Tales of Faerun

[mythicdawnmaster]

Xallistine carried on with his companions, and a sense of home rushed over him like the ocean waves- or, more the briny waves of an Illithid lake. He could smell familiar scents that instinctively calmed him, it was although he was walking back up the dark ravine to his home, perched on the edge of a great rock. Although, his home was by no means close, infact, if he recalled correctly, it was over the other side of Faerun.

 

The quiet in the tunnels was not worrying Xallistine as it did the others, His life in the Underdark had indeed been full with silence, as unlike the creatures of the surface, those that dwelled in the Underdark valued stealth and held the dark quiet close. But such tunnels were too narrow to house vicious predators... which meant this had been orchestrated. He imagined that these Tunnels would have normally been rife with patrolling soldiers and busy wizards.

 

"Let us not worry about those two, and hope that they are caught in whatever ambush's have been set out for us- This... emptiness this silence, i do not think it is natural- The Underdark is a quiet place, but only because those that dwell are quiet beings, we have our own sounds down here, and i hear none... I fear devious tactics are at play, but whatever the case, we must push forward."

 

 

Light footsteps sounded from behind the group as a light footed individual made his way down the tunnel, his leather boots padding his steps as he briskly made his way down the dank corridor. Hair pulled back in a low tail, and his full and splendid outfit on, Siran's bow protruded from the confines of his cape as he turned a corner. Almost walking past the group as his eyes focused on a hastily scrawled map, he jumped with surprise as he noticed them. Speaking softly he addressed Rhaine.

 

"Oh! Lady Rhaine, I had hoped to meet you down here... seems you were right about the cult, and after a little... fishing, i managed to get the details of this place, however roughly, and it seems you are going the right way. I have no idea at all about depth, this map is rather one dimensional, but all obvious points do seem to lead to one point." He turned to the side to allow Rhaine a better look at the map, it was certainly a hasty drawing, full of squigles and twists, but the one thing that was predominant however, was a large circle that took up the upper half of the map, and Siran's finger rested upon it.

Edited April 15, 2013 by mythicdawnmaster

[GrueMaster]

Kalin stayed quiet while the three wizards walked by chattering among themselves, then released his breathe once he heard the door close. He stepped silently over to Siran and studied the map in his hands, quickly memorizing it in detail. "It seems that there are multiple side passages and rooms along the way." The elan spoke softly. "We should clear each room out as we go. If we don't, we may be cut off or flanked later."

 

 

Tak'we stood stock-still as he watched the three softskins walk by oblivious to their presence. He resisted the urge to charge them, knowing that doing so blindly would be extremely foolish. The thri'kreen shuffled lightly over to the otherworldly softskin he remembered meeting back in the last stone village, listening to Kalin speak.

 

He nodded in agreement with the man's thoughts. Clearing the rooms out made sense. It would keep them from becoming prey easily. "Tak'we agreesss."

[josh900]

Azuris sighed. "They just.. walked through the front door." He shook his head. "How.. stupid do you have to be to do that?" He asked in disbelief.

To which Kento replied with a layer of snark "That is typical Tannin for you. He never thinks, never ha a plan, just...does whatever comes to mind first regardless of what it will cause. Would not surprise me if he's still just making it up as he goes along in there."

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Tannin meanwhile had no clue where he was anymore. Obviously he had taken a wrong turn and was unable to find his way back. "Well it could be worse.... Could be getting chased still."

From, behind he suddenly heard a large group of angry people approaching. Their shadows filling the tunnel.

"Of course, had to say something." He said before running away, hoping to loose them in the twisting tunnels ahead.

[Flipout6]

Weyland jumped at the sight of Siran, going right for his blade until he realized that Rhaine hadn't pulverised him yet. He relaxed almost as much as he could down here in the Underdark once he realized that Siran seemed to be familiar with her.

 

"Hungry." Arland muttered quietly to himself. "Could go for some bacon."

 

"There is not a day in the week where any sane man couldn't." Weyland added. "Maybe there's some redeemable qualities in you after all." He teased with a mischievous half-grin.

 

"Sounds like a good plan, Kalin." Amendale agreed.

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine studied Siran's map and nodded, "I agree as well. It is good that all routes eventually lead together...but I don't want anyone circling around us and attacking from behind. Let's go."

 

She crept down the corridor, approaching the rickety slab of wood that the wizards had disappeared behind. Taking a breath, she lifted a leg and abruptly kicked down the door.

 

The resulting bang took the wizards completely by surprise. Rhaine had just enough time to glance around the room beyond - a simple bunk room with five resident wizards - before the spellcasters began their incantations.

 

Maydiira's bear charged past her, rearing on its hind legs and falling upon one of the wizards, snapping his neck with a bat of a paw. The Doomguide herself followed close behind, her swinging sword interrupting a second wizard's incantation and forcing him to block her blow with his quarterstaff.

 

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Ginafae continued on through the tunnel, her mind hyperactive with a fresh idea. She prayed to Lolth that the dracolich would see reason..

 

At last, the drow re-emerged into Valthanarax's chamber. The three beholders were handily scorched to a crisp, nothing left but charred ashes. Stepping over their corpses, she looked up at Valthanarax. The dracolich himself seemed ready to breathe fire again, but hesitated, his ruby eyes matching hers in color and intensity.

 

"Ah," the priestess purred, "You wait...and that is good. You and I both have been deceived, dragon. You are correct of course...neither my half-witted, half-breed companion nor I are your servants...but I did not come here knowing what Tannin Virson was looking for. Indeed, he never told me. And if it helps my case any, I am no friend of Maydiira Torana."

 

She shifted her weight to one leg and lifted her chin, "In fact, I am her mortal enemy."

 

Valthanarax let go of his pent-up breath in a slow sigh, lowering his head to her level.

 

"Continue."

[GrueMaster]

Kalin stood to the side while Rhaine kicked in the door, then stepped into the door after her. As he did so, he stepped right into the path of a set of flaming arrows launched by one of the wizards. He gave a cruel smile as he shrugged off the flames, causing the wizard who attacked him to pale, and so began to cast another spell.

 

Before the caster could finish, Kalin burned him down a bolt of fire, eliciting a choked-off scream, then closed the distance with another wizard, forming his mindblades and engaging him. He was put off-balanced when the man easily shoved him back. Bloody strength enchantments, the elan cursed, then began parrying with the Thayan.

 

 

Tak'we couldn't move into the room and close with the softskins trying to harm his clutchmates. There wasn't enough room for him to move past his friends. So he shrugged his gythka around, aimed, and threw it. The staff flew dangerously close to Rhaine's head, but whistled by and sunk itself into the fifth softskin, dropping him instantly.

Edited April 16, 2013 by GrueMaster

[nethgros]

Othos was caught in a daze at the moment Rhaine kicked in the door, causing the abrupt noise to take him utterly by surprise. His mind took a few moments to adjust to the sight of the room, and when he finally did there was already such a commotion in this small room that he felt his abilities would only increase the chaotic nature of the battle and get in everyones way. Instead he decided to slump to the floor in front of the door, wishing desperately that this quest had taken him anywhere but this forsaken stagnant tunnel.

 

Kowolj fared quite the opposite of Othos, noticing Rhaine's movements seconds before she kicked in the door. He pulled out his two shortswords and charged in inches behind Maydiira's bear, his heavy frame moving gracefully through the shattered doorframe and into the thick of the fight.

 

Just as he had arrived in the door, one of the wizards targeted him with a flame spell of some sort, causing a controlled inferno to burst to life and fly through the air in his direction. There was no chance that someone as large as he could dodge such an attack in an area so small, so instead Kowolj rushed head-on into the flame directly toward it's caster. The burns he suffered were excruciating, but served to fuel his bloodlust as he charged the little wizard, who had a look of terror that grew more clear with each step closer.

 

Finally reaching his target, Kowolj's blades came down simultaneously on the wizards hands, each blade taking one hand with them as they moved through his wrists. With the loss of his hands the wizard cried out for a moment, only to have his breath pushed from his body as Kowolj used his front two paws to swiftly pounce on the man's chest. With him on the ground, Kowolj now moved his paws to the wizard's throat, digging his claws into his flesh and watching with child-like wonder as his life slipped from his body.

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine was far more experienced in melee than the wizard she was fighting, and it only took a second for her to draw back and slip her blade under his staff, stabbing straight through his heart. As he fell, she whirled to the side and thrust Touch of Death into the Thayan who was attacking Kalin.

 

As quickly as that, it was over...though Kowolj still seemed to be experiencing the rush of his kill. Frowning, Rhaine smacked at the wemic's rump with the flat of her blade, "Kowolj! Enough...it is not right to take pleasure in ending a life, however foul that life may be. We fight to protect and save lives, not to enjoy death."

 

Turning to the others, she gestured to the room, "Let's look at what we have here; take anything that might be of use. If you can't use it, perhaps you can sell it later."

[mythicdawnmaster]

Gracefully strolling into the room, Xallistine struck down a wizard the moment the spell left the tip of his wand, a huge crackle of thunder searing through the red wizards chest and burnt a hole into the wall behind him. Xallistine chuckled slightly and tipped the dumb-stricken wizard over with the end of his cane.

 

Siran spun as they rushed in, his bow finding a mark across the face of a wizard, and his shortsword driving into his heart. Releasing the body it ungracefully slumped to the floor, the Aasimar winced as he heard the sound, standing as the battle ended. He had never enjoyed such things- they were only done in dire situations.

 

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"Yes, please do continue, priestess." Ravenna circled Ginafae like a ravenous vulture, a single clawed finger tracing the drow's shoulders as she walked around her, hand clutching at Ginafae's jaw to take a closer look at the woman's face, Ravenna's radiating golden eyes stared deep into Ginafae's for a moment, before darting across the priestesses face.

 

"Hmm, Beautiful, exotic, clearly of noble caste." Ravenna remarked, tapping on Ginafae's cheekbone as she looked back at Valthanarax.

 

Releasing Ginafae's face, it was almost a struggle as the former witch remembered her immortality- She was close to draining the youth from Gina, but rather remembered her state of eternal life.

 

"And with eyes that have seen much, hands that have tortured and murdered... haha, she is no friend of Rhaine's. Apologies please, continue dark maiden."

[GrueMaster]

"Thank you, milady," Kalin thanked Rhaine, then set to work checking the dead wizard for anything useful. He found a healing potion in the man's satchel and put that into his coat pocket, and was about to move on when he noticed the belt on the Thayan.

 

"What have we here?" the elan murmured, stripping off the belt and examining it further. So this is how you were so strong. Standing up, he spoke while handing the belt to Tak'we. "You should take this, Tak'we. Might be of some use for someone like you." With that, Kalin moved on, ready to clear out the next room. "Hells, it looks like they've barricaded the door!" he cursed as he tried to check the next room, and so began to see if he could find a way to open it.

 

 

Tak'we stared at the belt Kalin had taken off of the dead softskin, wondering what it did. Only one way to find out, he thought simply, slipping it on and tightening it to as far as he could get it to fit his slim waist. As soon as he did so, the thri'kreen suddenly felt strange. All of his things felt as though they didn't weigh anything.

 

Still trying to figure out what happened, Tak'we went over and collected his gythka from where it had spitted one of the wizards, putting one foot on the corpse while he pulled his staff out. *Nrak!* He clicked in surprise as the weapon slid out with almost no difficulty and causing him to fall with the sudden release. "By the spiritss!" he cried out, pulling himself back up. He looked at his hands. That belt must have made me stronger! the thri'kreen guessed. He heard Kalin say something about the next door being blocked, and gave an excited whistle.

 

Let's see how strong this door is, he thought, walking over and clawing grips into it. Tak'we strained for a moment after getting a good grip, then yanked hard. The door shrieked as it was ripped out from its frame, and gave a loud *Clunk* as it was unceremoniously dropped to the side. "It iss no longer blocked, " Tak'we said smugly, then went on looking for more enemies.