Ronalt smiled at Alrrem, "It is good to see you again Alrrem. We have much to talk about."
"Shall we retire to your rooms then?"
"The treaty with the troll wasn't working out as he abused some of my companions while fetching some items for him."
"So delicious bargain will you off us this time?"

Sven glowered at the corpses　wordlessley, daring them to rise with one eye. Disgusted at the lack of movement, he examined Alrｒem`s　ｔｗｏ hammers all the while hoping for an excuse to spill more blood - that much was present in his manner.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:14, Thu 12 June 2014.

Haldan, still hoping the dwarven cleric will be able to help him, introduces himself to the others while he's waiting.

"I'm Haldan, by the by. Glad you stopped by. My dwarven friend here, Amathaon, and I got attacked in our inn! We split up, he got caught first, and they finally tracked me down as well." He frowns, still probing his wounded side gingerly.

"I wonder what they were after. Fodder for sacrifice, maybe?"

The robed half-elf stepped back from the cell door just long enough to bow briefly toward the halfling.

"I am Yew," he responded.

Then he turned back to continue checking the cells.

"By the way, I believe there was a longsword and several daggers left behind in the room behind the mirror where we fought those werewolves. I collected the crossbows from there yesterday but left a few things that were of no immediate use to us," Yew added.

"Truly, Brother Yew? I am most grateful to hear it. Might you show me where that is, and quickly? I would most grateful. I am Luthien, by the way. Simply a horseman in training for greater things."

He seems eager to go off and collect the weapon he knows how to use.

"Perhaps we should all go together, for safety's sake?" asks Haldan anxiously, still looking hopefully at Arek and favoring his side...

Apparently satisfied, Sven packs the hammers for later and turns to smile at the newcomers. It had to be a smile, anyway. Sunken eyes scanned the prisoners and a coffin like voice reached their ears.
"Sven."
A skeletal hand points in turn at the others of his group not yet introduced. First the Ranger "Ronalt."
Then the tall redheaded lady "Ivianna", followed by the pale zookeeper in the back corner; "Tindoome... and, eh, pets."

Turning back to the priest he began tying the man's hands behind his back and hobbling his feet. A minute later and the party had a fine addition to their already varied array of pets. He even had a leash - apparently Sven felt it appropriate.
Walking their prize over to Arek, he asked the dwarf "What you want to do whi him Alrek? ... Sven calls him Scrappy"
The tall figure leaned over the leader of the fire temple and stopped with his scarred excuse of a face an inch from Alrrem's "And Scrappy'll show uz out off here, won't he?" he whispered alarmingly loudly. "Or he'll get his fingers broke." he added hungrily.
"Of course first we need to stop and get zis man a real Shiv!" he aimed the last over his shoulder at the young human. Sven was very pro-weapons.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:07, Sat 14 June 2014.

Ronalt is content to have the fire priest's hands bound, "nothing more for now, Sven. He is a prisoner."
"He will aid us in returning my sword and pack. Give us a better understanding of this underground lair and its exits."
"Should he get out of hand, then you may play with him then."

Luthien actually nods enthusiastically.

"Yes, let us hence, lest he try to betray us. Oh, and one other thing we should do..."

He rips off the priest's unholy fire symbol, and casually tosses it in the prison cell they'd been stuck in.

"Now, even if he manages to get free, he won't be casting any spells until he runs all the way back up here to retrieve his unholy symbol. I considered destroying it outright, but I'm not really sure how yet."

Once she is relatively certain the combat has not drawn more attackers, Tindo moves to the room to take in the newcomers. When she sees the halfling she checks her pouches and belongings to ensure they are sill there.

In reply to Brother Yew (msg # 30):

"Nah, all b'low in tha' shrine. Yer an' Sven too' 'em yest'rday, 'member?"

Moving from Amathaon to Haldan, Arek laid his hand on the halflings ribs. "Oh migh'y Fath'r o' Battl', 'eal this un so 'e kin figh' agin fer yer glory."

"Iviana lass, yer gonna 'elp ou' wi' a bi' o' 'ealin' too?"

In reply to Sven (msg # 33):

"He'd ma' a go' frien' fer Kombie I'ma t'inkin'. Wouldna ta' moren'a li' tap on 'is noggin'."
From the seriously wounded state Alrrem appeared to be in, a light breeze would probably be enough to tip him over the edge into unconsciousness and certain death.

Yew unlocks the cell with the ogres keys, throwing open the door to reveal four dishevelled and beaten elves, all dressed in clothing which once upon a time could have been described as fine and worthy of a noble. Three males crowd protectively in front of a female slumped exhausted in the corner.

In reply to Amathaon Chalkbreaker (msg # 22):

"You may borrow my dagger for now if you wish." The prince held forth a very fine weapon, an aura of enchantment surrounding it, strong enough to cast it's own faint shadows.
"It is a powerful weapon, perhaps more powerful than any you have previously wielded."
"Carry it well and with honour."

Haldan breathes a sigh of relief as the dwarven cleric uses his powers to re-align his delicate halfling ribs!

“I'm grateful, Wise Arek, for your blessings. I vow to mix it up and put more of the foe down, and I'll gladly chant for the Father of Battles!”

Luthien, meanwhile, excitedly asks the Prince, "Shall we depart now? There could well be reinforcements coming, so once we've freed those elves over there, we must leave."

To that end, he asks the elves, "Can you 4 walk? We're jailbreaking out of here. And rescuing you guys too!"

Amathaon nodded to the prince as he accepted the dagger. He replied, "Thank you prince. I shall carry it with honor." He stuck it in his belt for now. At least with two edged weapons, he felt he could better take care of himself. Looking at the elves, he wondered what their story was. Since he didn't want to weigh himself down with weapons, Amathaon put down the club.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:08, Tue 17 June 2014.

Brother Yew bowed to the four elvish prisoners and gestured for them to come out of the cell.

[Language unknown: "Leivetpl, ndeoutcon. N n Hockan Red. Re ionol ingsheunders i lat sthapa ort ro stholi ingstrwhe. Ursi ek tedderent someveome ere, ni miad to ore tori ol. Wheterthuiou ch ti mi m heril foin i eveen salireprni andel di san prelesthi podich ort m thuilltha sandtiur maal vir."]

He retreated to give them time to gather enough courage to come out on their own.

"Yes, I remember now," he responded to Arek. "I did take those weapons downstairs.  So many of them. Half a dozen daggers, light crossbows, a morning star, two spears, a shortsword and a longsword. I only left a longbow, two shortbows and their arrows up here. Master horseman, I apologise for the confusion my lapse of memory may have caused."

He looked at Ronalt, Arek and the Prince in turn.

"Do you wish some of us to fetch some of those things for our new friends before we proceed further? Perhaps Alrrem will now show us the way out of here, or perhaps with so many new friends there will be some among us who can approach the locked and warded doors at the top of the stairs and open them for us all to leave."

"I think we send Gwythe and Yew, if they agree otherwise I will go. They are quiet and quick. Not that I don't trust our new companions but one could be more than they seem." Ronalt replies to Arek.
Turning to the bound prisoner, "You have some items to return to us. My sword and pack. Some baubles the other had. Where are they?"
"You can then show us a map of this complex."
"Once we have a way to walk out of this place you will be released. Stray from the conditions and Sven will have his way with you."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:37, Wed 18 June 2014.

Luthien shook his head. "Worry not, Brother Monk. Just take me to the sword as soon as may be managed, and I shall be content."

Haldan smiles tightly at the comment from the tall man in the green cloak (Ronalt), but says nothing.

Giving his gear one more check, he straightens his clothes and begins nosing about the chamber, inspecting and trying to learn what he can.

"So, where in the nine hells are we, anyway? Some dark temple complex, I suspect? And this fellow is a fire priest, I believe someone said?"

Amathaon perked up upon hearing about the bows. He said, "Good brother, were there any hand crossbows or a falchion style sword  among those weapons?"

Tindo goes over to the elf prisoners.

To Amathaon's question Yew responded in the negative.

"Neither hand crossbow nor falchion have I seen so far. Are you able to use a light crossbow instead?"

He was able to offer a more detailed response to Haldan's question but not the full answer he was looking for.

"The priest is Alrrem, Precept of Fire. This is the Fire Temple and they appear to be rivals with temples of the other elements here. While he held the Prince hostage he wanted us to do two things before he would show us the way out of here. First we must 'persuade' someone called Romag of the Earth Temple to ally with him. Secondly we were to 'convince' Belsornig, priest of the Water Temple to step aside. Presumably there might be an Air Temple as well to complete the full set of the four elements but that is just a guess at this point."

Haldan shakes his head in disgust. He looks at the captive fire priest as well.

"Can't handle your own problems. Pathetic.

Knowing that, could've hired someone to help. Didn't.

Expected that holding a hostage would get folks to do an adequate job. Ridiculous.

Kidnapped my friend Amathaon and I -- for what? That can only have gone worse.

Do you ever just pay for services, you worm?"