Aerie - Round 2 - continued
Ruso moves out of the flurry of ravens and grabs his bow after dropping his rapier. He fires once at the flying sylph and scores a hit, even if its only limited damage.
The swarm of ravens moves to the closest target, pummeling against Wulfgang for limited damage. However, the birds talons successfully rake at the ranger's eyes, blinding him.
Hearing the northman cry out in pain and frustration as the raven swarm swept over him, there was little the priestess could do for him at the moment. Instead, she trained her crossbow on the floating woman, but the distraction of the ravens was too much and her aim was off. Cursing, Cylina reloaded her crossbow and hoped the others would have better luck.
Aerie - Round 2 - continued
Cylina's shot flies wide of the mark, narrowly missing the airborne outsider.
His eyes raked and his vision suffering, he drops his bow, pulls out his greataxe and lashes out at the swarm of ravens around him, flailing and only hoping to make contact but sightless his attack is ineffective.
Flying in the air, the sylph woman moves to the center of the room, makes casting motions, and the air around her is filled with an even stronger wind in a vertical plane that stretches around her for about 30'.
Irina looks at the woman, and then at the ravens. "That's wind wall. Shooting at her from this side won't do much good." She moves closer to the fight, and gives the sylph the evil eye again. This time trying to affect her
Aerie - Round 2 - concluded
Irina identifies the wind-borne spell cast by the air=loving sylph, knowing it is a barrier to deflect arrows and other projectiles. Instead of firing into it, she moves closer and repeats the evil eye, this time targeting the cleric's saves most effectively.
Hearing that shooting the floating woman would likely not be effective, Radzislau tosses his bow aside and moves across the room, drawing out his hammer and swinging at the raven's clustered around Wulfgang, but again the melee strike misses.
Nadya fires an arrow at the woman anyway, as a test, and is dismayed when it flies straight up and clatters off the ceiling once it hits the wind wall
End of Round 2
Aerie - Round 3
25 Ruso (1hp dmg)
22 Raven Swarm
21 Cylina
20 Wulfgang (1hp dmg, blinded, 9 rounds)
14 Jairess Sonn (9hp dmg, evil eye, -2 AC, 7 rounds, -2 saves, 8 rounds 25' in air)
11 Irina
8 Radzislau
5 Nadya
Aerie - Round 3 - continued
Without any way of harming the ravens, and without much hope of shooting the flying sylph through the wind wall, Ruso is at a loss of what to do. Shrugging he tries to skewer some of the birds with his rapier. Then moves back from the swarm a reasonable distance.
The raven swarm stays flicking and flitting around the now blind Wulfgang. More birds slam into and tear at him with beaks and claws. This time the jumble of unseen birds overwhelms Wulfgang for a moment and he is distracted.
Cylina frowned as the wind wall went up, the ward surely turning what was already poor aim into sheer madness should she attempt to continue shooting the floating woman. Letting her crossbow fall to the ground, the priestess drew her morningstar once more as she crossed to the raven swarm. Eyeing the flock of birds nervously, she swung her weapon into the birds, feeling several satisfying bone-crunching hits as she followed through.
Aerie - Round 3 - continued
Blind and in stomach distress, Wulfgang hurls up his lunch, but does little else.
Seeing that arrow attacks will clearly be of no use against the sylph, Cylina trots over to the birds and swings her morningstar trough the crowd of ravens, guilty pleased with the series of crunches that ensue.
From high overhead, the wind wall continues to blow shielding Jairess from arrow and other missile attacks. Using the respite to her advantage, she grasps her holy symbol and intones a few choice phrases and the wind around her whips a bit stronger, healing some of her prior wounds. "Master Radosek!" she calls out above the din of the wind and the birds. "I know you watch me up here. I require your aid! Send help to me in the aerie, and I will submit to your advances. But do so quickly! We are under attack!"
Cylina cocked her head at the woman's words, a bit confused. She called out, "We be enemies of the master and lady of the tower, but have no quarrel with you. Let us have a truce." The priestess thought things were a bit past talking things over, but it was worth a shot.
Aerie - Round 3 - concluded
Without much opportunity to damage the flying caster, Irina settles for more evil eye on her, this time affecting her attacks. Again the hex seems to work wonderfully well, now for that wind wall to come down...
Again seeing the impenetrable position the sylph remains in, Radzislau focuses his hammer on the swarm. The long lucerne hammer cleaves through the swarm of birds like a hot knife through butter, and combined with damage already dealt, and the swarm is on the verge of falling apart.
"Stop!" cries the woman in mid-air. [/b]"If you stop murdering my beautiful birds, I will speak parley with you."[/b] She does in fact lok earnest about ending the fight, if possible.
Nadya holds her actions, waiting to see if peace will break out.
End of Round 3
Aerie - Round 4
25 Ruso (1hp dmg)
22 Raven Swarm (28hp dmg)
21 Cylina
20 Wulfgang (1hp dmg, blinded, 8 rounds)
14 Jairess Sonn (9hp dmg, evil eye, -2 AC, 6 rounds, -2 saves, 7 rounds 25' in air)
11 Irina
8 Radzislau
5 Nadya
Ruso pauses for the briefest of moments as he listens to the sudden change in what is occurring here on the rooftop. "If you wish to parley then bring yourself back down to the us so that we might speak without need of shouting over the wind."
Cylina paused her aggression against the bird swarm long enough to see if the woman would come down or at least start to speak to the group. If it indeed seemed like the strange lady would speak with them, the priestess would let Ruso and Irina speak for the group, instead moving over to Wulfgang and looking at the man's ghastly injuries to the eyes.
The pale, flying woman waves a hand and the windstorm around her ceases, though the aerie is still filled with the natural wind from outside, which tosses her long pale hair around her in a shroud.
She floats back to the ground, alighting softly and bending to examine several of the dead ravens which she picks up with a sort of reverence. Her sadness at their passing is apparent, and her jaw hardens as she looks up to face you.
"You slew my pets, my friends! Whatever you are here for, it better have one hell of an explanation! Radosek is preparing to deal with you now anyway. Go back to where you came from and leave us alone!" she makes some strange sounds, and the remaining birds, still a goodly number, land on and around her.
”We’re here for a child. That’s all we wished to do. We’re sorry about the birds. Truly we are.” she looks at the dead birds with sadness. ” I understand losing your friends. A mother has lost her child. Will you help?”
Ruso leans on the crenulations as he gives the woman a once over. "You've heard the explanation and quite frankly your attitude has not helped the situation any. We came here with a clear objective and have encountered nothing but resistance and hostility. Is this how all visitors to these lands are treated by its residents? If so then I feel truly sorry for you all."
Ruos then switches topics as he adjusts his stance. "Who is this Radosek individual you refer to? I've not ever heard of this man before. Would you please tell us who this person is." Ruso flicks his hair back over his shoulder as he finishes talking.
Cylina can do nothing for the blind Wulfgang at the moment, so she instead pays attention to the conversation, listening to Irina's earnest appeal to the woman's conscience and Ruso's more pessimistic retort. The elf's anger at the situation was well-warranted, but yet more proof that these strange folks were truly newcomers to the icy lands of Irrisen.
As Ruso added his questions about Radosek, the priestess cocked her head curiously but said nothing. They had been told he was the resident witch's partner or lover, but surely he was fishing for information from the bird-priestess. The woman's words during combat as she sought help had Cylina curious. "I'm taking it you don't much care for Radosek's advances? What's your story here, friend?"
The sylph woman looks at each of you in turn as you each speak to her. "Well, I don't know how to respond to all of that. Strangers inside any home get attacked, and I was told to be wary of invaders here. I am still wary of you. And you," she says indicating Wulfgang, "Got no less than you deserved. My friends were only defending me and themselves."
She sighs and shakes out her wind-blown hair. "As for Radosek, he only pursues me because his mistress, Nazhena is away. If she were in the Tower, he wouldn't dare. He may not be my type exactly, but stringing him along has its uses, as I a sure you are aware," she nods to Irina.
"As for this girl you seek, I heard them discussing her days ago, but nothing recently. My guess is that she is dead or gone with Nazhena. Probably the former. Now, if you will promise to not harm by friends here, I will retire to my chambers, and you can go about your carousing in the Tower as you see fit."
Irina looks at her companions with a raised eyebrow. "You are welcome to retire to your chambers. We'll see ourselves out. Can you tell us where we might find Radosek? We'd like to ask him about the girls location."
The priestess winced at the sylph's blunt words on the likely fate of Nadya's child. Cylina herself also thought it likely, but the possibility of finding her child alive was likely the hope that was buoying her friend at the moment.
Cylina stepped forward after hearing Irina speak, sheathing her weapon so as not to provoke the woman. "I'm sorry things started out so violent between us. Everything else in this Tower started trying to kill us, so we assumed the worse. Is there anything that can be done for my friend's eyes? I can tell there's no permanent damage, but if you could help him we could reward you."
"I am accepting of the worst," says Nadya calmly, given the situation. "Those taken to the Pale Tower do not return, and such is to be expected of my little Thora, but I won't stop until we know for sure."
The sylph responds to Irina first. "Radosek is likely in Nazhena Vasiliovna's chambers. They are on the third floor, and only accessible, as far as I know, from the teleporter in the great hall on the second floor. You have to know the password, or...I could give you this." She holds out a white plastic card like the blue one you saw before.
"I will trade this to you for free passage from this place and a pledge of non-interference if we cross paths again. Fair?"
She shrugs when asked if she can cure Wulfgang's blindness, saying even if she could cure the man, she would choose not to. She indicates she does not have the strong enough connection to Gozreh to offer that kind of magic.
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She shrugs when asked if she can cure Wulfgang's blindness, saying even if she could cure the man, she would choose not to. She indicates she does not have the strong enough connection to Gozreh to offer that kind of magic.
Wulfgang spits in her direction, his eyes still covered by the white rag, his axe hanging at his side. "YOU attacked us first! Curse you and the the Sky Father and his fickle ways. You HAVE wergild! Despite going as a blind beggar, I will offer you NO safe haven should we meet again unless you've PAID me or my kin!"
Cylina sighed, having expected as much but hoping for an affirmative. The Irriseni woman is taken aback by Wulfgang's harsh response, though she really shouldn't have been. Losing one's sight was surely a harsh experience, as those who suffered from the snow blindness had surely attested when the priestess had treated them. Despite the fact that the party had been the invaders in this particular situation, Cylina was wise enough to not retort the northman's threats.
Instead, she offers softly, "The injuries to your eyes are grave, but not permanent, my friend. You shall regain your sight soon after we leave this evil place." Frowning, she looks to Ruso and Irina, wondering how they would respond to the impasse.
"Trust is a hard won thing and you do not have ours. You oNly have our begrudging reluctance to continue to waste our time and resources on finishing what was started here. I suggest you leave this place and quickly lest you once again find yourself in our sights. For once Radosek is dealt with We will bring this place tumbling to the ground." Ruso cleans and seathes his blade.
"Go now." Ruso says in a low steady almost steel like voice.
Inina nods in agreement. "Safe passage out, but I give no promise of non-interference." She glances at Wulfram. "All parties have been gravely injured so take what you can get." She holds out her hand for the white card. Hoping that the woman will take the deal and give her the card.
The sylph priestess sighs in resignation and places the white card in Irina's outstretched hand. "Very well. I will go to my chamber and clear out my things. If you do find and defeat Radosek, consider your lives will be forfeit. Nazhena will rally the other jadwiga and you will have no safe place in this barren land. I urge you to leave now, but am certain you will never listen."
She brushes past you to one of the doors off the aerie, and closes it behind her. You can hear the bolt slide home a second later.
There is one other door off the aerie, and of course, the teleporter to take you back to the lower floors.
Cylina watched the sylph exit the room, wary but not expecting a double-cross. At least not immediately. Once the woman was gone, she huddled with the others. "What now, friends? My divine assistance is depleted, but I fear we must press on. Shall we follow the card she just gave us and deal with this Radosek?"
Mindful of how exposed the party was, she laid claim to the remain curing potions to ensure that if they were needed she could distribute them.
"We need to finish this and quickly. I have a feeling this place will be swarmed with reinforcements within the next few days given what we have already accomplished." Ruso steps away from the others and begins to check the non-bolted door.
The door is not trapped or locked and when Ruso pushes it open, he sees dozens of stacked crates fill this angular storeroom. Several miniature dollhouses stand high atop the uppermost shelves. It seems this is a storeroom and granary to feed the ravens.
Peering inside and seeing nothing of import, Cylina quickly dismissed the storage room. She replied to the blinded Wulfgang, "Seems to be storage for feed for the birds and knick knacks."
Collecting herself, she looked at the keycard in Irina's hand and arched a brow, "Shall we proceed down to the great hall and see where that device takes us?" If no one objected, she took the blinded northman's hand and started to guide him to the teleporter that had transported them to this level.
Rusop brushes a bit of dust off himself after climbing out from behind some of the stored items. "Yeah, there is nothing of use here." Ruso strides across the rooftop and picks up his backpack. "I'm ready. Lets go."
"Not in that closet, at least not for us. Now if you happen to be a bird and I missed it then by all means there are items of use for you. I must say though I very much doubt you, my well muscled friend, are a bird." Ruso chuckles to himself as he finishes readying himself to head back inside the tower.
"However if you truly want me to i will climb back through the piled up stuff and double check just for you Wulfgang." Ruso sets his pack down, walks back across the rooftop, and climbs through the closet one more time searching for anything of use or value. You can hear a myriad string of curses flowing from within the closet as various poorly stacked items make what should be a simple task that much more difficult.
As mentioned before, there are some tiny dollhouses on the top shelf of the storeroom. As Ruso stacks up crates to stand on, he finds a trove of treasure tucked inside. These appear to be the living quarters of the tiny fey you fought before, and where they stash little treasures stolen from around the Pale Tower.
Included in the stash are: a jeweled silver dagger with a hilt resembling the head of a blue-eyed winter wolf, a jade bracelet in the shape of Tian sovereign dragon, a pair of porcelain dolls, a silver medallion decorated with sapphires, a gold signet ring with the signet of the jadwiga Tashanna, and 3 blue crystal-quartz stones.
Irina casts detect magic on the treasure trove. "Good call Wulfgang." She tries to recall what she might know about Tashanna, but it escapes her. She does give the items found a good look for their value, and manages to discover what some of them may be worth.
Cylina's eyes widened when they settled on the signet ring. "Aye, that belonged to Tashanna, a veteran jadwiga of the Witchwar centuries ago. Should we want to sell it, we'll have to be careful who we offer it to. I wonder how it ended up here?" Feeling a small sense of foreboding, the priestess frowned and looked at the others.
"Let us return to the teleporter and finish this. We've done good work here, but casting down the master of the tower and helping Nadya locate her daughter are our true objectives."
Ruso emerges from the closet, spats once last curse word at it, and sets down an arm load of items that had been found within. "Lets see if any of this is worth all that."