A Long Day
Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 1:55 am
A Long Day - Part 1: The Search for Sianan
Reylar came to a halt just outside the Wandering Badger. Taking one last look around, he gently pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Within the tavern, a large collection of people, warriors of various types, had gathered.
Reylar swept his gaze round and strode over to the far wall.
Lorana Aerlian regarded the man, giving him a curt nod as he came to stand beside her.
"This is a great mistake..." she muttered.
Reylar returned the nod, "So many... This'll be a good ride." he said grimly.
The two of them stood silently against the back wall, picking out snatches of conversation as ambient sound level rose and fell like a tide.
"Don't you get it?" Lorana said at length.
Reylar gave her a questioning glance.
"Don't you see this is going to end with a bloodbath on the surface when the drow come back for revenge?" Lorana continued. She turned back to look at the gathering, "They're all blind."
Reylar shrugged, folding his arms, "Yer drow need no excuse t' wage war. Often as not, they attack without. Have y' already forgotten t' time they nearly razed Brosna to t' ground? No surfacer started that I tell ye."
"This will just make it worse..." Lorana said darkly, "We could start another bloody damn war with this!"
Reylar shrugged, "Yer alternative be t' leave 'er down there. Y' could do tha', leave t' drow be, won't stop 'em raidin'. We go there, we got a reason.", he paused to gesture at the others, "They all be doin' it fer 'er."
"Is it worth it, to sacrifce all of those?" Lorana retorted, sweeping her arm along to gesture at everyone in front of them.
"Well, they all seem t' think so. I dun personally, but then I figures if we be doin' this right, we be doin' it wi'out startin' a war an' wit' no sacrificin'." Reylar grinned back.
Lorana rolled her eyes.
Suddenly one of the drow present in the tavern sprung onto a table and held his arms out, "MAY I SPEAK!" he shouted above the chattering.
The blanket of talking subsided to a dull murmur.
"I am a friend of Sianan Rhodar, and a simple warrior," the drow began when he had everyone's attention, "But even I know that the realms would be a terrible place without beings of such good." he swept his gaze around the crowd, "I'm sure all of you know her, and many of you owe her your lives. We all have a friend who needs our help.
"Sianan is ill, she has lost her faith, lost her way. Mathias, her betrothed, needs us to help her find her path once more! I cannot speak for all, but I commit my life and sword to Mathias' quest for the Lady In Red, and now is the time for all who have any strength to muster the courage to get the good cleric back!"
The drow obviously wasn't used to speaking in such openness, but the conviction behind the speech brought a cheer from the crowd, and they flocked around the table pledging their aid.
Reylar hung back from the crush, catching Mathias' eye and giving him a nod of acknowledgement.
He turned his attention back to the rest of the crowd, trying to spot anyone he knew.
He quickly spied the two Yaschenko brothers, Ludovic and Dimitri, clad as they were in their Order's armour, but most of the others he couldn't recall. There were several dwarves, halflings and other drow, to his mild surprise.
He half-turned to Lorana to ask her how many she knew when he caught her nodding to Mathias too.
"Y' be goin' too?" he asked in surprise.
Lorana blushed, but quickly dismissed it with a shrug, "Yeah I'll come. Just to see if I'm right..." she added under her breath.
Reylar grinned knowingly.
-----
Mathias quickly organised the group, distributing supplies and designating scouts. Soon they were ready and everyone hefted packs onto shoulders for the long walk to Sholo.
"Oh, the irony... once I kidnapped her... and now I'm trying to save her..." Lorana muttered to herself as they exited the Wandering Badger into the bright morning.
Reylar grinned, "'s funny how yer cards fall, aye?"
Lorana 'hmph'ed at him, and stalked forward to the front.
The group marched swiftly east, though the Benzor River Valley and past the Trommel Woods.
The journey was mostly uneventful. A bandit ambush was spotted early by Lorana and Roidoc, a quick-fingered gnome, and instead the bandits found themselves being ambushed!
By the end of the second day they had reached Sholo.
"Right!" Borthak Hammerfist, a stout dwarf, said eagerly, rubbing his hands together, "This be where ah get tae cleave me some drow skulls!"
Gelvar Silverhold clapped him on the back, "Aye! What's tae plan 'eh?"
"We politely introduce, and then put them to the sword?" one of the Yaschenko brothers, Dimitri, suggested with a wry grin.
"Not all Drow are evil." his brother, Ludovic, admonished.
"We're not here to start a war." Mathias said quietly. He turned to Lorana and Storm, "You two will be my eyes. Scout ahead, but stay hidden and report back whenever you find anything.
"'Shanks'," Mathias gestured with a grin at Roidoc, "and I will try to convince her to come back."
"I am a skilled tracker," Roidoc told the others, "I will make sure we find her."
"'ere, what 'bout t' rest o' us?" Borthak exclaimed.
"We be there in case things dun go t' plan, aye?" Reylar grinned.
Mathias nodded, "While we aren't going to be attacking the city, if any of us are discovered, the Drow will likely try to capture or kill us. We need you to cover our backs."
Borthak grumbled behind his beard.
"Marchin' order?" Reylar asked.
"Lorana, Shanks and I will take the front line with you two," he gestured at the Yaschenkos," backing us up. Archers and healers, stay in the middle. Mages behind them. You dwarves, cover our backs."
"We got it...no worries." Borthak nodded.
"Err, 'ere, I'll 'elp 'em guard t' backs too, aye?" Reylar spoke up.
"Very well." Mathias nodded, missing Lorana's snicker.
Drawing their weapons, they quietly entered the cave that lead into the Underdark...
-----
Reylar's eyes took a few moments to adjust, but the gloom did not reveal much of interest regardless. The bare rock was cold and unwelcoming, weathered with age. Stalactites and stalagmites dangled and sprouted up like the teeth of some huge creature. Dotted here and there were patches of the curious luminous fungus that always seemed to permeate the under-caverns of most of the worlds Reylar had seen.
The party stalked through the cave quietly, the odd clink of armour and the foot-falls of heavy boots the only sound.
Reylar's ears pricked up.
"Ahead, sounds of a battle?" Borthak hissed next to him.
The party ran forwards.
"The gnomes!" Lorana cried, notching an arrow on the run and loosing it at one of the bugbears as it raised its mattock to cut down one of the gnome guards.
With a roar Mathias and the two Yaschenkos smashed into the bugbears assaulting the gnome's gate. Behind them, Lorana and Storm loosed arrows into any that popped out of the chaos.
Reylar moved to help, but a sudden "Mow!" from his backpack made him to duck.
A glob of concentrated acid zipped past where his head had been and fell in an arc to the cave floor where it sizzled.
"Bah! Cave vermin!" Borthak dismissed as he cut the winged creature in half with one blow.
Reylar grabbed one of the many knives strapped behind his shield and flung it at the other creature where it buried itself up to the hilt.
"You okay back there?" Mathias called back.
"Aye, jus' some o' them flyin' beasties." Borthak replied, "Ye?"
"We're done here." Storm's voice echoed.
"Y'know, ye lot need tae work on this 'Stealth' thing..." Gelvar cringed.
After being assured that the gnomes were okay, the party continued deeper into the Underdark.
"You see anything Roidoc?" Lorana asked.
"Hmm..." the gnome scratched his head, "Well... there are several steps.. can't tell if any of these are Sianan's... What kind of boots did she wear?"
Marhias blushed, "Um... They were green...?"
Lorana put her hands on her hips, "And what do the tracks of green boots look like, huh?" she retorted.
"Green ones?" Dimitri Yaschenko suggested.
"I forgot what she called them." Mathias continued, ignoring them, "I think they were made from dragon hide?"
Roidoc nodded slowly. "Follow me." he said at length.
The gnome led them cautiously through the winding tunnels, pausing whenever they came to a fork to check the paths.
The party unconsciously began spreading out, with Lorana and Roidoc getting further ahead while Reylar and the dwarves dropped back.
As they neared a turn, Gelvar suddenly paused, "Did ye hear-"
Borthak suddenly kicked the dwarf over as an arrow shot past and splintered against the stone.
"Goblin ambush!" Reylar swore, quick-firing an arrow then charging after Borthak at the small group of goblins who had appeared behind them.
Three of them drew crude jagged blades and leaped at Borthak, only to be cleaved apart with a single blow. The archers loosed a last round at Reylar before Borthak cut them down. Reylar quickly raised his arm to deflect the deadly missiles on the curved shell of his shield, but one of them arced low and pierced the armour encasing his leg. With a surprised grunt he fell to one side with a clatter.
"What's going on?"
Gelvar and Ludovic approached the scene of the battle cautiously.
"Jus' more vermin." grinned Borthak.
"Goblins tryin' t' catch us in t' back. We gave 'em a dirt nap, but one o' 'em almost got me..." grunted Reylar as he snapped the arrow and pulled the broken shafts out of his leg.
"Ye okay tae travel?" Gelvar asked.
Reylar gingerly unlatched the plate around his leg and inspected the wound before tying a bandage round it.
"Aye, just a flesh wound.", he grimaced as he tied the bandage off, "Lets go."
Ludovic caught up with his brother while Reylar and the dwarves reformed their rear guard position.
Eventually the party arrived at a larger cavern which branched off in three directions.
Several old dismembered skeletons were draped around a group of broken stalagmites and stalactites on one side.
"Tracks here... lots of them..." Lorana said, her brow furrowed as she examined the ground, deep in concentration, "I can't say if they're Sianan's."
Mathias looked to each of the caves, then made a decision.
"Roidoc, check the left cavern. Lorana, check the other. Only a short way. Come back if you find a lead.", he turned to the rest, "Borthak, secure this cavern."
"Right!" the dwarf said gruffly. He turned to Reylar and Gelvar, "You two, 'elp me fortify this position!"
The three of them began shifting some of the loose rocks and boulders into a makeshift barricade.
"Shh! Quietly!" Storm cringed.
Suddenly Roidoc emerged from his cave, "I've found her!" he hissed excitedly, "But there's a drow with her..."
Mathias nodded, "Go get Lorana then come support us. Storm, come with me. Yaschenkos, back us up, but stay out of sight. The rest of you wait here. We'll need a back-stop if things turn ugly..."
"What about the drow with her?" Lorana suddenly appeared out of the shadows, making everyone jump.
Mathias sighed, "I don't know..."
"Git Lorana 'ere tae sneak up an' stab 'im in tae kidneys!" Borthak suggested gleefully.
Lorana threw the dwarf a dark look.
"You can't just kill him, that would mean a war." Dimitri pointed out.
"Well... I'll guess we have to hope he or she is willing to talk." Mathias sighed. "You have your positions, wish us luck..."
Receiving murmured acknowledgements, Mathias and Storm crept through the tunnel where Roidoc had indicated, followed by Roidoc, Lorana and the two Yaschenkos.
-----
The rest busied themselves trying to barricade the cavern as best they could. Borthak and Gelvar had somehow managed to assemble something looking remarkably like a ballista, and were attempting to mount it on their part of the barricade.
"Three ways in, one man guardin' each route an we can bury em one by one as they come! Har!" Borthak rumbled gleefully.
"...and protect some ore at the same time!" Gelvar added, eyeing a rich-looking seam, "It's times like these I wish I'd brought a pickaxe." he said with a sad sigh, shaking his head.
Reylar eyed them, "Two barmy dwarves and me t' hold t' line... we're doomed..." he muttered despondently.
His head suddenly snapped up.
"'eh? What?" Borthak asked.
"Did y' nay 'ear that?" Reylar whispered, tilting his head this way and that.
Out the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a shadow dart past.
"What was that?!" he hissed, whirling round, hand jumping to the hilt of his sword.
"Wud wus wud?" Borthak hissed back, looking around bewildered.
"I thought I skegged one o' t' archers jus' run past!" Reylar replied quietly, crouching slightly and peering back into the tunnel they'd come from, "I got a bad feelin' 'bout this... Gevlar, go see what 'appened!"
The dwarf muttered under his breath but grabbed his weapons and ambled off cautiously up the corridor.
"'ere look." Borthak pointed as an elven man crept back into the cavern they were guarding.
"'ere you, yer one o' t' archer, aye? What's t' chant? I 'eard a shout and then y' were runnin past!"
"Nuffin." the man said sullenly, "I'm innocent. Everyone talking boring. Me want honourable death."
He stalked back up the passage before Reylar could question him further.
"I got a bad feelin' 'bout this..." Reylar muttered.
"Stop sayin' dat! 'sides, look, Gevlar's back! He'll tell us!"
Gevlar skidded round the barricade and came to a halt next to Borthak, breathing heavily,
"They found Sianan, but she is quite mad!" he gushed.
Reylar and Borthak looked at each other.
"What... Annoyed mad? Or 'Raa! I'm gonna take over t' world!' mad?" Reylar said cautiously.
"No! Yes! I mean, she's insane mad!"
Reylar rubbed his knuckles against his forehead, "Great..." he muttered, "Well, let's get up there then..." he said, getting up.
"No, we should wait here..." Gelvar disagreed.
"I dun think we be needed t' guard this spot now some'ow..." Reylar explained wearily.
"Wud an give up our line 'o retreat?" Borthak asked incredulously.
"I reckon there be more t' worry about now..." Reylar said grimly.
"The Drow could ambush them... and she looked like she planned to kill Mathias..." Gelvar shuffled his feet.
Reylar and Borthak gave him shocked looks.
"Fine. We go." Borthak spat, marching grimly into the tunnel.
As they jogged half-cautiously up the tunnel, they caught snatches of conversation.
"The drow is filling her head with lies!"
"Sianan doesn't need to speak with worthless creatures like yourself."
"How do you know what she wants?"
"Ser... Ser rath Mathias..."
"Sianan? I... I don't understand..."
"Sianan, strike them down any time you want. None of these fools will be able to stop you."
"Shut yer yap dark one!" Borthak bellowed as he emerged in another cavern, followed closely by Reylar and Galvar. Neither of them had drawn their weapons, but their hands were resting on hilts, ready.
Mathias held up a hand, signalling Borthak to stay silent, but didn't turn. He kept his gaze focused on Sianan and the drow mage standing beside her, "I won't let you kill them. You'll have to kill me first."
The drow chuckled condescendingly, "Don't worry, there will be enough time to kill everyone."
Sianan looked from the drow to Mathias, a twitch on her otherwise expressionless features betraying the torment whirling inside her, "I... I'm sorry Mathias. Fair well and goodbye..."
"Nae lass! Y' cannay go with that deceptive backstabbin' git!" Borthak exclaimed in shock.
"Sianan, you have saved many here," Storm spoke up, "We would all give you our lives if that is what it takes to convince you." he said, the conviction behind his words palpable.
Several of the party spoke up, "You pulled me from death's grip as I lay alone and bleeding! I owe you my life!"
"Remember the battle with the great red dragons! Most of our party owe their survival to your kindness and skills!"
"And my arm." Reylar called out, raising the severed arm that Sianan had reattached several weeks ago, "Remember my arm! I'll not forget yer deed lass, an' neither should ye! Remember! Back then I told y' I owe ye a debt, so 'ere I am. An arm fer a helpin' hand. Seems fittin', no?" he grinned.
"Of course I remember...", Sianan paused, then shook her head as though trying to clear it, "Look... just.. leave now. I'll not kill you. Just... leave..."
"Sianan, you have to kill them. That's the only way to become more powerful!" the drow beside her demanded.
Mathias slowly unsheathed his sword then laid it, almost reverently, on the ground in front of him.
"If that power is what you want..." he said, almost a whisper, "Go ahead, take my life. I won't even fight back." he finished, looking right into Sianan's eyes.
The drow laughed, "Look at these weak souls! Don't even fight back. Hah!"
Sianan tried to give her husband a dark glare, "Just go Mathias... if I don't kill you... others will when they find you all here!"
"Then let them.. Isn't that what you want?"
"No!" Sianan yelled back.
"SILENCE!" the drow shouted.
Suddenly, there was a ruffling from Mathias' backpack. Alarmed, he shrugged it off and dropped it just as a bundle of cloth - a spare tunic that he carried - suddenly wriggled out!
"What sorcery be this?!" Borthak demanded, reaching for his weapons.
As his hand closed around the haft, a small bundle of fur rolled out of the tunic.
"Mow?" it said dizzily.
"What the..." the drow spluttered.
"Nick!" Sianan exclaimed.
Borthak eyed Reylar, "'ere, isn' that yer cat?"
Reylar muttered a curse under his breath, "Uh... yeess... mayhaps I musta given' 'im t' Mathias when I returned 'is tunic a few days back. By accident." he added quickly.
The kitten looked around at the tall two-legs for a few moments then, recognising a source of Honey scones, padded over to Sianan.
"Mow?" it asked hopefully, looking up at her.
Sianan's expressionless features broke into a grin as she reached down and picked the kitten up.
"This has already gone too far, kill them now!" the Drow demanded, giving the kitten a glare of pure hatred. Nick hissed back, baring his tiny claws slightly.
Sianan closed her eyes for a few moments, then turned to look at the drow, "I'm sorry," she said, stroking the kitten gently, "I must go, lest these friends of mine die."
"What?!" the drow gave her a dumbfounded look of surprise, "Sianan... you can't go!"
"It is not your decision. She can. And she will." Mathias replied evenly.
"Aye! Let's axe this drow and git outta here!" Borthak cheered.
"Put your weapons away... you will not harm this Drow." Sianan said flatly.
Borthak paused mid cheer, looking at her in confusion, "Wuh?"
Suddenly an arrow shot out of the darkness!
The drow spun and waved her hand. The arrow disintegrated into a volley of flaming shards, which the drow then redirected back.
Reylar looked behind him - It was the archer that had run past them earlier! He was now trying to run, but it was too late. The flaming shards ripped into him, shredding and immolating him at once. He didn't even get a chance to scream.
"Tha' were t' archer wot ran past us!" Reylar hissed at Borthak, "T' one mutterin' about an honourable death!"
"I guess he got wud he wanted," Barthak muttered unsympathetically, "'Cause he sure be dead."
"Anyone else want to shoot?" the drow dared them smugly.
"Why ye!" Baellin leapt at the drow, but the drow just held out his hand and the elf halted in midair, kicking his legs.
"Sianan.... only death is the way to release your potential. You have to kill them!" the drow demanded, illustrating his point by flicking his hand almost casually, throwing the elf into the cave wall with a sickening crunch.
Sianan glared at the drow, "There was no need for that."
"Need?" the Drow asked, grinning as he slowly raised a hand.
"STOP! Enough bloodshed!" Storm yelled.
"Enough? I have not even begun! You, traitor, have become weak in the company of these rivvil... so pathetic that a little blood frightens you? I will not let someone with the... potential... that Sianan has, regress to such a pathetic state!" the drow spat. She looked at Sianan, "I urge you to reconsider." she said in a low voice.
Sianan didn't answer, instead she gently lowered Nick to the floor and slowly, deliberately, moved over to Baellin's broken body, where she knelt and placed her hands on his chest.
A gentle golden glow began radiating where her hands made contact, then suddenly Baellin opened his eyes.
"Err... hi." he said with a blush.
"Impressive." the drow said mock-approvingly, "Now kill him."
"She has made her choice, drow," another cleric, Alex DeHan spoke up, "No one else needs die today."
"Choice? There is no 'choice'. Only destiny." the drow retorted.
"Mayhaps, yer chant be true. If so, it dun change nuthin' - 'er destiny is t' return wit' us." Reylar gave a grim smile.
Sianan stepped back to the drow, taking the mage's half-raised hand in her own.
"I'm sorry. Goodbye abbil."
As the drow stared at her, open-mouthed, she let go and turned to Mathias.
"Sianan..." the word left Mathias' mouth as barely a whisper.
The two of them stared at each other for half an eternity, then ran to each other, embracing.
"I have missed you so..." Mathias whispered as he stroked her hair.
"As have I..." Sianan kissed him back.
"Mow...?" Nick padded over to Reylar, who absently picked him up, cradling the kitten as it looked indifferently at the events unfolding in front of it.
The drow stared at them, "NO! I will never let you go! If I must kill you all so be it, you will NOT take Sianan from us!"
Her hand shot up, pointed directly at Reylar.
The warrior jerked back reflexively, "Ah sh-" Reylar's curse was cut-off mid-word as the vivid azure bolt of lightning lanced into his chest and exploded, throwing his body to the ground.
"NO!" Sianan screamed.
"RAA! GET 'IM!!" Borthak roared.
"He will be avenged!" Dimitri swore, raising his sword high and charging after Borthak.
The drow mage began aiming another spell at them as they charged, but both Dimitri saw it coming and dived to either side, the bolt flying past to explode further back in the cavern. As the drow back-peddled, quickly preparing another spell, she felt something sharp enter her back.
"Die." Lorana hissed, applying more pressure to her blade.
"Not so easy surfacer!" the drow sent Lorana spinning away with a viscous backhand then pointed her finger back at the others.
"This is how you do it, pathetic surfacer." The drow half-turned to grin at Lorana's groaning form, "Die."
Another bolt of lightning shot forth from her finger towards the two approaching paladins.
"By Lux Perpetua we will not fall!" Dimitri and Ludovic chanted together as they ran forwards.
Their holy symbols glowed and the lightning bolt exploded harmlessly against their combined power, its only effect to knock them back slightly.
"Our turn!" Gelvar and Barthak roared, rushing to take the Yaschenko's place.
"Ahh, more cattle, or should I say insects?" the drow raised her finger again.
She finished the words of power once more, but this time nothing happened.
"What?!"
Sianan and Alex lowered their hands - the spell had been countered.
"NO!" the drow screamed. She turned to run, but Barthak was too quick.
-----
"Was that really necessary?" Ludovic said distastefully as Barthak and Gelvar took turns trying to pull Barthak's axe out of the drow's spine. It had gone right through the drow's back and into the stone.
The grizzled dwarf shrugged, "'s dead innit?"
"I... I didn't want this..." Sianan stuttered, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Bah... they were nae good fer ye... jus' feedin' y' lies..." Barthak spat.
"And what of Kazarn?" Lorana asked darkly, "Was it worth it? Admittedly he's the worst excuse for a warrior I've known, and being rid of him will probably make the world a better place but-"
"Oi! Shows a bit more respect fer t' dead won't ye y' sadistic wench!"
They looked back.
Reylar sat up slowly, groaning.
"What yer... I saw dat 'it yer square! How kin ye be okay?!" Borthak gasped.
"Well, din't 'it me so much..." Reylar petted Nick gently, who was dozing contentedly.
"Uh..." Gelvar took a surreptitious step back as a thin spark of blue arced across Nick's back.
"Wha' kinda crazy cat that be?!" Borthak demanded.
"Damned if I know..." Reylar sighed, "If I ever meet tha' balmy squirrel-girl again I reckon we be needin' a chat..."
"Squirrel girl?!" Barthak gave an exasperated shout, "Humans... barkin' mad, all of 'em!" he muttered, shaking his head.
Lorana glared at him, "If you weren't dead, why didn't you help us you lazy good-for-nothing?"
"It says quite clearly in t' Kazarn Battle Book tha' if yer enemy thinks yer dead, y' best off lettin' 'im think that." Reylar grinned, "Besides, I didnay want to scare Nick. He mighta zapped me!"
"Yeah? Well I think you're just a lazy git who'll take any excuse to skive on the job." Lorana retorted.
Mathias hid a smile and looked to Sianan, who nodded back, stifling a giggle.
"Let's go." he said, offering a hand to Sianan.
-----
Their run back to the surface was not without incident. Several times they ran across a drow patrol but compared to the mage, they were just lowly scouts.
Between the righteous fury of the Yaschenco brothers, the crazed ale-powered fury of the dwarves and the sneaky backstabbing fury of Storm, Roidoc and Lorana, the battles were all ended quickly and decisively. Reylar resumed his position, guarding Mathias, Sianan and the others, at the party's flank.
-----
"Finally, open sky and fresh air!" Dimitri cried out, sucking in a lungful of the fresh air.
Roidoc turned to look at Sianan and Mathias, "My task here is complete. I'll stay behind and make sure Mak'a'nor doesn't suffers this clumsy... work."
Sianan gave him a hug, "Thanks for coming."
Roidoc hid a blush, but gave an acknowledging nod before turning back towards the tunnel.
"Aye jes dunnae let tha drow eat ye there tinytoes!" Borthak yelled after him. Roidoc cringed, shaking his head with an exasperated expression before disappearing into the shadows of the cavern.
"And thank you all too," Mathias turned to the others, "I couldn't have gotten her back without your help."
"'ere, about tha' reward..." Borthak hinted.
Mathias chuckled, "Aye then my friend, I'll buy you your round at the Wandering Badger. I'll buy all of you a round!"
Reylar came to a halt just outside the Wandering Badger. Taking one last look around, he gently pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Within the tavern, a large collection of people, warriors of various types, had gathered.
Reylar swept his gaze round and strode over to the far wall.
Lorana Aerlian regarded the man, giving him a curt nod as he came to stand beside her.
"This is a great mistake..." she muttered.
Reylar returned the nod, "So many... This'll be a good ride." he said grimly.
The two of them stood silently against the back wall, picking out snatches of conversation as ambient sound level rose and fell like a tide.
"Don't you get it?" Lorana said at length.
Reylar gave her a questioning glance.
"Don't you see this is going to end with a bloodbath on the surface when the drow come back for revenge?" Lorana continued. She turned back to look at the gathering, "They're all blind."
Reylar shrugged, folding his arms, "Yer drow need no excuse t' wage war. Often as not, they attack without. Have y' already forgotten t' time they nearly razed Brosna to t' ground? No surfacer started that I tell ye."
"This will just make it worse..." Lorana said darkly, "We could start another bloody damn war with this!"
Reylar shrugged, "Yer alternative be t' leave 'er down there. Y' could do tha', leave t' drow be, won't stop 'em raidin'. We go there, we got a reason.", he paused to gesture at the others, "They all be doin' it fer 'er."
"Is it worth it, to sacrifce all of those?" Lorana retorted, sweeping her arm along to gesture at everyone in front of them.
"Well, they all seem t' think so. I dun personally, but then I figures if we be doin' this right, we be doin' it wi'out startin' a war an' wit' no sacrificin'." Reylar grinned back.
Lorana rolled her eyes.
Suddenly one of the drow present in the tavern sprung onto a table and held his arms out, "MAY I SPEAK!" he shouted above the chattering.
The blanket of talking subsided to a dull murmur.
"I am a friend of Sianan Rhodar, and a simple warrior," the drow began when he had everyone's attention, "But even I know that the realms would be a terrible place without beings of such good." he swept his gaze around the crowd, "I'm sure all of you know her, and many of you owe her your lives. We all have a friend who needs our help.
"Sianan is ill, she has lost her faith, lost her way. Mathias, her betrothed, needs us to help her find her path once more! I cannot speak for all, but I commit my life and sword to Mathias' quest for the Lady In Red, and now is the time for all who have any strength to muster the courage to get the good cleric back!"
The drow obviously wasn't used to speaking in such openness, but the conviction behind the speech brought a cheer from the crowd, and they flocked around the table pledging their aid.
Reylar hung back from the crush, catching Mathias' eye and giving him a nod of acknowledgement.
He turned his attention back to the rest of the crowd, trying to spot anyone he knew.
He quickly spied the two Yaschenko brothers, Ludovic and Dimitri, clad as they were in their Order's armour, but most of the others he couldn't recall. There were several dwarves, halflings and other drow, to his mild surprise.
He half-turned to Lorana to ask her how many she knew when he caught her nodding to Mathias too.
"Y' be goin' too?" he asked in surprise.
Lorana blushed, but quickly dismissed it with a shrug, "Yeah I'll come. Just to see if I'm right..." she added under her breath.
Reylar grinned knowingly.
-----
Mathias quickly organised the group, distributing supplies and designating scouts. Soon they were ready and everyone hefted packs onto shoulders for the long walk to Sholo.
"Oh, the irony... once I kidnapped her... and now I'm trying to save her..." Lorana muttered to herself as they exited the Wandering Badger into the bright morning.
Reylar grinned, "'s funny how yer cards fall, aye?"
Lorana 'hmph'ed at him, and stalked forward to the front.
The group marched swiftly east, though the Benzor River Valley and past the Trommel Woods.
The journey was mostly uneventful. A bandit ambush was spotted early by Lorana and Roidoc, a quick-fingered gnome, and instead the bandits found themselves being ambushed!
By the end of the second day they had reached Sholo.
"Right!" Borthak Hammerfist, a stout dwarf, said eagerly, rubbing his hands together, "This be where ah get tae cleave me some drow skulls!"
Gelvar Silverhold clapped him on the back, "Aye! What's tae plan 'eh?"
"We politely introduce, and then put them to the sword?" one of the Yaschenko brothers, Dimitri, suggested with a wry grin.
"Not all Drow are evil." his brother, Ludovic, admonished.
"We're not here to start a war." Mathias said quietly. He turned to Lorana and Storm, "You two will be my eyes. Scout ahead, but stay hidden and report back whenever you find anything.
"'Shanks'," Mathias gestured with a grin at Roidoc, "and I will try to convince her to come back."
"I am a skilled tracker," Roidoc told the others, "I will make sure we find her."
"'ere, what 'bout t' rest o' us?" Borthak exclaimed.
"We be there in case things dun go t' plan, aye?" Reylar grinned.
Mathias nodded, "While we aren't going to be attacking the city, if any of us are discovered, the Drow will likely try to capture or kill us. We need you to cover our backs."
Borthak grumbled behind his beard.
"Marchin' order?" Reylar asked.
"Lorana, Shanks and I will take the front line with you two," he gestured at the Yaschenkos," backing us up. Archers and healers, stay in the middle. Mages behind them. You dwarves, cover our backs."
"We got it...no worries." Borthak nodded.
"Err, 'ere, I'll 'elp 'em guard t' backs too, aye?" Reylar spoke up.
"Very well." Mathias nodded, missing Lorana's snicker.
Drawing their weapons, they quietly entered the cave that lead into the Underdark...
-----
Reylar's eyes took a few moments to adjust, but the gloom did not reveal much of interest regardless. The bare rock was cold and unwelcoming, weathered with age. Stalactites and stalagmites dangled and sprouted up like the teeth of some huge creature. Dotted here and there were patches of the curious luminous fungus that always seemed to permeate the under-caverns of most of the worlds Reylar had seen.
The party stalked through the cave quietly, the odd clink of armour and the foot-falls of heavy boots the only sound.
Reylar's ears pricked up.
"Ahead, sounds of a battle?" Borthak hissed next to him.
The party ran forwards.
"The gnomes!" Lorana cried, notching an arrow on the run and loosing it at one of the bugbears as it raised its mattock to cut down one of the gnome guards.
With a roar Mathias and the two Yaschenkos smashed into the bugbears assaulting the gnome's gate. Behind them, Lorana and Storm loosed arrows into any that popped out of the chaos.
Reylar moved to help, but a sudden "Mow!" from his backpack made him to duck.
A glob of concentrated acid zipped past where his head had been and fell in an arc to the cave floor where it sizzled.
"Bah! Cave vermin!" Borthak dismissed as he cut the winged creature in half with one blow.
Reylar grabbed one of the many knives strapped behind his shield and flung it at the other creature where it buried itself up to the hilt.
"You okay back there?" Mathias called back.
"Aye, jus' some o' them flyin' beasties." Borthak replied, "Ye?"
"We're done here." Storm's voice echoed.
"Y'know, ye lot need tae work on this 'Stealth' thing..." Gelvar cringed.
After being assured that the gnomes were okay, the party continued deeper into the Underdark.
"You see anything Roidoc?" Lorana asked.
"Hmm..." the gnome scratched his head, "Well... there are several steps.. can't tell if any of these are Sianan's... What kind of boots did she wear?"
Marhias blushed, "Um... They were green...?"
Lorana put her hands on her hips, "And what do the tracks of green boots look like, huh?" she retorted.
"Green ones?" Dimitri Yaschenko suggested.
"I forgot what she called them." Mathias continued, ignoring them, "I think they were made from dragon hide?"
Roidoc nodded slowly. "Follow me." he said at length.
The gnome led them cautiously through the winding tunnels, pausing whenever they came to a fork to check the paths.
The party unconsciously began spreading out, with Lorana and Roidoc getting further ahead while Reylar and the dwarves dropped back.
As they neared a turn, Gelvar suddenly paused, "Did ye hear-"
Borthak suddenly kicked the dwarf over as an arrow shot past and splintered against the stone.
"Goblin ambush!" Reylar swore, quick-firing an arrow then charging after Borthak at the small group of goblins who had appeared behind them.
Three of them drew crude jagged blades and leaped at Borthak, only to be cleaved apart with a single blow. The archers loosed a last round at Reylar before Borthak cut them down. Reylar quickly raised his arm to deflect the deadly missiles on the curved shell of his shield, but one of them arced low and pierced the armour encasing his leg. With a surprised grunt he fell to one side with a clatter.
"What's going on?"
Gelvar and Ludovic approached the scene of the battle cautiously.
"Jus' more vermin." grinned Borthak.
"Goblins tryin' t' catch us in t' back. We gave 'em a dirt nap, but one o' 'em almost got me..." grunted Reylar as he snapped the arrow and pulled the broken shafts out of his leg.
"Ye okay tae travel?" Gelvar asked.
Reylar gingerly unlatched the plate around his leg and inspected the wound before tying a bandage round it.
"Aye, just a flesh wound.", he grimaced as he tied the bandage off, "Lets go."
Ludovic caught up with his brother while Reylar and the dwarves reformed their rear guard position.
Eventually the party arrived at a larger cavern which branched off in three directions.
Several old dismembered skeletons were draped around a group of broken stalagmites and stalactites on one side.
"Tracks here... lots of them..." Lorana said, her brow furrowed as she examined the ground, deep in concentration, "I can't say if they're Sianan's."
Mathias looked to each of the caves, then made a decision.
"Roidoc, check the left cavern. Lorana, check the other. Only a short way. Come back if you find a lead.", he turned to the rest, "Borthak, secure this cavern."
"Right!" the dwarf said gruffly. He turned to Reylar and Gelvar, "You two, 'elp me fortify this position!"
The three of them began shifting some of the loose rocks and boulders into a makeshift barricade.
"Shh! Quietly!" Storm cringed.
Suddenly Roidoc emerged from his cave, "I've found her!" he hissed excitedly, "But there's a drow with her..."
Mathias nodded, "Go get Lorana then come support us. Storm, come with me. Yaschenkos, back us up, but stay out of sight. The rest of you wait here. We'll need a back-stop if things turn ugly..."
"What about the drow with her?" Lorana suddenly appeared out of the shadows, making everyone jump.
Mathias sighed, "I don't know..."
"Git Lorana 'ere tae sneak up an' stab 'im in tae kidneys!" Borthak suggested gleefully.
Lorana threw the dwarf a dark look.
"You can't just kill him, that would mean a war." Dimitri pointed out.
"Well... I'll guess we have to hope he or she is willing to talk." Mathias sighed. "You have your positions, wish us luck..."
Receiving murmured acknowledgements, Mathias and Storm crept through the tunnel where Roidoc had indicated, followed by Roidoc, Lorana and the two Yaschenkos.
-----
The rest busied themselves trying to barricade the cavern as best they could. Borthak and Gelvar had somehow managed to assemble something looking remarkably like a ballista, and were attempting to mount it on their part of the barricade.
"Three ways in, one man guardin' each route an we can bury em one by one as they come! Har!" Borthak rumbled gleefully.
"...and protect some ore at the same time!" Gelvar added, eyeing a rich-looking seam, "It's times like these I wish I'd brought a pickaxe." he said with a sad sigh, shaking his head.
Reylar eyed them, "Two barmy dwarves and me t' hold t' line... we're doomed..." he muttered despondently.
His head suddenly snapped up.
"'eh? What?" Borthak asked.
"Did y' nay 'ear that?" Reylar whispered, tilting his head this way and that.
Out the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a shadow dart past.
"What was that?!" he hissed, whirling round, hand jumping to the hilt of his sword.
"Wud wus wud?" Borthak hissed back, looking around bewildered.
"I thought I skegged one o' t' archers jus' run past!" Reylar replied quietly, crouching slightly and peering back into the tunnel they'd come from, "I got a bad feelin' 'bout this... Gevlar, go see what 'appened!"
The dwarf muttered under his breath but grabbed his weapons and ambled off cautiously up the corridor.
"'ere look." Borthak pointed as an elven man crept back into the cavern they were guarding.
"'ere you, yer one o' t' archer, aye? What's t' chant? I 'eard a shout and then y' were runnin past!"
"Nuffin." the man said sullenly, "I'm innocent. Everyone talking boring. Me want honourable death."
He stalked back up the passage before Reylar could question him further.
"I got a bad feelin' 'bout this..." Reylar muttered.
"Stop sayin' dat! 'sides, look, Gevlar's back! He'll tell us!"
Gevlar skidded round the barricade and came to a halt next to Borthak, breathing heavily,
"They found Sianan, but she is quite mad!" he gushed.
Reylar and Borthak looked at each other.
"What... Annoyed mad? Or 'Raa! I'm gonna take over t' world!' mad?" Reylar said cautiously.
"No! Yes! I mean, she's insane mad!"
Reylar rubbed his knuckles against his forehead, "Great..." he muttered, "Well, let's get up there then..." he said, getting up.
"No, we should wait here..." Gelvar disagreed.
"I dun think we be needed t' guard this spot now some'ow..." Reylar explained wearily.
"Wud an give up our line 'o retreat?" Borthak asked incredulously.
"I reckon there be more t' worry about now..." Reylar said grimly.
"The Drow could ambush them... and she looked like she planned to kill Mathias..." Gelvar shuffled his feet.
Reylar and Borthak gave him shocked looks.
"Fine. We go." Borthak spat, marching grimly into the tunnel.
As they jogged half-cautiously up the tunnel, they caught snatches of conversation.
"The drow is filling her head with lies!"
"Sianan doesn't need to speak with worthless creatures like yourself."
"How do you know what she wants?"
"Ser... Ser rath Mathias..."
"Sianan? I... I don't understand..."
"Sianan, strike them down any time you want. None of these fools will be able to stop you."
"Shut yer yap dark one!" Borthak bellowed as he emerged in another cavern, followed closely by Reylar and Galvar. Neither of them had drawn their weapons, but their hands were resting on hilts, ready.
Mathias held up a hand, signalling Borthak to stay silent, but didn't turn. He kept his gaze focused on Sianan and the drow mage standing beside her, "I won't let you kill them. You'll have to kill me first."
The drow chuckled condescendingly, "Don't worry, there will be enough time to kill everyone."
Sianan looked from the drow to Mathias, a twitch on her otherwise expressionless features betraying the torment whirling inside her, "I... I'm sorry Mathias. Fair well and goodbye..."
"Nae lass! Y' cannay go with that deceptive backstabbin' git!" Borthak exclaimed in shock.
"Sianan, you have saved many here," Storm spoke up, "We would all give you our lives if that is what it takes to convince you." he said, the conviction behind his words palpable.
Several of the party spoke up, "You pulled me from death's grip as I lay alone and bleeding! I owe you my life!"
"Remember the battle with the great red dragons! Most of our party owe their survival to your kindness and skills!"
"And my arm." Reylar called out, raising the severed arm that Sianan had reattached several weeks ago, "Remember my arm! I'll not forget yer deed lass, an' neither should ye! Remember! Back then I told y' I owe ye a debt, so 'ere I am. An arm fer a helpin' hand. Seems fittin', no?" he grinned.
"Of course I remember...", Sianan paused, then shook her head as though trying to clear it, "Look... just.. leave now. I'll not kill you. Just... leave..."
"Sianan, you have to kill them. That's the only way to become more powerful!" the drow beside her demanded.
Mathias slowly unsheathed his sword then laid it, almost reverently, on the ground in front of him.
"If that power is what you want..." he said, almost a whisper, "Go ahead, take my life. I won't even fight back." he finished, looking right into Sianan's eyes.
The drow laughed, "Look at these weak souls! Don't even fight back. Hah!"
Sianan tried to give her husband a dark glare, "Just go Mathias... if I don't kill you... others will when they find you all here!"
"Then let them.. Isn't that what you want?"
"No!" Sianan yelled back.
"SILENCE!" the drow shouted.
Suddenly, there was a ruffling from Mathias' backpack. Alarmed, he shrugged it off and dropped it just as a bundle of cloth - a spare tunic that he carried - suddenly wriggled out!
"What sorcery be this?!" Borthak demanded, reaching for his weapons.
As his hand closed around the haft, a small bundle of fur rolled out of the tunic.
"Mow?" it said dizzily.
"What the..." the drow spluttered.
"Nick!" Sianan exclaimed.
Borthak eyed Reylar, "'ere, isn' that yer cat?"
Reylar muttered a curse under his breath, "Uh... yeess... mayhaps I musta given' 'im t' Mathias when I returned 'is tunic a few days back. By accident." he added quickly.
The kitten looked around at the tall two-legs for a few moments then, recognising a source of Honey scones, padded over to Sianan.
"Mow?" it asked hopefully, looking up at her.
Sianan's expressionless features broke into a grin as she reached down and picked the kitten up.
"This has already gone too far, kill them now!" the Drow demanded, giving the kitten a glare of pure hatred. Nick hissed back, baring his tiny claws slightly.
Sianan closed her eyes for a few moments, then turned to look at the drow, "I'm sorry," she said, stroking the kitten gently, "I must go, lest these friends of mine die."
"What?!" the drow gave her a dumbfounded look of surprise, "Sianan... you can't go!"
"It is not your decision. She can. And she will." Mathias replied evenly.
"Aye! Let's axe this drow and git outta here!" Borthak cheered.
"Put your weapons away... you will not harm this Drow." Sianan said flatly.
Borthak paused mid cheer, looking at her in confusion, "Wuh?"
Suddenly an arrow shot out of the darkness!
The drow spun and waved her hand. The arrow disintegrated into a volley of flaming shards, which the drow then redirected back.
Reylar looked behind him - It was the archer that had run past them earlier! He was now trying to run, but it was too late. The flaming shards ripped into him, shredding and immolating him at once. He didn't even get a chance to scream.
"Tha' were t' archer wot ran past us!" Reylar hissed at Borthak, "T' one mutterin' about an honourable death!"
"I guess he got wud he wanted," Barthak muttered unsympathetically, "'Cause he sure be dead."
"Anyone else want to shoot?" the drow dared them smugly.
"Why ye!" Baellin leapt at the drow, but the drow just held out his hand and the elf halted in midair, kicking his legs.
"Sianan.... only death is the way to release your potential. You have to kill them!" the drow demanded, illustrating his point by flicking his hand almost casually, throwing the elf into the cave wall with a sickening crunch.
Sianan glared at the drow, "There was no need for that."
"Need?" the Drow asked, grinning as he slowly raised a hand.
"STOP! Enough bloodshed!" Storm yelled.
"Enough? I have not even begun! You, traitor, have become weak in the company of these rivvil... so pathetic that a little blood frightens you? I will not let someone with the... potential... that Sianan has, regress to such a pathetic state!" the drow spat. She looked at Sianan, "I urge you to reconsider." she said in a low voice.
Sianan didn't answer, instead she gently lowered Nick to the floor and slowly, deliberately, moved over to Baellin's broken body, where she knelt and placed her hands on his chest.
A gentle golden glow began radiating where her hands made contact, then suddenly Baellin opened his eyes.
"Err... hi." he said with a blush.
"Impressive." the drow said mock-approvingly, "Now kill him."
"She has made her choice, drow," another cleric, Alex DeHan spoke up, "No one else needs die today."
"Choice? There is no 'choice'. Only destiny." the drow retorted.
"Mayhaps, yer chant be true. If so, it dun change nuthin' - 'er destiny is t' return wit' us." Reylar gave a grim smile.
Sianan stepped back to the drow, taking the mage's half-raised hand in her own.
"I'm sorry. Goodbye abbil."
As the drow stared at her, open-mouthed, she let go and turned to Mathias.
"Sianan..." the word left Mathias' mouth as barely a whisper.
The two of them stared at each other for half an eternity, then ran to each other, embracing.
"I have missed you so..." Mathias whispered as he stroked her hair.
"As have I..." Sianan kissed him back.
"Mow...?" Nick padded over to Reylar, who absently picked him up, cradling the kitten as it looked indifferently at the events unfolding in front of it.
The drow stared at them, "NO! I will never let you go! If I must kill you all so be it, you will NOT take Sianan from us!"
Her hand shot up, pointed directly at Reylar.
The warrior jerked back reflexively, "Ah sh-" Reylar's curse was cut-off mid-word as the vivid azure bolt of lightning lanced into his chest and exploded, throwing his body to the ground.
"NO!" Sianan screamed.
"RAA! GET 'IM!!" Borthak roared.
"He will be avenged!" Dimitri swore, raising his sword high and charging after Borthak.
The drow mage began aiming another spell at them as they charged, but both Dimitri saw it coming and dived to either side, the bolt flying past to explode further back in the cavern. As the drow back-peddled, quickly preparing another spell, she felt something sharp enter her back.
"Die." Lorana hissed, applying more pressure to her blade.
"Not so easy surfacer!" the drow sent Lorana spinning away with a viscous backhand then pointed her finger back at the others.
"This is how you do it, pathetic surfacer." The drow half-turned to grin at Lorana's groaning form, "Die."
Another bolt of lightning shot forth from her finger towards the two approaching paladins.
"By Lux Perpetua we will not fall!" Dimitri and Ludovic chanted together as they ran forwards.
Their holy symbols glowed and the lightning bolt exploded harmlessly against their combined power, its only effect to knock them back slightly.
"Our turn!" Gelvar and Barthak roared, rushing to take the Yaschenko's place.
"Ahh, more cattle, or should I say insects?" the drow raised her finger again.
She finished the words of power once more, but this time nothing happened.
"What?!"
Sianan and Alex lowered their hands - the spell had been countered.
"NO!" the drow screamed. She turned to run, but Barthak was too quick.
-----
"Was that really necessary?" Ludovic said distastefully as Barthak and Gelvar took turns trying to pull Barthak's axe out of the drow's spine. It had gone right through the drow's back and into the stone.
The grizzled dwarf shrugged, "'s dead innit?"
"I... I didn't want this..." Sianan stuttered, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Bah... they were nae good fer ye... jus' feedin' y' lies..." Barthak spat.
"And what of Kazarn?" Lorana asked darkly, "Was it worth it? Admittedly he's the worst excuse for a warrior I've known, and being rid of him will probably make the world a better place but-"
"Oi! Shows a bit more respect fer t' dead won't ye y' sadistic wench!"
They looked back.
Reylar sat up slowly, groaning.
"What yer... I saw dat 'it yer square! How kin ye be okay?!" Borthak gasped.
"Well, din't 'it me so much..." Reylar petted Nick gently, who was dozing contentedly.
"Uh..." Gelvar took a surreptitious step back as a thin spark of blue arced across Nick's back.
"Wha' kinda crazy cat that be?!" Borthak demanded.
"Damned if I know..." Reylar sighed, "If I ever meet tha' balmy squirrel-girl again I reckon we be needin' a chat..."
"Squirrel girl?!" Barthak gave an exasperated shout, "Humans... barkin' mad, all of 'em!" he muttered, shaking his head.
Lorana glared at him, "If you weren't dead, why didn't you help us you lazy good-for-nothing?"
"It says quite clearly in t' Kazarn Battle Book tha' if yer enemy thinks yer dead, y' best off lettin' 'im think that." Reylar grinned, "Besides, I didnay want to scare Nick. He mighta zapped me!"
"Yeah? Well I think you're just a lazy git who'll take any excuse to skive on the job." Lorana retorted.
Mathias hid a smile and looked to Sianan, who nodded back, stifling a giggle.
"Let's go." he said, offering a hand to Sianan.
-----
Their run back to the surface was not without incident. Several times they ran across a drow patrol but compared to the mage, they were just lowly scouts.
Between the righteous fury of the Yaschenco brothers, the crazed ale-powered fury of the dwarves and the sneaky backstabbing fury of Storm, Roidoc and Lorana, the battles were all ended quickly and decisively. Reylar resumed his position, guarding Mathias, Sianan and the others, at the party's flank.
-----
"Finally, open sky and fresh air!" Dimitri cried out, sucking in a lungful of the fresh air.
Roidoc turned to look at Sianan and Mathias, "My task here is complete. I'll stay behind and make sure Mak'a'nor doesn't suffers this clumsy... work."
Sianan gave him a hug, "Thanks for coming."
Roidoc hid a blush, but gave an acknowledging nod before turning back towards the tunnel.
"Aye jes dunnae let tha drow eat ye there tinytoes!" Borthak yelled after him. Roidoc cringed, shaking his head with an exasperated expression before disappearing into the shadows of the cavern.
"And thank you all too," Mathias turned to the others, "I couldn't have gotten her back without your help."
"'ere, about tha' reward..." Borthak hinted.
Mathias chuckled, "Aye then my friend, I'll buy you your round at the Wandering Badger. I'll buy all of you a round!"