Chapter 5: Return to the Surface

"You're traveling the same way no matter what because you keep trying to go in the same direction. Have you tried turning the wrong way or turning around entirely?" Hobren asks, stroking his magnificent, dirty beard.

You travel for a few more hours, taking random turns in the road and the scenery finally begins to shift and you can see a familiar street ahead of you. Not too long and you should be passing by the Silver Flagon. Just as you begin to feel a sense of hope, you hear an insect-like skittering of feet on the cobbled stone street a ways behind you.

Hobren turns back in fear, "Brynn, run! I'll follow at the back and try to delay it." he shouts, drawing forth some spell components as he follows behind you.

As everyone turns to look at what's following them, Mai'ngor hears footsteps beside him. At first he assumes they are Brynn's, but then realizes that they are way too heavy for him. He turns just in time to see a large ape-like creature moving toward him. It stands about eight feet tall and is 6 feet wide, with massive arms and fangs.

It bites him on the shoulder, then lands two heavy blows to his body (Crit, 24, 18 vs AC, 18, 8, 11 damage)

As it hits, Hobren smiles and his eyes turn dark. His skin shreds before your eyes and he grows to be about nine feet tall. His skin is blood red and he has a smushed face and large fangs. The demon he's become has four arms; the two large one end in wicked pincer and the smaller two are similar to human hands. Hunter recognizes it from her studies as a Glabrezu.

"You meddle in affairs that you don't understand, puny mortal. Submit to the will of my master and perhaps you will be allowed to live!" he roars at you, shaking the illusion, causing the buildings to waver and then snap back into their places.

Battle Map

Before Mai'ngor is able to recover from his shock, the demon's eyes pop open and it disappears with a small popping sound.

Elfog flies into a rage, throwing himself at the great demon with reckless abandon. He swings once, axe cutting a wide wound across the monster's chest, then reverses and slams his axe into the thing's ribs.

Mai'ngor leaps forward, initiating his war dance, and launches Sinag in an overhead chop, catching it in the shoulder, then pulls back and takes a quick step forward, attempting to plunge the light-blade into the demon's gut. The beast pushes his arm out to the side, causing the strike to miss. He's not done yet as he spins, launching Sinag in a horizontal strike that also misses, but steps forward and reverses the momentum, catching the beast on the hip.

Sarith moves around the demon's flank, striking out with both of his blades, cursing silently as the non-magical weapons hardly hurt the beast (7 damage total)Battle Map

The flaming orb slams into the glabrezu and it barely seems to feel the heat, chuckling at the puny gnomish magic.

The demon reaches one pincered hand out toward Elfog and one toward Mai'ngor. It grabs Elfog, lifting him up into the air (21 vs AC, 24 damage) and Mai'ngor as well (23 vs AC, 18 damage). It says a word of power and suddenly Hunter can no longer move.