Sorithar

Group A

With a wide grin despite her concentration, Kealea completes a deep voiced chant to the Lady of the Fray and as it culminates, an aura of silvery flames, shot through with blue-white and amber sparks harmlessly washes over the chamber and the top flight of stairs.

"A consecration to the Lady of the Fray, to keep the undead at bay!"

With that, she moves to the front line with her flaming blade. Meanwhile, Qwynn draw his lantern and aims it at the stair. As if on cue, the light is almost entirely blotted out by the sudden appearance of a large humanoid creature, fully nine foot tall with scaled hide of a reddish brown tone and dragon-like facial features
including a long snout and small horns swept back behind its head. Its green wings, lightening to gold at the tip, flutter in the air above the stair, causing it to hover before the dwarven warriors. A long scaled tail trails behind it but of more concern are the four viciously clawed limbs it uses to rip and tare at Kealea, raking at her with its clawed feet! Though she takes some serious cuts, the wild warrioress returns in kind and slashes at the creature, burning it with her flaming sword as she lands a solid blow. The creature howls in anger

It is at this point later in the afternoon, the sun is beginning to set and cloakfall is close to being upon you.

Rising to your feet you move after Beldas and Kealea, splitting as you go. Bettargh moves off down a different passage. With Dolan carrying off the glowstone, Finwe quickly retrieves his lantern and opens its hood, much to the chagrin of the dwarves, though not speak a word of reproval. You soon arrive in small barrel-vaulted chambers with broad stone steps
leading down from the center of one of the chamber walls. A large hammer and brass gong stand in one corner and pushed against a couple walls stone slabs
covered with furs.

Three dwarf warriors stand at the top of a stairs descending into darkness below in each chamber. The warriors stand back a few feet from the mouth of the stair, waraxes and shields at the ready. One of them turns to Kealea and Beldas respectively, not even eyeing you.

"Cultists! Eey've triggered da rune unce an washed down on ere rear ends, but dey be climbing up again already!"

Kealea utters a single command in Dethek and the blade of her mighty sword is washed in flickering blue flames. She grins wildly at Finwe and Qwynn as she takes a position with the other warriors.

"Ready yerselves, Lady of the Fray smiles upon us!"

Beldas draws two fine short blades from the sheathes at his hip and focuses for a moment before nodding to the dwarf who's spat the warning and turning to Dolan, Baldin, Daltin and Yohan and laughing.

"Ready yerselves, tis as good a day as any ta die in da fray!"

Kethra shakes her head in the negative at Bochs' offer.

"It is good to know, but my Power is limited and my wand almost depleted. If we are to remain adventuring much longer, we may need that potion sooner than later.

Come, help me move Rodin under that tree."

As she moves to do this, Jesse moves to watch the surroundings, and almost immediately hears a voice in her head. It's intonations are alien to her, but she suspects it sounds concerned.

As she converses with the unseen entity, likely the creature Rodin had mentioned speaking to, you all settle in for some rest as the adrenalin in your bodies begins to fade.

Moving quickly, with Jesse and Bochs keeping an eye out, you manage to scramble up the stairs, Aeruiel carrying a wounded and burning Rodin over her shoulder. Upon exiting into the afternoon sun squinting, Kethra quickly moves to tend to Rodins wounds and though it takes her some effort, manages to bandage the remaining burns and halt his deterioration. As a cool breeze blows over you, chilling you as the adrenalin begins to fade, you looks around at each other and wonder what's next. Kethra chimes in.

"It'll be long before Rodin can heal these wounds without divine aid. We should make camp and rest. I can heal the worst of these wounds after next I pray to the Lady if she grants me her blessings and the Power."

Morn retrieves a sunrod and taps it to life. Bright light fills the cavern as the golden tip begins to burn. Tossing it into the small spring, the rod seems to float suspended for a breath before it begins to sink heavily down. The bright light immediately illuminates the bottom of the spring, which seems an inverted cone of stone that tapers to some fifteen feet below. Though the nature of the moving waters makes it hard to discern details at the bottom, the small strange creature is clearly sitting at the bottom of the pool.

Jesse prepares another arrow and aims it at the water as she shouts out some directions.

Aeruiel, her armor and clothing waterlogged, manages to reach the edge of the small pool and drag herself out of the water.

Kethra continues to try and tend to Rodin's drenched body.

"Still can't stem these wounds! He's still bleeding. Getting away from the threat seems wise, but we should do so quickly and get Rodin stable!"

The creature does something, though its hard to register through the moving waters, but the sunrod suddenly seems to melt away as its light fading and vanishing.

Bettargh grins and nods approvingly at Qwynn's suggestion.

"Ya nay need spend coin ere, wha ale we ave flows free ta keep spirits high!"

Having decided to rest and recuperate, you find some free fur covered stone slabs in the barracks and settle in, chatting with Daltin, your new envoy between licking your wounds, checking your gear and relaxing. Some time passes before Bettargh returns and accompanies you to the mess. Qwynn, Finwe and Yohan have not been to this part of the small Stout Folk held halls, but the rest of you have and you make yourselves comfortable in this large, barrel-vaulted hall at one of five circular stone tables scattered through the room, each surrounded by stone blocks positioned to serve as stools. Bettargh grabs two fistfuls of the steel drinking tankards that sit atop each table and fills them to frothing at the brim from the stack of kegs that fills the southeast corner of the room.

A couple others of the dwarf warriors that followed Laird Korin Ironaxe on this crusade sit here chatting solemnly. The wary dwarves eyes your group, the light of the glowstone you need to move about causes them to squint their eyes, clearly accustomed to the dark. They say nothing at first and keep to their ale and hardtack with a meat of some sort.

Soon however, one of the Ironaxe twins, Beldas whom some of you have met before, and Kealea "the Lucky" herself, come into the mess to join you, alongside a couple more defenders. The ale flows and tales of crossing axes and blades in the dark halls follow. Beldas laughs as he explains some of the traps he and his brother had set and the mangled corpses they found upon inspecting them and Kealea, true to her reputation, teases and flirts, rather outrageously, with first Daltin and soon Baldin and even Qwynn and Finwe, easily matching her tone and words to some stereotypical ideal of their backgrounds.

Just as Finwe is about to call it and head for his stone slab, a loud metallic bang reverberates through the hall. Bettargh, Kealea, Beldas and the other dwarves immediately perk up, sober as if they'd not taken a sip.

"Alarm! We be sieged!"

The dwarf warriors all seem to know exactly where they're to go. Kealea grins as she reaches for the greatsword always strapped at her back.

"Come, three with me, Daltin and two with Beldas, we fight to keep the vermin back!"

With that, she turns to dash out the mess hall.