Musings of Mistera - Following the Fearful Bear

I shift out of my small form, restoring my human self to the intruders.

"Greetings, I am Mistera, and I am here to help you on your quest."

To help a follower of Diana, it seems. Artemis' call now makes more sense, they must be on a very important quest for my deity to ask for my assistance. They are here to find the soul of one of their brethren, a follow of Heracles. I've agreed to assist them, and we start investigating the fortress.

There are many cells here, all of which I place my ear up to in order to listen for any signs of life. The rest of the group seems rather perplexed at my actions. I'm not certain any of them have lived for any substantial time in the wilderness or any other situation where one must be keenly aware of one's surroundings.

I continue scouting ahead, listening and gesturing safe passages to my new companions. A couple of times I've heard grunts of frustration and yelps of pain from the group, and I can only imagine that Drow ingenuity has outsmarted the conventional lockpick, as is usually the course. I'd rather lose my God-given abilities before touching a Drow door.

A large metal door gives me pause, as I hear voices on the other side that are decidedly not speaking Common. Knowing better, I wait until one of the hardy and sturdy Paladins opens the door - only but a crack while being shocked by lightning which would rival the bolts of Zeus. I feel some of the bolt, having it arc to me - my muscles stiffen painfully and I taste blood in my mouth. Remind me not to stand next to such conductive creatures as Paladins.

We're greeted by darkness after darkness - we dispel one only to meet another. Frustrated, I close my eyes and call upon the great spirits of Ursa for a companion. A gigantic bear materialized, who runs into the darkness. I hear screams and ripping flesh before I hear another sound - a great roar of terror. I brace the wall as the bear tramples out of the door and down the other side of the corridor. He disappears from sight.

The Drow are very cunning and sneaky. By the time we get past the darkness again, we're in a large cell room with a grate and a very painful rune on the wall. I know the Drow have gone down the grate, but to follow them would be unwise - there are surely more traps for us to fall into on the other side, and I don't want to be distracted from our quest. I continue the scouting mission again.

We follow the bear's carnage through the corridor, up a set of stairs (which the bear thankfully set off the trap for), and through a series of rooms. We encounter more Drow, more darkness, and stop short of entering places where we could have been ambushed. I'm growing frustrated that we can't finish the kills before they get to their defensible positions, and getting out of this fortress is going to be difficult for this group. I could sneak out, but I'm not sure about the rest of them.

With any luck, Artemis, I'll be able to keep this group from getting themselves killed.