Move 276: The Fork
Tunnels--Early, Day 25 (10 Marpenoth)Another "night" in the tunnels passed uneventfully after the party's planning session about how to best fight the grells. Everyone awoke feeling just about as refreshed as they might have expected to feel. After a walk of no more than a couple of miles, they reached the expected fork in the tunnel.
When "morning" arrived, Aloysius took to his spell book. He seemed unusually focused and poured through his book as if he had never seen it before. After he was finished, he gathered his belongings and stood ready to depart.
"May Mystra guide us all," he said flatly. With a glance towards Olaf and Renn, he added, "We'll need all the divine guidance we can get."
Echo cast invisibility on Arachne and Renn before they left the cave. She was more nervous and restless than usual. Once they got to the fork, she asked, "Which way, left?"
Aloysius nodded. "That is what Carmeneren's map would indicate."
Turning towards Jana and Blacky, he said, "Stargazer has a spell that affords some protection against evil entities. Howe'er, I need some advanced notice to
cast it as I must draw a silver circle on the floor. If we reach a spot where grell are imminent, and you wish for me to cast the spell, I shall. It should last about 10 minutes and has a radius of 10 feet.""If things thing are up, you know, on the ceiling," Jana said quietly, "Can you guys who can see in the dark see 'em? I mean, if they're up kinda high? I don't know," she confessed, "how y'all's elfy eyes work. But if the ceiling's too high to see, what if we did one of those light spells on an arrow and fired it up into the ceiling? Arrow probably won't stick in the rock, but it'll light things up for a bit."
"That's a good idea," Echo said. "If they're up so high we can't see them with the light stones, I won't be able to see them either."
"Does anyone have light spells?"
"Not as such, but I can outline one or possibly more of the grells should we encounter them in a fae light," Renn said in reply. "It might keep them from skirting up and away into the darkness."
Azrun spoke up, "Arrows will stick in flesh, though. All we have to is get one or two of my light arrows stuck in them when they're up high. We should be able to them find and follow if they try to get away."
Aloysius looked up at the ceiling. "If I had some fireflies, I could use a spell to illuminate the ceilings." He shrugged. "We'll have to make do with what we have."
"I tried to get you some," Arachne's voice grumbled. "Can I help it if they weren't in season any more?"
"I meant not to sound critical," apologized Aloysius. "E'en if we could bring them down here, they would be difficult to keep alive."
He also studied the ceiling. "Methinks it will be more important for us not to announce our arrival prematurely with our light than to carefully study that which is above us. So long as we can see somewhat and keep an eye on the ceilings, we should have notice of the grell. They are fairly good-sized after all."
He tucked his light stone into his pocket. "Perhaps we should travel by lantern or torchlight only," he suggested. "At least until we encounter something hostile."
"Do we know that the grell are of evil intent? It sounds like a great spell if they are." Blacky replied.
"Carmeneren said they were," replied Aloysius. "I am also concerned about those electric lances she mentioned. If we see any grell who are so armed, we need to eliminate them first.
"Aye," Renn's voice came from his position in the rear. "I remember her speaking of those lances as well, quite deadly effective from the sound of it."
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