Auric hustles up the slope, pulling out his shield and the sword hidden in his kindling bundle.
Auric hustles after the fleeing cultists, freeing his blade as he crests the rise.
Stilgar's spiritual hammer floats after its target, clouting him firmly between the shoulder blades, prompting the man to cry out to the Horned Lord for aid.
Jon hurries after Auric, scythe in hand, meeting him at the top of the rise.
"Who dares intrude upon the chosen of the Horned Lord?" he calls.
Stilgar follows after Auric () whilst exerting enough effort to continue his spell's assault.
"One who would see those of you who are preying on the innocent stopped" Kalaya responds readying herself against attack. Whisperwing takes flight heading to the higher regions of the cave roof.
Auric advances on Barend.
"What's wrong? You were so eager for blood a minute ago!", he says before swinging at the ranger.
Mwk Longsword:
Magnus hears the sounds of feet heading in his direction. Peering from his place of hiding, he can see the men from the camp in retreat, with the party hard on their heels.
Stilgar's ghostly hammer swings down again, but the man manages to avoid the swing this time, ducking out of the way.
Auric bears down on Barend, taking a swing that slices open the man's upper left arm. He cries out in pain, with no ready reply to Auric's taunt.
The cultists continue their withdrawl, moving back into the camp towards the cliff face. Those blinded by the glitterdust blunder along, left behind by their mates, one tripping over a root and falling face first to the forest floor.
Jon moves down, taking his scythe to one of the blinded fellows, catching him across the midsection and dropping him to the ground.
The old man meets Kalaya's gaze. "Innocence? There is no innocence in the wild. Only the weak and the strong. Predator and prey. The weak and the strong. Those who oppose my work shall have their bones broken under the Horned Lord's hooves when he arrives to sweep away the unfaithful. Submit to his will, or fall like the rest."
Magnus turns in the direction of the approaching men. He mutters to himself "Well, at least they bought us some time alone." He then rises from his position and quickly makes his way into the entrance behind the cave. He leaves Tuboo and the marble trap by the entrance. He instructs his familiar before going. "Just one try slowing them down, then you run away and hide. " He listens for any sounds further in the cave.
Locking eyes with the man Kalaya's face takes on a look of resolution.
"Not about to start submitting now. განიცდიან" she whispered, her hands passing across her as a swirling misty vapor inhabited by shadowy shapes arises around her extending 20 ft to envelop her enemies.
The spiritual warhammer moves onward, taking one last swing at the man before fading into nothing.
Lumbering along, Stilgar follows after the others, just barely reaching the incline.
Stilgar's hammer cracks the cultist on the top of the skull and he drops with a groan. The dwarf reaches the top of the rise this round.
Magnus moves to the edge of the path leading into the cave. He strains to hear anything, but any sound from within the cave is drowned out by the waterfall.
Auric charges past a javelin bearing cultist and swings at Barend. A quick twist by the forester keeps the blade from skewering him, its edge cutting along his ribs instead.
Jon moves to the one with the javelins, swinging his scythe. The man gives a cry and is struck down.
A mist rises around Kalaya, sinister shadows moving about in it. The old man gives a disdainful harumph, then murmurs something.
The fallen blind man scrambles to his feet and manages to stumble a bit further towards the camp. The other one managing not to fall and gaining a bit of a lead. The rest reach the campsite this round, intent on escaping the group.
Liam continues to follow, making his way down the slop at a leisurely pace.
Kalaya: The echoes of the cave allow you to catch his softly spoken words: "Up the ladder, boy."
His spell no longer active, Stilgar picks up the pace.
Magnus continues further in to the cave, moving quickly.
Hearing the soft whisper, Kalaya reaches out emphatically to Whiperwing to be alert, her eyes above the cloud.
From his vantage point, the owl notes the old and young man move off to their left, the younger leading. The young man moves out of line of sight behind a rock outcropping. A moment later, so does the old man. They make no move to return.
Kalaya slowly moves along the wall towards the outcropping, wary of any warning from Whisperwing.
Stilgar hustles down the hill, working to catch up with his companions.
Magnus moves into the cave, noting that a short distance ahead of him is a sinister-looking mist, wherein shadowy figures seem to be moving.
Barend, giving a curse, lets out a sharp whistle as he draws his axes and takes a swipe at Auric, who catches the weapon on his shield and turns it aside. Meanwhile, the low, gray shape of Barend's wolf comes barreling out of the camp, moving in a wide curving trajectory to flank the paladin.
Jon closes on the wolf, swiping at it with his scythe, but the wolf sees the attack coming and leaps back, snarling at the druid.
Kalaya's path takes her around the outcropping, where she sees a wooden ladder has been erected on the cave wall, leading up. Peering up, she can see the silhouettes of figures moving up toward a patch of daylight.
Liam continues to follow the party, using his oration to inspire them.
The two other remaining cultists, continue to glitter and stumble their way along.
Seeing the escaping figures, Kalaya calls upon the gifts of her patron, discarding the pull of the ground beneath her to float up after them, parallel to the ladder.
Noticing that Auric is surrounded, Stilgar charges toward Barend's wolf companion, his hammer raised high.
Magnus pauses for a moment, considering the mist. Magnus sits cross legged on the ground and closes his eyes, focusing intently on the mist, listening for any movement or clues within.
Auric steps around the hunter to avoid the wolf and levels a heavy blow at Barend.
Mwk longsword with power attack:
Stilgar barrels across the way towards the wolf, his swing narrowly missing the beast's head hitting it just behind the shoulder and scraping down along its ribs, eliciting a yelp of pain from the beast as it turns to face its new opponent.
Magnus notes that the shadows within the fog seem to be just that, shadows, with nothing visible to cast them that he can see. Past the mists lies a cave, and he can see a faint light that seems to come from the somewhere across the cave from the cloud of mist.
Auric's blow catches Barend in the side and draws blood. The woodsman gives a grunt of pain and fights back in earnest, taking two vicious swings with his axes, the first going high to catch the paladin's left ear and the side of his head with a glancing blow, the second going low and grazing his right shin.
Distracted by Stilgar's attack, the wolf is felled by an overhanded swing of Jon's scythe that nearly removes its head.
Kalaya floats up alongside the ladder, coming within reach of the old man as he continues to hustle up the ladder after the young man. Overhead, an opening lets in daylight, presumably large enough for them to exit the ladder to the hillside somewhere above the waterfall.
Liam continues his exhortations. Meanwhile the two other cultists appear to have regained their vision, allowing them to retreat in earnest, heading for the cover of the trees at a run rather than returning to the camp.
Noticing the fleeing cultists, Stilgar closes in on Barend, delivering a heavy backhand swing.
Magnus barrels through the mist at top speed, only pausing once he's completely through to the other side. Once there, he sets an alarm spell for the threshold of the fog and continues down into the cavern.
Auric focuses on bringing Barend down.
Mwk longsword, power attack:
Magnus crosses through the mist into the cave beyond, finding it empty but with another passage leading out of it.
Stilgar knocks Barend across the side of the head with his hammer, sending blood from the woodsman's mouth. Before he can recover, Auric sends a quick thrust through his chest and the man falls.
The old man and his young companion reach the top of the ladder, with Kalaya and Whisperwing following close on their heels. They exit to the west of the waterway just before it tumbles over the cliffside into the pool thirty feet below. The old man gives a grunt and a scowl when he notes Kalaya following. He gives a pointed look at the boy, who interposes himself between the witch and his leader.
Watching the remaining opponents flee into the trees, Liam ceases his exhortations and stops next to Jon, who leans on his scythe and surveys the situation.
Moving through the cloud causes the hair to stand up on the back of his neck, as he sees things looming out of the mists at him, but he resists the effects.
As the boy moves between Kalaya and the old man she waves a hand before his face, voice echoing sonorously. "Sleep!"
Getting a hold of his bearings, Stilgar runs back toward where they split off from the rest of the group.
magnus continues with his original plan of alarming the area past the fog
As the rest of the party gathers near the camp below the cliff, Magnus casts his spell and then moves into the cave, discovering the wooden ladder ascending up to the hole thirty feet above.
The young man facing Kalaya succumbs to her hex, dropping off to sleep in a heap before her.
The old man sneers. "You have some power, girl, that's clear. Let me show you the source of mine!"
He lifts a hunting horn from where it sits slung at his hip, blowing a long note upon it, then crying "Horned Lord! Your servant calls! Unbelievers slay your loyal folk! Come forth and punish them for their gall!"
As if in answer to his summons, the group below hears the sound of something moving in the trees beyond the pool. Something big.
As he reaches the camp, Stilgar halts abruptly, the sound from the woods having grabbed his attention. "What was that...?" he asks no one in particular, as he poises himself in a defensive stance.
With a raised eyebrow, Kalaya points a finger, a sickly grey ray extending to strike the old man. "It would have been better if you gave up peacefully"
Magnus climbs the ladder.
Auric plants his sword into the ground.
"Jon, Liam? You have anything ready to soothe the savage beast?", he asks, before closing his eyes and pressing a hand to his wounds.
Lay on Hands:
Near the point where the pool at the base of the waterfall empties into the southward flowing stream, a great figure pushes through the trees. It is centauric in appearance, with the hindquarters of a great bear and the forequarters of a red stag. The torso has the keel-breasted shape of a bird and is covered in mottled feathers. The head is that of a large gray wolf and sports a massive rack of antlers. It's arms are covered in tawny fur and end in paw-like hands sporting wicked retractable claws.
Upon seeing the party members standing near the raided camp, it gives a snarl, baring sharp, white fangs.
Magnus attempts to perceive his surroundings at the top of the ladder.
"Baal's breath," Stilgar murmurs when he sees the monstrous creature. He could not begin to imagine what it might be. Keeping his calm, he casts a divine favor spell on himself.
Auric chews his lip nervously, but holds his ground and sizes the creature up.
Is this thing some avatar of Kurnan or a divine servant?
Knowledge- religion:
Magnus pops his head up to see Kalaya facing off with an old man on the cliff top, the young man he saw enter the cave is lying in a heap between them, snoring softly.
Jon says "Soothe? No, but I've got something I hope will help keep it from tearing us limb from limb." He casts a spell and a tree near the thing begins to move, swinging a limb and clubbing the strange beast with a glancing blow.
Stilgar casts his spell, preparing for combat.
Magnus bounds up the last steps of the ladder and takes aim with his crossbow. He nods to Kalaya. "Need a hand?" then he casts his truestrike spell to ensure his next attack will hit its mark.
"The more the merrier."
Kalaya's ray causes the old man to look a bit green round the gills. Grimacing, he chants and waves a hand at her.
The old man's counterattack has no effect, as you feel the magics attempt to clamp down upon you and remove your will to move, but fight free of the effect.