The morning of April 10th finds Jon, Ayazin and Beth fully recovered.
You make better time today. After a few hours, though, you see shadowy forms ahead, approaching. You take cover and prepare to fight, when suddenly Jo-owrn calls out, laughing.
Leslie, Laurie, Tabrina and several of the ranger's followers come up to you.
"I gather my services are required...?" asks Laurie, regarding the bloodied and increasingly odiferous bundles that you are carrying.
Jon looks about, as the newcomers join you. "I will be lookout up the corridor."
Sharone opens the bundles. "Some of our friends were not so lucky with our recent encounter with some drow."
"So I gathered when I checked up on you this morning," the high priestess says, taking out her rod of resurrection.
She touches each corpse in turn, and they grow whole again.
Brennon and Kelar return to the realm of the living, to find themselves in one of the underground passages. The rest of the party is with them...as are Leslie, Laurie, Tabrina and a few others. The high priestess is putting away her rod of resurrection.
"Welcome back," says Leslie.
With a look of bewilderment, Brennon looks around at the surroundings.
"Arrrgh!," Brennon says as he slowly sits up. "I feel like I've been chewed up and spit out." To Leslie he gives his heartfelt thanks.
"Actually, it was Laurie," corrects the ranger, motioning to the high priestess of Tyr, who is putting her rod of resurrection away.
"No one can tell us apart," she bemoans.
Aldarin turns to the high priestess, "Laurie, is there anything you can do for me? Some accursed magic the drow used, as drained me of my strength and I feel as weak as a newborn babe?"
"Do you think it was a spell?" the cleric asks. "In that case I can remove it. How long have you been this way? Spells usually wear off after awhile."
"Perhaps you have some cursed magical item that you somehow activated when you were fighting the drow..?" wonders Tabrina, in his low voice.
Jo-owrn, meanwhile, has been examining the map that Ray Jay gave you.
"How far away from Snurre's dungeon are we?" he asks Leslie.
"A couple of hours hike," she replies.
"I could not teleport directly to you," Tabrina says, "Something...perhaps the minerals in the bedrock...prevented it."
"Alright, then," Jo-owrn says, "We did wander back onto the main route that we were trying to avoid. I think we should head back to the first set of caves, where all of the passages ran off, and strike out either east or southeast. We should try to keep away from this passage altogether. I don't know if the drow were waiting for us, but it's obviously well travelled by them. I think we should put some miles between us and this passage, before turning to head for the drow city again."
He pauses.
"Before we go on, Laurie, can you get the rest of these people up an running again?"
"Of course."
Laurie takes out a scroll, and reads from it, healing Sharone and Mikodin.
"Does anyone need training, while we're so close to the exit?" asks Jo-owrn.
Jon says, "All clear up ahead." He then adds in a mumble, "Bloody so close and yet so far...no but next time we come out definitely."
Mikodin, finally feeling whole and strong again, thanks Laurie for the scroll reading, then turns to Jo-owrn, "Thank-you for considering my possible needs, but the road to inner wisdom taken by a monk is a long and slow one, I fear. Perhaps next time I will need training, having learned more of my inner strengths."
'Uhhh I guess this means we won..." says Kelar slowly.
He checks himself over, especially checking to make sure he still has a hand.
His hand is back where it should be...at the end of his arm.
The wolf gazes at it hungrily.
All of his other possessions are in their usual places, as well.
Aldarin turns to the high priestess, "Laurie, is there anything you can do for me? Some accursed magic the drow used, as drained me of my strength and I feel as weak as a newborn babe?"
"Do you think it was a spell?" the cleric asks. "In that case I can remove it. How long have you been this way? Spells usually wear off after awhile."
"Perhaps you have some cursed magical item that you somehow activated when you were fighting the drow..?" wonders Tabrina, in his low voice.
Aldarin answers with a furrowed brow, "I have suffered this for the last few days. I don't remember anything specific that I was hit with, magically speaking. It just seemed to come upon me all of a sudden. I wasn't using any magical items that I hadn't been using before."
"What do you have? Perhaps you just activated something."
Aldarin replies, "I have this sword which has been in use for quite a while. A cloak that I've been wearing for quite some time and this ring that makes me invisible that I have used before but I did use it more often in this last trip than I have before."
At this point, Aldarin attempts to remove the ring in question.
The ring will not come off.
"Oho," says Leslie.
Looking worried, Aldarin inquires, "Is there anyway to remove it without detrimental effects?"
"I can try a remove curse," offers Laurie.
Aldarin says, "I would be most appreciative if you would do so."
"Either that or we can just cut your finger off," replies Raz, grinning.
Aldarin glares at Raz.
Farad shakes his head, perfectly serious. "It would only reappear on another finger. Cursed items can't be gotten rid of so easily."
Jon comments, "Well, that raises a good question of cut off both hands what would happen then!!!"
Aldarin wrings his hands, not looking very enthusiastic about the whole situation.
Farad looks up. "That is a good question. Probably appear on a toe. But no hands and no feet would undoubtably get rid of the thing I think...but you could never get them restored or it might reappear."
Jon thinks aloud, "But..but...if we had a ring of regeneration it would be fun to try and see what happens with no hands or feet. Perhaps it would go to a nose ring. Boy, I'd like to try that!"
Farad laughs, and after a nights rest will be ready to again descend into the depths, unless someone did need to train after all.
As you are so close to the exit, you decide to leave the tunnels altogether.
After a few more hours you are back in the lowest level of King Snurre's stronghold. From there, Tabrina teleports you back to Laurie's temple.
That evening, after being alone for awhile, Laurie summons Aldarin. She prays, then casts remove curse, followed by dispel magic upon his ring. It drops off of his finger.
"Did you want to keep it?" she asks, as he feels his strength return.