TEMPLE OF ELEMENTAL EVIL
SESSION 019 - Trouble a Foot
SESSION 019 - Trouble a Foot
MOONDAY, 03 FIRESEEK (MID WINTER) 579CY
The fire spread across the bar counter of the Waterside Hostel. The flames seemed to have found a life of their own, as they raced towards the bottles of alcohol stacked on the dusty wooden shelves behind the bar. Markus looked back nervously, keeping a watchful eye on the fire behind him.
Markus found that he had many questions still unanswered from the events earlier. His head still throbbed and the taste of cheap wine still lingered in his mouth from his earlier drinking binge with the half-orc. His head felt thick and the weight of his bow weighed heavily on his arms. He watched the fight in the street before him, bidding his time to get in a well-placed arrow ever so often. Tonight would not be a night that he would find rest; trouble seemed to follow wherever they went.
Siam had shaken him awake earlier, from his drunken slumber. He blinked his eyes open to find Siam and his mother’s standing before him. Holding his head he sat up. Markus shook his head to clear the effects of cheap wine and the Keolandish brandy he had consumed earlier. He could feel the smoke like tendrils slowly releasing its grip on his dulled brain. “M-m-m-other … S-s-s-Siam … How did you escape Mother?” stammered Markus.
The rest of the companions gathered in the room to listen to how Siam had rescued Markus’s mother. Plans were hastily made for their escape, for they knew there would be consequences, but the friends also realised that all would be lost if they retreated back to Hommlet. It was decided that only Anmar and Markus’s mother would be going back to Hommlet for now. Anmar could return later once he had recovered from his injuries.
It was at this point that the barmaid, Pearl was noticed skulking at the slightly open door, confronted a fight ensued which resulted in Wat coming to her aid. Pearl was quickly dispatched in the passage way outside the room where Erehwon slept. The half-orc was soon woken from his drunken slumber by sounds of a fight outside his room. Grabbing his axe Erehwon waded into the fight with the assassin Wat. Wat realising that the odds were not in his favour any longer made for a daring escape through the half-orcs room’s open window, resulting in his own death.
It wasn’t long after the fight that Siam and Darius had spotted torches approaching the inn from the direction of the house Siam had found Markus’s mother. Quickly the companions gathered there belongings and made their way to the inn’s common room.
Darius watched as his trusty companion Alfons stepped through the portal with the injured paladin and Markus’s mother on his back. “That’s one less thing to worry about … for now!” muttered the old druid.
Markus’s cleared his head as he once again focused on the fight before him. Erehwon had just slain Black Wolf with a mighty blow from his great axe. The blow had severed the man’s spine and a second blow for good measure had sent the bastard’s head tumbling down the road. He was surprised by the earlier events when he spotted the second group approaching from the south towards the inn. The odds were starting not looking good. The two groups clashed just outside the inn and a fight ensued. The sounds of steel and the flashes of magic soon filled the night air.
The spells cast from Darius and Duerin caused devastating effects on the battle. Soon it was just a handful of men, Balabar and Vex left. With arrows, spells and steel thinning the ranks even more, Vex soon fell to barrage of arrows and spells.
Balabar ripped into the remaining man before him, his tusks dripping blood and gore, but he too soon fell to the prowess of the companions before him. A fatal blow found its mark on the wereboar. The companions cheered as they watched the wereboar fall to the ground.
Balabar felt the blade bite deep into his side; it was at that point that his magical ring flared. He could feel the magic of the ring course through his body as he felt his body been ripped into millions of tiny gas molecules.
He laughed as he rose from the ground in his gaseous form, “Not this night my daughter …” he laughed and floated towards the inn’s second floor.
Siam livid with rage continued her assault on her father, as did the rest of her companions. Sian knew that she would have to get to the second floor of the inn before Balabar escaped into the window.
Siam kept an eye on Balabar as she ran towards the front of the Waterside Hostel bent on the task of killing Balabar once and for all.
A thunderous boom shook the common room of the inn as the large barrels of brandy and other spirits ignited. The ignited barrels arced through the air like molten balls of lava. The sound of the exploding barrels ripped through the night sky, followed by the sound of the windows of the inn exploding.
The shock wave slammed into Siam knocking her and her friends to the ground as bits of glass and wood peppered the ground around them.
Anger flared anew in Siam as she gazed up to where Balabar had been moments ago. He had managed to make it through the open window of one of the second story rooms.
The companions gathered there weapons and picked themselves up off of the ground. Balabar would be there’s this night.
The gaseous form of Balabar smiled down at Siam, as he licked his blood flecked lips.
“There they are! They are the ones responsible! Look at what they have done to my inn,” screamed Dick pointing at the companions before him. He fell to his knees, as the tears rolled down his cheeks. Dick clutched at the bits of wood and glass in the mushy blood covered snow, letting them fall to the ground through his trembling hands.
“YOU ... “screamed the Hostler, as he pointed to the companions before him, “ALL OF YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS! I WILL MAKE YOU ALL PAY!”
The men were not far off that had been following Dick. Darius knew that they had to act quickly.
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