Decent Into Darkness

[tabyk]

Daren time and again stumbles in the darkness as he pushes himself to keep up with everyone else, but not daring the light a torch at this point due to the uncertain nature of their destination... besides, once they go underground, he figures he will need every torch he can lay his hands upon.

[Priss]

The night progressed, as all that is governed by Time's laws must do.  The surrounding darkness deepened and deepened laying in a pitch black covering over everything as they ventured deeper into the long untraveled forest.  The footing progressively became more and more difficult and most stumbled at least once as they tried to keep up with their bright eyed employer.

For a moment, that hot gaze was directed back along the trail.  Lain frowned slightly as she saw the disarray the group was falling into.  She knew that she couldn't allow them to become seperated here, just as she knew that they would most likely be unhappy with her refusal to travel during the hours of day's light.  But, if their eyes were to adjust to the heart tearing _black_ of the Underdark, they would have to start get used to it now.  Here.

With a sigh, she reached back and removed the coil of silk rope from the side of her light pack.  Hooking one end onto her sword belt with a quick tug release knot so as to not interfere if something... untoward should happen, she silently handed the rest of the coil to Daren.  

"Use this as a guide.  Fasten to your person if you must.  We will not be stopping until dawn's light."  The burning gaze of one of the dark kin pierced him with undivided attention, her voice was a subtle hiss in the darkness.  "Pass the rope back.   And... if you will... do ask Rackham to take up a position of rear guard."

The flames of her eyes vanished for a moment then reappeared.  "I don't expect the night to remain so... quiet."

[CyMage]

Ailith took a light hold of the rope with her left hand, as she adjusted her own Goggles of the Night.  Making a couple quick practice movements with her fingers, she was ready to continue.

[Prince Herb]

Moonshadow eschewed the use of the rope ; she had been in darker forests than this, after all, and the underdark.   Her elf vision was made for nights like this.

[Figment]

Ticha eyed the rope before nodding in approval, though she made no move to take it. Her eyes piercing the darkness with ease as her small form shadowed Ailith.

[Trunkyboy]

Rackham gives a faint grunt as he ties the rope around his waist with the nibble fingers of a former sailor, leaving the knot easy to untie in case he had to manuver.

[Priss]

The darkness is nearly absolute.  A silent, threatening black lightened just barely by vauge glimmerings of the moon as stray rays manage to break through the thick forest's canopy.  Not a place of happy times, the oppressive weight of the night as they walk through the forest seem almost to have eyes lurking in every quaverous object, decernable only as a deeper patch of darkness in the dark to the unaided eye.

Though having yet little experience in the ways of the Aboveground, Lain shows little concern as she moves with smooth grace along the ancient trail.  Her booted feet making hardly a sound as she glides across the broken ground.  Her eyes keen in the dark, watching about, ears alert for any missound.

Then, what she has half been expecting since they entered the forest's ways,   flesh writhing, undulating screams break the silence, dopplering about them, seeming to come from all sides at once.  The cries came closer and closer, echoing from trees and boulders, tiny hidden streams and creeks.  With them came the cloying odor of rot and decay.

Lain's hand makes a tiny flicker near where the rope had been tied to her belt and it fell away as if it had never been tied at all.   Her eyes glance back along the trail to the others.  

"Get ready."

The one almost whisper of speech is the only comment she makes, before she seems to vanish before their very eyes.

The first of the screaming creatures to break from the dense underbrush, looping it's crude weapon, half hammer half axe, about it's head is a truly hideous being.  It's form long and lanky, but none of the porportions seem right.  It's head, sharp snaggle toothed and thin greasy haired, seems far too overlarge for it's spindly, wiry body.  It's limbs look long and stretched as if once pulled like taffy from normal modes, it's joints big and bulbous in comparison.  The thin bits of skin that pass for lips for the creature are pulled back from its sharp, stained teeth in a death's head rictus as it tightens it's broken nailed hand on the stone weapon in it's claw.  

Then more of it's fellows crash through the brush and there is only time for one brief moment of revelation before the battle.

GOBLINS!

[Prince Herb]

Moonshadow draws her Sunblade and waits for the wave of goblins to arrive.   Knowing their likely weakness, she intends to keep her magic in reserve, healing her comrades when necessary, but chiefly fighting with her sword and using Eilistraee's spring attack feat to strike down goblins without mercy.

[Figment]

Hearing the oncoming horde, Ticha vanishes into the shadows as she pulls her shortbow from the quiver strapped to her thigh, her plan being to dispatch any goblins approaching Ailith, to give her time to cast a spell.

OOC: Ticha is going to use hide in plain sight and shot on the run to take a single shot every round while remaining hidden, her targets of priority will be those goblins approaching Ailith, then those approaching Moonshadow, then all the others.

[CyMage]

Needing a bit of information first, Ailith dropped the rope in her hand and quickly turned around in place.  She tried to get an estimate on the numbers of the creatures.  She already had plans, but needed to quickly check the situation before acting.


OOC:  I have two ways I could start this fight, but it all depends on the relative strenght of the opposition.  So if I can get a rough number, doesn't have to be very precise, I'll post my action for this round.

Also, due to some problems with my comp, I've reformated/reinstalled the OS, several times, so if you could send a copy of my char sheet to IY-chan over IRC, I would appreciate it.  I'm not sure if I should even bother setting up my email/IRC right now if I have to do it all over again.

[Trunkyboy]

Rackam tore the rope off of him with quivering fingers, his blood seemed to boil within his veins.  The Call proved to be almost too strong for him to resist, yet he held it at bay while he unslung his sword and held it in front of him.  His legs tense as he crouches, almost like a runner, in preparation of a charge.  Time seems to stand still for him, as he waits for a that flicker of movement that would set him off.

OCC-  Waiting to see what the situation is like before Rackham begins his bloodbath.  Where are the most goblins huddled and stuff, who appears to be the strongest or the leader.

[Priss]

The creatures lurked in the shadows and the darkness.  It seemed that there was maybe fifteen of the creatures, but from the sounds of things more lurked in the forest beyond.

OOC:  There _is_ an OOC board for things like what's been being posted, and if people _use_ it, then they will discover things.  -_-;

[CyMage]

Deciding that this fight might be a longer one, Ailith put up her protections up first.  A quick blur of words and a rush of adrenaline filled her body.  Riding that feeling, she erected a shield of force in front of her with a single word.



OOC: Haste, followed by a Shield spell.  

If you're not familiar, Haste gives me an extra partial action per round and +4AC.  Shield gives me +7AC from half the battlefield.  Which half, depends on which way I set it as a free action.  Right now it's set for my front.

[Trunkyboy]

A primal roars echoes in the night as Rackham stops trying to contain the Call.  It washes over him, surges in his veins and takes control of his mind.  His thirst for blood and battle is amplified a thousand times over, he RAGES!  Setting off at a charge, Rackham keeps the huge blade low, ready to sweep it upward when he reaches the first goblin.  Pitiful creature or no, this was a battle, and something to be savored.  He didn't care about the numbers, every kill would only make him stronger.  The roar didn't cease in his lips.


OOC:  Rackham is raging/frenzied, and due to being a barb, having magical boots and stuff, he's pretty dam fast ^^

[Priss]

The goblins scatter as soon as Rackham was drawing breath for his scream.  Some slip up into trees and start pitching down stones and things while others remain on the ground racing about with their high chittering laughter to distract the raging barbarian.

Yet even for all their hyperactive speed, some couldn't outpace the enhanced barbarian.  If it had been light, one would be able to see the fountains of greenish-purple blood spurting from the severed cariod arteries as one of the chittering beasts' head was swept from its shoulders and the sudden rush from the now shrieking in agony pair that suddenly found themselves without their arms beyond their elbows.  But in the washed out shades of the darkness, only gouts of deeper, liquid black flooded through Rackham's local vicinity.

The maimed goblins waved the remains of their arms about as they scurried in their agony and pain, blood flying about.  By some dumb luck or chance, before their blood began to slow to the frenzied beat of their stumbling double hearts last feeble deaths, three, perhaps four, splashes of the thick, rancid tasting blood splattered across Rackhams face, covering a good portion of his goggles.

Then, two stones arced out of the darkness to ping painfully against Ticha and Ailith's heads.  Right against the _back_ of their skulls.  They didn't cause much damage but they sure did _hurt_.