before. I don't know if it will work." Pyrnion's feathery eyebrows rose on his forehead at the warrior's suggestion.
The sea elf looked all of the companions up and down. Her gaze lingered on Braddok and Pyrnion the longest before going back to Trihna and noting the amulet displaying the holy symbol of Tyris. It glinted from beneath Alaria's cloak. She grabbed the medallion and pointed to it.
"Wear [something something] Waves! Waves [something] the Mother!" she said in elvish, though it was thickly accented to those with ears that understood and used certain sounds...that may have been words...that were completely different than land-elvish.
"Yes." Trihna said softly, intuiting something of what the elf was trying to convey. "I worship Tyris, blessed be Her depths." Trihna smiled gently.
"Tyris! Yes! Kama!" the sea elf said, very anxious.
All of the heroes eyes opened wide.
"You know Tidemaster Kama?!" Braddok said...in his language, forgetting himself.
The sea elf shook her head in agreement. "{something that sounded like an affirmative] 'Tidemaster'...Kama! Where he is? Find him?" she sounded very concerned for the elder priest.
"We don't know where the Tidemaster is, I'm afraid. He has been lost." Fen tried to explain in the sea elf.
Again she grabbed the amulet and pointed to the eteched waves. "Kama!" Then she pointed to one of the other passageways that led from the room. "Evil. [something] Dark. Come...[something something]...Kama!"
"Is she saying that Kama is here?!" Haelan said, unsure if he was getting the translation correct.
"I...think she is." Fen said, also unsure and a bit surprised.
"Shoulda known." Pyrnion grumbled.
"Where is he?!" Trihna said full of concern.
"Can you show us? Kama? Tell us where he is and we will get him." Fen asked gently.
"Evil [something] dark." she said, pointing again to one of the other passages. Then she held up her hands like one pantomiming something with claws and did her best to make a growling snarling sound and bare teeth.
"Oh boy." Braddok and Fen simultaneously said.
"What?" Haelan looked at the two quizzically.
"Well, my elvish isn't up to snuff, but I'm pretty sure she just told us that the dragon has Kama." Braddok said.
"I must concur." Fen added.
"Oh not to worry, heroes. My mistress has more than that wrinkled old wave-priest." Althrizz's sultry voice came from all around them, echoing throughout the chamber.
The companions all whirled around in time to see the succubus materialize in the air, her wings spread nearly across the whole passageway as she hovered above a force of goblinoids. The goblins were a motley-looking bunch. Many wore sailor or pirate-esque garb. Behind these miscreants were two sets of heavily armored hobgoblins.
"Looks like it worked." Pyrnion said under his breath to Braddok as the two warriors gripped their weapons more tightly.
Braddok scowled. He counted about 15 goblins and half dozen of the larger red and black armored hogomors, as far as he could see.
"And soon she will have five more than that. Take them!" she commanded.
The goblinoids charged.