Bink's Gestalt Wrath of the Righteous: The Worldwound Incursion:

[Farmerbink]

Arodus 16, 4712: Dawn

Armasse! The day has arrived! Finally, after weeks of preparation, the day of celebration has arrived! Originally a holy day attributed to the late God Aroden; Armasse is an opportunity for scholars and priests to come together and study the lessons of wars past, knights to choose squires, citizens and commoners alike to prove their training in various contests, and of course, feasting. The whole of Kenabres has devoted hours of the last several weeks to decorating and baking for the feast to be held tonight.

First, however, the formalities. Throughout the morning, pomp and circumstance reign supreme in Clydwell Plaza. All of the knights awarded their squirehood in the last year patrol the lined supplicants. Hundreds, if not thousands of young men stand at parade rest in the square, bedecked in their finest accouterments- some of course finer than others. The first to be chosen is a young boy, barely 11 by the looks of it, with nothing but an old short blade. His mother cries as the knight hoists him onto his armored shoulder and takes the customary lap of the square. Another young man begins his path to knighthood. After a few hours, the eligible knights have chosen their squires; the remaining boys depart, to train harder for the next year, or take up their parent's occupation- even knights need to eat, after all.

Next is the jousting. Parades of mounted warriors ride by to display their many-colored banners and pendants. The glorious blues and reds mingle and spar with greens, purples, oranges, brown, and colors and patterns yet to be named. Each knight bears his crest with pride- none but the best compete on Armasse. To be eliminated at Armasse is to be bested by the finest warriors on the continent- no mean feat.

Nothing could dampen the spirits of this day, and each of you can feel it. Lucky enough to have limited responsibilities, each of you arrived at Clydwell Plaza well before the events began. As the jousting finishes, and attention is diverted to the stage for reenactments of famous battles from the earlier crusades, vendors and barkers bring out the first round of the day's feasts- roast lamb shank and fresh bread is paraded about the square on spits of wood and iron- free for the taking.

Today, life is good.

[Athaleon]

Karsten had made haste to Kenabres from his posting in the countryside, only to find that the functionary he'd been summoned to see was absent - "Off enjoying the festivities", he'd been told. Ordinarily, he'd be grumbling, but he himself had completely forgotten that today was Armasse until he had reached the city's outskirts. The festivities were lifting even his spirits, and he decided that a visit to the day's events would do him good; his thoughts had been turning pessimistic these last few months. Maybe he'd been too long in the backwater, with nothing to do but run back and forth between trouble spots, and nothing to hear but steady news of gloom 'n' doom from the border. Maybe things weren't as bad as all that, and only the bad news filtered out to his neck of the woods. "Now there's a sight to lift one's spirits, eh?" he waved at the proceedings to the strangers next to him.

[doko239]

"Hmm? Oh... oh yes, very impressive" came Auriel's distracted reply.

Truth be told, she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to pay much attention to anything at the moment. She'd been in Kenabres for months now, with nothing to show for it. Her discreet inquiries about her parents' fates had been universally met with blank stares and disinterested shrugs, and her petitions for access to the city archives had been systematically denied. To be so close to answers, just to be foiled by bureaucratic nonsense, rankled her.

Now the festival was being used as yet another excuse for why her requests for information had to yet again be delayed. Someone in this city held the knowledge she sought, but whether due to incompetence, malice or sheer pigheaded stubbornness they refused to give it to her. It was maddening!

There was nothing to do about it but wait them out, however. Her requests were lawfully made and not unreasonable; they couldn't deny her for ever.

[Edge]

Armasse! In the few years since Kana had been allowed to roam free in Kenabres, it had been her favourite day of the year. A day of simple pleasures that almost reminded her of home: basic but excellently cooked food, and a good-hearted test of strength-at-arms. It was almost as if the festival had been designed specifically for her enjoyment, Kana thought with a wry smile as she leaned on one of the temporary fences that had been erected around the edges of Clydwell Plaza to keep the crowds at bay from proceedings. The Kellid whoops and cheers along with the crowds as the new squires as selected, and cheers and verbally winces along with them during the joust.

It's during the joust that her stomach growls loudly in anticipation of the feast yet to come, and the noise is enough to snap her out of her focus on the joust and hear the people near her.

"Now there's a sight to lift one's spirits, eh?"

"Hmm? Oh... oh yes, very impressive."

"Oh come on," Kana grins, "It's a bit more than that! Where's your Armasse spirit?"

[Farmerbink]

As the barkers circle Clydwell Plaza, apparently eager to rid their spits of the food they carry, Hulrun Shappok, the prelate of Kenabres takes the stage. Dressed in all his best parade finery, the long-established inquisitor of Iomedae presents a striking figure in the midday sun. The sunlight glints almost blindingly off an impeccably-burnished breastplate, bedecked with Iomedae's blade of truth in several prominent positions. The man strides forward boldly, though his carriage has begun to show the signs of his advanced age. Still, for Armasse, he makes the effort to present himself as well he is able. Now, at the front of the stage, he raises his voice, apparently magically enhanced.

"Greetings, people of Kenabres, Mendev, and beyond! Behold, for your annual entertainment and edification, the history of the Crusader's valiant defense!"

A trio of bards lines the stage, moving forward to take to the fore at the appointed time. The first sets his foot on the upraised platform, and-


It is dark. It must somehow be darker than that. You can't see anything.

Your ears ring painfully. It's hard to breathe. A tightness constricts your chest, somehow preventing even the slightest breath of air from reaching your lungs. Your lungs begin burning. A voice deep inside you begs, screams for air. Not a hint arrises. Is this what dying feels like?

The piercing ache in your temples begins pulsing. With a cough, you suck in a pained breath. You cough, and dust chokes the air from your throat again. With a hack, your lungs force more air in. The pounding in your head continues, drumlike. After several long moments, you recognize the sound as a heartbeat. You still have a pulse, that's always a good start. With a laugh or a grimace, your body resumes acknowledging existence. Painful, hideous existence, but existence nonetheless.

The ringing assaulting your ears dims. Faintly you hear the flinty tones of rock on rock. Someone, somewhere coughs. Violently. Rocks clatter about, creating a din that seems to come from every direction. Someone nearby groans in pain. Someone else is sobbing. More coughs.

You reach about, and feel dirt and gravel. Debris covers your body and face, but your hands quickly brush the bulk of the offenders aside.

After what feels like hours, the nothingness you see somehow fades. It is still dark. Wherever you are, the sun does not reach this place.

Your head still aches.

[Athaleon]

Karsten had no idea just what happened, but the moment the daze wore off, his hand went to his sword hilt. Still there. And while he was in pain all over, he didn't feel like he was seriously hurt. Lucky me, he thought with a sardonic smile, though he knew it was too dark for anyone to see it. He could hear people around him, coughing and groaning. He slowly picked himself up to a sitting position, groped for a nearby fragment of stone, and cast a minor spell to make it glow and illuminate the area. "Anyone hurt bad?"

[doko239]

"I think I'm okay"" Auriel groaned in between fits of coughing. She slowly stood, surveying the cavern by the dim light of Karsten's glowing rock. "Where are we? The last thing I remember is the prelate's speech..."

[Edge]

"Ugh..." Kana groans as she slowly pulls herself from the rubble. "How much did I drink?"

She staggers to her feet and glances around the cavern she's found herself in.

"Where in the Hells are we?"

[Farmerbink]

You're in a large cavern, somewhere presumably beneath Kenabres. The west wall is a massive pile of shifting rubble and gravel, apparently blocking where you must have just come from. The roof overhead yawns easily 100 feet above you, with myriad stalactites threatening and calciferous pillars bearing its weight. Four sizable pillars obstruct your vision to the east, where the cavern appears to continue edged with naturally shaped stone.

A cry echoes in the tunnel. Someone behind you (left, on the map) is crying- sobbing really. The sobs intermingle with gasps and moans of agony.

The cave refuses to answer your questions.

Map updated (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GU7HBetLFZ1LYR09tKzoWGTmYxnBloF45M0ejeZqehc/edit#gid=0)

[Athaleon]

"I've no idea. On either count." Karsten replied to Kana, and swore under his breath as he lifted himself to standing. His bones creaked again as he bent to pick up the rock he'd been using for illumination, and trudged (as always, a small corner of his mind thought bitterly) toward the sound of misery. "Someone there? Are you hurt?" His hand was still on his sword hilt. One could never be too sure.

[doko239]

"Perhaps a better question than 'where are we?' would be 'how did we get here?'," Auriel replied, as she cast her own Light spell on her drawn scimitar and began exploring the cavern, "and the best question is 'how do we get out again?' I'll try to find us a way out of this cave, make sure whoever's over there is alright."

[Farmerbink]

Each of you is in various stages of recovering your breaths and manual capacity, when your brains catch up. Auriel stumbles to a knee in her efforts to explore the chamber. Kana reels on her knees, caught between prone and standing. Kirsten pinches the bridge of his nose as the light reflects blindingly from myriad surfaces in the cavern- rekindling the piercing pain behind his eyelids. In each case, the memory of the last few minutes returns-



Armasse officially began at 9 am, with the blessing of the festival by Lord Hulrun himself, governor of Kenabres. The crowd gathered in Clydwell Plaza respectfully quieted as the aged inquisitor took the stage, clad in shining, resplendent armor. He cleared his throat, but just as the battle reenactment was to begin, a bright light shone from the west- as if the sun were rising from the wrong direction. Hulrun's shadow fell huge and distorted across the cathedral's facade. A moment later, the sound of a thunderous explosion ripped through the air and earth, along with a series of violent tremors- knocking most of the festival-goers from their feet. Karsten rose quickly, helping people nearby back to their feet. He helped brush them off, before noticing their agape stares beyond him.

To the west, a worrisome vacancy 'filled' the sky. The fortress known as the Kite- the watchtower, keep, and sanctuary of Kenabres' wardstone- had vanished. In its place, a brilliant plume of red fire, lightning, and smoke erupted into the heavens, bathing the city and surrounding country in a flickering scarlet light.

A moment later, as many people struggled to maintain footing, or rise, a powerful roar accompanied a welcome sight rising from the crowd- Kenabre's most fearsome guardian: the ancient silver dragon Terendelev, who had until that moment been attending the opening ceremony in her human guise. Above her, another form appeared from the cloud, as nightmarish as the dragon was breathtaking. A crudely humanoid shape, easily four times the size of any man with skin coated in fire and lightning gripped a flaming sword and whip. The creatures identity was immediately obvious, as his previous endeavors were well-taught in Kenabres: Khorramzadeh, the Storm King of the Worldwound had come to finish his previously failed task: destroying the wardstone of Kenabres.

The ground erupted in belches of fire and death while the balor lord clashed with the dragon above. As buildings fell, Auriel found herself in the path of a collapsing chimney. She dove through a trio of young children, knocking them from the falling brick, and narrowly avoiding the worst of the damage herself. She and they would survive the ordeal, with only a few bruises to show for it.

After several harrowing moments above, the balor struck true. It cut deeply into Terendelev's body, rending her torso almost completely in twain. In a peal of victorious thunder, the balor swooped down to the streets, to slake his thirst for destruction upon the humans beneath. Despite her grievous wounds, Terendelev harried him to the ground, continuing to demand the demon's full attention. As the pair crashed toward the ground, Kana shepherded a pair of festival barkers- their trays and foodstuffs long forgotten- into a nearby alley. A ray of fire cut through the buildings on either side, and the fearsome woman's brawn held one facade up long enough for the pair to scatter into the streets beyond. Letting the wall fall shattering to the ground, Kana stood transfixed by the events in the square.

With a furious howl, the balor grasped the injured dragon in both hands. Spinning, to use her own momentum against her, he flung Kenabres' defender into the Cathedral of St. Clydwell. No witness would ever forget the image of Terendelev's broken body smashing into the decorated facade. The colorful fresco slammed into the ground, peppering the scene with brilliant hues of destruction.

At the same moment, a titanic demon erupted from the ground, across the square from the shattered cathedral. Several nearby buildings collapse into ruinous heaps as its bulk forces itself onto the plane. With a roar, the creature plunges a cleaver into the earth, opening a rift across the plaza beneath your feet. Without time to react, the very earth itself swallowed you into the waiting depths. More than a score of survivors tumbled into the rift as earth and sky trembled all around you.

As you fell, Terendelev looked up from where her broken body lay, her lifeblood streaming down the facade of the broken cathedral. Though her own death rushed onward like an inexorable tide, she raised a bloodied talon, and spoke for the last time. A simple arcane phrase slipped from the dragon's lips. Seizing this final chance to save a few more souls, you felt her magic take hold of you, slowing your plummet into the abyss as if her wings supported your weight. Yet, into the darkness you fell, drifting slowly into the riven earth. In the final moments of daylight you saw, Khorramzadeh raised his flaming blade, and cleaved Terendelev's mighty head from her neck. As her severed head fell, the rift above you slammed shut with world-shattering force. The closing walls battered you into unconsciousness, and the light from the world above was gone.

... It is dark.

[Athaleon]

Karsten stopped dead in his tracks as the memory of recent events filled his mind. He didn't want to dwell on that scene, with all its monstrous consequences, and tried to put it aside to focus on the task at hand. He just scowled and plodded on, asking his companions dully, "You just get that flashback too?"

[Edge]

Kana's hands tightly clutch the sides of her head, fingers grasping at her wild hair as an equally frenetic look in her eyes mixes with worry and dread.

"If you mean seeing Terendelev, seeing Kenabres, seeing them both fall then... yes."

Slowly, the Kellid stands up, agitation making her run her hands through her tousled hair.

"We need to get out of here. We might be the only survivors, and if the wards around the Worldwound have failed... people need to know."

[doko239]

Auriel straightened, her expression grim. "We must be cautious. If we are indeed the only survivors, then there's nothing left between us and the demonic horde but a few hundred feet of stone. If any of them saw Terendelev save us, they may be looking for survivors as we speak. We have to move, now!"

[Athaleon]

"We might not be the only ones. Unless the fall so rattled me that I'm hearing things, there are some other people down here," Karsten indicated in the direction he was headed. "And they sounded hurt. But yeah, we ought to be quiet. Keep our voices down, for a start."

[Farmerbink]

As the light emanates outward, your circumstances become evident. The ceiling and eastern walls of this vast cavern recede into darkness beyond the reach of your magic. On the western side, the wall has collapsed into an enormous mound of rubble.

A voice echoes from a few paces away from the group. "Indeed, not. I see I'm not the only one Terendelev saw fit to protect, though I can't imagine why she cared so much about you all." The speaking man lifts his hand against the sudden glare of Karsten and Auriel's orisons, as the turn to look at him. He's a well-dressed, middle-aged nobleman. As he lowers his arm, he raises an eyebrow in the pale light. "Look, if any of you can help me get back to the surface in one piece, I'll give you 1,000 gold. Think you can manage that?" He turns his eyes downward, and gets his first halfway decent look at himself in the cavern. With an irritated expression, he begins swiping his hands along his finery- a futile attempt to dislodge the bulk of the dust and debris. Several scrapes and bruises are apparent on his hands and face, but otherwise, he appears unhurt.

"The name's Horgus. Horgus Gwerm. I can't believe the gods would punish me so, dropping me down this disgusting hole, but if you're careful, we might actually live through this." He raises a bushy eyebrow, as he looks around the cavern. Pointing to Karsten, he calls out, "You there, with the glowing rock. Are you capable of more meaningful magic?"

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/farmerbink/Horgus.pngHe is a little on the heavy-set side, but far from obese.
This is indeed the nobleman known as Horgus Gwerm. He lives in a sprawling, heavily-defended estate within the well-tended garden that forms the eastern district- almost as far from the Kite as possible, while still being within Kenabres' wall.
He's not well-known for combative ability. He occasionally carries a rapier, though it is noticeably absent at the moment. He's never been known to use it, in public.

A cursory investigation of the chamber reveals a morbid truth. Whatever sliver of the damage to Kenabres this rift represents, there are dozens still bodies around you- in various states of bruised and broken-ness. The large area is littered with the dead. It seems anyone who wasn't caught up in the dragon's final act of mercy fell to their death in the cavern. Sadly, as you inspect the collapsed wall, that assessment proves perhaps untrue. Here and there, among the rocks, lie several other still forms. Occasionally a leg or arm protrudes from the still-shifting rubble, all motionless- with no sign of life for its owner's hidden form.

Across the room, an elf sits up, slowly shaking his head. He looks around in a fashion that belies that he sees nothing. He hesitates to rise, for the time being.

Against the pile of rubble, a younger woman tries to press herself to all-fours, cries out, and falls again. She struggles to turn over, and fails. She is clearly in significant pain.

Other than this pair, and the apparently unharmed nobleman, you are the only survivors. A quick scan suggests at least several dozen casualties, more likely over a hundred.

[Edge]

"Horgus. Nice to meet you. But honestly, right now I really couldn't give two ****s about your gold."

Managing to compose herself, Kana removes her hands from her hair and walks over to the young woman who'd just cried out.

"Uh, hi. Kana Ten-Oaks. I'm no healer, but maybe I can try and get you into a more comfortable position. Where's it hurt?"

[Athaleon]

"No. Are you hurt?" Karsten brushed off Horgus' question brusquely. The way he was complaining, he must not be hurt, but it never hurt to ask. "And money is the least of our worries right now. Good thing we're headed in that direction anyways. Can you swing a sword?"

[Farmerbink]

Horgus stiffens at the responses. He mouths for a few seconds with no meaningful response before forming the words. "I can, if I must." He scowls in irritation as the lights move off him, and towards the writhing woman.

For her part, Kana notices immediately that the woman's leg is pinned painfully beneath a heavy stone that must once have been a column or foundation piece. It lies across the back of her thigh, which is clearly bent where it shouldn't be. Rather than attempting to answer the question, she simply sobs. That stone will have to go, and she'll need healing of some sort, if she's going to be going anywhere anytime soon.

[Athaleon]

"You may have to. Take this." Karsten offered his longsword in its scabbard. "Cold Iron," he said simply.


If Horgus accepts the sword Karsten will hand it over, otherwise he will put it back on his hip and try to help the pinned woman.

[doko239]

Auriel moves to the elf, kneeling beside him to help him up.

"Are you hurt? Can you stand?"

[Farmerbink]

Horgus raises a lip in distaste as he reaches out to take the sword. "This thing? Such a brutish weapon..." Nevertheless, he accepts the blade- though obviously distastefully. As Karsten moves to follow Kana to the pinned woman, Horgus mutters something that sounds distinctly like "How are you supposed to fight with something like this?"

As Auriel approaches the Elf, the seated figure's brows furrow and he calls out, "Hold there! Declare yourself!" The extent of the man's injuries suddenly become painfully clear in the wan light: a deep, fully cauterized slash mars his face, lying precisely where his eyes used to. Still, apparently the damage has been done, as he doesn't seem to be in any meaningful pain, currently. From his seated position, his arms extend behind him as he attempts to scramble backwards on all fours. He turns his face side to side, apparently in an effort to listen to what's going on in front of him. "Stay back! I won't hesitate to defend myself!" he calls in blind warning.

[Athaleon]

Karsten just shrugged in response. "Fighting's a brutish business. Rather avoid it if we can, but it might just come to us." With that, and seeing that the Elf was in good enough shape to scramble away, he began to look around for something suitable to use as a lever to free the pinned woman.


Perception: [roll0]

[doko239]

"Calm yourself, friend. We're here to help you. I am called Auriel, what is your name?"

[Edge]

Kana winces as she begins to realise just how much pain the woman must be in.

"Alright, don't worry. We'll get you out of there and then see what we can do to get that leg fixed."

She examines the chunk of stone more carefully, try to gauge if she can lift it aside.

Rolling Perception in case I need to to gauge the stone?
[roll0]

[Farmerbink]

With Kana and Athaleon working together, the stone is relatively easily lifted high enough for the woman to crawl out from beneath it. She isn't able to make it far, however, and won't be able to move at any reasonable rate without at least setting the break.

Auriel's tactic doesn't elicit the response she was expecting, as the Elf continues scrambling away from her, on all fours. He reaches the southern wall quickly, and rises to his feet, taking up a defensive posture with his staff held before him. "Where are you!? Come out of the shadows and face me!"http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/farmerbink/Aravashnial_1.png

[doko239]

Auriel continues to speak in a soothing voice. "I'm just in front of you. You can't see me because your eyes appear to have been injured in the attack. We are trapped in a cavern, presumably below Kenabres; you, me and four others. We must all work together to find a way out."

Rolling diplomacy to calm the elf down and get him to cooperate: [roll0]

[Athaleon]

"I have no healing spells, nor potions. Unless one of you has something like that, all we can do is set her leg."

[doko239]

Auriel turns her head towards Karsten. "I know some healing magic. It's not much, but it should hopefully knit the bone if you can set it." She turns back to the elf. "I have to go help one of the other survivors. Will you be OK here for a few minutes on your own?"

[Farmerbink]

Auriel continues to speak in a soothing voice. "I'm just in front of you. You can't see me because your eyes appear to have been injured in the attack. We are trapped in a cavern, presumably below Kenabres; you, me and four others. We must all work together to find a way out."

Finally, the Elf begins calming down. Shock registers on what's left of his face, as his mouth silently remains agape. With his back against the wall, his hands rise to his chin, his nose, and finally to the wicked gash across his eyes. "My- my... eyes...? I..." Realization mixed with horror replace the shock, and he struggles to his feet.


Auriel turns her head towards Karsten. "I know some healing magic. It's not much, but it should hopefully knit the bone if you can set it." She turns back to the elf. "I have to go help one of the other survivors. Will you be OK here for a few minutes on your own?"

The Elf nods, his height somehow made more evident in his posture. From several inches over the woman, he manages to eke out the words "Yes, see to her wounds. I... I could use some measure of aid as well, if you are able.

[Athaleon]

"Was never much good at the healer's art, but we might as well give it a try."


This could get complicated:

If someone is trained in Heal, including one of the NPCs, Karsten can use his Borrow Skill SLA to make the check as though he had a rank in Heal himself.
If not, he will attempt to make the Heal check untrained, ask someone to Aid him, and give that someone the Community Blessing to increase their Aid Another bonus to +4.

If we're using magical healing alone, he will provide moral support, I guess.

[Athaleon]

Karsten sighed and signaled his companions closer. "Nothing else for it, we've got to set that leg. I'll take any and all help givin' me a hand with this."


Heal check: [roll0]

He will accept help from anyone who offers, and will use his Community Blessing on up to two helpers to increase their Aid Another bonuses to +4.

[doko239]

"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine..."

[roll0]

Edit: shold actually be 13

[Edge]

"Guess I can hold her down? Stop her moving too much as you do it," Kana shrugs. "Not really a healer at all."

Untrained Heal check to Aid Karsten.

Heal: [roll0]

[Farmerbink]

A shriek pierces the relative quiet of the chapter, when Karsten gives a solid sudden tug. The misspent leg properly aligns as the woman's echoing voice begins to fade. The archer makes short work splinting the leg. With a quick snap, a piece of wood removed from the rubble turns into a pair of makeshift supports. A few recovered pieces of leather serve as a solid lashing. Within minutes, The woman's leg is both set and splinted.

While her leg is no doubt more likely to heal, her expression doesn't register anything but pain. She still lies on her back in the cavern, staring blankly into the darkness while tear stream down her cheeks.

[Athaleon]

"Well, that's that," Karsten said after a short pause. "Nothing I can do for the pain, I'm afraid. We ought to think about hobbling our way out of here, and the sooner the better."

[doko239]

"Can she walk? I have some healing magic if need be, but it's not much, and we may have more dire need later."

[Athaleon]

"Do it. If it allows her to walk it'll get us out of here that much faster. And we're better off avoiding any fight if we can help it, which is hard to do when carrying a stretcher."

[doko239]

Wordlessly, Auriel turns to the prone woman and kneels beside her, placing her hands on her injured leg. She utters a brief prayer to her goddess under her breath, and a faint golden light begins to glow between her fingers.

[roll0]

[Farmerbink]

Relief floods the woman's features as Auriel's magic takes effect. As the worst of the pain subsides, she reaches a hand out for help, and rises unsteadily. "Oh! Wow! That's... That's really not so bad!" She tentatively places a little weight on the leg, and winces. "Ouch! Maybe not good yet, either. But still, thank you." She scoops up a long beam splinter nearby, and positions it as a makeshift crutch. For the first time, the woman gets a decent look at the scene, and it takes her breath away.

"Oh my God. This...." She proves unable to find whatever words she seeks.

"Brilliant," the nobleman says- sarcastically. "It's not enough that I'm to be trapped beneath the city- I have to be trapped with a thief and a lunatic. Ugh." Still unsure what to make of the blade he finds in his hands, Horgus turns to the party. "So are we going to leave any time soon?"

[Athaleon]

"Don't know exactly who you're referring to, but there are worse things up there," Karsten pointed upwards, "than thieves and lunatics. By a damn sight. For another thing, who's to say we're trapped? Won't know 'till we find out, and we are leaving, right now." With that, he cinched up the straps on his backpack and nocked an arrow to his bow.

[doko239]

Auriel returns to Aravashnial and takes him by the hand, saying "I'll lead you. We have to get moving; once we get outside, we'll find you a cleric of greater power than ours to restore your eyes."

With her other hand, she draws her scimitar, and her face turns grim.

"Kana, you take the lead. You two,", motioning to Horgus and the lady with the broken leg, "stay close to me. Horgus, try to help the lady walk as best you can. Karsten, take the rear and cover our backs."