~ The Quest for the Ring of Fire Command: [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~

Turn 168.0: From Behind the Tapestries

Posted: 12/13/01

Crayne ponders for a moment the man with dark features. His confidence had been evident throughout the meeting. He had lured Rinder's Six into his trap and had offered his ultimatum. Crayne knew that there was to be only one outcome and that was a fight. For this man, if he did have any wisdom, would know that Rinder's Six would not merely give themselves up without a fight. So, it was likely that this Klest was fully expecting a skirmish.

However, the man's performance hadn't been perfection, for his nervous glance at the curtains behind had left Crayne with an indication of his plan. It seemed obvious to him that there were men waiting patiently behind the curtains ready to pounce. All that was needed before complete chaos set in was some sort of signal from their leader. Thus, as far as Crayne was concerned there was only one way to go and that was underneath the table. If he cast himself invisible, then he knew, that for himself, he could turn this situation into a much more favourable one. However, his worry was for the rest of the group. What had this man planned? Were there men behind the curtains ready to slit throats? And did any of the other Six see the man's nervous glance towards the curtains? Crayne knew now that he needed to buy the group some time.

Furthermore, Crayne was fully aware that the Six did have something up their sleeves and that was the seventh member of the Six. Not a bad card to play, Crayne thinks to himself smiling. It is then that Crayne makes his response. He is always wary though looking for any further clues that would reveal any insight into Klest's trap.

"Well, Klest!" Crayne says, "We weren't expecting this! You are right! We are not from this Kingdom. We are from the North. But, I am afraid that we are not the people who you are looking for. We too like yourself have heard much of the Rinder's Six deeds. And we too would like to see them destroyed. As I say, though, you have the wrong people. For a start the group Rinder's Six is led by a woman!" Crayne laughs, "Do you see a woman amongst us Klest? If you seriously believe we are Rinder's Six, an elite spy unit sent into Caerloon, do you think that we would have come here and asked so many questions in such an open manner. No, we are not Rinder's Six."

Crayne leans in closer to the dark haired man, "I am Malbrudus and these are my men, or for better use of word--protectors. I am of the Red Dragon School." Crayne reaches for his staff and then turns it with his fingers revealing the emblem.

"We too are looking for the Six. However, primarily I am heading South for I have important information for my superiors at the Academy." Crayne then nods awaiting the man's reaction, all the time holding his gaze.

'Only a Mage would think such a ruse would work,' Hannibal thought to himself. Klest was right, they had announced themselves everywhere they had gone and this was their punishment. Allowing Crayne to do his thing only gave Hannibal a little extra time to get the lay of the land. He looks for secret doors, traps, exits, etc. He can't spot any doors other than the one through which everyone had entered. The tapestries along the walls could certainly hide other chambers, doors, or other secret items, Hannibal notes. But he can't make out anything specific without raising suspicion from Klest and his men.

Elloharin regards Klest in surprise. Was it really true? Were the Six so obvious to everybody? He thinks back on his entry to the Kingdom of Rinder. In every tavern and trading post, in every common room and street corner. The word had been about the Six. Where were they now? What were they doing? The Six were not a spy-group at all! They were Rinder's free publicity! The Six were propaganda for the war effort! A sudden shift in his mind as he recalls at once, a small blonde girl he'd seen in his travel to Rinder. She'd come into the "Hornet's Nest," the tavern where he'd elected to spend the night. Some men started hassling the girl, just beginning to grow into full womanhood. One of the burlier got up to put his arm around her. Elloharin had felt tense and immediately put hand to hilt, fearing the worst. Suddenly the man was on the ground, writhing in pain. The girl had flipped him over completely. His arm was on the verge of snapping, one more inch to the left and the hinge would break. "What did you call me?"

"Nuh nuh, nothing!"

"You may call me Emmalya! And keep your hands off me! I am going to be a warrior priestess!"

Some of the older men had chuckled at the girl's bravado. Others just watched her silently, circling like sharks sniffing for blood in the water. El took another drink.

He is suddenly disturbed from his reverie by Crayne's outrageous lie. 'Does he honestly think this Klest will believe him? What will he do? Let us go? How brave or foolhardy is this man to be threatening armed men when he is alone in a room? There must be others! Even so, one of us could surely get to him before help could arrive! It would have taken time to assemble such a trap, surely this Klest must know beyond a reasonable doubt! So what is Crayne attempting?' The words, 'to buy us time' immediately surface in his head.

Elloharin falls out of his chair immediately, his hands going out toward Klest supplicatingly.

Had El lost his mind?!! Hannibal watches in awe but hides all facial expressions from Klest. Casually he rests his hand on the pommel of his sword...this was about to get very ugly.

El pleads: "Please oh, honorable, beneficent, and forgiving Rendhuran Klest, please forgive me. Please let me go! I am not one of these people! I do not even know who they are! I am nothing more than a hired hand! I do not care if they are Rinder's Six, Andors eight or Caerloon's Century! If they are Gandalf, Ishmael or Rushdie, I do not know! Oh please forgive me lord! The wizard procured me in Dillend, where I had finished guarding the merchant caravan, of a certain powerful northern merchant named Forvestyr Eves. He sells wool and steel to the war effort, I confess it. If only I had known! My lord please forgive me! I am a fool! Forvestyr promised me a 160 gold pieces for the transport of certain contraband! I am a poor elf my lord, hoping to get back to his kingdom far away from here! I know it was wrong to transport the pretty white powder, but apparently there is quite a market it for it in the Northern lands. I never took any myself my lord, but I admit, I watched the other caravan guards sampling the produce one evening! And a very strange effect it had indeed! If only I had known I would be here now! One of the caravan guards asked if I'd be interested in trying, and of course I said no, your lordship, but they kept pressing and pressing. And I said, "No! Indoirien al-mecca bin akbar atmost does not do such things!" But, oh please forgive me my lord! For curiosity has a way sometimes of claiming even the most stentorian of hearts. The next night, when Amar, and Aisha, and Zakgu all retired, they were the other guards your honor. When they went to sleep, I approached one of the barrels and opened the topp with my knife. They keep it in barrels my lord so that it may stay fresh and dry even in the harshest of weathers! Forestyr Eves has a barrelry too my lord! It is located in eastern

Kandhar and it produces the most fine barrels my lord has ever seen! If my lord needs fine barrels I can most undoubtedly assure you that I am on best terms with Mr. Eves, and he would undoubtedly do business with as fine an upstanding gentleman as yourself. Hint hint, wink wink, if you know what I mean. And I'm sure he would not mind that you are from Caerloon my good lord, Mr. Eves, is notoriously, did I say notoriously? because I meant infamously, did I say infamously? I meant wonderfully open-minded to inter-kingdom trade. I am sure he would not mind conversing with my lord over a couple of barrels of

ale! Ha ha! ha ha! barrels of ale!"

El pauses a moment to draw breath, looking up at Klest. "But my lord let me say once more how terribly ashamed I am of my conduct! I was terrible! I am a sinner my lord! The one true sinner of the world! Ay me, how terrible! I could not believe it! Not even if you told me so your self, but it is true, Indoirien al-mecca bin akbar atmost is the one true sinner of the world! Oh! But I did not even tell you about the pretty white powder! Did you want to hear about that my lord? Did you? Even though I am most terribly and most regretfully sorry? Please my lord?"

El winds down at last. He begins whimpering and cowering on the floor, occasionally emitting a moan or a cry, or a "please my lord" or a "yes my lord" or a "forgive me my lord."

Storm sits still, crossing his arms across his barrel chest. He likes Crayne's idea of fibbing his way past Klest if it is at all possible, and Crayne has definitely covered more angles of a possible ruse than Storm could have thought up.

Then Elloharin takes action. At first, Storm just smirks at him and grumbles inaudibly under his breath. What was the crazy elf doing? Further, Storm almost flips out when El denies knowing the rest of the Six. But then the elf keeps going, and Storm's attitude changes. From a grumbling, impatient look, his features slowly change to inquisitive and curious, and as El's speech winds down, Storm is practically staring at the strange elf in amazement, trying to piece together just what he had said. Giving up quickly on that endeavor, though, Storm is also suddenly struck with a flashback. Not to pleasant times in his dwarven home, but from a darker time in his past, a time he now despises.

Storm hunched in the alley, peering in through the high window. He had needed to drag over a crate to stand on, in order to see through it. What he saw was Slint, Robin, Shorke, and Alam being held prisoner in a small room. They were being interrogated by six soldiers, armed with chainmail and broadswords. The four of them were sitting along one side of a table, with two soldiers sitting at the other edge and the remaining four positioned around the prisoners.

Storm couldn't hear what was being said in the room, but he knew that his companions would eventually try something. He didn't figure they would have much success, though, with the way they were being guarded. Then, for some reason, Slint stood up and punched Alam square across the face. Alam, in return, punched Slint in the stomach, and the two started grappling and hitting each other off toward the corner of the room. As soon as they started this, Robin leapt up and yelled loud enough for Storm to hear "Not again, they'll kill us all!!!" then he dove under the table and kept screaming "help us, save us!" Over and over again. Shorke, on the other hand, pointed at Slint and Alam and started laughing. Just a little at first, but then it started to build, until he was laughing so hysterically that he actually fell over backwards.

The guards had no idea what to do. At first, they just looked at each other quizzically. Then, three of the four rear soldiers went to break up Slint and Alam while the fourth went hesitantly to help up Shorke, and the two at the table, just sat in confusion, waiting for things to settle down again. They didn't.

As soon as the guard reached Shorke on the floor and reached to pick him up, Shorke violently drew a hidden dagger from his sleeve and drove it clear into the man's eye. Storm flinched a little as he saw the point of the dagger ever so slightly poke through the back of the man's skull. Then, as if synchronized perfectly, at the same moment two similar daggers slashed the throats of two of the men breaking up the fight between Slint and Alam. Before one of them even began to fall, Slint had his hand on the man's broadsword pommel, and he drew the sword and pierced the heart of the third man as Alam kept his hands tied up.

The closer of the two men on the other side of the table, seeing four men die in the blink of an eye, tried to call out an alarm, but found that no sound came from his mouth. He raised his hand to his neck, just before the world went black to him, to find that his trachea had been sliced open. As his head fell, he noticed that the whimpering Robin was no longer there. Instead, Robin had crawled out from under the table, slit the first man's throat with his own concealed dagger, and was in the process of pinning down the last man and breaking his neck before he could scream.

Storm watched this all from the window, a look of amazement on his eyes. Suddenly a hand was on his shoulder, and he snapped his head around to find Nightshade standing next to him with a thin smile on his lips. "Don't worry Storm, they're all corrupt Nickton city guard." Storm nodded and looked back to the room to see the four of the men sneaking out the back with the six broadswords and a small chest that had been sitting in a corner.

"Remember what you saw, Storm. The enemy always expects you to act from a short list of possibilities. The smart ones, though, will do something from a whole different sheet of parchment." Nightshade then crept off into the night, beckoning Storm to follow. He did without a word.

Storm's thoughts return to the present just as Elloharin finishes his outburst. Instead of staring or grumbling now, Storm instead finds he's smiling: he knows exactly what El is trying to do, the wily elf, and he wasn't about to let an elf get the only advantage once a fight breaks out. Storm raises an arm and points at El and starts to chuckle. "Six? Did he say Rinder's Six?! hahaha...Hehehe...HAHAHAHA!!!!!!" He starts pointing and bellowing even more, mumbling things like "I can't believe he said that!" And random words expressing his disbelief, amidst building laughter. He tries to bellow from the gut, keeping himself short of breath in his laughing, as he'd seen Shorke do before, so that his face would turn red. Then, suddenly, on one particularly loud guffaw, he tips his chair over backwards and falls flat on his back on the floor, where he begins rolling around laughing even more loudly. He maintains his sickly laughter until something else happens, and he keeps an eye on the curtain behind Klest as best he can.

Ok, that did it! Everyone had lost it now. Crayne's lies, El's outburst, and now Storm was in on it. Hannibal was beginning to wonder if he had missed a planning session some time back.

"Andorans? Rendhurans? Hmmmm..." Emma thinks out loud, "If the Cahra Outpost is across the sea, it might be on some of those islands we discovered during our research into the Rings. And if these Andorans are aggressively pushing back the King's troops, planning even to pursue them across the sea and into the Central Kingdom, they might make for useful allies in Rinder's struggles with Baron General Wade. If nothing else, their activities might force the King to rein in the Baron General and bring him south for defense of the capitol. Or perhaps, the King's weakness is the very reason the Baron General feels free to pursue his own delusions of grandeur in attacking Rinder in the first place? One way or another, the Andorans could provide us with intelligence by sharing the deciphering of the King's code. Something to think about if our journeys cross into Andor...

"And this Rendhuran Klest," she says to herself, "Apparently he has designs on obtaining the Rings of Damacht. Perhaps he's the one behind the confrontation the others had with the Caerloon soldiers. If he's aware that the we are Rinder's Six...and according to his men, that seems apparent...then maybe he intends to interrogate the others to divine the location of the Ring of Fire? Maybe he's a Red Dragon mage?"

Emma puts a hand to her mouth. 'Crayne!' she thinks, 'Don't let them see the Ring of Water Command!' She slowly cracks the inner door and peeks through it to the other side. Sneaking about in a Caerloon hold isn't exactly her specialty. But, in the absence of trained professionals like Storm and Hannibal, she would try her best to get the others out of this situation.

Meanwhile, in the conference room with Rendhuran Klest, things are growing tense. Klest narrows his eyes, unsure of what to make of Cranye's story, Elloharin's fantastic pleas, or Storm's seemingly uncontrollable laughter. After a few second, he raises his right hand and snaps loudly, the sound echoing off the stone walls.

At that instant, the four guards in the room move inwards. At the same time, Klest shoves his chair back away from the table and rises. "I gave you a chance!" he shouts as footsteps begin to drown out his voice.

One soldier moves toward El, on the floor, barehanded, intending to subdue the elf and bind him. Elloharin sees him coming, though, and kicks out his leg, tripping the soldier and sending him to the floor. At the same time, the second soldier of the four begins to move toward Storm. But Storm sees him coming, and the two behind him. Whipping out two daggers, Storm throws them hard and fast at two of these three, including the lead one. Both daggers hit their targets, and for the moment two of the solders are stopped.

At the same instant, Hannibal moves on the fourth soldier, his new long sword at the ready. He reaches the solider just after the two have been hit by Storm's daggers. The soldier is, understandably, quite surprised, and not prepared for an armed conflict--but Hannibal sure is. Hannibal slashes at the soldier, hitting him in the arm.

Seeing the trouble brew, Crayne immediate ducks himself under the table. From underneath he can see the lower legs and feet of the soldiers and his comrades, and even some drops of blood as they hit the floor. But rather than dwell on these images, Crayne takes the moment in hiding to conceal himself further, casting Invisibility on himself.

Skandor rises from his seat just after the action starts, but just in time to begin to move on Klest. However, at the same instant, four more soldiers appear from behind the tapestry behind Klest's chair at the table. Skandor is momentarily paused, reassessing the scene, but decides it's best to jump right in, regardless. He intends to attack Klest, but one of these new soldiers gets in the way, so the paladin has no choice but to engage him with his short sword. He hits the soldier with a glancing blow.

Canter, meantime, moves against the soldier El had kicked to the floor. Canter approaches him, drawing his sword in the process, and brings down the blade hard on the man's back. The man screams with pain, but it not killed.

Hearing the scream in the corridor, Emma knows exactly where her friends are. 'Let's just hope I get there in time!' she thinks to herself as she turns and rushes toward the closed door to the conference room. She arrives at the door and throws herself against it, breaking it open and sending some splinters across the doorway. Her eyes immediately survey the scene, with Canter standing nearby over a wailing soldier, and El on the floor next to the solider, two others removing daggers from their bodies, Skandor fighting another soldier, behind whom more soldiers are entering the melee. Crayne is nowhere to be seen.

As Emma enters the scene, so does another figure, from behind the tapestry across the room from Klest's position. It is a robed man, who throws the curtain aside and continues chanting, which he must have been doing from behind the curtain. With a point of his finger, his spell is effected: immediately Canter, Hannibal and Storm find themselves immobile. It's not just that they cannot control their actions, it is as if they are held in place in whatever awkward position they happened to be in at the time of the spell's effect.

Crayne, from his invisible position under the table, cannot see the effect of the spell, but he knows something has happened. The emergence of the robed figure on the scene indicates what he feared, another wizard. Even if he can only see the bottom few inches of the robe, that much was clear!

"Harm them! Get them to stand down!" the robed wizard instructs, his voice booming through the room. "But do not kill them. They will tell us more valuable information alive and delirious than dead and cold."

---

1. HP Status: All of Rinder's Six are at full hit points.

2. The scene: The moderately-sized conference room in the main building in town. In the center of the room is the large wooden table, surrounded by chairs. Behind the head of the table, where Rendhuran KLEST had been sitting, and behind the foot of the table, where CRAYNE had been sitting, hang tapestries from the wall, which concealed more soldiers and the wizard, respectively.

STORM and HANNIBAL are near the foot of the table, closest to the WIZARD and to three soldiers (the two hit by Storm's daggers and the one Hannibal attacked). CANTER is standing over the soldier that ELLOHARIN tripped. ELLOHARIN is still on the floor near the solder. CANTER, ELLOHARIN, and the soldier are close to the door to the room, and EMMA stands in the doorway. CRAYNE is invisible, crouching under the table in the center of the room. The WIZARD stands near the foot of the table. KLEST, the four soldiers who emerged from behind the tapestry at the head of the table, and SKANDOR, who is fighting one of those soldiers, all are congregated near the head of the table.

In total, there are ten enemies in the room: eight soldiers, one wizard, and Rendhuran Klest.

CANTER, HANNIBAL, and STORM are currently held in place, immobile, by the WIZARD's spell. There is currently no indication how long the spell will last.

3. The next post will begin with Klest and the eight soldiers' actions in the current round, 168.0, and will then continue with the party's actions in the following round (168.1).

---

~ The Quest for the Ring of Fire Command: [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~

Turn 168.2: Battling Rendhuran’s Men

Posted: 12/18/01

(168.0)

Seeing Canter, Storm and Hannibal frozen by the new mage's spell, the Caerloon soliders go into action with a vengence. The one Canter had just hit jumps to hit feet and lashes out at the leatherman's son, striking him hard. (3 hp damage) The two soldiers who found themselves hit by Storm's daggers now go after the held dwarf, each hitting him with forceful blows. (4 hp damage, 4 hp damage) Another soldier strikes at Hannibal, taking advantage of the thief's frozen state. (5 hp damage)

Meanwhile, though not frozen, Skandor finds himself under intense attack, surrounded by four armed soldiers guarding Rendhuran Klest. One of them makes a move, jabbing at Skandor, but the Sword Bearer is ready, and evades it with a jump to the side. At the same time, however, another soldiers attacks, striking Skandor hard. (5 hp damage) El also comes under attack by one of the soldiers who emerged from behind the tapestry to guard Klest. He moves on the elf, hitting him with a glancing blow. (2 hp damage)

(168.1)

Hannibal cries out in surprise as the invisible force envelopes him, holding him immobile. Desperately he fought to break the spell but it was useless...he was a sitting duck! 'Damn sorcery!' Hannibal raged mentally as he watched the look on his opponents face go from surprise and fear to confidence! There was nothing he could do now! Much like the Red Dragon mages magics, Hannibal was unable to avoid the chilling effects.

As soon as Klest makes his move El rolls to his haunches. He spies the soldier coming at him and lashes out at his knee cap. There is a satisfying crack and the man goes down in a muffled heap, followed by the silver arc of Canter's blade. He feels a moment of chagrin, wondering if this had indeed been possible to avoid, perhaps Crayne's ruse may have worked? Would they now have to fight their way across the entire country? And then the battle haze seizes him. He leaps up only to find Emma at the door, and the three warriors frozen in time. Blade in hand he goes after the soldier who seems most threatening to the Six. He leaves the mage to Emma. The blood boils in his head once more and he is lost in the fury of the blade. He lashes out at the soldier who had just struck him, slashing the enemy across the chest and arm, causing him deep gashes and splashing blood on the floor.

Storm smiles a growls a very satisfactory throaty growl at seeing both of his daggers strike their targets. With a smooth motion both of his long swords are drawn...though, interestingly enough, he notices that for some reason the sword in his right hand has reached the ready position quicker than the other. Then a surge goes up his right arm, and he can actually feel the power of the blade. The magic blade! It was time to put this new steel to test.

Storm begins a battle cry and leaps toward the nearest soldier...yet for some reason he doesn't get any closer to him. In fact, he doesn't move at all. 'What in the nine hells be this?!' he thinks to himself. 'I can't move!' He tries to move anything, something, even wiggle a toe, but he finds himself completely frozen, aside from the fact that he can still see and hear. His eyes, fixed on the soldier who would have been his target, suddenly notice a robed figure behind them...a mage! That mage had cast a spell on him! Through his peripheral vision he also sees Hannibal and Canter similarly frozen like statues.

Storm struggles as best he can against the spell, yet it is to no use. His immoblization gets him quite angry, and he finds his vision fixed squarely on the mage. His anger comes to a head, and he tries to scream out "I'll kill ye ye stinkin' mage!"

But of course, all that is heard, through gritted teeth, is "MmmmMMMMMRRRMRMRRRRR!!!"

The paladin prepares for another exchange of blows with his opponent, as he brings his gladius up and around, forcing his opponent back and away, just slightly. This gives the Sword Bearer enough time to quickly survey the situation.

Things didn't look good. More foes charge toward them, and Skandor doesn't even hear the casting mage through the sound of combat. Weapons strike weapons, weapons strike armor, the cries of challenge and the cries of pain...but suddenly, it grows a little quieter as Storm, Canter, and Hannibal find themselves immobile. Skandor whirls about a full turn, observing his unmoving friends, and again faces his opponent.

Realizing now that their only hope of avoiding capture was for Crayne or Emma to free his companions from their magical bonds, Skandor does his best to keep as many of the enemy away from them as possible. Skandor quickly side-steps, taking up his now-familiar place in front of Emma, protecting

her as best he can while she completes her spell. He knows that, even if he has to sacrifice himself and his safety for her, it must be done if his companions were to be freed.

In his effort to get to Emma, however, Skandor must first clear a path through the soldiers surrounding him. Gladius tightly in hand, he strikes at the soldier standing directly in his path--the one who had just missed him seconds before. His blade rings through the air as it comes slamming down on the solider's shoulder, and Skandor can hear the "crunch" as the solider's shoulder blade is crushed. The soldier screams in pain, obviously sorely wounded, but not out of the way...yet.

Emma's eyes widen as she surveys the situation. A mage...probably a Red Dragon, too...and given what she read in the scrolls she'd found as well as the wizard's own instructions, it seems clear that these people want to interrogate them. She couldn't allow that to happen, not if Rinder's Six would be first to the Rings of Damacht.

"Mighty Anhur, undo what evil this one has wrought," she intones, attempting to dispel the mage's handiwork and free her comrades. Without Hannibal, Storm, and Canter, they didn't stand a chance of breaking free from this ambush. She feels the familiar power of Anhur surge through her, this time stronger than in the past. Then, she can see Canter and Hannibal nearly fall forward, their bodies released from the (presumed) Red Dragon mage's spell. Storm, however, remains frozen in place.

Crayne looks about the scene from underneath the table. He curses under his breath as he acknowledges the presence of another mage. However, he is a little reassured when he listens to the mages command. As soon as he does, though, Crayne focuses his mind on the ring. He knew the ring had great power. At first it had proved overwhelming, but now, he was beginning to understand it more. His ability to control it was growing all the time.

Focusing his thoughts on the ring, the power in it begins to fill his mind. The magic swirls around his body. The sensation sends a shiver down his back. Just as the wizard completes his instructions Crayne sets out to freeze the mage stopping him in his tracks, making him unable to cast anymore of his spells.

Indeed, there is an effect from the ring; Crayne can feel it. A frigid breeze seems to blow through one end of the room, where the enemy mage is standing. It causes small bits of ice to form on the bottom fringe of his robe (which is all Crayne can see at the moment). Still, the mage doesn't appear to be completely stopped...but he is slowed down, considerably.

Feeling a sudden chill, the wizard is startled. Icicles form on his beard and stiffen his robe, slowing his movements. Immediately, he begins to shake his head, keeping it mobile. Changing his plans, he begins casting another spell, this timing without pointing anywhere or toward any particular target. Soon, a blue haze starts to appear around him, growing more defined yet still translucent. A few seconds later the haze begins to dispel itself and it appears as if the wizard, himself, is glowing blue with small wisps of blue flame emanating from his body. The icicles begin to melt and the robe's frozen parts begin to loosen once more.

The fighter near Canter launches another attack, but this time Canter is able to move and defend himself. He does so, drawing his blade out in front of him to block the attack and protect himself. Storm, still immobile, is not so lucky. The same two soldiers who had hit him before continue to take advantage of the dwarf's state, and stike him again. (4 hp, 4 hp damage)

Meanwhile, the fighter near Hannibal presses his attack. Though Hannibal can now move, he finds his defense is just not quick enough this time around, and feels the sharp pain as the enemy's blade slices into his skin. (5 hp damage) Skandor, eyeing Emma all the while, continues to press his move toward the Shield Maiden. His path is still blocked, and the two soldiers nearby make their own attempts to stop the Sword Bearer. But Skandor is determined, and is now in the right frame of mind for battle. With two quick movements he blocks the two incoming attacks, taking one more step around the head of the table toward Emma's position by the door.

Emma soon finds herself under attack, however, as the last of the soldiers who appeared from behind Klest's tapestry rushes around the table and charges at her. She reaches for her weapon to defend herself, but soon realizes that this soldier had no intention of stopping before attacking. Bracing herself for the impact, she lets out a "oompf!" as the man's large body careers into her, blade in hand. She can feel the sharp point of the blade pierce the skin on her thigh, and the crack of the wooden door frame as her back and head strike it as she is thrown backwards against it. (7 hp damage)

Elloharin, now on his feet, comes under attack from the soldier near him. The soldier is crafty, and after a couple of fake motions, executes a skillful move, slashing at the elf and hitting him with considerable accuracy. (4 hp damage)

As El recovers from the hit, he can hear Klest's voice booming over the room. "Bring them under control! Subdue them however you wish. I'll see you again in Bexten!" Then, blade in hand, Klest makes his move toward the tapestry that hung behind the head of the table, disappearing behind the same folds from which the soldiers had appeared to guard him.

(168.2)

The paladin continues his frenzy, shouting "For Anhur!" at the top of his lungs. Surely the foes of the Almighty would ignore the non-moving members of Rinder's Six, and focus on the apparent mad-man before them, swinging a sharp implement of destruction?

His eyes search for Emma, who had been standing in the doorway just a moment ago. Finally, they catch sight of her, sprawled out on the floor with a soldier rising to his feet just inches away. The sight is enough to drive the Sword Bearer mad--moreso than he was before. Charging through, he shoves the soldier in front of him aside, rushing around the head of the table and leaping at the back of the soldier rising up over Emma.

As he lands, he drives his sword deep into the soldier's back, in a move that would have made even Storm proud. The bloody blade emerges from the man's chest, sending a stream of deep red blood over Emma's head and splashing against the wooden doorframe. The soldier's body collapses as if in slow motion, and Skandor rides it down, directing its fall away from the Shield Maiden.

With a nod of thanks--there would be time for words later--Emma rises once again, shaking her head to clear it from the blow. Still hovering near the broken-down door, Emma proceeds to make the most of the precious few seconds afforded to her before another attack is launched at her or her friends. She seeks a calm place inside her mind...something peaceful, something quiet, and begins to pray. "Great General of the field, still the noise of battle. Stifle anguished cries of our fallen. And silence the commands of our opponents so our forces may carry the day against them," she says, casting a silencing enchantment toward the wizard and hopefully eliminating his participation in the rest of the battle.

The wizard, now fully enveloped in blue flame, sees Emma's glare toward him, and hears the words she says. But as she finishes, here merely smiles...then begins to chuckle. Soon his audible laughter seems to fill the room, as if to mock Emma and perhaps even Anhur.

Canter, oblivious to the magical happenings, focuses on the soldier he has been battling. Spotting an opening, the skilled fighter seizes the chance, driving his sword into the Caerloon soldier, and finally killing him. As he shakes the dead body from his blade, Canter looks toward Storm and spots the two soldiers hacking at his dwarven friend. Rushing in that direction, he launches an attack on one of those soldiers. Though his attack fails, he is sure that Storm will appreciate the effort regardless!

Crayne suddenly emerges from under the table, deciding that now is the best time to use his advantage of invisibility. He turns toward the glowing enemy wizard and casts Magic Missile. He delights as three missiles stream toward the wizard and explode there, causing the wizard to scream in pain and frustration. He is definitely hit, definitely angrier, and definitely still not out of the way.

El continues his fight against the soldier near him. Try as he might, though, his efforts meet with failure as the soldier skillfully dodges and parries. Hannibal is more successful, though, matching his movements with his adversary's, and finally going in for the kill. He smiles as he sees his foe fall over backwards, dead.

Spotting Crayne through the explosions at his chest, the enraged wizard turns toward the mage of Rinder's Six. "How dare you!" he calls out, immediately beginning another spell. He doesn't move his hands, but merely whispers a few words. Then, suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Crayne sees only darkness. Black. Nothing. He can still hear the sounds of the battle around him, and feel the lingering chill of the freezing breeze he had conjured just a moment before...but he cannot see.

At the same time, the two enemy soldiers formerly attacking the held Storm turn their attention to the man who threatens them: Canter. Each move on Canter, but Canter is ready for them, swinging his blade around in front of him so as to catch their swords and block their blows. El also succeeds at blocking the attack on him launched by the soldier near his position.

Skandor rises from his position over the body of a dead Caerloon soldier, only to be face to face with a live one. He quickly jumps aside, avoiding a severe blow, but the enemy's blade still catches him. (2 hp damage)

Crayne, confused and enraged at the same time, suddenly hears a "thump" and a force on his back. Something must have hit him, and hit him hard. Thanks to his Armor spell, he isn't actually in pain, but he knows that if he stays in the middle of the melee too long in this blinded state, pretty soon these attacks will start to hurt! (6 hp damage to Armor)

---

1. HP Status: Canter: 41/44, Crayne: 24/16, Elloharin: 24/30, Emma: 40/47, Hannibal: 19/29, Skandor: 41/48, and Storm: 36/50.

2. Positions:

Near the foot of the table stands the enemy WIZARD. Nearby is the held body of STORM, and the two Caerloon soldiers who are fighting CANTER (who is distracting them from Storm). CRAYNE is blinded, and stands about midway up the table, on the far side from the doorway. He is no longer invisible (having launched the Magic Missile attack), and presumes there is an enemy behind him, since he felt a forceful blow on his back. ELLOHARIN and HANNIBAL are near the head of the table. Hannibal is not immediately threatened, but El is currently battling a soldier. EMMA and SKANDOR are near the doorway, which is at the table's mid-point (directly across the table from CRANYE). EMMA is no longer threatened, and SKANDOR is battling an enemy soldier now that the one who hit Emma is dead.

The next post will begin with the party's actions in round 168.3.

3. Spells remaining, according to my records:

CRAYNE: 1 - Sleep, Charm Person, Magic Missle (1x); 2 - Darkness 15' Radius; 3 - Spectral Force, Lightning Bolt.

ELLOHARIN: 1 - Feather Fall, Wall of Fog

EMMA: 1- Battlefate, Call Upon Faith; 2 - Cure Light Wounds (x2), Light; 2 - Aid, Augury, Cure Moderate Wounds, Hold Person; 3 - Dictate, Summon Animal Spirit; 4 - Recitation

---

~ The Quest for the Ring of Fire Command: [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~

Turn 168.5: Battling Rendhuran’s Mage

Posted: 12/27/01

(168.3)

Quite satisfied with the effectiveness of her ability to dispel the wizard's holding enchantment...as well as Skandor's timely rescue when the Caerloon soldier nearly knocked her out of the fight...Emma begins to think Rinder's Six can gain the upper hand. Klest's departure also helps, but the ineffectiveness of her Silence spell against the blue-flames of the wizard have her worried. 'Time to switch tactics,' she tells herself.

"Fight fire with fire," Emma intones, "May Anhur turn the weapons of our enemies against them. Hold them fast so our footsoldiers can carry the fight to the greater threat." She casts her own holding enchantment against three of the Caerloon soliders...one fighting Canter, the one behind Crayne, and the one threatening Elloharin. Hopefully, she and Skandor can finish the one near them...and Canter, ever the capable warrior should finish the remaining soldier next to Storm. She only hopes that Hannibal, El, or Crayne can figure out a way to neutralize the mage.

Hannibal, after dispatching his opponent, searches the room to see who needs the most help. He sees that Storm is still under the influence of the wizard's spell but that Canter had already come to his aid. Crayne too seems in a great deal of peril as by his actions Hannibal figures him to be magically blinded.

"This will never do," Hannibal mutters to himself. Deciding that a distraction is just what this evil wizard needs, Hannibal darts under the table and then drives upwards, shooting his arms into the table above him with all of his strength. Once Hannibal has the table in the air on one side he begins to drive his legs, pushing the table as hard and fast as he can towards the mage's position. He doesn't expect to harm the wizard at all, just wants to give him something to think about while his comrades

regroup and handle the soldiers.

The wizard is totally surprised by the large table suddenly moving toward him. Gathering his robes, the wizard moves back and to the side, trying to get away from the heavy piece of wood moving toward his position!

Crayne panics. He opens and closes his eyes trying to get his eyesight back. His failure in doing so sends a churning to his stomach. And then to top it all of he is smashed in the back by an unknown enemy. The rage was beginning to overtake him. He hadn't felt this helpless since standing over the broken bodies of his parents. He knew now that he could die here today. However, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He had hurt the mage with his Magic Missiles, but it wasn't enough. His ring had failed to. This mage was powerful. Much more powerful than himself, Crayne acknowledged. He could do little now until his eyesight returned.

Crayne shouts loudly, "Get the mage!"

He knew the Six needed to stop him from casting spells. The best chance of defeating him was by engaging the mage in combat. Spells were useless against him. Steel or arrows were the best way forward. Crayne then casts Sleep directing it at the two men fighting Canter. The enemy behind him would just have to wait.

At that moment both Crayne's and Emma's spells go into effect. One of the two soldiers fighting Canter (near Storm) finds himself simultaneously asleep and immobilized! The other soldiers battling Canter is not effected by Crayne's spell. The soldiers threatening Crayne and El are also instantly held by Emma's spell, much to her satisfaction.

Not realizing his foe is magically held, El attacks the soldier before him. He strikes the soldier easily, his blade ripping deep into the man's flesh. The man lets out a horrific scream of pain, but his body does not fall. El looks upon the soldier curiously, watching him bleed profusely from his new, gaping wound. It is then that the elf realizes his foe has come under Emma's Hold Person spell. After a quick look to Emma, he glances back to the soldier, whose dead body is held upright, hauntingly.

Storm takes his pommeling from the Caerloon soldiers, trying his best to break out of the hold spell and somehow defend himself. But, of course, his efforts are futile. He is able to lock his eyes on one of them though, and that serves to further his anger. How could they be attacking a dwarf who

can't even move? What was the point of that? Storm was surprised that these two buffoons weren't trained well enough to realize their efforts would be better served attacking those who are still a threat. Unless....unless of course they do it for some sick satisfaction of inflicting pain. "Aye,"

thinks Storm, "that'd fit those nasty Caerloon bastards..."

Just then Canter had come out of the crowd and attacks Storm's aggressors, taking the focus off the held dwarf. Seething with rage, Storm tries to yell out, his anger seething again, this time toward the two foot soldiers in front of him. "I'm gonna rip ye two's arms off!!! Canter, rip 'em to shreds!!" he yells.

But once again, all that comes out is a "Mmmfhhhhhrmmmmmmcnnnnntrrrrrr!!!!!!"

Seeing one of the two aggressors in front of him instantly removed from play (due to the fact that he is simultaneously held and put to sleep), Canter focuses on the other. He advances on the soldier, parrying and thrusting. Then he launches his real attack, which is repelled. But he quickly rebounds, converting his blade's momentum into another attack. This time he succeeds, striking the soldier hard, but not eliminating him.

Skandor, at this moment, battles the soldier near him. Space is tight, and the paladin furrows his brow as he works hard to find an opening in the soldier's defenses. When he finally does, he takes it. His attack is strong, and he lands a powerful blow on the soldier, tearing open a wound the length of the man's arm. The soldier is badly hurt, but not killed.

Enraged by Skandor's hit, the soldier battling the Sword Bearer presses a desperate attack. His blade finds Skandor's skin, slicing into it. (4 hp damage) Skandor can feel the warmth of his own blood as it seeps to the surface and begins to soak into the cloth of this tunic, causing a deep red stain to grow there.

The soldier battling Canter also attacks. For a second only small taps are traded between the Caerloon soldier and the tanner's son, but then the soldier really tries. But Canter is quick on his feet and quicker with his bastard sword; he blocks the attack with a loud metal-on-metal "clang!"

As if cued by that sound reverberating through the room, the wizard, who was momentarily distracted by Hannibal's inventive table attack, pulls himself together enough to strike back at the thief. Speaking and reaching over his shoulder at the same time, he suddenly throws his arm forward. From his hand flies a streak of orange flame in the shape of an arrow, directed at Hannibal. The flaming arrow strikes Hannibal square in the chest, lifting him and throwing him back against a nearby wall. At the same time, Hannibal's clothes are caught on fire, which burns into his chest. (13 hp damage)

"You'll be lucky to survive this!" the mage bellows.

(168.4)

Emma draws her weapon for the first time since entering the battle. Up until now all of her participation had come directly from the divine power of Anhur. But now, with a solid blade in her hand, she feels determined to mete out the punishment these ruffians deserve. She moves in close to Skandor, instinctively calculating the Sword Bearer's movements like any good Shield Maiden, and then drives the point of her broadsword into the Caerloon soldier's guts. She can feel the "crunch" as the blade goes in and she knows instantly the soldier is killed.

Skandor looks to the Shield Maiden, smiling and nodding, but saying nothing. He then turns around, seeing Hannibal on the floor near the wall, patting out the flames on his chest. The thief appeared badly hurt, but not critically. Then Skandor's eyes fall on the mage. Tightening his grip on his blade, the Sword Bearer rushes toward the wizard, pressing his attack. The wizard is quick, though, and evades his first attempt to strike.

El, in the meantime, rushes to Canter's side to help better the odds against the soldier Canter fights. He attacks, but the soldier is good and blocks the elf's blade. Canter attacks an instant later, and his sword manages to pick at the soldier, scratching him a bit. A superficial wound, but it put the soldier that much closer to death's door.

Storm continues to struggle, but finds no release from the wizard's Hold Person spell. Crayne, at the same time, tries to bring his panicked breathing under control. He is unaware of the success of his Sleep spell, but decides now to focus on his defense. Clutching his powerful staff, he holds it tightly, ready to pounce on any body he senses nearby.

Aside from the enemy wizard, only one soldier now remains able to fight: the one battling Canter and El. He chooses to focus his attack on El, and is successful at that--his blade scrapes along the elf's skin, opening a small wound. (3 hp damage) El is not terribly hurt, but frustrated by the blow and the ensuing sting of pain.

The wizard, meanwhile, narrows his eyes as he looks to Skandor. The paladin had just rushed his own position, and the wizard chooses to focus his energies on this new threat. Waving his arms again, he begins another incantation. This one ends with a loud pop, and suddenly, Skandor finds himself bound up by think, white, sticky ropes. They seems to grow thicker and tighter around him, forcing his arms down to his sides and his legs together. After but a moment, he is completely immobilized by the web surrounding him.

Seeing Skandor momentarily taken care of, the wizard turns back to face the rest of the party against which he fights. "You will never survive your mission! Surrender yourselves now and die painlessly!"

(168.5)

Canter is the one who offers the reply. As he thrusts his blade straight through the neck of his opponent, he yells out loud, "NEVER!" The last breath of the soldier whom he kills serves to punctuate Canter's statement. With that soldier out of the way, Elloharin turns his attention to the real threat: the wizard. He rushes toward the wizard's position, leaping off the overturned table in the way. Bringing his blade down as his feet land on the room's wooden floor, El can feel it impact upon the wizard's shoulder, tearing into his robes and the skin beneath. The elf smiles as he lands on the floor, knowing the hit was good.

Somewhat out breath due to the heavy exertion of the battle, Emma once again surveys the scene. Klest had no doubt made good on his escape. And Rinder's Six seems close to turning the tables entirely upon the remaining Caerloon force. Still, they would need to finish things quickly if they would escape as well. She wades deeper into the battle, looking for any remaining target to strike. She especially looks for a way to get to the wizard and end his miserable life, hoping to use the toppled table as a ramp to cross the distance, taking the same path as El.

Unfortunately, Emma's sword attack upon the wizard doesn't meet with the success the elf had. She finds the wizard evasive, jumping aside and causing her blade to meet with nothing but air. Still, she can feel the steely eyes of the evil mage bore into her as she takes up position near him.

Skandor does his best to struggle against the thick, sticky ropes that hold him fast, but he is not very successful. He thinks he has loosened them slightly, but not nearly enough to free himself fully. Fortunately, Hannibal is soon as his side, having sheathed his blade and replaced it with a knife (which he grabbed from Storm's immobile belt on the way), with which he begins to cut at the strands of sticky web.

"Good to see you on your feet again, Hannibal," Skandor says, out of breath from his attempts to free himself.

"Yeah, well," Hannibal mutters, himself out of breath and weakened from the fiery arrow that struck him, "we'll see for how long..."

As this brief conversation is taking place, the wizard shifts his glance back and forth between Emma and Elloharin, the two from Rinder's Six who most threaten him.

"Stand down now, wizard," Emma says sternly. She takes a small step in the wizard's direction, sword at the ready.

"I think NOT!" the wizard shouts. At the same instant, he throws his right hand forward, and Emma and El find themselves hurled backwards, just as Hannibal had been. Fortunately, this time there is no fire, but their flights are stopped as they slam against the stone wall on the other side of the room and slide down to the floor, shaken. (8 hp damage to Emma and El)

"I will beat you all into submission if that is what it takes!"

---

1. HP status: Canter: 41/44, Crayne: 24/16, El: 13/30, Emma: 32/47, Hannibal: 6/29, Skandor: 37/48, and Storm: 36/50.

2. The current situation:

STORM remains held by the wizard's Hold Person spell. CRAYNE remains blinded by the wizard's Blind spell, defending himself (albeit from nobody!) with his staff. CANTER stands over the body of the soldier he just killed, near STORM. EL and EMMA are across the room, having been thrown there by the wizard. SKANDOR is held by the wizard's spell, bound with thick, white, sticky rope-like web strands. HANNIBAL is at his side, attempting to cut the paladin free.

The WIZARD still appears to be going strong. There are six dead soldiers littered about the room. One of those dead soldiers is held by Emma's spell in an upright position. In addition, one soldier is both asleep and held, standing near STORM. Another soldier is held, standing near CRANYE (this is the one that attacked Crayne most recently).

The next post will begin with the party's actions in round 168.6.

3. Storm continues to be held. Skandor is also held (though in a different manner) and may be cut free, though it is unclear how long that will take. Crayne continues to be blinded. That leaves Canter, El, Emma, and Hannibal able to act freely without any hindrances.

---

~ The Quest for the Ring of Fire Command: [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~

Turn 168.7: Sphere, Freedom, and a Cry for Help

Posted: 12/30/01

(168.6)

Skandor's muscles tense so tightly he fears for a moment they might pop at any time, but it avails him little but the satisfaction that he will not give up. 'Great Father! Give me strength!' the Sword Bearer thinks to himself as he tenses and twists, trying to break free of the wizard's infernal bond. His face turns red with exertion, sweat flows in small rivulets down his face as he strains for freedom. The feeling of utter helplessness is indescribable, and currently unavoidable.

"Woe to you, mage, when I am granted freedom!" he hisses under his breath as his grip on his blade tightens and he again strains against he magical ropes.

As Hannibal arrives at his side, the Sword Bearer regards his comrade: "Good to see you on your feet again, Hannibal," Skandor says, out of breath from his attempts to free himself.

"Yeah, well," Hannibal mutters, himself out of breath and weakened from the fiery arrow that struck him, "we'll see for how long..." Hannibal tugs and cuts at the bindings, trying desperately to free up his comrade to bring his sword to bear on this mage. "I'm a little burned right now, paladin, wanna get off your back and give me a hand?"

"Shifty devil!" Emma mutters to herself. This wizard seems a little more battle-savvy than Covarc or the other Red Dragon renegades they have faced. Despite the loss of his footsoldiers, he appears more than capable of carrying the fight on his own. The Shield Maiden grits her teeth and prepares for a more drawn-out struggle than she had previously anticipated.

Storm is still incredibly frustrated that he can't move. He yells again, though this time the sound that comes forth is exactly that of which he intended. "Grrrrrrrrrrraaahhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!"

His face begins to turn red, and his breathing--through clenched teeth--becomes more fervent. What if this was only the beginning of the spell? What if it started to do *other* things to him? A brief wave of panic hits him, though it quickly subsides as he catches a glimpse of the held enemy next to him. 'It be like Emma's spell' he thinks, 'though it ain't come from no god.'

He keeps staring at the soldier next to him, the one who had attacked him when he was defenseless. 'How *dare* he! What kind of coward does Caerloon train their soldiers to be??' Storm continues to stare at this man, and if he suddenly finds himself able to move, the first thing he'll do is deliver a mighy crack across the man's jaw with his fist, out of sheer disgust and anger.

Crayne turns his head from side to side. He grips his staff tightly with two hands. Sweat begins to trickle down his forehead. His breathing is heavy. He listens to the sounds of battle in between breaths. Nervously he circles around waiting for any indication of attack against him. Then he quickly

makes for the wall nearby. With his back to the wall Crayne feels more calm. He could only be attacked front-on now. Ready for a three-magic strike attack with his staff, he overhears the conversation between Emma and the wizard. A few seconds later he hears the grunt of Emma and El.

He quickly surmises they had been hit hard by something. The battle wasn't going well at all. Crayne wishes for his sight back. More than ever he wished he could help his friends.

Emma angrily climbs back to her feet after being thrown by the mage, her new armor creaking as she does so. Mentally, she thinks to herself that every battle lately has somehow managed to send her spinning through the air. 'Ah, the life of a devoted Shield Maiden!' she tells herself. But then her attention returns to the Red Dragon renegade. She focuses her divinely-inspired anger on him. 'If ever a pompous wizard needed chastising, this would be the one!' she thinks.

Finally, she calls out to him, "Then beating us into submission is just what you'll have to do, mage! And you can't take us all!" With that, she launches herself back across the room, blade leading the way, intent upon finding a weakness in his defense and solving the problem in exactly the manner Anhur would find most favorable. An enemy spitted upon her sword...

Lunging toward the wizard, and crossing the room again to get to him, Emma attacks. But the wizard sees her coming, and moves evasively. "Back for more, eh?" he taunts.

Then an idea passes through Crayne's thoughts. He still had an illusion spell memorised. Quickly he reaches for the magic within himself and focuses his mind on the spot where the mage is--after hearing him shouting at Emma. He focuses his mind on a large sphere. The sphere is made up of bright luminous colours swirling extremely quickly. Crayne also makes the illusion have a really bad smell. He focuses the sphere on the mage's position hoping to encircle him in it. Crayne hopes to block the mage's sight, put him off with the violent smell and daze him with the bright colours. Furthermore, he hopes to buy the group some time from the mage's quick spellcasting and enable them to get near him to strike him down in close combat.

The illusion begins to appear just as Crayne had wished, more or less surrounding the enemy mage with brilliant colors and a putrid odor. At first the mage doesn't realize what is happening, and then he focuses on the sphere surrounding him and the space around him. His eyes widen as he takes in the distorted view of the room through the sphere, not exactly sure what to make of it. Some new spell he had not encountered?

Elloharin, who had followed Emma across the room toward the enemy mage, strikes just as the sphere is beginning to form around the mage. His attention is so intensely focused on the enemy that he doesn't even notice the illusion coalescing around him. The mage, distracted by the colors and smell, doesn't prepare for El's attack, and so the elf lands a good blow on the mage, tearing his robe and slicing into the skin beneath.

Standing over the body of the soldier he had just killed, near the held figure of Storm, Canter then looks to the enemy mage, knowing that he must be taken out soon if the party were to survive. So he follows El's path, bastard sword at the ready. The fighter plans his attack meticulously, and comes around the mage's side as El attacks. He lands a solid hit on the mage's flank, causing the mage to howl in pain and recoil. The mage's recoiling motion pulls him out of range of Canter's next attack, but the tanner's son is happy to have landed the first, good strike.

The mage is still slightly confused, and unable to see much of the room, but he can see El and Canter, who stand nearby and within Crayne's sphere. Narrowing his eyes, he points his finger toward El, and a familiar sight ensues: magical missiles fly through the narrow space separating the mage from the elf, striking the elf hard with four distinct impacts upon El's chest. (14 hp damage) El is once again thrown backwards, and his limp body is violently shot backwards through the sphere and out again. He doesn't fly quite as far as he had in the wizard's previous attack, but this attack appears much more lethal.

As El's body hits the floor, a large gob of thick red blood comes spurting out of El's mouth, coating his chest and mixing with the blood seeping into his clothing from his wounds there. He comes to rest near Storm's feet, his head cocked to the side at an unusual angle and his legs crumpled up beneath him. He doesn't move. He doesn't get back up. He remains there, on the floor, lifeless.

(168.7)

Emma is taken aback by the sudden sphere of colorful design and reeking odor. Another trick by her adversary! She skirts the sphere as best she can and tries to slip around it so she can find the wizard again. 'Blast it!' she thinks, 'We can't let him escape, too! I'd like to find out what he knows about that scroll...and Klest before we leave this place...'

The priestess hears the wizard's footsteps also rounding the sphere and then sets herself, ready to launch another attack. "You will FALL this day..." she announces, driving her sword toward him again, "I will not rest until I've rid the world of your kind! Deceivers! Manipulators of all mankind! To Anhur's judgement, that's where I'll send you!"

She charges into the sphere just as El's body emerges from the opposite side. Her momentum carries her, as she was taught, and she drives her blade deep into the mage's side. She can feel the blade cut deep into the wizard's flesh, and she can tell right away it is a good hit. Smiling, she gives the hilt of her sword another shove, driving the blade deeper into the wizard.

Hannibal continues to cut at Skandor's bonds, and after much effort, he knows he is close to setting the Sword Bearer free. Skandor knows too, and he can feel the strange white webbing loosen with each strand that is cut. Suddenly, Hannibal breaks through the last strand with a loud "snap!"

Skandor is off in an instant, sword drawn. He rushes forward into the sphere, even though he cannot see what lies behind its walls. There he sees Emma's magnificent blow, and immediately calculates his own attack. He maneuvers around the mage's other flank, swinging his sword low and steady. Then, with a quick upward jerk, he drives it into the mage's side, tearing into the flesh beneath those robes. As he does he can feel the weight on his blade increase. Emma can feel it too. Suddenly the mage's entire body-weight is on their blades as his bleeding, torn body sinks to the floor inside the reeking sphere.

Unaware of the events inside the sphere--though he can hear grunting, heavy breathing, and the other sound of battle--Crayne holds his position, concentrating on his Spectral Force spell. Storm holds his own position, though not by choice, of course!

Having seen El's body thrown once again from the scene of the battle, and seeing that Skandor and Emma, the Sword Bearer and Shield Maiden, seem to have the evil wizard under control (finally!), Canter decides to quit the bright, smelly sphere and look after El. He exits the sphere, coughing as he does from the stench, and spots El's crumpled body lying motionless on the floor near Storm. "May the gods be gracious!" Canter mutters as he rushes to El's side, turning the elf over.

El rolls over in Canter's arms, his head falling backwards to the floor, his eyes open but unfocused. "El!" Canter calls. "Elloharin!" He slaps El's face, looking for any kind of reaction. He receives none.

Just then, Canter (and Storm) hear another sound: footsteps and yelling. Canter looks up from El's battered face toward the doorway, littered with blood and splinters (from Emma's entrance). There were people down the corridor. He can't make out how many, or what they are saying, but surely there were at least three and they were yelling loudly about something. Swallowing hard, Canter looks back to El, lying dead in his arms. "You're in no condition to defend yourself against more soldiers," Canter says to El, his voice low and gravelly. Then he looks up to Storm, the dwarf still held in place from the start of the battle. Their eyes meet, and Canter can feel that Storm knows what is going on. "And you're not looking to hot, either, friend..."

Raising his chin and looking toward the sphere, Canter screams. "Emma! Skandor! We need your help out here! *Help!*"

---

1. HP Status: Canter: 41/44, Crayne: 24/16, El: -1, Emma: 32/47, Hannibal: 6/29, Skandor: 37/48, Storm: 36/50.

2. Positions:

STORM is still held, about halfway from the doorway to the sphere. CANTER is sitting on the floor at Storm's feet, the dead body of ELLOHARIN in his lap. CRAYNE is directly opposite Storm's position, on the far wall (opposite the door), with his back against the wall and his staff clutched in his hands. He remains blinded and is concentrating on his Spectral Force spell. HANNIBAL is about halway between Crayne's position and the sphere, having just freed Skandor. SKANDOR and EMMA are inside the sphere with the dead body of the enemy mage.

CANTER has heard footsteps and yelling in the hallway outside the conference room (where this battle is taking place). Except for STORM, nobody else has directly heard these noises.

Note: I know that Emily had planned on killing the two Caerloon soldiers who remain alive but held by Emma's Hold Person spell...that did not happen in this turn, because I wanted to pause after the wizard's death and El's death and Canter's hearing of the possible reinforcements in the hallway. If you still intend to kill those soldiers, simply let me know in your response to this post.

The next post will begin with the party's actions in round 168.8.

3. Actions? Thoughts?

Are you going to stay and fight whatever reinforcements might be on their way? Or will you retreat?

If you retreat, what will you do about Storm, who remains immobile, Elloharin, who is technically dead but "on death's door", and Crayne, who is alive and kicking but still blind?

If you retreat, how will you go? Will you attempt to exit the main front doors, the back door through which Emma entered the building, or through whatever passages lay behind the two tapestries?

~ The Quest for the Ring of Fire Command: [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~