"It's a trap!" Nathara hisses urgently. "Don't touch them. I sense magic."
She takes a step back and is careful to exhale so that it does not disturb the crow. More calmly she says: "It says they were killed... using tiny needles. They must have been held for the purpose to kill them and hang them here... it does not appear as though they were hunted. The magic I sense is evocation, not necromancy..."
Oh, erm, and, guessing from the fallen feathers. Were they hung up here before or after the snow fell? And are their tracks of those who did hang them up around?
Nathare only takes a moment to recognize a cold evocation effect as she sees tiny crystals of frost formed around each of the wounds. Yet it seems to be from a supernatural ability rather than a specific spell.
As Nathara hisses her warning, she suddenly hears rustling in the trees. Eirikr hears another rustle of leaves behind the party and sees a flicker of movement in the leaves. Morgraine spins at the sound, then sees the snow in the gully shift slightly and hears a growling sound rising from beneath the deep snow.
A white scaled beast somewhere between a dragon and a lizard erupts from beneath the snow and a dozen silvery lights appear among the branches of the trees. "More food for our new pet," a tiny high pitched voice says from somewhere in the foliage. "They can all join the crows."
"Fey. Witches wouldn't let them do this, so the fey did this on their own." Inire says after a few moment's thought. "The crow is respected by the people of the north as an omen... the Fey don't take well to them, I suppose."
She seems to be caught unprepared for a moment, as she seems lost in thought, but as she sees the creature and lizard emerge, she draws her sword, and shifts askew of her allies... all the better to move into flanking once the creatures have moved forward. She watches the creatures passively, blade pointed towards the ground, and ready to move at an upward angle the moment anything moves forward.
Eirirkr remembered his mother telling him stories about fey--granting wishes and playing pranks--and remembered her talking about sprites on occasion. Wishes seemed increasingly unlikely.
Eirikr closes his eyes, just for a moment and begins to unsheathe sword. It's awkward in his hand at first--he had never trained with such a weapon before--but he concentrates and the knowledge comes flooding into his mind. He shifts his weight, loosens his grip, and now holding the weapon seems to come as naturally to him as if he had been fighting with one his entire life.
(Move action to draw the cold iron sword Nathara handed off to him and move action to activate his Martial Flexibility ability and gain Martial Weapon Proficiency: Longsword)
Assuming the fey are 1) still only five feet away 2) not too high in the trees to reach, Ashen will five foot step north and attack the fey there with his bite.
Morgraine jumps back from the emerging dragon creature and takes a moment to focus her magic. The command to sleep lashes out at the draconic creature and is soundly ignored.
The sprite north of Nathara pulls a tiny bow from its back and aims an arrow no larger than a pin at her. With a grin, the fey fires the tiny arrow at the magus. It squeaks indignantly as the arrow flies narrowly past her head and lands harmlessly in the snow.
Eirirkr remembered his mother telling him stories about fey--granting wishes and playing pranks--and remembered her talking about sprites on occasion. Wishes seemed increasingly unlikely.
Eirikr closes his eyes, just for a moment and begins to unsheathe sword. It's awkward in his hand at first--he had never trained with such a weapon before--but he concentrates and the knowledge comes flooding into his mind. He shifts his weight, loosens his grip, and now holding the weapon seems to come as naturally to him as if he had been fighting with one his entire life.
Ashen steps easily between the trees and sits growling at the foot of the one with the fey in its branches, but the small creature is a bit out of reach.
Tiferet draws forth her mighty greataxe again and begins to sing a frightful war ballad. The party can feel their blood pounding in their ears and a brutal surge of power seems poised to surge through their bodies the moment they allow it to.
Hearing the familiar sound of a Ulfen war chant, the sprite nearest Tiferet takes aim with his tiny bow and fires at her. He shouts several curses and complaints about the wind into the air as his arrow hits the snow a good two feet to her left and misses entirely.
The dragon-creature claws its way out of the ravine, heading straight for the source of the sound. It's eyes lock Morgraine as it seems to recognize that she is less agile and less armored than her nearby allies. It bounds over the snow and attempts to sink its teeth into her. It's teeth lock around her arm easily and it immediately uses the leverage to attempt to curl around her body with its powerful clawed limbs. It manages to just barely get its claws on her.
Nathara is up!
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Eve turned her gaze on the tiny archer as she draws her weapon and tries to command it."Step forward."
Nathara can hardly keep up as the things develop left and right. She realizes that Morgraine is in grave danger, but she cannot ignore the threat from the fey either and the Tatzlwyrn is already surrounded.
"It's a young tatzlwyrm, don't let it grab her!" Well that was a bit obvious by now. "I'll deal with the fey." The tiny pin pricks were likely arrow wound from the blasted fey and the cold magic came from those arrows, it was better if they kept attacking Nathara and Tiferet with those.
The thick undergrowth might it difficult for Nathara to just make a step and engage the fey in spell combat, but the little critter had still underestimated the spell dancer. She had no time to imbue the blade with magic, priority was to give the fey something to think about.
Female NG Elven Tiefling Magus (Spelldancer), Level 1, Init 3, HP 10/9, Speed 40
AC 16, Touch 12, Flat-footed 13, CMD 16, Fort 4, Ref 3, Will 2, CMB +4, Base Attack Bonus 0
Claws +4 / +4 (1d4+3 / 1d4+3, x2)
Longsword +4 (1d8+4, 19-20/x2)
Masterwork Captain's Sword +5 (1d8+4, 19-20/x2)
Chain Shirt (+4 Armor, +3 Dex, -1 Misc)
Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 10
Condition Raging Song [Inspire Rage] (+2 Str & Con, +1 Will, -1 AC)
Spell Dance +10 ft movement rate, +2 AC vs. Attacks of Opportunity
Nathara quickly picks her way through the trees and prepares herself to attack the fey once it's out of the tree, since it is currently 15 feet up and out of reach.
Eve turned her gaze on the tiny archer, the one furthest from Mouse, as she draws her weapon and tries to command it. "Step forward."
The sprite stares into Evelyn's eyes for a moment, struggling with itself, then shakes its head. "Tricky human can't command Shor!" He aims an arrow at Evelyn and lets it fly. He giggles as it strikes her left shoulder, though the tiny arrow barely makes it through her clothing. Though it doesn't really hurt, Evelyn can feel an unnatural cold settling over her body, making her muscles feel stiff and lifeless. She shudders and forces herself to keep moving, shrugging off the sensation.
Inire is up!
Mouse does as Nathara says, wondering why she opted for the tiny fey who were shooting toothpicks at them over the giant lizard who was eating her companion... which left her thoughts not on what she was doing as she moved across the battlefield. As she reaches the melee, she attempts to drag the blade through the thing's scaly hide.
Mouse closes in on the dragon, bringing her blade around in a swift arc. However, they limber creature still manages to bend out of the way and avoid her strike without letting go of his victim.
Morgraine is up!
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(-2 sickened+2 flanking+3 Str bonus)
Ashen, meanwhile, continues to bark at the sprite up the tree, as it is essentially a squirrel.
As Nathara points toward the drake-like figure, she knows where to strike next.
Morgraine lets out a pained shriek as the creature sinks it's teeth into her arm. Desperately, she tries to pry the beast off her, but it's grip is too strong. In a latch ditch effort, she draws the dagger at her waist with her free hand.
Morgraine struggles fruitlessly against the tatzlwyrm as it keeps firmly latched to her body. The sprite in the trees above Ashen tosses his bow aside, shouting something that is most likely a curse in Sylvan before dive bombing the wolf with his sword. The sword pierces the wolf's fur and Ashen feels the cold trying to seep into his body.
Ashen shakes off the cold and snaps back at the sprite, sinking his teeth into it. His bite is less powerful that expected, but it still injures the sprite badly.
Nathara sees the sprite close in an lashes out with her sword, cleaving into the fey's icy flesh. Like Ashen's bite, it's less effective than expected, but it still inflicts a significant wound.
Eirikr closes in on the tatzlwyrm, moving around so it becomes trapped between him and Inire. His blade strikes with unexpected skill and inflicts a harsh wound on the beast.
Any attempt by Tiferet to recollect some notions about their foes is soon frustrated by her growing fury. The only thing she needs to know is that they are enemies, and as such they must fall by her hand. As Nathara points toward the drake-like figure, she knows where to strike next. Her ax cleaves through the beasts body, sending it falling to the ground. It growls and squirms piteously before it dies.
One of the sprites shouts out angrily. "Nasty humans! You think you can kill our pet? Try this!" It flies down south of Eirikr and unleashes a torrent of color and light on the group.
Inire and Morgraine manage to shrug off the bombard of light but Eirikr and Tiferet instantly topple to the ground.
Nathara is up!
Evelyn had kept her glare focus on the same Sprite her face loudly displaying her annoyance at the tiny nightlight. "And annoying Fey can't hide like cowards, I said Step Forward!"
Nathara was carried by a wave of glory when she saw Tiferet smash down the tatzlwyrm with a heavenly smite, just to hit a rock in the surge when Tiferet Eirikr suddenly go down.
Trying to get a hold of herself, she did what spelldancers do... sword and magic, but her demonic rage and fear for her companions made it difficult.
Female NG Elven Tiefling Magus (Spelldancer), Level 1, Init 3, HP 10/9, Speed 40
AC 17, Touch 13, Flat-footed 14, CMD 16, Fort 2, Ref 3, Will 2, CMB +3, Base Attack Bonus 0
Claws +3 / +3 (1d4+3 / 1d4+3, x2)
Longsword +3 (1d8+4, 19-20/x2)
Masterwork Captain's Sword +4 (1d8+4, 19-20/x2)
Chain Shirt (+4 Armor, +3 Dex)
Abilities Str 16, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 10
Condition Spell Dance +10 ft movement rate, +2 AC vs. Attacks of Opportunity from movement, 9 more rds
Inire begins to panic slightly, as this little evil creature kills her allies. There was no way they would get away if they didn't do something.
She shifts quickly over the snow, and across her ally's bodies unceremoniously as she brings her blade across forcefully.
Nathara calls magic into her blade, enhancing its power with arcane might. She shifts forward and swings at the fey pestering Ashen, once again delivering a deep wound. Even the fey's magic cannot protect him and he tumbles to the ground, neatly cleaved in two.
Evelyn had kept her glare focus on the same Sprite her face loudly displaying her annoyance at the tiny nightlight. "And annoying Fey can't hide like cowards, I said Step Forward!"
The sprite stops moving for a moment, then flies straight down out of the tree and makes a beeline for Eve. He stops calmly right in front of her, then shakes himself and looks panicked. "What, how... tricky humans!" He shakes his fist at her rather uselessly.
Inire begins to panic slightly, as this little evil creature kills her allies. There was no way they would get away if they didn't do something.
She shifts quickly over the snow, and across her ally's bodies unceremoniously as she brings her blade across forcefully. Unfortunately, the strike misses badly as the fey calmly spins in midair.
Morgraine is up!
Hands shaking slightly from her encounter with the dragon-thing, and still dizzy from warding off the strange spell, Morgraine steps forward over the prone forms of her companions and weakly slashes her drawn dagger at the swooping fey.
As the fey pours down its ensorcellment, Tiferet staggers and falls to her knees, before her song gives her the strength to stand up once again. I won't kneel like my ancestors did. Those Irriseni fey might break me, but they won't bend me.
With that singular thought in mind, she rises and, with one swift movement, cleaves her axe through the mesmerized sprite apathetically flying towards Eve.
Still unsated, she drops her axe and runs toward the fey who tried to subjugate her will. "I've killed your pet just like I'm going to kill you. You're nothing but an annoying mosquito – and now you're about to get squashed!"
________________________________________________________________
Morgraine swings wildly, but she misses badly. Tiferet is significantly better fortune. She cleaves the first sprite in half with one blow, then spins and charges down the last remaining fey. The sprite barely has time to squeal as Tiferet's hand closes around his body. He makes one desperate struggle to escape, but her iron grip keeps him firmly in place.
Combat Ends.
With one last effort, Tiferet tries to push the fey into Eve's backpack just as her song slowly wanes.
"No! No! Let me go!" The sprite squeals indignantly as Tiferet forces it into Evelyn's backpack and closes it tight. "Let me out! Nasty, rough humans!"
Ashen, upon seeing his companion collapse to the ground, rushes to where Eirikr had fallen and begins to anxiously lick his face.
"Not now Svein, there's people here, mumbles Eirikr has regains consciousness. Upon opening his eyes and seeing Ashen, he pushes the wolf offof him and pulls himself up off of the ground. "Did we win," he says, absentmindedly scratching his head.
Nathara steps out of the undergrowth, her steps unusually happy and she looks pale and haunted. She actually killed somebody. A person. A creature who would never laugh again, nor love, nor catch the first beams of the morning sun. They fey may have been a creature of evil, but the Dawnflower shines for all. Her head feels numb but tears run over her cheek.
"You better shut the f*** up until you're asked for. I am not in the mood for your whimpering." she japs at the surviving fey as she puts the little body of the fey she killed on a rock.
More calmly she adds with a look at Morgraine: "You better press something on that wound... I..." she aborted, not knowing what to say, really. She kneels down by Eirikr, checking on him. "Eirikr, can you hear me?" she calls out a little louder.
Ashen is already with Eirikr as Nathara reaches him. "I suppose you could call it a victory. Morgraine needs help... Can you...? Are you all right?"
Eirikr regains consciousness about a minute after he hits the ground, though his head still feels fuzzy and it take a little bit to fully regain motion. But they seem to be no serious aftereffects from the spell.
The fey squeaks and Tiferet can feel it shifting to push itself deeper inside the back. "Mean human too." His voice noticeably wavers despite his attempt at continuing bravado. He clearly seems to realize his situation. "What do mean humans want with Vosi?"
"I'm fine," he says, stumbling forward. "Just a little dizzy."
He looks over at Morgraine and sees the wound on her arm from where the lizard bit her. Without a word he places his hand over her injury, closes his eyes, and concentrates. There is a brief glow of light and then the wound is partially gone.
Eve held her backpack tightly closed once the fey was inside."Knowing where you took the girl would be a great start."
The fey's struggles get stronger again, though they are still rather useless. "Never. Mistress wanted useful human. We and human tools took her away and you'll never find her."
"The others are traitors that's why we're here, Mistress needs to find them before they escape with the girl. Helping hide them means you're a traitor as well. "
The sprite gets quiet for a few moments, muttering softly to himself.
Finally, he speaks up again. "Knew nasty Rohkar couldn't be trusted. Nasty human, playing with dead things and looking to line his pockets. His bandits hide at the lodge we helped them clear of worthless human rangers. Tried to stop us from taking the woods, tried to warn people. Stupid humans. Rohkar took their lodge as his own. Knew he couldn't be trusted. Vosi knew it!"
"And he's keeping the girl there? Thanks to his "dead things" and your ambush we can't over take him right now, how long do we have before he moves her?"
The sprite grumbles. "Don't know. If sneaky Rohkar is planning to run, he could go anytime. Nasty bandits were supposed to hold woman until mistress was ready to receive her."
"Are their any more of your allies hiding near here, any you can trust that is?"
The fey is silent for another minute, mumbling more in his own tongue.
"Fawfein watches the frozen river with the frozen spirits. They have a tricky trap set-up to stop anyone from approaching the lodge. Fawfein would let mistress's servants through. Rest are waiting at the portal."
"Alright I'm going to talk to my team about how were going to handle this, sit there calmly until we figure this out." Eve would try to tie her bag shut and place it near Ashen. "If he tries to get out take care of him." She wasn't sure he understood but trusted Eirikr to translate if not, once he was secure she'd move so the sprite couldn't hear she'd talk to her allies. "If we can get him to lead us to his allies we might be able to let them get the girl for us."
Seeing that the first spell had not entirely taken, Eirikr places his hand on Morgraine again.
"Ashen, anything that comes out of the bag is a meal," says Eirikr. Ashen sits down next to the backpack, his eyes fixed on the bag, his tail wagging back and forth.
"Thank you... " Morgraine breathed out softly and placed her hand briefly on Eirikr'so shoulder in gratitude. As she tried to listen in on the conversation between Evelyn and the ensorcelled sprite, she glances down to inspect the torn clothing and, more importantly, the arm beneath. It was hale and whole once more. "Thank you," she murmurs again.
Away from the bagged sprite, she asks, "Perhaps... but why would they hand her over to us? Would that not mean their betrayal of whomever sent them?"
"If they think we're working for the ones that sent them we should be able to get them to hand her over."
"Do you think we can keep this up though?" whispers Eirikr away from the captured sprite. "Surely they aren't all as dumb as the one in the bag."
"It could also be that whomever is leading the fey knows whom will be sent to collect their captive... Of course it may also be that he does not. It is an unknown we should consider."
"Depending on how many they have we may not need it for long, he only spoke of one ambush so if we can turn them on each other they may weaken themselves enough that we could get away with her. We aren't really in any condition to storm a castle and without knowing how long we have it's a risky call."