Wyz stabbed the skeleton next to him in the back and fled out the entrance of the barrow. Wizards have no business on the front lines of a fight and he was too smart to die. Let his minions face the skeletons.
El Vis stepped up promptly, matching action to thought. His great sword struck the skeleton that Whizz had already stabbed and shattered it into bone fragments.
Hannah fell after that, hit by an arrow from a skeleton further into the barrow. She screamed as she fell. Wyz screamed a little too and ducked behind the stone wall of the entrance. The next arrow shot took out El Vis as he lifted Hannah from the water, they died in each other’s arms.
The rest of the group ran for the entrance, trying to escape the withering arrow fire. Squinch fell as well, struck in the back. A fitting fate for a minion who ran rather than protecting his wizard. The rest made it out and the skeletons did not follow.
From below, the crunching of bone and splashing of water suggested that the frogs and the skeletons were fighting. Tensely, the group waited at the top of the entrance, seeking to ambush whatever lived and came out, But neither Skeletons nor frogs emerged. After several long minutes, the party decided to reenter in hopes of completing the search they had started.
Alanon scouted the place and determined that the frogs had returned to their northwest and northeast corners. Despite this working in their favor the last time. The frogs were separated, and a single sleep spell would not be effective on both. Doubtless the frogs were also more alert now. To put the creatures to sleep once more, we would need to descend by stealth, approach one corner or the other, and cast the spell before torchlight revealed our presence.
If the other frog noticed, it would doubtlessly attack and the party would need to protect Wyz before he could put the other frog to sleep. Still, the plan had worked once, and if the goblin wizard could successfully sneak up on the first frog, the second frog might not be alerted. It was worth a try.
The other question was whether the potential reward was worth it. The giant frogs were tough opponents, and the watery environment tended to favor them. Several of the new adventures had already fallen in the fight, and no one had so much as landed a blow upon the frogs yet, unless the skeletons had managed some in the darkness. Balanced against that risk, we had yet to complete our search below the water’s surface. There was some hope of treasure there and if nothing else, the party could recover the equipment and provisions from those who had fallen.
Still, this might be the best opportunity to bring down the frogs and open up the barrow for further exploration. With the frogs dead, instead of sleeping, perhaps the entire barrow could be drained.
The discussion continued for some time without resolution.
