Riku slid her rapier back into its sheath as she followed the footsteps ahead of her, lifting her bow from her shoulders.  She was going to plant an arrow right up this bastard's asshole!  She could also hear the others following behind her and slowly gaining ground, the clinking of Tulira and Sorine's chain mail clearly giving their position away to her sensitive hearing.  Then she heard something else.  A barking, chittering language in a husky, rough voice...it was a gnoll!  Yelling something; she didn't recognize the words but that tone was one of alarm and fear.<br/><br/>She slowed her approach as the Winding Descent came to an end and carefully peered into the room beyond, hiding behind the doorway.  Her eyes widened at the sight of the battle.  The gnolls looked hard pressed as the orcs pressed them.  There were gnoll corpses in a corner of the room too; piled up.  What in the hells did that mean?  There was no way the orcs were stopping the fight to toss bodies in the corner whenever a gnoll fell...and from the smell some of those bodies had been there a while?  What was this?<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Stealth</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-07-23 05:49:48, Armphid (uid: 65288) rolls: 1d20a7 Result: 24</div></div><br/>She stayed hidden at the base of the descent while the others came behind her.  It was easy to see over the diminutive rogue and observe the chaos beyond.  Tulira's eyes narrowed, "They're fighting...but why?"  She kept her voice low, hoping to be hidden by the sounds of the combat<br/><br/>Sorine shook her head, "I thought the gnolls were working for the orcs."<br/><br/><strong>"Maybe the ritual had something to do with it,"</strong>Lilin said.<strong>"That room up there had a depression in the center; like a drain or something under a pile of fabric.  I think it might be something used for arcane ritual sacrifice."</strong><br/><br/>The half-elf nibbled her lip,<strong>"That poor woman was killed with a jagged edge knife...and she had been...used...before her death."</strong>Her cheeks colored and her eyes were hard.<br/><br/>Lilin pursed her lips, racking her brains to see if any of this made sense to her.  In the light of the carnage in front of them or not.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Arcana - Not Proficient</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-07-23 05:54:17, Armphid (uid: 65288) rolls: 1d20 Result: 18</div></div><br/>Sorine didn't speak to that.  The blond human woman was listening.  She spoke the language of their orc adversaries and was hoping to overhear something of use.<strong>"What should we do about this?"</strong><br/><br/><strong>"Get ready,"</strong>Tulira said after a pause.<strong>"When the fight finishes, we'll rush in to deal with whoever is left.  Which looks like it'll be the orcs."</strong>