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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kid Charlemagne" data-source="post: 2834508" data-attributes="member: 93">The investigators cautiously approached the door on the far wall.  Amanda was still suffering the adverse effects of the previous door’s magical protections, and no amount of cajoling could convince her to advance beyond this one.  Reluctantly, Cass led her back out of the mausoleum, leaving Artimis, Orla, Sandor, and Nigel to examine the portal.“Do you this zis one is also trapped?” Sandor asked.“Only one way to find out,” Artimis answered, as he flung the door open.Either this door was not magically trapped as the previous one, or they shook off its effect.  It is also possible that the investigators did not notice it, as immediately beyond the door, they were faced with a prepared force.  Iron Tusk stood about thirty feet back, twirling his iron-bound table leg in his hands with a menacing smirk.  Near him stood Gwyneth, the girl from the Green Dagger house, rapier at the ready.  She locked eyes with Orla and pointed her rapier at the fencing teacher.  Behind them stood two other figures.  One was clearly a priest of the Bastard, and was wearing a dark cassock.  He was young, and sported scars on his cheek.  The other was a tall, thin man, nearing seven feet in height, wrapped up in odd, buckled armor that sported an iridescent sheen.  Nigel doubted that he was human.  He was armed only with a curious-looking, thin dagger.There was no need for talk.  Orla immediately advanced on Gwyneth, and the thief-girl parried her first lightning fast strike.  The priest stepped back from the fray, and pointed a wand in Orla’s direction.  A tiny burst of energy shot out hitting her.Iron Tusk drew out a flask of oil and applied it to his table leg while working himself into a mad frenzy.  Nigel did not like the looks of that, and fired his longbow at the Orkling, hitting him solidly in the leg.  Iron Tusk seemed scarcely to notice.The iridescent-armored man made a quick gesture, and a rainbow-like burst of colors fanned out over the investigators.  None of them succumbed to its hypnotic effects, and Sandor and Orla moved into position to flank Gwyneth, and Orla drew blood.The young priest blasted Orla once again with his wand, staying away from the melee.  Iron Tusk howled in primal fury, promptly tripped over a rock and dropped his table leg, and howled once again in primal frustration.  Nigel took advantage of the opening, striking the Orkling twice with his axes.  He drew copious amounts of blood, but Iron Tusk was in no state to care.Gwyneth laughed at Sandor and Orla, and struck at her fellow fencer, finding a gap in Orla’s defenses and landing a grievous blow.  The fencing teacher, already heavily wounded from the priest’s magical attacks, dropped to the ground, bleeding and unconscious.The tall, iridescent-armored man stepped in near Nigel, and lashed out with his dagger.  The blade was made of some sort of flexible metal, and it wrapped around one of the detective’s hand axes, and pulled it free of his grasp.  Iron Tusk used the distraction to recover his table leg and brained Nigel across the back of his head, and Nigel reeled from the impact, badly hurt.Nigel stepped back, and Laddie moved in on Iron Tusk, defending his master.  Nigel looked at the wand of cure light wounds, and thought it would be best to get as much healing as possible.  He drank the healing potion he had stashed away instead.Artimis intoned a brief incantation, and moved towards Orla.  Gwyneth and the priest could see him, but some magical protection prevented them from interfering as Artimis prepared to heal her.The tall man struck at Laddie with his dagger, while Sandor flung two knives at Gwyneth, both flying wide of their target.  Iron Tusk closed on Nigel and swung a mighty blow, narrowly missing.  Nigel responded with an axe strike, and drew a spare axe for his off-hand.Artimis cast a healing spell on Orla.  The bleeding stopped, but she did not regain consciousness.  The priest of the Bastard, sensing a small break in the battle stepped up behind Iron Tusk, and cast a healing spell of his own.Nigel threw caution to the wind, as he and Laddie advanced on Iron Tusk.  Nigel swung with each axe, landing strong blows with each hand.  Iron Tusk reeled, but still menaced Nigel, who was badly hurt.  Laddie ducked in under his rage-weakened defenses, and bit hard into his thigh.  Iron Tusk’s eyes rolled back into his head from the pain, and fell to the floor.Artimis looked over at Gwyneth.“Well, if it worked before…”He passed a hand over one of his tattoos, and pointed at Gwyneth.  She fell fast asleep.  Artimis chuckled.The tall, iridescent-armored man seemed utterly unconcerned at the shift in the battle.  He dispassionately gestured at Nigel, and a green ray shot from his hand, striking him in the chest.  Nigel felt the strength in his limbs draining away, and nearly fell to his knees.Sandor threw a knife at the tall man, and it found purchase in his shoulder.  There was no reaction.“Eez that thing even human?” he yelled.Nigel healed himself of some his wounds using his magical wand, though his strength still did not return.  He threw the wand across the room to Artimis, who caught it on the fly, and used it on Orla.The fencer’s eyes slowly opened, and she sprang to her feet.The tall man was cut off from retreat, but it did not concern him.  He lept onto the wall, and scampered up it like a spider.  He began crawling across the ceiling towards the dark end of the chamber.  Artimis sent Kendra up to harrass him, and the strange fellow fell from the ceiling and dropped twenty feet, landing with a crash.  He did not move.The young priest ran for his life.  Laddie and Orla gave chase, blocking his retreat.  Nigel grabbed Iron Tusk’s table leg, and charged after him.  The young man’s eyes bulged as he sa his end coming.“I surrender!” he yelled, tossing his wand to the side.  “I don’t want to die!”</blockquote>

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