Move 151: The Blue Garl Cavern
The Garlstone Mines--Afternoon, 2 Eleint 1374 DRThe party moved out of the narrow cavern containing the ladder to the upper level of the mines and took the side passage that led off to the left. The height of the cave increased to around 30 feet and the tunnel gradually widened to finally open into the largest cavern they had seen yet, around 180 feet at its widest and seemingly over two and a half times that deep. Nearly the entire back third of the cave was flooded; the large pool of standing water had a rock ledge, narrow but navigable, running along its perimeter. An old work cabin, about 20 feet by 40 feet, stood near the east wall about 60 feet from where the party now stood. A contingent of twelve zombies was spread out near the front of the cabin and began to move toward the people who had just entered the cavern. Behind them stood Ranchefus. If the one-eyed priest's sadistic grin was any indication, he was pleased to see them.
Cethyran touched her holy symbol in prayer.
Jana grabbed her shortbow and began to fire arrows at the zombies. "I've been wanting to get in some practice with this thing," she commented as she let fly an arrow.
Daelen put the coiled whip around his neck and drew his sword as he stepped in front of Arachne and Aloysius.
"Stay behind me," he said quietly, he hadn't fully recovered from the trap and didn't seem as eager as before to leap to the attack, "I'll hold them off while you use your magics."
With a command he lit his sword and prepared to stand his ground against the zombies.
Blacky made a beeline for Ranchefus, dodging zombies and pulling the two handed sword out as he runs. "Let's finish this."
The purple haired mage momentarily muttered what sounded like calculations to those standing near him before he began casting a spell.
Echo looked terrified now that Ranchefus was in sight. She waited to see what he would do.
Etienne quickly pulled what looked to be a rotten piece of wood out of a pouch and began chanting a prayer to Meilikki.
"Magicks? Me?" Arachne asked. "Perish the thought. Aloysius," she added, more quietly. "Do you think it's real? I mean, standing out there with only a dozen of his cheapest to defend him, after getting pretty clear warning that we were coming. Is that the best battle plan he could make? Is that really plausible? Where are the guys we fought up top?" She sighed. "I'm going to have a look around. Mind our backs." She concentrated.
"Where are his followers," Rennirolas wondered aloud as he kept his hand on the pommel of his longsword. Renn turned in a slow circle as he looked for the men who'd escaped down the ladder.
The party swung into action at the sight of their nemesis. Jana began taking bow shots at the approaching zombies. She hit once, leaving an arrow sticking out of one of the undead.
Cethyran cast a spell with a prayer to Sehanine. When she finished, five identical images of her stood in the cavern.
Etienne and Aloysius began casting spells as Blacky rushed forward with his two-handed sword. Etienne began outlining figures in an eerie green light, first Ranchefus followed by three of the zombies. Blacky took a swipe from a zombie as he went past, and two of the twelve zombies turned to follow him back in the direction they had come. Ranchefus began casting as well. His spell went off, rendering both Arachne and Daelen immobile. Aloysius shook off the effect even as he finished his own incantation. A large web appeared, spanning from the cabin to the side wall of the cavern. It caught the green outlined priest, but none of the zombies. Blacky stopped short of getting tangled in the mess.
Echo stood poised to cast a spell but did not. Renn turned to watch back down the tunnel. Everyone heard the sounds of running.
The zombies continued to close on the group.
Jana switched weapons, grabbing her newly-acquired shield and drawing her bastard sword. She positioned herself protectively in front of Echo and the other non-fighter types. "Well," she grumbled as she heard the running sounds, "this just sucks." She attacked the first zombie to come within sword range.
All five Cethyran's presented their holy symbols strongly toward the zombies, "Back in the name of Sehanine Moonbow, foul spawn of hell!" Cethyran declared in a firm voice.
"DAMN YOU!" screamed Aloysius in the direction of the black priest.
Upon hearing the sound of running, he whirled to face the back of the group, his attention focused on the
passage they had just exited, as he began to frantically cast another spell."Red has brought reinforcements," Renn called as he saw the group coming down the tunnel. "A handful of zombies, the second swordsman, and two casters," he added, before he began to chant.
Etienne cursed silently then turned to face the new arrivals, "Renn, you go on after the other swordsman. I've got Red." He pulled both scimitars from his back and headed to intercept the red-haired man.
Aloysius redirected his spell casting efforts towards the tunnel. Those looking in that direction could see thick webbing entangling the zombies. It blocked the robed figures from view, making it impossible to tell what had become of them.
The red-haired man, most of the wounds from his previous encounter with Blacky gone, barreled towards Etienne as the half elf headed to meet him. Etienne was not able to block the fierce attacks from the man's bastard sword and was heavily wounded. The swordsman barely escaped ensnarement and headed for Renn. The two locked into melee but neither was wounded.
From inside the five foot high web across the cavern, the green glowing priest began to chant a prayer to Cyric. Echo interrupted him with a single magic missile. Near the web, Blacky easily cut down a zombie.
Ceth attempted to turn the zombies back, but they ignored her, continuing their approach. Jana drew her sword and moved in front of Echo as the zombies descended on the group. They ignored the immobile targets of Arachne and Daelen. Three of them went after Jana, although only one managed to hit her. She gave a green outlined zombie a hard hit. Another of the faerie fired zombies got around her and went after Echo but missed. The zombie wearing Jana's arrow and an uninjured one headed towards the multiple Cethyrans. They picked one and engaged and soon after a claw wound appeared on all of the various images. The remaining four zombies continued to move through the group, two, one of them the final outlined zombie, going for Aloysius and two for Renn.
Jana took another swing at the injured zombie. "Why don't you sumbitches just stay dead?" Jana growled.
With an expression of resigned despair, Aloysius pulled a dagger from his bandolier and took a swipe at the outlined zombie.
Echo pulled out a dagger and tried to keep from getting eviscerated by the zombie.
Ignoring the wound she had incurred, for the most part. Ceth laid into the zombies on her with her staff.
With the two zombies on him, Renn kept circling to keep his three opponents before him. He glanced
quickly to Etienne's fight before he lashed out at the swordsman with an overhead swing of his longsword, Rennirolas' shield held firmly in his left hand.Etienne smiled at the red haired man and continued his block and attack approach.
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