"They've been entirely silent now for more than ten minutes. No more sparks of any kind. It may have been my own paranoia, but it seemed to me like the lights were closer in the half hour prior to them going dark."
"I don't know these beasts or their habits. I've never heard of their like. But my intuition is telling me we need to be on our guard.
"Let's wake the others and get ready. If I was going to press an attack, it would be pre-dawn. If that's not the case, we'll have an earlier start."
Brenin moves back downstairs and wakes the others. "Rise and shine. We may have trouble."
Reese slowly gets to her feet, her eyes clearer this morning she looks out. "Yeah, it looks suspiciously quiet. I think we need to get out there an engage them. I'm not sure our party has enough ranged power to beat them. Hey Gabbro, I know your good at hand to head but do you have any long range skills? I have a few spells and a fireball or two up my sleeve."
"Let's take this battle to them. Fighting in these close quarters won't work for us."
Once everyone is ready, we'll move out the door.
"Old man, wait for us here. If we don't come back in a day or two, it's because we didn't make it."
This reminds Lia of some of her drunken nights of youth, just a little more rustic. She joins the others with her rapier.
You gather up your things and head out the door. Behind you, the lock turns as the paranoid sailor resumes his lonesome vigil. Up here on the top of the ridgeline the normal sea breeze is magnified several times, making it downright windy. Somewhere off in the village that wind is beating the hell out of a shutter, providing the only sound as the group forms up and walks back into the village intersection.
To the left, the ridgeline road slopes down toward its destination on the western extremity of the island. To the east, the road meanders back through the village, past the intersection with the road leading to the harbor (the way you ascended the ridge), and beyond into the island's eastern extremities. That way lies the fire that you observed last night, as well as the crater, though it is significantly down-slope from the ridge crest.
"Yo, Gabbro you in there?" I turn to Lia and Sam, "I think the voices in his head are so loud he can't hear us anymore." She snickers a little before saying to the group, "It seems heading East would get us where we want to go. Unless drow like to hang out in the ridgelines, Kwava? My thought is that if anyone is messing with sky metal still, the drow have a hand in it. Seems the village and beyond to the freaky lions is where they'd be."
"I agree. Let's head toward last night's fires and see what we can find."
Lia is distracted by the wind, the trees, the noise of the shutter. She stays close to the others and tries to get her head in the game. As she follows the others, she thinks that things can't get much worse.
"The dark elves will feel most at home underground," he whispers. "Find caves and we're like to find our quarry."
The group pads quietly through the village, past burnt out shacks and knee-high weeds. The first sign of trouble is at the intersection with the road that leads back down to the harbor. A single pair of glowing white eyes, fading silently into pale reds. They hover in the darkness among the leaning beams of a collapsed building about 50' ahead and to the right.
Kwava hisses a warning and raises his bow to draw it.
"I wonder if the beasties will stay to the shadows? Should we keep moving forward or stand an attack?" Reese moves next to Gabbro with hopes that that will be safer for her.
Brenin nocks an arrow and points it at the eyes, while surveying the surrounding area. "Looks like they've been waiting for us. Keep your eyes peeled. There's probably more."
Lia stays near the group and readies her rapier. "This is a trap," she whispers. She looks to where she thinks others are likely to be.
"Steady, everyone..." Gabbro intones, placing a reassuring hand on Rees. He stores his sling and before donning his scizore, chants and stomps a moment. A sense of purpose wells up in his companions.
The early morning darkness comes alive with the flashing lights of their alien eyes. It is an ambush, though one that fails to catch anyone by surprise. The bizarre cat creatures attack as soon as the party stops advancing up the road. Monsters rush in from either roadside, and from the rubble in front of you.
Reese moves away from Gabbro (15ft or so) and casts. As Reese lets loose her fire, she also lets out a scream. Oops, I meant for that to stay in. She laughs a little and then looks about to where she wants to direct her ball of fire next.
The ball of fire blinks into existence at the monster's feet but it pays it no attention whatsoever. If any damage was done to the monster, it is not apparent. The little ball smolders there on the rooftop , lighting the ruin on fire.
Brenin recoils from the bright flash and heat wave in the early morning darkness and for a moment he is too stunned to act. Then, through the flames, he realizes the beast is still standing and launches an arrow.
"Easy with the flames Rees! That was a little close."
"Man, he didn't even flinch." To Brenin she yells" Easy with the flames, what are you kidding, I'm going to have to bring out the heavy artillary."
The creatures attack from rooftops and alleys to either side and the fight quickly becomes a melee. Kwava falls back a step, shifts his bow and draws his blade. Samaritha targets the charging monsters with an enchantment, but you can't see any effect on the creatures.
Lia steps forward and takes a stab at the creature nearest to her. Her vision is unclear and she is crowded by her allies, so her attempt to hurt the monster she is faced with is unsuccessful. She shakes her head and prepares for the battle that has begun. "I think we're in trouble here," she whispers to herself as she watches more enemies approach.
Gabbro's CLW of the previous night went to Lia. .
Gabbro takes a vicious jab at the monster in his face.
Reese looks around for a likely target for her slumber hex. She lays eyes on bad guy #4 and wills him to drift off into her dream world. While her right brain is engaged with figuring out survival tactics, her left brain takes on a world of its own and drags her fire sphere around the building for fun. Reese brings her eyes to the burning building and lets out a small hysterical giggle.
Kitty resists the witch's hex. It charges through the enchantment, intent on the ranger in front of it.
"Enough of this. Let's finish these beasts and find that drow!"
Brenin runs his blade through his target sending it down in a heap. Unfortunately a mass of tentacled blue lions swarms over the body in its attempt to get at the party. Kwava is bitten by one of the beasts. Gabbro also sustains a much worse bite on his leg.
The other monsters fail to land telling blows, despite their numbers.
Kwava fails to hit the monster that bit him. He curses his wounded arm in frustration.
Samaritha ducks around Rees and lays a hand on Gabbro's shoulder, granting Diviner's fortune.
Lia moves forward to slay some cat. (16,19)
Lia is exhausted and overwhelmed by the odds. She makes a half-hearted attempt at one of the monsters, but it easily deflects her poke. Fear settles in her chest, tightening, making it difficult to breathe. She wonders briefly why she should die out here, so far from her city. She desperately tries to get her head in the fight.
Gabro lets out a loud roar. "If you've come looking for death, then you've found it."
Reese takes her 5 feet, stepping up next to Sam.
Her inner beast is fighting her and she is shaking with the urge to burn everything in sight. She struggles to gain a bit of control over her self and takes in a deep breath. In that moment she is able to cast her wand and reaches over and grabs a handful of the lion in front of her.(#6) She holds on for dear life, flashing her yellow eyes at him, making sure every bit of her spell courses through him.
As the electricity leaves her hand she feels her inner beast take control of her fire and move it right to the feet of bad guy #7.
Reese screams feeling all the power rushing around in her blood. She turns her head toward Lia and smiles freakishly!!