PBEM Orlantia

The Story So Far
Chapter 027

PBEM Orlantia: The Fall.

Bebe moved north toward the fray, and casting her spell, let lose the power she had gathered upon the nightmare that was now apparently intent upon Afyanna's demise. The splash of splintering shards of ice hit the creature squarely on its flank, causing it to snort in mild pain.

*This thing is tough!* she thought. *We're barely scratching it,* she realized. Had Cosher's chanting not risen above the din, her heart might have sank with fear at their relative ineffectiveness, but instead it beat faster, rising with the baritone's impassioned mantra.

As the sea dwarf chanted, loud and clear, Sliobhann flashed in fire's light and preceded the stout warrior's advance. He hit the nightmare's rear quarter as it spun toward Afyanna, but instead of biting into flesh, it glanced off, almost giving the beast added incentive and momentum toward the holy warrior's position.

*Ack, it dinnae hurt it!* he screamed inwardly at himself. His proud family blade, he grimaced, was not making a worthy showing.

Cosher might have given up and let his own true feelings come to the surface, but instead his bardic training took him as he empathized with Finn MacCuillaog's march, replacing his own feelings with the spirit of the chant, bolstering his feelings, and giving him courage to try again. He chanted on, proudly, knowing he was helping his fellows as the eyes of his companions were growing wider with the pride and determination of past times.

Wyn's longsword torn from his hands, he now hefted his shortsword and stepped toward the nightmare, an opening having presented itself while the creature's attention was fixed elsewhere. Curious, he might have looked to see what held its attention, but he knew taking the time to do that might mean missing his own chance, so with full weight behind his thrust, the piercing shortsword jabbed forth. It's tip, he felt as it hit, missed hitting dead on by a finger's breadth, but it had been enough of a miss, nonetheless, and the blade slid harmlessly along the hell horse's side.

Cursing, the elven rogue spun himself about, avoiding a collision with Cosher and further entanglement with the beast, as he stepped backwards out of the fray, letting his momentum slowly ebb in one smooth, fluid dance, coming to a halt several steps south of the ruckus while facing north. From there, he could charge again, he knew, but the sight before him sent chills down his spine.

Afyanna skipped to one side, the eyes of hell upon her, and she smiled knowing while they were fixed on her, Sef's opening was assured. The nightmare charged her position. There was nothing for it but to meet it head-on, and Afy, in turn, stepped into the collision, swinging her sword defiantly, slashing its face, which erupted into a spurt of flame. The beast screamed out, more in anger than in pain, and rearing up, stomped down hard upon the holy warrior.

First one searing hoof, then another connected, and the holy warrior fell. Before she could hit the ground, however, there followed a quick backward snap of the nightmare's neck, whereupon its fangs caught her and whipped her back, upwards into the air. Afyanna's lithe form sailed back in a smooth arc toward the charging ranger, and past him. Sef might have stopped, but it was too late to stay his hand.

The holy warrior's body crashed to the ground, rolled several yards, and came to a halt in a crumpled heap in a puddle of mud. She did not move.

Ignoring his fear, Sef let into the horrid abomination with new found hatred, leaning into an already momentum heavy swing of Alonwë, solidly connecting and dragging the blade along opening flesh, while spurting blood quickly burst into sickly, yellowish flame. The wounds sealed themselves, leaving a lengthy scar along its side, as the beast cried out in terrific pain. It had finally tasted Sefarlain's wrath.

Horror filled Tyrulf's eyes at what he beheld. His second preparation spell complete, he had yet to actually engage, and now, for Afyanna, he might be too late. He cursed the deadly rapidity of combat and feared he might have seriously miscalculated his tactics.

Just then, a stout wooden staff, backed with ample muscle, hit the creature, but Alana's thrust bounced harmlessly off the beast. Fearfully, a mere staff's length away from the hell horse, Alana took her eyes off the creature and glanced toward the still form of her new friend, Afyanna. The rain mercilessly beat down on her, but there was no movement.

Snarling loudly, almost with hatred, the she-wolf slammed into the black steed. Her fangs raked along its skin, but did not pierce its unholy hide. Brambles bounded past the nightmare, her leap several yards long, then instantly turned and growled in frustration and was about to leap in again when another unexpected splash of frost gave her pause.

Mystir's aim had been true again, but he did not stand motionless in idle pride. Instead, his spell completed, he moved slightly south, bending and scooping, snagging the fallen longsword as he stepped closer toward the beast.

Infuriated beyond description, the nightmare cried out as it began its inexplicably rapid ascent skywards. Though far from death's door, it had had enough, it seemed, and was leaving. There were too many of them, and they were unlike any it had fought before.

Alana, with a nearly unique opportunity of position, jabbed up at its belly and hit it. Sadly, she could tell, it had again failed to really hurt the creature.

Sefarlain, too, had a chance, and though he longed to run to Afy's side, instead he swung upwards with determined hatred. He even caught a piece of the creature underbelly, but it proved as tough as the rest of it, and without weight and muscle behind his upward thrust, the opportune attack proved useless.

Up, further and further, each second took the nightmare another ten feet beyond reach until it hit its peak and began a more rapid, lateral pace. Galloping into the night, already almost obscured by the rain and darkness, it headed southwest, toward Moonstone temple.

Valin's heavy crossbow bolt shot after it, but no howl of pain followed. Even Cosher's chant faded away, though the enthusiasm it lent lingered. The sound of falling rain and the hiss of the fire was all that was left.

Mystir might have been able to hit the beast yet with another spell, but the darkness obscured his line of sight, so he might have failed, too. Besides, the creature was intelligent and was not running away scant seconds before its demise, he knew. It had too much fight left in it, and the young wizard felt certain his Magic Missiles would not bring it down, anyway. He also knew he might need them later that evening.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Too Fast.

Tyrulf screamed at the fleeing nightmare in frustration. For the first time in many, many years, Tyrulf thought that magic wasn't worthy. Just as quickly as the thought entered his mind, he dismissed it with a shake of his head. Time was a factor in everything.

*If the evil, cowardly thing would have stayed, then it would have tasted Boccob's power,* thought Tyrulf as he moved over to Afyanna.

It always amazed him how evil creatures and people typically acted compared to others. His own group of people, who only met a short time ago, was willing to give their lives in defense of a town they didn't even know, fighting valiantly against an evil creature that ran away when any resistance was shown. Evil, on the other hand, behaved just like any other bully that Tyrulf had ever encountered - it was cowardly when push came to shove.

Looking down at Afyanna, Tyrulf didn't hesitate casting his Cure Light Wounds spell. It still amazed him that he could trade any divine spell for the power to heal. Silently, as he worked, he wondered why that was - why was healing so much easier than all the other spells?

Once the spell was cast, the blood immediately stopped oozing out and the wound started to heal. Still not happy with the amount of healing, Tyrulf started to cast Cure Minor Wounds.

Tyrulf could feel the power of the healing spells course through him, but it did little to assuage the guilt of his uselessness during the battle. He seriously wondered how disappointed Bothvar would be in him. But it had happened so quickly.

- MJA (Tyrulf)

PBEM Orlantia: Cooling Off.

"May Larethian damn thee!" cursed Febriwyn before the retreating form of the nightmare.

Even as he cursed, Febriwyn began to move again in a rapid sequence of fluid motions. First the spin towards his blade, his cloak lifting itself from his body to allow the second motion, the holstering of the short sword, proceeded without clumsily poking around under the cloak's thick material.

The third motion, now moving slower as his eyes looked over his badly beaten comrade, was to start off towards Mystir and his misplaced blade. Sharp elven eyes caught the blackened shape where nightmarish hooves had burned and depressed Afyanna's armor, as permanent a reminder of the battle as any memory.

Her sacrifice would not go in vain; the nightmare would never again approach them without fear.

- Brandon (Febriwyn)

PBEM Orlantia: Not Again!

Fury and frustration coursed through Bebe's body as she watched that damned hell horse fly off again. *Of all the cursed luck,* she thought.

Her first impulse was to give chase; after all, they most likely knew where it was going.

*We need to get to that temple and finish it off before it is able to heal its wounds again, or it will win by shear attrition.*

Bebe's spirits were still rather high, and the euphoria of battle had not worn off yet. She looked around to see where everyone was at when she realized that Tyrulf was casting healing spells upon Afyanna in the hope of saving her life.

*Oh no! That foul beast has struck down another of my companions,* she mourned.

Then she said, "Ehlonna, give me strength," as she went to help Afyanna. Brambles was faithfully standing next to the fallen warrior, her wolfish tongue gently licking the halfelf's face.

Bebe quickly went through the motions of first aid on Afyanna, trying to assess her injuries, but it seemed that the healing spells Tyrulf was casting were working far better than what she could perform. Nonetheless, she continued even as Sefarlain tried to pick her up.

*Maybe loosening some of her armor and treating her for shock will help sustain her,* she thought, as her hands automatically flew over the wounds.

*All I have are a few goodberries in my pouch, and with her unconscious, I don't know if she can eat them anyway, but nothing ventured nothing gained,* she reasoned as she popped a couple of the succulent berries she made that morning into Afyanna's mouth.

Soon Afyanna was being carried back to the cave by a few of the stouter party members, and Bebe called for Brambles to come with them. Bebe noticed the wolf was whimpering slightly as they fought the storm back to the relative safety of the cave.

"It's all right Brambles," Bebe reassured the wolf while stroking its thick main. "You did the best you could do. It wasn't your fault."

*Better luck next time, Ehlonna willing," she silently pledged into the wind.

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: Their Foe In Flight.

Once more they had met, and once more the nightmare had escaped from the group. At least this time the creature had felt the cruel bite of Alonwë, yet although the strike would have felled any man, the horse had continued as if unaffected. How could they hope to kill that thing? Was this really what Larethian wanted from them?

Such feelings quickly left Sefarlain as his anger abated. Standing in the driving rain, he turned his head towards Afyanna who lay motionless in the mud. Tyrulf was already bent over her and no doubt saving her life as he saved Sefarlain's only the day before. The beast would wait, at least for the moment.

*We must get to a place of safety,* thought the ranger. *Our work here tonight is done.*

True, the horse had escaped, but the people of Joad were hopefully saved from destruction. At times it was easy to forget how much had been achieved.

Sefarlain ran over to the crouched figure of Tyrulf and laid a hand on his shoulder. Tyrulf turned and looked up at the gathering figures around the still form of their leader.

"She's safe for the moment, I think," began the cleric of Boccob, "but I can't assess her fully out here. The light is too poor."

"We need to get out of here for the moment at least," replied Sefarlain. He thought for a moment, considering their best options. "Unless anyone else can help Afyanna, we should get her to safety and decide what to do there. I think the nightmare headed for the temple, so for the moment the cave is our best bet, and it's closest. Come on."

Without Afyanna's guidance, the ranger slipped back into his military habits easily and his request for help almost sounded like an order. But for the time being he had other things on his mind. He reached down to take the holy warrior's body and hoped the others would follow.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: The Rise.

Sefarlain had picked up his fallen comrade and gently cradled her in his arms, but before he could get too far, Alana walked over and bade him put her down.

"Excuse me, Sef, but I was momentarily lost in prayer to Hanali. Some of my magic, through Her graces, yet remains," she explained as Sef gingerly lowered Afyanna back down to the grass and out of the mud.

"Though not prepared ahead of time, through Hanali's love, Her powers bestowed upon me may yet heal."

With that, Alana laid her hands upon the holy warrior and began to chant a prayer in an odd language.

In truth, it was not a language per se. She could not hold a decent conversation in it, for example, but its intonations reminded Mystir, and others versed in it, of the Archaic Tongue in places. The rest was gibberish to them. For Bebe, on the other hand, the language was clear, despite an ancient dialect.

<Old Druidic>Rillifane, my lord, hear me; Hanali, my lady, please hear me. I beseech thee, in thy honored name, grant unto me this boon of life and love, and heal my fallen comrade. I offer thee thy gifts of purity, thy essence in return, and reaffirm my oath to thee, Rillifane, and thee, Hanali, and swear my undying love in your service.</Old Druidic>

Her hands glowed slightly as she sacrificed the power of her Create Water spell to her lords above in exchange for the requested favor of healing, and some of Afyanna's injuries abated. The holy warrior's eyes flickered for a moment, and then opened.

"Ohh, what hit me?" she murmured, sitting up and looking around tentatively.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Alana's Recount.

"A ton or more of demonic horseflesh hit you," Alana responded. "You gave us quite a fright. The way the beast was coming after you, I thought . . ." whereupon the druid swallowed and didn't finish her sentence.

"I am so glad you are not dead," she at last said instead. Alana could hear several of her companions express their agreement on that.

Looking around, Alana also thought, *I am glad none of the others are dead, as well.*

"Listen," Alana said when Afyanna made an effort to get up, knowing the holy warrior was probably still in a lot of pain, "I still have magic left. I could speed up the healing some more."

The druid gently persuaded Afyanna back on the grass.

"We have chased the beast away for now," she said. "We've even wounded it, though not nearly as badly as we'd wished." The grim look on Sefarlain's face confirmed that statement.

"The night is not over yet, of course, but I hope that we've had the worst of it. Still, now that you are conscious again, I think you have the right to decide for yourself what you want."

- Wilma (Alana)

PBEM Orlantia: The Holy Warrior Arises.

The transformation was truly an incredible testimony to the skill and power of their gods. Having only a few seconds previously been on the verge of death, Afyanna was now sitting and talking, albeit looking a little the worse for wear. It was a feeling that the ranger knew from bitter experience; their foe had now almost killed both of them those last two days. It was probably a feeling Jahar would have had too, had he survived the deadly encounter. Sef shivered at the thought of how close he and Afy had come to sharing Jahar's fate. It was almost negligible.

Once Alana had finished explaining the course of the battle, the group realized they had two choices - to pursue the beast further, or to seek rest inside the cave and continue in the morning. Sefarlain felt torn between the two; as much as he desired to see this creature finally killed, the group was depleted in their spells and considerably weakened by the attack.

"Whatever we did tonight, we must realize that the people of Joad are now safe," Sef began. "We've stopped that thing from killing more innocent people, but now we have to stop it from returning ever again. We can't face it out in the open; it'll just escape like it did tonight, unless anyone can think of a way to stop it from flying away. I'll leave that to you, Mystir, and the others with such powers."

Sef nodded towards Tyrulf and Alana before continuing.

"Which means we need to find its lair or where it rests. The only possibility we haven't explored is that it was somehow released from the temple's vault of iniquities, which I assume is down that secret passage we found. Whether the seals have been broken or whether we can seal them again, I do not know, but we have to return to the temple, I'm sure. But we'll need more equipment, some lights for a start, and this will take time. Should we not rest and prepare to leave at first light?"

The ranger knew that they had bought time for the innocents, but their next move had to be different, otherwise they would never stop the beast. Was that from muscle and steel, or was there another way? His thoughts out in the open, Sefarlain tightened his cloak against the rain and waited to hear what the others thought.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Febriwyn's Thoughts.

Febriwyn looked for a moment at Sefarlain, then up to the storm above before speaking. "I think we should take shelter in the temple this night."

Looking back at the surprised looks of the others, he then pulled his cloak about him tightly.

"We need to rest, though, Febriwyn, and the caves are much closer," said Sefarlain, while a stronger gust of wind swept in and set even the hardiest to chill.

"If we go to the temple, we'll be just as safe as if we rested in the caves for the night. And unlike the caves, the gods still protect the temple. Additionally, we'll be able to start exploring earlier tomorrow. While you're right about not having sufficient things to burn to light our way and explore, I'm certain one of our good magic users can provide lighting for us. And, if they can't, I'm able to weakly illuminate a room for a period of time," replied Febriwyn.

"Besides, I m . . . we might be able to explore some before tomorrow morning."

- Brandon (Febriwyn)

PBEM Orlantia: Why Wait?

Bebe felt Febriwyn's idea was a good one. The group could be ready to go rather quickly, then finish resting at the temple. Sure, they still had to lick a few wounds, but so did the nightmare.

*We have no idea how fast the beast heals itself. Maybe faster than us; maybe not.*

The longer Bebe weighed the possibilities, the more she felt it was a good idea to head for the temple that night.

"I think maybe Wyn's idea has some merit. Maybe we could surprise this hell horse flat hoofed, and if nothing else, keep it from taking flight. I wish Jahar were here; he could make a pretty potent snare if he had the time to set it up. Come to think of it, I could probably come up with a pretty potent spell that could do the same thing, but magic is a pretty valuable commodity and not always a sure thing. Maybe one of you has the ability to throw some sort of trap together?"

Bebe wasn't sure this was the best course of action, but the adrenaline in her system was still pumping after the short encounter. She really would like another crack at it. The gnomish druid was beginning to loose her patience, what little she had, and was afraid she would do something rash if they didn't get the thing soon.

Then again, looking at Afyanna swaying on her feet, still trying to shake off the shock of her near death experience, kind of cooled her heals a bit.

"Of course," Bebe began, "a lot of it would be up to Afy. After all, she took a pretty good pummeling from that thing. Do you think you are able to travel back up to the temple?"

Bebe peered through the dark at Afyanna as the gnome's hand stroked Bramble's huge muzzle.

*Even Brambles still seems edgy, getting so close to a pack kill and then having the quarry rudely escaped."

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: Giving In.

Afyanna leaned against the a lonely tree, trying to get her bearings. Her whole body ached, though by the power of the various gods of those surrounding her, the major physical wounds were greatly lessened. Without thought, her hands quickly ran themselves over her gear, ensuring that all of it was with her.

Grimacing and using the tree for support, the holy warrior stood shakily to her feet.

"I thank you all," she said. "Your quick actions undoubtedly saved my life."

Alana and the others looked slightly abashed at her praise. After all, healers 'heal'. They often didn't get thanked for their duties.

Afyanna rubbed her temple, trying to subdue the throbbing that began when she stood. Having heard the last few moments of the party's conversation, she decided to weigh in.

"I agree with you that we cannot fight this thing in the open. The first time, it can be said we were unprepared. But after this last encounter," she searched for the proper description, "it is clear we are no match for it in an even fight."

Each of them felt this to be true, and they nodded almost as one.

"We've used up our spells for the day and the prudent thing to do would be to rest and make for the temple in the morning." The expressions on a couple faces told her that they agreed, or did not disagree anyway - but it was a minority. "However," she continued, "this may indeed be our time to strike."

Sefarlain for one looked surprised. "Now? Tonight?"

"Yes," the holy warrior replied. "From Brambles we are reasonably certain the beast holds up in the temple when hurt. Even though I am loathe to attack in the creature's lair, with few or no spells remaining, and us only partially healed and rested, maybe . . . just maybe we can catch the nightmare before it has a chance to heal up."

"If, on the other hand, we do not find the nightmare at the temple, then we can rest there for the night and continue searching tomorrow." She looked around to each of them. "We have accomplished our most important task. We bought the people of Joad the time they needed to reach safety. Caution is now less important than killing that foul creature."

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: Love's Usurpation.

"Yes, I think we should risk going back to the temple tonight," Afyanna told everyone, despite the apparent pain she was still suffering.

Alana then knew there was little choice, and she once again uttered an ancient Druidical intonation, this time sacrificing her prepared Entangle spell for more healing and casting the spontaneous spell upon their party leader. The magic miraculously caused deep wounds to fade, then disappear entirely in places, yet the severity of Afyanna's wounds were too much for Alana to fully heal.

"I'm afraid there is little more I can do this evening," Alana told her apologetically.

"No, please, no, do not apologize for doing your best. It is far more than most will ever get, and as much as any have a right to. I thank you and your lords for their blessing," she told Alana, hugging her with genuine affection and thanks.

Then Afyanna stepped back from the druid and began chanting herself, her hands first clasped in prayer, and then, fingers outstretched, gliding over her body and remaining wounds, and what few marks remained faded into nothingness.

Of course things were often deceptive in their appearance. Though not a mark could any longer be found on Afyanna's skin, she could still feel some pain and aching muscles and joints. Time would heal even those, but for the night, she was as good as she was going to get. She shuddered when she realized despite several spells, despite many healing abilities, she had come so close to death that she was still not 100%.

"If we're going to the temple, I'm going to make a quick stop back at the caves first," Sefarlain announced to them all. "They have several lanterns I'm sure they would not begrudge us, considering we just saved the villagers of Joad. Wait here and I'll be back shortly." Then he ran off toward the caves, and Febriwyn followed him, keeping pace and also disappearing into the stormy night.

"How fast do you suspect the nightmare can heal its own wounds?" Valin suddenly asked as the scouts departed. "I mean, we hurt it before, but it was back the next night without so much as a scratch, near as I could see."

No one answered the rogue of Hermes, but all of them thought about it. What might await them back at Moonstone temple, they couldn't be certain, but they were going, nonetheless.

Though it seemed longer, Sef and Wyn were back in less than ten minutes. The caves were not far away, after all, and now both of them had two, cheap lanterns each, more than enough to light the way in the darker areas of the temple.

"OK, let's go," Afy sang out enthusiastically, and they each put a good foot under them and marched the short way back, taking the road, and half an hour saw them back at the rocks leading into the thick grove overgrown with spiky heather. In the rain and at night, the place had a whole different feel to it, though. It was scarier.

"Brambles, you'll have to wait here, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, but there's no good way to get you over those rocks," Bebe told her companion. The she-wolf whimpered quietly, but obediently stood her ground.

One-by-one, they climbed the large boulder and, lanterns lit, hopped from rock to rock, discovering it was a rather new experience in the dark and the rain compared to before in dry sunlight. Unfortunately, Bebe slipped and fell headlong into the heather, and by the time they got her out, she was covered in cuts and scratches. The wounds were, in fact, minor, but the pain had been great, and numerous red lines now adorned the gnomish figure. Shaking it off, she went on.

"Turn down those lanterns," Valin suggested when they reached the illusionary entrance. The illusion no longer bothered them, particularly since in the rain and at night, one could hardly see it, let alone be fooled by what they couldn't really see. It was interesting how the illusion was less effective at night, but then it could probably afford to be.

"We can see well enough in the first room, so there's no need to announce our presence if the beast is down there," Valin further explained in a whispered voice. The others turned down the wicks on their lanterns until only the barest of flames remained, and with a free hand, they could conceal most of the remaining illumination. Once done, they ventured downward past the high arches, but the feel of the temple was different at night - the darkness and shadows giving their downward trek a foreboding eeriness.

At last the blue-white shimmering appeared, but something was not right. There was movement in the chamber. Sef, on point, shot up his hand, cautioning them all to be silent. Slowly, he crept forward until he reached the last arch leading into the temple.

There, actually touching the soul field, even standing partially in it, stood the nightmare with an almost gleeful look on its horrid looking face. So enraptured was it that it did not notice Sef, but Sef sure noticed one thing about the nightmare. It wounds, even its scars, were completely gone.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Love Miss-channeled.

That explained it.

Febriwyn stepped beyond the party and turned rapidly, lifting his right hand, the rough sylvan palm outstretched towards the party. His other hand, a bit slower, moved to his lips, signaling silence. Glancing back over his shoulder, Febriwyn waved the party to move back, hoping none would stumble as had happened just recently.

As he waved, Febriwyn thought back to how often, during the group's stay in the accursed town, he had wondered how, precisely, this quite mortal being had so often returned from battle without a single wound to show for it after a dozen hours. Of course, more ironic than the answer was that Febriwyn himself had imagined fighting the beast in the temple for just this reason: the healing aura. The beast obviously was more intelligent than Febriwyn had realized.

- Brandon (Febriwyn)

PBEM Orlantia: A Sacrifice Corrupted?

The sight that greeted Sefarlain made him feel sick to the pit of his stomach. To see their enemy corrupting the holy sacrifice that filled the temple was almost too much to bear. He could see no trace of the injuries he had caused only an hour or two ago; in fact, the nightmare looked almost untouched.

He pulled back from the entrance with Wyn to join the others, and from his expression, the rest of the group could tell what he had just witnessed. He noiselessly signaled to them to fall back and they did so, climbing the stairs, reaching outside, and backtracking along the path they had earlier cut through the heather thorns, finally coming to a halt near the last boulder.

Under the shadow of the huge stone monoliths, Sef and Wyn quietly explained what they had seen. In the moonlight with the eerie shadows thrown by the undergrowth, the atmosphere at the temple was very different.

"I say we go back to the caves and fast," offered Sef. "Tomorrow we can think of how we can cut off its access to the field. Then maybe we can trap it here or meet it under our terms."

The ranger knew the advantage of being able to dictate when and how to fight an enemy, and the nightmare provided the perfect example.

"We know now that it comes here, which means we can face it prepared in an enclosed area with surprise on our side for once. We're too weak now. Let's go back, think about what to do, and then return. We've already given the people of Joad the chance they needed, so let's finish this, but on OUR terms."

At last the elf felt he could face his enemy with a degree of advantage. The end, one way or the other, was now in sight.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Blasphemy!

Afyanna wasn't at the forefront of the group when they reached the temple, so she had not seen with her own eyes what Sef and Wyn reported. That was probably lucky for them all, for had she been there she might have been physically sick and given away their presence. As it was, she stumbled back against a nearby boulder, her knees seemingly unable to support her.

*It . . . it's . . . it's using Joree's soul energy to heal itself?*

Afyanna had difficulty even making sense of her thoughts. The idea of that foul creature using the field created by love and sacrifice to heal its own wounds was so . . . wrong, so unconscionable, that Afy lowered her face into her hands to try to clear her mind.

*I never intended to use the field to heal myself,* she thought, *and yet this foul thing is using it for its own purposes.*

Afy could not shake the impression that the nightmare was somehow feeding off of the holy warrior. Not accurate, she knew, but it was something that she could not get out of her mind. Looking through her fingers to the other members of the party, they also seemed shocked and sickened.

*Thankfully I am not the only one who feels this way,* she realized. *I doubt any of us considered tapping Joree's energy except as a last resort.*

Afyanna rubbed her face and eyes and drew on her resolve to push the thoughts and images from her mind. At least from the front of her mind. They had other immediate concerns.

"I agree," she whispered, "we should get back to the caves."

At her apparent change of position, she added, "The time to act was before it was healed. At full strength, we are no match for it right now."

Timing had never been their ally, and this would be no different. "Tomorrow is the Larethian's Holy Day as well. We may want to keep that in mind as we plan what to do."

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: Down, But Not Out.

The mood was somber as the party made their way back to the caves, hurrying through the driving rain and wind. Not only were the conditions enough to make them question why they were outside, but the horrific sight they had just witnessed had quelled even the most ardent warrior there. One fight in a day to near death was enough for now.

As they hurried back, Sefarlain could just make out the cave entrances on the beach, a faint glimmer detected by his sensitive eyes. In those conditions, the damp caves looked almost homey. Each of his compatriots was hidden from him in buried folds of clothing. Each kept their thoughts to themselves in a similar manner. Within a few minutes, the group was within the relative safety of the cave.

Andrew and Horton looked both surprised and hesitant when the party returned. They had not ventured outside since the battle, but had seen the group hurry away into the distance. Their quick return was worrying.

"So . . . is it all over?" asked Andrew, a worried look betraying his thoughts. The silence in the damp cave was everywhere, the odd crackle and snap from a small fire in the corner the only noise above the wind.

No one answered immediately, but dejection was written on every face. In small groups they walked over to the fire or slumped against the wall. Some threw their soaking gear against the wall; others stood fully equipped and merely dripped pools of rainwater onto the floor. What could they say?

"No, Andrew, not yet," said Sefarlain finally. "But soon, I hope."

The elf turned towards Afyanna and the rest and motioned towards the fire.

"Well I don't know about you all, but I need some food and warmth before we decide what's next."

He moved over to the small fire, took his sodden cloak from around his shoulders and eased his pack from his back with a small sigh. In the firelight, his slight frame cast a much larger shadow against the wall, dancing in time with the wind that moved the flames of the fire. He sat down heavily after hanging his cloak and proceeded to chew on some of the remaining rations from his pack, still dry despite the weather. The sustenance was welcoming and he began to relax.

After a few minutes, others began to do the same, and soon the fire was surrounded by huddled figures steaming slightly in the heat. As they thought over the events of the day, ideas began to surface.

Sefarlain was the first to voice what all knew; somehow they had to stop this creature from escaping again.

"Our problem has been that we fight on its terms, not ours. Now that the people of Joad are safe, that can change," he began. "Now that we know this horse uses the temple, I suggest that the temple is the best place to tackle it. There are features there we can use to our advantage. We can return tomorrow, and if the nightmare is nowhere to be seen, it gives us time to prepare."

"How we proceed then is up to us. I thought we could trap the nightmare as it enters the temple using the illusion as cover. That would give us chance to get a noose over its neck or entangle it some other way. Then when it can't escape, we can attack, but we'll need everything we've got to hurt it. I guess that means we'd better think what spells would be best to hurt it. The flare spell, for instance, was a great choice."

Alana looked pleased at the praise she had attracted and nodded at the compliment, but Cosher looked less certain.

"Ah dinnae hear aboot the statue, lad. Where's she ina this?"

"I'm not sure, I'm afraid," finished the elf.

He looked to the floor. Just what was the role of Joree's statue in all this?

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Just a Thought.

Afyanna shifted her weight, trying to find a smoother spot on the cave wall to lean against. She sat on the dirt floor with her arm cocked between one knee and her head. Although she would rather have sat closer to the fire, Afy was far too tired to give up a wall's reassuring support.

"You know," she said, breaking the silence that had settled over the camp, "we do have a way of stopping the nightmare from healing itself."

"What do you mean?" Sefarlain asked.

"According to the Journal of Anlashok that we found, the field can be dropped."

Wyn looked at her suspiciously. "Why didn't you mention this sooner?"

Afyanna stared into the dancing fire, thinking of the experience she had within the field. "Because according to the journal, time would have been at a standstill within the field."

"So that tree monster you saw would be there waiting?" Bebe surmised.

Afy merely nodded.

"But so would Joree," added Alana.

"Tha Holy Warrior o' Wrath!" Cosher said beaming.

Afyanna couldn't help but smile a little, even now. Bards sing tales of many heroes, but how often do they get to meet one?

"Even before the golem hit her that . . . final time?" Valin asked. "Would she be hurt very badly and in great need of healing?" he wondered.

"No," Afyanna said, bowing her head. "It was clear Joree's death activated her spell. She would be well beyond our help. But the wood creature, the timber, would be alive, and probably quite nasty, even if it was on its last legs."

"Is there anything else in that book we should know?" Wyn asked.

"Well, it was Anlashok who disguised the temple's entrance with the illusion," she stated. "He also discovered that the surrounding land had been enchanted by the priests of the temple."

"Tha must be why the wine's so good," said Cosher.

"That seems to be the case," Afy agreed. "But the temple must be active for the enchantments to remain in effect."

"Ah, so that could be why Sage Shereef remarked about the quality of the wine falling off recently," Mystir said. "The effects might be wearing off."

Afy nodded.

"What about the nightmare?" asked Valin.

"No mention of it," Afy said. "It must have come only recently." Afyanna loosened the straps of her amour so she could relax a bit. "That makes sense, I suppose, considering my vision was fairly recent."

"That assumes that you are the first to attempt to cleanse the evil in these parts you know," Sefarlain pointed out.

The holy warrior had to smile at that. "True. But none of the people we met have spoken of others."

The mood of the party was lifting a little as they focused ahead instead of on what they had just seen inside the temple.

"I do feel the hand of Corellon Larethian in the timing, though," Afy stated.

"How so?" asked Alana.

Afyanna shrugged. "I just think it is more than coincidental that we are in a position to free Joree's spirit, a Holy Warrior of Corellon Larethian, on the holiest day of the year. She sacrificed her life defending His temple, and we can now free her soul."

Tyrulf nodded. "I agree, but won't we have the golem to deal with then?"

"Most likely," Afy replied. "But we can solve one problem - keeping the nightmare from healing - by dropping the field. The drawback is that we will have to face the golem."

Sefarlain looked to be considering the idea. "If we rest up now, then free Joree's essence in the morning . . . maybe we would have time to rest again before nightfall."

"We could fight it inside the temple," Valin said.

"Where it couldn't run," Bebe added through gritted teeth.

"And if we don't defeat the golem by nightfall . . . " Wyn began.

"Then we would be weary, and facing two enemies with no spells when the nightmare reappeared," finished Mystir.

"If it came down to it, we can stay safe from the nightmare within the caves," said Alana, "now that the people of Joad are safe."

Afyanna nodded knowingly. "I'm not saying we SHOULD do this. I am only saying that for various reasons there may be some merit to the idea."

The holy warrior sat quietly while the idea was discussed. One thing she hadn't mentioned yet from the journal was the discovery of the vault. By the sound of it, it was through the secret doorway they had discovered and the one Febriwyn had been anxious to explore since its discovery. However much Afyanna did not want to divulge that information, she knew she had to before Wyn went off on his own.

"There is one more thing," Afy said slowly. Her tone got their attention quickly.

"No one is to explore that secret passage for now," she stated.

"And why not?" Wyn asked.

Afyanna paused, pressing her lips together as if to keep the information to herself. "There may be something down there that the church wishes to keep secret," she said finally.

Tyrulf's eyes widened as he made the connection. "You mean a . . . umm storage area?" was all he could say. Members of the church didn't speak of the vaults for the very reason that what was often stored in such places was supposed to remain there. If others found out about them, they would become targets for looting. Not every temple had them, so knowing where they were was half the battle.

"It's possible," said Afy. "It's the reason Anlashok wove the illusion. The idea was to get a priest here to reopen the temple. But apparently he never did."

"If that is the case, then I agree with Afyanna," Tyrulf said. "The passage should not be explored." Tyrulf thought a moment before asking, "Do you know if it is secure?"

"According to what I read, it was then. But who knows about now?"

"We would know more once we explored the area," stated Febriwyn.

"Yes," Afy said. "We would. And once the situation with the nightmare and the field is resolved, we will explore - but only to determine the state of the storage area. Nothing more."


- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: A Wet Hen.

Bebe was rather irritated about returning to the caves. She was itching for a fight and thought that the group could still take the beast. She was even pretty sure that they could have surprised the nightmare outright while it was enthralled in Joree's light, from all accounts of the elves. She had half a mind to go it alone, but knew that was rather rash of her to even consider. But what should one expect of a young gnome barely in her 70's?

The long trod back through the rain and the muck was reminiscent of her early days in the village guard on patrol - always depressing - always raining. By the time they reached the relative comfort of the cave, she was nigh on exhausted. Bebe had the shortest legs in the group and had to almost trot to keep up with the rest of the party's longer strides.

*As soon as I can get some gold on hand, I am going to by a mount,* she thought as they finally entered the cave.

Bebe shared a quick snack from her pack with Brambles, who first shook violently to rid herself of the water befouling her thick coat. As she loosened her armor, talk turned to what they should do next, but Bebe was only half-heartedly involved with the discussion and soon turned her attention to her nightly meditations.

Only half aware what was going on, and exhausted from the day's trials, she slowly cuddled into Brambles' drying fur and began to drift off to sleep.

Bebe personally did not think releasing the golem was a good idea until the nightmare was destroyed. It was just as likely that the nightmare would come and investigate the noise of them trying to rid the temple of the golem, and then they'd have to fight both at once rather than separately. Anyway, she wanted to do a little research on how to lay low old woody before they engaged it.

*Yes,* she thought, *if the nightmare could use the field to heal, then they shouldn't be so squeamish about using it themselves while fighting the hell horse. After all, Larethian did send us here. Would he really be upset if we cleansed his temple of evil and then used the field to heal our wounds?*

A good argument, she supposed, but it could wait for morning. There were more important things to attend to at the moment.

But with that thought, she gave into her body's desire and succumbed to sleep.

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: A Plan Of Attack.

Afyanna's information made Sefarlain's eyes widen in surprise.

*The Timber is still inside that field? And we were right next to it?*

He dreaded to think what would have happened if the nightmare had released the Timber by itself, but that was not the case, fortunately.

"Afy, if your vision told us anything about the Timber, it was that this is a very great threat. Maybe we can defeat it together - in fact maybe that's why Larethian has sent us here. But that AND the nightmare? I'm not so sure."

The ranger's memory of their two recent battles was fresh in his mind.

"I think it might be the time to try and ambush this nightmare, to give US an advantage for a change, and then we can deal with the Timber when we're ready. Look, the entrance to the temple gives us perfect cover, and from what I remember, even the air drafts will hide our smell. I think we can hide undetected there and wait for the nightmare to return. If we can trap it somehow, it won't be able to fly away or reach the field, and then we can finish this business once and for all."

"There are magical ways of entrapment," noted Alana "but they require vegetation that is suitable. The area around the temple should provide that, if we can catch the nightmare in the open there."

Sefarlain looked pleased at this news; secretly he had been worried about the prospect of tackling the nightmare without some form of restraint.

"Alana, that may well be an answer. The other idea I had was that we could get some of the village's strongest rope. I had hoped Cosher might be able to secure it to a column inside the temple, and when the nightmare appears we can throw a loop around its neck and tighten it. That way, although it can move around, it won't be able to fly away or make it to the field. If Alana can somehow entangle it first, that increases our chances of tethering it."

"But how are ye gonna know when the beastie will appear?" asked Cosher. He obviously didn't relish waiting all night to tie the nightmare down.

"I assume it will appear at night. Apart from that, I don't know," replied the ranger. He looked to the others to see whether they had any other ideas.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: An Uncertain Rogue.

Valin frowned at Sef's enthusiasm, mostly since he felt it would not be that easy to trap a creature that could fly. Even if the vegetation all around it started to grasp at it, where most creatures could only struggle away toward even more grasping weeds, the nightmare could just fly away. Besides, the effectiveness of the proposed spell was limited on exceptionally strong creatures, and the hell horse struck him as especially powerful.

The ranger went on about ropes and traps, and Valin quietly wondered how one secured a rope to solid stone without drilling some hole in it. There would be nothing to tie it to. And there were no handy columns, either.

He was about to bring some of that up went an even more horrid thought struck him.

"Umm, I don't mean to put a damper on your plans, particularly since I don't have any better, but can't nightmares travel the astral and ethereal planes?" he asked, looking at Mystir for confirmation.

The young halfelven wizard nodded his head.

"Then even if we could tie it up, wouldn't it just slip its bounds by traveling ethereally or something?"

Silence hung over the cave like a depressing realization, everyone taken slightly aback by Valin's spoken concerns.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Illusionary Problem.

Valin wasn't the only one who had concerns about Sef's plan, so Tyrulf decided to speak up as well.

"I don't want to be pessimistic, but in addition to Valin's concern, I was also curious how effective the illusion spell is against the nightmare. There doesn't seem to be any evidence that it originated from the temple. If the creature was just looking for a place to hole up and came upon the temple, then it must have seen through the illusion."

Tyrulf paused for a moment and looked around. The group seemed more dejected than before.

"But I was also thinking about using the illusion in another way. If the nightmare can see through the illusion, we could use that to our advantage." Again Tyrulf paused, but before he could explain, Bebe interrupted.

"Tyrulf, make up your mind," Bebe said impatiently. "First you say the illusion is useless, then you say we can use it?"

Bebe blushed slightly when she realized how harsh that had come out, but Tyrulf smiled to reassure her his feelings had not been hurt.

The group seemed at least interested at what Tyrulf was getting at, so he continued.

"This accursed animal is smart. It has proven that all too well. Perhaps we could use that to our advantage. If the nightmare can see through the illusion, then maybe we should let it see what we want it to. If we set up some of the party inside the cave entrance and appear to be using it for protection, it will probably think it has the advantage. Maybe we could block the entrance to the temple at the bottom. If some of our group stays outside the cave hidden well enough when the creature charges at the 'unsuspecting' guards, the rest of the group could attack it from the rear. If we could force it down the stairs it would have less room to move. Now the people at the opening of the cave would be in the most danger, of course, but if they actually know what to expect, they may be able to move out of the way long enough for the rest of the group to move in."

Tyrulf stopped after his little tirade.

*Well, there are probably a lot of holes in my theory, but maybe someone will be able to fix them.*

- MJA (Tyrulf)

PBEM Orlantia: Other Thoughts.

Sefarlain looked despondent. He had been certain that his plan held some merit, but the others had shot holes easily through his schemes. It seemed he had a lot to learn.

"Well," he began, "my only suggestion is that we are around the statue tomorrow night. I don't know what to expect, but the song implied that she might 'awake from slumber'. I wonder if that's here or at the temple?"

"Anyway, somehow we may get some help in tackling this thing. Otherwise, I don't know how we can trap it unless we lure it inside; either at the caves or the temple itself."

- Justin (Sefarlain)