Three days from the initial request found Nostariel and her friends on the path to the Deep Roads. It was a full day of travel, and not a particularly pleasant one. It had started raining in the morning, and varied between damp drizzle and full-on downpour for the entirety of the afternoon. The four of them were all seasoned travelers and hardy people, so it slowed their progress less than it would with others, but she would not deny that by the time they camped, she was soaked to the bone and chilled. Luckily, the rain abated enough for a fire, which put some of the heat back in her small frame and stopped the shivering, at least.
The next morning saw them back on the move, the weather still overcast but not precipitating, and it was under a grey sky around midday that they came upon the entrance she was looking for. It was hardly impressive, really: from here, it looked simply like a crevasse in the ground, less notable than some of the caves on the Wounded Coast, even. But it was big enough for Darkspawn to fit through, and that was the important thing. Theyâd all fit, too, though it might be a tight squeeze for Lucien in all his armor.
âThere are Darkspawn inside,â she said, then frowned. âObviously. But theyâre close. They can sense me by now, but I doubt theyâre expecting four. Try not to land blind.â Getting down there would essentially involve lowering themselves into the crevasse and hanging by their arms long enough to get their bearings before dropping to the ground below. It was a bit of a climb to get out again, but actually a little easier than getting in, because the walls had handholds that one could use from that direction. Shifting a few things around on her shoulders, she tucked the bundle of camp supplies she held under an arm, keeping the strap on her shoulder but freeing up her quiver and bow for easy reach. It would be a bit stupid strategically for her to go in first, and she could only suppose that either Lucien or Ithilian would choose to do that.
Believing himself best suited for the task of going first, Ithilian stepped up to the crevasse and peered down into the depths. "I'll scout it out." Of the party, he seemed the logical choice. Lucien was perhaps a little too heavily armored to be the first to clamber or drop down into the unknown. Ashton would be able to handle it fine, but was inexperienced in melee combat compared to Ithilian. Nostariel was the force that would be keeping the group alive if things got ugly. Thus it fell to Ithilian to take the risk.
He lowered himself in slowly, not drawing any of his weapons so that he could better grapple against the wall. His blades could be drawn quickly enough if they needed to be. He wedged himself between the walls, sliding his back down until the crevasse reached a width at which this method became illogical. At that point, he reached across and snagged a handhold glancing down below. The drop was short, short enough that he could clearly see the ground. The problem was that seeing did not guarantee a safe landing. The parts of the Deep Roads untouched by dwarves were always jagged and uneven surfaces. The darkspawn were accustomed to navigating their own homes, whereas outsiders often were not. Steady footing would be difficult to obtain.
He could hear them already, both moving and speaking to one another in their guttural drawl, at least four or five from what he could tell. They could undoubtedly sense Nostariel above, and Ithilian could tell it was making them agitated. They could not sense him, however. He lowered himself down until he could go no lower, and then dropped, watching the ground carefully as he fell. The landing was uneven, but he managed to avoid twisting an ankle. Shadows concealed the area well enough for his light landing to go unnoticed, and this allowed him to survey the enemy party before engaging. There were three genlocks and four hurlocks, one of which was an emissary, another that was clearly an Alpha, judging by his superior armor and hefty battleaxe. A good target to knock off first, then. Ithilian drew his bow and nocked an arrow in a single fluid motion, leaning out from around the side of the rock to aim at the warrior. The arrow thwacked into the eye socket of the hurlock's helmet, dropping him like so much tainted meat. That, of course, drew the agression of the others.
But not before another Hurlock fell beside the Emissary, an arrow sticking out of his throat. The wince Ashton gave was nearly audible, but not so much as the whispered curse, "Dammit, was aiming for it's head," He admitted. Ashton had given Ithilian a few seconds head start before he followed down after him. Sure, the elf could scout it out, and Ashton would help. One didn't simply just go into the Deep Roads alone, no matter how deadly the elf was. Beside, they were all going to be down there sooner than later-- so why not sooner?
Fortunately for him, his height and build lent itself to slipping down the crack with relative ease. It was no tree he was climbing down, but the process was similar in nature. He too managed to land safely at the bottom, though he ended up in a three-point stance. The ground was not so level as he would have liked it, but such was life. He did at least land without much noise-- what kind of hunter would he be if he made any noise what-so-ever? He slipped in behind Ithilian, and managed to let loose an arrow just before the others were completely alerted. it left something to be desired for his aim, his arrow hitting lower than initially expected, but a hit was a hit in the end.
"Think they know we're here?" Ashton asked in deadpan, over the hissing and growling Darkspawn.
If they didnât before, they certainly knew it when Lucien landed, because he wasnât terribly quiet about it. Therein lay the disadvantage of full plate, unfortunately, but thankfully it didnât make a difference anyhow. He hit the ground harder than either of the more rougish members of the party, but he was smart enough to take the impact on bent knees, and though there was a clang as the head of his axe hit the stone wall, it was in his hands soon enough, and he chose to simply step into the open rather than taking refuge behind something, bringing the weapon up and around over his shoulder into a vertical blow with enough force to cleave the nearest darkspawn from skull to chest cavity. Using his leg to shove it off, he transitioned smoothly into a pivot, carrying the chopping blade into a sweeping horizontal motion that knocked one of the genlocks into another. The one heâd actually hit died, but the other managed to regain its feet.
Nostariel was the last to drop, and she wasnât particularly graceful about it, landing somewhat awkwardly and with a hiss on her ankle, which turned uncomfortably, but it wasnât sprained, so she was fine. Lucien and some overturned pillars were more than enough cover from which to shoot behind, and between three archers and one axe-swinging knight, a handful of darkspawn were hardly ample challenge. The emissary, however, was cleverer than his partners, and instead of trying to attack them directly, he aimed what looked like a stonefist at the ceiling of the cavern.
The Wardenâs eyes tracked the shotâthe parts of the Deep Roads that had gone this long without dwarven maintenance were known for being unstable, and this wasnât even one of the entrances her organization used on a regular basis, so nobody else had come to survey it either, but surely it wouldn't⊠she yelped as a large stone landed not a foot from her, between herself and Ithilian on her other side. âLook out!â she shouted, just in time for a series of resounding cracks to signal that more large chunks of ceiling were going to follow those that had already come. Grabbing the nearest personâAsh, in this caseâby the arm, she pulled him along with her as she headed for a side tunnel, which would hopefully avoid the largest part of the collapse. The dust that was accumulating from the collapse was making it hard to see where the other two were. Nostariel could only hope that they were all right.
While the roof was caving in on them, Ithilian seized the opportunity to rush forward and draw his steel. It had been the plan from the beginning; the group had more than enough ranged strength with both Ashton and Nostariel present, but while Lucien was quite a wall on his own, one man could often be overwhelmed without a partner to work with. To that end, Ithilian took his blades into hand and moved forward behind the chevalier. The emissary caught his movement and fired off a chain lightning spell that narrowly passed over his left shoulder, exploding one of the falling rocks behind him. It was all the mistake Ithilian would need, as he closed the gap and plunged his right blade into the gut of the mage. Unlike his previous trip to the Deep Roads, he saw no reason to prolong the creature's pain. He brought the left blade up and quickly removed the emissary's head.
Lucien having completed the dirty work of finishing off the last of the scouting party, Ithilian turned to survey the damage the cave in had done. It seemed they were completely cut off from the Warden and Ashton. Ithilian wiped his blades clean on the darkspawn and retrieved his arrow from the eye of the hurlock alpha before going to inspect the rock. The collapse had been rather complete, and there wasn't even any way to see if the other two were hurt, or even alive. For the moment, the elf would assume they were. Both had quick reflexes, after all. "This is unfortunate," Ithilian said, though he did not sound too perturbed. "It seems we have been separated from our guide." Ithilian didn't have the best sense of direction when underground, nor did he know exactly where Nostariel had been taking them.
"I don't think we'll be clearing this anytime soon, however. Perhaps we should push on, try to reconnect with them if we can locate a crossroads." He'd never truly worked with Lucien, not as a pair, but the man was obviously capable enough for them to operate effectively. He was perhaps a little loud for Ithilian's tastes, but it could be managed. He could not deny that he had also been hoping to ask the man a few questions, if the opportunity arose.
Lucien didnât bother to replace his axe as such, instead hefting it over a shoulder for the moment and giving the new wall of rubble an appraising look. He was quite sure that Ithilianâs assessment was correctâthere was no apparent way to breach this, especially not without risking further structural damage. So he nodded thoughtfully and sighed through his nose. âWith any luck, there will be another exit on the way as well, but if we find Nostariel again, I suppose she would know the nearest one anyway.â He assumed she was careful enough to have several such routes planned in case of, well, something like this.
This was something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, Darkspawn would have no way to sense them coming without the presence of their Warden friend. Unfortunately, that meant neither would they have much advance warning, and it might also attract more Darkspawn to the others than they were properly equipped to deal with. All he could do was hope for the best and try to find them as soon as possible. Well, at least there was only one way to go from hereâit made the decision rather easier. He wondered for a moment if this was how Amalia saw all choices: move forward, or do not. He might just have to ask, next time he ran into her.
âWould you prefer to scout ahead, or simply take what comes? There wonât be any avoiding most of it, I expect.â Still, heâd not protest either wayâand shrugged slightly to indicate as much. He was well aware that stealth was not a strength of his, whereas it was clearly a strength of Ithilianâs.
On the other side of the cave-in, Ashton whistled to himself. "That's unfortunate," he said, nodding sagely. He was taking the whole splitting up with the team thing surprisingly well, but when the other half of the team consisted of both Lucien and Ithilian, there really wasn't a whole lot to worry about. He stepped away from pile of rocks and made his way back toward Nostariel, producing an arrow and spinning it between his fingers as he did. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they've done cleared out the whole Deep Roads while we were gone," Ashton said, stopping the arrow's twirl as he did. He then nocked it and left it at that, should he need it in an emergency. Danger lurked around every corner in the Deep Roads.
However, the tone in his voice and the content of his words implied a certain optimism. He knew they were alive, and he knew they'd meet up again. Neither would he allow something as mundane as rocks or a couple of 'Spawn to do them in. It'd take a lot more than that. "Well, we've only got one way to go now." Forward.
The next morning saw them back on the move, the weather still overcast but not precipitating, and it was under a grey sky around midday that they came upon the entrance she was looking for. It was hardly impressive, really: from here, it looked simply like a crevasse in the ground, less notable than some of the caves on the Wounded Coast, even. But it was big enough for Darkspawn to fit through, and that was the important thing. Theyâd all fit, too, though it might be a tight squeeze for Lucien in all his armor.
âThere are Darkspawn inside,â she said, then frowned. âObviously. But theyâre close. They can sense me by now, but I doubt theyâre expecting four. Try not to land blind.â Getting down there would essentially involve lowering themselves into the crevasse and hanging by their arms long enough to get their bearings before dropping to the ground below. It was a bit of a climb to get out again, but actually a little easier than getting in, because the walls had handholds that one could use from that direction. Shifting a few things around on her shoulders, she tucked the bundle of camp supplies she held under an arm, keeping the strap on her shoulder but freeing up her quiver and bow for easy reach. It would be a bit stupid strategically for her to go in first, and she could only suppose that either Lucien or Ithilian would choose to do that.
Believing himself best suited for the task of going first, Ithilian stepped up to the crevasse and peered down into the depths. "I'll scout it out." Of the party, he seemed the logical choice. Lucien was perhaps a little too heavily armored to be the first to clamber or drop down into the unknown. Ashton would be able to handle it fine, but was inexperienced in melee combat compared to Ithilian. Nostariel was the force that would be keeping the group alive if things got ugly. Thus it fell to Ithilian to take the risk.
He lowered himself in slowly, not drawing any of his weapons so that he could better grapple against the wall. His blades could be drawn quickly enough if they needed to be. He wedged himself between the walls, sliding his back down until the crevasse reached a width at which this method became illogical. At that point, he reached across and snagged a handhold glancing down below. The drop was short, short enough that he could clearly see the ground. The problem was that seeing did not guarantee a safe landing. The parts of the Deep Roads untouched by dwarves were always jagged and uneven surfaces. The darkspawn were accustomed to navigating their own homes, whereas outsiders often were not. Steady footing would be difficult to obtain.
He could hear them already, both moving and speaking to one another in their guttural drawl, at least four or five from what he could tell. They could undoubtedly sense Nostariel above, and Ithilian could tell it was making them agitated. They could not sense him, however. He lowered himself down until he could go no lower, and then dropped, watching the ground carefully as he fell. The landing was uneven, but he managed to avoid twisting an ankle. Shadows concealed the area well enough for his light landing to go unnoticed, and this allowed him to survey the enemy party before engaging. There were three genlocks and four hurlocks, one of which was an emissary, another that was clearly an Alpha, judging by his superior armor and hefty battleaxe. A good target to knock off first, then. Ithilian drew his bow and nocked an arrow in a single fluid motion, leaning out from around the side of the rock to aim at the warrior. The arrow thwacked into the eye socket of the hurlock's helmet, dropping him like so much tainted meat. That, of course, drew the agression of the others.
But not before another Hurlock fell beside the Emissary, an arrow sticking out of his throat. The wince Ashton gave was nearly audible, but not so much as the whispered curse, "Dammit, was aiming for it's head," He admitted. Ashton had given Ithilian a few seconds head start before he followed down after him. Sure, the elf could scout it out, and Ashton would help. One didn't simply just go into the Deep Roads alone, no matter how deadly the elf was. Beside, they were all going to be down there sooner than later-- so why not sooner?
Fortunately for him, his height and build lent itself to slipping down the crack with relative ease. It was no tree he was climbing down, but the process was similar in nature. He too managed to land safely at the bottom, though he ended up in a three-point stance. The ground was not so level as he would have liked it, but such was life. He did at least land without much noise-- what kind of hunter would he be if he made any noise what-so-ever? He slipped in behind Ithilian, and managed to let loose an arrow just before the others were completely alerted. it left something to be desired for his aim, his arrow hitting lower than initially expected, but a hit was a hit in the end.
"Think they know we're here?" Ashton asked in deadpan, over the hissing and growling Darkspawn.
If they didnât before, they certainly knew it when Lucien landed, because he wasnât terribly quiet about it. Therein lay the disadvantage of full plate, unfortunately, but thankfully it didnât make a difference anyhow. He hit the ground harder than either of the more rougish members of the party, but he was smart enough to take the impact on bent knees, and though there was a clang as the head of his axe hit the stone wall, it was in his hands soon enough, and he chose to simply step into the open rather than taking refuge behind something, bringing the weapon up and around over his shoulder into a vertical blow with enough force to cleave the nearest darkspawn from skull to chest cavity. Using his leg to shove it off, he transitioned smoothly into a pivot, carrying the chopping blade into a sweeping horizontal motion that knocked one of the genlocks into another. The one heâd actually hit died, but the other managed to regain its feet.
Nostariel was the last to drop, and she wasnât particularly graceful about it, landing somewhat awkwardly and with a hiss on her ankle, which turned uncomfortably, but it wasnât sprained, so she was fine. Lucien and some overturned pillars were more than enough cover from which to shoot behind, and between three archers and one axe-swinging knight, a handful of darkspawn were hardly ample challenge. The emissary, however, was cleverer than his partners, and instead of trying to attack them directly, he aimed what looked like a stonefist at the ceiling of the cavern.
The Wardenâs eyes tracked the shotâthe parts of the Deep Roads that had gone this long without dwarven maintenance were known for being unstable, and this wasnât even one of the entrances her organization used on a regular basis, so nobody else had come to survey it either, but surely it wouldn't⊠she yelped as a large stone landed not a foot from her, between herself and Ithilian on her other side. âLook out!â she shouted, just in time for a series of resounding cracks to signal that more large chunks of ceiling were going to follow those that had already come. Grabbing the nearest personâAsh, in this caseâby the arm, she pulled him along with her as she headed for a side tunnel, which would hopefully avoid the largest part of the collapse. The dust that was accumulating from the collapse was making it hard to see where the other two were. Nostariel could only hope that they were all right.
While the roof was caving in on them, Ithilian seized the opportunity to rush forward and draw his steel. It had been the plan from the beginning; the group had more than enough ranged strength with both Ashton and Nostariel present, but while Lucien was quite a wall on his own, one man could often be overwhelmed without a partner to work with. To that end, Ithilian took his blades into hand and moved forward behind the chevalier. The emissary caught his movement and fired off a chain lightning spell that narrowly passed over his left shoulder, exploding one of the falling rocks behind him. It was all the mistake Ithilian would need, as he closed the gap and plunged his right blade into the gut of the mage. Unlike his previous trip to the Deep Roads, he saw no reason to prolong the creature's pain. He brought the left blade up and quickly removed the emissary's head.
Lucien having completed the dirty work of finishing off the last of the scouting party, Ithilian turned to survey the damage the cave in had done. It seemed they were completely cut off from the Warden and Ashton. Ithilian wiped his blades clean on the darkspawn and retrieved his arrow from the eye of the hurlock alpha before going to inspect the rock. The collapse had been rather complete, and there wasn't even any way to see if the other two were hurt, or even alive. For the moment, the elf would assume they were. Both had quick reflexes, after all. "This is unfortunate," Ithilian said, though he did not sound too perturbed. "It seems we have been separated from our guide." Ithilian didn't have the best sense of direction when underground, nor did he know exactly where Nostariel had been taking them.
"I don't think we'll be clearing this anytime soon, however. Perhaps we should push on, try to reconnect with them if we can locate a crossroads." He'd never truly worked with Lucien, not as a pair, but the man was obviously capable enough for them to operate effectively. He was perhaps a little loud for Ithilian's tastes, but it could be managed. He could not deny that he had also been hoping to ask the man a few questions, if the opportunity arose.
Lucien didnât bother to replace his axe as such, instead hefting it over a shoulder for the moment and giving the new wall of rubble an appraising look. He was quite sure that Ithilianâs assessment was correctâthere was no apparent way to breach this, especially not without risking further structural damage. So he nodded thoughtfully and sighed through his nose. âWith any luck, there will be another exit on the way as well, but if we find Nostariel again, I suppose she would know the nearest one anyway.â He assumed she was careful enough to have several such routes planned in case of, well, something like this.
This was something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, Darkspawn would have no way to sense them coming without the presence of their Warden friend. Unfortunately, that meant neither would they have much advance warning, and it might also attract more Darkspawn to the others than they were properly equipped to deal with. All he could do was hope for the best and try to find them as soon as possible. Well, at least there was only one way to go from hereâit made the decision rather easier. He wondered for a moment if this was how Amalia saw all choices: move forward, or do not. He might just have to ask, next time he ran into her.
âWould you prefer to scout ahead, or simply take what comes? There wonât be any avoiding most of it, I expect.â Still, heâd not protest either wayâand shrugged slightly to indicate as much. He was well aware that stealth was not a strength of his, whereas it was clearly a strength of Ithilianâs.
On the other side of the cave-in, Ashton whistled to himself. "That's unfortunate," he said, nodding sagely. He was taking the whole splitting up with the team thing surprisingly well, but when the other half of the team consisted of both Lucien and Ithilian, there really wasn't a whole lot to worry about. He stepped away from pile of rocks and made his way back toward Nostariel, producing an arrow and spinning it between his fingers as he did. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they've done cleared out the whole Deep Roads while we were gone," Ashton said, stopping the arrow's twirl as he did. He then nocked it and left it at that, should he need it in an emergency. Danger lurked around every corner in the Deep Roads.
However, the tone in his voice and the content of his words implied a certain optimism. He knew they were alive, and he knew they'd meet up again. Neither would he allow something as mundane as rocks or a couple of 'Spawn to do them in. It'd take a lot more than that. "Well, we've only got one way to go now." Forward.