Session 30 - A fighting withdrawal

General Summary

From Kleeck's journal...

We fell back to the flight of stairs on the West side of the room as Kuo-Toa guards came flooding in from the North and South corridors. From my vantage point atop the stairs I could see another group of guards further South, more bodies between us and our escape route. We had no idea where the doors behind us led, and every reason to believe that more fish-men could come charging out from them at any moment.
Tertia stood her ground at the foot of the stairs, trading blows with the guards, while beside her Hassan struggled to defend himself under the heavy net that had just been thrown over him. Laura shot arrows into the swarm of enemies surrounding us, as Bandua readied his dolabras to charge into the fray. We were holding our own for the moment, but would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers if we remained here.
From within the confines of the net I saw Hassan hold aloft a diamond, the one he used for spellcasting, while uttering arcane words incomprehensible to me. As he finished his incantation I watched in amazement as the faces of the Kuo-Toa before us suddenly went slack, their eyes transfixed on the gem and their weapons now held limply at their sides. They started shuffling towards Hassan, crowding around him and staring vacantly, no longer interested in attacking us. Whatever magic he was weaving, it had bought us precious time to make our escape.
Tertia was quick to act. She slash the netting around Hassan and freed him, then rushed South to face off against the Kuo-Toa there who were too far away to be affected by Hassan’s magic. Laura was close behind her, now mounted on Mkali as she continued to rain arrows down on the enemy. Bandua wove his way around the charmed fish-men, almost absentmindedly felling one with his axes as he passed.
As my companions fought to clear a path for our escape, I looked back to see another wave of fish men charging down the North corridor. They seemed better armed and more battle ready than the others, and I feared our attempt to flee would be for naught if they reached us. I felt something well up inside of me, and held out my holy symbol as words of power poured from my beak.
There was a shimmering in the air at the mouth of the hallway, and then a curtain of flame burst up to close off the passage. I saw three of the fish men go down, writhing as the flames engulfed them. The rest were blocked off on the other side of the wall, unwilling to risk their lives diving through the sheet of fire.
I heard a familiar whooshing sound, and turned around to see the remaining uncharmed Kuo-Toa scattering as a ball of flame hurled by Hassan burst in their midst. Laura, Tertia, and Bandua swooped in to finish off those that somehow survived the blast. With the path cleared and our foes behind us charmed or blocked by fire, we rushed for the exit.
Our flight from the sunken temple of the Kuo-Toa is, I must admit, a bit of a blur in my memory. I remember glancing furtively down every corridor, expecting to see another squad of guards closing in on us. I remember looking across the vast central chamber and seeing the guards we spotted while scouting still standing in the ‘throne’ room, maintaining their position despite the alarm. And I remember the smell of burning fish-flesh everywhere, oily and foul, filling my nostrils. As I fled I wondered if Apollo was watching, and what he might think of the ways in which I had used his divine gifts on this day...
We regrouped in the sea caves where we had found the giant alligators, everyone panting and heaving from the exertion of the fight and the flight.
Tertia paused for but a moment, then with military precision began setting up arcane wards in the tunnel behind us to warn of any approaching enemies. I tended to Hassan, who had sustained a few cuts and bruises in the battle. The others slumped against the wall of the cave taking what rest they could, exhausted but without any serious injuries.
With our position somewhat secured, we took stock of the situation. We had gained some intelligence on the enemies’ capabilities and whittled down their numbers, while coming out more or less unscathed. But we had also given up the element of surprise, and the chests remained within the Kuo-Toa's  possession. We argued back and forth about what to do next, considering whether to try and sound an alarm in Turris, or go back into the temple for more scouting, and every possible plan in between.
We were no closer to making a decision when Laura raised her hand, motioning for us to be silent. I heard it too; footfalls coming from the tunnels behind us. More fish men. We wearily rose to our feet, taking positions around the mouth of the tunnel and readying ourselves for battle…

Report Date

24 Apr 2021

Primary Location

Myrkyr Isles