Mysteria carefully let go of Gwally, making sure that he could stand on his own once more. She shot a disapproving look at Symbul, surely the mage could have found a less taxing spell. Shaking her head, she tried to clear the cobwebs off her mind. Back at the cave, she had felt... what? She had felt entangled once more, the web from her dreams trying to catch her... to hold her. But ... it had been different this time... the white strands had gone missing, leaving only dark, sticky tendrils of blackness to grasp for her .. soul? She sighed, this made no sense, no sense at all. She dismissed her thoughts, it was probably only her surroundings weighing on her minds. She did not like the underground, no, not at all.
Speking of underground ... she snapped out of her musings, she did not want to have to be rescued again, tripping over that stone had been foolish enough ... if Gwally hadn't ... she turned to him, "By golly Gwally, that was quite a stunt! Thank you, thank you very much indeed!" (ooc: )
*****
Meanwhile, Fang pricked his ears, he could still hear the "Bad Smellers" humans referred to as orcs. At least "Scales" and "Icy Water", known to humans as Farscape and Aegis, did not seem to want to attack each other, he was dimly aware that he would not have liked to attack "Scales" even if his pack leader had commanded him to defend "Icy Water". He scented no fear coming from those two, but as he wandered some a bit further into the tunnel, he a foul odour assailed his nostrils and he bleaked his fangs ...
(ooc: feel free to make of this what you want ...)
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
Dragon Wench, who was focusing on trying to defeat the panic she always felt when forced to travel through dark, enclosed spaces, looked up with sudden interest. Yshania's suggestion struck her as both humane and tactically advantageous.
"Yes....that is a good idea...maybe we could also herd them in such a way that they cause mass confusion amongst our enemies......although we would also want to ensure that they were not hurt....," she mused thoughtfully.
The putrid stench of the tunnels made her shudder, and involuntarily, she clutched her stomach as unease, barely restrained panic, and the loathsome stink of evil all combined to instill a sense of inner dread. Normally, she did not feel this way going into battle, but this time was different....... Clenching her jaw, she remembered that the abomination was intrinsically linked to the Shadow Master, and with an extroardinary effort of will, she began to channel bitter sorrow and anger.....swearing vengeance against this foe who had robbed of her of so much for so long.
Spoiler
testingtest12
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup. Spoiler
testingtest12
.......All those moments ... will be lost ... in time ... like tears in rain.
yet another narrative from being behind, apologies
The mist that was Flanders, rose high above, as the others came through the portal, one by one. He pried slightly into each one's thoughts, careful only to probe emotions to ascertain the mood of the group in these tense moments. Fear and rage seemed to dominate the party in their venture to the unknown; emotions likely to cause dysfunction within the ranks. He was relieved to be a spectator at this point in the affairs.
His focus though, began to revolve around the woman whom he followed through the portal. She was gravely affected by this place and found some space on the ground to sit. He really had no intent to personally pry on any of the group he tracked, however, this one was giving off amplified signals difficult to miss. Clearly this one may not even be aware of her psionic ability. He looked in for a while and ceased his psionic interrogations when Thantor crossed through the portal.
Thantor immediately took charge of the situation and began to rally the group together apparently scribbling instructions on the ground. The group responded to him heeding his words and combined with a few protection spells, perhaps the fear and angered was quelled. Flanders remained unaware Simbul was alerted to his presence.
The group began to disband, a scout and his wolf striding off into the darkness. The remainder of the group took a different path and Flanders chose to follow them, so he could continue to focus on the unstable woman he now knew as Yshania.
********************************
It was quite some time afore the group had any contact. The sight was quite strange and included a single drow commanding a contingent of orcs who were herding cattle. His gaze migrated over to a struggling Yshania. The evil of this place was taking a heavy physical and mental toll on her; she teetered with consciousness and given the situation he found it necessary to intervene. He would not fail to help her now as he had earlier in the grove when the group battled the illithids and umber hulks.
He began to focus on the waves of thought pouring out from Yshania. Powerful emotion and abhorrent visions tormenting her; he used this energy to propel his psyche towards hers so that he may fight beside her. Flanders took note of the awful projections of her mind and began to question their source. Was it from this place, the powerful beings inhabiting it, or were they perhaps personal experience brought to the forefront of her mind in this dark place they now inhabited? Regardless of the source, they must be eradicated and Yshania was now privy to his intervention although she initially mistook his presence for Thantor . Her confusion caused her to probe further into this new presence and the visions pressed hard.
Focus Yshania, I can work through you but not for you.
She feared this new dark entity and did not understand his presence, his dark demeanor outwieghed by his will to help. She laid a foundation down on his words and began to push the visions from her mind. Flanders added significant force in assistance and when he saw the grim features on her face relax, he made a quick retreat from her mind.
Crush enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the women.
Following his lengthy psionic display with Yshania, Flanders now had the feeling he was being watched. Thantor seemed unaware, Yshania may not even recall, but still...he felt watched even in his translucent misty state.
The group below him appeared to be motivating having recovered from the cow affair and the landslide. Yshania seemed to find some solace with Thantor...and that was good. Having swam in her mind for some time, positive reinforcement for the woman could save more lives than her own in this place of evil.
He had spent so much time here focused on the party, he had put his own trifles and tribulations out of mind. It felt foreign, somewhat, but it was the stronger feelings of caring about others that overwhelmed him. It had truly been so long. The 300 hundred years spent amidst the drow taught only self preservation, the exact opposite of what he had been taught in younger years. The several weeks he'd been away from the underdark, he'd known only mental torment and anguish. Plagued with a horrible curse and having been chosen to provide the return of a great evil, it was only his iron will and fortitude keeping him together and the evil at bay. Every day, it became more difficult for him to the reject the power he was gaining. Even now, he took advantage of it. When the time came to be free of the curse, would he be able to make the sacrifice despite hating what he'd become? He began to wonder of Uther and why she had not been back to antagonize him. Could he have slipped her in going through the portal? Either way, he put it out of his mind as the group appeared ready to move out.
Crush enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the women.
“Wait a minute,” Gwalchmai said while seated against the wall, “You want to drive the cows and sheep into the midst of the enemy? You don’t like cows very much, do you Dragon Wench?”
“I have nothing against cows,” stammered Dragon Wench, “I just thought they would make a good diversion…”
“Its not like we’re up against some whacko lactose-intolerant wizard with an unnatural attraction for bovines,” Gwalchmai said, rising from the ground to make his point, “These are Orcs and Drow with sharp, pointed swords. They want to feed the cows and sheep to a giant, living heap of compost. The livestock would never survive.” Dragon Wench bridled at Gwalchmai’s tone, the muscles in her jaw tensed as she sought the best retort, but Yshania cut between them.
“Gwally has a point. We need to save the animals.” Yshania place a hand on Dragon Wench's shoulder.
T’lainya spoke quietly but her words echoed with the weight of significance. “I don’t think it will be possible to save them. The way to the surface is blocked, and if we liberate them from the orcs, they wouldn’t be able to just wander around underground. Our priority is to keep the enemy from feeding the Abomination any more. This is critical.”
“They are probably rebuilding the ramp even as we speak,” Thantor said evenly.
Now Gwalchmai looked perturbed as he rounded on Thantor and T’lainya, “What are you saying? That we should kill the animals?”
“It may be our only choice.”
“No!” cried Vivien suddenly, tears trickling down her face, “They are innocent! Fluffy, big-eyed innocent animals!” Vivien stood with her hands on her hips, doing her best to appear forceful. The two druids, Yshania and Gwalchmai, stood behind her silently agreeing with her sentiments.
“One well-placed fireball will prevent the animals from feeding the dreaded Avatar,” T’lainya reasoned. “That would be best.”
A moment of silence ensued while the horrors of her proposal were considered. “A fireball wouldn’t kill the Orcs or Drow,” Vivien protested weakly.
Nippy stepped forward, his hand gripping the pommel of his sword. “We can take care of a few orcs,” he declared in a deep voice that rang with nobility. “As for the Drow…”
“The drow won’t be a problem.” Yshania said, her fists curled in white knuckled fury.
Thantor turned to face the collapsed rubble behind him and thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “There is still the matter of the ramp. We can’t let any more ‘food’ get down to the Abomination.”
“Leave that to me,” Simbul said, “I shall return in fifteen minutes.” With that, she cast dimension door and was gone.
That there; exactly the kinda diversion we coulda used.
Before Simbul floated through the dimension door, Yshania noted her glance at a space above their heads but it was so brief the druid was unable to determine whether it was purposeful. She turned to study the roof of the passage, her eyes lingering over the crevices…hmm…it looked more stable than the passage they had just left…she sat down and awaited instruction, and closing her eyes she tried to focus. Focus Yshania, I can work through you but not for you. An echo. Her attention was drawn again to the space above…then she searched the shadows behind them for an answer. She knew something or someone was down here with them, she could feel it…and he had helped her!…but why? She sighed and leant her cheek against her open hand…who? She worked back over the day’s events recalling a similar sensation at the noontide ritual…but the conscience had not communicated then! She considered opening her mind, reaching out, she wanted to understand! What was his purpose? Was he an ally? But then she caught Thantor regarding her gravely. He was right, without him having spoken to her, she reconsidered.
She turned her thoughts back to their current predicament. T’lainya was right, there was no way they could get the cattle to the surface. She idly wondered whether they could cast some kind of invisibility on the animals, then a darker thought…if Simbul was unable to delay the reconstruction of the ramp, then…no – she pushed the thought from her mind. Besides, Vivien would never agree to it…and anyway, she did not know enough about the abomination to know if this would work. They wanted to prevent the death of the cattle, but they could be a means to an advantage…no, Simbul would sort out the ramp…she was sure.
Parachute for sale, like new! Never opened!
Guinness, black goes with everything.
Nippy was stood, silently waiting for Simbul to return from her errand. Everyone was quiet, trying to keep calm and relaxed even though they were in a den of stinking evil ( ).
Nippy closed his eyes and again saw the image that had plagued him for so long, the evil bastard's face that had caused him so much pain and anguish. It burned into his retina, forever stored in his memory as a destroyer. He, no, you could not call it a 'he'. It had no honour, no pride and no respect for another human being. It shouldn't be alive, Nippy wasn't even sure it was. Could someone alive cause that much damage to someone else?
Nippy opened his eyes and saw the rest of the group still quietly waiting. Nippy looked at his hands and noticed the stark whiteness of his knuckles where he had clenched them tight, stopping the bloodflow.
He crouched down on his knees, and then crossed his legs on the floor, underneath himself. Vivien looked up and smiled at Nippy, he returned a quick smile to the radiant Dark Flame and returned to his thoughts. He closed his eyes and meditated, trying to remove the pent up emotions within his body. They would limit his strength and effeciency in combat and that would not help with the upcoming battle.
Nippy's breaths were deep and filling, his diaphragm lifting up and down as his breathing became regulated, each breath out pushed out anger and hatred, each breath in brought calm, strength and control.
His mind and body clear, Nippy flicked up, balancing on the balls of his feet. His eyes were a bright green, almost like Emerald, intense and focused.
The nights were always the hardest. Even when Jerrenn wasn't sure if it was night, just the feeling of nighttime… the darkness, the stillness, the sense of being alone…. was enough. While the void offered a place of retreat, it was not a place of sanctuary. Quite the opposite… in the endless darkness, he was vulnerable… and she was inescapable. He shifted slightly, pulling the cloak closer to him, though it wasn't cold inside the pocket void he had created around Anicka and himself. He looked into the fire and allowed the feelings to wash over him, knowing how much it would hurt… not that this had ever stopped him before. As often happened, his thoughts cast outward at the flickering warmth... he remembered the magic of their last encounter….before the darkness had once again descended, and obliterated the fragile light they had found….extinguishing it in a single terrifying moment. The moment would remain etched in his mind forever……sheer intoxicating joy….followed by yawning blackness…..so intense in its enormity that it threatened to engulf them both……like a beast whose hunger would never be sated. He could never forget her of course, though at one point he could have chosen to close off that part of his life. But he had made the conscious choice not to. Despite everything that had happened to him, that part of him that he shared with Drina was… there were no words…
He heard Anicka stir and he looked over in her direction. She wouldn't waken for awhile yet, thought she did move in and out of consciousness. It was as if she was delirious from a high fever, as if her body were trying to burn up the foulness inside of her. In linear time, they had been within the small sphere for several days. He had cared for her as best he could, though he was no cleric, manifesting what was required from the fabric of the void in the same way that such things are manifested in a dream. Eventually Anicka's breathing become regular once again, and he was left alone... with the darkness.
Spoiler
testingtest12
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup. Spoiler
testingtest12
.......All those moments ... will be lost ... in time ... like tears in rain.
The uneasy feeling of being watched had not dissipated and with the party still regrouping, Flanders decided to see if he could get to the source of the uneasiness. Drifting slowly back in the direction the party had traveled, he began to scan the area as thoroughly as possible. After a time, the feeling seemed to fade and he decided to head back so as not to lose track of the party. As he turned, a sound caught his attention. Footsteps! He lingered for a moment, sighting a contingent of drow warriors coming into view. In their scattered state, the party would not only be caught off guard but would trapped between two hostile forces. Drifting directly into the path of the oncoming warriors, Flanders knew what had to be done.
Thantor stood considering the danger of the situation before them. There were no good solutions to the problem. In his own mind, he wanted desperately to avoid contact with the enemy as much as possible, since any exposure could result in harm coming to any… hostages. The best solution would to make any damage appear as part of a natural… A blinding light filled his mind and Thantor fell to his knees with a muffled grunt. "What is it Than?" Yshania cried, dropping down beside his crumpled form. As quickly as it came, it was gone. Gathering himself with a deep breath, Thantor looked up, catching a concerned look in Gwally's eyes. "There is a squad of drow warriors coming up behind us." Gwally's eyes widened as T'lainya said, "Thantor, how do you know this?"
"Unclear. Some sort of telepathic communication. We can sort it out later. Jenna and Vivien, I need you in position by the livestock. I'm going to need fireballs…"
"Please Thantor," Vivien begged him imploringly. "Can't we…"
"Viv, I don't want to hurt the cows and sheep. I want to drive them back towards the drow contingent." He put his hand on her shoulder. "Once we are done here, we can discuss maybe herding the animals back through the dimension door portals where we came in. Ok?" She nodded, still uncertain. Thantor turned back toward the party. "The drow will expect that there will be animals in this area, so if we time it right, they won't react until it's too late." He got to his feet. "We'll need to split up, some of us working with Jenna and Viv to drive the herd and mop up the orcs, some of us on the drow. We will need a sentry to signal us when the drow are within range so that we can start driving the herd in their direction."
Nippy and Bloodstalker looked at each other, and Nippy's face broke into a sly grin. "Ya know, pilgrim," he said with a bit of a drawl, "if we were to latch onto one of those doggies runnin' on the outside of the herd, ride 'em low on the side so's to be out of sight, we could drop down behind them there drow… put 'em in a world of hurt."
"Oh yah," agreed Bloodstalker. "We could have us a regular Faerûn barbie cue."
Those who will play with kitties must expect to be scratched.
Many are cold; few are frozen.
Absence is to love what wind is to fire... it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.
"Yeeehaw! Saddle up boys, we're a'goin to town!" Nippy grinned and ran with Bloodstalker to the side of the herd. Before the battle commenced, Nippy walked up to Vivien.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head, lil lady, I'm gonna get them there fellas and stop them from gettin' them cattle." Nippy winked at the pretty lass and tipped an imaginary hat to her, she almost swooned but kept her composure.
Nippy ran back to Bloodstalker and he went back into his old training and melded slightly into the shadows...
Vivien watched Nippy saunter off, not sure if she wanted to trip him for being silly, laugh at his new accent or fall into his arms in tears. It was all a little too much right now for her. This battle in encroaching darkness, worried for her friends, certain that they would not succeed... but perhaps all of these worries were tied into one…
Behind all of her worries loomed a longing…a sadness that was growing the deeper they descended into the murky depths. Her fingers lightly caressed the ring of joy on her hand, mulling over the possibility that the ring was now fully integrated with her…perhaps her vulnerability to night, to the undead and to the shadow magic which unfortunately lay heavy in the air around them was causing these feelings of sadness and dread? She shook her head slowly, knowing that it was not quite that, she felt as if in mourning…like a kindred was ripped from her, now that Rai’ya was not...
I won’t think about that now. She hissed inside her mind.
With a sigh she quickly cast stoneskin and walked carefully forward, seeing Jennabard move similarly out of the corner of her eye. The air felt cold and damp against her arms as she began her preparations, her eyes trying to find a place that would serve the best to strike. She could see the vague figures of Bloodstalker and Nippy ahead and hear the comforting sounds of friends moving closer behind.
It felt a little better, the heat from the bodies of her friends and she smiled at those around her though her eyes shone unnaturally bright.
The first thing she was aware of was the warmth, the nearness of it. It had been so long since she had felt warm… unexposed. Then there was the sensation of movement, of release. Like being washed up on shore. She opened her eyes but did not move, afraid that if she did that somehow it would not be real... that... that... She jerked upright, remembering.
"It's all right Anika," came a silken voice. "You are safe. No one will hurt you here." Her body ached, especially her head, and moving like that had not helped. Seeing Jerrenn calmed her and she relaxed a little. He had made no effort to move toward her and there was no concern in his eyes. He simply watched her, distant yet curious at the same time. He looked dramatically different from the last time she saw him. His rustic good looks and roguish countenance had faded, replaced with a dark, brooding quality. He was pale and gaunt, his face drawn and his eyes unnaturally large, like a creature of the night. He had pulled his hair back into a tight ponytail that accentuated the angular quality of his face. From a distance, he could have passed for a drow.
"Where are we?" she asked, trying to orient herself.
"We are in the Shadow Master's lair. We have been here for several days while you were recovering."
"You call this safe?" She had wanted to scream the words at him, but she managed to maintain a certain level of composure. She saw him nod, as if satisfied, and realized that he was testing her, pimping her like some first year cadet. Incensed, a nasty comment formed itself in her mind, and then she stopped. This, too, was part of it... he had intended her to know he was probing her. She looked at him, using his unblinking eyes as a touchstone to help her focus. They sat looking at each other for several moments, while she worked out that he was not being cruel, but simply practical. It made no sense to go off to battle with someone who was unstable. When she grasped this and was ok with it, she said to him, "Please explain our situation."
"We are inside an artificial space, created out of the fabric of the void," he answered. "We have moved outside of linear space and time, which means when we leave this place it will be as if we had left the Shadow Master's lair for only a short time. As far as I know, we are alone here but the Dark Flames are no doubt on their way. I secured your armor and your sword. Your tormentors died rather spectacularly and the compound is no doubt on high alert."
"Ovctan?" He was vaguely surprised that she said this without emotion.
"A bit of a hot head, though he did know how to light up a party. He died screaming, I assure you." He read the disappointment in her face, but she said nothing at first. Then she said slowly, "I remember you did something to me and then he started yelling…" Jerrenn's face was emotionless. "Memories of defilement are sick, toxic things -- the product of a sick, toxic mind. I simply returned them from whence they came. There was very little left of his sanity before he died, raping himself and being raped as your memories looped inside his mind."
"That's why the memories of what occurred are so dim?"
"Yes". He changed the subject. "There is some stew in the pot over the fire. I would encourage you to eat some. You will need your strength."
"We don't have time..." She stopped, grasping the absurdity of the statement, then simply ended with, "... thank you." She noticed two bowls off to one side along with some large wooden spoons. As she moved to ladled the stew into one of the bowls, she realized that she was clean and that her wounds had been dressed. She finished filling the bowl, sitting back down on the blanket that had fallen off her shoulders. Looking up at him she said, "I want to thank you for caring for me." She looked down at the stew, emotion welling up in her throat. "For rescuing me…" Neither said anything for a time, then he spoke. "A commander is a position of some responsibility, one that requires restraint and perspective. It is incongruous that such a person would rush off, alone, into a suicidal situation." It was Anicka's turn to say nothing. Jerrenn looked into the fire. "Your first command?"
"Yes." The word was barely audible.
"I am sorry for your loss, Commander." The words and sentiment were genuine. The stew began to swim before her eyes, guilt and loss threatening to destroy her hard won composure. "And I am sorry for yours, Jerrenn," she replied softly.
From the stillness she heard, "Thank you, Anicka."
Those who will play with kitties must expect to be scratched.
Many are cold; few are frozen.
Absence is to love what wind is to fire... it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.
It seemed to Farscape he spent a lot of time running. Grumbling unhappily to himself as he sprinted down the dark corridors, he nearly ran himself threw on a blade that appeared from shadows. Drawing Redeemer quickly, the 2 blades had almost met when recognition kicked in.
"Aegis, good to see you my friend, but I suggest you get ready, I've got a large contigent of orcs following me. Hey pooch."
Aegis nearly nodded, a slight smile twisting his scarred face. Mysteria's dog rose and stretched, yawning greatly.
Sighing mightily, Farscape drew Retribution and stood waiting for the orcs to arrive. Seconds later, the came scrambling around the corner, intent on chasing a lone warrior in their midst. As they rounded the bend, they met the deadly precision of 2 rangers and a wolf. Blades working in harmony, Farscape and Aegis fought among the enemy, with Fang leaping about and tearing the throats from fallen orcs. 3 blades acted as one, and as cleanly as a sickle.
"No time to celebrate, follow me" With that, Aegis disapeard down the hallway, followed closely Fang and a confused Farscape.
The waves came crashing in like blindness.
So I just stood and listened.
Trying to steady herself Dragon Wench leaned against the passage wall for a moment. The pervasive dark and milling livestock induced within her a level of panic that felt both alien and maddening. She longed to escape these foetid tunnels....only her fighter training kept her from screaming into the looming abyss that stretched ahead. As she grasped at an outcrop of nearby rock Dragon Wench heard the strong, reassuring voice of her old sensai reach into her mind....."remember your breathing....focus."
Dragon Wench swayed into the surrounding blackness, staggering slightly.....
Struggling to vanquish elusive phantoms, the corrupt reek of rot and decay, and an almost complete absence of light, she wrestled for inner control... slowly finding a level of calm as she recalled the breathing techiniques she had learned so long ago.
Hand upon her sword, she once more shouldered her pack and gazed searchingly into the inky pitch. A faint red glow seemed to momentarily flicker and then disappear somewhere ahead. Straining her eyes, she looked again, and wondered if she had imagined the faintly crimson luminescence that appeared to taunt and beckon.....
Spoiler
testingtest12
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup. Spoiler
testingtest12
.......All those moments ... will be lost ... in time ... like tears in rain.
"Well, let's look after those orcs..., give us a sign when you want the herd to get moving.", Mysteria drew her weapons and followed Nippy and Bloodstalker towards the cows. She passed by Vivien ynd Jenna and soon, she could see the flicker of torches ahead and cows milling around. She then joined the two men, crouching low against the wall. From ahead, she heard the rough laughter of orcs, apparently unaware of their presence. Good, they would take them by surprise, she grinned.Listening closely, she could distinguish several voices, as far as she could tell, they were just behind the entrance and to the left.
She held her breath as one of the orcs came into view and looked hard into the corridor. Luckily, they were yet too far back in the shadows to be seen and the tight moment passed as the orc continued to the left. She looked at her two friends, they would be enough to take out the orcs by themselves, she thought. The cows weren't guarded very heavily, but if the two warriors wanted to hitch a ride on a cow, it would be difficult. She looked down the corridor, seeking for one or more of their friends who'd hold the cows back till they were ready to drive them at the drow. Presently, she saw Jenna and Vivien come closer and got back to them.
"I think we can take down the orcs pretty easily, they're not very attentive, but we have to keep the cows from escaping to fast, they seem rather restless. Do you think that you can hold them back while we take care of the orcs, maybe give us some back-up if the fight gets out of hand?", she whispered.
(ooc: as always, if this doesn't fit, whack me on the head with a PM )
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
From Thantor’s response, Yshania was convinced of his knowledge of the presence. One way or another, she felt that her questions would be answered, but it was a matter of timing. All things considered, she was surprised to find that she had started to feel more comfortable with this mysterious ally, whatever his own motives he appeared to side with the Dark Flames. Whether this involved any kind of selfish pursuit she was unsure, but she trusted Thantor’s ability to determine the sincerity of any advice this conscience was providing…and trusted her own instincts that he had genuinely tried to help her with her visions.
Considering Thantor’s directions, she wondered where she might be of more use. She was not so sure, though, that fire would be a good option to hold the cattle back – it might prove only to panic them into stampeding sooner than their timing allowed…but who would scout the drow? Could she hold it together? Even with Thantor’s mental bolstering and an invisibility aid, could she remain level headed enough to not give away her position before she had had chance to alert her comrades? And she was no thief or ranger, that would surely take stealth…
She voiced her concerns to the others ‘I will scout if we have none willing or better, but I am also wondering whether a hold animal spell – followed by dispel magic perhaps? – might be useful on the cattle…it would also work on the orcs, aiding our ambush. Once the orc are down, we could dispel magic on the cattle and then use fire to direct the stampede – also providing the fire does not alert others to our position…’ There was some cold comfort to be had in darkness. She searched each of her friends for comment, she was not sure of the viability of her proposal since this was an alien situation to her, and she was still struggling with being in such close proximity to drow that she might not be thinking clearly enough…
Parachute for sale, like new! Never opened!
Guinness, black goes with everything.
Observing the group below beginning to take action, he headed back towards the oncoming drow to better gauge their strengths and weaknesses. The possiblity of combat with the drow contingent began to stir emotions he found difficult to subdue. Visions of flaying the dark warriors first with blades and later with his bare hands began to entertain his thoughts, forcing a wide grin...had he a face at the moment. Control and discipline, control and discipline, control and discipline... , the words began to weave a melody of their own, Flanders following the tune in an effort to remain true to the path. To stray now, would certainly have catastrophic consequences.
The drow came into view and he diligently once again, as in years past, became a student of their tactics. The soldiers didn't travel in the typical warrior patrol formation, indicating that a few mages were flanking the warriors. Some of the soldiers uneasy glances to the side assisted in exploiting their invisible presence. The formation was more spread out than a typical warrior/mage patrol indicating a priestess may be amidst the ranks, no doubt hovering above the lesser males on a small carpet of dark construction. Because he didn't really have a lock on their location, he remained undecided on this possibility but would opt to accept the worst.
Flanders continued to scan further down to see if they had a man on point or tr'inno. Indeed, they did, and it brought sickening memories of the drow washing up quickly to the forefront of his mind. While most races used a patrolling man on point to scout ahead for danger, the arrogant drow had a contorted concept for a soldier on point. The drow set a man far behind the patrol to serve as a warning to sneak attacks from the back. They did not fear what was ahead of them because of their confidence to overwhelm such forces quickly. Such was the ways of the twisted elves of the underdark. He himself had walked the point many times on patrol in the underdark during his years with the drow. He found it would prove an ample striking point if he needed to provide a diversion for the group.
Crush enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the women.
Thantor trudged back over from the position Bloodstalker, Nippy, Viv, Jenna, and Mysteria had taken up. "You have a point. It would be tricky to try and lob a fireball into that area. What do you think, Jenna?"
"I think we could pull it off, but it would attract attention. It's also risky in these caves and we could hurt some of the livestock," she replied. Vivien nodded in agreement.
"If we are going to use your strategy, Yshania, we will need to have you with us to cast the Hold Animal spell." That isn't the only reason I don't want to send you out alone, thought Thantor to himself. He hadn't forgotten how negatively this space was affecting her. And from the looks of it, the same could be said of Dragon Wench.
"Not a problem," Simbul broke in. "I can act as scout. It looks like you have enough people back here. I can take the rest of the party with me."
"Works for me," answered Thantor, acknowledging Simbul. Turning back toward Yshania, he continued the discussion. "In my experience, the Hold Animal spell has a fairly limited radius. Maybe we could augment it with Web spells to ensure nothing will escape. Whatever we are going to do, we need to do it quickly."
"I'll move into position," said Simbul. Looking down at Gwally, she asked, "Need a lift?"
"Very funny," he grumbled, fairly sure that she was intentionally taunting him by suggesting such an unnatural act. Seeing his expression, she smiled cattily and added, "I thought you might be interested in aerial positioning, oh doyen of the jacuzzi." In spite of herself, Dragon Wench found herself having to suppress a giggle. Glaring at Simbul, Gwally huffed off in the direction of the drow. Smiling to herself, Simbul shrugged and floated off after him.
Those who will play with kitties must expect to be scratched.
Many are cold; few are frozen.
Absence is to love what wind is to fire... it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.
'Right!' she responded to Thantor 'but I will need to get up close to affect as many of the cattle as possible...I would also need as many of the orc within a five foot radius of my chosen target if we stand a chance of holding them too. If it works, it is likely I will not get all of them - we don't know for sure how many are in there, I might need back-up' she looked to Nippy and Bloodstalker 'would you follow me in?' then turning to Vivien and Jenna, she asked for time to move out before any web spell was cast...'or perhaps Mysteria could help pick off those that escape the hold spell?
'When we are done, a dispel magic should release the cattle from hold...I would say that if we are to move quick, we hold back on the web unless we really need it'
She conjured a fist full of pixie dust ready to disguise the presence of all that would move towards the orc...
Parachute for sale, like new! Never opened!
Guinness, black goes with everything.
"Shall I pick off the cattle too?", a slightly amused voice said out of nowhere as the pixie dust settled on Mysteria.
A small gasp could be heard from a just as invisible Vivien and Mysteria quickly added, "Don't worry, I'll concentrate on the orcs, they won't escape.", she sounded determined and the twang of a bowstring being checked was heard, followed by the sound of a few footsteps when she took up her position.
She fumbled a moment to get an arrow, then just closed her eyes and did the movements blindly, it seemed to work better. Somehow, she was glad that the invisibility wouldn't hold once she attacked, it was unsettling not to be able to see her own hands, not to speak of the arrow.
She aimed at the end of the tunnel, any orc coming out of the room would make an excellent target against the torchlight coming from inside the room.
"I'm ready, start whenever you want."
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
)
