In the light cast from Aleina's moonstone orb, Kuhl studied what he hoped was a magic portal. The tunnel they had been following ended in this large cavern. Part of the far wall had been smoothed to a polished flat surface and carved in the flattened stone was a forest scene. A path wound through the woods in the mural and the trees on either side arched to form a canopy above. Somehow, through only the medium of stone, the artist had portrayed the translucent glow of the sun through the leaves overhead. Etched runes and sigils wound along the border of the picture in a script Kuhl did not know.
"A tree tunnel," Jhelnae said. "How appropriate."
"What is a tree tunnel?" Aleina asked, then shrugged at the glances thrown her way. "Raised in the city, remember."
"Fancy elf words for a path through the trees," Ront said, waving at the picture. "Like that. It's usually a trap. Where hidden archers are just waiting to stick you full of arrows as you walk through."
"Let's hope this one isn't," Kuhl said.
He opened Sky's magic bag and thought of what wanted. Retrieving the six uncut diamonds he requested, he knelt and placed these in a hollowed out cleft carved into a stump in the forest mural. Standing up, he sent a silent prayer to his goddess, and recited the words the svirfneblin had taught him, speaking Elvish.
"We who have been delving,
in the deep and the dark,
for the rock,
made under weight of mountains,
long for the sun,
moon, and starlight."
They waited, all staring intently at the picture before them. But nothing seemed to happen. It remained a stone wall. Beautifully carved, but still impassable. Still a dead end.
"Did you say the right words?" Fargas asked.
"I think so," the half-elf said.
He repeated them, just to be sure. A few tense moments of waiting passed, but still nothing.
"Did you pronounce them properly?" Fargas asked.
"Elvish is my native tongue," Kuhl said, more sharply than he intended. "So yes, I did."
"The gnomes said it still worked," Sky said.
"Maybe the magic powering it finally gave out," Aleina said, voice worried.
"Then we are all dead," Ront said. "Or slaves to the drow again. Better dead."
Sky shook her head and knelt to peer into the cleft in the mural, then looked closer.
"The gemstones," she said. "I think they're gone."
The tabaxi did a quick search with her fingers to confirm.
"They are gone," she said.
"So, it took the gems," Aleina said.
"But left us stranded here," Ront said.
He threw a kick at the mural. His boot rebounded off the solid stone without leaving so much of a scuff mark.
"Wait," Jhelnae said, with a hand on Ront's shoulder. "Something is happening."
The orc shrugged her hand off but stopped to stare when he saw what the half-drow spoke about.
A tiny mote of blue light had appeared along the bottom right corner of the mural. It moved, flowing and dancing along as it traced the vine like script running along the border of the stone picture. Each rune maintained its glow even after the speck of more intense light left it.
"What is happening?" Sky asked.
The tabaxi leaned close to the moving point of light, tail lashing.
"Sky, don't you dare touch that," Jhelnae said.
"I think the portal is waking up," Kuhl said.
"Waking up?" Sky said. "It's been asleep?"
"It's ancient," the half-elf said. "And leads to ruins. Whatever magic sustains it is old, and not frequently used."
"The gnomes didn't tell us it needed time to wake up," Aleina said.
"We never talked to the scouts who explored the place," Kuhl said. "Only Dorbo and Senni. They told us it works, but they have never been here."
"Waiting for the portal to open probably wasn't a problem for the svirfneblin scouts," Fargas said. "I doubt they had a party of drow chasing them."
They all looked back fearfully at the halfling words, but the cavern remained empty.
When they looked back, they found the glowing script now ran almost to the top of one side. Soon it would start spreading along the arch above. Hopefully, when all the runes were lit, the portal would open. Kuhl wondered if it had always taken it this long to open when the ruined city above had been inhabited, or if lying dormant for centuries was the cause. Then again, as Fargas said, it might just feel like it was taking a long time to open because they needed it to open quickly.
"Why the gems?" Aleina asked. "Did the miners need to prove they had mined at least something? Seems cruel."
"Maybe they are part of the magic that powers the portal," Kuhl said. "Like spell components. But probably also for protection. You had to know both the pass phrase, the right component, and where to put the component, to use the portal."
"So, if they needed to keep just anyone from using it," Jhelnae said. "It means the Underdark was a dangerous place back then as well. Even before the Descent of the Drow."
"Seems so," Kuhl said.
The half drow sighed. "At least that isn't our fault then."
The group fell silent, again watching the progress of the glowing runes. The mote of light had just started tracing across the arched top when they heard something behind them. Maybe the scuff of a boot against stone.
With rising dread, Kuhl turned, and found what he feared. Drow entering the cavern. They spread out as they advanced. Fittingly, as servants of Lolth, he counted eight of them, not counting the two giant spiders leading the way. Ilvara was at their center. Gone were the swirling purple silks she wore around Velkynvelve. She was clad in form fitting armor of metal scales. She bore a rod tipped with tentacles harvested from some unknown creature. She swung it lazily, tapping it against her hip as she walked.
"It is them," she said after studying the companions. She glanced towards her junior priestess, Asha. "My divination said we could trust that succubus, and it was right."
"That backstabbing bitch," Jhelnae muttered. "She must have found Ilvara and told her where to look for us."
"Well, she is a succubus," Aleina said. "And we didn't really part with her on the best of terms."
"You have led me on a long arduous chase all over the Underdark. Far away from my duties and comforts in Velkynvelve, few as they are." The drow priestess spoke Common now, probably to be sure all of them understood her. She gave a flick of the tentacles at the end of her rod, which animated and writhed in response. "Your hides will pay for that. And I will ask to sacrifice you on the altars in Menzoberranzan myself."
"You're going to wish you never found us," Jhelnae shouted back. "Right before you die."
She drew her moonstone tipped rod along her body. Spectral webs of warding armor formed in its wake, before fading. Holding out her other hand, her abyssal sword coalesced in her grip. With it, she sent a bolt of eldritch energy at the advancing priestess.
Ilvara ducked, and the attack sizzled past her.
"Try and take them alive," the priestess screamed. "But if you kill one, no matter. I'll just have to resurrect them for the altar."
"I was going to suggest we keep her talking and give time for the portal to open," Aleina said.
The aasimar used her moonstone orb to summon her own magical defenses.
"That is a good plan," the half-drow said, sounding contrite.
She moved to the left to keep their group from being too bunched up.
"Too late for that now," Kuhl said. He unslung his shield just in time to deflect an incoming crossbow bolt. "Fargas, let us know the moment that portal opens!"
The light from Aleina's moonstone orb moved with her as she moved right.
"How am I supposed to tell when I can't see," Fargas said.
The halfling didn't have the dark vision the rest of the group possessed. But, even without the light from the aasimar, there was still the glow of the runes of the portal. For an instant, the cavern flared bright as rays of searing light scorched across the distance between Aleina and the drow. Casting at a run had thrown off the aasimar's aim, and she hit nothing, but those who had been leveling crossbows dropped down for cover instead of loosing at the companions. Pulling out Dawnbringer, Kuhl added more ambient light as he ignited the sword.
"You'll manage," the half-elf said.
"Some sort of magic on the wall behind them," Asha called out.
Apparently, she'd noticed the glowing runes.
"No, no, no." Ilvara gave them a cruel smile as she began casting with her free hand. "You won't escape me again."
"Someone stop her!" Kuhl yelled.
But clouds of darkness even his dark vision could not penetrate exploded around the drow as he spoke, obscuring them. Jhelnae pointed with her sword and sent a blast of energy into the roiling blackness and was rewarded with a female cry of surprise.
The half-drow had said she could see into such magically conjured darkness. Apparently, it was true.
"Don't just stand there you fools!" Ilvara screeched from behind the dark clouds. "Get them."
"Two coming towards you, Aleina, another pair on me," Jhelnae called out. "Four down the center, coming fast. The priestesses are hanging back, casting again, damn them."
A wave of doubt passed through Kuhl at the half-drow's words. What could he do against the four? But he had to keep them from claiming the portal or they were all dead or prisoners again. He moved forward to meet them, steps hesitant.
"You aren't alone my bearer," Dawnbringer said in his mind. "I am with you."
"I think it is safe to say they will also have weapons," Kuhl thought back.
"True, but none like me." There was a mental shudder from the sword as two giant spiders skittered out from the darkness, spindly legs driving them on towards them. "Spiders? Jhelnae didn't say two of the four were spiders."
"Problem?" The half-elf asked over their mindlink.
"Spiders means no sword play. It's been nothing but abyssal touched creatures, oozes, and slimes," Dawnbringer mindspoke. "And now spiders. I'm an elegant weapon, forged for a more civilized age."
Any reply Kuhl might have given was forestalled by the need to dodge. One of the spiders pivoted and lifted its abdomen and a stream of silken filaments sprayed towards him. The half-elf dove to the side and rolled to get clear of the stream. Kuhl moved to a crouch, then noticed the other arachnid turning to send more webbing his way. He would not be able to dodge in time again.
A bolt thwacked into the creature, found a chink in its carapace, and sank to its fletching. The spider chittered in pain and reversed its spin, aiming its web at this new assailant.
The half-elf turned his head to see Sky dodging the spider's stream right towards him. He tensed, anticipating the impact. Instead, at the last moment, the tabaxi jumped into an aerial somersault that carried her over him, crouched as he was, and landed on his other side, skidding to a stop.
"Well, that got its attention," Sky said. "Watch my back while I reload?"
Kuhl nodded, but the tabaxi had already cocked her hand crossbow and slapped a new bolt into the flight groove by the time he scrambled to his feet.
"Uh-oh, I wonder what that does?" Sky asked.
Two drow had emerged from the dark cloud after the spiders. One was the scarred one, Jorlan, wielding a pair of short swords. The other aimed a slim black wand topped with an onyx spider at them. Smiling in cruel anticipation, the drow pressed the wand's trigger. A viscous glob of liquid flew from the tip towards them, but the missile dried mid flight as it entered Dawnbringer's light, breaking apart in a puff of powder. Frowning, the drow sent another glob their way, with a similar result.
"It does not work in sunlight," Jorlan said to his companion.
He did not seem displeased, even smiling his disfigured scarred smile. As the other drow was slightly ahead of him, he would not be able to see the grin. Cursing, the lead drow slid the wand into his belt and drew his own pair of short swords.
"Sword work," Dawnbringer mentally said. "Finally."
"I still think the spiders will kill us first," Kuhl said.
Dodging the webs had moved them away from the arachnids, but they still remained closer, and advanced more quickly.
"I think I can lead them away," Sky said. "Can you handle the drow?"
The half-elf realized he had responded to his sword aloud and the tabaxi had thought his words were for her. He nodded.
Sky ran forward, raised her hand crossbow and loosed. The bolt sailed into the closest spider, striking near one of its beady black eyes. This time, the armored carapace held, deflecting the missile to skitter off into darkness. But it had the desired effect. The spiders focused on the oncoming tabaxi. Just before she was in range of their attacks, she circled away, putting on a burst of speed as they sprang after her.
"The portal is almost open," Fargas yelled out. "But we have a problem!"
Kuhl risked a quick glance away from the approaching drow towards the halfling. Ront was nearby, scimitar and shield at the ready. Fargas still stood in front of the stone mural, as instructed. Glowing runes almost surrounded the entire picture. But the mural itself was covered by a large web. Even if the portal opened there would be no way they could go through it.
At first Kuhl thought some curse of Beshaba's bad luck had sent one of the spider's missed web attacks to cover the portal. Then he realized spray from a spider would have struck Fargas as well. And the web was so perfectly placed. A spell of a priestess to block their escape. It had to be. Damn them!
"Ront, help Fargas clear that web!" Kuhl ordered.
"He is hesitating," Dawnbringer mentally said.
"Getting through that portal is our only chance!" the half-elf said.
There was no time to see if the orc obeyed, the drow had arrived.
One look at the stances and grips of the oncoming drow told the story of years of training and experience. This did not give him confidence he would be able to defeat them. But he didn't need to defeat them, only delay and survive. The key to fighting two opponents was to not fight them both at once. Kuhl circled to the left, keeping the lead drow between himself and Jorlan in the rear. The one closer lunged forward, and the half-elf found himself on the defensive. Blows clanged against his shield and Dawnbringer sparked as he blocked and parried a rapid series of slashes and thrusts coming for him.
But Kuhl had been raised in Evereska. Trained in their army. Facing quick elves had been his daily training regimen for years. The dark elf facing him squinted, obviously troubled by Dawnbringer's brightness. It might be an advantage he could use. He sent an attack with the blazing blade at the drow's face. His opponent flinched back, turning his head away from the light. Kuhl lunged forward, inside the drow's guard. So close he caught a whiff of the dark elf's spiced cologne, then slammed him with his shield. Kuhl was larger and stronger, and he'd caught his opponent on his heels from dodging his sword thrust. His shove sent the drow stumbling back.
"Well done!" Dawnbringer sang in his mind.
Kuhl reversed direction and sprang at his other attacker, hoping to catch him off guard.
But Jorlan was too canny a fighter. The scarred drow danced back with flawless footwork, parrying the half-elf blade of light with one of his short swords. Kuhl noted the tremble of an unsteady grip in the blocking weapon. With a glance he saw one of his opponent's hands was maimed with only three fingers, burned by whatever horrible injury that had scarred the rest of the drow. For an instant, they struggled face to face, blades crossed between them.
To the half-elf's surprise, he received a twisted smirk from the dark elf, even as he squinted against the light. They disengaged and, instead of pressing forward in a counter attack, Jorlan lifted a sword in salute. Something was going on here. Something Kuhl didn't understand. That worried him.
But there was no time to worry about it now. The first drow was back rushing forward in a blur of swinging steel.
Kuhl circled away from Jorlan as he defended. Whatever the scarred drow's game, leaving oneself open to the maimed dark elf would be unwise.
In Evereska, many were the veterans who had fought in the wars against the phaerimm and the fey'ri. But the last elven city on Faerun had few conflicts with their Underdark cousins in living memory. The rumored fighting prowess of the drow was more legendary among Evereskans than experience. Now, Kuhl could attest to it. Without Dawnbringer, the half-elf might very well already lay bleeding and dying on the cavern floor. He had become familiar with the lightness of the radiant blade since becoming her bearer but wielding her in swordplay was something else entirely.
"You really are an elegant weapon," Kuhl thought as he swept the sword in a parry blocking both his opponent's short swords.
"Now is not the time for flattery," Dawnbringer sent back, sparking against the steel of the drow. "End this before the other one decides to do more than watch."
With both dark elf's swords engaged against Dawnbringer, the half-elf again punched forward with his shield. This time when the drow fell back, Kuhl followed, thrusting at the dark elf's chest.
But the drow recovered well, at first. He danced back and brought up one of his own swords to block, then stumbled forward with wide eyed surprise. And the blazing point of Dawnbringer found her target, punching through the dark elf to shine out his back.
For a moment, they just stared at each other. Then the drow started to turn, as if to look behind him, but the life faded from him long before he could bring his head around. Kuhl retreated, pulling Dawnbringer free before the limp dead weight of the drow could drag her out of his grasp. As the body fell, the form of Jorlan was revealed behind him. The half-elf received yet another mysterious smile, twisted into a grimace by the scarred visage. Had the maimed dark elf kicked or pushed his fellow drow onto Kuhl's blade? Another look at the eyes and smirk of Jorlan, and the half-elf knew it to be true.
But why? And what now?
"The portal is open!" Fargas yelled out.
"Go!" Kuhl called over his shoulder. "We're right behind you."
He hoped he spoke true. The half-elf took a step back, watching the scarred drow, then took another when the dark elf made no move to follow.
A rumble shook the cavern. A quick glance revealed Aleina had thrown the last bead on her necklace of fireballs. Ilvara had been one of the victims. The priestess sat stunned near the still present cloud of darkness.
Across the cavern Jhelnae battled with Asha. The half-drow swung her abyssal blade at the swirling mass of demonic spectral forms surrounding the junior priestess while dodging the attacks of a floating mace with a styled spider head that glowed blood red.
"Sky!" the aasimar called out. "Help Jhelnae! Everyone, run for the portal!"
The tabaxi sped on her magic boots towards the mass of spirits and loosed a crossbow bolt towards the priestess at its center. It came no where near hitting her, absorbed by one of the intervening spectral guardians long before reaching her. Sky grasped at the half-drow and helped her run towards the portal, adding to her speed, but half dragging her along as they went. The ghostly forms did not follow, seemingly bound to stay near Asha.
The half-elf looked to Aleina, saw she would beat him to the portal as well, and turned to run. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ilvara climbing to her feet.
"No!"
A one-word shriek and then the priestess was chanting.
Kuhl put on a burst of speed, hoping they could all reach the now glowing mural before Ilvara could unleash whatever she was casting.
It was not to be. From one step to the next, a swarm of conjured locusts materialized, swirling around the area in front of the portal. Kuhl batted and slapped at the biting insects, then realized he couldn't see the portal anymore. He wasn't the only one.
"I can't see!" Aleina cried out.
"We can't either!" Sky's voice came from ahead of them.
They could not afford to miss the portal. Who knew how long it would stay open. And every moment in this cloud of insects took its toll. The biting was getting more aggressive. The bugs would soon be shredding the flesh right off them.
"I can sense the portal," Dawnbringer said in his mind. "Can you not step through the mists to it?"
The sword referred to his recently discovered ability to jump across distances with a thought.
"Only if I can see where I want to go," Kuhl mentally sent.
"Will this do?"
In his mind's eye, Kuhl saw the glowing portal. Locusts swarmed around it, but there were less of them here at the edge of the spell's range.
"It will have to," the half-elf thought.
Then called on the power. A wave of disorientation followed by a momentary feeling of weakness, and he was there, standing before the glowing stone mural. A web still partially covered it, but a man-sized hole had been cut at its center.
"Hold me aloft and tell them to follow the light," Dawnbringer instructed.
Kuhl did so, holding the sword up. She blazed to her full radiance.
Sky and Jhelnae came first, one arm still wrapped around each other and slapping away locusts.
"Head through," the half-elf said.
"Where is Aleina?" the half-drow said, making no move towards the portal.
"I'm here."
The aasimar burst through the denser cloud of biting insects, doing her best to cover her face and navigating by peering through a slit in her arms.
"Now we can go," Jhelnae said. "But first…"
She made a gesture, one offensive to the drow of the Underdark, a curled hand like an upside-down dead spider in the direction of Ilvara.
Kuhl motioned them all towards the portal. Sky reached a tentative hand towards the glowing stonework, then pulled it back as it sank through. Recovering quickly, she dived through.
The portal flashed and she was gone.
Aleina and Jhelnae looked at each other and for a moment the half-elf feared they'd waste time arguing over who went first. Then the aasimar shrugged and walked into the stonework, hands leading the way.
The portal flashed and she disappeared.
"By all that dances, Kuhl," Jhelnae said. "You know you don't always have to play the heroic paladin, right?"
When the half-elf made no move towards the glowing portal she smiled.
"But have it your way."
She backed through the hole in the web and into the glowing stone mural, beckoning him to follow as she did.
In a flash, she too was gone.
He followed. At first contact with the portal, he could see why Sky had pulled away. His fingers felt instantly numb, like when your arm fell asleep, and you had to massage life back into it. The sensation grew as he pressed forward, engulfing more and more of his body until it seemed to swallow him whole. Then the magic of the portal fully took hold and he seemed to stretch forward and jump into the unknown.
Once again, sorry it is rough. Wrote the last part in just a stream of conscious sort of way. Hope it is okay. One thing that made this tough to write is I have the characters at around 5th level right now. At 5th level Ilvara alone might be able to Total Party Kill the entire party (she is challenge rating 8). You add Asha, two drow elite warriors, and four more regular drow warriors (and also two giant spiders summoned by Ilvara) and you get an encounter of almost certain death. I actually plugged it into the DNDbeyond encounter builder and I think just Ilvara and one drow elite warrior moved the encounter to deadly.
Of course the encounter builder doesn't factor in Dawnbringer. She is a major factor against sunlight sensitive creatures. Plus I didn't know how the party would deal with the wand of viscous blobs thing until I read the stuff dissolves instantly in sunlight. Also the necklace of fireballs helps...but then Aleina only had one bead left. At any rate. Hope this chapter was entertaining.