D&D II Act One Scene II(b) - The Dread City

Fourier

One of the gnolls looks up.

"Thief!! He's here for our treasure!!"

Two run at him mouths snapping, the other two with swords drawn.

OOC:Init

Fourier

The gnolls run at Sarric, two biting into his flesh around the stomach and the third slicing at his legs. Sarric kicks one of them in the neck and focuses his Ki into his legs. The one taking the initial kick falls back slightly as Sarric kicks up dust with his rapid retreat backward, so fast the gnolls with the sword become disoriented.

He quickly passes back through the crack in the wall.

Ser Boros sees him emerge and runs to his aid.

"Sarric? What happened? Do you need aid in walking?"

sKeith

"Some unfriendly gnolls, thought i was after their treasure and attacked me, brace for them following after me."

Fourier

The gnolls emerge from the crack in the wall ready to rush after Sarric, but halt in their place when they see the rest of the group, Ser Boros and Karinth in particular.

The largest one, carrying a sword, stops the others.

"We perhaps were too hasty. Maybe we could dig the treasure out together?"

sKeith

"Too hasty? You nearly killed me!

We will be needing route to the fourth level, if this can be arranged, we could form a truce and assist you with your treasure task, otherwise, we have no use for you, and that won't be good for ye.."

Fourier

Karinth steps forth.

"Sarric these dogs have shown they lack the faculty for reasoned conversation and discourse, we need them not to discover a route, let them only function to momentarily slake my blade's thirst"

He unsheathes one of the red steel blades and holds it to the throat of the head gnoll, the others backing off in fear.

sKeith

"Speak dogs, and hurry, I don't exactly feel like changing Karinths mind!"

Fourier

"We know how to pass to the fourth floor, there is an exit that avoids the necromantic laboratory....though the room it exits into is the home of four Earth elementals.

Our tribe knows them well so we can get them to let you pass"

Thorginz interjects.

"Aye, and then when we enter this room ye'll set them on us"

Karinth places his hand on Ser Boros

"Maybe so, but would they not be fantastic beasts to slay?"

"Nay, they are magical creations Karinth, tools of some long dead Mage, not true monsters" Ser Boros says betraying a deep conviction.

sKeith

"I'm sure we'll find a proper beast for you to slay Ser Boras, and the offer of passasge to the fourth floor intices me much.
Karinth, do you sense betrayal in their offer?"

Fourier

"They are simple beasts ruled by fear, I doubt they will betray us, for they know it would be their undoing"

He holds his blade to the main gnolls back.

"Lead on gnoll and remain loyal"

The gnolls lead the party around to the main furnace room and down to near the necromantic laboratory where one of the pipes enters the floor below, there is a gap in the floor around the pipe, large enough to fit a few people at a time. The main gnoll takes out a scroll and activates the spell, freezing the pipe.

"There we can climb down the pipe, though we have only minutes before the heat within it is too much"

sKeith

Sarric climbs down the pipe.

Fourier

Sarric emerges into a room filled with rubble, as Thorginz comes down the pipe behind him.

Some of the rubble suddenly lifts off the ground and floats in midair, in four seperate piles, before each pile assembles itself into an earth elemental.



One of them shouts something at Sarric in an unknown language.

sKeith

Sarric tries to communicate back in all his languages.

Fourier

No response from the elementals.

Karinth and the head gnoll descend next. The latter speaks some phrase in the strange tongue of the elementals and they collapse back into rock.

sKeith

"Thats a nice trick, can you teach me that?"

Fourier

sKeith wrote: »

"Thats a nice trick, can you teach me that?"

"It has limited use, you need to know the unbinding command in the mage's native tongue, it wouldn't work outside of these four elementals here. My tribe killed their creator seventy years ago when he entered the dungeon."

sKeith

"Well, I do plan on returning this way, so it would be useful, unless you wish to accompny us, and I am a quick study when it comes to languages."

Fourier

The gnoll begins to disagree but looks at Karinth and spends the next few minutes teaching Sarric the commands.

When he is finished all the gnolls and the rest of the party have descended.

sKeith

Sarric searches the room.

Fourier

There are exits to the North and NorthEast.

The room simply contains countless rocks and small boulders, no furniture, nothing. The only things of interest are four large green gems, which the gnoll quickly informs Sarric are the heartstones of the elementals.

sKeith

"Well, I think I like your tribes plan to leave the here to keep guard. shall we proceed"

Fourier

The gnolls nod

"Our tribal grounds are directly underneath here, on the fifth level...." he swallows and tries not to meet Karinth's eyes "...may we leave?"

sKeith

"How do we make the pipe cool again for our retreat from here? It would be quite useless for us to return here and be unable to climb back up the pipe. When we are able to do that again, without you, then we will allow you to retreat up the pipe. What you say?"

Fourier

sKeith wrote: »

"How do we make the pipe cool again for our retreat from here? It would be quite useless for us to return here and be unable to climb back up the pipe. When we are able to do that again, without you, then we will allow you to retreat up the pipe. What you say?"

The leader reaches into his pocket and takes out a scroll.

"Two more uses of an ice spell in that. Our chief will have our heads figuratively for losing this. Better than you having them literally."

sKeith

Sarric takes the scroll.

"Okay then, off with you up that pipe, hurry, before it heats up again."

Fourier

The gnolls leave quickly, visibly relieved.

sKeith

Sarric leaves via the northeast exit, carefully and stealthly, to avoid been heard from unseen unknowns.

Fourier

The party follow Sarric and continue along the narrow passage to the NorthEast.

Karinth halts the party halfway.

"A dread presence guards this area, Sarric I sense death should we continue this way, not for you or I but for the weaker members"

Faree grows nervous with this.

sKeith

"Karinth, I am not of full health, so I cannot honestly go against that warning without proper rest and return to full health.

I'll stay back here and rest if you want to go ahead and clear the area.

I'll follow once these bites and this slash wound heal up."

Sarric turns to the others, "Feel free to join Karinth, while i recover."

Sarric back up the passageway slowly to find a quiet corner to meditate.

Fourier

Finishing the meditation a few hours later, Sarric finds the rest of the party save Ser Boros and Karinth are lying around him asleep or meditating.