[Taocow PBEM] Chapter XIX - Rath-Iren

[Aaron Clausen]

> > [GM]
> > Lyle's shot seems to be the last straw.  There's an explosion of black
> > flame that seems to utterly obliterate the bright light.  There is a scream
> > that seems to fade into nothingness.
> >
> > Zandeeli pulls out his flash light, revealing a woman lying on the ground
> > where the coffin was last seen.  Though Zandeeli, Raven and Lyle do not
> > know her, the others do.  It is Lady Frost, their companion who had been
> > near death in the last battle with the demon.  She is naked and seemingly
> > still unconscious, with an iron band around her throat and a plain iron
> > ring on her left ring finger.
> >
> > The table where the reforming demon had been laying is cracked into
> > pieces, and there is no sign of the demon, only the acrid smell of sulfur.
> >
> > The hole that Talas made in the wall can now be fully seen.  Beyond is
> > a dark passageway, that tends even further downwards.
> >
> > At the door to this room the pounding grows.  Ted, now left alone to
> > handle holding it closed while Talas opened fire on the sarcophagus,
> > seems to be struggling, his reptilian eyes squinting with the strain, his
> > muscles quivering so badly he must surely be near collapse.  Then,
> > even as Zandeeli leaps up to help him hold the door, it bursts open,
> > revealing several of the blue dwarfs literally standing on the squashed
> > remains of their compatriots.
> >
> > Immediately they strike out, one hitting Zandeeli in the head with a glowing
> > spear.  It passes through Zandeeli's helm, and comes out the other side.
> > His body convulses and then he drops to the ground.  Within seconds
> > there are seven or eight of the creatures in the room.
> > [/GM]

> [Ted]
> The lizard man drops into a low crouch and begins throwing out tripping leg
> hooks on as many of the blue smurfs as he could get to.  [Strike: 11]
> [/Ted]

[GM]
Ted manages to trip one of the dwarves.  He can't get his feet around
any others,
but they seem to do a fairly good job of stumbling over each other.  One manages
a glancing strike at Ted with a sword [Strike: 7], but it glances off
his leg, doing
minimal damage [Damage: 2MD].
[/GM]

> [Alex]
> The Coalition Ranger has a vibro-blade but she does not draw it.
> Instead, she turns to the blue attackers and continues firing with her
> rifle [Strike: 13]. She will retreat back if she needs to. "Any ideas?" she
> asks to nobody in particular
> [/Alex]

[GM]
Alex strikes one the dwarves still standing [Damage: 30MD], cutting through its
armor and taking a slice out of it.  The creature falls to the ground.
 One of the
other dwarves throws a glowing dagger at Alex [Strike: 4], but misses.  The
dagger, ominously enough, sticks into the wall.
[/GM]

> [Raven]
> "ZANDEELI!!" Raven yells out with shock and surprise as she saw the
> knight fall to the blue dwarves. She gritted her teeth and snarled and
> briefly thought about going to the knight but knew his wound was
> definitely mortal. Instead she made her way to the naked form of the
> woman, and had asked of the others, "I think we should all teleport out
> of here! Give me a moment!"
>
> Raven bent over the woman (Lady Frost) and raised her hands palm open
> over her.
> [/Raven]

> [Lyle]
> He watches as his brother falls to the blue dwarf. "Zeeeeeee!" Hate
> and anger fill him as he watches the body hit the floor. His Shield
> and Sword flair to life and he charges at the one who just killed his
> friend [Strike: 6]
> [/Lyle]

[GM]
Lyle has a hard time trying to strike anything in the boiling mass of
bodies.  He manages glancing blow against Zandeeli's killer
[Damage: 5MD), cutting into its strange, bone-like armor, but no
injuring it.  It in turn strikes at Lyle with a long knife [Strike: 11], but
Lyle manages to parry [Parry: 14], and cuts much of the blade off the
knife [Damage: 12MD].
[/GM]

> [Alex]
> Alex yells, "If you can teleport us out" although she will keep firing
> at attackers. [Strike: 8]
> [/Alex]

[GM]
Alex's next shot pretty much vaporizes one of the dwarfs (Damage: 70MD].
[/GM]

> [Koba]
> Seeing the horde rush into the room is terrifying due to the sheer number of
> these vicious demons. In a further attempt to keep as many away as
> possible, Koba will throw up a forcefield in the doorway to hopfully slow
> further reinforcements.
> [/Koba]

[GM]
This stops any more dwarfs from getting in, but does nothing to stop
the other five.
As well, almost immediately, some of the dwarfs outside begin hacking at the
force field with what must be clearly megadamage knives and swords.
[/GM]

> [Koba]
> "Frost?! How did...nevermind. We need to take her with us. She can't stay
> here." As someone is now tending to Lady Frost, Koba turns to look at the
> other caskets on the wall. He wonders who else could be in the
> remaining wooden boxes. The hidden room now catches his eye and he makes his
> way over to the wall and peers his head around the corner to see who or what
> was so carefully hidden.
> [/Koba]

[GM]
Beyond Koba can make out a passage that leads westward.  It is rough-hewn,
in contrast to the finely crafted chamber they are in.  Somewhere in
the distance
he can vaguely see a dim red light that, as he watches, seems to grow slightly
brighter.  A strange smell, almost like a match being lit, comes from
the passage.
[/GM]

> [Talas]
> Talas turns towards the door. Stows his rifle and draws his swords. Talas then
> steps towards Ted. And begins the grim task of killing the dwarfs one at a time.
> [Strike: 8]
> [/Talas]

[GM]
The nearest dwarf manages to parry Talas's attack [Parry: Natural 20] and in
turn tries to stab at Talas [Strike: 11], but Talas in turn parries [Parry: 16].

The five remaining dwarfs seem to change tactics, and jump back, forming
a small phalanx, and looking like they're about to attack Talas as a
single unit.
[/GM]

> [Owen]
> Owen will move quickly to the hole blown in the wall by earlier gunfire, and enter
> the space beyond, and use the walls as a shield and begin firing at their foes.
> [/Owen]

[GM]
Owen steps past Koba and into the passage way.  He can see the red light more
clearly, and though it must be a few hundred feet away, it looks
almost like a desert,
with a dull-red sky above it.

As Owen and Koba look on, Raven works on a woman she does not know; though
some know her as Lady Frost.  Suddenly Lady Frosts eyes open slightly.

"Thank you." she mouths quietly.  She struggles to get up, then sees the dwarfs
attacking Talas, raises a hand, and a burst of liquid-like ice leaps
from it and on to
the floor.  Two of the dwarfs slip and the others leap back, unprepared for this
bizarre attack.

"Before it is too late." she says.  "Through the passage, and seal the
door behind
you."  There's an odd quality to her voice, a strange dullness to it,
as if it had been
spoken into a pillow.
[/GM]

-- 
Aaron Clausen
mightymartianca at gmail.com