A Return to Faerun from Elben Aator

[Adian Novar]

Adian nodded and, with a few quick gestures, passed the silent message to Elfie and Delia.

[NathreeDe'Shezbron]

The two stopped talking, and Zazzt and the elf rushed off towards the building again. The elf easily picked up Brother Tanek's trail, and Zazzt and the elven ranger hurried off on Zazzt's carpet, the elf tracking, and Zazzt made sure that the pair didn't hit any trees.

[Adian Novar]

As the young priest spoke with the others, Zazzt and his companion took off after Tanek's trail.

It wasn't hard for an accomplished ranger to follow: Hishorse was burdened with the booty from the Eilistraean shrine and so had a much heavier tread...and was likely to get tired faster. His lead was many minutes by now...but the two hunters would almost certainly catch up with him within the quarter of the hour...

[NathreeDe'Shezbron]

Zazzt smiled, when at last they did see the human, galloping on his horse, he nodded to the elf, who pulled out a longbow, aimed, and fired at the horse's leg, trying to rip the tendon.

[Adian Novar]

(Poor horsie)

The horse went down with a scream, hurling its rider over the saddle and throwing him six feet.

Somewhere in his career Tanek had learned to ride and more importantly to fall. He rolled with the impact and clambered to his feet. When he saw his pursuers his face became a mask of outrage. He pulled his club from his belt and pointed it at Zazzt, rightly guessing that the drow was the greater threat.

"Tyr will not forgive your blasphemy!" he roared as a familiar blast of force lanced out at the dark elf.

[silke_rahn]

From a shadowy stand of trees near him a voice spoke loud enough to be hear by the so called Tyrian priest. "And what you did to a sanctuary of Eilistraee was not blasphemy?" Looking sideways with his eyes toward the tall for a Drow female standing in the shadows of the trees he saw she had a bow drawn back to its fullest and ready to loose an arrow. Her gaze was fixed on him.

The female wore black leather leggings, blackened chainmail shirt over a black cloth gambeson. A black wrap around weapons belt at her waist carried a sword and a dagger. Her head was protected blackened chain coif worn over an arming cap with a blackened nasal garded pot-helm. All of this Tanek took in as he looked at the Drow female warrior.

"I would suggest sir that you lower your weapon and forget any spell you may have readied. Otherwise my companions will get very nervous and I truly don't think you want to resemble a porcupine do you?"

Sergeant First Class Calia Tyne was the NCO in-Charge of a small guard force of Drow assigned to protect a cross-time/ cross-deminsion expedition examining some ruins near the shrine and sanctuary. Her soldiers were all drawn from Drow in her homeland's military and the head of the expedition was a Half-Drow Female who was an officer in the army of Calia's homeland. Now shortly before Nedylene's party noticed the desturction of the shrine and sanctuary Calia's people not only noticed the smoke but were close enough to have heard the actual battle for the Shrine of the Dark Maiden. Though they did not find the priestess rescued by by Delia, the team did run into a couple of very frightened young by Drow standards priestess/ fighters that had been forced to abandon the fight because of overwhelming odds.

Calia left four of her people to watch the Sanctuary and now they have informed her about the presence of Ingrid Rahn and Ulrike Himmelstochter at the small shrine and sanctuary to Eilistraee. They also reported that Ingrid had begun purification rites on the shrine. Quietly Calia using the tactical radio system used by all out-time expeditions from her world told that team to remain on site in case the two locals needed assistance. Then she motioned with the aimed tip of her arrow again for Brother Tanek to lower his weapon and unready any spells. "Padre, I doubt that you are taking me very seriously. I am quite accurate with a bow or crossbow or any other weapon that fires, shoots, or lobs a missile of any kind. From this distance I can kill you with my first shot before you get the change to redirect your spell at me. I am being forgiving and just by giving you a chance to surrender. Had I wanted to I could have killed you quietly already."

[NathreeDe'Shezbron]

(Well, that's what you do, kill the horse, and then it might fall on the rider, after he falls too...)
Zazzt fell backwards off of his carpet, unharmed, his wards were still up, but he was very perturbed by this human. He stood up, and shaking off any dirt from his clothes,smiled at the man. "I do not care for Tyr's forgivness." The elf stopped the carpet the second Zazzt fell off, and before he even hit the ground, he had his magnifcent bow up, and an arrow hit the club in the human's hand. Zazzt drew his swords, his right hand weapon crackled with electricity, and his left was wreathed in flames. "Brother Tanek, you will not leave this allive." Zazzt said, "If only you had stayed and surrendured peacefully like a good human, I might have spared you. Oh well." He rushed forward, his swords crossed, aimed right at Brother Tanek's neck.
(By the way, I'm still trying to capture him, despite appearances.)

[Adian Novar]

With the appearance of the new archer Tanek froze. His hatred did not blind him to the fact that two elvish archers would be the death of him before he would be able to so much as blink.

Suddenly Zazzt was on him. Up came his club, swinging furiously to fend off the mad drow's two-bladed attack. A vague chance of survival had appeared with the rash dark elf's rush. He did not try to strike back at the elf, not bothering to test his speed against Zazzt's agility, instead manuvering to place the lunatic between himself and the archers. As long as he could keep those blades from his neck, he thought, he would be temporarily shielded.

[NathreeDe'Shezbron]

The elf too, was surprised by the archer, but it appeared as though Zazzt hadn't noticed. The elf drew three arrows from his quiver and set them to the string of his bow, aimed at Brother Tanek, and was about to shoot before Zazzt got in the way, and even then, he contemplated taking a chance and shooting anyway, but the idea passed quickly. Instead he stood there, bow drawn, waiting for an opportunity to kill the human.
Zazzt realized that the human was giving him the offensive, and decided to take advantage of that. His flaming sword hit the club, the fires of his sword warring with the magic in the club, and with each hit, the club was driven slightly higher. His other sword was held back, waitng for a sure hit. Out of the corner of his eye Zazzt saw the elf was ready to shoot the human down, and started to angle Tanek in front of the elf.

[silke_rahn]

Delia ran up just as Zazzt made contact with Brother Tanek. Then she heard the twang of a released bow string. Brother Tanek went down to one knee as the tri-bladed broadhead of Calia's arrow severed his hamstring on his right leg. Delia was amazed at the shot. Either the Drow archer missed or she deliberately aimed to cripple the human.

Calia looked at the human cleric as the Drow male drove him down with the force of swords hitting the cleric's club. Then she drew and nocked another arrow from the bow quiver attached to her graphite fiber reenforced laminated recurved long bow. Like a Mongol archer she rested her fingers at her right cheek and pushed out the bow with her off hand. Then she waited to see how the melee between the human and the Drow male went.

Delia watched as Tanek buckled under and fell over from the force and furry of Zazzt's blows and the crippling shot from the Drow female's bow. She raced up to Tanek as Zazzt struggled with him. Then she jumped so one foot came down on each of Tanek's wrist and her bastardsword's point rested on his adam's apple.

"NOW PRIEST IF YOU WANT TO LIVE SURRENDER!"

Elfie watched her older adopted sister in action then came to a stop next to Zazzt's elven friend. She had the look of hero worship on her face and in her eyes. She glanced at the Elf noticing he had three arrows at the ready.

"I don't think anyone will need to loose another arrow. My sister has things under control."

Calia lightened up on her draw and relaxed the tension on her bow. Then she walked up to the locals. Her bow still nocked and ready to be drawn back if needed.

In Common she spoke, "I am Calia Tyne, Second Lieutenant Calia Tyne of a company of guards for a scholarly expedition near hear. We found two Moon Dancers that were forced to flee from a local shrine of Eilistraee that was recently attacked."

[Adian Novar]

Tanek's defeat was so sudden that he didn't even realize what had happened until Delia's feet pinned both his arms.

"Lying spider-worshipper!" Tanek snarled in a tone of undiluted hatred, though he did not try to move. The pain from his damaged leg was starting to work its way through the adrenaline and he began to sweat. "Do your worst! You will not escape Tyr's sword!"

He then began to recite well-known prayers to Tyr, self-righteous fury making his eyes blaze.

No magic coalesced in response to his prayers.

[Arya Baenre]

Kaeli came in just before Delia leaped out at Tanek, pulling her broadsword out and holding it just off to the side.

As Tanek began to recite his prayers, she ran at him, keeping her sword to the side. She knew that it was unlikely any prayer to Tyr would work at the moment - a god like Tyr wouldn't grant his "follower" the power to blaspheme against others, but she didn't want to let this fool go.

She was close to them now, and pushed off with one foot, leaping over Delia and Tanek. As she touched, she pivoted, slashing her sword at the man's neck.

[NathreeDe'Shezbron]

Zazzt was surprised, and angry, at his friends interferance, but he had enough wit to see Arya's attack, and somehow, reacted fast enough. One of his swords, the flaming one, blocked her balde, but with the flat of his other blade, he hit Brother Tanek on his neck, shocking the man into unconsiousness, without doing him damage. Zazzt turned to Arya, "If you will forgive me, but I do not think he will be much good to me... us dead." The elf too had walked over, arrows still nocked, bow pointed at Tanek, he smiled, "You have mighty companions, Mad Drow. With your leave..." He turned to go, nodding to Zazzt, who waved him back, "I belive that we are not done here yet, Ranger." He turned to his friends, "This is an...associate of mine, Laraun the Ranger, he is a skilled assassin, and he is quite useful in a hunt." Laraun waked forward, "You overembelish my skills, true, I am an accomplished tracker, and I have killed many a man... but those days are behind me."

[Adian Novar]

Tanek's eyes widened when Kaeli's blade came at his neck, and were even more surprised when Zazzt's blade saved him.

A half a moment later his eyes rolled up into his head as his consciousness was jolted from him.

[NathreeDe'Shezbron]

Zazzt cleared his throat and stood up. Zazzt sheated his swords, and his cloak swished forward, hiding his swords. He stepped over the unconsious human. The elf smirked, "Not much of a bounty."