[h2][center][b]A Collaboration[/b][/center][/h2]
[center][@Cyrania][@Timemaster][/center]

The armor piece Ashe threw on the griffen tile falls through. A loud bang is heard a few seconds later. The two armor pieces that landed on the dragon remain in place. Apparently, safe. Cicero smiled, [color=orange]"Our demonfolk friend here was right Gwyn! We'll have to give her more credit in the future. I think I can figure the rest out."[/color] He gazed over the next 5 rows of tiles—6 total. The next row was an imp, a fairy, a nymph, and a pegasus. The third row was a centaur, an incubi, a genie, and a frost giant. The fourth row was a satyr, a harpy, a succubus, and a dryad. The fifth row was an ancestral demonfolk, a leshya/ent, a naga, and a dwarf. The last row was a human king, an elven mage, an angel, and a demon.

Cicero scratched his chin for a moment,[color=orange]"Friends of demonfolk, huh? That's easy."[/color] He picked up the armor pieces on the dragon, placed his footing on it firmly, and threw a piece of armor ahead. He did this in succession upon; the imp, incubi, succubus, ancestral demonfolk, and demon tiles. He made quick progress only stopping at the end for there was a wide gap between the last tile and the edge. 

Meanwhile, Gwyn followed behind him with steps swift as lightning, keeping track of the demonic tiles to step on. She paused at the last tile for Cicero to clear it.

Cicero glanced back at her, nodded, and leaped with all his strength for the other side.[hider=Roll, Strength]1d20+3=5, Fail[/hider]Cicero was unable to make the jump from a standing position, falling just out of his boot range. He gripped the edge with all his might, hanging on to the unstable ledge. [color=orange]"Uh, Gwyn? I seemed to have slipped..."[/color] He tried to maintain his calm, but the drop was quite deep from his precarious position.[hider=Roll, Strength]1d20+2=16, Success[/hider] Gwyn jumped over the hanging knight and yanked him above the side of the edge in a single motion. It seemed automatic. Cicero breathed a sigh of relief, [color=orange]"Thank you."[/color] Gwyn only shook her head. [color=teal]"How you survived without me around, I will never know."[/color] Cicero smiled and punched her arm playfully, [color=orange]"Neither will I!"[/color] Cicero chuckled. Then he dusted himself off. [color=orange]"I'll make this easier for you at least, Ashe. It will also serve as an escape if needed."[/color] He took a thick rope from his bag and tied a sturdy knot to a large overhand near the edge. Then he tossed it onto the last tile.  

As Ashe followed, A loud noise emanated from the darkness down the enclosure. It reverberated throughout the cave. The sound of maniacal laughter. It reverberated all around them. Then, they began to fade out of vision and hearing until they could no longer hear or see.


[hr][hr][@Fetzen][@Sol Grim] 
Dalious was forced to pause upon feeling the massive hand of Fyr. The pirate turned from a fearless pirate about to re-enter the unforgiving cave to find his friends, to a scolded dog with its tail tucked under its legs as the large man made his intentions clear as crystal. The man wanted his axe.

[color=steelblue]"...Uhh yea...sure. You can have all the axes.  I had a boarding axe, all yours my friend!  Shite, but I get yours, in particular, must mean something special to you.  You have my word...if it's still in there we will find it!"[/color]

Instead of leading the way as he originally had started to, the pirate stayed a good few feet behind Fyr.

Fyr then made some rune designs on the walls of the cave to mark their pathway, a smart move.  However he didn't make simple markings, instead he made specific designs that caught Dalious' attention as they slowly moved onward in the tunnels.

[color=steelblue]"Those are interesting markings, my friend, they seem almost personal.  Perhaps religious in nature?  What do they mean?  Are they from your homeland?"[/color]


[color=yellow]"No, no, and yes."[/color] Fyr responded, an amused smile whizzing across his face as he finished the next of the symbols.

He turned around towards the pirate and started explaining: [color=yellow]"These are pretty ordinary symbols from my homeland. Nothing religious, but pretty much common writing. Okay... they have gone out of use here and there due to cultural influences or out of sheer necessity in order to communicate with foreign neighbors across the border, but every native at least knows them. They indicate directions such as left or right, up or down. Could have painted arrows, but the demonfolk would have been able to interpret them more easily!"[/color]

Or fancy pirates, that was! Of course, Fyr didn't add that to his last sentence. What he also didn't say was that he was not going to use the same symbol for the same direction all the time, but synonyms or alternative descriptions where possible. Everything else would have been too easy in terms of identifying a pattern!

[color=yellow]"We want to find our way back out, do we?"[/color]


[color=steelblue]"Surely we do,"[/color] Dalious responded. This mountain of a man was far more clever than he gave him credit for. Using his people's language signs to direct them on the way out was borderline genius. It reminded Dalious of the thieves' cant and the pirate code.

[color=steelblue]"Interesting, and clever. We pirates use the pirate's code to communicate with one another when we can't speak freely or for directions to treasure.  Thieves use a similar code.  I respect all secret codes and dialects and languages, fascinating stuff really.  Ah...I do see how your symbols kind of work...yes yes...ok... hmmm... interesting..."[/color]

Dalious stood staring at the symbol for a bit longer, in awe.  Once he realized Fyr had moved on, he jumped back to reality and ran ahead to catch up to him.

[color=steelblue]"Yea, so...secret symbols and signs are kind of a specialty of mine.  Thieves and pirates have their own special codes and secret signs.  I would love to learn about your people, I tend to be good at understanding all of them.  Hehe.  Well, except for one...women.  The codes and signs of women have dazed, confused, and baffled me for years.  I just don't get them.  Say, how are the women where you're from?  Are they confusing and complicated like the rest? Is there a lady back home?? Eh...eh??"[/color]

Throughout the duo's conversation, they had made a lot of progress down the other path the demonfolk had motioned earlier. Up ahead they could make out a long group of tiles that formed a kind of walkway with a great fall below. And past that...they saw them! Cicero, Gwyn, and Ashe! Before they could call out, a sudden burst of insane laughter broke out far down the cave. But the sound also reverberated all around them. A deafening insane cackling. Suddenly, the duo began to faze out of their ability to see or hear, until there was nothing.

[hr][hr]
Everyone's vision and hearing began to slowly return. The first thing they saw and heard came from a very strange, ghastly man holding an unconscious Manzur with a knife.[hider=Unknown Stranger][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/974114724658700348/1103510996150132737/talion_high_details__foreman_with_grin_face__abomination__in_me_44945c09-3390-403e-bc56-1bf5f297335c.png?width=452&height=662[/img][/hider][color=ec008c]"Well, well, what do we have here? A barbarian, a demonfolk traitor, a pirate, an elven witch, and of course, the fallen knight."[/color] His grin widened as he stared at Cicero. [color=ec008c]"I would offer you all some refreshments, but we are rather busy at the moment. Lots to prepare for our little show and a very special visitor in sight...Except, you seem to have gotten somewhat in the way of our preparations. You allowed our little sheep to get away, and now we're going to need to compensate..."[/color] His eyes then rested on Gwyneria. [color=ec008c]"However, the blood of an elf, along with the rest of you, may be enough for our purposes..."[/color]

Gwyn's eyes narrowed. [color=teal]"Blood..." [/color] She glanced around the room, noting every little detail. The runes etched into the very walls, the thrum of magic resonating in her veins. [color=teal]"The whole room's prepared for a blood ritual!"[/color]

His chuckle reverberated through the room. [color=ec008c]"Quite right, my dear. And if you all would just stand still..."[/color] Guards circled behind the group, blocking the way out. [color=ec008c]"We can make this quite quick and painless for you. I do so hate to waste any more time."[/color] With that, he slit the butcher of the sand's throat. His blood splattered the cavern floor. [color=ec008c]"What a mess..."[/color] He chuckled, grinning wildly.

Cicero shouted, [color=orange]"MANZUR!!!"[/color]

[hr][hr]
[b][i]Roll initiative[/i][/b]