Zephram watches the Drake for a moment, then nods, Follow the blade, reptile.., as he begins a lunge at the monster's eye, quickly shifting his target to its heart as it flinches.
for
Zane reaches out to touch the drake again, a grey energy surrounding his hand.
Round 4__________
LizArdoc_____
Liz flanks with Zane and unleashes her attacks
S.Sword,Flank.P.Strike:
Dagger,Flank,P.Strike:
Crit confirm, S.Sword:
Rezol Born-in-Steel_____
Rezol rushes over towards the next closest drake, weapon readied.
Zephram Taranis_____
Zephram watches the Drake for a moment, then nods, Follow the blade, reptile.., as he begins a lunge at the monster's eye, quickly shifting his target to its heart as it flinches.
Nakoda _____
As was habit, Nakoda took a breath and began the chant of Battle, now that she had enough space to know what they were dealing with.
___________________________
Inspired Rage (+2 Str/Con)(+2 morale bonus to Strength and Constitution and a +2 morale bonus on Will saving throws, but also take a –1 penalty to AC.)
Zane Argentus_____
Zane reaches out to touch the drake again, a grey energy surrounding his hand.
vs Touch ac: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 2 = 8
Enemies__________
Drake 2 lashed out at Liz.
for a possible bite damage plus acid damage.
Drake 3 turned on Zephram.
for a possible bite damage plus acid damage.
2:32
3:25
Round 5__________
Players take their turn in order of posting, enemies will go last.
Focusing, Zane holds the charge of his spell, reaching out to touch the drake again, a grey sheen passing over the creatures skin on contact.
Rezol grits his teeth beneath his helmet and draws back his weapon, aiming to strike one of the drake's undefended spots.
Effects: Divine Favor (7/10)
Bullets: 19/20
0- [DC12] (5) create water (1), detect magic (1), light (1), mending (1), read magic (1)
1- [DC13] (5/day) divine favor (4/5)
2- [DC14] (4/day) restoration, lesser (1/1), spiritual weapon (1/1), summon monster II (1/1)
3- [DC15] (1/day) deadly juggernaut (1/1)
Liz gasps as the drake bite sher and attempts to flip over to 6-k so she can flank once more with Zane
She then lashes out with her short sword
Zephram dodges the drake's attack, That seems to have worked. I'm reminded a little of a text that I'd read on snake charmers in the markets of Katapesh... Just need to keep a gentle, constant rhythm to keep the beast soothed... and predictable... He then starts rocking his body and blade back and forth, watching the drake's reaction until he's fairly assured that it's following the expected pattern before quickly lashing out with the blade again.
A small smile crosses Zane's lips as the drake's body crashes to the ground.
And Zephram lunged forward suddenly, planting his rapier hilt deep under its wing, then lept back as it twitched violently, then collapsed dead at his feet.
Then you realize an elf is standing at the edge of the treeline.
Wearing subtle Ranger camouflage, he is almost hidden amongst the green and brown surroundings. He is holding a composite shortbow and regarding you with unreadable eyes.
Movement out of the corner of your eye attracts your attention, and you see another elf similarly dressed leading the horses that ran off.
The elves stood watching you for a moment, taking in your bloody condition. They hold their bows at the ready, though none is being obviously threatening.
One of them, likely the leader, stepped forward and called out in common "What business do you have in the Mierani Forest?"
greetings. we've arrived here at the request of Kwava from Riddleport who wants us to meet with Eivana and pass along information he has gathered.
Zephram watches the drake fall, It would appear that I've slain a dragon. A small one, mind, but that is still an accomplishment. There are likely a number of reagents that I could cut from their... He turns to face the elf that interrupted his train of thought, a dark expression on his face, then nods at Liz's comments. "She speaks truth. In this, today, we are messengers."
"With the Starfall and the resurgence and activity of the Dark elves, Kwava thought it best to send his research to get to the bottom of hew they now possess the power to pull stars from the sky, and what their end game might be." Zane says solemnly.
The Captain (who named himself as Kaerishiel) nodded slowly.
"Yes. We have received messages. You are expected."
Showing you what looked like a game trail, he leads you and your remaining mounts deeper into the forest.
Appearing to be a naturally suspicious soul, he and his hunters remain silent and grim for the remainder of the journey as they escort you the rest of the way to town (half of them behind you).
Apart from explaining that Kwava sent a note informing the elves to expect the PCs’ arrival, Kaerishiel has little to say.
To any further questions he only replies; “It would be best to allow Eviana to answer your questions. You should keep silent, there are many enemies in these woods.”
The next day, the forest changed.
Up ahead, the forest begins to thin somewhat, but a screen of plants prevents observation of what lies within.
After a moment, several elf scouts approach the screen, which turns out to be a solid wall of thorny vines. One of the elves puts a small silver whistle to his lips and blows three times. As the last twittering note begins to fade, the wall of vines springs to life, pulling back to reveal a small settlement in a clearing on the other side.
The village of Crying Leaf is a modest one, with low structures made of gracefully shaped stone and wood that has been carefully decorated and carved.
What is immediately apparent is that this settlement has seen battle recently. A number of the buildings bear burn marks and other damage, and most of the citizens are armed with bows and swords.
This community sees little contact with the outside world. While the occasional merchant caravan travels to Riddleport for supplies, the community is primarily provisioned and reinforced directly from Kyonin, the elven nation far to the east, through the use of teleport and similar magic.
While many of the elves are interested in the arrival of outlanders since they have seen so few of them in the past couple of years, others are skeptical, believing that they are not needed to solve
what is seen as an “elven problem.” As you overhear the phrase anyway.
When the PCs arrive, Kaerishiel quickly leads them to a low stone building near the edge of town where they can stable their horses and refresh themselves from their hard journey. Many of the elves follow them and loiter around outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the outsiders.
Kaerishiel, meanwhile, goes to report to Eviana and prepare for the meeting.
The building to which the PCs are assigned contains three chambers: a central room, a simple bathroom, and a meditation room containing eight woven reed mats for resting.
An oak table surrounded by gracefully carved chairs dominates the main chamber. Atop this table is a mound of fruits and vegetables, freshly harvested.
Liz looks around with curiosity but stays wary, she really doesn't know how the elves will treat outsiders. She sits quietly in the main chamber, keeping alert.
Zephram watches carefully, comparing the clearing and buildings to the remembered images from two books on Kyonin he'd read. Interesting.... There are minor differences, here.... is this a measure of cultural drift, or just a poor original tome?
He notes the elves' curiosity as they approach, One hopes that they don't suddenly decide that we're threats... Finally, he awkwardly nods his head as they arrive at the building, "Thank you for your hospitality.", he offers, then steps inside.... I do hope they don't object to me setting up my portable lab and mixing up some reagents and a new mutagen...
Zephram closes his eyes for a moment, and focuses on the memories of the faces and body language of the elves, rather than the interesting architecture, then weighs those actions in his mind before responding.
Rezol hangs back, quiet and uninterested in speaking with the elves. Light or dark-skinned, his history with them has not been pretty.
Taking fruit from the table, Zane studies their surroundings as he bites into it.
The mood of the city is tense. Everyone here has some kind of weapon and despite the normality, you can feel that if an attack came, people would spring into very familiar roles very quickly.
War is very near.
After an hour has passed, Kaerishiel returns to escort you to the meeting.
You feel that he disapproves of your presence here somehow.
He leads you to the center of the town to an ornate wooden long hall, roofed in broad, autumn colored leaves. One end of the hall is open, revealing an immense table that runs the entire length of the hall.
At the far end, seated upon a tall chair of polished white wood, is Eviana, the leader of Crying Leaf.
Seated in a high-backed chair of polished white birch, Eviana is a striking figure. Her high brow is set with a thin metal circlet, and small gemstones sparkle in her hair.
PORTRAIT OF EVIANA NIRAGASSAN
Although richly dressed in a finely made gown, the hilt of a sword is clearly visible at her waist.
Kaerishiel strides up to take a seat at the table to her right. As she indicates to you that you should be seated at the table as well,
she speaks.
“Please, be seated,” Eviana says in light and friendly voice.
“I received word from your friend Kwava that you were coming, bringing with you knowledge that might help us with our… situation, deeper in the Mierani.
"My people and I are grateful that you made this journey. As you can likely guess, we are in a delicate position. It would be best if what you learn here does not spread beyond the bows of the Mierani. Do we have an accord?”
Liz nods. Yes.
Zephram pauses, his distaste at the thought of knowledge remaining hidden warring with a desire to learn all he can. Finally, the latter wins out, and he nods, "I will abide by such an accord."
Rezol snorts derisively. "Doubt anybody cares, but ya got a deal."
Eviana nodded, accepting your word.
"Now then, please tell us what you learned of these evil elves and how you came by it; please leave nothing out." She asked, getting down to business.
Liz will tell of what she saw beneth the isalnd where people were hunting starmetal. She came into the groupd late and so didn't know much of what happened back in Riddleport but talked about the dark-skinned elves, the shadowy monster, the long-tongued beasts that were beign experimented on and the journal that the group found.
After agreeing to Eviana's terms Zane begins detailing their knowledge of the events behind the Starfall and the Dark Elves' role in it, as well as the hints towards their goals and the experiments discovered to date.
Understanding the magnitude of the disaster that could befall them all should they fail to stop the Drow End Game he leaves nothing out.
After you tell your tale, both Eviana and Kaerishiel ask numerous and detailed follow-up questions that take up most of the day.
They seem especially interested in the two journals you found.
At the end of the day, Eviana looks up at you.
"These journals are of immense value to us, the glimpse they provide to the enemy plans and intentions are invaluable. I would like to purchase these journals from you. Would the sum of two thousand crowns be acceptable to you?" She asked solemnly.
Well that is mighty generous. We're doign a service so that we all don't get flattened by whatever they are planning so that would be perfect for paying for what we spent to get here.
"In the interest of furthering your research that would seem to be fair." Zane says with a nod.
Zephram nods at the others, "That seems equitable.. though, at this point, I'm not sure what information we've gained that is to remain unspoken."
She smiled, and a velvet lined tray racked with one hundred highly burnished twenty crown gold coins is slid over to you.
“Thank you for this. You now know why we have had to close the borders of the Mierani, and indeed, why Crying Leaf was established. The drow have a strong presence in the old ruins of the once great city of Celwynvian."
She hesitated, frowning.
"I tell you now that the situation is far worse than you might suspect. The drow control the ruins almost completely, and have for some time now. We here in Crying Leaf have been locked in what seems
to be an unending struggle with them for many years, and until recently we believed we had them contained. Yet your conflicts under Riddleport and on Devil’s Elbow showed us all this was not the case at all. And in Celwynvian, the drow have been quite elusive. "Whenever we prepare a major strike, the city seems empty, but our gains are quickly eroded within days as a renewed force pushes us back. We had thought that the drow were fleeing into the Darklands, but now we know the truth of it—they have been retreating instead into this pocket dimension they call the Armageddon Echo."
She stood up.
“I must confer with my contacts in Kyonin to determine what is to be done with the knowledge. Might I ask you to wait until we have decided? You have done well so far against the drow, and there may be a place for you among Crying Leaf’s forces in the battles to come. I assure you, if you are willing to join with us, you shall be paid handsomely, at rates equal to those we afford the Shin’Rakorath.”
With that, Eviana leaves the hall, entrusting you again to Kaerishiel’s care.
Once she has gone, the leader of the Shin’Rakorath escorts you back to their lodge in silence, an angry look on his face.
Once there, he suddenly turns on you...
“I suppose you are quite proud of your accomplishments. I have been urging Eviana to all-out war with the dark elves for months, but you have managed to push her to action almost by accident.
"I would not get comfortable; you will be leaving here soon.” He bites off bitterly.
He turns on his heel and stalks out.
Just before sundown, a group of elves bring them a dinner of fire-roasted vegetables, bread, and wine.
"Well Kaerishiel is certainly less than friendly and concerned about his own position here." Zane comments over dinner.
Looks like we stole his thunder here, maybe if we get some sucesses under our belt he'll imrpove. Liz eats some.
So we'll probably want to get an idea what this place is like and how Celwynvian is set up for when we go.
Zephram says, "I'm not quite certain if it is fear of the drow that motivates that one, or fear of making an incorrect decision. Clearly, either way, it is easier to direct his negative emotions at us and call it rage. "
He leans towards his companions and whispers, "Given their problems with attacking these drow, I begin to wonder if the dark ones do not have eyes and ears in the planning area of their fair-skinned brethren.... Perhaps the animosity is somewhat less absolute than we might have otherwise believed."
When the meal is served, Zephram pulls out his journal and takes notes, The spice profile is also somewhat different than what I'd been lead to believe... I wonder if it's a seasonal effect on the herbs? Would that alter their alchemical nature, I wonder, and require a compensation in various formulae?...
After the meal, he suggests, "I wouldn't mind trying to gain any more information about what has passed, especially in terms of their failed attacks... though I'd prefer not to go alone, given the mood of the camp."
Since we seem to be pretty good doing scouting unobserved, we can check thing sout.