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The gang are heading back to Highbridge - a very short one that could have been a toot. Lots of world building to post about next time!

https://embee.co/games/rae/session12/

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Aftermath of the battle - Rae is back, yay!

https://embee.co/games/rae/session11/

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Next entry (and all future ones) in blog form!

Showdown in the Tomb of the Evil Witch! What is the fate of Rae? Will the party not die? Adventure!

https://embee.co/games/rae/session10/

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Lena takes some steps back, stammering "I've never seen him before! Must have arrived after they took me downstairs". She puts Elferen's sword down next to his slack hand as Krow snorts and stomps off to retrieve her arrow. Lena then takes their attacker's sword and shield instead.

She's startled as she notices the silent stare from Nahisse. The druid just nods, and looks away. It seems to Lena that taking out that guy has earned her a bit of trust?

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Then from the right, a giggling figure attacks! Another thrall, in rough brigandine armor and a hide shield, lunges at Elferen's unprotected right-side, sinking their gleaming short sword between the bard's ribs. Elferen topples to the left, sliding off the blade in a gout of blood.

Lena scoops up Elferen's sword as it clatters to the stone floor as Krow breaks left, getting line of sight with her bow, while Nahisse moves to engage Elferen's murderer.

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They head back up the spiral stairs, down the tunnel where the bats were. Back into the 7-sided chamber. Lena strides directly to the opening on the opposite side, 2nd from the left of the entrance. That tunnel continues 40 or 50 feet, before branching, Lena turning right. She stops and whispers "we're almost there. Get ready." She continues forward, the tunnel opening up into a pillared hall. An iron banded door is visible at the edge of the torch light.

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They pass back through the chamber with all the fallen. Lena gulps, and kneels, touching the faces of Eitorik, Runvar and Bea in turn, tears in her eyes. She sees the bodies of Phrost, Thaeteron and Antari too, and lowers her head in shame. "They were good people. Like my family really, until they... changed. I wish we'd never come".

Krow softens, slightly. "We'll make it right". Lena nods, stands, wipes her eyes on the back of her forearm and keeps walking.

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Lena rubs feeling back into her wrists "We must go now! To save Rae! Um, can I have a sword?" Krow stares at her a bit, and Lena shrinks back. Krow lights a torch and hands it to her, but no weapon, and gestures to Lena that she should lead the way. As Lena passes Iambere, the exceedingly tall woman leans down to the halfling and hands her an apple from her rations. Lena nods thanks, and crunches into the apple, holding the torch aloft and heading back the way they came.

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"I ran, but as I ran I forgot everything! Started coming back to me a few days ago - another group of treasure hunters found me. Broke me out of my mind haze! Rae! She might be still alive!" Lena explains that her old friends, Eitorik, Runvar and Bea, killed Rae's party, but kept Rae alive, for whatever reason that cursed dagger wants.

While Lena is talking, and despite questioning looks from everyone else, Iambere finds a key on the wall and unlocks Lena's shackles.

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A halfling woman is chained to the wall, looking frail. "Who are you?" demands Krow, pointing her sword at her. "Lena!" she squeaks. She explains that she and her party were here to break a curse by destroying a relic. Elferen doesn't believe her. "Destroy it, eh? Very noble of you. First I've heard of a curse, and I listen to a lot of tales! Heard of a lot of treasure however". Lena sweats a bit. "Honest! Ahgoneste picked up this creepy dagger, then started acting weird!"

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The cavern slopes down gently to the north-east, getting narrower and narrower until it's a crack, the creek gurgling down into the fissure. A tunnel, like the one they came down, has been carved into the north wall. Krow gets Elferen to lead the way, followed by Nahisse with shield and spear, Iambere next with her lantern and a dagger in hand, and Krow at the rear, longbow drawn.

30ft into the tunnel a female voice whispers from the darkness "Hello? Did you best them?"

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Bea, the robed figure, had a satchel with a spellbook, a circlet, and a spectre. The jewellery looks really expensive! Krow hands the entire bag to Iambere, who has collected her own daggers, and Bea's knives. Elferen takes Eitorik's long-sword and shield, and Nahisse takes her sister's spear, after having gently moving her body to the entrance of the chamber. Krow and Elferen move Phrost and Thaeteron next to Antari, but less carefully.

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Nahisse barges past Krow and Elferen to drop to her knees by her sister, pulling Antari's head onto her lap and brushing her hair out of her closed eyes, her tears falling on Antari's peaceful face.

Krow checks Phrost & Thaeteron, but they're definitely gone. Iambere has approached, and put a hand on Krow's shoulder, a silent query to see if she's doing OK. Krow pats Iambere's hand and nods, without meeting her gaze, and moves to start searching the bodies of their foes.

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Eitorik lunges at Elferen, and Krow sees an opening, sinks her sword into Eitorik's side, maybe saving Elferen's life. Eitorik turns and launches a flurry of attacks at Krow, but the ranger keeps her cool, parrying and blocking the savage assault. Krow hears Nahisse's roar of fury behind her, and the half-orc's attack falters - Nahisse's sling bullet punching into Eitorik's skull, between her eyes. She crumples to the ground, dead.

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After failing to do much with her bow, and only Elferen left in melee, Krow draws her sword and shield, and she & Elferen trade blows with Eiterok, but the half-orc is so fast - so hard to hit! When Bea runs out of knives to throw they charge Iambere, trying to knock her unconscious, but Iambere recovers one of Bea's knives and stabs her with it. Elferen turns and finishes Bea with a strike down through their collarbone.

"Surrender!" Iambere yells to Eitorik.

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Antari rushes in with her spear, Thaeteron with his short sword, they take down Runvar, Thaeteron getting the killing blow just under the half-orc's jaw, deep into his neck. Eitorik lunges at Antari in retaliation - Nahisse sees the wet blade burst from her sister's back, and she cries out as Eitorik cackles and kicks the druid off her sword. The grinning half-orc then turns on Thaeteron, cutting his throat, and he drops, messily.

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Elferen has moved up next to the fading Phrost, and manages to dodge the sword swing from Eitorik, the female half-orc. Krow's bow twangs, and her arrow finds Runvar's shoulder, but he pays it no mind. Nahisse twirls her sling and a bullet hits Runvar too, but it harmlessly bounces off his other shoulder guard. Elferen swings hard at Eitorik but she catches the big sword on her shield - so fast!

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"Where are you from?" Krow asks, circling, to keep all three in sight, as Runvar, the half-orc man, approaches Phrost.
Runvar, with a faraway look, replies "not... too far from here"
"Stop moving!" Krow barks, but it's too late - things happen fast - Bea, the robed figure throws a knife at Phrost, misses, but Runvar flicks up the tip of his halberd, sinking it deep into Phrost's inner thigh, and the pulsing gouts of arterial blood means the knight's as good as dead.

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After a few beats of silence, the half-orc man tilts his head to the side and exclaims "We are lost! Do you have food?" - Krow's hackles are up immediately, these people aren't acting right. She pokes Phrost, who was lowering his sword, and he huffs and raises it again. Krow unslings her bow and begins notching an arrow as she asks "how long have you been here?" The robed one sees the bow, starts retreating and, after a brief look of confusion says "too long?"

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The tunnel ends abruptly in a natural cavern, water dripping from the ceiling high above, forming a small creek, around which three figures are squatting. As Phrost sees them, they all turn and stand as one. They must have been here in the dark for who knows how long. Two of them are half-orcs, a man and woman. The third a robed figure. The half-orc woman holds a sword, it's point scraping on the stone - the man a halberd - long and wicked. The robed figure holds a knife.