Jon-Wyn, using his earlier persona as Lucien, is the first to see Maxwell riding with a pair of man-at-arms. For the moment, he doesn't see any sign of Yallah.
Maxwell's eyes go wide as he recognizes Jon, his face a mix of emotions. He seems honestly surprised to see him on the road and actually rubs his eyes once.
"Lucien? What are you doing here?" he asks.
You see a hawk circling closely overhead.
"I was exploring your country when I heard about the trouble in the forest. I assumed you would look into it. Where's the rest of your group? Is that Yallah up there? Ask her to come down so I can greet her?"
Maxwell shakes his head as he moves forward and dismounts. "You've heard about the fey? You might know more than I, then. We go to see if we can figure out who's attacked them. The others, well, they're dealing with other issues. I'm glad to see you, but I just don't know who to trust right now. Where are your other friends?"
The hawk gives a keening cry, to which Maxwell gives a thumb's up. "Yep, that's her. She's keeping a lookout. I've got the feeling that the roads aren't safe. So what have you heard about the forest?"
As they ride along, Lucien keeps looking up at Yallah. "I hope you feel that you can trust me." Lucien waits a moment for Maxwell, to hopefully, respond in the affirmative. "I'm more of a city mouse and volunteered to come get you in case you hadn't heard that the fey was causing trouble rather than traipse through the unfriendly woods. The plan is to meet up with them further up the road, closer to the trouble."
From his hiding place Kage glanced at the flying druid. Sensible but highly annoying, he had no way of forcing her down. With any luck Jon would say the right thing and coax her down, changing the rules of this encounter.
Maxwell seems to accept that and takes the reins of his horse, walking alongside it with Jon. "I honestly don't know what could have made the fey so upset," he says as they walk. "What have you heard? You must know something?" He studies Lucien's face as he waits for his answer.
Meanwhile, Yallah issues a keening cry. "I think she's spotted your friends ahead."
A thin trickle of sweat pooled in the small of Kage's back, he was well hidden, surely she couldn't possible have spotted him from all the way up there? Especially when he was shrouded by shadow... But then Kage had a horrible thought, 'What if she could see invisible things?' He loosened his blades in their scabbards and waited to see if Eris or Alenaya would come out.
"Great! Lucien waves Yallah down. "Let's ride in together."
Yallah flies in low, staying close to the group. She chirps in the direction of Alenaya, but otherwise doesn't seem to notice the two invisible Mantises.
When they get closer, Maxwell also spots the alchemist. "Hullo there! What are you doing hiding in the rocks?"
”Uh...hello?!?!” she says as she stands from her hiding spot, ”Haven’t you heard about the crazy fey? They are running rampant!” she says before adding as she folds her arms, ’Besides...some of your company didn’t treat me so well the last time we shared company...” with a flip of her hair, pointing out again the misdeeds Grey had performed and attempted.
Maxwell glances around the surroundings. "We're not in the fey realm yet." He gets a very guarded expression. "Where are your other friends?"
Is it too late to aid Alenaya? Jon will remind Maxwell that he said that this is the meeting spot, not that they would be here already. Jon'w Bluff is +12 so makes it automatically.
If not possible, where are Maxwell and Yallah in relation to Jon? Ideally, Jon will be in position to attack Yallah.
I'm sorry, but I thought I gave options for Jon's actions. Go with the Aid to Bluff in the hopes of getting Yallah in range.
Maxwell relaxes a bit, but his hand still hovers near his weapon.
"Sorry. I'm on edge. So many things are going wrong. Yallah and I need to get this mess straightened out, and then we need to get back to figure out how to appease the kobolds who are going nuts. And the witches are rousing people up again."
He turns to Lucien, an idea suddenly striking him. "If we offer you a bounty on the barbarians that are raiding our homesteads, would you take it? Or on the Gyronnans? We're overwhelmed, but if some adventurers like yourselves would take on a job, we've got the resources to pay you. What do you say?"
"Adventurer's? Really? You think of us as adventurer's." Lucien seems pleased by the thought. "Bored nobles? Surely. Explorers? Maybe. But adventurers? Now you're just flattering us." Lucien dismounts. If asked about dismounting, he'll respond, "We have to wait on Rubins and I could use the break from the saddle."
"You think we can get Yallah to come down? At least for a little bit. She's making me nervous up there." He continues on talking about his experiences since they entered the Stolen Lands. Small things like finding the most quaint inn or drinking the tastiest tea or taking part of a wedding and gifting the newlyweds a handsome sum of gold to get them started.
Maxwell laughs. "Come on. You all performed well enough in the games that I know you've got a trick or three up your sleeve. Don't be modest. We have need of people who are capable, and who know right from wrong. Maybe teach Gray a few things about that."
He looks up at Yallah, circling overhead. "Trust me, she's much better up there than down here. Something jumps out at us, she can help us out plenty." He cups his hands around his mouth as he shouts, "You see anything?"
Yallah keens twice. "Clear so far," Maxwell translates.
A flying creature is not stuck to the floor, but it must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be unable to fly (assuming it uses its wings to fly) and fall to the ground.[/srd]
Deep in shadow and cloaked by magic Kage surreptitiously draw a tanglefoot and weighed it in his hand. He eyed the flying druid, to hit her from this distance would be a fluke, even standing straight underneath would be tricky. Frowning slightly he put it back. Still he needed to be closer if he was to be of any use, so cautiously he picked his way across the ravine darting from shadow to shadow and at times trusting to his invisibility.
As Alenaya approaches, Maxwell grabs the reins of his horse and starts walking. He looks to Lucien's horse, then back to Alenaya. "Where's your horse? Did you ride together?"
Yallah circles around once more, then lands on an outcropping ahead of Maxwell and Lucien. She calls out, "Maxwell! There are three horses tied up over there! But I didn't see the other two! This is an ambush!"
At Yallah's revelation, Jon strikes at Max.
Kukri, mw, cold iron: 2 wpn, arcane strike
Sneak Attack: dagger, bleed 2
Kukri, mw, silver: 2 wpn, off hand, arcane strike
Sneak Attack: dagger, bleed 2
Maxwell twists in a sudden reflex that keeps Jon-Wyn's weapon from cutting too deep. So instead of a vicious, bleeding wound, he's left with a much smaller scratch.
With a quick motion, he draws a dagger that's coated in ice. He scowls, a look of intense hurt and betrayal on his face. He slashes, catching Jon's cold iron kukri underneath the tang, and flips it into the air where it spins away out of reach.
"I just want to know why," he whispers.
The kukri lands 15 feet away to the northeast of Jon's position.
"Lets recap. You run around with a werewolf, a killing machine without regard for your peoples well being. Your own friend, attacks one of ours unprovoked with Magic Jar. Your own lover breaks the deal you set up with the Fey in attempting to forcibly enslave another women after breaking a bargain. How can you be so surprised when you have allies, confidants that complete such wicked actions?" Eris remarks, flicking into visibility as she casts Hold Person on Yallah
Yallah freezes in place.
However, with all her might she throws off Eris' magic.
Just as Kage had resolved to scoot over to the other side it seemed Lord Achaekek had had answered their prayers by placing Yallah within his grasp. The assassin blinked with surprise as she landed and turned into her gnomish self. This wasn't an opportunity he could miss, silently he padded towards her, weapons drawn. He studied her for a moment, visualizing where her liver was and with a rush he was upon her. His blade slid deep into her side and as she cried out Kage whispered into her ear intimate as a lover, "Shhh! Hush now, it will soon be over..."
I totally forgot about the poison.
”It’s okay big guy, you won’t need to struggle to use that brain of yours much longer...” Alenaya says as she steps over to the ledge and tosses two bombs down at him, aiming them so that Jon-Wyn isn’t affected.
The guard behind Maxwell takes a lot of damage from the blowback of fire from Alenaya's bombs. He moves a couple steps away, drawing a javelin and throwing it at the alchemist.
The other guard steps into a flanking position against Jon-Wyn and stabs with a longsword.
Yallah is brutally stabbed by Sa'Kage, but the venom on his blade takes no purchase in the druid's flesh!
Jon responds to Max with "Faith." before shifting away from his disadvantageous position (Dimensional Slide) and casts Glitterdust DC 15 at Maxwell.
The poison in Maxwell's veins starts to have a noticeable effect as he staggers under the weight of his armor and gear. He clutches at the wound while the burst of glittery particles cascades around him. He doesn't seem blinded though his form is outlined in the shining dust. Burned badly by Alenaya's bombs, he gets a grim look on his face.
"Yallah! Get out of here! Warn the others! You were right! We should have listened."
She shouts back while she staggers under Kage's vicious attack, "No! I can't leave you!"
"Go!" he shouts, coughing.
Eris attempts a Hold Person again on Yallah, trying to stop her from moving and escaping.
Yallah again freezes just as she's about to wild shape. She throws off Eris' spell once more, but it takes her precious seconds to do it.
”Nuh uh uh. Where you going?” Alenaya asks as she steps over and hurls two bombs at the gnome, trying to avoid Sa’Kage.
Kage stays close and entirely without mercy he thrusts both weapons again and again and again! His cruel saw toothed saber exudes a faint sheen of toxins as it beats past her guard and bites deep into her flesh. The follow up blow strikes particularly deeply and Kage twists before pulling the saber out leaving a huge messy wound!
Kage's first sneak attack was turned at the very last moment by her wooden shield.
Alenaya's first bomb hits her directly, but her second is off-target, and Yallah is able to avoid the worst of that explosion.
Despite the little bit of fire he takes from Alenaya's bomb, he stabs the druid viciously several times. This time, her defenses do not block his cruel twists of his blade.
She looks back at Maxwell desperately and their eyes lock for a moment. Then the light goes out in her eyes and she sinks to the ground.
The blinded guard still claws at the glitter in his eyes. The other throw a another javelin, this time at Jon.
Jon stalks back up to Maxwell and slashes at him.
Kukri, mw, cold iron: arcane strike
"Yalla was the one that betrayed you. She killed Copperhorn. Surrender and we'll spare your lives. I swear it, Maxwell. I swear it."