VotS: The Lost Patrol

[Jim Roberts]

[Feb 6 -- The Waterworks]

> Back on the bridge, Finfin held his fire; shooting one’s Ex in the
> back was not, he knew, an entirely smart thing to do. Freed from these
> relationship constraints (and possessing the skill to fire into crowds
> that Finfin lacked), Lomi had no such compunction, and skillfully put
> another pair of arrows into the monster, ending its life.

A quick search of the Roper’s hangout revealed nothing at all
interesting, and the Away Team pressed on. According to their map, just
at the northwest corner of this long “Stonebridge” room, there was
supposed to be a passage curving off to the west. A corridor that would
eventually turn to the south, terminating at one of the many access
points the Team was supposed to clear to facilitate easy passage by the
Upwinder infiltrators into the SJE communities above.

But there was no western passage immediately visible, only the northern
end of the “Stonebridge” room where the bridge led into the usual broad
tunnel heading north. There was, however, a metal ladder set against the
northwest corner of the bridge, its rungs descending down into whatever
liquid was below.

High Priestess Laurelin sighed. She had read many of the classics as a
young elf girl growing up in the Lauremirdor Scouts, and had a hunch for
where the “missing” passageway might be. And what might be interfering
with free access to the surface access hatch.

“It is time,” she mused, “that we had some more of The Starkindler’s
Light.” Only as an afterthought did she add, “Those with light sensitive
eyes might wish to look away.” She then began to pray, holding up her
Valyan Star in one hand, while her other moved a simple copper coin
through the air, sketching out a glowing red pattern in the air with the
lines intercut with occasional blue sparkles. Those like the Abbot might
have even been able to notice a hint of violet in the tracery; whatever
Divine Prayer Laurelin was invoking, it was not a small matter, and it
was making a request particularly favoured by her Patron.

A moment later, the entire northern part of the Stonebridge room
exploded into light as Laurelin’s Celestial Brilliance prayer sprang
into being. Now, the entire northern section of the Stonebridge room was
brilliantly lit, the Divine Illumination emanating from the no longer
humble copper coin in her hand. As she’d warned, those who had been
relying on Darkvision winced, and had to blink for a few moments to
adjust to the new intensity of the Light.

While many of the Away Team were adjusting to the near daylight,
Laurelin was peering over the left edge of the bridge. Under the intense
light, enough penetrated the liquid to show that it was not nearly so
murky and vile as had perhaps been suspected. The water, as it certainly
appeared to be, would not pass any health inspections for Pure Mineral
Water, served at only the BEST restaurants, but it was by no means a
rank liquid midden either. It was, perhaps, a catch basin, designed to
retain runoff rainwater from the surface, where it could no doubt then
be piped elsewhere to continue the region’s transformation into a swamp.

More interesting was, more or less where she’d expected it to be, an
underwater opening near the northwest corner, the passageway heading off
to the west.

Laquendi glanced towards the ladder, but Laurelin held up a restraining
hand. “My turn, I think,” the priestess said simply. “Particularly as a
damp culvert like that is exactly the sort of place the wraiths we’ve
yet to meet might like to hang out. And that is, I believe you’d agree,
my wheelhouse.”

Finfin, however, did have a concern. “There is no guarantee that the
submerged path rises above the waterline.”

Laurelin nodded. “There is not. But it seems more than likely, no?
Otherwise, this would be of little use as an accessway to the surface.
I’ll be sure to come back quickly if it looks submerged.”

The priestess then cast a couple of protective spells. The first, the
various Arcanists in the group could readily recognize; it was a
Displacement spell that made her appear slightly apart from her true
self. The second, those who followed the Telar – or the Great Spirits,
take your pick – could identify. This was a Deathward prayer, designed
to keep body and soul protected against life stealing undead, and any
Death Magics they might offer.

Holding her brilliant copper piece before her, she clicked her Boots of
Flying heels together, and gently began to ascend, only for the foot or
so needed to clear the miniature “railing”, and from there, the western
wall just over the opening below. Then, with a grimace, she held her
breath, and descended into water, her brilliant coin lighting the way.

The timbre of the light changed as the priestess shifted from flying to
swimming beneath the surface. It then faded somewhat as Laurelin swam
into the underwater passage.

“Let us know if you can hear us,” Tramma’s unspoken “voice” was heard in
everyone’s ears, courtesy of the bard’s Speak With Allies spell. There
was an ominous silence as the only response was a slight fading of the
light, now no longer quite so brilliant, flooding out from the
underwater passage’s mouth.

After a tense silence, however, Laurelin’s somewhat garbled “voice”
returned to the rest of the Team, courtesy of Tramma’s magics. “All…
ood. Got… air aft…r… bit. Passag… rises up…” Clearly she was just at the
limits of what Tramma’s spell could provide. There was another pause,
and the priestess’ voice continued, her amused tone surviving the
garbling better than her actual words. “Oh… ook,” the priestess’ voice
continued, sounding not at all disturbed. “...aiths.” A moment later,
her sardonic voice continued, “....ver SHALL I do?”

Up on the bridge, there was a general motion towards the ladder leading
down to the water, though Ben grimaced at the thought of a fully armored
swim. However, now it was Finfin’s turn to raise a restraining hand.
“The Galdis is fine,” he advised.

Some several seconds later, Laurelin’s voice returned, once again
sounding amused. “...ing your way.” An instant later, three wraith-like
figures fairly shot out of the passageway underwater, and rocketed to
the surface.

“Run awayyyyy!” one hissed.

“Flee nasssty elf lady!” another agreed.

“Weeee’re SAAFE!” the third agreed.

Peering down at the insubstantial trio from the bridge above, Abbot
Kenobi cleared his throat to get the apparitions’ attention. His
disapproving frown as he extended his Golden Lightning Bolt was the last
thing the undead trio saw as the focused power of the Sky King,
channeled by one of his powerful Servants, blasted the Unlife away from
the foul creatures, leaving not so much as a shadow behind.

“Gonna.. of contact… a bit,” Laurelin’s voice continued, and then faded
away completely as the brilliance further receded down the underwater
passageway.

Down below, Laurelin was frowning. The passageway had conveniently
sloped upwards after only a dozen or so feet, so holding her breath for
the short underwater swim had been no particular problem. Nor had the
wraiths been any particular menace when they showed up almost exactly as
she’d expected. She had indeed found the Lost Patrol; over half of the
nine wraiths in the Unholy Assembly in the passageway had been – when
living – kobolds. But all now were wraiths, an insubstantial but
menacing form of undead.

Menacing to many, perhaps, but not to High Priestesses of Valya
Starkindler, the Tela who had a particular disdain for undead. And the
wraiths simply could not *abide* the Holy Light pouring out of that
copper piece. Their very being was becoming undone by Valya’s Light, and
all nine surged forward to the attack.

But Laurelin’s frown was not from the entirely expected attack, but
rather from an unfortunate side effect of the elf’s splitting her
attention between her Divine and Arcane studies. Her connection to Valya
and Her works was profound… but the elven priestess’ ability to Turn
Undead was not on par with a Member of the Cloth who had devoted her
entire life to her religious studies. As a result, she was only able to
send three of the wraiths fleeing at the sight of the priestess
presenting Valya’s Star proudly before her.

Several of the others mobbed her, and only succeeded in barely chipping
her Stoneskin protection, her earlier cast Deathward prayer preventing
their life draining touch from having any effect. Soon afterwards,
another three were Turned by Valya’s Power to join their peers
frantically fleeing down the passageway, directly away from the
priestess. The sole triplet of wraiths still able to act under their own
volition took one look at the unfazed priestess, and bolted. PAST the
elf, diving into the water, fleeing as only scalded wraiths could
towards the supposed safety of the Stonebrige room beyond. Where they
then met with Abbot Kenobi’s terminal disapproval.

Laurelin proceeded down the passageway, bringing her undead melting
Celestially Brilliant coin with her. There, at the end of the passageway
were a half dozen wraiths. They simply could not approach the oncoming
priestess’ mantle of holy power. Nor could their incorporeal forms
withstand the steady erosion of the Celestial Brilliance. Caught between
the proverbial Rock and a Hard Place, several of the wraiths desperately
floated upwards, extending their ectoplasmic arms towards the ceiling
mounted valve to open the door hatch to the surface above.

Only to find what Laurelin already knew – incorporeal creatures like
wraiths simply could NOT manipulate material objects. Freeze or drain
the life away from a living creature, yes. But opening doors was
entirely beyond their ability. Now, their only choice was to cower in
the furthest corner of the dead end tunnel by the access ladder, unable
to advance, and unable to retreat. Laurelin dispassionately watched as
the six wraiths were slowly unmade by Valya’s bright light.

And soon afterwards, the priestess was back in the Stonebridge room with
the Away Team, wiping her face on an offered towel.