The four men gathered outside the cave could hear the growing sound of a battle from within. Yowls and cries of pain permeated the evening air as they stood waiting for something to emerge from the mouth of the cave. Lasiar walked up to the cave and peered inside....
"Damn, I can't stand this," Torro spoke, "I feel that we should be in there helping." Controling his breath, Torro steadied himself and backed away from the edge of the cave mouth, but at an angle to help keep himself from being seen by those outside. He didn't want to accidentally shoot Lasiar after he moved to the edge of the cave, nor his friends who were inside. Besides, Torro wanted a better angle to shoot into the cave.
Azrun noted Torro's remark, "They're probably almost fighting blind in there. If we were to go in now, neither us or them would be able to distinguish friend or foe." He looked to Lasiar, "Do you see anything yet, Lasiar?"
Torro replied "You are too true. Best thing to do is wait and see if we can help any way we can from out here." Then looked at Lasiar to see if he indicated that sees something. When he signals that he saw something, Torro concentrates on the cave, prepared to fire if necessary.
"No, they're beyond the limit of my sight I fear," Lasiar sighs, withdrawing his head from the edge of the cave. He glances at Torro, then Azrun, and says, "I should go in there. If you can describe your friends to me, my night vision will allow me to differentiate them from their enemies."
A shout in elven came from the cave.
His back against the wall of the cave, Lasiar throws his companions a glance. "What was that? Did anyone understand the words?" Lasiar's face is wrinkled in confusion at the strange language, his hands tightly gripping the shaft of his mace. Without waiting for an answer, he edges towards the mouth of the cave and attempts to peer inside again.
"The voice shouted 'Maisar! To arms!'" Torro responded. "I guess that means that they are coming out, or that they need us to come inside... What do you think Azrun, Lasiar?"
At hearing the "strange words" Maisar plants his sword in the ground and ties the horses to it. Then maisar turns towards the cave and lets his Quarterstaff fall at his feet, and hands fall to his side shaking his fingers.
Azrun looked uncertain, "I hope it means they're coming out. The last thing they need is us running in behind them if they're retreating."
He looked over to Maisar who was standing ready, "I hope we know what we're doing."
Lasiar peers within the darkness of the cave with his bestowed infravision. He continues his scrutiny as he speaks to his friends, "If we decide to go in, I can provide the light. I will pray to my goddess and plead her to illuminate the cave. What do you say?"
Unclear about what the call from the cave meant, everyone stood at ready by the cave mouth. The battle sounds from inside did not let up, and there was no indication that anyone, friend or foe, was coming out.
Azrun listened to the fight, "Lasiar, prepare your light spell. I'm assuming you can cast it on am item and that item emits the light, correct? What we'll do is cast it on a rock. We can hide it under a cloak until we can get into the cave. Once we find our friends, we'll tell them to cover their eyes and roll the rock into the middle of the group. Even if their opponents are human we can at least even the odds a bit."
Torro nodded "I agree with Azrun. Lasiar, cast your light on this stone" pointing to a stone that almost tripped Torro when he backed up, "I won't be able to carry it, I have my hands full." Torro indicated the bow and arrow. "When we go in, I will be about 10 paces behind the two of you, I am more effective from a distance."
Lasiar withdraws once more from the mouth of the cave. "I can't see anything except a distant torch light." He eyes Azrun, "You are correct, the spell can be cast on a rock." At Torro's suggestion, Lasiar bends down and reaches for Torro's rock. Picking it up, he clenches it in one hand, then with his other he places his mace on the ground and grasps his holy symbol, and begins a chant. "Lady of the Moon, Lady of the Night, banish the darkness by enchanting this rock, ignite." Lasiar intones each word softly, except for the last which he sharply utters.
Lasiar glances at his friends and opens his palm, revealing the rock which glows brightly as daylight. "Ready to go in? I will go in first and the rest of you follow me." Retrieving his moon's hand, Lasiar enters the cavern.
"WAIT!" Torro yelled, "I thought that Azrun was to hide the stone in his cloke as we sneak in. Then he was going to warn the others to sheid their eyes just before throwing the lighted rock." Turning to Azrun, "Wasn't that the plan?"
Azrun nodded, "Lasiar can still guide us since he can see in the dark. I'll hide the rock within my cloak. We chouldn't get any closer than 10 feet or so. Any closer could bring total chaos to both sides." When everybody was ready, Azrun tucked the rock into his cloak.
"I am ready" Torro replied as he took his position behind the others.
Kaileer moved up with the torch in his hand. He tried to subdue one of the goblins with his club, but he wasn't accustomed to pulling his swing and the goblin ducked. The goblin came back around with his sword, dealing Kaileer a sharp stab. Kaileer swung the torch at the blue monster, blinding him as well as burning him with the flame. The goblin took a step back as he cried in pain and covered his light-sensitive eyes.
Jana attempted to brain one of the goblins again, but the little terror disrupted her blow with a fierce attack from his sword. He looked more than a little surprised at the amount of blood that he drew from the heavily armored woman. The second goblin on Jana looked surprised too, and he was distracted enough by it that he didn't manage to hit. He took a hit from Jana's mace and stumbled back with a pitiful howl.
"Dammit," Jana growled, "that hurt." She smashed at the goblin who'd hit her with her mace.
Gala moved up with her shield and flail, but she and the fourth goblin tinked at each other with no real damage done to either. Arachne and Pug watched from the side of the cave, and Aloysius stood in the back with a new handful of powder.
The goblin on Gala continued talking, yelling over the noise of the fray and the howls of his brothers. Footsteps could be heard running in that direction from farther back in the cavern.
Aloysius strained to pick out the sounds coming from behind the goblins. "Come hither, darklings," he mumbled. He raised his right hand in the air, and held his left hand, palm up, in front of his mouth so that the powder he was holding was almost touching his lips. Once again, he squinted into the darkness, as if waiting for something.
Gala continued to defend and attack, unless all others were fleeing.
Kaileer tried to push the goblin in front of him down with a boot to the chest. The little blind creature kept his balance by trying to grab Kaileer's foot. He was blind, however, and managed only to grab a leg so the ranger kept his footing and easily shook the goblin off. Kaileer handed the torch to Pug as Pug yelled over the noise at one of the goblins. The goblin gave a screeched reply that sounded confused even to those who didn't know the ugly goblin tongue.
Gala and Jana held the front lines. Gala and "her" goblin continued to trade ineffectual blows. Jana took another wound, this time in the arm, but she finished off the goblin that dealt it with a blow from her mace.
Pug now held the torch. Arachne attempted to give Kaileer some much needed aid, but the elf refused. Aloysius stood poised in the back of the group, waiting for the goblin reinforcements to arrive. He was not disappointed; a group of goblin armed with axes and spears approached the perimeter of the torch light. They squinted and pushed forward to aid their brothers. Aloysius quickly incanted his spell and all but one of the approaching goblins fell to the cave floor. The remaining "new" goblin looked around in terror and confusion and began to scream, "Grunklegek! Burukkleyet! Golak! Terepich Maglubiyet!" He squinted his eyes against the bright torch light and went to join the goblin fighting Gala.
"Uh, guys, I think there's a goblin shaman on the way!" Pug yelled after hearing the last exchange. Pug then attempted to knock out the goblin by Kaileer while holding the torch in the other hand.
Aloysius didn't stop to admire his arcane handywork. After finishing his spell, he quickly reached into his bandolier and withdrew 2 daggers. After maneuvering himself around Pug and Arachne, he focused on the goblin in front of Jana. Holding his daggers in throwing position (whatever that is), he waited for an opening between Jana and the goblin so he could fire.
While digging out his daggers, Aloysius shouted back to Pug, "Pug, slay that creature! There are captives aplenty on the cave floor. Kaileer, use thy bow and keen eye to warmly greet this shaman!"
"There are _not_," Arachne muttered to herself, while trying to get closer to the evidently wounded Jana. "We keep killing them..."
Cursing galumphing, half-blind big people, Arachne irritatedly got out of the wizard's way.
