Both Whiteclaw and Arianwyn see Iuki pointing towards you and turning back behind the door to speak to someone. The square is starting to clear fairly rapidly.
"Watch out, there could be trouble."
A burly, heavily tattooed man in a heavy leather coat approaches, dragging Iuki with him. Behind him lurk a pair of guards holding short swords.
"That them? You're sure they're the ones who'll bring bad fortune?"
She nods, clearly terrified, although whether of you or the man is impossible to tell.
"Yes, Octar, it is them. The spirits say they will be bad for the town. Dangerous. I swear it." Her hands go to her bone braided hair as if to assure him of her sincerity.
"You there. Leave now. We'll open the gates and you'll go. Iuki says you are bad luck. The steppe may take you, we will not. Go."
Octar's voice rings loud around the square and the few remaining stall holders pause briefly.
All around, the shadows are growing longer, seeming almost to leap from the buildings.
Kia sighs.
(in Kargzanti)
"Very well, we have no wish to be where we are not wanted. We will collect our belongings and depart."
(in common to her companions)
"We've no need to stay here, we know where we are headed don't we? (And we have the camp-site)"
Arianwyn remains stoical. "What have you seen?" he asks the woman darkly.
"Good." Octar nods to his men. "Follow them. Make sure they leave."
Turning to Iuki, he glares at her. "If you have lied, witch, it will not go well for you."
She meets his gaze quite steadily. "They must go. They are stalked by shadows. The spirits do not lie, Octar. Will you deny them?" Then she walks up to Arianwyn and speaks to him in common.
"They stalk you. They are close now and they will find you. Go. Do not bring your shades to our town."
"I have told them they are stalked, I can do no more," she adds in Kargzant to Octar.
Octar's men follow you closely as you gather your belongings and your horses, opening the gates ready for your departure. Beyond the walls, the steppe rolls endlessly with no cover and little to distinguish any part of it. Your shadows fall long and dark before you.
Kia looks at the unwelcoming landscape and notes the lengthening shadows.
"I vote we go no more then a few minutes away from the town and set up camp. If we are to be attacked by shadows, best we are prepared for it and meet them on our terms, not theirs."
"Good. Time to go."
Whiteclaw barks in agreement with Kia and Vel.
All
Once out of the town, you ride over scrubby tundra and let yourselves grow accustomed to the sounds of the night. There is more variety here than first appeared. The land is not flat at all, but rolls disconcertingly with hillocks and ridges. The absence of trees makes the differences in height hard to spot at first, but you are starting to grow acclimatised.
A natural hollow on top of a hill seems like a good place to make camp. . It will allow you to keep watch and be reasonably defensible.
A moment is all Vel needs to create the campsite and very soon four tents and a fire are miraculously in place.
Reason
Arianwyn watches the flames...
Arianwyn notices nothing untoward beyond a vague sense of unease, no doubt provoked by Iuki's disturbing revelations.
Vel remains alert, but cannot quite put her finger on what is bothering her about the peaceful scene.
"It appears that we have company."
Kia hums quietly to herself while she makes herself busy by the fire. Remaining alert, of course.
Around Arianwyn and Kia, their shadows double, triple and emerge as elven beings. Eyes glittering, they turn for guidance to their leader, who uncoils from Reason's shadow and turns on the warlock.
"Him."
Fixing Arianwyn with a fearful gaze, the eladrin defies him to attack. Daggers stab at the warlock and then, spitefully at Kia. The Cleanser shakes his head.
"No. This one."
The Cleanser draws two daggers, glistening with something evil and shifts towards the warlock.
"We are to tell you, traitor, that you have given offence."
Arianwyn's eyes narrow as she mocks the enemy fey, "Ah, shadow lurkers... well met. Mayhap we will dance a merry jig by firelight."
He steps up to a two of them as if for a courtly dance, and then vanishes in a rush of air, only to reappear far away.
"And to whom, pray, have I given offence? You will have to refresh my extensive memory. There are so many easily offended entities in the multiverse."
"Only one that need concern you. The Moonlit King. Lord of Shadows."
Arianwyn's attacks do nothing, but he springs effortlessly out of range of his attackers.
"The moonlit King? Hmmm...."
Whiteclaw howls an almost wolflike howl to the air, then she is moving at one of the enemy.
.
After her snapping jaws strike at the foe, Whiteclaw is back in gnoll form once more. "We defend our own shadow things. You should prepare to meet your gods tonight."
Arianwyn
It is also possible that he has been asked to do so by someone else and agreed on the whim of a moment. The Cleansers are one of his lesser instruments and fey stalkers are two a penny for hire to anyone in the Feywild. Even so, it must have taken something fairly persuasive to make fey follow you to Kargzant of all places.
Whiteclaw performs an effortless transformation of her own, rising out of her hound form to her own seven foot height. Gleefully, the stalker deftly avoids Whiteclaw's clumsy attack.
"Oooh. A gnoll. How disgusting, I don't want to see it." it titters as it shifts towards Kia, taking on a shadowy form and readying itself to strike.
F1 dances lightly towards Kia.
"Pretty thing, dirty traitor," it hisses as it too folds into the shadows.
F2 darts behind the shadows of the tents and is lost from sight for a brief moment.
F3 melds into the flickering firelight and advances on Arianwyn.
"No escape, no hope, no home for you," it whispers as it turns insubstantial and stabs at the warlock.
"My curse shall be the stronger."
F4 smiles at Kia as it strikes.
"A bad choice of friends. A pity you'll never find out how bad."
Whiteclaw is not so easily ignored however, and spots an opening.
F5 nods in agreement and attacks Vel as it takes on the substance of the shadows.
"Really, you should be more choosy," it says regretfully.
Though the Fey Stalker is concealed, Kia lashes out at where she knows it must be, giving Vel a chance to move away from her attackers.
Then, not too put out that she slashed through thin air, Kia teleports to K16, where she can collect her thoughts a bit.
Waving briskly at Vel to get away from the stalkers, Kia teleports gracefully to another part of the campsite, tells herself firmly to ignore the poison and collects herself.
Reason does what he can to aid the warlock, then positions himself amidst 3 of the fey stalkers, heedless of the hazards of moving to that position.
"Hmmm... ignorant and hiding in the dark: two of Ioun's least favourite things."
,
Ioun's advocate moves briskly among the fey, dispensing divine help as he goes and ensuring that one opponent at least will be of limited immediate use. As he passes, Reason feels a dagger snag in his armour, but the blow is too glancing to do him any harm.
With a slight hiss of irritation, the stalker shifts away into the tricky light cast by the campfire.
Vel, gasping from the surprise attack and the poison coursing through her, looks around at the shadowy forms. She quickly invokes the power of her orb, sending flames out fifteen feet in all directions.
Rev:
EDIT:
Characteristically, Vel sets fire to her surroundings and her enemies. The Cleanser, F4 and F5 collapse as flames temporarily engulf them before dropping down to a sullen, but still damaging glow.
The Cleanser rises, looking dispassionately at the mage even as it smoulders.
"Interference here will only hurt you."
Shrugging slightly, it moves through the tent, concentrating on its real prey before solidifying again.
Arianwyn spots an opportunity and races to strike whilst the fey is hot.
"Shadeling, you have made a grievous error." Arianwyn says coolly.
He pats Whiteclaw on the shoulder, "My thanks, friend."
White fey fire briefly outlines the prone stalker before the shadows wrap around it once more, buffering the worst of the damage. Pale eyes look venomously towards the warlock.
"No redress now, traitor."
"Once you have been immolated, I will question one of your companions regarding this ridiculous ambush, and why your capricious master has sent you. Or are you and he merely the catspaws? Burnt paws at that."
"They're the entertainment. The gods knew we were bored and sent us playmates." With that her axe swings.