A) MENDI, TWO ELVES, ELRIC, GAIGIN, TAK AND AYRUS

All of the sudden, Ayrus is seen from the way they had come. The wind cleric is drenched in sweat and almost white as if these last few hours had been really trying on his spirit. He still had his cerulean cloak and his hands upheld his bow with an arrow notched their way. He, nevertheless, is in one piece as the rest of the party shoots him with questions...

"Gaigin, Tak, Mendi..." Aryus begins to shout out names at random and pointing frantically to the direction he came from. The windmage lowers his loaded bow. His companions gaze upon him with interest wondering what had happened to the rest of his group, fearing the worst.

"Koreth and Rayne faces certain death." Aryus cried, "They are trapped by tons of rock in a room not far back there." Aryus points up the tunnel, "I used the last of my strength and will to phase out to seek you for help. We must be quick and go now! The suffocate as we speak!"

Assuming that his companions have heard him, Aryus races off up the tunnel he came from, hoping to find his way back to where Koreth and Rayne are trapped.

Mendi groaned himself out of his severely asked for meditation, and slowly readapted to his surroundings. Still groaning, he stood and followed Aryus to the pile of rock and dirt which marked Rayne and Koreth's prison. "I think we could use that chitin we collected during the trip, Gaigin, in conjunction with my scimitar". Mendi then begins to soften the wall with his scimitar...

Gaigin and Liron frantically get down on all four and start digging away throwing away large rocks form the pile. It seems a futile job as the whole tunnel is covered by the sand and stones and the pile appeared to keep replenishing itself no matter how much was taken out; more just fell from the top to fill it anew.

Tak’ looks concerned at the loose pile of debris in front of the party. The natives of this nest required secretions to keep the walls from collapsing – and his companions had only courage and strength. Bending over, mindful that his small size might be to some advantage in this environment, Tak nevertheless helped to move rubble.

Aryus turns to the group as they are plowing through the layers of rock and dust covering the entrance to their trapped companions. "Hold on now, this might not be so easy. We tried to dig ourselves out from within but he rock and dirt above the chamber is unstable. If we try to uncover the entrance we might cause another cave-in. That was what happened to us inside, that's why I had to phase myself out. There's at least 50 feet of debris in our way here." Aryus frowns and wonders how this could be done all the while worrying that his companions might suffocate within.

Elric moves to Aryus "If we use the larger debris we can shore up the tunnel a bit. Also we can try and use our extra cloaks to catch the sand as it falls for quick removal." Elric removes his cloak and lays it out. Then begins to clear the area besides the other warriors.

Realizing that their efforts may cost them their own lives – as well as those of their trapped companions – Tak’ immediately sat down, meditating on their problem. The answer he sought did not come slowly – but it was by no means surefire. "Mendi," the halfling says, disturbing his reverie, "rest until you are able to create one of your doors in the air. I will find where our companions are trapped. It may take some time – but with the lack of progress we are making – it will be our only hope."

Silent once more, Tak’ closes his eyes and digs deep into his abundant Will.

Mindscape:
The landscape around Tak’ was dry and barren. The sun shone down – but only over a small area – the rest being dark and physically inaccessible beneath the ground. Concentrating strongly, Tak’ ‘pushed’ himself forward in the direction Aryus had indicated. His physical body remained motionless, but his mental construct slid forward into the darkness. Opening his eyes Tak’ observed nothing but darkness and rock.

Breathing in a controlled fashion, Tak’ closed his eyes and again pushed himself forward – looking for his companions. The halfling sees inside a dark room where the walls are not all visible due to the lack of light. Sitting down against the wall, Rayne’s glowworm illuminates the scene. Both Koreth and Rayne struggle to draw each breath of air, both are drenched in sweat. It is not clear but it appears to Tak that Rayne is unconscious and that Koreth is doing his best to try and stay awake. The small hunter snaps out of his concentration alarmed, "Hurry Mendi, you must try it now, They don’t have much time left…"

The elven trader smiles a weak smile and stands up, "While I am not totally healed, it should be enough to get me in and then out. If I don’t make it within a few minutes, do not bother to dig us out." At that, the elf concentrates his Will, imagining a shimmering portal in his mindscape. He is rewarded by a surge of energy and everyone sees how the li9ght is bent a few feet in front of the peddler. The elf smiles again, "So far so goo, wish me luck." He steps into the shimmering portal and promptly disappears from their view.

Your actions…

B) KORETH AND RAYNE

Both Rayne and Koreth wait inside the scrab’s tomb, the dead defiler had already began to stink and they could hear their troubled breathing in the stillness of the cave. The glow worm is the only source of light only illuminating a few yards while leaving the rest of the room dark and quiet not unlike what a tomb would feel like from the inside...

"Well, nothin' left to do but wait. I think I will spend some time meditating. Would ye mind watching over me while I do?" Koreth nods his acceptance to the task, looking tired and weary. Rayne pats his leg and smiles. She speaks to him is dwarven "Thank ye, it is rare to find a friend such as thee." With a wink the mul struggles to take a deep breath and falls into a deep meditation. She smiles as she pictures herself strolling free along the edge of the forest they had passed through those many days ago, a nice breeze blowing against her face. A sense of peace and freedom filled the mul's energy reserves with renewed vigor.

Koreth watches the room somberly as she drifts into meditation. The noble warrior slows his breathing as best as he can, as he had been taught. Not that it would help much, but perhaps it would grant the pair a few more moments of air. The thin and dust air of the chamber made Koreth mildly dizzy, almost like that time in Nibenay that he had smoked some strange plant with one of his father's traders. The chamber, although it might have felt like a suffocating tomb to most, the noble warrior felt a vague comfort in it's dimly lit walls. If he had to die, at least he would do so in the arms of the earth. <Too bad those bloody bugs 'll just dig us out and chew our bones!> he shivered at the thought, hoping his companions could get the both of them out of this.

Koreth keeps watching over the meditating mul, while his thoughts drifted in strange directions, perhaps because of the thin air or perhaps not. His eyes regard Rayne as do his thoughts. <I've sure had my share of lively women in my days. Aye, I can hardly remember them all.> he thinks with a boyish grin on his face <Noble's daughters, traveling dancers, serving girls, but never a gladiator! I'd thought I had seen them all. Stone and dust, I was wrong about that! Blood and ashes, she's a strange one....> His thoughts drift about merrily, abandoning the gloom of the situation the two find themselves in. Perhaps it was his love for the earth given to him from his dwarven friends or the lack of air in the chamber, but he felt a strange sense of detachment and lack of concern for the consequences. It was not as if he could change the situation, it was in other hands now.

When the mul felt stronger, she reluctantly left her stroll in the clean air and returned to the tomb she and Koreth were trapped in. "Maybe I can make us both feel a little better." With that the mul reaches out to touch Koreth's cuts and bruises and the pair travel into the mindscape to have a pleasant chat with Marteu and heal their aching wounds. Once better, the two must again reluctantly return to the drab enclosure, and the stale smelly air that is their prison at the moment. "I hope Ayrus gets help soon. The air becomes thin, and I am beginning to feel light headed and sleepy." The mul sits quiet for a moment, then turns again to the nobleman. "Maybe we should swap tails to keep us awake?"

"Thanks for the healing," Koreth says as he leans back against the chamber wall "Do you want to tell a story first or should I?" Inquisitive eyes regard Rayne, a slight smile across his lips.

Rayne blushes under the stare of the nobleman. She clears her throat awkwardly, and the dusty air in the chamber makes her cough. She looks back up to see Koreth still looking intently at her. "Well, I'm not much of a story teller, but what would ye like to hear of? Not that me life has been all that excitin'."

"Tell me about this Marteu I've heard you speak of," Koreth replies "he should have a good tale under his name." He lets his head tilt back against the chamber wall, the glow of the worm accenting the lines of his face. He looks over at Rayne as she begins her tale, intently listening. Her voice paints the canvas of his mind with images from her past as he closes his eyes and focuses on her voice alone....

Rayne stifles a yawn as she leans back to get comfortable. Her thoughts begin to drift back to happier times. . . .

"Marteu was always the same as ye see 'im in me head. The tent was our home fer as long as my memory goes back. I remember travelling with 'im, always on the go. He taught me how to fight, and how to meditate and how to use me mind to heal and defend meself. He would work me to exhaustion both physically and mentally many days. He said I needed the strength to make it in this world, and that he wouldn't always be there to protect me." Her face darkens and the worm's glow accented the streaks of tears that began to flow freely down her cheeks. "When he died, I kept 'im in me head. Now he is always there to protect me and keep me safe." Rayne paused a moment to compose herself, and Koreth reached out a comforting hand. The mul wiped away her tears, and moved closer to lean against the support offered by the nobleman. Laying her head back against his shoulder, she continued her thoughts. "There aren't any big tails to tell of really, we traveled and met interesting people. A lot of times we journeyed alone, but sometime we would go with caravans. Saw the mountains many times, but this is the first time I've really crossed into them like this. We were always on the go, and we avoided cities. Even if Marteu went into a city, he would secure me somewhere nearby, or leave me with friends. Said it wasn't safe. I guess he was afraid Master would find us. He said he had to meet with someone about a veil or something - he wouldn't talk about, said it was best I never knew, so I didn't pay much attention. My memories are strained of that time, I was but a young child when Master killed our father and threw me amongst the ranks of his slaves.

I didn't see a city - except from the outside - until Master took me. Then I only saw the city when I was old enough to go out as a body guard. The time between I don't remember much. Beatings, days without food, many days where they would not let me sleep, or where I was not allowed to leave me cage. I spent a lot of time meditating and tryin' to remember Marteu and the things he taught me. That kept me distant from what they did to us all there, it made it bearable." The mul didn't even notice the involuntary shudder she made as the thoughts of her past came flooding into her mind. Koreth wrapped his arm around her in a reassuring hug, saddened by what this woman must have went through, but not wanting to push the issue he remained silent and listened to her speak. The mul's thoughts seemed to come at random, and her speech was a little slurred and tired sounding as the air continued to thin in the chamber. "Marteu taught me how o speak dwarven. I guess me mother taught him, I don't know. He'd never tell me how he knew about me ancestors, just that it was important I remember the tongue and that I should seek out my dwarven kin someday. He never gave me any names though. Said if I ever found them, I'd know or they'd know or somethin'. . . . talked about that veil again, said the woman with the veil would help . . . I think that's what he said . . . .not sure how to find them, but now I'm free so I can do that. . . . When we finish with the Pterrans, I'm gonna find me some shoes and some travelling gear. Need to get me some money fer that. . . . . Haven't owned shoes since Marteu used to buy them fer me. . . . ." Rayne closes her eyes as her voice becomes quieter with her babbling, and her sentences become fewer and further between. Koreth can feel her weight increase as she leans against him more as her body becomes heavy with exhaustion and lack of air. " . . . he'd bring me sandals from the city. . . . and pretty clothes. He bought me a dress once, nice, white one, I got it dirty and cried but he said he'd just get me another next time he went . . . . never went again . . . ." Rayne's breath deepened and evened out, but her speech became silent. . . .

Koreth, his breath as slow as he could make it, struggled to remain awake and alert. He had to watch over the two of them for . . . for companions to . . . to return and dig us out. Watch out for . . . elves, no . . . scrabs . . . . The noble warrior's thoughts drifted about randomly in the fuzzy haze of his mind. He tried to concentrate, but the air was getting too thin. Slowly he drifted into sleep.

C) KORETH, RAYNE AND MENDI

Suddenly, a sound was heard where there should have been none. Koreth instantly got up and readied for the worst, "Ayrus, is that you?" The mul had also gotten up but her legs gave way a little as her eyes became flooded with bright lights. She leaned on Koreth and blinked hard a couple of times trying to regain her full consciousness. The elf saw them right off as they were the only light in the whole room, "No, not Ayrus but a friend just the same. Come over here and I will try and get us all out. Wish me luck, otherwise, we will all die here in this tomb."

Koreth has had his fill with elves but Mendi’s was the sweetest voice he had heard in while. The mul was ecstatic, "How are you gonna get us out, we tried diggin’ but the whole nest will cave-in on us" Koreth cut in, "Let him work the way, I have seen him save us before, he has this portal trick, similar to the great mindbenders that teleport away." The elf breathed in a couple of times and coughed; he quickly answered, "I thought we had it bad out there, let me work my…’trick’, will you?"

The elf concentrated again and was rewarded by another surge of psychic energy which although not as strong as the last one, would do the trick. A small circle about 1 m in diameter opened in front of the companions, "Quickly, step through the ring, all will be well." The trick was new to Rayne but Koreth soon grabbed her hand and they both stepped into the portal followed quickly by the elf.

D) ALL REUNITED AGAIN

The air became stale and everyone waited for what seemed hours. The telltale portal appeared in front of the group and Koreth stepped through followed by the mul and lastly the elf. Both warriors panted for air and took in great gulps of the precious vital element. Everyone smiled and patted the elf mindbender on his success.

Liron was one of the first to speak, "Neat trick elf, hopefully the same one we will use to get us past the other pile and hopefully face to face with her royal ugliness. I volunteer to go first; let us not delay any longer." The elven sorceress neared the elf and added, "Aye, that should get us in but suddenly Mendi has become key to our success…and our survival. How will be get out should he fall in battle?" The question stung deep into their hearts as each one contemplated a death in a tomb 50 underground….

Your actions…

OUT OF CHARACTER

HEALTH STATUS

Remember the scale:

Healthy (H) 100% hitpoints remaining

Slightly Wounded (SiW) 75% to 100% hitpoints remaining

Wounded (W) 50% to 75% hitpoints remaining

Seriously Wounded (SeW) 25% to 50% hitpoints remaining

Mortally Wounded (MW) 0% to 25% hitpoints remaining

Gaigin (SiW), (W)

Elric (SiW), (W)

Rayne (H), (W)

Ayrus (H), (W)

Mendi (SiW), (W)

Koreth (H), (SiW)

Female elf (H)

Tak (SiW), (SiW)

Male elf (SiW)

GENERAL

Great going here. I basically want final tactics and give me one round of combat for the final showdown should you decide to follow Liron´s advice.

Questions, comments, and suggestions please.

L8r,

Fabian