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The monster reared its head toward Halvor after it felt another stinging pain in its side, and would ripped the recuperating Nord in half had he not fired the second arrow, which pierced the monster's fleshy underside and severed a vital artery, causing a flood of acidic blood onto the floor, which melted beneath it as yet another floor of the intricate undercity collapsed beneath it. Luckily for the Knights, this time it did not swallow them as well.
Making his way to the edge of the hole the monster fell into, the Knight-Captain saw its mangled corpse lay lifeless in the midst of yet another great chamber.
How far down did the ancients go? Nidesis thought to himself.
Stepping away from the edge, he tried his best to gather together the team.
"Well, men, we slayed the beast that was causing this illness, and brought honor to the Order. However, as you can plainly see our job is not yet done. We have no way of getting back up to the surface from this chamber, so I say we go down into those ruins the beast fell into and see if they lead us back out. Any objections?"

Mundzac simply shook his head, disappointed he did not get a chance to do something to the beast, yet pleased that the creature didn't get a chance to attack him in turn. "No I don't think I do have any objections. Though we might want to be a bit more careful going foreward. This beast looks small and I don't know much about dragons but I know that some mothers take care of their young." He chuckled. "And if this acid stuff is their blood, I'd hate to see one of these fockers when its that time of month." Mundzac paused to appreciate his sense of humor. He didn't quite mind the stench, in his time fighting he's smelt worse.

"Well, when it comes to lizards, their 'time of the month' just means laying eggs, containing an embryo or not depending on whether they had mated since the last such period. A bit like a chicken, really. And before you ask, the eggs taste terrible. As for the mother, she's probably far off considering the offspring looked to be exiting the adolescent stage, though I suppose anything's possible."
Looking around, Nidesis spotted the corpses of the late expedition into the sewers. Their chewed up bones were completely stripped of flesh, with only the shreds of their clothes and a few bits of puked up armor to indicate what they once were. Upon further inspection, he discovered a rope that would do nicely for descending into the ruins. After tying it around a pillar, he threw it through the hole and began to climb down.

"Well, when it comes to lizards, their 'time of the month' just means laying eggs, containing an embryo or not depending on whether they had mated since the last such period. A bit like a chicken, really. And before you ask, the eggs taste terrible. As for the mother, she's probably far off considering the offspring looked to be exiting the adolescent stage, though I suppose anything's possible."
Looking around, Nidesis spotted the corpses of the late expedition into the sewers. Their chewed up bones were completely stripped of flesh, with only the shreds of their clothes and a few bits of puked up armor to indicate what they once were. Upon further inspection, he discovered a rope that would do nicely for descending into the ruins. After tying it around a pillar, he threw it through the hole and began to climb down.

  Mundzac shook his head seeing the joke went clear over the Commander's head. Once the commander made it too the bottom, the roguish fighter followed. "Ah its smellin more and more like my old home." When he got to the bottom he unsheathed his blade, the black metal barely visable in torch light, and rested its hooklike edge on his padded shoulder. "Sometimes I wonder why you dressed up bastards wanted a 'wretch' like me in yer ranks, but now I get it, you needed someone who would be willing to climb into hell holes like this without complaining." With that he let out a quiet chuckle.

"Well, when it comes to lizards, their 'time of the month' just means laying eggs, containing an embryo or not depending on whether they had mated since the last such period. A bit like a chicken, really. And before you ask, the eggs taste terrible. As for the mother, she's probably far off considering the offspring looked to be exiting the adolescent stage, though I suppose anything's possible."
Looking around, Nidesis spotted the corpses of the late expedition into the sewers. Their chewed up bones were completely stripped of flesh, with only the shreds of their clothes and a few bits of puked up armor to indicate what they once were. Upon further inspection, he discovered a rope that would do nicely for descending into the ruins. After tying it around a pillar, he threw it through the hole and began to climb down.

  Mundzac shook his head seeing the joke went clear over the Commander's head. Once the commander made it too the bottom, the roguish fighter followed. "Ah its smellin more and more like my old home." When he got to the bottom he unsheathed his blade, the black metal barely visable in torch light, and rested its hooklike edge on his padded shoulder. "Sometimes I wonder why you dressed up bastards wanted a 'wretch' like me in yer ranks, but now I get it, you needed someone who would be willing to climb into hell holes like this without complaining." With that he let out a quiet chuckle.

"You wouldn't have gotten this far if you didn't know how to fight. The real measure of a Griffin Knight is in ability and willingness to kill monsters, not kissing up to some Magisters and acting as their agents as some would like to think. The old heroes never stopped because of some political fallout or any of that nonsense. They killed every single abomination in sight. It's what made this order great, and it's what will put it back on the path to greatness."
When Nidesis reached the bottom, he finally caught sight of the great ruins that had been obscured for so long.

It was the most monumental thing he had ever seen. The architecture reminded him in many ways of the Underground Tower City of Terris. He had thought it was the only one of its kind, but here he could plainly see he was wrong.
Why did the people of Rendalis abandon this place?
it was a question he wasn't sure he would ever get an answer for. The decision to move to the surface must have been made centuries ago. Moving to the only passage that hadn't been closed off by rubble, a winding tunnel full of carvings which presumably told the story of the city and its inhabitants led on for what seemed like an eternity. He couldn't read anything on them, it was all in a very old, extinct dialect of the Elven common language. Still, he felt his curiosity get the better of him, and he took a rubbing of some of the more important looking carvings and carried on. Eventually the tunnel stopped at a great domed hall. Other tunnels seemed to empty there as well. It was some kind of transit hub, that was for sure. Knowing that going the wrong way could mean a slow death from starvation and thirst in this sprawling complex, Nidesis stopped and asked some of his companions where they ought to go next.

monuments men

"You wouldn't have gotten this far if you didn't know how to fight. The real measure of a Griffin Knight is in ability and willingness to kill monsters, not kissing up to some Magisters and acting as their agents as some would like to think. The old heroes never stopped because of some political fallout or any of that nonsense. They killed every single abomination in sight. It's what made this order great, and it's what will put it back on the path to greatness."
When Nidesis reached the bottom, he finally caught sight of the great ruins that had been obscured for so long.

It was the most monumental thing he had ever seen. The architecture reminded him in many ways of the Underground Tower City of Terris. He had thought it was the only one of its kind, but here he could plainly see he was wrong.
Why did the people of Rendalis abandon this place?
it was a question he wasn't sure he would ever get an answer for. The decision to move to the surface must have been made centuries ago. Moving to the only passage that hadn't been closed off by rubble, a winding tunnel full of carvings which presumably told the story of the city and its inhabitants led on for what seemed like an eternity. He couldn't read anything on them, it was all in a very old, extinct dialect of the Elven common language. Still, he felt his curiosity get the better of him, and he took a rubbing of some of the more important looking carvings and carried on. Eventually the tunnel stopped at a great domed hall. Other tunnels seemed to empty there as well. It was some kind of transit hub, that was for sure. Knowing that going the wrong way could mean a slow death from starvation and thirst in this sprawling complex, Nidesis stopped and asked some of his companions where they ought to go next.

The ancients sure knew how to build their cities. Rhys largely ignored his comrades, admiring the remarkably well-preserved architecture.
"Mmm... Fascinating. A large ancient complex, built underground to hide from the dragons, no doubt."
He then walked to the inscriptions on one of the tunnels and squinted at it.
"Gah. Curses. I'm afraid these particular pieces of Elven script are of the transitionary era: the words and letters are neither Classical Elven nor Modern Elven, but an inconsistent and messy blend between the two. I can decipher them, but it might take me some time, and the translations might be unsatisfactory."

monuments men

"You wouldn't have gotten this far if you didn't know how to fight. The real measure of a Griffin Knight is in ability and willingness to kill monsters, not kissing up to some Magisters and acting as their agents as some would like to think. The old heroes never stopped because of some political fallout or any of that nonsense. They killed every single abomination in sight. It's what made this order great, and it's what will put it back on the path to greatness."
When Nidesis reached the bottom, he finally caught sight of the great ruins that had been obscured for so long.

It was the most monumental thing he had ever seen. The architecture reminded him in many ways of the Underground Tower City of Terris. He had thought it was the only one of its kind, but here he could plainly see he was wrong.
Why did the people of Rendalis abandon this place?
it was a question he wasn't sure he would ever get an answer for. The decision to move to the surface must have been made centuries ago. Moving to the only passage that hadn't been closed off by rubble, a winding tunnel full of carvings which presumably told the story of the city and its inhabitants led on for what seemed like an eternity. He couldn't read anything on them, it was all in a very old, extinct dialect of the Elven common language. Still, he felt his curiosity get the better of him, and he took a rubbing of some of the more important looking carvings and carried on. Eventually the tunnel stopped at a great domed hall. Other tunnels seemed to empty there as well. It was some kind of transit hub, that was for sure. Knowing that going the wrong way could mean a slow death from starvation and thirst in this sprawling complex, Nidesis stopped and asked some of his companions where they ought to go next.

The ancients sure knew how to build their cities. Rhys largely ignored his comrades, admiring the remarkably well-preserved architecture.
"Mmm... Fascinating. A large ancient complex, built underground to hide from the dragons, no doubt."
He then walked to the inscriptions on one of the tunnels and squinted at it.
"Gah. Curses. I'm afraid these particular pieces of Elven script are of the transitionary era: the words and letters are neither Classical Elven nor Modern Elven, but an inconsistent and messy blend between the two. I can decipher them, but it might take me some time, and the translations might be unsatisfactory."

"I took a few rubbings just in case. Loklin will surely be interested in...wait, do you hear that?"
A low rumble could be heard from the passageway going east.
"Sounds like we've found momma dragon. Come on! With any luck she'll have tunnelled down here from the surface, and we can get out that way!"
Running through the long corridor, the Knight-Captain stopped just before it opened up into a large area that seemed to have once been a square of some kind. The ruined buildings were carved into the rocks, while a skylight filled the room with sunshine. Almost blending into the rubble was a huge Rock Dragon sleeping atop a clutch of her eggs. She was twice the size of her child, and her neck was folded in on itself, preventing a quick shot to the neck. Past her was a tunnel which led to another large room, with natural light pouring in, indicating an opportunity for escape. The creature was surrounded by the bones of men and elves, and opposite the room from her was a single intact corpse, with a dull looking sword next to it. If they could sneak past the dragon and get to the surface, they could then to take out the rock dragon by using destructive magics to cave the ceiling in on top of it. First though, they would have to get past it. Relaying his plan to the group, he asked if there were any objections.

Typical Elf, Halvor thought.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Captain, I have hooves," Halvor said while sarcastically motioning to his feet. "Hooves aren't really the quietest when it comes to walking on rock, so I don't think I'll be able to sneak by a dragon."

Typical Elf, Halvor thought.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Captain, I have hooves," Halvor said while sarcastically motioning to his feet. "Hooves aren't really the quietest when it comes to walking on rock, so I don't think I'll be able to sneak by a dragon."

"Anyone feel like carrying our Nordic comrade? No? Well, I suppose our only option is to try and kill it while it's asleep. Its weak point is its underside, but that's currently not exposed. I say we split up into two teams. One will go up in front of the monster and distract it. The second will be lying in wait for when that happens, and will sneak up behind it before said distraction. This way while the Dragon charges at the distraction, the second team can strike its underside as soon as it's exposed. Nord, you're obviously going to be in the distraction team, and I feel I should join you as I've more experience in dealing with these creatures and might help you make it through this. The rest of you can be the stealth team, unless one of you is feeling brave?"

Rhys stepped forward, sighing. "Must I do everything? So many Elves, so few mages... You would think this was a common bandit brigade, not a elite squadron of Crusaders."

He whispered a spell, pointing a finger at Halvor.
"Sithé vurtræn."
A thick, ticklish black mist descended and engulfed the Nord's hooved feet. "There. Your steps should be silenced. Unless the rest of the party wants a similar spell to hide their movements, we ought to carry on with stealth. I shall take the rear, to collapse this beautiful architecture and destroy the dragon, once everyone is in a safe area. Any objections? Please keep them quiet, of course."

Rhys stepped forward, sighing. "Must I do everything? So many Elves, so few mages... You would think this was a common bandit brigade, not a elite squadron of Crusaders."

He whispered a spell, pointing a finger at Halvor.
"Sithé vurtræn."
A thick, ticklish black mist descended and engulfed the Nord's hooved feet. "There. Your steps should be silenced. Unless the rest of the party wants a similar spell to hide their movements, we ought to carry on with stealth. I shall take the rear, to collapse this beautiful architecture and destroy the dragon, once everyone is in a safe area. Any objections? Please keep them quiet, of course."

"I don't suppose the thought occurred to you that instead of staying behind and potentially getting crushed you could just go to the exit, go to wherever this skylight is, and collapse the hill on top of it like in the original plan?"

"I don't suppose the thought occurred to you that instead of staying behind and potentially getting crushed you could just go to the exit, go to wherever this skylight is, and collapse the hill on top of it like in the original plan?"

"And I don't suppose the thought occurred to you," growled Rhys, "that moving earth around on an Elven derelict as massive as this one could produce some unforeseen collapse, and therefore it would be safer if you all were much, much farther away from the one doing the combative magic."
He waved his hand in a mocking gesture of dismissal, and his tone became very sarcastic. "Perhaps this is an irrational product of my checkered history, sir, but I tend to err on the side of caution."

"I don't suppose the thought occurred to you that instead of staying behind and potentially getting crushed you could just go to the exit, go to wherever this skylight is, and collapse the hill on top of it like in the original plan?"

"And I don't suppose the thought occurred to you," growled Rhys, "that moving earth around on an Elven derelict as massive as this one could produce some unforeseen collapse, and therefore it would be safer if you all were much, much farther away from the one doing the combative magic."
He waved his hand in a mocking gesture of dismissal, and his tone became very sarcastic. "Perhaps this is an irrational product of my checkered history, sir, but I tend to err on the side of caution."

"Nobles like you always have to do it your way, you know I have half a mind to-"
Suddenly a deep, ferocious roar sounded throughout the hall. The Rock Dragon had heard the two pointlessly bickering, and was rather famished after so much sleep. Charging toward them, the only option the party had was to split off to the sides of the raging beast and into the hall. After running past its prey, the dragon again moved back into the hall, this time blocking the way back and more than capable of throwing its acidic spit and any one who tried to make a break for the exit.

"Well aint she just a delight!" Mundzac jeered loudly before the retort of an acid spit flew in his direction. Mundzac was able to roll out of the way, but the intent was still understood. Grasping his blade in one hand and a dagger in the other, he continued rolling and hoping the dragon would focus more on the others. When this didn't happen he shouted, "NOW MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME TO START SOMETHIN MATES!"

Pulling out his sword, Nidesis rushed back at the beast after fleeing its initial charge. The groggy mother dragon at first failed to recognize his attack, but when he stabbed her side rather than her belly by accident she very much woke up, roaring with so much her blood pressure increased and the acidic fluid burst from the wound in a great cascade, melting his sword. She then swiped him away with her massive paw, flinging him into the corpse opposite the pile with the sword next to it. Seemingly unconscious, Nidesis had almost certainly been knocked out of the fight.
As he drifted away from lucidity, Nidesis heard an ethereal voice whisper to him:
Another has come, as we predicted. Vengeance will follow, this we know...

With the dragon on the ground and facing away from him, Halvor had no shot with his bow, and he wasn't going to wait around until he did. He rushed towards the back end of the dragon and got out his axe. With all of his might, he swung the axe at the backside of the dragon's left leg, hoping at least to cripple beast.

With the dragon on the ground and facing away from him, Halvor had no shot with his bow, and he wasn't going to wait around until he did. He rushed towards the back end of the dragon and got out his axe. With all of his might, he swung the axe at the backside of the dragon's left leg, hoping at least to cripple beast.

The dragon swung its tail at the Nord, and swung its head around to spew more acidic spit at its attackers. The sound of its shrieks and its spitting gave some reaction from the unconscious body of the Knight-Captain.
Evil creatures. Wicked things. Death is the only release for these abominations. No life within the vial or the tube, this we know...
The voices came again: more distinct, more focused. Then a lull, until finally they began to shout.
"RESTORE THE OLD, DESTROY THE NEW. CREATE THE FUTURE WE NEVER KNEW. THIS YOU KNOW..."
Nidesis began to awaken. The voices lifted as he entered lucidity. His sword was gone, his spear was gone. He had nothing. Nothing but the rusty thing sat next to him. He picked it up anyway, as there were no other weapons he could find. It was grey still, but didn't seem as dull so close. Carved into the blade were many ancient runes he could not recognize. The blade was longer than he was accustomed to, and the crossguard was not straight like any of the swords he'd wielded. It was curved upward, like the horns of a goat. One the pommel lay a stained red gem, unlike any he had ever seen.
Might be worth something after all, but now I need to make sure I can get out alive...