Journal - Yarlug (the suicide mission)

Surprise Attack

We prepared ourselves for the attack and opened the portal. At once we rushed the two gith in the room, making sure we had stepped through the portal before attacking. I launched magic missiles, Rhion slashed with his swords, Takeda loosed arrows, and Baldir attempted to hit one. The closest gith fell quickly, but the second shouted an alarm, fending off Baldir's blow. Little, pale, dwarf-like people burst into the room from the doors to each side of us. Their skin was so pale it was almost icy, and they were certainly evil-looking. Their armour was leather with a copper-like metal studding it, and they were weilding a mix of polearms, swords, and crossbows.

I used dweomer to seal one of the doors, unfortunately just a little too late to stop a few of the creatures from getting through. They rushed me, landing several blows and forcing me back. Takeda killed the last gith, and then one of the new creatures (which we assumed were the Derro) with one arrow in the neck. The creatures kept coming from the door on the left, but the one I sealed was holding for now. I used my new ring of the ram, conjuring a phantasmal ram's head that butted an opponent clean off his feet and into the wall. I sent another to sleep, but there was still one on my side of the room and he slashed my side nastily. Rhion and Takeda were also hit. Takeda retaliated, killing one of the foe, then turned and dispatched the last foe facing me with a single arrow in his back. Baldir landed a hit, although the foe remained standing. Takeda killed another (they fell like chaff before his arrow fire), and I finished the winded one on the floor before he could attack again.

Takeda killed yet another, advancing towards the door, and managed to kill one before they even set foot in the room. Now that some of the Derro further back could see a target they began firing bolts into the room, but only succeeded in skewering one of their own people. Rhion cut down another, but they just kept coming! Takeda shot one down, Rhion opened the guts of another, but the gap was filled again. Rhion cut the next down too, but was hit in the process. I conjured a stinking cloud in the room beyond the open door, at least temporarily cutting off reinforcements. Takeda killed two more, and I moved in behind the others, getting away from the door I had held - the constant battering from the other side was threatening to burst it open at any moment.

Rhion slashed another Derro across the hamstrings, dropping him instantly, just before I hasted his movements to twice the normal speed. Takeda took another one down, but suffered a nasty gash to his shoulder. Baldir finished off the one he had been battling for some time, leaving just three in the room with us (well, four if you count the one asleep). Takeda ended another two with arrows, and Rhion cut the last one down. We were alone for a moment, although there was still battering on the weakening door I had held with dweomer.

I noticed some runes on the wall opposite where we had entered, although I did not recognise them, and Baldir began to inspect a mural behind where we had entered. We wanted to find a hidden way out before the foe were on us again.