Linnix glares at the rider rushing towards her. She had dared to hope such an imbecile would be as weak as the pathetic soul within. Well then, there was no choice. Dropping the crossbow to the ground, her hand grips the hilt of the unknown sword. Linnix draws the sword with a smooth motion, its slight blue aura flowing along behind it like a thin flame, a whisper of silent and unknown power.

Not even thinking about the repurcussions of wielding such a mystery untold, Linnix grips the sword's unfamiliar hilt in both hands and slashes down at her chosen foe. There was nothing else in the world at that time, only Linnix's foe, and the fury behind her attack. This nuisance was the reason she had been woken up, and the beginning of her dream was so promising, they had robbed her of that dream, and now they were going to pay with their life.

Kas was relieved to have everyone safely on her side of the the pit.

"Good work," she praises those that went to make sure that there were no captives left behind. She mounts Sunfire, undoes the rope from his saddle and holds it as she backs the big warhorse so as to drag the ladder back to their side, She can feel the stallion's hindquarter bunch up under her as he backs up, finally the ladder is safely across and she drops the rope

Then came the words that echoed through the cave. “Whoring tease of a wench!” Kas drops the rope like it was a viper and spins her stallion about with practiced ease. She reached over her back and pued the bastard sword from its “O” ring. There is a thunderous clatter of hooves that beat a drum tattoo to herald Kas’s entry into the theater of battle.

Kas is no tiny female, but and tall, well muscled, battle hardened warrior. Horse and rider burst out of the cave like and avenging angels. Kas's golden eyes blazed with an inner fire.

“Tyr!” she cries as she bursts out into the open. Her ability to see in the dark gave her a great advantage in the dark of the night. She quickly notes the newcomers and assays their positions and intent. She turns Sunfire toward the closest of the enemy.

What type of world was this where every day was fraught with danger?

“Cease your attack and surrender or you will suffer Tyr’s judgement!” Still fresh in her mind was the knowledge imparted to her by Tyr himself. She knew that such a challenge was right and proper.

All the time she is closing on her intended target. It does not give the man much time to act, not with the great golden stallion closing on him with the rider brandishing a bastard sword with the grace and ease of a well trained warrior. Sunfire feels her quickening as they ride into battle. The power of the magnificent warhorse would also be a signal to her advisaries, that they were a force to be reckoned with.

If the man does not comply by throwning down his weapon, as would be proper, that Kas with continue her attack.

(This round will take place while those downstairs make their decision those that make it upstairs this round will be included in the next round. So feel free to post moving I round one, then any future actions afterwards)

Elesia’s spell faded, the low powered spell-song fading and leaving her almost topless standing some 30’ down the corridor into the cave With a quick weave of her fingers however, her ‘mending’ spell repaired her garments and she leaned against the cavern wall with a sigh of relief.

The rider who had seen fit to take advantage of Elesia finally picked himself up from the ground, drawing his longsword and cursing foully for his gullibility. He had barely found his baring, trying to get over the fact that purple flames still licked at his skin, illusion or not it was distracting. Not more so however than when his entire world went black, filled with milky shadow as Aelistae moved in to engage the attempted rapist. She slipped silently into the sphere of darkness her Elven court-blade ready to deliver swift justice.

The look on her face however changed to one of sheer surprise just as her enemies had when the darkness disappeared in an explosion of daylight. The bright light shed all shadow and darkness from the area, causing Aelistae to wince at the bright liht which attacked her eyes. Years before it might have caused her to drop her weapon and clutch at the blinding pain, but time on the surface had allowed an adaptation, and she blinked away the stinging sensation to focus once more on the danger before her.

“Drow!” Came the voice of the wand wielding rider, backing his horse up further from the melee. “I didn’t account for no damn Drow!” With that he wheeled his horse around and took off into the night as bright as day.

The blonde haired rider before Aelistae lashed out at her with his longsword, a swing heightened by desperation at seeing his terrifying opponent face to face. His wicked shaped longsword arced across Aelistae’s chest, splitting Nash’s over-shirt and drawing crimson from Aelistae’s bosom. (Aelistae -5hp)

Linnix herself was in trouble as well, as the mounted Warrior :lashed out at her with a sword of his own. Fortunately, Linnix was able to move around the small tree trying to kieep it between her and the rider. Taking out the magical blade, she dared strike out herself , but as she moved to strike, the sword sent a powerful compulsion through her mind: “Violence is not the answer”, and she could not bring the sword to bare. She did however feel as though the weapon bore her no ill will, wanted nothing more than to defend her, but taking the offensive was something she would have to mentally compel the weapon to do
(failed will save)

It was then that Aelsitae’s strange lover appeared, clad in nothing more than his pantaloons, and weaving a vicious magical double-blade around and around in a whirling arc before him. His sandy hair brushed aside as he moved, bringin the double blade to bear on the rider with frightening accuracy. With one twirl of the blade he slit the stirrups on one side of the rider’s saddle, and with the other, the blade came up and smacked the white stallion on the flank with the flat of the blade, the sudden jolt causing the horse to take off into the night, with the rider slipping as the saddle shifted and dangled off the left side as the horse ran free.

The rider, obviously caught in a bad position left his sword upon the earth and put his hands up defensively. “Spare me please, I’m only following orders. Really, I Don’t like what Mac’s doing, but he’s got the deed to me folks land, if I don’t follow him he’ll leave my parents homeless. They are too old to move again, he’d be condemning them to death!” The man cowers before Nash and Linnix, both with fire in their eyes. It seems almost to take Nash every bit of restraint he has not to strike the helpless man before him, but hearing Aelistae in combat steels him away from the situation, leaving Linnix with a charismatic wink to her choice as he goes to aid his lover.

A sudden ball of light dispelled the darkness Aelistae had summoned. Out of reflex she squinted her eyes as the burning daylight attacked her fine ebony features, and as she remembered the searing pain that the fiery ball in the sky had caused her when she had first glimpsed it. But a moment later she opened them again and smiled. It would take more than that to stop her.

It was just as well that her eyes did flicker open once more. The human that had confronted Elesia had swung mightily at her midriff, and Aelistae had only just managed to deflect the blow and turn it into a shallow cut below her collarbone.

“So I see you don’t like women who can fight back,” she chided, as the man’s companion fled hurriedly from the scene.

“Too bad for you,” she added, stepping inside the man’s next swing, and curving her court-blade upwards in an attempt to disembowel the human.

[OOC: Just simple hack and slash from Aelistae ]

(back posting)
With her sword in one hand, and her shield ready in the other, she kicked open the door, an almost blood thirsty look on her face. “Bring it on!” she hissed in a deadly tone even as she slashed at the nearest foe.
Little did Artanis know that she would be hissing her menacing threat at an overly large slab of beef. Her eyes suddenly resembled that of a fish, always largely round, with no lids with which to blink. She was still staring dumbfounded at the hanging meat when she caught movement in the farthest reaches of her vision. She almost had no time to react. She raised her shield just as the smelly orc’s weapon came crashing down. Then everything went terribly wrong.

The shield began to quake in a vicious attempt to relieve Artanis of her arm. The vibrations forged a path along her entire body, as a brush fire roaring to life on the dry prairies of the south in mid-August. Her teeth slammed together repeatedly, and her eyes tried to jump free of their ever confining prison. It would have been comical had it not been so painful.

Suddenly there was a deafening thunder, and a blinding flash of lightning. And then there was nothing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Artanis suddenly choked on some sort of liquid, and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Xaris’ face looking down at her. She wondered briefly why he was looking at her so strangely, and why on earth she was laying down when there were Orcs to dispose of. Then there was no thought at all save one. PAIN! Her entire body was suddenly engulfed in such horrendous pain, her consciousness threatened to escape once more.

Managing, just barely, to hang on, she glanced around the room and she remembered what had happened. ”Hmmmm, note to self: NEVER touch a magic item, let alone use it, without first knowing what the hell it does!”
" Here, let me help you. The bridge is up, and Kas has her horse on the other side. We'll get you out of here soon."
Xaris helped Artanis sit up, and then stand. She grimaced with every movement, hating that this valiant warrior was seeing her in such a dreadfully vulnerable and weakened state.

Artanis made her way back toward the gaping hole in the path. She leaned heavily on the walls for support, and was so glad Xaris was there, despite everything. Were it not for his steadying hand, she would have fallen several times, no doubt only adding to the immense pain that already engulfed her head to toe.

As the gap in the stone floor loomed ahead, Artanis grimaced and groaned inwardly. “Guess I won’t be leaping across this monstrous chasm. How the hell did I manage it the first time?!” Somehow, the 10’ void seemed much larger, and much more impossible to cross than it had the times before.

" Ok, how we're gonna do this is you get on your hands and knees, and crawl first. I'll be behind you to make sure you don’t fall. Kas can even tie the rope around you incase anything happens. But I'm light enough hopefully so two people won’t matter."
Artanis balked at the mere idea of crawling across the bridge. To do such a thing, especially in front of anyone, would be humiliating and she would never be able to look them in the eye again. She almost protested, but she stopped herself. She knew she had already screwed up royally by using the shield, despite others’ warnings against it. Now she would be more of a burden than of any use to anyone until she was fully healed. She didn’t need to let her pride get in the way, walk across the bridge, end up falling, possibly causing Xaris to fall as well, and make things so much worse than they already were. “Pride does come before a fall after all.”
That thought in mind, Artanis swallowed her pride, and did as she was told. She let Xaris tie the rope around her, biting back tears from the pain of the rope touching her charred flesh. She blinked and looked down at herself, and almost died right there on the spot. “I’m practically naked!” Her eyes darted to Xaris to see if he noticed, then looked away. She hoped no one could see how mortified she felt.

Once the rope was securely fastened around her, she was about to do as had been suggested and get down on all fours to make her way across the bridge. However, Loriel saved her just in time.

Loriel introduces a young boy. Artanis looks at him, looks down the hallway, up at Loriel, then back at the boy. She can see that the poor child is in more pain than even she herself was in, and she knew his Mother was gone.

“Xaris, there was another Orc I just killed him but we need to get out of here. Let me help you get Artanis up and moving.”
Then, with Loriel and Xaris on either side of her, she (thankfully) was able to walk across the bridge. She was relieved once they made it to the other side. For a second there, she was sure the make-shift bridge was going to buckle beneath the pressure of holding so much weight.

Once on the other side, Artanis whispered to Kas, ”Have you anything I can wrap around myself? I uh….I’m cold.”
“Whoring tease of a wench!”
Artanis looked at the small group in surprise. “What the hell?!” She instinctively reached for her sword, but her fingers touched nothing but air. She frowned and cursed herself for her stupidity yet again. Not only was her armor completely destroyed, and her clothes non-existent, but her weapons were gone as well. “They were probably melted into a puddle before being vaporized from that lightning flash.” she thought to herself. She had never felt more useless in her life, than she did in that moment.

In a flash Kas was gone, and she cursed not for the last time that day, at her incredible stupidity and also at her weakened state.

To Xaris and Loriel she says, “Go quickly! I will stay with the boy!”

Loriel found Xarius and Artanis near the bridge when she returned with the boy. After she introduced the boy briefly to the others she turned to the main task at hand getting Artanis safely to the other side. They take their time easing their way across the two lashes ladders slowly transferring their weight as they moved so as not to strain the structure, but is held up and with a sigh of relief they had crossed safely..

Moonshadow just leaped across not willing to try the bridge again. Soon they would be back in camp and hopefully something more could be done for Artanis. Until then Loriel knew that it would be rough on her now they had two badly wounded. It could cost them a day or two for them to regain their health. Loriel felt bad for what had happened but could not regret going in because she had been able to rescue the boy.

Kas in the meantime had mounted her horse and use him to pull the bridge back into place.

Once on the other side, Artanis whispered to Kas, ”Have you anything I can wrap around myself? I uh….I’m cold.”

“Whoring tease of a wench!”

Artanis looked at the small group in surprise. “What the hell?!” and she reached for her sword bit it was not there

In a flash Kas was gone, and she cursed not for the last time that day, at her incredible stupidity and also at her weakened state.

To Xaris and Loriel she says, “Go quickly! I will stay with the boy!”

Loriel nodded even as she whirled and dashed off with Xaris. “Moonshadow, come,” she called out. She would thank Artanis later for freeing her to go deal with whatever was going on back at the camp. She sprinted at top speed prepping an arrow as she speedup the tunnel to the mouth of the cave. Not sure of exactly what the problem was but ready to take whatever it was when she got there.

Accursed blade Linnix thinks bitterly, feeling her arms go stiff as soon as she went to strike. With a clatter, the sword falls from her hands as she draws one of her daggers from its sheath at her belt. The blade's words still echo in Linnix's mind, boring straight through her emotions and instincts to combat with her anger. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she turns to the stranger.

"You know, anyone can tell a tale," Linnix says, her voice straining to remain steady as she grips the dagger, her knuckles turning white as she brings it in a position to strike, "and we've been deceived twice already."

(OOC: Linnix is basically preparing to do a coup de grace to the person; if he reacts by going for a weapon, she'll go ahead and attack anyway, if he doesn't, well... we'll have to see)

Xaris helped Artanis across the bridge, and brushed himself off of some last dangling spider webbing that he acquired on his trip down below. He was about to speak and ask if everyone was ok, especially the young boy that was now with them, when a cry was heard that froze everyone in their place.

"Thieving whore of a wench!"

To Xaris, this new and alien voice made him draw his gnomish greatsword in automatic response. New people always made him nervous, and especially if it was this late at night, it could almost guarantee trouble.

He quickly looked around, and Artanis spoke out, volantarily staying back.

“Go quickly! I will stay with the boy!”

Xaris felt slightly relieved that the issue of the boy was quickly dealt with, and that Artanis will stay behind. Bringing this young child into the danger would be absolutely redundant.

He looked at Loriel who seemed to be just as pleased as he was with being able to go. He ran off, just behind Loriel, up to the mouth of the cave to whatever might ail there comrades up above now.

Out of the tunnel reflecting the light of their campfire. Kas sharges her wGreat War Horse forward into the area beyounf the cave's mouth Serching for whoever had presented themselves so ignobly.

Kas faces the enemy, sword ready to sweep down and deliver Tyr's justice. "Feel Tyr's Might. TTremble before his justice." she cries out loudly..

Round 1:
And so it was that the tide of battle had turned dramatically in the favor of the companions with the arrival of Kas, Xaris, and Loriel along with Moonshadow. Even as they cleared the cave entrance and took in the immediate scene, they could tell that what once had been an possible problem was now more or less under control. Aelistae was combating a sandy-haired fellow with a rugged face an forest hued clothing covering his chain mail, the man’s look one of fear turning to terror as Aelistae’s companions appeared behind her, and Kas issued forth an ultimatum of surrender or certain death.

The man wasn’t certain that surrendering wasn’t going to lead to certain death anyways, but hearing Kas call upon Tyr, he throws his weapon to the ground, even as Aelistae’s finely crafted blade arcs and draws more blood from the man’s torso causing him to stagger in pain before kneeling and begging for Kassenarion’s forgiveness and his surrender.

“Alright you win! Forgive me, I surrender, I surrender! Please just call off the Drow, Promise me Tyr won’t let me be fed to the spiders!”

*~*~*~*~
Linnix too held the power over the man who begged her for mercy on his knees before her outstretched dagger blade. He had asked her for forgiveness, and she appeared to not care, her anger and frustration over the situation at hand clouding her moral judgement. Her wrist twitched in the chill of the night, and the man before her flinched, reaching and grabbing Linnix’s magical blade, which she had forsaken and dropped conveniently at her feet.

The irritated woman immediately lashed out at the prone man, her attempted coup de grace stealing her concentration for a split second. The man however was not an average bandit, and he seized that second to kick his feet out at Linnix, striking her behind the knees and toppling the smaller woman to the ground beside him. (Coup de grace attempts allow for attacks of opportunity according to the PHB) In the same moment that Linnix’s fell, the stranger rolled to his right out of her immediate reach, preparing to stand.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Down in the cave, Artanis tried to comfort the young boy, but quirked a brow as the youth’s mourning and frightened clutch which had placed his head to her near naked bosom turned into almost a caress as his cheek lay against her burned and reddened chest causing her to wince, and his hands rested on her hips around her back. The boy nuzzled her gently before cooing, “You smell like mom’s cooking.” Artanis could only laugh at the implications.

~*~*~*~*~*~*
Round two:
Linnix, the only member of the companionship away from the rest of the other’s seethed at having been disheveled so. Her target had already risen, but instead of turning on her, took off into the night, the former magical blade of Linnix’s leaving a faint trail of blue with each pump of his arms which carried the sword farther and farther away from it’s original owner.

(Accounting for Linnix’s probable retaliation via thrown dagger or crossbow bolt: Disregard if Linnix doesn’t attack the fleeing man)
In a fury Linnix’s cursed aloud at the man who had not only bested her, but now was making off with her first treasure of real value! Standing quickly and Hefting her arm to throw her dagger/ raise to fire her crossbow, Linnix let the projectile fly, but her frustration caused her flying retribution to fall quite short of its mark as the man ran for all he was worth out into the hills, the shadow’s of night already overtaking the brilliance of the Daylight spell, and casting a dull haze of shadow over the fleeing man.

(as Linnix is the only one who could possibly pursue the man~As she’s the only one not engaged who knows of his existence currently, the man’s full movement bolstered by the “Run” feat will easily place him out of range of the ticked off Linnix. Possibe pursuit later is always an option.)

~*~*~*~*~

The man now captured groveled on his knees, not daring to look up at the drow priestess who stood above him, her courtblade already lined with his blood. Glacning in fear towards Kas he could only repeatedly stammer “Spare me, please for the love of God Spare me!”

Kas her sword already drawn holds it out to block any swing by the Drow.

"Preistess, stay you hand," Kas swings a leg forward over her stallion's neck and slides to the ground facing forward sword still outbetween brigand and Aelistra

She steps forward and takes up the mans weapon. "In Tyr's name I take your parole." The formal words came from her lips almost without conscious thought.

Kas reached back with her free hand and taking the reins of the stallion points him directly toward the kneeling man. "Guard."

"Now, miscreant, are there any others of you pack, other than the one who ran? How many were you? "Why were you here, and why did you attack our company?"

Aelistae’s eyes squinted once more as Kas emerged from the gloom into the blazing light of the spell that had been cast over the campsite. But it was not the magical dweomer that caused her to do so, but the sword that Kas had thrust near her chest.

“Do you think so little of me that you think I would kill an unarmed man that had asked for mercy?” the drow priestess asked, her voice quivering indignantly, even as she curved her blade around Kas’ off-balanced parry and left it hovering dangerously close to the back of the bandit’s neck. “And do you think you could stop me if I wanted him dead?”

A long pause hung over the air as Aelistae gazed angrily at the Tyrran.

“If I were a spider kisser I would have left you to die when I first saw you. And would have done nothing when this man tried to couple forcibly with Elesia. But I am not that person!”

The priestess of Eilistraee slowly retracted her blade. It left a long thin line of red over the back of the human’s neck, but nothing more than a shallow cut.

“Think over that,” she spat angrily, as she left the globe of light and strode back into the comforting solace of the night.

OOC: Aelistae will head back to the clearing and gather her discarded clothing and armour.

Loriel runs out of the cave entrance only to findher companions seeming to have things well in hand. HE eye widen ans she spots Aelistae state of dress or more to it undress. Before the Priestess and man on his kness begging not to be killed by the Drow and fed to the Spiders.

Loriel bit her lips to contain a smile. She might imaging how this man felt with the black skinned priestess before him with her blade drawn and dripping blood, that seems to be his because there was not a mark on the ...man's shirt. Loriel took a second look at the Priestess. She would have to find out about that later. She moved forward with her bow drawn aimed at the man on his knees.

She took a head count quickly, Bart, in the cae mouth,. Elesie, Aelistae, Kas on her war horse, Xarius with her and Artanis back in the cave with the boy.

"Where is LInnix?" she asks looking about her.

Xaris watched as the commotion around him went on. He seen the man run away at an amazing speed, and knew he could'nt do much about that. But he did watch the new found prisoner beg for his life. The people all around him seemed caught up in a large commotion, with everyone spread out, doing their own thing. He needed to get their attention to set ground of what they should do. He needed to do something. Quickly Xaris lifted the new conch of his with his two hands to his lips, and blew hard. He remembered how it made him halt in his steps, and maybe he could get the attention of everyone around him to organize this scattered event.

After he blew his conch, he yelled out.

" Listen! There is no time to fight, we have one prisoner, and one man running. Tonight was one of the most wreckless nights I've had, and we all just need to buckle down and get some rest, get organized atleast."

Xaris mumbled the last bit to himself, in response the the scattered group, with some of them still missing.

How dare you?! HOW DARE YOU?! Linnix's face contorts in rage and sheer hatred. She swiftly grabs her fallen hand crossbow and promptly stands, firing at the fleeing enemy. Too slow. The enemy's speed, typical of such a pathetic soul, has put him out of Linnix's range.

Linnix's hands clench the crossbow's handle viciously, as though she were throttling her enemy's neck. The scream started deep within her enmity and, by the time she vocalized it, it held all her defiance and hatred to those who had wronged her. For being short of breath from combat, the scream lasted for a considerable length of time.

Unable to do anything, Linnix slumps to the ground, her eyes still with the glint of cold blooded hatred that would allow her to kill anyone. I know your face Linnix sourly thinks, finally forming a coherent thought, and you will die, by my hand if I have anything to say about it.
Exhausted and angry, yes those feelings held Linnix, but now she could think, and now she felt sorrow. She was sad that she couldn't resume her dream, which had been so promising, and she was sad that she had cast that blade aside like it was nothing. That blade Linnix wonders, what a strange thing it was.
Linnix slowly prys her hands off of the crossbow's handle, and feels a few tears fall down her cheek. The loss of her dream felt nearly as bad as leaving her behind.