Sunny shrugs. :(
Anumil frowned.
"You know, these statues are artistically arranged. They are leaning against each other.
"And see this line here? 'Set things straight.' Maybe straightening them up would yield something more?" Speculated Anumil aloud.
Suiting action to thought, Anumil proceeded to do just that; he pushed the statues until they were standing straight up again.
Having not yet taken their leave, Kjerzig eyes Anumil struggling to push the statues. "So set straight stone?... what about this one?" He points to the toppled pillar next to the silent heatless fire. He tugs on the affixed iron ring which the chains are hooked to...
"Oof.. That'd take a few of us to lift."
Anumil looked over at Kjerzig.
"I say, that's an idea! Let's try it." He said.
He put his effort in with the others to right the toppled pillar.
The moment the pillar stands upright, you start to see ghostly people around you again.. they quickly come into focus, and become less diaphanous. You also begin to hear... but can barely move.. and no one seems to see you.
A man in robes and helm much like Jarl Bastijn's addresses a blurry crowd. "It is what we must do... we cannot hope to defeat them... And these girls... they are criminals. They are most fit for the sacrifice."
The fire grows warmer, and you hear the roar of flame.. the crowd is a jangle of shouts both support and contempt from still indistinct faces.
Two young women are chained to the pillar.. hidden between and behind them, is a boy setting a barbed spear upright.. with a chain leading from the base.
A dragon-like beast lands, "Ahhnka Har, Yooman." The Jarl unhooks them from the pillar. A young man beside you at the pillar screams "No!" The beast arches its neck.. driving its maw down to envelop the sacrifice. With one mighty pump of its wings it lifts upward with speed.
You see the chain rise.. the young women, hiding boy, barbed spear and a throat's length of chain had been swallowed whole. The chain goes taut. Within seconds, the wyvern plummets - throat slashed open with a barb protruding from the inside. The young man beside you drives his shoulder into the pillar, and knocks it over onto the dying creature's neck.
A disembodied man's voice speaks in a bitter tone "The drake would have died by my work alone... Bastijn's only succeeded in deforming my body.. the fallen pillar my most grievous wound. Yet Bastijn became known as Drakefeller..."
There is a jump in time. The neck and belly of the beast have been cut open. The Jarl holds a bloody and matted boy. "My son still lives..."
".. on the day my father died.. facing the wyvern broodmother alone."
A thunderous screech in the sky. Villagers scatter.. the Jarl hands his son to someone who then departs. The Jarl stands alone.
The ataxia fades... everything feels real.. you are no longer observers in a dream memory.
Raulthim yells out as he lifts his sizable axe in the air.
"Drake! Prepare for battle!"
Anumil whirled about, raising his crossbow and scanning the sky for threats.
Arcthyl looks to the sky and pulls out a flask, standing with it ready in hand (alchemist fire) in case the creature flies close enough to be a target.
(O_o)
"Oh... nertz..."
Suny begins to fumble about with the layers of furs, cloth, leather and other things wrapped about her self.
The Jarl of this memory of a village retrieves a shield from the ground near his feet, and readies his spear. He looks to each of you.. your existence has sunk in, but he has no words for you. He looks to the sky and changes his grip as the wyvern dives toward you.
The serpentine draconic beast banks and slows its speed as it nears you. Its rough craggy scales are dark and mottled.. its immense wings are a pale flesh tone... It comes soaring around to the other side of the village.. fifty feet east from where you stand.
Cooly, Anumil put his crossbow to his shoulder and aimed at the wyvern. Carefully leading his aim, he fired. The crossbow bucked against his shoulder as the bolt leapt from the string and sped towards the draconic beast...
for a possible piercing damage.
Then he drew back the string again and put a bolt back on the rail.
Quickly shucking out of her bundled layers of gear Sunny takes little more than a few moments to watch the great creature swoop and bank and turn. As the last large bulk of cloth sloughs away Sunny simply turns and runs.
Arcthyl starts a summons spell, moving back 5' as he does so (to K14).
Kjerzig and Raulthim step up, and ready their weapons to swing if it comes near. The Jarl moves up near them.
Corum takes a few steps toward the nearest stone building, and begins casting.
The drake arcs inward, and swoops toward the village center. Raulthim swings too slowly as it brushes by him. The barbed tip of its tail slams into his chest... sending him spinning. It screeches painfully loud as it passes over your heads.
Arcthyl moves to J15 after finishing his spell... which nets him:
eagles
which wait for the wyvern to come near before attacking.
after the 5' step, he casts guidance on Corum to aid him in whatever attack he might make when the wyvern approaches.
Again, Anumil carefully lead his target, then fired. The crossbow bucked against his shoulder as the bolt leapt from the string and sped towards the draconic beast...
for a possible piercing damage.
Then he drew back the string again and put a bolt back on the rail.
This time Anumil's bolt strikes true, and pierces hide.
Raulthim spews a string of foul words, as he pulls a flask from his side.
"Her tail.. it hits like a mammoth tusk.", and chugs it.
Suny involuntarily ducks as the hug beast swoops over head.
"Sooo fast..!"" She exclaims, then still blinking the swirled snow from her eyes from the gusts of snow blown up by the drakes wings, she quickly climbs the side of the building she's run towards.
She crouches on the roof and waits for the wyvern to circle back.
After a bit of a misstep on her way up, Sunny makes it to the roof.. up against the chimney.
Corum finishes his conjuration of an air elemental, then hurls a ball of fire... which catches up to and explodes all around the flying beast.
The drake banks the opposite direction, and makes another descending approach from the northwest. It slows and glides down .. within inches of the house by Corum, grazes the flames at village center, and this time lands... just beyond the Jarl. The Jarl nearly loses his footing swinging at the creature as it passes over his head.
Kjerzig charges, and Raulthim swears as he's caught uncorking a potion at the prime moment to charge. Kjerzig is still bellowing his battle cry as his blade hacks through scale.
Again, Anumil carefully lead his target, then fired.
for a possible piercing damage.
Then he cast his crossbow aside drew his sword, grinning.
"HERE we go! En Guard!" He shouted, before starting to move towards the creature.
The eagles charge the wyvern attacking...
Arcthyl himself moves to N16 and summons a crocodile (std action for reptile summons)... the croc to appear at S18 for the flank.
the crocodile lays into the wyvern or tries to:
When grappling a foe of its size or smaller, a crocodile can perform a death roll upon making a successful grapple check. As it clings to its foe, it tucks in its legs and rolls rapidly, twisting and wrenching its victim. The crocodile inflicts its bite damage and knocks the creature prone. If successful, the crocodile maintains its grapple.