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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Horacio" data-source="post: 422891" data-attributes="member: 82">And another update!Book VI, Part 21“That was a useful spell you used, back there,” Pelather said.  “I did not know that you dabbled in necromancy.”“It was Alera’s spell, part of a cache that she gave me on our departure,” Cal explained.  “As I understand it, she doesn’t specialize in anything, but ‘dabbles’ in a little of everything.”“Yes, there’s little that that old woman doesn’t know,” Pel acknowledged.  “What else do you have in that cache of hers?”“A polymorph, shades, stone to flesh... and a few other assorted lesser spells.”“Potent magics indeed.  Good to know you have them at your call.”   The hostility between the two gnomes seemed to have simmered over some, now that they’d been twice blooded and fully confronted with the difficulty of their mission.  Valor led them onward, with Fenrus a step behind, and Benzan now bringing up the rear, checking back frequently to see if the ooze or the skeleton was following.  The corridor they’d taken from the flooded room led them through a complex of side passages and chambers, but Valor had been able to pick up the scent from Nelan and his companions and led them unerringly along the trail each time they were confronted with a choice.  They spotted a few interesting things in the passages and areas that they passed, but instead of stopping to investigate they pressed on, focused on their objective.  At one point, as they were making their way down a long, empty passage, a loud clatter sounded behind them.  They spun just in time to see a heavy stone wall slam down from the ceiling just a few feet behind Benzan, sealing the passage behind them.  “This damned place is giving me the creeps,” Benzan said.  “This Halaster guy who built this place, he’s long dead, right?”“No one knows for sure,” Cal said.  “He lived a long, long time, even for a wizard.  I’d heard stories from people who said they saw him in Waterdeep, the above-ground part, as recently as ten years ago, but no one’s been able to confirm or deny such reports.  He’s like that entertainer... what was that guy’s name... oh yeah, that famous bard, Sivle.  People were insisting that they saw him all over Faerûn, for decades after he died.”“Maybe somebody who liked his work had him raised,” Benzan noted.  “Perhaps.  Sometimes, people are better left where fate chooses them to be, though.”  “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about that skeleton, or that ooze thing,” Pel noted with practicality, and without further debate they continued on their course.  With Valor’s guidance, they made swift progress, although it became increasingly clear just how huge this complex was.  Their trip through the teleporter meant that they had no idea where they were, how deep in the dungeon they were, or how to get back to the entrance.  But the three adventurers were too seasoned to give into thoughts of despair or uncertainty, instead focusing on the route ahead of them, and the direction given by the magical hound following his invisible trail.  Except when they came to yet another intersection, and instead of moving immediately into one of the two passages confronting them, the dog just stopped.“The trail ends here,” the dog told them.  “I do not know which way to go.”Benzan took a look around, but there was nothing to see but bare stone.  “I don’t see any signs of a struggle, but if it’s been a few days...”“Well, we’ll just have to pick one,” Cal suggested.  “We’ll keep picking the same direction, though, whenever we come to a choice, so that we can find our way back—unless we find another clue that leads us elsewhere.”“Find our way back?  Back to where?” Benzan noted.  “We’re already lost.”  But he followed the gnomes as Cal picked the left corridor, and their small company moved out once again. None of them noticed the new ring that Benzan was wearing, replacing his ring of water walking on his left hand, and the tiefling forgot to bring it up.  Their bootsteps sounded a regular cadence as they made their way down the passageway, Pel’s light casting long shadows ahead of the two canines as they probed ahead.  The passageway opened ahead into a long “L” shaped room, with them entering at the top of the “L”.  Several other exits, all dark corridors, were immediately apparent, but it was also clear that the room was not another vacant, empty chamber.   A structure of sorts had been erected at the apex of the “L”, in front of another passageway leading away from the chamber.  The construction was clearly a defensive fortification of some sort, a six-foot wall apparently fashioned from stone and wooden debris, with narrow embrasures along its summit and a single tight opening in the center.  A pair of torches on tall poles were mounted behind the wall, casting a broad ring of light out over the chamber. A man waited in front of that opening, facing toward them, waiting for them.  He was armed with a bared longsword, but the weapon was lowered and he made no threatening gestures as he waited for them to draw nearer. Cautiously, they approached.  “Movement, behind the wall,” Benzan whispered to his companions. “I see it,” Cal replied.  Fenrus growled, but Pelanther calmed him by stroking his muscled foreleg.  “Hail,” the man said in greeting, once they had closed to within about twenty feet.  Now that they were closer, they could see that he was clad the uniform of the City Watch, although the garment was faded and more than a little threadbare around the edges. “Hail and well met,” Cal said.  “It’s nice to encounter someone who doesn’t instantly attack down here.  Although I certainly didn’t expect to find a member of the Watch down here in Undermountain.”“Undermountain is a strange place, which breeds strange alliances,” the man commented.  The companions noticed more movement behind the uneven summit of the wall, and for a moment, a tall, hyena-headed figure was visible before it dropped back down out of view.  None of them needed to comment on what it had been—all of them had traveled enough to be quite familiar with gnolls. “Indeed,” Cal said, sparing a quick glance at his companions to verify that they had seen it too.  They were all on edge, ready for any trouble.  Fenrus and Valor were each ready in their way; the wolf bristling with barely contained energy, the magical dog calm and implacable.  “I am delegated to make an offer of shelter and protection, if you seek it,” the man said.  “We have a community of like-minded souls, banding together against the chaos and danger of this place.”“Oh?  And who leads this little community of yours?” Pelanther broke in.  For a moment, the man’s expression darkened, but then his stale smile returned.  “Why, we have no single leader, but pool our efforts in cooperation for the common benefit.  You will find such protection of good use, for many dark things lurk in these halls.”“Yeah, that we know already,” Benzan commented. “We are looking for someone,” Cal said.  “Another gnome, younger than us, in the company of a mixed group of other adventurers.  Has he come this way?”“Perhaps.  He may even be a part of the community; I do not always get to meet the new arrivals.  If you would come with us, we can check and see if your friend is here, or someone may know where he has gone.”“Let us say that we agree to come.  How many of you are there, and how far is it to where your people reside?”“It is not far.  Come, let us escort you.  We ask only that you leave your weapons behind, at this watchstation, and that great wolf of yours must remain behind as well.  I can swear that no harm will come to either while in our care.”Cal seemed to search for a response for a moment, but Benzan snorted, and Pel’s muttered curse was equally negative.  “No way I’m leaving Fenrus with him,” the gnome said.“Leave our weapons behind?” Benzan said at the same time.  “You’ve got to be joking.”“Surely you can understand our need for security, especially against a group of strangers such as yourselves.  We can’t just let a group of armed men—and ferocious animals—into our community.  You can come to look for your companion, but not armed.”“We are not hostile,” Cal said, and as he spoke, a melody seemed to stir through his words, his voice lilting with a familiar tenor.  “You can trust us, and take us to your leader, with all of our gear, and our animal companions.”The words seemed to hang in the air after he spoke them, echoing with the force of a magical suggestion, but the Watchman acted as though he hadn’t even heard them.  “I’m sorry, I cannot.  Perhaps one of you would like to come inside, while the others wait with his weapons?  I swear that no harm will come to you.”Cal frowned, but he quickly rallied.  “Perhaps if I could consult with my colleagues, first?”“Of course.  Take all the time that you need.”Cal nodded graciously, then retreated with the others in tow, back toward the corridor through which they’d entered.  When they were far enough so that the words would not travel to the guardpost, Cal turned, standing behind Fenrus’s bulk so that even his moving lips would not be visible to the watchers.  “Well?”“Most pressing strange,” Pelanther said.  “I’d not recommend trusting anyone who cavorts with gnolls, however.  And I’m not leaving Fenrus behind, no matter what.”“He’s lying, of course,” Benzan said.  “Trust me, I’ve done enough of it to know.”“But to what end?” Cal said.  “I mean, maybe he’s right about at least some of it, and there is some sort of... community down here, of guards and adventurers and humanoids trapped in Undermountain, unable to find a way out.”“Such a thing would never hold together without strong leadership,” Benzan persisted.  “He’s lying about that, at least—did you see the look on his face there for a second, when Pel asked him?”“Yes.  And he resisted my spell—no minor accomplishment, especially for an average soldier of the Watch.”“I doubt he’s average,” Pel added.  “I don’t like it.  There’s something going on here that’s not as it seems.”“But I doubt it’s a coincidence that Nelan’s trail ended right around here,” Cal said.  “Maybe I should go with them, alone, and see what I can learn.”“I don’t think that splitting up would be a good idea,” Benzan said.  “Just the fact that he seems to want that is enough to recommend against it from my perspective.”“All right.  We’ll see what more we can learn, but won’t commit to anything.”They returned to where the man waited patiently, having stood in the same spot during their hurried conference.  He seemed almost nonchalant—or at least was trying to present that attitude.“Well, my friends?  Have you decided to accept our generous invitation?”“I am sorry, we cannot,” Cal replied.  “But I wonder if we could speak with someone else from your community, someone who might have seen our friend?  We’re very concerned for him, and he has family above who are also worried about him.”“Perhaps,” the man said, looking a little undecided.  “Maybe you could wait here, outside the guardstation, while I send word to the community of your search.”“Actually, we thought we might continue our search, and stop back here later.  That would give you time to investigate, and find out...”“Actually, I’m sorry, we cannot accept that either,” the man interrupted.  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist that you accompany us; we can’t have you leaving and warning our enemies about our position.”“Behind,” Benzan said, the single word a warning.  The gnomes turned and saw what the tiefling had just noticed; several shadowy forms moving up into the room via the corridor behind them, blocking off their retreat.  They wore long black cloaks that made it difficult to identify them, but they were a range of heights, from as small as Cal to slightly larger than Benzan.  As they drew nearer the companions could see that there were six of them in all.“We would rather avoid violence,” the Watchman said, but his voice was iron, all conciliation gone from his tone.  “So would we, but it never seems to work out that way,” Benzan said harshly.“Last chance, back off or deal with the consequences,” Cal said.  In reply, the man made a short, cutting motion with his blade, and his compatriots leapt to the attack.</blockquote>

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