With the last man down, Orchid fell to his knees and quietly groaned to himself. He was in aching pain, and he knew he was nearing his limit. He wouldn't be able to muster up another bout of energy like that again until he rested, which made him feel about useless. His mind spun and he swore he was hearing colors, because that last blow nearly made him leave this mortal plane. Orchid took the potion they received from Greenest and drank it; even if Cyanwrath was likely the biggest threat here, there were still possibly kobolds inside, cultist outside, and he was almost certain the dragon's nest was guarded. He knew that this wasn't going to end well for himself, but Orchid had to endure. Or at the very least, give it everything he got.

After downing the potion Orchid tossed it to the side and went to get his weapons, as well as the weapons of Cyanwrath and his warriors. Their steel would be more useful in his hands than theirs. He tore their armor and clothing off to create makeshift sheaths that he could bundle them up with and put into or strapped onto his backpack for later. Looking at the others Orchid gave them a wry, bloodied smile. "Onward!"

Kyra just shrugged. If Brannor didn't want to use the armor, she wasn't going to push the issue. They didn't have much time to waste anyways. Sheathing her blades and drawing an arrow she took the lead for the party. "Allow me to go ahead, I'll do my best to spot the enemy before they spot us. I know we're running on fumes now so we need the element of surprise on our side more than ever." If there was no objections, Kyra would head down the tunnel where Cyanwrath and the other warriors had come from, keeping her eyes closely watching the ground and shadows. She didn't plan on falling into another hole if she could help it, using her bow to prob the ground in front of her for any signs of wires or hidden pits.

The scene of now two battles in this kobold barracks of a waystation between the stairs would be left behind. Orchid weighed himself down with more weapons, Brannor refused to follow suit to any degree be it weapons or armour, and the cleric was the first to descend the stairs that would turn out to be surprisingly long. Those of the group that were keeping track of directions they were taking in this cave might note that this descent had to bring them below the hall of the bats and then some, possibly even beyond it towards the South-East. Few would possess such a compass, but these people weren't just any people. A fair few of them knew nature like the back of their hand, and so keeping directions in check was actually rather trivial a task.

Once the stairs finally came to an end, before them opened an enlarged, even reshaped chamber, its original form long since mauled away by several tools just like the kobold barracks. Yet here care had been taken as the walls were smooth, not to mention how stalactites and stalagmites had all been polished into gleaming columns. Every single surface glistened with moisture here, the air oddly warm and understandably humid. The flat walls were decorated too on a closer look, though one needn't get very close at all to recognise the depictions. Shallow and abstract carvings of what other than dragons, tails coiling into intricate patterns and knots flowing along the walls. Yet in the North-Westernmost corner of the chamber a figure stood out in the carvings: A five-headed dragon rising from an erupting volcano. Other dragons, in their depiction much smaller, flock to this great figure. And there, at its foot, a small wooden chest with silver and mother-of-pearl inlays sat still.

Nothing came to greet the adventurers, but the room wasn't completely devoid of every sign of adversity either. In the middle of the floor lay a winged kobold, one wing still attached to its back, another torn asunder with a large chunk of the creature's shoulder with it, a hand barely attached to the poor thing's body clutching at the shaved off part. The lifeless creature lay in a pool of its own blood, still rather fresh. It couldn't have been here long. Yet this was hardly the end of everything as far as the size of the cavern went. In the South-Western corner one could see a passage turning back Northwards, curving beyond vision, while due East a hefty set of stairs hewn into stone led further on down to another platform of solid stone.

@Zverda@Ryonara@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen@The Harbinger of Ferocity

Now that everyone was moving forward, Parum thanked Torus for patching her up. She was still sore and frankly she didn't want to be here anymore, but all the more reason they needed to get through here even faster. It didn't seem like the other bodies had anything important on them, but Parum did take the lantern. Since she didn't have any darkvision, she'll need it to see anyone. If there was any oil left she'd try to turn it on as she follows the group into the next area.

In the new room, the first thing that Parum noticed was the dead kobold. It must've been one that had fled here to warn Cyanwrath and his warriors, though Parum didn't recall if any of her allies did an injury like this. It made Parum pity the kobolds; they were weak and puny, used and disrespected by everyone. If they weren't so evil, Parum wondered if maybe they would be good allies. Alas, there was no time to mourn the enemy. The next thing that caught her eye was the statue of what Parum presumed to be Tiamat, as well as the ornate chest located at it's base. "That's a trap." Parum said plainly. After being in this cave so long, it wouldn't surprise Parum the least bit of the kobolds have managed to rig the statue to do something to attack anyone who opened that chest, a very obvious piece of bait. She wasn't sure what the nature of the trap was, but she guessed it might have something to do with fire from the dragon's mouths.

"Does anyone remember if Cyanwrath or any of his warriors had any keys? Assuming that chest isn't just bait, maybe one of their keys can open the chest without some trap going off. At the very least I don't trust that it's located right there next to the Tiamat statue. If not, we should avoid it for now. I don't have anything to open it and we really don't need to take anymore injuries than needed."

”I don’t remember seeing any keys on Cyanwrath when I searched his body. If anyone had keys it would be him.” Kyra kept his eyes peeled for any potential threats. She doubts that Cyanwrath would be the last line of defense here, chances are there might be more kobolds who possibly fled here when the guard drakes started making noise at the previous hall. She wanted to take a moment to rest, but frankly she had no idea just how safe it is anymore.

Kyra looked around the room at the mention of traps. The statue was obviously one of the major locations, but at the same time Kyra wasn’t entirely sure just how fanatical these people are. Would they dare defile a statue to their goddess just to protect their treasure? Kyra honestly wasn’t sure. There was also the wall carvings. They might have some significance or at the very least, Kyra can destroy them in defiance of Tiamat. This whole cave should be purged in fire.

It would take a great deal of time to check the carvings that were on the walls, but something to give motivation to spending those minutes soon came to light. Lit by the lantern the group had commandeered or spells if they so chose, the many dragons of the walls showed their nature. Most of them were black, and every single one of those featured a small hole near their maws. Not one could be found that would not feature this quality, with the most notable exception of all. The great five-headed dragon emerging from its volcano had no such thing for its black maw.

In addition to the search for traps, as Kyra had to make the round around the room to make sure there wasn't anything more than that, she caught a glimpse of a ladder heading up in the South-Western end of the elaborately decorated space. A way out? It could be. But there was nothing more to say of it, unless one was ready to leave this room behind and wander off to have a closer look.


@Zverda@Ryonara@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen@The Harbinger of Ferocity

The party moved onto the new area, this one without much aside from a dead kobold and the strange dragon statue. Right, this place was a cult for Tiamat. Orchid briefly had forgotten about that. Parum warned against investigating the chest out of fear for traps, and Orchid believed she was right. Kyra was looking around for something, which allowed Orchid to look further towards what he would presume to be where the nest are. Part of him wanted to just go in there and finish this, however he also knew that it was never so simple. The kobolds are a cowardly lot, and it wouldn't surprise him if there were more hiding here, along with any other threat that might've been left behind to guard those eggs.

Fact of the matter is, Orchid wasn't sure if he was up for another battle, in his current state. He needed some rest, even though they're still deep in enemy territory. Wiping some blood off his chest Orchid looked to the others and spoke quietly. "We rest? Orchid tired. Hurt... Even kobold could kill Orchid, with numbers." It was a risky venture considering that if there are others here, they may very well attack them while they're resting. They'll need to hide somehow, or at the very least prepare to ambush them when they come to find them. But there wasn't exactly much cover in here. "If no rest, we go. One more fight."

The monstrous figure washed over the scene of the freshly killed kobold and the supposed trap in the ornate room with a snarly breath. Jowls wrinkled and eyes bright, wide with malicious intent, it seemed the hungering beast was displeased that there was no further does to dispatch. As enthralled as Brannor was, almost a shambling echo of himself and otherwise unrecognizable, some part of the once-man was still Keen enough to recognize this place was of importance. It made the moontouched quiver with anger, another interruption in its pursuit, another stall to its hunt, its calling.

Yet the delay was enough to settle the wilder side some and provoke the striped giant to crouch over and examine the recent kill. It was not that of it or anyone else and that raised all too many questions. It seemed... unrelated to the rest of the room and it was still fresh, faintly warm even, and filled the muzzle with its metallic, aromatic tone, but it likely proved useless.

"Useless..." The champion spat, looking back to the half-blood after. It was clear there was no disagreement to be had either. They kept moving or they took a moment to rest and there was no doubt as to what the ferocious servant of the Pale Lady preferred. Particularly not as the silver necklace it bore dangled menacingly over the fallen dragonkin.



@Hekazu@Ryonara@Zverda@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen

Torus had taken the time to look at those who had fared far worse than his current form and frowned, resting wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea for the sake of treating wounds. "People are rather hurt, would it not be best to secure the area and attempt to treat wounds before they fester?" the male piped up, pulling himself from the thoughts of the battles they had just faced. It had certainly been some work, but they were out of danger for now from what he could see and there were enough people barely hanging on that a rest seemed like the ideal option. His beast had kept him from dealing with any of the real problems that would have arisen had he himself taken any of the damage that had been targeted at him, trap and weapons alike, but the others had not been as lucky as he. It would be a lie to say he was not concerned, but he remained silent past the words he had already said, a soft voice mocking him for the appearance of concern, be it genuine or not.

To rest or not to rest. Admittedly Parum wanted to, but could they risk doing that? What if there were more cultist just waiting for Cyanwrath to come and report of his victory? If he didn't show up soon they'll suspect that he was defeated and might come after the rest of the party. But if they didn't rest now, they won't have that chance later either. They aren't in the strongest shape as it is and when they do run into trouble later on, they'll still be weak if not weaker. "Hmm... There's not a lot of cover here to safely rest, but I do think we need to rest. My primary concern however is enemy reinforcements. We don't have the means to try and stand our ground here. So let's try and rest up somewhere defensible, where we can both hide from anyone who might come in while also be able to see anyone who might show up. Either that or we try and return to the mushroom garden and take shelter there again, though honestly I don't want to risk disturbing the bats again."

Kyra looked down the hall. "Another passage here. Looks like it leads to somewhere important. Perhaps we could check it out?" Hearing that everyone else wanted to rest, Kyra couldn't help but think it would be a good idea as well. She was all tapped out for magic and they were all heavily wounded. No where was safe, but at least if they waited for the enemy to come to them, they could ambush them like they did with the warriors from before. "Let's rest here. I'll keep watch and keep an eye out for anything that'll come and threaten us. Perhaps we can make some defensive cover if or when they arrive."

Hearing that they're going to rest, Orchid kept his eyes on the northern corridor. He figured that's where their next objective was, but wasn't sure if it was entirely safe. What if those eggs hatched and they would have to fight baby dragons? Normally Orchid wouldn't be afraid of a baby anything, but dragons are a different creature. He has no clue what sort of abilities they would have once fully hatched. "I should go skin Cyanwrath. His dragon scale could make for good armor! I should take his armor too." Orchid thought to himself as he turned towards the previous room. "Orchid watch rear room. Make sure no one catch us behind. Orchid make loud noise if bad guys come, okay?" He also figured no one wanted to be in the same room as him as he goes about the grisly work of skinning a man, so going there alone was just a matter of pragmatism and courtesy.

The voice of the other side of Brannor, the sword, claws, and fangs of the Pale Lady would disagree only with a gruff exhale but even in the hungering, hunting state it was undeniable that they had been taxed significantly. Cyanwrath and the worst he had to throw at them cost them much, almost two of them their lives outright, and only the threat of the actual dragon itself had been worse. Even if the pale, primal frame toeing carefully the line of man and beast wished to keep going, it was pointless. Dying in the pursuit out of not exercising caution was to fulfill nothing of merit. So the Champion of Greenest withdrew from the fallen least dragonkin, coming to stand, towering over them before adding limited comment.

"Not here." The turned, animal voice came, "Something is wrong with this place."

Between the supposed traps, the clearly unusual room, and the slain kobold which was not their doing - this was not wise. As it was, the marauding army had already left and it was unlikely they were to return here anytime soon from the look of it; why even leave in the first place if they intended to come back? Clearly Cyanwrath and his sect were hiding here, hoping for a return, but so soon? No, only their bones would be what was left for any to find. To say nothing of any other spawn lurking in the cave either.

Without much further comment the beast walked back toward where they had came from. Nose flaring, scenting, seeking still. In a way it hoped, he hoped, that this would bring back some hope to the broken village they had come to protect and avenge. After all, had they not been present, would it even be standing now? There was no knowing but the drive to rout the enemy further as they had done with their camp and now much of this cave was a start. Perhaps, one day, so too would this "queen of dragons" and their army fall to similar disarray at their hands.

@Hekazu@Ryonara@Zverda@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen

It would seem that everyone was going to take some time to rest. Fine by Kyra, she could use the rest. Orchid said he was going to take watch at the previous room and Brannor suggested not resting here, so Kyra quickly caught up to the orc. ”Orchid, don’t split the party, let’s all get out of here and stick together. Last thing we need is to get picked off one-by-one.” Kyra would join Orchid in the previous room, presumably with everyone else as well. Additionally over the course of her rest/watch she’d see if she can’t rig up that trap that sprung on Parum before. She didn’t have any rocks on hand but there were a few kobold corpses. Afterwards whether Kyra succeeded for failed, she’d keep watch at the hall that led to the dragon room to keep a keen ear open for any hostile.

"Best just stay in here," the Druid said as he stared over at Orchid, arms crossed as he leaned against a wall, "I can keep watch, out of all of us I am the one uninjured thanks to my more primal forms." He motioned for his party member to return to the fold with the other's, eyes focused on the Orc in a way that suggested he thought the idea of anyone going into the room alone was foolhardy and that one would have to have ulterior motives to even consider volunteering to go in there alone. "Come sit with the others and remain safe rather than run the risk of getting yourself killed because we cannot get to you in time."

Orchid grumbled a little as the others suggested that he not split from the party. He understood why, but he really wanted to go skin Cyanwrath... Still better safe than sorry. "Okay, Orchid stay. Watch hall instead." Over the course of the shortbreak Orchid would do some basic maintenance on his equipment, sharpening the blade and patching up the damage done to his shield. The drake hide was holding up pretty well despite the takes it took. If he had the actual time he could've treated it properly, perhaps even make a decent suit of armor out of it. Now that he thought about it there were other drakes here too; he wondered if he killed enough of them he could make a fancy coat. But that also reminded him that they were still deep in enemy territory. Even if they could kill everything in this cave, they'd be weakened greatly, and there were more enemies outside, as sparse as they were. They weren't invincible and Orchid knew this well. "Fight smarter."

After about an hour or so Orchid would have his shield strapped to his arm, sword sharpen, and most of his wounds were either healed or at least patched up to be healed later. He looked to his allies with a nod. "Ready."

The hungering had stilled for the time being, forced to wait, forced to be content. Yet for the full course of the time they spent recovering and catching their breath, each moment was instead spent for the moontouched servant in anticipation. It was difficult to be still and idle although, with effort, some facade of calm settled. Brannor was for this time back to thinking, feeling for himself rather than the bestial rage that earlier burned within him. It afforded the perhaps much needed allotment to reflect, to consider, to even recognize.

So this was the Pale Lady's gift? It was not as though it was news to him, he had experienced it before, in Greenest and throughout life in his hunts, but to feel no longer enthralled in the calling? It was a magnificent weapon, trapped with no shortage of tools the finest and keenest of hunters could make use of. Each point of it seemingly armed in some capacity. To appreciate it was to realize much more of who the mysterious silver goddess was, what it meant to be gifted by her. So to take in something as seemingly insignificant as say, an appreciation for the savagery contained in even a single digit, that which strained the gloves, it spoke to the paladin more. He too was pale, marked by "light", a being of light in the darkness.

The calm, the focus returned to him, until he began to hear his allies stir. The anticipation and the fight to come that came with it snapped the golden eyed creature out of its trance...


@Hekazu@Ryonara@Zverda@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen

Now that the group would finally have a moment's rest, Parum took out her viol and played a soft tune to help sooth everyone's wounds. She'd tend to their wounds while also checking her power, though she was concerned that she was all tapped out of any magic which could help the group. No more spells, not more inspiration. All she had left now were cantrips. She clenched her teeth in fear once more. She was now useless to the group. She couldn't even help them if she wanted to. Looking around Parum at least grabbed a sling and a few stones from one of the dead kobolds. If nothing else she might be able to use these to do some damage. But compared to her allies, Parum's ability to harm others were lacking. She wished she could be stronger, but now wasn't the time to worry about regrets. There was plenty of time to do that somewhere safer than here.

As everyone else roused to their feet Parum made sure to load a sling as she puts it away and takes out her rapier and viol. "We're getting close now. Let's not get careless. I'm sure that there are more enemies ahead of us and there may have been more enemies who have returned to the cave. First, why don't we investigate that southern passage? It may lead to an exit that we can use to escape from this place. Afterwards we can move onto the northern chamber and see what lies in wait there. Either way must lead to the eggs considering that Cyanwrath himself guarded this area."

While everyone settled in, Kyra kept careful watch over the various entrances. She tried to rig the trap back up but she knew that despite how simplistic it might've been, she wouldn't be able to do it alone. Or at least if she did, it would be tedious and stressful work. She needed to focus on resting for now instead of possibly catching any kobolds in their own trap. Instead she simply kept an eye on things, bow and arrow in hand, relaxing but keeping watch until everyone else was good and ready to go. Once about an hour passed and everyone seem rested Kyra began to look around the area more thoroughly. She wanted to know what exactly they were going to be dealing with soon and she wants to be armed with knowledge.

At Parum's suggestion to investigate the southern hall, Kyra nods. "It'll be good to secure an exit once we're out of here. Just be careful. I'm trying to get an idea of just how many people might be left in this place, because I am certain that this entire cave hasn't been entirely cleared out yet." Kyra continues to follow the trail for kobolds or people, particularly anyone who might've come through the southern hall.

"Good idea Kyra," Torus said, "Prevents anyone from following us, at least in a timely manner, and allows us to not really have to worry too much about anyone following close behind that we may not want to deal with at the present moment." The Druid nodded his head briefly as he spoke to show in a physical manner that he agreed with her. "We should continue to move with caution however, considering the traps when we came in, it would not be a great surprise if there were even more as we continued our trek forward."

Considering the rest was over, Torus pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning on and brushed his hands on the front of his clothing. He was ready to get moving, the sooner they could get out of this cave the happier he would be.