The combat is close and personal as those Harpies on the wing close with the four interlopers. Kobal's magical javelins strike one after the other, sending their targets spiralling downwards, where they are snapped up by the denizens of the deep.

Salen has had to draw his sword, now that he's out of javelins and it's whilst he's pulling the blade from his sheath that he's scooped up in a net and carried off into the gloom.

More Harpies have arrived, their calls deafening and disorientating the nomad braves, some of their darts finding their marks,either thudding into shields or thwacking into flesh.

One of those carrying Salen slows as a binding spell takes holed, but it's quickly replaced by another and Kobal's second attempt is thwarted by a dart piercing his cheek and tongue. The Condor brave finds himself being carried to one of the other far off caves, with his captors swooping low to enter...

"We must be still for me to help and I am too busy focussing on protecting you all from chaos magic" comes back Emesh-Ga's terse reply "A ceremony beyond has begun and they are summoning a demon of some sort."

As the ancient guardian speaks Hoskar shield bashes a Harpy off into the abyss, but is brought to a stand still as two Harpies hang onto the massive square of copper, their talons refusing to let go. Both are attempting to take off...

"Quick to the cave" shouts Leaper, who is shooting arrows every direction, from where he stands near the far side of the arch.

Still discomfitted from his slip and out of javelins Salen barely has time to set himself before he is swept up in a harpy net and carried off!

What the hell is happening to me today?!

Caught fast there is little he can do, but...no, wait. His shield is pinned, but if he can just slide his arm out...then his hand will be free. If his hand is free, he can get his dagger. If he can get his dagger, he can cut the net. If he can cut the net...well, he would wait and see.

He fished out his magic dagger, and he began cutting.

Flushed with his success so far, feeling mighty, there is a fierce glint in Hoskar's eyes and a battle grin on his face. Time to act Rhino, I reckon.

As the harpies hang onto the shield, their limbs make a tempting target indeed. A talon in range takes a sudden headbutt, trapping claws against metal and severing bone and sinew alike to the sound of a wail from the feathered foe as it reels suddenly backward; a move giving Hoskar time to charge forward, second Harpy and all, kicking furiously up at the chaos beast as he advances shaking his head to clear the blood from his eyes which trickles down from a cut where his forehead met with shield metal while harming the harpy.

Kobal hurries towards Leaper.  The quicker they're out of this large cave the better - the large space makes it easier for the harpies to maneuver.

As he makes his away across the arch, he pulls the dart out of his mouth, trying to ignore the pain, and with a quick look at the rune carved on the inside of his shield, mutters a quick spell to heal the hole in his face.

Not only Tarosh to save, but now also Salen.



And now a summoning to stop.

Demon summoning, he sends to Haaro.  Where are the others?!
This message was last edited by the player at 05:49, Fri 23 Oct 2015.

As those Rangers still on the arch run for the other side and the safety of cover the remaining Harpies, screeching with rage shower them with a last flight of darts and ineffectual magic and then on mass swerve off towards the other caves...

Kobal's wound knits closed, thankfully easing the throbbing pain and allowing him to speak properly. He reaches Leaper who is hunkered down just inside the cave, several Harpies lying on the ground, arrows protruding from their dirty bodies. It's not long before Hoskar skids in beside them and they can take stock of the situation...

They're in a large cave with only one other exit, directly ahead, the passage curving out of view. The walls of which flicker from spluttering fat lamps, which smell suspiciously like Gern fat or worse.

About the braves' feet the floor is littered with bones and generations worth of accumulated debris, which in the gloom seems to be moving this way and that.

Insects, rodents and other vermin, drawn by the waste and likely an easy food source for the denizens of the place.

As they stare about none can avoid the cacophony that comes from ahead...Drums, piercing hysterical laughter and screeches, and the hair raising build up of bad magic.

Grimacing from the loathsome sounds and bad smells, Hoskar brushes some pulped harpy from his shield's rim, and blinks around.

Well isn't this fun? he asks dryly.

I reckon we have to go on. Maybe if we try to work out which one's running whatever ceremony they're up to and all fire our best shot at it together first that'll put a stop to things. It's going to be hard enough living through this without demons to contend with.

Wonder how the others are doing he adds worriedly.

Kobal pauses a moment next to the tunnel, resting against the cave wall to catch his breath.  They don't have much time though - lives depend on it.  "Captain, Haaro said something about those above needing help.  Is there anything you can do?"

At the same time, he checks in with his familiar to see how the others are faring.

He looks to Hoskar.  "Aye, we go on.  But bear in mind I'm out of javelins."  He scans the cave floor in case by chance either has fallen to the ground instead of the depths on either side of the arch.

To all of them, he says, "If you see a chance to this water pipe of mine," he jerks a thumb to his back, "let me know."

whilst Hoskar heals the last of kobal's damage, leaper does the same to the nasty wound in his leg. Then quickly he relieves any arrows he can, returning with one of Salen's javelins which he hands to Kobal.

"Surprised we made it in one piece...You think Salen will be alright?"

"I can not sense them, there are ancient forces here curtailing my magic...We must act fast, for I fear what they might be summoning. It seems our invasion has caused them to rightly fear their annihilation."

The passage beyond here curves away to open back on the great cavern we just left and also on another large space, a place filled with dread. Then beyond is their holy of holies and my guess where they congregate..."

"Thank you, Emesh-Ga," Kobal says.  He thanks Hoskar for the healing with a pat on the shoulder.

Taking the javelin from Leaper, he says, "I think we'd better hurry if we're to save both Tarosh and Salen.  And stop this summoning."  He looks to Hoskar.  "I think we don't have time to wait for the others.  Let's go now and hope we meet up with them further ahead."  Putting his sword back in its scabbard he rushes into the tunnel, hoping to follow the sounds to lead them to the harpies.

Kobal, Hoskar and Leaper advance down the passage quickly but not quietly. Who cares though for the Harpies knew they were already there.

Expecting conflict at every corner the Rangers' weapons are at the ready and charm are prepared for instant casting.

First the come to another bend, the outer curve open to what must be another huge cavern, which without illumination is a well of darkness. Coming from it is an evil stench of death and despair and it takes all their willpower to continue. The passage, still lit by intermittent fat lamps set in niches stretches forward, at it's end  two openings in to the Cave of echoes, situated where the passage curves out of sight once more.

It's a they begin to advance that from out of the darkness of the Cave of echoes comes a group of Harpies, landing to block the tunnel. They begin to jeer at the three braves, jiggling their fetish covered chests in their direction, the dried genitalia hanging from human hair bouncing up and down in time to their crude calls.

As this sickening dance takes place, the beat of drums, the stench of death and ever increasing pulses of magic comes from all directions, disorientating the Rangers and making them want to vomit and reel from the magical disorder....

"Be strong...I will calm your nerves and lend you strength" booms the voice of their Guardian spirit, and as he takes a visible green light begins to shimmer around the three braves.

"Thank you, Lord," Kobal groans, shaking his head to throw off the effects of the disorientation.  No time to waste in front of these Chaos beasts.  "For the Green!" he shouts, and launches his javelin at one of the harpies.

Kobal's javelin is joined by a magically charged sling shot and several arrows, the fusillade slamming into the jeering mob as the three Rangers charge forward.

Leaper continues firing until the last second, dropping his bow to leap forward with his broken dagger ready to strike, at his side runs Hoskar intent on knocking back the Harpies, preferably out and into the dark depths of the Cave of Echoes.

One Harpy, older and better armed than the rest glides forward to meet Kobal, parrying his sword thrust with a small tortoise shell buckler, but not quick enough to dodge the follow up headbutt that kills her instantly. Leaper takes a spear to the side, luckily deflected by a rib so that it slides off without killing him. His attacker tries to fly over the Ranger's heads but a talon is grabbed by Hoskar and she's pulled down to a messy end.

All three are injured, but only scratches as their superior armour or in the case of the naked Leaper pure luck and magic, has saved the day once more.

Gasping for breath at the edge of the opening into the vast echoing cavern beyond, Leaper laughs as he spits blood from a split lip and bust up nose. "One of them near took my snout off with it's beak"

The Harpy survivors had flown off once more back into the darkness, leaving the three braves time to heal, drink water and empty bladders.

And during all of this the noise of the ceremony has reached a fever pitch, and is most certainly coming from around the next bend in the tunnel

Kobal takes only a quick breather, to ensure that the others have no wounds that need fixing, that his charm of thick bison hide still protects him, and to look for the javelin that he threw.

"Lord," he says to the spirit in his helm, "how large is the next cave.  Large enough for the harpies to fly easily about?"

"Large and the roof is high, it is connected to the dark cave that we past back a ways, not the one that echoes, but the one filled with dread."

The tunnels that the Rangers have travelled through so far average 20m in width and height.

Grimacing with the tension, Hoskar can only think of what might be, and of time passing. Reckon the longer we wait, the worse it'll get. I still say peer in and hit whatever seems to be running the show. Anyone got anything better, or need healing first?

"Wait I can feel the others now. They are together, further into the cave system. They stand near an opening to the cave of Echoes."

Kobal is about to agree with Hoskar when Emesh-Ga offers the latest piece of news.  "Thank you, Lord.  If the others are close, can you lead us to them?  Otherwise, we should forge ahead to stop the ritual."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:44, Tue 27 Oct 2015.

"You must go through the cave of echoes to find them, though perhaps you can shout or use your familiar?"

"I detect s spirit talker in the next cave. A powerful controller of spirits. She is releasing the souls of captives..."

And to confirm this several long drawn out screams come from the dread filled cave behind them.

The Thunder Bird brave considers the Earth Knight's advice.  It would be too hard to descend into the darkness of the cave of echoes.  Haaro, can you tell the others where we are?  The screams don't leave him much time to wait, particularly given that the cat didn't respond the last time he sent it a thought.

"Been busy getting hunted by a Cliff toad" comes back the reply "I'm outside, but Rikki is with me and he can contact Henal. What do you want?"

Contact is made and both groups are in contact once more, knowing roughly where both groups are and that Henal's group has one of the pure Harpies with them.

Tell the others it seems the cave where the ritual is taking place is between both our groups, away from the cave of echoes.  If we attack from two directions, hopefully we can stop the ritual and save the good harpies.  And take care of yourself, Kobal sends to his familiar.

Quickly, he relays to Hoskar and Leaper that Tarosh and Salen are safe, and the news about the good harpy.

"Let's go.  We hunt harpies!"  Without waiting for the other two, he readies his weapon and shield and makes his way further down the dimly lit tunnel.

Relaxing momentarily with relief at the news Kobal brings from Emesh-Ga himself, Hoskar raises a wan smile a moment, then sets his face hard.

Catch them between hammer and anvil if we're lucky. I'll still aim for whatever looks like its in charge first: see if we can put a stop to this.

Hurrying to avoid losing contact with the clearly-keen Kobal, he follows the helm-wearer's lead, twirling his sling determinedly.

You can join the others in the other thread.

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