Chapter 4: Shadows and Piercing Light

[Grognardsw]

Grimly Flynn the fighter hacks at where he thinks the invisible creature is.

Deceidon maneuvers for what he hopes is a backstab, based on where he has seen the creature be hit.

Flynn [1d20+2] = 20+2 = 22, damage [1d8+3] = 1+3 = 4

Backstab with sword [1d20+4] = 12+4 = 16, damage s/m [1d8x2] = 5x2 = 10, damage L [1d12x2] = 5x2 = 10

[Rukellian]

The group quickly adjusts to the movements and positioning of the invisible foe. Elithil arcs with his sword, cutting it deep into something twice with great effect. Whitsell charges, hoping that Elithil's attacks have shown him the foes position. The warrior clad in plate mail overcompensates though and stumbles with his extra speed, in turn he is met with the scraping of invisible claws, dealing 9 points of damage to his person.

Rand the thief manages to break free from the invisible foe's clutches and defensively swings his dagger while getting away. It strikes true and adds a cut to the already wounded creature. Flynn, in his signature flamboyant style, throws a quick quip at the invisible foe, but then as if a mask were put on, or taken off, his demeanor becomes very grim and his sword reflects this as it plunges right into what Flynn thinks is the creatures legs?

The gusts of wind are now violent and it would appear as if the invisible foe is trying to retreat, blowing against the adventurers, away from them. Deceidon takes his oppurtunity and emerges from the shadows, plunging his sword into the invisible foe. A final howl reverberates through the ritual chamber as the violent winds suddenly come to a complete halt. Deceidon's blade loosens as he feels whatever was connected to it vanish. All that can be heard is the heavy panting of your groupmates, the barely lit torch casting a pale light upon torn armor and tired faces.

Sunshine lowers his bow for a moment, but then raises it just as quickly and has it locked onto Rand. He shouts towards the fighter thief in the back. "Deceidon, the thief's pack!"

Captain Hal steps into the torch's radius and draws his weapon as well. "Yes, I too would very much like to see what you all have been searching for, what 8-Finga Joe has been hunting for years. Show us, thief, or give me a reason to use my blade once more today."

Actions?

[MonkeyWrench]

Rand jumps back away from everyone, his dagger readied and his body in a low crouched position. "So this is truly what it comes down to, yet another betrayal without any questions. I'm beginning to think I chose the true side of evil..." He begins to step backwards carefully, watching every member of the group, "I knew I couldn't truly trust any of you. You want to know what the creature was after? I did find the orb in this chamber, but I didn't forget how bloodthirsty you all were, just itching to kill anything you are suspicious of or don't know. Why would I ever hand over something that could be so powerful to the likes of you?" His eyes dart around, looking around the room for any exits before continuing, "You want the orb in your hands so much? You'll have to kill me for it, show me your true colors!"

[Grognardsw]

"We face two interests who want the orb," says Deceidon. "Deciding the best course amid your deceit has raised our guard. Remember we freed you. There are still truths you keep veiled. If we have the orb, we should leave this place before dark magicks again attack."

Flynn says: "We are here by order of the King and his advisor. Who are you here for?"

[MonkeyWrench]

Rand spits on the ground, "Yes, some heroic saviors you are. Free me to then only draw weapons upon me and Elethil based on a superstitious hunch, after following us in the first place when we were only scouting. You say I hold secrets but it seems that your suspicion tells everyone you hold much more than me. If your mission is to extract the orb from here then why the need to continue drawing your weapons? You know I have the orb, why not end it at that and we can all leave? Because I can promise you that I won't be giving you this orb. So tell us Rogues, what's your hidden agendas?"

He looks at Flynn, "I told you before, I have no agenda other than to keep what powerful mysteries this place holds from mad tyrants and wicked people."

[Zhym]

Elethil, holding one hand over the cut in his chest, looks around for the party's healer.

"Rand, my friend," he says gasping, "unless you wish for death's embrace, it seems you have no choice but to reveal the orb. Too many of these people would already be glad to see you dead. Do not give them an excuse to act by being too covetous of the orb."

"We all want to examine that orb, but few of us trust any of the others to do so. I propose that we let Captain Hal carry the orb until we are out of this mountain. He has no great love for my kind, but I believe him to be an honorable man. If he swore to protect the orb, even from each of us, I am sure he would do so. Captain Hal, would you swear to that, to save further bloodshed? Once we have escaped this mountain, we can take a closer look at this thing that everyone seems to desire so greatly."

As his hand grows bloody from the wound on his chest, he continues searching for first aid.

[MonkeyWrench]

Rand looks at Captain Hal expectantly, waiting for an answer.

[onlyme]

Whitsell feels the pain of his misstep.

Wait, we could have been off already and not losing our blood fighting over nothing? I dont care who has the orb as long as they are strong enough to not lose it to another !#$% magic attack. Let us see how to leave this forsaken place and finish our task.

[Rukellian]

"I've sworn loyalty to the king, and that loyalty has not wavered. If he would wish to see this orb, then I will make sure he gets it, my personal mission here having been completed. No one else shall get this orb, especially that damned court advisor. Knowing the good man that he is, he will probably have it destroyed anyways." Captain Hal extends his hand, sheaving his blade with the other.

"WISE WORDS INDEED!" booms a voice in the chamber. The group is startled by this new addition and quickly turns their gazes towards a flash of light. The light solidifies and a floating oval like shape starts to glow where the orb used to rest. Inside the oval, fantastical colors shimmer inside, light flooding from its exterior. An arm slowly comes out of it and stops, beckoning the group to come closer.

"Come quickly everyone! I cannot keep this door open for long and the place you are in will surely collapse at any moment!" The voice is strangely familiar to Deceidon, and as he takes a closer look, he recognizes the loosely flowing blue robes draped around the arm, Matkinsai's robes.

Amberlynn, who was treating Elithil's bloody wounds, looks up and says with a worried look. "I do not have enough bandages to treat everyone!" Looking towards the floating oval of light, her eyes widen with horror, but then quickly changes to uneasy confusion. "Is he a friend, can he help us get out of here?"

[Zhym]

"Can this person be trusted?" Elethil asks about Matkinsai. "And are others not trapped in this dimension? What of them?"

[MonkeyWrench]

Rand shifts a bit more to the back, watching everyone's reactions and explanation to this new event. He keeps the orb on him for the moment, but does not seem to disagree with the idea of letting Captain Hal hold it.

[Grognardsw]

Deceidon

"This is the rogue mage who wants the orb to control worlds!" Deceidon yells. "Do not give it to him! Run! We must escape out from here!"

The fighter-thief backs away quickly while facing the mage, arrow nocked, toward the exit.

Flynn

Flynn the fighter has heard references to this before. He begins to back away with Deceidon.

[MonkeyWrench]

Rand decides to follow the rogues cue and get out, he turns and bolts towards the exit, running through the doorway.

[onlyme]

(I am confused. The magic man is holding the door open? So are we running away from him or toward him???

Whitsell will go with the others to provide moral sword support

[MonkeyWrench]

Magic man is holding a magical doorway open over by the pedestal, I and talking about the area we came in from.

[Rukellian]

The ritual room starts to quake once more, this time, it doesn't stop.... Ceiling debris starts to fall and pillars around the room start to collapse. The whole place is now starting to fall apart! The man holding the portal open pulls his arm back in and closes its promptly. "Looks like it is decided then! Let's get the hell out of here, GO! I will cover the back as we retreat." Captain Hal draws his sword and waits for everyone to leave the room before turning to leave himself, taking one final look at the summoning circle with a wary eye.

As the group flees through the corridors and out towards the open cavernous area, the structure finishes its collapse, all entrances caved in and sealed now, the staircase leading up the front unusable now. Everyone does a quick head count, but finds that one person is not among them... Rand the thief.

As the dust clears, the group hears the distinct sound of rattling bones coming from both the left and right pits of the cavern. You are currently on a wide peninsula of land, the northern route being the ruined structure, the left and right being endless pits filled with swirling fog. Behind you lies a wide stretch of land with a slightly webby entrance back into the mountain tunnels.

Actions!

[Zhym]

"I don't like the sound of those bones," says Elethil. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

If there is any way to get out with the orb gone.

[onlyme]

Whitsell will hold his sword out, ready to fight through whatever seems to come their way.

I do not pretend to know the better route, friends. Let us survive, first, and then resolve. and I must ask...Did we just get tricked, once again?

[Grognardsw]

Deceidon

"I told you that Rand couldn't be trusted," mutters Deceidon. "The orb was probably in the backpack, and whatever was under the cloth a ruse."

Flynn

"To the corridors under the mountain!" says Flynn. "And hopefully out!"

[Rukellian]

Captain Hal shoots everyone a glare when they notice that Rand slipped away with the orb. The look on his face is screaming "I TOLD YOU SO!!!". Through clenched teeth, the captain voices his opinion on the currrent matter.

"Before we lose any more members of our group, may I suggest we fall back and funnel these skeletons into a choke point over there?" He points towards the webbed entrance that the group entered the cavern through. "We can still maintain our withdrawal of this damned mountain, but I will not do so with so many enemies surrounding us!" Hal backs away towards the entrance with his weapon drawn as he motions everyone out with his head. "If I am to fight these skeletal fiends off, I'd prefer to deal with only one or two at a time, agreed?"