Move 287: Deep in the Grell Nest
Grell Nest--Early, Day 26 (Marpenoth 11)Aloysius cast a final spell of protection on Olaf before the group pushed ahead. They moved as quickly as caution would allow into the grell nest. They made it to the large cavern where they had been victorious over the grells on theprevious day. The cavern to the north again seemed empty, so they headed down the tunnel leading to the southeast. They encountered another small, empty cavern and followed the tunnel out of it to the east.
This tunnel led to another large cavern, but this one was not empty. As they approached, they could see at least two grells, one of which looked like it might already be wounded. The grells in the cave began squawking as the group approached, making a good bit of noise.
"Azrun, target the injured one as it approaches," said Aloysius. "Echo, have the wand ready for when the reinforcements arrive."
He began casting a spell.
Jana judged the distance to the grells and fired arrows at them.
"Jana, stay relatively close for the nonce," Renn's voice said before being raised in an elvish chant.
Blacky stood ready with his axe waiting for a critter to come into range.
There was no sign of the invisible gnome.
Echo nodded at Aloysius and took out the wand.
Azrun nodded, "I'm on it." He nocked and arrow and let fly, then did so again. He watched as both arrows sailed toward the injured grell. When he was done he placed his bow on the ground near him and prepared for spell casting.
"We're all staying together," Jana replied. "Especially with your spell on me, so I can go after any that go over my head to reach you guys."
"Only meant as I cast that spell of protection," Renn chuckled. He switched to speaking in elvish, "not sure if that spellcaster needs to speak as I would to cast a spell, so I'm going to try to silence him..it, whatever."
Jana and Azrun fired arrows at the two grells in the cavern, hitting the injured grell with one arrow each. The other two arrows they fired flew wide. Renn, still invisible, spoke to Jana from a spot nearer to her than his place in the marching order. Blacky stood his ground, waiting for the grells to move forward. Echo pulled out the wand Aloysius had loaned her and watched the situation carefully. Aloysius cast a magic missile spell at the other grell.
Another grell appeared, quite literally, in their sight at the same time that a bolt of forked lightning streaked through their close ranks in the narrow tunnel. Most of the group dodged the main force of the bolt, throwing themselves against the sides of the tunnel to minimize the electricity that hit them, but Azrun and Blacky took the full force of it, unable to get out of the way at all.
All three of the grells began flying southward in the cavern.
Azrun, although a little singed, pulled a light arrow from his quiver, "You're not getting away after that crap, asshole." He targeted the wounded grell once again and let the arrow fly.
"Shit!" Jana yelped, throwing herself to the side. She raised her bow and resumed firing at the retreating grells. "Sumbitches."
Olaf released his sword, leaving it hanging in mid-air beside him. He chanted, "Lord Tyr, Grant Me Thy Flame of Justice!" and traced the sign of the Scales of Justice in the air before him.
Blacky moved forward ahead of the archers, watching the retreating grells.
Aloysius tried to gather himself after the electrical burst. He turned and glanced behind the party. "They seek to lure us forward," he said. "Janathell, might I suggest that we amend our formation so as to spread our number out a bit? The spellcasting grell is rather potent and we don't know what other area of effect magics it might have. I am particularly concerned about the prospects of a web, in light of the narrowing passage up ahead."
Echo moved up after Blacky, the wand still in her hand.
Blacky and Echo moved out of the tunnel and into the cavern, still in sight of those in the front of the part of the group in the tunnel but just barely. Azrun fired one of his light bearing arrows at the injured grell, but it flew through the creature's tentacles harmlessly. Jana, on the other hand, plunged an arrow deep into the grell's fleshy body, dealing it a grievous wound. Olaf cast a spell, generating a fistful of flame in his hand as the grells flew out of immediate sight, the view of them blocked from all but the two in the cavern.
Echo pointed the wand at something in the cavern, but in the tunnel the end result was unseen. Both she and Blacky were hit with magic missiles. Echo was hit with one and Blacky by a barrage of four motes of energy. A cloud of heavy vapors appeared in the mouth of the tunnel. Blacky and Echo avoided being caught in it by dodging to the right wall of the cavern, but the billowing mass now separated them from the rest of the group in the tunnel.
"Echo!" Jana yelled as the missiles hit. She moved forward, then stopped as the vapors appeared. She "Echo!" she called out, "are you okay?" Jana waited a moment for an answer, then turned and said as she put up her bow and drew her sword, "What is this shit? Can I breathe it?"
"Shit! Damn those things hurt! Remind me not to piss you mages off." Blacky yelled as he and Echo dodged out of the way of the vapor.
"If it was harmless, I doubt they would have cast it at us." Blacky commented matter of factly. "Echo took the injured one down with her wand and injured the caster. Looks like we have seven grell total in the cavern ahead and some big nasty spell casting thing that hit me with four of those missiles you mages are so fond of. Three of the grell are smaller than normal and one of the others is injured. I'm holding position here with Echo on the other side of this stuff. What do you want to do?" Blacky yelled through the vapor.
"Phaugh," Renn spat, "I've nothing to work against their magics in this manner."
"I'm okay," Echo called back to Jana.
Azrun shook his head, "I very seriously doubt it. We need a dispel or wind creating spell to dispatch this. This thing could be just nasty enough to make you sick if you were in it."
"Get ready," said Aloysius, as he began casting a spell.
"Corellon guide and shelter us in these moments before us," Rennirolas prayed quietly in elvish. "Azrun, let me heal you before we get started again. Father, let your holy light bathe this man in your healing essence," he prayed, again in elvish.
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