There being little she could do before the beasts appear, Triladir contented herself by increasing her own security.  Casting a spell to do so, three identical images of the mage appeared making it much harder to determine where she exactly was.

OOC: 16:25, Today: Triladir rolled 56 using 1d100+8. mirror images. (=3 images)
16:24, Today: Triladir rolled 0 using 1d10-2. init.

Natasha kept hauling Brutus's tether, attempting to draw the beast to the surface with the prospect of a tasty juicy mage.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:23, Tue 07 Feb 2012.

Jeremiah stood waiting at the edge of the hole looking down at the ankheg. He held Paramel impatiently. Not willing yo jump fifteen feet down to meet it he had to settle for a threatening look for now.

This must be how a fish feels reeled into a boat, Brutus is thinking as he is hauled quite unceremoniously and rudely from his tunnel.  The rope digs into his midsection, nearly taking his breathe.  Fine, if they want to be the heroes, let them, he had the bugs just where he wanted, and tucks a scroll away, and staggers away from the hole.

With a deep sigh, the young gnome begins to move the wagons a bit further away; when the dimensions of the playing field can be altered at any time by your foe, you can never be too careful.

With Prudence's assistance, Brutus scrambled from the hole, caked in mud and still slightly steaming from the fireball back blast.
Fenube meanwhile, and with the eager assistance of the three teamsters, directs the wagons away from the expected area of combat and further down the hill.
Triladir rapidly casts a spell and is suddenly duplicated. Not even her own mother would be able to tell which of the four is really her.
As Brutus scrabbles out of the way, a giant insect head, much larger than the two Bregor has been taking apart snaps at his ankles. It's body rises further up until it towers over even Scrufulus, still mounted on his horse.
About 30 feet away near where Bregor has been working alone, the ground shifts, a sure sign of impending doom erupting beneath him....

New round. One is visible and able to be attacked with melee and missiles. A second is threatening to seize Bregor.

Brutus moves away from the hole he has come out of, and moves towards Bregor, trying to move to make a clear angle to be able to see whatever comes up from the ground.   When it does, he will begin casting.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:01, Wed 22 Feb 2012.

With the monster towering above them it was easy for Triladir to find a clear line of sight. Summoning her magics again, a bolt of lightning erupted impacting on the creature!

OOC:

08:37, Today: Triladir rolled 28 using 8d8. Lightning bolt. Save for half damage

Before the creature can attack, Triladir cals upon mighty magics and spears it with a lightning bolt. Already badly scorched from Brutus' earlier fireball, it literally explodes as the electricity tears into it - flesh and exoskeleton rain down across a wide area.

Athelstan and Jeremiah, both spying the danger Bregor is in, charge their horses towards the Druid. They are too late to do much more than give moral support however and Brutus, slightly delayed by his efforts to regain the surface, redirects his three missiles away from his original target and into the 2nd beast just as it is breaking the surface. It to dies horribly as the three bolts of magic tear ito it's head, having suffered even more from the earlier fireball.

Everyone goes still, listening, feeling the ground for any further danger.

All is quiet, only the freezing drizzle causing a few pebbles to shift and fall into the gaping holes in the ground....

Brutus takes a deep breathe, tucks his bearded chin into his shoulder for a few moments, as if resting, after the kill.

"What... a... mess," Fenube mutters, clearly blaming the others for the uncouth and untidy resolution to the encounter.

Demonstrably the little gnome is quite disgusted at the worm-viscera et al. Waiting for the all clear from the others, no little time is spent assuring none of the gook got on the fine century-old kimono with it's dancing crane motif in shades of grey and black on a creamy silk background.

After a few moments pass, Brutus straightens back up, dusts himself off and heads back to the entrance.  If there is room to get past the dead insect, he'll again put on the rope to be lowered down, asking first for the magical light, and will try to explore the tunnels again, hopefully finding a wealth of treasure rather than more fire and bugs.

Jeremiah graciously steps aside and gestures grandiosely for the fiery mage to enter the hole again at his leisure.
"That's how it's done, eh?" Said an impressed Paladin.

After waiving Brutus through Jeremiah brought the flat of Paramel up like a mirror and addressed the weapon face to face, so to speak;
"Care to lower me down as well? You may even get a new pommel stone out of it if we're lucky."

Brutus is once again in the firm hands of the lovely monk who just seconds ago was cocking a large crossbow. How it packed away and was replaced by rope in such short notice was a mystery to all who were not watching her with one eye at all times.


Brutus is tied up in a slightly heavy-handed manner, and probably well more prepared for the gentle shove when it came.

At least buy the man dinner... Equus pawed the ground, shook his ponderous head and wondered what fools couldn't even speak horse.

A sharp and above all understanding look was enough to make the horse back off, Ultra Heavy Magic Warhorse or no.

"Nothing wrong with a bit of overkill, it's underkill you need to avoid." said Trialdir as she surveyed her handiwork.

Chuckling at the light hearted banter of the others (particularity the wisdom shared by sister Trialdir) Fenube checks the oxen and the others to make sure everyone is all right.

Clearly all has been forgive, gnomes were rarely known to hold a grudge for longer than forty seven seconds.

"You still owe me for moving the ankheg!" the sword huffed.
"And you want levitation not telekinesis."
It was almost possible to hear the sword rolling it's proverbial eyes at the Paladin.
"Humans!"
This message was last updated by the player at 04:59, Mon 27 Feb 2012.

"I must disagree, Levitation is simply telekinesis on ones self, and as he is not asking you to lower yourself, lady blade, then it is indeed telekinesis he requires."

"So, you can shift things with your mind then can you?"
As usual, the sword was showing a decided lack of patience and respect for anyone who wasn't an elf.

"Let me put it into simple terms for you. Levitation is like lifting yourself by your boot straps. The far superior and capable telekinesis is a bit like reaching out with a magical arm and lifting the item. You've got to be in contact with a larger object to make it work."

"And no, don't try to argue the point, it's much more complex than that, too much for such young minds as yours to comprehend."

If it wasn't for the swords usefulness, some may have been tempted to wrap it around a tree...

"How odd for a sword to miss the point!"

An impish smile if followed by a fluted titter.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:15, Tue 28 Feb 2012.

Jeremiah then waited at the edge of the hole. "I am probably the heaviest one here, so won't hassle anybody with lowering me down. It seems safe, so I will wait here."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:22, Sat 03 Mar 2012.

Natasha had no objection to scuffling down the hole with Brutus once she had passed the rope to Jeremiah.

"You haul then. I will climb." was all she said. She then proceeded to do just that.

Prudence slapped her forehead.
"How could I forget!?"
"I have a magical climbing rope in my pack we can all use."
Recovering the item from within the wagon her additional possessions were carried in, she ordered the rope to secure itself to a convenient boulder and knot itself for an easier climb.
"Skrufulus, after you... "