Looking for Vollun
(Khundrakar, 22nd/23rd September, 1600)
Bruised, battered, burned and with most of their spells used, the party decided that they'd need a rest before pressing on. A camp was set up, and food started; while it cooked they bandaged and salved their wounds as best they could. Nose-biter the owl was particularly badly affected; all his feathers were scorched and it would be a day or so - without magical healing - before he'd be able to fly again. Hildraft and Surya settled down to sleep, and Sack wandered around the ledge where the battle had been, looking for detached parts of dragon to add to his collection. He already had claws from a curst displacer beast, and a chunk of horn from a unicorn. He didn't find any scales, but he discovered one perfect curved tooth, sixteen inches long, blasted clear by Surya's necklace Fireball.
At the end of his watch, he woke the others and went to sleep. Surya and Hildraft, refreshed by their rest, decided to go and try and locate Vollun Crusher, who had not returned after fleeing in panic. Hildraft had scouted around earlier, and found his tracks headed straight for the ladder up to the chasm above. As there were no signs of a body at the bottom of the ladder, they had to presume that he had safely made it to the top.
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Reaching the top of the ladder, they searched around, eventualy locating some tracks and odd splashes of acid which seemed to indicate the dwarf had fled directly towards the exit; the stairs upward into the Glitterhame [27]. Moving carefully through the Forgeworks, and up the stairs, they became aware of noises coming from the caves on the far side of the Iron Door, so thoroughly destroyed earlier. As they approached, they recognized the sounds as those of battle, clangs and scrapes and yells and screams, and one of the voices they could hear was obviously Vollun's.
Inside the cave, they found a scene of bloodshed. Backed against the wall to the right of the door were two figures, surrounded and being furiously attacked by at least a score of troglydytes. The dwarf and his companion were holding their ground, but both were wounded and they clearly couldn't break free. Surya and Hildraft peered across the cavern, trying to establish the identity of the other fighter; and when they did they were surprised.
It was Mazahir.
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Troglydyte warrior
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The two readied their missile weapons, and poured a flurry of arrows and crossbow bolts at the nearest trogs. Hildraft got a magnificent lucky hit, felling one with a single quarrel through the eye, but the others reacted quickly, lifting their shields to defend themselves. In the centre, the obvious trog warchief bellowed something and pointed, sending one of this two lieutenants and half his force to oppose the newcomers. Sending a flight of javelins ahead of themselves, the trogs charged to meet them.
In a whirl of blades, the two crashed into the line. A short, fierce battle ensued, seeing seven trogs felled in two minutes, including the lieutenant leading them. As the others hemmed in around the two, Surya had an idea. When the first trog "returned", called by the power of the Sword of the Dead Legions, he directed it to go and fight the people in the dragon's cave. Off it shambled, and he hoped like hell it would reach the others and wake them.
Across the other side of the cave, Mazahir and Vollun had taken heart at the arrival of allies, and began fighting back in earnest. Vollun still proved unable to overcome the trogs; his movements were slow and his strikes innacurate; Mazahir was having to do all the work.
Demoralized by this setback, the trog leader started to rally his troops around his own position, obviously planning an ordered retreat.
Meanwhile, the sleeping Kobort and Sack were awakened by the soggy thud of a Returned troglydyte failing to safely climb down a 150' metal ladder into the chasm. Investigating, they discovered its' body, and swiftly put two and two together. While Sack climbed swiftly up the ladder, Kobort changed himself into a swift hawk and flew up the shaft and through the halls of Khundrakar until he reached the battle. Swooping over the combatants, he landed behind the trog leader and shimmered back into his own shape before launching a suprise attack from behind.
Mazahir
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The others closed in from three sides, and all of a sudden it was the troglydytes who found themselves surrounded. Sack finally raced in to join the fray as Surya bore down on the leader from the side, backing up Kobort who had taken a nasty head wound from the enraged chieftain. Finally, the trog leader went down, and Surya and Mazahir found themselves staring into each other's eyes across the body. Mazahir wiped sweat and blood from his brow.
"Thanks," he said.
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