Journal of Miyara Kyosuke (59)

    Above us is the shaft we must ascend.  It is a 3 by 3 shaft, going up about twenty feet.  The top is covered by a layer of timbers weighed down by a pile of large rocks.  This presents a problem, but not an insurmountable one.  Were the timbers to break, the rocks would fall and allow us up.  Hosei could fireball them, for example.
    Miyara orders Hosei to fireball the timbers. He throws a ball of fire up into the shaft and runs clear.  After about a minute the fire goes out. Hosei does it again.  About a minute later, there is the sound of cracking timbers.  The rocks and burning wood fall from the shaft.
    With the rest shielding the lights so there is no backlighting, I walk into the room to look up the shaft.  I can't see anything except the ceiling above.  I need to get up in the shaft, so Goru throws me up into it.  I perform the feat with ease, and climb to the top.
    I look over the top into a smoke-filled room.  It's rectangular, about 8 x 10, and the shaft is in the southwest corner.  There is a closed door in the east wall.  There are boxes and packs, and they look very recent.
    I call down quietly, "It's safe but keep quiet."
    Goru throws Hosei's staff with a rope attached up to me.  Clearly he expects me to place it across the entrance, which I must do as there is nothing else to which to attach it.  Goru is next up, and we help haul up the others.
    From here, Pireseri can see almost the whole of this floor.  He can tell where the shrine is located.  He can also see about twenty dwarves, ten of which are in the next room.  There are no dwarves back into the area towards the shrine.  There is also a ghoul in a room of its own near the entrance, but the door to that area is closed.
    We must go through, although if we cleared the rubble it would be another way up behind the dwarves, in an area they are not occupying.  Hosei suggests talking to the dwarves, a dubious prospect but possibly the best we can do until they attack us.  He does have  a spell that can help in such situations.
    Pireseri tells us to be silent and points at the door.  Probably in the other room, the dwarves are listening.  Miyara signals us to go down the shaft.  This is pointless, a rare mistake, because the pile of stones is gone.  Pireseri is next.  Goru is next, and is very noisy.  As Goru leaves, the light goes with him.  There is now no longer any light coming from the door.  I wait.  It would be impossible to come up the shaft against guards.
    Down below they are no doubt discussing plans.  I am afraid they will come to the wrong conclusion.  We cannot afford to give up this advantage.
    Hosei flies up the shaft.  He tells me that Miyara says to throw down the food supplies and come down myself.  He leaves before I can answer and point out the problems with his suggestion.
    I start dropping the supplies as quietly as I can.
    The door bursts open.  The dwarves come rushing across the room and dive at me.  I kick the staff down the shaft and would start clown fighting, but too late.  They have grappled me and slammed me against the wall.
    There are noises from below.  The others have not taken the opportunity to escape unnoticed.  I struggle to break free.  I shout, as if at the dwarves, "Escape while you can, carry on with the plan!"  The dwarves have tried to bear me to the ground, but failed.  On the other hand, I have two on me now.  I break free from one, but the other still has me.  Still, he cannot bear me to the ground.  A third has grabbed hold now,, and the added strength and weight bear me to the ground.  It takes three of them to hold me down, but I continue struggling.  I am now pinned to the ground and cannot move.
    I can hear Goru and Rabena shouting, the white fairy from up here, the healer from down below.
    The dwarves have a knife to my neck, and shout something to someone else.
    Suddenly that one is slammed down on top of me, and I am free.  I am still on the ground.  There's an air elemental, blowing and causing havoc.  Most of the dwarves are pinned against the walls or ground.  The best I can do is crawl around, were I to stand I would be blown around.  I try to get the dagger from the one who held it, and grab his hand to wrestle it clear.
    I hear Miyara shout that if we two (two?) are free, to jump down the shaft now.
    The blowing suddenly stops.  Three of them immediately grab onto me and pin me down again.  "Can't we talk about this?" I say reasonably in Nipponese.  Goru says something in dwarven -- he is up here too, apparently -- and they discussed very briefly.
    One of the dwarves says something in common, apparently to those in the room below.  There is no immediate reply.
    They rolled me over to tie me up, holding on well, but I slipped free.  Four attempt to grapple me, while I assess the situation.  There is nothing new to see except that the room is full of dwarves.  I dodge all four, stand up, and start Clown Fighting.
    Hosei calls up, "Two magic-users in the room!"
    Miyara calls up, "Kyosuke, are you free or are they holding you?"
    "I am demonstrating my art."
    I go on the offensive.  I hope these dwarves will not fight to the death.  I would love to find the mages, but I doubt I will get access to them.  I hit one of them, and they all take a step back, pull out their weapons.  I recognize the mage because he points at me.  Nothing happens.  The four dwarves step forward to attack again.


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The dwarves are at -8 to hit me.