Entry the Second

Having triumphed over Kaiden and his lackeys, we recovered the remains of the fallen heroes, Rook and Darwin. As a divine warrior of Moradin, Darwin would most likely have wanted his remains stored in the nearby dwarven sanctuary. Rook was apparently not the religious type, but no matter - his body had curiously petrified, rendering him a solid mass of mineral stone. We let his spirit rest in the earth he protected. With valuable allies departed fro this world, it's up to the remaining six of us to lay siege to these temples and save the entire realm from Bane himself! If the very notion doesn't stop your heart for a full ten seconds, then dear reader, you are probably already dead!

Sullen but determined, we pressed on to find stone carved hallways which we hoped would lead us to the next temple that needed a thrashing. I wonder how many unassuming employees of the mining company have fallen in these corrupted halls, dragged here to be sacrificed on an altar. If only I'd known earlier, so much of this could have been prevented. Alas, the only thing that remains to be done is to avenge them and give these damned cultists the thrashing of a lifetime! Maybe two lifetimes!

Koda, the furry sneak, was able to scout ahead and identify more barracks, protected by one sleeping guard. We prepared to storm them in their beds while Koda punished the guard for his lack of attention span. As he silenced the guard, Reeka, Rog and I each picked a barracks door and kicked it in. I expected a guard, maybe two at most. What I found was yet another poontangle of gnolls, with a separate pack behind each other door as well! I feared what lay ahead for my allies I waded into the sea of dog-men. I may survive a dozen blows and come back for seconds, but my friends are less fortified, Rog especially. The giant dwarf goes off like a cannon, scattering his enemies only to leave himself wide open to attack.

Just like your mother's supple thighs.

Deiter and Neebo guarded the rear and sent magic bolts whizzing over head as we each struggled to hold our own against the jackals. Rog bellowed like a volcano, only to whimper a moment later. Rikka struck only empty air as the gnolls surrounded her. I held my own against my pack without much difficulty, surprising no one. As I was swarmed by the slobbering beasts, it occured to me that making a pelt from their skins afterwards would really be quite comfortable. But smelly.

With Deiter's help I was able to break free from my temporary gnoll skin coat and dashed like lightning to come to my friends' aid. In the future, we shall not take the chance of being separated like this so lightly.