Rahger has spent some time feeding the crodlu, making sure they are calm and quiet. When Gideon and Hamailii leave, Rahger decides to refill his water skins from the crodlu water trough. As he does so, he makes quickly checks on Dukotti and the unconscious handler.
Rahger goes up to Daishata.
Dukotti seems nervous. He paces back and forth around the pen. Every once in a while he breaks the silence.
"Maybe they're dead."
"If they've got a force this size, I should go and tell the chief."
"I don't like it. We should leave."
Knife ears I advise you steel to your spine, those who serve loyally will be rewarded... Or their children will be, I am nearing the point in my studies of magic where taking on an apprentice would be the next logical step...
diplomacy
"Me with magic huh? That is an idea. The mutilation is optional, right?"[/] he says gesturing to Rennoc's scar tissue. [b]"I'll have to think on it. Preferably somewhere not boxed in a narrow canyon as we are. Oh, and enough of this knife-ears crap, k?"
Despite your insults, you have moved up in Dukotti's mind.
The mutilation is optional, now we just need to figure out how to get Nadar or one of his close subordinates caught and do some interrogating... Halfling We need information of what the terrain looks like and if you spotted any psions, mages or priests. As I at this point am leaning more and more towards a night time attack, ideally we attack the camp two times. The first time we use the crodlu to stampede the camp and use fire arrows to get everyone out of their tents. Then we aim to pick off the targets like psions and mages, if we can eliminate the majority of those foes our second assault after we have rested will be much easier.
Gideon looks for a way down back to the party, assuming it seems possible to go unnoticed by the beastly things. Hoping Hamailii follows.
You make it back down to the Crodlu pen. The sligs still can't find you visually, but when you glance back over your shoulder, they are still following your tracks.
Gideon turns and says quietly to the other members of the party
There are sligs following us, beastly things. We should prepare to fight them.
"Oh, wonderful." Lucian says as he conjures his magical cards and embews one with psychic energy.
When the ugly creatures reach the pen and spot you, they ululate a high pitched cry in unison and charge forward, hunger in their eyes. Even from here, there is no way anyone at the camp couldn’t have heard it. The Crodlu scrabble back from these creatures, not keen on being their next meal.
I advise pulling back, I think it is time to have a stampede ahead of schedule...
init
Rahger encourages the crodlu in E6 and then G6 to stand their ground.
"I will get these beast to fight. Use them well! "
Rahger then takes a 5 foot step to F9.
be careful, they are frail, but telepathic, be careful
"Everyone fall back, we can't fight the whole camp if they find out we are here. Get back to our animals. I'll hold the rear."
Chumani readies to swing at the first of the creatures that gets close enough and continues to urge people to keep moving.
Each of the Sligs is briefly coated with translucent, shimmering substance. Simultaneously, a nutty smell emanates from them. Four of the creatures rush forward, aiming for soft areas with their strikes. Most of the Crodlu panic and scoot to the edges of the pen. At Ragher’s urging, one stands its ground.
Two of the Sligs (5 & 6) have just manifested Vigor. Somehow, this power is affecting all of them instead of just the manifesters.
Retreat, once everyone has successfully pulled back I will lay down a dust screen to shield us. If they continue to pursue us after that then target the ones I tell you two, only two of them are manifesting psionic power but they seem to be sharing it with the rest.
spellcraft
Gideon will draw his dagger, and attack slig #1
after the attack he will 5ft step to G9
Lucian steps around the crodlu(5-foot step up-left), then flings cards at the distant enemy 5, hoping to weaken it so they can make their escape.
Dai finds herself in the midst of a new battle, and seeing the elf woman assailed by two of the creatures moves to support.
Free Action:
Swift Action: Judgment - justice. +1 to attack rolls...
Move Action: move to E4 and attack #4
Standard Action: Attack #4
[4 BAB, +1 Str, +1 Weapon Focus, +1 Masterwork, +1 justice, -2 Power Attack]
[+1 Strength, +6 two handed Power Attack]
Chumani continues to urge his compatriots to leave as he shifts to attack one of the creatures and open more room to escape the pin. "Fall back, over the fence and down the gully. We need to be gone when people from the camp investigate."
5' Step to H9
Rahger takes a 5 foot step to G10. He then attempts to get the crodlu at E11 to move to F9 and stand its ground.
"Don't let these gross thing come near us."
Whatever the psionic slig did, it deadens your blows. Only a few get through to connect with the flesh. The sligs maneuver for position, interspersing sword strikes with snapping jaws. The two in the rear rush forward, extending blunted claws. Their touch burns your mind and saps the life from your body. Nearby sligs seemed to be bolstered by this sapping, their wounds close right before your eyes.
The Crodlu not being wrangled by Rahger cower by the feed bales. One bolts past the sligs desperately trying to get away.
Hamailii withdraws with Rennoc, easily vaulting over the fence.
Gideon will withdraw from the battle as well, moving (hopefully) to N11, hoping that Daishata and Lucian will join soon as well.
Seeing the group turn away Lucian makes his escape over the fence, moving as quickly as he can to avoid confrontation.
Chumani stands his ground continuing to try and hit the creature in front of him.
Dai snarls as the foul creatures bite and slash her. Seeing as Hamailli has also retreated the staunch Gulgite withdraws...
Standard Action: Withdraw to F11
Move Action: move to J11/climb fence.
[+2 Str, -3 ACP]
If Rahger is positioned well enough to run this next turn, he will do so for the full turn as far as he can.
With his usual fanfare, Rennoc conjures a whirling storm of ash to cover your withdrawal. The Sligs howl in frustration, then lash out blindly, settling for the less appetizing Crodlu meat instead. You mount back up and head back down into the foothills. As a small consolation, you imagine the monsters will provide a reasonable explanation for the tamers' deaths, though the ropes binding your prisoner will raise a few questions.
A solid hour's ride gets you well away from any immediate danger. The sun is now setting and you have a little time to lick your wounds and plan your next move.
"Well done all, way to work together. Those of you that saw the camp, were there any other ways out? Or will Nadar have to had come out the way we did?
I am not sure. But what I do know is that Nadar has 6 hand-picked others following him on a mission, so a direct confrontation may be dangerous. A defiler, a psion, three other armed, and one unarmed and unarmored.
Daishata checks to make sure Dukotti is still with the party...
In fact, during the ash storm, the elf seems to have disappeared. The camp was located in a box canyon. You only saw one way to walk out.
Based on Hamailii and Gideon's descriptions of the six, you know:
The blond half elf is a mercenary that goes by the name Redblade. A competent psionicist, his signature move it to manifest a sword of crimson psychic power for which he is named.
The dark skinned human is a Gulgite named Yaris. Also in the employ of house Vordon, she is skilled in infiltration and assassination.
The Mul, none of you know anything about.
Daishata curses imaginatively upon realising the elf has escaped.
"Seems the promise of apprenticeship with Rennoc was mot enough to keep him loyal to us..."
"How unfortunate for him." Lucian says with a chuckle.
"Perhaps". Daishata nods somewhat absent-mindedly, obviously ruminating. Her gaze clears as she considers the implications.
"But possibly much more unfortunate for us. Perhaps Dukotti will overcome his distaste for Nadar and hope to leverage information he has about us in a bargain with Nadar." Dai chews her lip characteristically before shrugging.
"No matter. It doesn't change our aim, and there is little we can do about it for the moment except to remain vigilant. It seems this special team are soon to leave the box canyon. Mayhap we can set a trap for them - an ambush would turn the odds in our favor. They may know we are aware of them, but they cannot know where or when we will strike..."
An ambush may work, but we do need a way to retreat in case we fail.
Damn it, a decent apprentice is hard to come by these days...
You put a little distance between yourselves and the canyon to escape detection. Now that night has fallen, you can't see the entrance to the pass from where you are.
"For now, make sure we no leave foot tracks that can be followed," Rahger says as he comes back from clearing the party's tracks the last 100 yards or so.
" I also hear talk of fight these men. If need, Rahger will fight. Though Rahger thought we only need follow Nadar and tell what we see him do."
The night goes by without any trouble. You stake out a vantage point to see any foot traffic entering or leaving the canyon. While no one leaves terrestrially, you do see a gaggle of small, tan, black and brown wisps shoot up from where you judge the camp to be. The zip over your head at an altitude of several hundred feet and fly Northwest.
This is a number of individuals under the effects of an Overland Flight spell.
"Good point Rahger, lets see what we can do to figure out where they went and get back on their trail. If nothing else we can report who he is working with and where they are based."
knowledge arcana
Rennoc sees the "gaggle" fly past but does not identify it...
My personal recommendation is that we need to acquire allies back in Tyr, as it so happens we can kill two enemies with one lightning bolt. Provided of course that Daishata or Gideon is willing to work the magic of the honeyed tongue. It is a common practice historically for those well off such as nobles to send their scions off to become psions of sort.
With the recent changes in Tyr however this not the only option available, the power of the arcane can now be wielded in the open. With the former nobility of Tyr facing the massive upheaval of their sorcerer king's death they may well seek to bolster their own ranks by including among their scions one of the most feared creatures on Athas: a mage. I can receive both an apprentice who will already be able to read and write and all of us can gain valuable connections...
Dai sees the wisps for what they are.
"Whatever nefariousness Nadar and his coterie are up to - it flew that way. [indicates wisps in the sky] They are well ahead of us now, flying to their appointed assassination perhaps.' Dai sighs, annoyed to have lost Dukotti, to have had to withdraw against the feral humanoids, and now to have their quarry quite literally fly away.
"I agree with Rennoc. Let us return to Tyr."