One of the Marrashi arrows lodges itself in Ansrithar's flesh, but luckily all the poison drips off outside the wound, sparing the sleek white dragon its draining effect. Rider and dragon continue their race to the mountains, the two Marrashi in hot pursuit.
Damian, now lacking a lance, pulls back on Keythan's reins. The griffon hovers backwards, then shoots off to put some distance between them and the others. Damian pulls out his sword and shield, bemoaning the loss of his main weapon.
Damian, now lacking a lance, pulls back on Keythan's reins. The griffon hovers backwards, then shoots off to put some distance between them and the others. Damian pulls out his sword and shield, bemoaning the loss of his main weapon.
Quickly reconfiguring, the Marrashi send another volley of arrows flying at all of you. Lin escapes injury but both Keythan and Glorfindel have arrows flying right towards them. Can they dodge in time?
Meanwhile, the two Marrashi chasing Ansrithar have realized that they cannot catch the Hastened white dragon. They pull up short and send a volley of arrows after him, then turn and prepare to rejoin the fight with the rest of their comrades.
Wheeling away from the foul archers, Damian pulls Keythan into a climb. The arrows shoot past the griffon as he climbs higher into the sky. Damian turns Keythan around, ready for a devastating charge into the vile enemy. He shouts to Brook. "Don't hang on to me this time! Hang onto the saddle and say a prayer to Iomedae!"
Dolo maneuvers Glorfindel a slightly, having his wings dip a bit so that he suddenly drops and then rising again quickly. The missile sails harmlessly by.
While the beast in front of him moved a few feet away, it doesn't realize that Glorfindel's powerful forearms are long and sinewy - easily able to reach the beast while it uses its powerful bow.
Dolo uses the opportunity while the beast is occupied to draw his crossbow and fire a few shots before Glorfindel encroaches further and pummels the unsuspecting beast.
Crossbow shot #1=; Damage=
Crossbow shot #2=; Damage=
After firing, Dolo nudges Glorfindel while sending a mental message to attack.
Fly skill check for Dolo=
Glorfindel steps up (5' step) and begins to dismantle the bleeding other-worldly beast, causing fur and feathers to fly in wild abandon!
Bite attack=
Claw attack= ; Damage=
Claw attack= ; Damage=
Bite attack (hasted)=
The closenesss of the thrashing beast causes the biting attempts to fail but Glorfindel's claws slash deep furrows across the beast's chest, hopefully ending it's miserable existence.
Dolo maneuvers Glorfindel a slightly, having his wings dip a bit so
Crossbow shot #1=1d20+13; Damage=1d8+3
Crossbow shot #2=1d20+13; Damage=1d8+3
NOTE: I forgot to figure in the mounted archery penalty. Double moves imposes a penalty of -4. What would a single move or a 5' step impose for a penalty? I still hit AC 26 and AC 25 though, even with a -4 penalty!Dolo maneuvers Glorfindel a slightly, having his wings dip a bit so
Crossbow shot #1=1d20+13; Damage=1d8+3
Crossbow shot #2=1d20+13; Damage=1d8+3
Dodging and juking around the diseased outsider before them, Dolo and Glorfindel land a devastating series of attacks. And even though Dolo's first arrow shatters harmlessly against some arcane shield surrounding the creature, the second bolt strikes true, allowing Glor to use his superior reach -- much to the Marrash's shock and dismay -- to tear the flying creature to shreds. It lets loose a keening wail as it falls dying to the ground.
Lin spits out the remnants of the creatures head, barely avoiding gagging as she did so. Just as she was recovering she felt yet another arrow glance off her thick scales, she roared at the persistent nature of these foul creatures. Were they so ready to die as to take on a dragon in combat? She beat her wings powerfully as she repositioned herself and prepared to strike at the creature to her right, intending to drive it from the skies. That is when she see's more of the creaturs coming and that some of there number are missing, or have left them behind...
Her chest vibrates as she contains her emotions, she instead looks at the enemy ahead of them and focuses on driving it from the skies...
"Professor! We need to break off and continue onto the mountains! Before we and the Air Calvary are overr...
He gasped as the bond was flooded by Lin's raw emotions, he struggled desperately to remain in control himself. He shook visibly and sucked in a shallow breath as he held on, he couldn't allow himself to be swept away by her powerful will. He had to remain focused for the three of them to survive this. They had to get to the mountains before their escort suffered for their disobediance.
He finally spotted what Lin was lining up with and brought his lance tip in line as she quickly gained speed and moved towards the enemy. The pair gave a roar as they streaked along their opponent's side, Lin striking at her opponent side with her powerful jaws as she fly past him.
...
After tearing a chunk out of the Marrash that Keythan had injured earlier, Min and Lin streak off after Syl and Ansrithar, which puts them on a collision course with the Marrashi that had been chasing the white dragon, but have now turned around!
Dolo shouts back to Min, "Belsarious said that running is useless!"
"Aye running from archers is painful!
Belsarious targets the creature ahead and to the right of him.
"I call upon the affecting you with "
DM
There is no way for my PC to know if the first one was unaffected due to a will save.....
Will save DC 16 (maybe 17)
Both Marrashi blink and shake their heads, then begin cackling gleefully, hissing and howling at you in Auran.
@Syl,
@Syl, @Min, @Lin, and @Belsarious:
You can take a different route if you don't want to chance it, but you will either have to fly low and risk storms, giants, and flying through the mountain mountain peaks, or fly high and endure the bone-snapping cold of the upper atmosphere and whatever threats it may hold.
With much grace and movement, Syl makes every attempt to keep Ansrithar moving, and keep the pace. However, noting that the foes she had meant to distract were moving back, she made Ansrithar double over, and issued forth a command. She hates to leave her companions behind, and realizes the harsh repercussions it may have in turn.
With this command, the two fierce and northern warriors charged forth at , and with scimitar drawn, she eviscerates the wind as it closes for the kill!
Perception check
Syl and Ansrithar arc around in a tight turn and rocket back towards the Marrashi that are preparing to fire on Min and Belsarious. Shooting into the fray, Ansrithar's mighty jaws close around one's arm, snipping off a chunk of flesh and causing its foul, diseased blood to spill out towards the woods below.
Damian flips the griffon around to prepare for a charge. With his lance gone, he could only rely on his sword to make the strike. His shield raised high, he charges forward to the enemy.
Unused to the weight of the sword on a charge, Damian swings too early and misses wildly.
Keythan, on the other hand, begins biting and clawing at the beast's hide, spilling its foul blood with its natural attacks.
2. Distance. The check is at the very limit of vision for the group that made the check, and you guys are a ways back of them. Once you move forward, you will all be able to make the check, and they'll get a second crack at it as well.
The first Marrash approaches Dolo and Glor with caution, firing a disease-ridden arrow that flies wide of the mark. It snarls in frustration. The blinded Marrash, meanwhile, simply beats its wings and flies straight up, powering away from combat where it is both useless and at risk of being hit while it's helpless.
Marrashi #2 and #5 each step back and fire two arrows in rapid succession, their feet clutching their compound bows as their arms work furiously to snap the bowstring as quickly as possible. One arrow is on target to hit Keythan and one is powering towards Ansrithar. Can they dodge in time?
Marrash #4 flies to a better position and looses an arrow at Lin. This missile, too, is flying true, right for its mark. Seeing it coming, Min and Lin prepare to maneuver around it.
Still thrown by the his swing, Damian tries to maneuver Keythan to avoid the arrow. The arrow grazes the griffon, but not badly wounding him. Damian definitely needs to finish the creature and get back into the rhythm of combat.
Glorfindel's keen eyesight scans the remaining enemy combatants, scrutininzing which they should intercept and remove from the battlefield. The eidolon relays the information to his master, who in turn directs his flying mount to tackle the closest enemy.
While Glorfindel maneuvers and begins his approach, Dolo snaps off two shots in quick succession at the further of the two flying beasts who happens to be harrassing Sir Damian.
Crossbow ;
Crossbow
Glofindel speeds like a meteorite, striking the unsuspecting beast in a hail of gnashing teeth and rending claws. What is left is a ripped and torn corpse, left to plummet out of control to the depths below.
Bite ;
Claw
Claw ;
Bite ;
Dolo and Glorfindel continue their brutal march through the enemy troops, sending tufts of fur, gouts of blood, and ruined bodies down to the forest floor. Sir Damian, struggling with the extra weight of Brook on Keythan's back, is brought up short as a large, thick-shafted crossbow bolt lands with a resounding, wet *SHHHTHUNK!* into his enemy's torso, causing it to shriek and look over at the approaching summoner.
Min grunts as the bond fills with the pain of the enemies bolt striking Lin's broad chest, the impact caused the bolt to sink deep into her scales. Her first wound bled fiercely Lin continued straight at her enemy, she ignored Min's attempt to dodge, the enemies shot was too precise and accurate. So instead of wasting the time she let her enemy take aim and waste the precious moment he needed to dodge her teeth.
As the black liquid seep from her wound but she flew on unaffected by what the creature had tried to afflict her with. The foolish thing had willing stepped into her path and she intended to charge straight into it and bring this menace to heel. She gave a roar as she struck out with her great teeth once more!
Taking a great chunk of her enemy Lin rears up before the pesky creature, spitting out the chunk she had tore from its hide. Her claws crackled with an arcane energy and she gives the abomination before her a menacing glare.
Its end would be swift, certain and severe.
"Our fates depend upon Lin!"
School abjuration; Level cleric 1, inquisitor 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (parchment with a holy text written on it)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
This spell creates a shimmering, magical field around the target that averts and deflects attacks. The spell grants the subject a +2 deflection bonus to AC, with an additional +1 to the bonus for every six levels you have (maximum +5 deflection bonus at 18th level).
Sir Damian:
Engaged with the Marrashi warrior, Damian keeps Keythan at a near hover as they both slash away furiously.
Augmented by Dolo's magic, Damian slashes at the creature with his longsword. It screeches as the longsword bites into its vile flesh. Damian's slashes prove most painful for the beast, if its howl of anger and pain is any indication.
Like his master, Keythan viciously tears into their foe. Bits of flesh and muscle tear out of it, only to be thrown into the battle raging below them.
Sylsalvitae and Ansrithar dive into one of the two remaining Marrashi, both of which have gritted their teeth and seem resigned to their fate, determined only to take one of the warriors down with them at this point. The white dragon and his noble rider wound Marrash #5 very badly, taking him down to within an inch of his life, but the golden-furred outsider stays airborne.
Back at the main battle, Sir Damian and Keythan finish off the warrior in front of them, its ruined body flopping uselessly down to the ground after all the pieces of flesh they tore out of it.
The remaining two Marrashi fly back from the ferocious dragons in front of them and desperately fire their bows, determined to make some dent in the beasts. Unfortunately, Marrash #4 is too shaken and cannot even come close to penetrating Lin's glittering scales. Marrash #5, perhaps fueled by adrenaline, is able to get in one solid shot at Ansrithar. Can the white dragon avoid this missile as well?
The battle below is not going well. The air cavalry has lost two warriors; a copper dragon and a young silver. The rest fight bravely on, with the ancient and powerful Na-Calanon and the grim, determined Captain Coyne battering down the hideous Nightwings as well as one of the black dragons. They can spare no glance above.
The Marrash that Dolo blinded with glitterdust is gone; a distant speck high in the sky, obviously fleeing for its life.
100' in front of Sir Damian and Professor Luckbender is the rest of the team, fighting the last two Marrashi. Beyond them, the sky is clear and a break can be made for the mountains, as long as the 1st Air Cav can hold, and if they can wipe out these two Marrashi fast enough.
Dolo and Sir Damian:
Dolo pulls hard on the reins, rushing to join the dragonriders up ahead. Maybe he pulled too hard but Glorfindel responded by streaking off towards the last two remaining enemies. 'Ouch master! Not so hard!'
As they approach, Dolo confirms that he only has one bolt remaining in the crossbow. He decides that the best chance of ending this quickly is to attempt to blind the beasts and extricate themselves from this battle before something goes terribly wrong.
Dolo looks to see if either or both of the enemy are affected and guides Glorfindel like a missile directly at one of the warriors, ripping into them with wild abandon!
Bite attack=
Claw attack=
Claw attack=
Bite attack(hasted)=
Confirm Critical on Claw Attack= ;
As they get closer to the dragonriders, the pair scan the horizon, looking for a likely exit.
As Dolo's spell unfurls, strange arcane characters scattering about his wrists and into the sky, the two remaining Marrashi are caught both off-guard and demoralized by their utter ineffectiveness. The glitterdust explodes in a shower around them, blinding both and causing them to shriek in pain and frustration, pawing at their eyes just like their companion did earlier.
As it's trying to clear its magically-damaged eyes, Dolo charges in at the Marrash with slightly fewer injuries. While the creature's confused fluttering and jerky motions cause Glor to miss with his first couple attacks, the eidolon lands one devastating blow with his claw, ripping out a major chunk of artery and killing the creature.
Only one Marrash now remains.
Glorfindel quickly relays a mental message to his master, who in turn relays it to the team members within earshot.
Dolo points to the mountan pass ahead. "That pass looks like the best routh since it has the lowest peaks but there is movement in the mountains!"
Dolo considers their options. They can take a different route but they will either have to fly low and risk storms, giants, and flying through the mountain peaks, or fly high and endure the bone-snapping cold of the upper atmosphere and whatever threats it may hold.
Choices, choices...
Lin roars as she brings her wrath down upon the last of their enemies blasting him with a powerful blast of her freezing breath.
With a horrid, crackling screech, the last Marrash is frozen solid by Lin's powerful breath weapon and it plummets out of the sky like a stone. Sir Damian approaches on Keythan, the terrified (and not a little bit mortified) Brook clinging to the saddle for dear life.
The way is now clear. Your group has drifted ahead of the main battle by a fair bit, which that battle has evened out somewhat. Captain Coyne even has a moment where he is able to pull up and throw you all a sharp salute, then he quickly turns his head and dives back into the fray, intent on buying you as much time as possible.
You are forced to gain altitude to get out of range of the Black Dragonflight archers on the forest floor, but as you were already a ways up, this is not a difficult task. You are now back in formation, and the small mountain range separating the Protectorate of The Lake from the eastern end of the Plains of Bennalad is approaching.
Damian assumes his position as the center of the V-shaped formation before shouting to the others. "We're on our own now! Luckbender advised that something is moving in the mountains that we are going to have to make a pass through. Be watchful and prepare to break formation if necessary!" He keeps his sword and shield out, preparing for more combat to come.
Over the wind, he says to his squire, "You survived your first battle, Brook. I'm proud of you. One day you'll be riding one of these yourself!"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Lin roared as her enemy plummets to earth, her lungs were burning from the exertion of battle, her wings were pumping powerfully as she tried to keep her riders away from the archers below. The battle had been intense but she felt alive with the pure adrenaline still pumping through her veins. As she rumbled with pleasure, Min turned to watch the Air calvary battle the black dragonflight for a moment before he gave them a quick salute and shouted praise at their bravery and courage. How he wished he could have been there, as they started to fly towards the mountains he gave a small prayer to the gods to keep those brave people safe. "Good Luck Captain Coyne, we will see you again my friend, I know it.".
The bond between the two boiled at the thought of what could possibly lie in the mountains ahead, but something about Sir Damian was distracting Min more then the distant pass. When he finally saw that the Paladin's sword was out instead of his lance, he realized why Sir Damian had retreated from the fray, he had lost his lance in the battle. As they slowly made their way towards the mountains, Min looked down at his own lance.
It had always reminded him of happier days and times spent traveling through open country. His shoulders slumped though as he remembered the day when he received this lance from his lord, for services rendered in defense of their frontier community. It had been a grand day and it reminded him of how his lord had been an honorable man and much like Damian...
Suddenly, Min knew what he had to do, it was only right...
Lin rumbled as she felt the bond change, it echoed a sad determination, she knew what he was going to do it was only natural of him. It was what made her strive to protect him so, she just hoped that what he was about to do didn't cause him too much sadness. "Are you sure of this Min?"
"It is what he would have done, without a doubt. It is the only way to honor his memory..."
Lin sighs heavily, she too knew this was how it was to be...
She beat her wings as hard as she could breaking formation as she burst forward using the last of Dolo's spell as its power started to fade. She flew above and to the left of Sir Damian so that Min could do what he had too more easily. Min raised the lance towards the heavens for a moment, as he gave one last quick prayer for those long dead. With a sigh he slowly, hand over hand lowered the Lance down handle first to Sir Damian.
It wavered some as the wind pushed against it but Mins grip was firm and steady. His voice rose loud and clear above the screaming wind. "As this was once gifted to me, I now give it to you Sir Damian. For honors sake and in memory of the honorable dead, it passes once more to a warrior full of boldness and virtue!"
Out of all of Min's pristine gear this lance looks the most worn, it is indeed made of a strong and durable wood. The grip itself has places where someone had wore away some of the wood whilst gripping it hard during battle. The entire lance is darker in color, like some evergreen trees, and was made of a single long shaft. It has a dark iron vamplate set into the lance, close to the wielder, that nearly mimiced the wood coloring and the lance is crowned with a Diamond tipped spear head. Aside from its superior craftsmenship it oddly bears no livery or heraldry of any kind though, whatever had once adorned it had faded away long ago.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Damian sheathes his sword and takes the lance, clearly understanding the act's significance to the half-elf. "Thank you, Min. What is the name of the lance's original owner, so I know who to thank in my prayers to Iomedae?"
He hefts the lance, feeling its weight. It is a good, solid lance, of better quality than the one he lost. He would treasure it, protect it, use it in battle. Perhaps it was fate that caused him to lose the previous lance.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As the lance leaves his hand for the last time, the empty feeling causes Min to take a deep shuddering breath, he sits back in his saddle. It was a sad parting but it was right, even though it was honorable and just it didn't stop the pain they had felt many years ago from rushing back, causing tears to well up in his eyes. Lin too felt the pain through the bond and remembered it all to well as she gave a low moan. Echoing their shared sadness throughout the heavens, it was an eerie and lonesome sound to hear from a dragon. The bond between the pair burned as they could not deny the memories of the past, as they flooded their senses for a time.
Tears fogged his goggles as Min replies, his voice nearly breaking as he remembers how long it had been since he had said the name of the one he had loved and respected so long ago. "Lord Danath Kirion! May his memory live forever, for he did not abandon his people to slaughter and we could not save him..."
Min draws out his bow and positions his arrows so that he can reach them, he idly wiped his cheek as his tears ran free. They had been ordered not to come back, to go forth and live the life he had surrendered. They disobeyed and saw him die...
So now they tried to obey as best they could, they tried to do what he had commanded. Where they could. Whenever they could.
Dolo looks over the exchange with a wide grin on his face. It was good to see his comrades build deeper bonds. They would need that in the coming trials, for sure.
Dolo works to load his repeating crossbow as he had depleted several bolts on the enemy warriors.
Using the Message spell to ease their communication, "I suggest we fly as high as we can stand it. If they have ballista down there, we would be hard pressed to avoid too many shots."
"Be I so bold to offer a gift as well, not as beautiful though more practical for you Sir Damian and this gift binds to you as well Min."
Removes his from his elven curve blade and presents it to Sir Damian...
"May your gift never be lost and may your friendship be binding."
Peering at the pass ahead, you can all indeed make out movement of some sort. It appears to be the movement of many small creatures, rather than one or two large ones. The sun glints off metal.
Away to the east, the ruinstorm is still approaching. Terrible bolts of greenish-white lightning arc through its clouds, describing shapes that are almost recognizable. Impossibly, the storm seems to have sped up. It is difficult to gauge how much time you have before it is upon you, but if it does reach you, you must be under good stone shelter or you will be riddled with holes and driven from the sky before your mission has even begun.