Using his tree lizard climbing claws, Seres continues up the palisade until he reaches the top of the north tower. From his high vantage, he casts a ray of fire at the rearmost spriggan.
;
Veronica's pack spins and leaps toward the giant spriggan on their right, barking and braying, while Veronica sprints the other way to get to a good position for channeling healing power.
Connor and Whitetalon continue to attack their same targets moving to the eastern spriggan if either or both of them drop theirs, moving south to get Whitetalon the flank.
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Connor and Whitetalon slay the two spriggans on their southern flank with a furious combination of axe, bite and talon.
Seres fires a scorching ray at the diminutive spriggan beneath him, but the fey side steps the ray.
Ezekial springs again at the nearest spriggan and this time is hammered as he approaches . Ezekial counter strikes and deals grievous damage to the spriggan.
Veronica heals the wolves and the nearest spriggan - reversing some of the damage dealt by Ezekial.
The spriggan nearest Connor and Whitetalon's grows to giant size, steps 5', and swings at Whitetalon, but misses.
The southeastern spriggan moves to Ezekial and attacks with its halberd - hitting again .
The two southwestern spriggan square up on the wolves and attack - hitting twice .
The northwestern spriggan grows to giant size and fires its crossbow at Whitetalon.
; AoC E
; WT
; E
; Wolf
; 1=F, 2=G, 3=M
; Wolf
; 1=F, 2=G, 3=M
; WT - L
Seres casts another suggestion, this time on the spriggan pounding on Zeke. "Hey! Halberd's are lousy weapons. Use your fists instead!"
Whitetalon and Connor combine their attacks on the western large spriggan. If they bring him down they will 5 foot the west and attack the smaller one.
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Kess, having run out of useful spells stays where she is, dismissing the winds keeping her aloft and hides, hoping that her companions will carry the day.
Larisa runs into the keep firing into melee as she goes, targeting the fey attacking Zeke.
Planting her feet Larisa fires on the fey attacking her husband.
Geri tears in into the shank of one of the giant spriggans.
Larisa drives an arrow through the shoulder of the spriggan fighting Ezekialk - causing it to bellow in rage.
Firing again, Larisa kills the spriggan on Connor with two shots to the head.
Connor and Whitetalon fly over the dead spriggan in front of them and slay the diminutive spriggan near the keep door.
Seres casts an enchantment on the spriggan attacking Ezekial and the giant fey suddenly drops its halberd.
Ezekial lunges forward and slays the spriggan in front of him.
Kess keeps her defensive position beyond the wall.
The spriggan with the crossbow fires two bolts at white talon but again misses.
The spriggan fighting the wolves land two more hits with their halberds .
; WT
; WT
; Wolf
; 1=F 2=G 3= M
; Wolf
; 1=F 2=G 3= M
Seres fires an arrow at the spriggan directly below him.
;
Larisa keeps the pressure on, firing at the Spriggan closest to Veronica as she takes a moment to study, inching forwards.
Connor will fast dismount and move north of the wolves, sending Whitetalon airborne to charge the western spriggan[/ooc]
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The wolves still lunge in, confident that "mom" will take care of them when the fighting is done, snapping and snarling at the giant spriggans.
Freki and Geri try to rough up the one on the south side while Moondancer heads north.
Veronica keeps up her bow firing at the southern spriggan.
Changing targets, Larisa fires her longbow at the spriggan nearest Veronica and drives an arrow through its chest.
Connor dismounts and charges the western spriggan with his lance easily pierces the fey's thin armor. The spriggan swipes at Connor as he approaches, but misses. Whitetalon attacks the northwestern spriggan and hits with both claws and beak - greviously wounding the spriggan, but not killing him.
Seres fires down on the spriggan leader and drives an arrow deep into his shoulder.
Ezekial leaps forward and kills the spriggan nearest to Veronica with several bloody slices of his kukri.
Veronica kills the remaining spriggan soldier with a lethal shot to the head.
Kess keeps her defensive position beyond the wall.
The spriggan leader steps away from Whitetalon and continues to fire on the griffon with his crossbow - hitting with the first shot .
; C
; WT
; WT
Veronica moves into a position to provide healing once more, this time not reaching the remaining spriggan.
Moondancer lunges in, too quick for the giant gnome to swing its weapon.
Freki and Geri prowl closer to their mistress, still growling at the spriggan.
Seres fires again at the leader.
;
Larisa continues her advance, studying her prey as the fey leader heavily wounds Whitetalon.
The wounded spriggan leader is brought to his knees in a hail of arrows from Larisa and Seres. Ezekial and Moondancer then move in and cut him down with a combination of vicious bite and slashing kukri. The fey lord drops to the ground and slowly reverts to his diminutive form, as do his slain soldiers.
You note the crow has returned and is slowly circling far above.
The iron door of the keep hangs open revealing darkness within.
"Thank you, love" Connor takes a moment to connect with Larisa after watching three separate spriggan heads explode in front of him.
"Now, can you shoot that crow? I have a bad feeling about it."
Looking around at the carnage.
"Let's gather these villains up and then enter the keep."
Connor checks Whitetalon's wounds and then helps with a quick search of the bodies.
"Of course." A playful grin plays over her face as she looks up at the crow, studying it before spinning to face the sky, launching an arrow.
Seres climbs down the tower and joins the others. "Possibly they were absconded into the First World. If so, beware -- there may be a breach nearby." As the group explores further, Seres will keep his senses peeled for signs of First World influence.
Larisa fires on the crow but the bird nimbly dodges her arrow. With a squawk, the crow retreats to a safe distance where it continues to slowly circle the keep.
Searching the spriggan dead, Connor finds on the leader a masterwork club, an ornate crossbow and a leather satchel covered with metallic inlaid runes.
Seres senses that the boundary with the first world is growing increasingly thin in this land.
Seres nods, eyeing the horizon. "As I suspected. The boundary between this land and the First World is very thin. Be wary!" He aids in the area search.
Ezekial carefully searches the four sets of out buildings in the courtyard.
The southern building is a corral and tool shed. This area is surrounded by split-rail fence that, anchored at one end by a rough shed built from logs, serves as a corral. The corral is empty save for a number of gnawed and picked bones. The tool shed holds the mundane equipment needed for the maintenance of the livestock and the stockade.
The two small buildings next to the tool shed are outhouses. These two rickety outhouses are mundane in every way, although the spriggans have been somewhat poor caretakers and cleaners.
The western building is a storehouse. This long, low building is composed of logs closely chinked with a mixture of mud and mortar. It contains a sizable store of dried fruits and vegetables, bags of grains, and assorted roots and tubers, along with a large number of tools and other supplies.
The eastern building is a smithy. This small building has an open front, where a forge and anvil sit unused.
"This all looks fairly ordinary, if only to reaffirm our suspicions that the people of Varnhold were taken. I have a strong suspicion as to where, but how and why elude me..." Seres tugs at his glove nervously. "The spriggans were involved somehow. Perhaps there is a clue inside the tower."
"We have evidence they were involved or did they just come takeover? There are no bodies, nor signs of violence. It looks much the same as the rest of town, honestly. These things werent the clean up after themselves sort. Wouldnt we have seen some sign of the citizenry if they were involved?"
Connor looks around, "I think something far more sinister than spriggans is behind this vanishing."
Ezekial enters the first level of the keep
The entry room is a strong room with arrow slits allowing archers to repel attackers in the courtyard.
Beyond the door is a well room. This chamber contains a small well and several full water barrels to provide a secondary water supply in case the stockade falls to attackers. Twenty buckets are stacked against the south wall.
A hallway opens up from the well room with three doors and a stairway going up.
The closest door reveals an armory. A large number of weapons and suits of armor are stored here—the gear seems to have been rifled through but not thoroughly searched.
The next door is a sergeant-at-arms quarters. This chamber contains a bed, a chest of drawers, and a sparring dummy, and seems to have been searched thoroughly.
The third door is a bunkhouse. This bunkhouse holds bunks for a dozen individuals and has hooks on the wall for their clothing and equipment.
Ezekial finds that the armory has been left largely unmolested - possibly because the weapons are not sized correctly for spriggans. Hanging from racks and packed in chests are 12 suits of padded armor, a masterwork breastplate, seven light wooden shields, 20 spears, three short swords, two handaxes, a shortbow, two longbows, four light crossbows, 2 heavy crossbows, a masterwork morningstar, 200 arrows, and 220 crossbow bolts.
"If anyone needs to replenish arrows or gear up, take what you need, but no looting for coin. This belongs to the people we are looking for."
Connor heads upstairs, greataxe at the ready.
Seres nods, taking only enough arrows to replenish his quiver.
"Upstairs?" he motions towards the stairs, bow at the ready.
At the top of the stairs Connor finds a chamber is cluttered with the accoutrements of a kitchen, complete with a small fireplace and grill, as well as a larder for food stuffs. Crates and boxes are stacked in the western portion, while the main area has been converted into a bedroom.
Opening the western door reveals a dovecote. Wire cages hang from the rafters of this chamber, and the floor beneath is spattered with droppings. Sacks of seed are stacked near the door. The cage doors stand open and are empty but for a sprinkling of feathers.
A short corridor leads to an overlook that wraps around the second level. This narrow corridor is set with firing loops and murder holes
to provide a view of the surrounding grounds and the area immediately below.
The northeast chamber appears to be a ransacked library. The quarters are now a chaos of broken furniture and scattered parchments.
The northwest chamber is the keep's governor quarters. The only hint that this room once housed the leader of Varnhold is the large map of the Nomen heights tacked to one wall. The map has been torn to shreds, and the other bedroom furnishings are either similarly ruined or else missing.
In the center of the second level you find a guardroom. The ceiling of this chamber forms a 10-foot-wide shaft that extends upward 20 feet to the roof of the keep. A ladder bolted to the north wall leads to a trap door leading out to the keep's watch post. The trap door is open.
Veronica stops to give the wolves a good rub down and tell them what good boys and girls they are, before she follows Zeke. At his request she quickly casts a detect magic orison and scans the armory.
"Get back, it's a trap!"
Connor moves quickly away from the trap door.
Larisa takes a moment to refill her quiver from the armory before joining Connor in his exploration.
Her keen eyes spot the trap as Connor calls his warning sending her scrambling away from the ladder. "Of course." She says dryly, a hand pulling an arrow from her quiver.
Once the fighting in the courtyard dies down Kess darts from her safe spot joining the others as Ishai perches itself on top the keep. Beady black eyes watching the crow, an unnatural stillness to the otherworldly raven as the cold northern winds whip around it.
"If anyone is hurt let me know, I have some healing magic reserved." She says, raising her hands which gently exuded an icy mist.
Flaming lamp oil comes pouring through the trap door - quickly igniting the ruined furniture within the guardroom. Above, you hear footsteps running across the roof heading north.
Seres casts drench on the wood adjacent to the fire, trying to keep it contained.
Connor rushes back through up the ladder.
The fire extinguishes in a whoosh of steam.
At the top of the ladder Connor and Ezekial see a diminutive spriggan drop down off the north end of the gatehouse roof.