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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wraithdrit" data-source="post: 1124250" data-attributes="member: 10820">Tanerus quickly lowered himself into the mass of webbing that he was hiding in. He clutched the wand nervously and chewed on his lower lip. What had he gotten himself into, he thought. Well the others had to be close by. He hoped.Hearing the commotion coming from the barracks Plickit reached over to one arm, where his everesmoking bottle was strapped down, its cork firmly in place. He flicked the cork free and smoke spewed forth from the bottle beginning to quickly fill the area of the chasm around him. Delorian backed quickly away as the smoke swirled around him, filling the opening. He slid back and against the wall as drow warrior after drow warrior began fanning out, cautiously moving forward through the smoke.Hoping that he had made escape possible for the others, Plickit began quickly climbing up the ladder. He was not sure who had stirred up the drow, but it sounded like there were far too many for him and his companions to handle. Delorian did all he could to become one with the wall, his shadowy form was invisible even to the sharp drow vision, and the smoke was making it hard for everyone to see. The monk crept slowly toward the ledge. All the while his hand slid through shadows, ready to pull a shadow loose so he could step through. Tanerus waved at the smoke in front of him, frowning all the while. He could hear that there were several drow swarming out onto the landing, but he could not see them. Well, if he could not see them, they could not see him. He leveled the wand once again and fire belched forth from it once more.The explosion rocked the landing, and several drow were flung to the ground. Delorian threw up his hands, but the flames did not quite reach where he was. The drow reacted quicker than the monk thought was possible. Hand crossbows fired out in a wave, a score of bolts flinging out into the chasm.Tanerus yelped as the bolts went flying by. They were shooting blind, but they knew generally where the fireball had come from. Bolts ripped past him, one skinned his ear, not actually marking him. He twisted to one side and a bolt slammed into his arm. He winced by did not cry out. He could not give away his position! He reached for the bolt, knowing its poison was already entering his system. He resisted the urge to sleep. The urge to just lay in the comfortable webbing and take a nap. Another bolt sunk into his thigh. He shuddered and collapsed into the web, asleep.Up top, Mytrym heard the second explosion. “I have to go down there!” He grabbed out a potion and drank it down, more of his strength started to return to him. Naria was quick to react, grabbing him by the arm.“Are you crazy? You’ll be killed just like them. You are in no condition to fight!” The paladin paused for only a moment, staring at Naria in disbelief. It did not matter to him if he would die, he was not going to let his friends die alone.As the drow scrambled off the ledge and onto the web, one drow, a spellguard flew out into the web seeking whoever had tossed the fireballs at his group. He found the halfling sleeping in the web and scowled. His knife came into his hands as he leaned down and grabbed the halfling by the hair.Plickit reached the ledge leading out of the chasm and scrambled toward the hole. When he got there he threw himself up. His powerful insect legs propelled him upward and his hands grabbed the edge. The others quickly pulled him up.Delorian appeared behind the group, “Too many to fight alone.”Mytrym spun on him, “Where’s Tanerus?”Delorian shrugged, “I never saw him. I assume that was him tossing fireballs. He must still be below.”Mytrym looked down the shaft. Below there were the sounds of what sounded like a small army coming. “We can’t leave him down there!”Naria grabbed his arm once again. “You would sacrifice all of us to save him? We have to go!”Amador muttered a quick prayer of blessing, asking his god to look over those with him in this, their most desperate hour.Delorian shook his head, “No. We hold the ledge. If they take it, they will only fortify it.” He stepped past Naria and dropped down the shaft.  Mytrym looked to Plickit. The thrikreen shrugged, “Plickit-tck go down the hole. Tck.” The ranger followed Delorian down the hole, but had not even reached the bottom when her heard the sounds of fighting.Delorian had hit the bottom and tumbled to his feet facing a drow officer. The women wielded a twin bladed sword and she lashed out before the monk had much chance to react. He backpedaled quickly, and a second drow officer came out of the swirling smoke to attack his flank. He could see other shapes moving through the thick smoke. The ledge had already been lost. Plickit landed, and quickly took stock of the situation. There was no way for them to hold the ledge against this. Perhaps if Mytrym was healthy, if Amador and Naria were not out of spells, maybe then, but with the group so exhausted this was not a fight they could win. He fell back into a corner and hid, his ring making his form look like the rocks around him.Delorian fought a quick retreat. Once out of range of the officers’ deadly twin swords, he pulled a shadow across his form and stepped through.Up top the others were already moving out. They backed quickly down the uneven natural corridor. Delorian appeared beside them. Grim determination showed on the monk’s features as he pulled shadows back across him, once again disappearing from sight. Delorian would hold the ground for as long as he could, knowing he could escape faster than any of the others.One of the drow appeared from in the shaft. She walked straight up the wall, her feet clinging to it as if she were a spider herself. She crouched, watching the surface dwellers retreat. The second officer soon joined her. Delorian began to take a step toward them, perhaps if he could stun them he could toss them back down the shaft. His movement was cut short when a drow spellguard floated up the shaft and into view. Without pausing the spellguard cast a quick spell, sending multiple magical bolts slamming into the monk. The spellguard could see him. It was time to leave.The monk turned and shadow stepped down the corridor to his companions. They moved quickly away. The drow were not chasing them, but they did not want to give them any reason to at this point. They needed to regroup. They needed rest. As they moved away, the spellguard called out to them in common, “Go surface dwellers, and never return!” He lifted a knife, the blade of which was freshly stained with dripping blood. “Return and the White Banshee will have your souls, just like your halfling friend!”</blockquote>

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