Tove follows Bassius inside from the brisk morning and greets her companions at the breakfast table. Seeing Kalaman apparently making pleasant conversation with Lanyssa her heart softens toward him slightly. If the guardian of the Narlmarches trusts him... well that is a significant vote of confidence in her book.
Terri's quiet mood catches Tove's attention and she sits down beside the bard to eat, touching her lightly on the arm as she does so.
"Good morning," she says softly.
Lanyssa looks over as Bassius enters the cottage, "You do know that once you've let me know you're here you don't have to knock again, Sir Vibulus."
Terri's quiet mood catches Tove's attention and she sits down beside the bard to eat, touching her lightly on the arm as she does so.
"Good morning," she says softly.
Terri looks up and tries to muster a smile before giving up and looking back down at her food. She's hardly touched it, despite making an effort to eat.
"Mornin'," she replies before taking another bite and chewing slowly. "Sorry, I didn't sleep well."
"I know the feeling. I'm sorry."
Tove had managed a rare good night's sleep in the comfort of Lanyssa's cottage. Come to think of it, her dreams had been a lot less troubled since the old Stag Lord was killed. Not good, but not quite so terrifying anymore. She prayed it might stay that way.
"If you need to talk about anything you're welcome to ride with me today, if you'd like?"
"Thanks, Tove. I think I'm going to need someone to talk to," Terri admits as she takes another bite of her breakfast.
"I'm seeking answers to many questions, but foremost amongst them being this sword. Awoken from my slumber, it was just THERE, and as I touched it, a flash, and I blacked out. I awoke once more with it strapped to by back with no recollection of how it got there, or why. The answers I seek are these, how and why it came to me, and frome where, or who, did it come. So in your travels have you heard of any such similar stories, and if so, how did these individuals discover their destiny?Kalaman replies to the crystal eyed witch the black blade seeming to throb in time with the cadence of the story of it's discovery
Tove smiles and gently taps Terri on the back of the wrist again before serving herself some of Lanyssa's fine cooking and listening in on Kalaman's mysterious origin story suspiciously.
Lanyssa walks over to Kalaman to get a better look at the rune covered blade.
"Hmm...a lot of latent magic in that blade, just screaming to get out, assuming you properly bind with it. Be careful though...it will eventually have a will all its own." Lanyssa says after examining the blade.
"I've heard of these bound blades before, but can't say that I've ever seen one until today. Wish I could be more help, Kalaman."
thank you otherwise, at least there are others out there who have been gifted a blade such as this. If they are out there I can find them, and the answers I seek.kalaman says, bowing as he thanks the witch
With breakfast and the morning conversations done with, the party packs up and bids a fond farewell to Lanyssa before heading off to the unmapped regions to the northwest.
Morning and mid-day come and go as you go about the business of mapping out this rather unremarkable section of open grasslands. The terrain is mostly flat with only the occasional tree to break up the monotony.
It is late afternoon as you are nearly finished with what you had set out to map today when you notice a large winged creature in the sky - some two hundred feet away closing in on you. Without any cover of sorts, this is definitely a fight or flight moment as the creature changes its bearing toward you, although it still is forty-five feet in the sky.
As it gets closer, you see that the creature has a vaguely humanoid head, the body of a lion, and the wings of a dragon. Its tail ends in long, sharp spikes.
Initiative Order:
Kalaman
Terri
Garethane
Ivo
Bassius
Creature
Tove
manticore inbound! Battle stations! Kalaman will dismount,
And cast a shield spell, then move toward the near of the front of the formation,
"Spread out! Don't let the manticore catch us in a group," Terri warns as she hops off Placid and tries to get him running while she tries to put some distance between her and the others. Placid, totally oblivious to the danger, takes a moment to munch on some grass.
Pulling up his crossbow to deal with a flying foe, Bassius whispers "Greetings from Abadar, monster," as he lets fly.
Taking Terri's warning to heart, Garret spurs Mallornia to swing wide. Calling upon the dexterity of the tiger, he pulls his bow, and fires a single arrow.
Bassius and Garethane each take aim at the manticore from a long distance. Fortunately for the pair, both find their mark.
With the creature that far away, there's nothing for Ivo to do but hustle as fast as he can to close some distance.
The manticore glides in closer and with a whip of its tail it lauches four projectiles at Bassius, Emperor Stavian, and Kalaman, two of the spikes bound for Bassius's steed. Somehow the spike miss the massive warhorse, but but find both the paladin and the bladebound magus.
Ivo thumps his pony and keeps closing.
Terri moves, hoping to get in a position to flank the beast if/when it lands.
Sucking in a sharp breath at the pain in his shoulder, the paladin rips out the spine, staunching the bleeding with holy power. He then goes for another shot at the beast, hoping to distract from the small yet dangerous rider closing in.
Heeding Terri's advice, Tove dismounts and separates herself from the horses, moving out to an empty patch of grass and readying herself for the fight ahead.
Kalaman also heads the warning, and will move off pulling his blade off his back as he goes, then casts magic missile at the inbound manticore hoping to make it land to better deal with it
With his mount now stablized in non-moving position, Garret takes two quick shots at the creature.
While the majority of the group heads for more advantageous positions, Garethane puts two arrows into the beast, while three magical bolts hammer the manticore, courtesy of Kalaman.
The manticore continues on its path, closing in on the party as it launches another barrage of tail spikes, focusing its wrath on Garethane and his mount.
(furious focus Dex)
Garethane leans quickly to the side to avoid the incoming tail spikes, but his mount pays the price as Mallornia is cut down beneath him. Reflexively, the nimble hunter rolls along with his fallen mount, coming out unscathed, on his feet, and not pinned beneath his now dead horse.
Tove's heart aches as she sees Garethane's mount's lifeless body tumbling. There was nothing she could do for the poor beast, she could tell that even from here.
Instead she fires an arrow at the winged beast, testing the range more than anything else. As her arrow falls short she is already moving closer.
Garathane does not know who to be more furious with, himself or the manticore. At least he can vent his fury at the manticore.
With an uncomfortable sidelong glance at Garethane's poor mount, Bassius launches another bolt at the manticore.
Terri moves more cautiously now, trying to circle around behind it while making herself a harder target.
Kalaman moves up thirty feet and readies if the manticore tries dive bombing him.
Ivo finally takes a shot.
Garethane sinks two more arrows into the manticore, while Ivo blasts a significant hole into the creature's wing. Think better of trying to get his meal here, the manticore arcs around and begins to fly away from the party.
Seeing the creature making a retreat, Tove makes her way over to the wounded, rather than risk provoking it to attack again.
"Do we give chase? Manticores are evil beasts by all accounts," Terri asks the others as she watches.
Garathane is not interested in letting this monster get away.
Ivo pushes his pony to give chase as he rotates the barrel of his pepperbox and fires again.
Bassius joins the chase, reloading his crossbow as he pushes Emperor Stavian onward.
Seeing most of her companions giving chase, Terri rushes for Tove and her horse.
"Can you shoot if I guide the horse," she asks.