Move 145:  Returning Scouts

The Garlstone Mines--Afternoon, 2 Eleint 1374 DR

After a few minutes, Cethyran, Echo, and Rennirolas returned from the side passage.  Arachne returned from her foray ahead of the group as well.  All appeared unscathed.  Snow, now off his lease, sniffed around some, but he didn't move far from Daelen's side.

"Nothing but a large cave with a pool. We didn't see any guards." Ceth murmured, moving toward the rear of the group. "Let's move on."

"Their water supply, no doubt," commented Aloysius, who was clearly relieved when the scouts returned.

"Arachne?  What can you tell us of the other passage?  'Twould seem that we shall be heading in that direction."

Daelen waited patiently.

Arachne whispered, "I didn't get too far -- only partway into the cavern that's ahead -- but I didn't see anything uncavernous.  And I didn't hear anything uncavernous either, except for you all, of course.  It's how I knew to come back," she explained.

Aloysius seemed relieved.  "Let us proceed then."  He handed the lantern back to Echo, got back into
formation, and waited for the group to continue down the passage.

"There's some really bad love poems written on the walls in the other cave.  Nothing important, of
course," Echo added to Cethyran's report.  She accepted the lantern from Aloysius and shifted her
weight from foot to foot as she waited to get moving again as well.

Aloysius cocked his head and frowned.  "How odd . . ." he mumbled.

"So long as they were odes to you-know-who," Jana commented.  "Let's go."  She started off in the direction indicated by the map, slowly until the others got into position and moving.

"I didn't know you were a romantic, Jana." Blacky smiled  "OK let's get moving." He said and took up his position.

"There're lots of things you don't know about me," Jana replied with a mysterious half-smile.

The party continued into deeper into the mines into a large cavern with broad ruddy striations along the walls.  It was about 140' at its widest and extended much past the light of the lantern Echo held.  It took several minutes of walking before the passage narrowed to 60', near the point where a strange rock formation shaped like the head of a cat stood near the east wall of the cave.  Going deeper still, they came to a chamber dominated by stalactites ending in globe-like protrusions with stained yellow centers.  A narrower passage led off to the left at this point.

Snow sniffed and began to growl as three men came around a previously unlit bend up ahead.  One man held a lantern while the other two nocked arrows in their bows.

Too far back to really do much of anything, Ceth turned and looked behind her, walking back a few steps, simply to make sure that they were not, somehow, being surrounded.

Jana grabbed her new bow and an arrow.  "Just like shootin' at a tree," she muttered softly.

Etienne dropped to a knee and spun around to Arachne, "Arachne, can you create one of your portals behind those men. If I can distract them, they want turn you guys into pin cushions," he quietly whispered.

Daelen moved to the left and ahead of Aloysius and Echo to stand beside Blacky. "We could ask if they want to surrender first," he remarked with a hint of a smirk and waited.

Arachne came up beside Etienne on his right (OK, his left, while he was facing back toward Arachne, but his right
when he turned again to check what the enemy was doing), where there was at least a wall and maybe a few stalagmites (or stalactites) to cower -- I mean, take cover -- behind.  "Yes," she whispered, "it's in range. I have to put the near one in front of me, by the way."  She concentrated.

Aloysius cast a spell in the direction of the men.

Echo continued to hold the lantern.

Aloysius quickly called up a spell, putting the two men with bows to sleep.  This caused the lantern bearer to draw his sword and move forward, kicking one of the men as he did so.  He moved no further than where the other men were.

Jana pulled her bow and fired at the lantern bearing man.  One of her arrows wounded him.

Arachne opened a dimensional door with one portal directly in front of her and the second a short distance behind the men.

Daelen moved forward, with Snow close behind him, leaving the back of the party without a light source, to join Blacky and Jana in the front ranks.

While their eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ceth and Renn heard something moving very near them.  When their elven sight kicked in, they found a halfling with a dagger and a shield standing directly behind them.

"Sneak thief," Renn sneered as he drew his longsword and slipped his left arm into his shield straps.  "Sleep," the elf said with Commanding tone as he pointed his sword at the halfling.

Etienne smiled, "Maybe we can stop this before we kill somebody....that'll be a first." He pulled both scimitars and walked through the portal.

Jana allowed herself a nasty, self-satisfied smile as her arrow struck the man.  She slung her bow across her back and started to draw her own sword in response to the man's action.  She found herself forced to the side, her sword half drawn, as Daelen pushed his way up to the front.  "Get back, you moron!" she growled.  Jana stepped forward to get enough room to draw and use her sword.

Aloysius moved to his left, placing his back against the wall and crouching down to make himself as
unappealing a target as he could.  He tried to keep tabs on the melee about to begin in the front of the party.

Seeing the portal open, Blacky rushed forward with his axe drawn to meet up with the last man standing to support Etienne.

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