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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wraithdrit" data-source="post: 868167" data-attributes="member: 10820">Session 6 - Part 2Tanerus cough lightly, "Actually there is more..." Everyone looked to the halfling, "I've heard rumor that the Zhentarim also stole a gnomish treasure... some sort of crystal." He fidgeted a little under everyone's scrutiny but the center of attention quickly shifted to Amador as he spoke up."That must be why Corellian has led me here."Durgaden blinked, "To get a gnome's crystal?"Amador smirked, "No. A circlet dedicated to Corellian.""Did the Zhents steal it too?" asked Tanerus."No... drow. It happened near the western edge of Cormanthor. Hand crossbow bolts littered the body of a dear friend of mine who tended a shrine. His circlet, an item of some power was taken. The tracks did not lead into the forest as I would have thought. Instead they led west... towards Dagger Falls."Will leaned forward, "I'm here looking for a book. Its called the Book of Eternal Flames. It was written by the late human chancellor and advisor to last King of Tethyamar."Everyone looked at Durgaden. "Don't look at me, I'm just here to get me mines back!" He paused. "Well, and anything they looted and sold from me mines needs to be returned...""So now its a gnomish crystal, an elven circlet, a halfling gem, and a dwarven axe. And we know they were looking for the book as well, so might as well add that to the list. Someone is starting a collection," concluded Will. "Its time we finish what we started with the Zhentarim then get to the bottom of this."The companions gathered their gear together and set out. They paused at the exit outside. Tanerus slipped out into the ruined city and snuck toward the Zhentarim camp. He was able to quickly ascertain that the camp had been dismantled and everyone had been brought inside. A large metal portcullis blocked the entrance to this set of mines. Tanerus returned and reported what he saw.The party slipped into the ruins, making their way toward the portcullis but were soon warned of an oncoming lone figure by Will's owl. Durgaden met the figure in the midst of the ruins, "I'm hoping you have an invitation to me mines!" The figure stopped and pulled back her hood. Instantly he recognized her as the part demon sorceress they had battled in the hills while travelling from Dagger Falls. She held up her hands in peace. Her voice was exotic, sounding like two different people talking at the same time, one voice was husky the other silky smooth.  "We need to talk. I come in peace."Durgaden frowned, "Talk then, but nothing funny, or I'll split ye in two." The two came a bit closer together. "You are heading into a trap, I want to make sure you are as prepared as you can be.""Why?""I want you to win.""Why would you want that? You work for them.""No. Working for them would imply willingness. I'm compelled to do the bidding of Xandos. Long ago, my ancestors kicked your ancestors out of the mines. They beget offspring that beget offpsring that beget me. When the Zhentarim uncovered the mines, Xandos got the drop on me, my brother, and three cousins. He learned our true names, and helds us bound into his service. Kill him, and I will be free, and will leave these mines and never return."The companions conferred for a moment. Durgaden asked, "Does he know you are out here? What kind of defenses do they have? Tell us what we are getting into.""I don't know everything but here is what I can tell you...." Tursa leaned in and began to tell them everything she knew.Will waited till Tursa was finished and had departed, "Alright, here is the plan..."***Darkness had fallen and Yulgar was starting to get nervous. He had signed up for military service with the Zhentarim to get out of life as a farm hand, but getting slaughtered was not a part of the bargain. Rumors had spread through his unit. Two captains, a lieutenant, a slew of orcs, two seargents, and a pair of tigers had all been slaughtered by whoever it was that was out there. Now he had the task of pulling the night shift of guard duty. Yulgar stood at an arrow slit, his shortbow in his hand. Three of his squadmates stood at similar slits. The slits were mounted in a pair of massive iron doors. The only way to open the doors was by using the winches mounted in the walls beside each door. The guards could barely make out the outline of the portcullis through the arrow slits. It sat over a hundred feet away at the other end of the dark entrance cavern.Two positions over Gornim started, "What was that?" Everyone lifted their bows into position. Something was racing across the cavern, but as it moved it seemed to just sink into the earth. Then there it was again, at the winch to the portcullis on the other side of the cavern. It was some sort of small earthen creature, an elemental perhaps. "Its cranking open the portcullis!" Behind the archers, Sgt Hulgin heard the reports and yelled, "Fire!" Each of the archers let loose. Two of the arrows sailed wide, but two embedded in the things back. Something small darted up under the portcullis and raced up the wall, dissappearing into shadows. Still the portcullis cranked upward. "Reload! Aim! What the - ?!" Sgt Hulgin cried out as another of the earthen creatures appeared up through the stone, inside the iron doors! A third elemental appeared as well. Both turned and started cranking open the doors. Yulgar and his fellow archers reloaded and aimed at the new threats.Inside the cavern a dwarven voice was heard bellowing as its owner raced across the cavern, "Time to vacate me mines!"*** Tanerus continued to skitter up the wall, the effects of the potion of spider climbing allowing him to stick easily to the surface. Durgaden slammed into the doors, putting his back to the door then peeking through an arrow slit chuckling at the chaos Will's summoned elementals were causing inside. The doors began to open, inches at a time.Will and Amador stayed at the portcullis till it was a full six feet up. "Thats good enough," Will told the elemental, "Head inside." The elemental nodded and skittered toward the iron doors. Fighting could be heard from within. Durgaden grinned as the doors opened a full foot. The grin vanished when the doors stopped moving. He threw himself sideways at the opening and quickly shifted into his defensive stance on the other side. There were at least five Zhentarim on there, plus one of the acolytes of Bane that Tursa had told them about.  The elementals were falling away into the earth, dispatched by the enemy forces. Thats okay, they had done their job.A mage, probably Xandos apprentice thought Durgaden, appeared twenty feet ahead of him. He unleashed a bolt of lightning that coursed through Durgaden. The dwarf had managed to deflect a good portion of the energy with his shield and by ducking down, but still his skin burned and his hair singed in the lightning. The Zhentarim quickly surrounded Durgaden, locked their shields and began to stab at him with their short swords. In his stance, with his back to the doors, he was practically invulnerable. Their swords bounced off his armor and shield, but could not find an opening.Tanerus continued to skitter along the ceiling until he saw a large shape hanging from the dark cavernous ceiling. He looked down and saw Will and Amador jogging across the cavern, putting their backs to the large doors, ready to aid Durgaden. They were out of the range of his telepathy, and if he screamed out a warning, then whatever it was that was there would know he was here. He crept toward it along the ceiling.Xandos, strapped to his saddle, his dire bat clinging to the ceiling, finished his first spell. The spell rained giant shards of ice and blasts of cold down onto the trio of companions near the door. Amador was quick to retaliate, despite the pain of the ice shards had caused him. He called upon the might and fury of Corellian, invoking a massive column of flame to rip through Xandos and his mount. The skymage screamed in pain, the mount let go of the ceiling and quickly took flight to try and avoid the next attack.Durgaden was blasted by the ice, but was forced to ignore it in favor of retaliating on the Zhentarim that were still surrounding him. His axe took down two of the foes quickly.Will chose to ignore Xandos. After all the elemental protection spell against fire that he had Amador cast on him would prevent fireballs from hurting him and the spell immunity to ice storms and lightning bolts just about sealed his protections. He had thrown up a spell to make his skin hard as stone, just to be on the safe side. Instead of contronting Xandos, he lobbed a fireball through the opening in the doors.It erupted between the line of Zhentarim warriors, the skymage's apprentice, and the acolyte. Durgaden saw the fireball arc over his head in time to have brought up his shield and brace. Flames licked around the shield and the heat singed his arm, but he was none the worse for wear.When he lowered the shield, the smoke and fire receeded revealing the corpses of all of his foes laid out before him. Durgaden frowned, "Hey! Those were... I was gonna... Oh well." He turned to the closest Zhentarim looked him over. The Zhentarim warrior groaned and stirred slightly. "No invitation!" bellowed Durgaden. He slammed his axe into the fallen foes head, making sure the fireball's work was completed.Tanerus skittered up closer to the skymage. He was almost to a point where he could jump on the back of the dire bat... just a little closer...Xandos finished a spell and dissappeared, mount and all, in a quick flash. Tanerus cursed outloud.The companions quickly gathered and took stock. About a fourth of the Zhentarim aligned forces that were supposed to be left in Tethyamar now lay dead. The companions had broken into the mine, now it was just a matter of cleaning out the rest of the vermin.</blockquote>

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