Session+78

**Dark Dwarves of Sabeen and the Facade of Echoes in the Drow Ruins Below ...and Wren Begins to Fade**
 * 9/5/15**

Maliumpkin went down the elevator and spent some time foraging through the overgrown mushroom fields, picking out the best ones... earthy and smokey and quite delicious!

Goram mentioned how the dwarves had found a way to pound souls into the armor, weapons, and items made in the soul forge. Erevin turned toward him with a nod, "Figuratively speaking." Goram shook his head, "Nah, literally speaking actually." Wren stared at him blankly, "Wow." Thorn shook his head, "I don't recall you mentioning that before..." "Me neither," Wren agreed. "Oh, did I not mention that?" Goram shrugged, "Well... it might have slipped my mind... I'm sure they were all //bad// souls." "Yeah," Posy replied unconvinced as she looked back toward the forge and back to the dwarf. The others grumbled around her, agreeing with her doubt. "Probably drow ones," Goram nodded.

The group looked on at the massive dwarf made of spiders and the two dwarves he was yelling at, and Azarius paused them, "I'd better go back for Mali... I think we're going to need her." Not more than a minute after the sorcerer disappeared down the hall did the halfling druid show up. Mali waved to them, "Hi guys!" She held open her full sacks of tasty mushrooms. "Where's Azarius?" Erevin turned and nodded to her in greeting. "I didn't see Azarius," Mali shook her head and shrugged. Erevin sighed and shook his head, glancing down the hall... but they no longer had time to wait.

Wren nodded, reluctantly agreeing, to Inali who slipped out of her satchel, "It's going to take both of our eyes and ears through this place, so stay real close." The witch wove a heroism spell over Posy, boosting her with morale and courage as the dwarves moved toward them, carrying hammers. Spiders roiled over the large dwarf's hand and a shadowy black mist filled the hall, leaving them all practically blind.

Erevin didn't hesitate, pulling his moonblade as he walked forward to the edge of the mist. He sent a powerful cone of cold ahead of them before the dwarves had time to move... Screams came from deep within the mist as the frost from his blade covered them. Thorn quickly engaged his invisibility ring, and moved in behind the elven ranger, watching his back as Melleron trotted beside him. Mali shapeshifted into her tendriculos form as Posy turned to her spiritual uncle beside her, "Can you see them? Where are they?"

Jerome nodded, pointing in the direction of the dwarves and great spider being. Trusting his direction, the young gnome bolted in an enraged charge until she came face to face with one of the grey dwarves, practically slamming into him! Seeing all three barely cloaked in mist around her, she took the opportunity to smash her new hammer through the spider being, sending tiny black spiders everywhere... only to watch the ones on his body fill the hole back in.

Shocked by the sudden appearance of the brave gnome, the spider dwarf stepped back as the two dark dwarves stepped in front of him, dragging a chain along the floor that bound the two together. The spidery dwarf behind them wove a spell that Posy didn't recognize, and nothing seemed to happen that she noticed.

Wren and Kale moved up near Erevin, the black fox staying on her heels, and she put a protective ward hex over the elven prince. Erevin and Thorn moved forward with caution into the mist to find that a long wall of metal cut the group off from Posy and the dwarves. Erevin called back to the others, "There's a wall here now... metal. It seems to run the whole width of the room." Mali wove her giant plant vines in the air, dispelling the black mist from the room, allowing everyone to see the massive metal wall. Posy swung her hammer, shattering the chain between the duergar dwarves. The two were immediately pissed off, screaming at her, "What have you done?! We're brothers!" Ignoring their protest, she swung again, impacting against one of the dwarves with a heavy thump! Wren stepped up to the metal wall, dispelling it's existence, and opening the room back up for everyone to join Posy. Kale stepped protectively in front of her, drawing his blade. The massive spider dwarf reached out to touch Posy with a length of spiders extending off his hand... even with her strong will, he managed to drain away a significant amount of her life with his harm spell. " Shri !" Wren glanced back over her shoulder, "Posy needs you." Erevin charged forward, clashing into closer of the duergar with his moonblade as Thorn and Melleron worked their way near the back of the spider dwarf. The enormous lion bit into the mass of spiders, pulling back a mouthful of dripping black spiders, but it barely seemed to affect the dwarf. Still standing nearly 20 feet tall in the back in the room, Mali brought down a flamestrike between one of the grey dwarves and the spidery cleric, blazing into them with her holy fire! Posy smashed into both of the dwarves heavily as Wren wove a hex of fortune over Erevin. Burnt horribly by the divine fire, the spidery cleric sent out a powerful burst of negative energy that washed over the group as the two grey dwarves continued to pound into the barbarian gnome. Erevin pierced and slashed with his moonblade into one of the dwarves, allowing the halfling rogue to slip in close and finish him off. Mali quickly moved in closer, closing the large gap between her and the group as Melleron slashed away more spiders of the spidery dwarf as the cleric continued to regenerate. With Shri and Goram still back in the hall, Kale slashed viciously into the remaining duergar as Wren laid her hand on Posy's back, using a witchy hex to heal some of the barbarian's wounds. Spiders dripped from the cleric dwarf, and an unholy fire engulfed the gnome in front of him as he tried to obliterate her, but Posy's fortitude was strong and she fought back against the spell that sought to destroy her soul! The grey dwarf hit her again with his hammer, but the barbarian held her ground, growling ferociously. Erevin took a step forward, slashing away massive chunks of spiders from the evil cleric that seemed to begin shrinking the monster down in size. Thorn followed him, slashing at the spidery beast as Mali moved forward, extending her vine arms out to caress over Posy, delivering another heal to close up more of the gnomes wounds. Posy stepped forward in a violent rage, slashing with her axe into the remaining duergar, taking off his head as Kale slashed into the spidery cleric in front of them. Wren cackled, extending the luck around Erevin, and sent a bolt of cold to freeze away a good portion of spiders from the dwarven shaped body. The spider priest stepped back, weaving a spell of recall around himself... but something horrible clashed with both the magic of the forge around them and the magic of the mythal near to where he tried to transport to... The cleric cried out, "What's happening? I don't understand..." A deep echoing voice responded, "Nooooo..." The magic continued to twist and lashed out, exploding the spidery body of the cleric everywhere! There was a blinding flash of white light as the magic continued to clash, and a sickening feel of disorienting movement transported most of the group to a cavern... Looking around as they tried to calm the feeling of nausea, the group seen ruined remains of buildings built into the stalactites and stalagmites of a cavern with one large building remaining in tact. A long smooth lake of black water separated them from the fortress with a long wide bridge crossing over it. The glowing auras of white, gold, and green extended up in great lit up pillars from Wren, Erevin, and Kale. All three felt sick. Shri and Goram were no longer with the group... and loot was scattered on the ground from the spider dwarf. Loot on the spider dwarf: +2 Light Hammer +2 Amulet of Natural Armor +1 Breastplate Belt of Giant Strength +2 Headband of Inspired Wisdom +2 Posy dropped her rage, and took a moment to heal herself, drinking a couple of potions. Wren glanced down to see her hands fading in and out of existence, and her eyes got wide, "Is anyone else feeling glitchy?" "What do you mean glitchy?" Erevin glanced briefly toward her before returning his gaze to the fortress ahead. "My hands... they seem to be flickering," Wren shook her head. Everyone looked over each other, shaking their heads, "We're fine." Wren nodded, "Alright..." Erevin noted a figure watching them from a window up ahead and all attention turned to the fortress and the bridge in front of them.

"They know we're here," Erevin nodded toward the fortress. "Well... then let's go do this," Thorn agreed, "No point in being stealthy." Erevin agreed, striding forward with purpose toward the bridge. Posy, Erevin, and Kale took the front, leading the group across the bridge. Mali fell into step, still in her giant plant form, alongside Thorn behind the three. Melleron walked beside Wren and Inali as the witch kept an eye behind them, bringing up the rear. Thorn, with his trusty hat, noticed invisible forms ahead of them, "We have company ahead." "How many?" Wren turned to look ahead. "7... and they look like the group of Echoes... with a bard this time," Thorn sighed heavily. "Back up! We need to disperse," Erevin replied quickly, "We're too close together for that mage and druid." There was no sound of heavy armor from the paladin as the Echoes too moved with purpose toward the approaching invading group. Erevin sent the falcon from his glove forward on the bridge to steal the bow from the invisible ranger. Wren hexed a protective ward over Thorn, and backed up off of the bridge to make more room for the others to disperse. "They're coming!" Erevin shouted as he heard the pounding of the approaching feet. Kale glanced back to see that Wren was safe, and pulled his blade to hold the line with Erevin and Posy. Feeling a cold wet trail against her skin, Wren looked down to see that the ends of her hair were wet as though she had been swimming. She turned to the black fox beside her, "Inali... something is wrong. My hair is turning wet... and my hands are flickering." Her familiar looked up at her worriedly, "No, no... no, not yet." She shook her head. "What do you mean 'not yet'?" Wren blinked at her in surprise, "What do you know that you've been holding back on?" This was a conversation that was going to have to wait... as the sound of the invisible group's arrival grew ever closer. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Posy pulled her hammer, taking a defensive stance to hold the line at the end of the bridge as Thorn tumbled back around the corner of the bridge out of the way. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Mali stepped back, and wove a spell, sending a bright line of fire to wrap it's way around the incoming group! Two of them, the bard and paladin, took several burns, but the other 5 seemed to move with such grace and skill that they dodged the winding flames! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Wren blinked in disbelief... what kind of sorceress or priestess could move like that?! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Erevin's falcon dropped the Echo ranger's bow at his feet and the elven prince kicked it off of the bridge, and sent a powerful cone of cold in front of him from his moonblade. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Again several managed to evade the strike, but the rogue and the priestess were covered in frost. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Wren shook her head, something wasn't right... she studied them with extreme disbelief... these were not the Echoes they had fought before... it was an illusion... the beams of colorful light that should be there for the elves were missing. Finally able to see through the disguise, the shells cracked away to her eyes and she could see the 7 darkly clad humans really there, and she called out to the group, "It's not the Echoes. They're all rogues!" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The 7 rogues tumbled into the group, striking into Posy and Erevin with their daggers. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">They still appeared to be Echoes to the others, but they trusted Wren's advice and braced for rogues, only mildly relieved that a big sorceress or druid spell wouldn't be coming at them. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Thorn snuck around the corner of the bridge and stabbed into the back of what looked like an elven priestess. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Posy swung her mighty axe into what looked like a druid, electricity dancing off the edge of her weapon, and cleaved a great bloody wound into her chest! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Erevin clashed his moonblade into the bardess looking rogue, nearly taking her life! He was relieved when his blade didn't protest against the strike, giving further credit to the Echoes being an illusion. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Wren wove a hex of retribution over the sorceress looking rogue as Kale impaled the Echo appearing rogue, trying to hold them back. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The priestess looking Echo turned around and struck her daggers back into Thorn as the paladin and bardess looking rogues slashed into Erevin together, dropping him to the ground! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The druid slashed lightly into Posy as the sorceress dashed across the field to the witch, striking into her at the opportune moment her cloak managed to protect her by phasing her body from the physical realm. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Mali stretched out her vines to heal some of Erevin's fatal wounds, bringing him back to consciousness, as the ranger and the rogue sank their blades deeply into Kale. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Posy cleaved into the druidess, taking her life! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Mali quickly put an additional heal into Erevin, closing more of his wounds. Melleron stepped over to bite and claw into the paladin, grappling him in his paws. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Erevin stood up, and sent an arrow back into the bardess, taking her life! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Wren grabbed Inali into her arms, and flew up away from the sorceress who managed to slash into her as she took off. A light wound appeared in the same place across the side of the sorceress looking rogue from the retribution. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The priestess turned and struck into Posy as the paladin and ranger struck into Mali, and the rogue drove her blades into Kale mercilessly, dropping the elven warrior to the ground! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Posy charged across the bridge to knock the ranger over the rails into the black water below! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Melleron mauled into the paladin in his grasp as Thorn struck into the back of the priestess, finishing her off. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Erevin struck with multiple fatal strikes into the rogue, taking her life! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">With Kale's body laying motionless in a growing puddle of blood, Wren flew quickly over, landing beside him to pull him into her arms. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The ranger made his way to the riverbank, pulling himself out of the water as the sorceress and the paladin bolted across the bridge, fleeing toward the cavern fortress. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Posy charged down the bank, striking her hammer into the soggy ranger as Thorn quickly slipped around behind him, working with the barbarian to impale his daggers into the ranger as well. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Mali sent a flamestrike into the fleeing rogues, able to vaporize the paladin appearing one, but the sorceress managed to evade the strike, and continued to flee. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Erevin sank his blade into the wood of the bridge, calling his bow to shoot a pair of arrows into the sorceress. She stumbled forward, blood smearing along the edge of the bridge as she leaned heavily against the wall. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Wren hexed a healing touch over Kale, closing up some of his wounds and bringing him back to conscious. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> His green eyes opened to look up at her, and he smiled, "I must be in heaven." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"Not yet," she flashed him a grin and kissed his forehead, "It's good to see you breathing." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"I feel kind of perforated," he groaned a little as he moved to sit up. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">She patted him lightly, "I'm sorry... you //look// a little perforated too." She looked him over to find all sorts of holes in his bloody armor, and helped him to his feet. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The ranger struck his daggers deeply into Posy as the sorceress made it to the fortress, multiple doors closing behind her. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Erevin approached the ranger, surrounding him, "Is there a reason that we shouldn't kill you now? What do you have to barter with?" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">He panted, still holding his daggers defensively, "I have one piece of information that you might find useful." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"Let's hear it," Thorn nodded. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"I'm listening," Erevin agreed. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"What's to stop you from just killing me after I tell you?" the ranger looked at him skeptically. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"Nothing... tell me what you have to say and I'll be the judge of whether it's good enough information," Erevin nodded. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"Marco doesn't have the Echoes back yet, but he will soon," the ranger disguised rogue nodded. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"You mean they're on a timer?" Erevin asked. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The rogue nodded, "You killed them up in the city, and it takes a while for them to return... we were just trying to slow you down." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Erevin contemplated that for a moment and then nodded, "Take his gear. Let him go." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Posy and Thorn nodded, taking his weapons and gear from him before releasing him. The rogue fled, taking a route around the lake. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Everyone looked bloody and ragged, and Shri was still not with them... <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Mali sent out a mass healing spell, closing several wounds on the group. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Wren wove a spell over Posy, and hexed an additional strong heal over the gnome warrior, as well as on Erevin and Kale. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">They crossed the bridge, moving quickly up to the 4 story building. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Mali used her special doorknob on the wall of the fortress in the second story, creating a door where there wasn't one. Everyone climbed up her vines to enter through before she shape changed down to her halfling form, taking her doorknob back and sealing the door back into the wall. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">There were several chests in the room and clothed dummies stood about. Thorn recognized it as a rogue training room, mentioning that there would be razors in the pockets on the dummies to train pickpocketing. Strange devices were set up on the table...