House Boromar

the floor under her gave way. she fell on her bum. she crawled her way towards one side. the mist, a useful charm, covered everything. carefully, she finds her balance by leaning on the wall behind her. she was still distinctly aware of the wound on her arm. it was still throbbing. her wits momentarily shaken. her mental discipline and years of training as a priestess of boldrei taught her to remain calm enough to cast, as quietly as possible behind the veil of the mist, another powerful enchantment. she opened a tiny box lodged in one of her hidden pockets. in them were two tiny creatures.

zzatht instinctively stabs in front of him, with no apparent target, to were rothaide was. the mist was thick and unrelenting. he was confused but a little glad that he doesnt have to deal with the pesky little elf no more.

"pointy ears afraid" he proudly muttered.

"pointy ears must have ran off with its tail between its legs". zzatht figured the elven creature was no match for a seasoned warrior such as he.

he decides to resume his post. he signals for the skiff to come back. he troubles himself with putting some of the boxes together so it would be easier to haul off. the enchanted grey white mist behind him, all forgotten.

giant spindly legs slowly walked out from the mist which swirled wildly as it lets go of its tight embrace, passed its edges. the thin and long appendages clung on the ceiling of the lower deck. it was black like shadow, it moved without sound like a feline in unison towards the unsuspecting gnoll, separating menacingly into two distinct forms just on top of him. flanking him from above. it was two black widows. transformed into giants (medium size) by boldrei's divine magic. rothaide peeks out of the mist, with only her face sticking out. she watches her creations do her bidding.

both widows moved outwards to the walls as it prepare to attack. one spider spun enormous yards of sticky goo down on the gnoll. it covered the whole expanse of the boxes, trapping the gnoll within. the goo instantly dries up into ornately patterned web blankets. the other spider leaps as it attempts to inject the great zzatht with one of nature's deadliest toxin.

I looked around and noticed everyone was busy fighting everyone else. Most of the raiders are going to the bridge, Gian and Rourke are following after them. So far no one has noticed me. That's good. At least I'm doing my job. Not like Devlin and the others.

Luckily I managed to sneak through the battle, dodging blades and spells. There is one more rope attached to the ship. All I have to do is find it and cut the rope.

It took me a moment before I found the last rope. It was a few meters away from where I'm standing. I turned around, checking if anyone had noticed me. One of the raiders in the hoversled had taken the time to cut loose his entangled ally. It seems no one has noticed me.

Moving with cat-like grace, I silently (and discreetly) moved through the main deck. I reached the other side of the ship, my hands touching the rope that tied Ravenstorm to the docking tower.

I raised my dagger and began cutting the rope. It finally snaps and the ship jets forward as it was previously doing before getting trapped causing everyone on board to once more grab hold of something to steady themselves.

At first Borthast couldn’t understand what the half-elf was saying to him, common wasn’t primary language but he understood enough it to make out what he meant.

“Please restrain your companion." The half-elf asked of the Gnoll fighter.

Borthast looked back to where the sorcerer as lying prone and surrounded by a swarm of dust bats. Ashtaka has cast several spells which has caused the ship to be in danger. It does seem right that she be controlled.

The gnoll fighter sheathed his sword I his back and slowly moved into the swarm.

* * *

Even thru the swarm of bats, Ashtaka could recognize workings of a magical staff the half-elf captain was using. She wasn’t exactly sure what it would do and tried to warn her companion, but the swarm made it difficult for her.

There was a slight flash of bright light around Borthast and it was difficult for her to know what exactly happened. It didn’t take much to figure out that the gnoll fighter was caught in an enchantment when he was walking back towards her.

“This could be bad.” Ashtaka thought to herself. She was beginning to feel nauseated but she fought it back long enough to word out one spell.

She looked around to check f it worked. The swarms of bats were gone but more importantly Borthast was shaking his head and for a second looked like he didn’t know where he was.

* * *

Yeth was looking for another target but both humans have already fled the deck – with one of them stealing one of their soarsleds and using it to pull the other out from the tanglefoot mess.

Seeing the area clear at the moment from any of the other ship’s crew, Yeth quickly moved towards where Dargo was caught and started to cut her fellow pirate lose.

* * *

It was difficult to se anything in the obscuring mist the elf was able to cast. Even with his race’s innate darkvision, Zzatht couldn’t make out anything more than five feet from him. He stabbed his sward into the mist a couple of times before being convinced that the elf and her companion have fled somewhere else

He moved back towards the breach in the cargo bay wall and signaled the skiff back. The gnoll pirate then started to rearrange the boxes of spice so that it would be closer and easier to transfer.

Everyone was scrambling on the bridge. From the soarsled, Gian could Coreen she successfully cut one of the lines holding the ship. He could likewise see the gnolls trying to break free from the gluey tanglefoot bag substance. A couple feet away from them he could see Rourke likewise trying to struggle free from the same mess. It seems the warmage was unable to completely free himself but was able to fire off a summon spell of his own.

He wasn’t sure how Devlin was holding off against the two gnolls inside the bridge but the lightning bolt which blasted the side wall of the bridge did not look good.

“I need to even out the odds in there.” Gian thought to himself.

He maneuvered the sled and circled around towards the warmage.

“Give me your hand!” The artificer shouted as he grabbed hold of the warmage’s outstretched arm. Pulling hard and using the sled’s own velocity, he managed to pull free the warmage.

“We need to help Devlin at the bridge.” Gian said as he brought the sled towards the rear of the bridge where the wall was now splintered due to lightning blast.

“How’s your tumble skill?” the artificer asked as he threw the warmage towards the opening.

Damn it! Devlin cursed silently as the two gnolls breached the wall of ice. The gnoll sorcerer summoned a bolt of lightning, shattering the ice. The magical lightning bounced across the bridge, striking Devlin on the back. Strangely the electric blast did little damage to the Lyrandar captain.

The gnoll warrior cursed and he continued hacking through the ice with his sword. Devlin took a couple of steps away from the helm, his hands reaching for the staff of Gorlband.

As soon as the half elf grabbed hold of his staff, the ship shook violently. Devlin held the staff, using it for support and leverage. The gnoll fighter was unaffected by the ship's sudden movement, he continued to hack through the wall. The gnoll sorcerer, however, slipped and was lying prone on the floor.

"Good work Corren," Devlin muttered. The bookkeeper succeeded in cutting one of the last remaining ropes that tied the Ravenstorm to the docking tower.

The gnoll raider howled in triumph as he emerged from the broken wall. He raised his sword and charged towards Devlin.

Thinking quickly, Devlin raised his staff towards the raider's direction and muttered an incantation in Elvish: "Rulers of Faerie dancing under the moons, festive hearts blossom from friend of friends"

The tip of staff began to slimmer in hues of gold and sapphire. "I am not your enemy," Devlin calmly addressed the entranced raider. "Please restrain your companion."

"Damn it! You greedy little trinket!" Rourke thought at planar touchstone as he struggled with the strands of the unknown substance.

Rourke felt a humming in the back of his head that was the equivalent of the touchstone's laughing.

"I should throw you back in the desert."

The humming in his head intensified and "You would be useless without me in this fight warmage."

Rourke saw the bolt of lightning burst from behind the wall of ice conjured by Devin.

Rourke calmed himself and struggled to move forward to take a look . He could barely see Devlin and the gnolls thru the translucent sheet of ice.

A bit more focused, he fumbled for his spell components and once again intoned the words to summon a sand creature - this time a sand dire bat took form and instantly flew towards the bridge.

The large bat hit the wall of ice with enough force to crack it adn allow the swarm of sand bats to finally enter the bridge and gather around teh now prone gnoll sorcerer.

this photo was taken from another site.

"boldrei!! aargh .. pain .. throbbing pain .. calm .. rothaide .. " she is talking herself thru. crimson liquid steadily flowed from the menacing gash inflicted by the gnoll. it is as deep as it looks. blood drenched. her lower arm was covered entirely with it. she tried to stop the ebb by covering the angry wound with her other hand. each throb caused her to step back. her thoughts were all about escaping this monster. (aww shit this is painful) she continues, but now feeling a bit faint from the loss of blood.

she made it far enough that its safe for her to cast a spell without much interferance. "spawn of the shadow, you will pay for this". in elven it sounded more like a cheeful psalm rather than a curse. and neither was she concerned if the gnoll understood what she had said. her mind was focused on escape...

"but for now ..". she retrieves a white grey pouch from beneath one of her hidden pockets using her good arm. she raises it above her head. and then, forcefully hurls it towards the gnolls feet. it didnt have to hit, but it seemed to have served its purpose. a thick white column of smoke springs forth from the pouch. it covered the gnoll in an instant. it obscured everything in sight. herself included.

confident that the obscuring mist would provide her cover, she moves towards the deck to escape when the ship suddenly lurches from under her and she suddenly finds herself prone on the cargo room floor.

I made it out the main deck, keeping myself away from the raiders' prying eyes. I looked around and witnessed the carnage around me. One of the gnolls struck Rothaide with its filthy sword. The other raiders have incapacitated Gian and Rourke. Good think they haven't seen me yet.

Slowly I slipped out into the battle field, moving away from the raiders and my shipmates. I was about to move to one of the railings when I heard a loud explosion at the bridge. Several pieces of ice struck my back. I could sense Devlin muttering a curse as one of the sorcerers destroyed the ice cage he created.

"Sorry boss," I muttered. "I'm too busy to help you out."

It took a moment before I found one of the grappling hooks still firmly attached to the railing. I looked around, making sure that no one was paying me any attention.

I quietly and discreetly made my way to the hook. Raising my dagger, I began to cut the rope. A couple of slashes later one of the ropes holding the ship snaps off causing the ship once more to wobble in place.

Things are not going good for the team. Gian thought to himself as he tried to pull himself out of the tanglefoot compound. Gian, in his profession as an artificer, was familiar with the workings of the sticky substance. He knew that the substance instantly become tough and resilient upon exposure to air, essentially entangling anything it came into contact with. It would stay in that composition for a couple of minutes before it became brittle and one could easily escape. He, if he was to help his friends, however did not have that time. He made his body go loose when the substance started to envelope him and allowed him to avoid the majority of the spread and allow him to still move quite unhindered.

Gian could see that Rourke has likewise gotten himself trap in a tanglefoot mess on the deck. Both he and the warmage are now each at the mercy of a gnoll pirate. From what he could determine, Devlin cast a wall of ice on another pair of gnolls but effectively cut himself off from the rest of the crew and what looked like to be a swarm of Rourke’s sand bats. Hopefully, he can hold his own ground until we get out. Sovereigns know what’s happening to the women below deck.

First things first, I need to get out of this. A universal solvent would have been handy but the jar is downstairs in his lab below.

Gian looked around and saw the gnoll on the soarsled circle around towards him. He’s probably setting himself up for another shot or to move in to finish the job. Maybe I could use bluff myself out of this.

The artificer was able to turn his body so that he was partially covered by the railings and the other bits and pieces on the deck. This forced the gnoll to move closer that normal.

That’s it! Gian then pulled out a strip of paper with arcane marks from one of his many pouches and threw it towards the gnoll. It was an awkward throw but he only needed it to connect. The scroll flew true and hit the gnoll on one of its leg. It briefly flared blue much to the gnoll’s surprise. Blue sparks then rapidly spread and moved down a thin strand connected to the parchment and back down towards Gian.

There was another bright flare as the moving sparks hit the artificer, which was simultaneously echoed by another blue flare that enveloped the gnoll.

There was another bright flare as the moving sparks hit the artificer, which was simultaneously echoed by another blue flare that enveloped the gnoll.

A second later, Gian was maneuvering to keep the soarsled from hitting the gnoll pirate which was now surprised to see his self trapped on the deck in the tanglefoot mixture.

Borthast tried to catch the half-elf before he completed the spell but a blast of cold with propelled him back towards Ashtaka. When he comes to, both of them were already enclosed in a hemisphere of ice. He takes a second to check the sturdiness of the wall with a free hand and it seems pretty solid to him.

“What are you waiting for? Bash us out of here!” Ahstaka shouts at the gnoll fighter.

The gnoll fighter gave his companion a low growl but proceeded to swing his sword at the wall of ice in front of him. He gave the wall two clean slashes; his bastard sword chipping away huge chunks of ice from the wall.

“This is getting us nowhere!” Ahstaka barks out as she pushes her companion aside. She then pulls out a bit of fur and a glass rod from one of her numerous pouches. The sorceress then angles herself to where she last saw the half-elf and then points the glass rod at the spot the fighter was hacking at before.

A powerful stroke of electrical energy erupts from the tip of the glass rod and hits the weakened spot in the wall of ice. The lightning bolt bursts thru the wall and into the room beyond.

“Let’s see if he can survive that!” Ahstaka gives out a hyena like laugh and pushes Borthast in front of her. They emerge from the now shattered ice hemisphere but are surprised to see them face to face with a slightly scorched Lyrandar captain.

Devlin struggled to turn the ship's wheel as the Ravenstorm tried to align itself. His sudden maneuvering must have severed some of the ropes that tied the ship to the docking towers.

I hope I didn't break the ship in two, Devlin thought as he regained his bearing. He looked outside the window, hoping to check the ship's condition. But then he noticed a couple of gnoll raiders rushing through the bridge.

"Damn raiders," Devlin muttered to himself as a brutish gnoll, adorned in a crude scale mail armor, stepped into the bridge weilding a large sword. The warrior was followed by another one of his companions, a green-robed gnoll with several pouches dangling over his belt.

"You're the one who turned the ship!" The gnoll warrior cursed. Judging from his gruff voice, it was the same warrior who demanded the Ravenstorm surrender under the Bomu clan. "Surrender now or die!"

Devlin was about to answer back when he noticed the protective wards he placed around the bridge started to waver and fade. The half elf glanced over the gnoll in heavy robes and noticed that dogman was holding a glass bead on his hands.

Minor globe, Devlin thought to himself. These weren't ordinary raiders. It would take an accomplished magician to cast a globe that wards of lesser magic. Somehow he had to even the odds.

Devlin released his hands from the wheels as if he was surrendering, but he quickly muttered a few arcane words.

The two gnolls charged at Devlin but they were suddenly held back by a powerful blast of cold artic wind. The gnoll warrior howled in frustration as a blanket of ice began to engulf them from all corners, trapping them inside a hemisphere of frozen ice.