The knight grunts. "Stop. A trap." He indicates the pressure plate. His hooded gaze traces around the room. There. "Gas. Probably poisonous."
Brental involuntarily inhales when Meneas says gas, but then chuckles lightly. "That spell I cast would have probably helped us with the gas, ironically. It still will if someone else trips it. Good eye, Meneas."
The druid carefully directs Vod around the tile as they wind their way towards the stairs.
Lina clips along as subtly as her nerves and curiosity permit , but for now, at least, everything seems to be quiet within. Once she get close enough to see the details of the main tower’s interior, her face lights up with joy.
She looks around in sheer delight. “See, this is the sort of thing I’m thinking about, once we get the basics in place in town! Forest frescoes! Interior gardens! Lots of light and air, and…”
She pauses to take a breath and gain some perspective. “With more doors, of course. And the civilized amenities. If only I had more of a sketcher’s eye!” She might have to do her best once it’s safe to do so. In that regard, Meneas’ warning is very timely indeed, as it prevents her from skipping blithely across the chamber to get a closer look at the decoration on the other side of the room.
There’s a bit of a beat before she adds, “Or a mechanical’s. I’m fairly sure if I tried to disarm that, it would just go off. Maybe…” She tries to figure out just how much of the floor is trapped.
Signy stops dead upon hearing Meneas's warning. Once she's found the spot he's pointing out, she stares at it carefully to try memorizing its exact location. Finally she asks "do you think we could mark it somehow?"
"Of course," Brental says. Unless anyone else objects, he calls on his latent celestial heritage to summon one of his permanent, heatless flames to mark the spot and discourage anyone else from stepping on it.
With relatively little difficulty the party manages to mark the trapped tile and avoid its presumably deadly poisons. After which, the group proceed carefully up the stairs.
The stairs end in a circular room featuring wide windows draped with hanging vines that offer panoramic views of the keep’s overgrown courtyard and the forest beyond. An open circular skylight in the ceiling provides glimpses of the forest canopy overhead. The walls between the windows are carved with exquisite, delicate nature motifs highlighted in gold and silver leaf. A riot of flowers, plants, and bushes sprout from the thick loam that carpets the hall’s floor, as if one were walking in a fantastic glade elevated high above the forest floor.
Here they stumble upon a beautiful elven woman with alabaster skin, golden hair, and emerald green eyes that wears a flowing white gown of archaic elven style, tied at the waist with a blood-red scarf at leisure upon her bed who jumps to her feet in shock at the sight of the adventurers clutchibg her hand to her chest. "Who-Who are you? What are you doing here in my chambers?" she gasps breathlessly.
“Oh, um, I do beg your pardon!” Lina says, taking a step back and blushing furiously, knowing how she would react herself if a band of heavily-armed strangers – no matter how elegant – burst into her bower.
She tries to think quickly, still not sure how pretentiously she’d like to introduce herself these days, not least for fear of Signy’s ribbing. She settles on, for now, “I’m Hyalinnea, the Witch of Helikia, and these are my friends from our council. You must have heard of the city we’re building, at least, since it’s just downriver from here? Although, then again, I would have thought we would have known about your tower…”
She lightly shakes her head to dislodge the thought for now, it will wait. “I apologize for the intrusion! From the outside, it didn’t look like there was anyone living here, and since it was close to home and we were curious, well. We’re actually just passing through today, to meet a dryad friend of friends of ours, Tiressia. We can be out of your hair in a moment.”
“Not that we wouldn’t love to agree to gloss over this awkwardness and start afresh, if it wouldn’t be asking too much? We could, er, call up from the court below?” she adds ruefully.
Lina tries her best not to stammer and stare, and mostly succeeds, but her eyes are very wide indeed. As she would offer in her own defense, though, it feels rather like she's wandered into a tale, complete with a maiden alone in a tower in the woods. It's quite uncanny.
A (probably) moving tower that's practically a ruin, traps, an (apparent) lack of of the kinds of people who make lazing around in bed lifestyle possible, a chance of feyness, all the little things add up to a picture Signy isn't buying. She keeps her own mouth shut, and instead focuses on whether the woman seems genuine in her surprise or other reactions to them, along with whether she is lying about anything.
For good measure, Signy also checks out her aura, looking for signs of a malevolent soul.
An elf? Or something fey? Meneas examines the woman carefully, looking for any signs she might be more than she seems.
After a moment, he speaks. "This is an odd place to live." He observes, before giggling. "But I've lived in stranger, so I shouldn't judge. Apologies for the intrusion, though you may want to make it clearer that someone's here in the future. Before we met you, we hadn't seen any signs of inhabitants." His voice is soothing,
An elf was not what Brental expected to find on ascending these stairs, although the mostly-decayed sylvan frescoes could have gone either way from elven to fey. With a word he quenches the blade and sheathes it, and then encourages Vodnykel to linger behind for the moment. The lot of them were practically coursing with magic after all. No need to frighten the woman anymore than she was already (perhaps).
Although Meneas and Signy seem disinclined to share their names with the woman, Brental follows suit with Lina, bowing his head prior to his (briefer) introduction. "Apologies for the sudden appearance, milady. I am Brental, Priest of Helikia." Bright-Eyes, Son of Fen, Brother of the Green, Follower of the Rivers and Trees, Chieftain of the Nausicaa, and so on and so forth. If he really wanted to, Brental could wield a litany of titles. "We would treat with you as a neighbor should you will it."
With a wave of his hand, he adds a stinger in Elven, out of courtesy. <"Though I know our peoples have a complex history, the friendship between the Witch of Helikia and I shows promise for the future.">
He also tries, during their conversation, to get a hunch about the woman...
...and yet after the business with Salazar, he is (quite literally) once burned twice shy.
The woman seems to relax her guard and smiles at Lina, batting her long eyelashes and stepping closer with an unnatural grace. "A witch?" She giggles running her soft fingers daintily along the elven woman's cheek. "But you don't look like a witch. Aren't witches supposed to be wart-ridden and ugly? I find you far too pretty for that. Are you a good witch?" She chuckles and steps back. "I suppose this may be a strange place to live for some but... I enjoy my solitude, people make me nervous and the quiet of the forest brings me some comfort... though I do get lonely I must admit... As for my tower it moves as I need it to, I suppose you could say I am new to the neighborhood though perhaps you would be willing to show me around? After we've gotten better acquainted of course."
She then casts her eyes down at Brental, her breath seeming to momentarily catch in her chest at his divine features. <No need to apologize my dear druid! What a treat to have one with heavenly blood coursing through his divinely sculpted body appear here at my bedchamber."> She responds in perfect elven, her gaze fluttering between Lina and the druid.
"Perhaps the three of us could work on restoring elven-druid relations right here?"> She speaks teasingly before looking up at Meneas and Signy somewhat more skeptically.
"I don't mind the intrusion actually... it's good to have the company after all... there is a beast haunting my little keep. He's been chasing off those he catches seeking my company... I spent a night with him many moons ago and he insists on jealously keeping me to himself ever since. If... perhaps you two might find him and persuade him to leave me for good I would be ever so grateful."
She returns her gaze to Lina and Brental somewhat mischievously. "If Lady Lina and Sir Brental could stay with me in the meantime... I am so frightened of that beast and having the two of you close would be me much comfort."
She smiles, "But I wouldn't dream of leaving you bored! What a sorry hostess that would make me... Some entertainment then? Perhaps you would care for a dance? It has been soooo long since I've had the pleasure of dancing for anyone." The woman's hips begin rhythmically swaying with her shoulders. "The name is Carmine by the way. Carmine Hyacinth." She adds with a wink.
Meneas' voice is cold. "Enough. Blood drinker, you are not welcome in our lands. A Baobhan sidhe." He says by way of explanation to his companions. "Fey. Unpleasant." HIs blade scrapes free of its sheath.
"'ware her enchantments!" He growls as he prepares to attack.
The woman seems to relax her guard and smiles at Lina, batting her long eyelashes and stepping closer with an unnatural grace. "A witch?" She giggles running her soft fingers daintily along the elven woman's cheek. "But you don't look like a witch. Aren't witches supposed to be wart-ridden and ugly? I find you far too pretty for that. Are you a good witch?" She chuckles and steps back. "I suppose this may be a strange place to live for some but... I enjoy my solitude, people make me nervous and the quiet of the forest brings me some comfort... though I do get lonely I must admit... As for my tower it moves as I need it to, I suppose you could say I am new to the neighborhood though perhaps you would be willing to show me around? After we've gotten better acquainted of course."
Lina loves compliments! Both receiving and giving!
“Some of us are more like you, in our own small ways,” she flatters the stranger in turn.
Under other circumstances – but as it is, as she feels an unfamiliar hand against her cheek, even if the hair and eyes of the woman in front of her weren’t just that bit too dark to be anything other than an eerie, just-off reminder, there’s Alaïs to think about. They’ll have to have a proper talk or something one day, and so far there’s always been a bit of back and forth, but right now they’re very much on, as Lina understands things, and so it wouldn’t be fair.
It’s more of a relief than it’s a disappointment when the stranger turns her attention to Brental. Lina is about to explain that relations with Brental are amicable, but that there are tensions between himself and his order anyway, as she understands it, and…
And then the conversation skips merrily along, faster than she can quite keep up, only… It’s a good thing I was able to get some help from Akiros, the witch thinks, before proclaiming, “A dance would be lovely! Only, Carmine, with this ruffian lurking about to cause you trouble and alarm –”
Meneas' voice is cold. "Enough. Blood drinker, you are not welcome in our lands. A Baobhan sidhe." He says by way of explanation to his companions. "Fey. Unpleasant." HIs blade scrapes free of its sheath.
"'ware her enchantments!" He growls as he prepares to attack.
And then, Meneas bursts the dreamy bubble, and Lina pulls her spear close across her front, trying to shake off the pieces of the faerie’s story to sort out later. For now, she tries to place the name Meneas freezes out for what sorts of enchantments she should watch out for especially.
The flirtatious attitude suddenly on display catches Brental off guard, especially as the woman had just been clutching her pearls moments before. He immediately begins to wonder at the risk of enchantment, stiffening slightly as mention is made of his "divinely sculpted body." He was not prudish , but found the seduction worrisome. And then Meneas interrupts.
If Brental ever did find himself in a romantic situation, he'd want to make sure that Meneas was a mile away or more. His brusque manner could kill any mood. And yet here, it was welcome.
A Baobhan sidhe? Rotting earth!
Brental draws his own blade back out and lights it aflame. "Lady Hyacinth," he says, nonetheless remaining respectful despite her deception and bloody desires, "I'm afraid I must insist that you not dance."
It is ill advised to negotiate with them as they see humans and elves as food rather than people but it is, theoretically possible as they are sapient creatures.
Carmine Hyacinth frowns in what seems to be an adorable and mischievous pout. "A pity, I had intended to have some fun with you both before I enjoyed my meal. It has been some time since I've been with a woman... But alas..." Her face contorts into a hungry and wicked smirk, "I suppose it's time to tuck in!"
Suddenly a small wicked little creature appearing to resemble an elf in drab clothes and sporting its own antenna pops out of seemingly nowhere and slices at Vodnykel who trumpets in shock. Fortunately the blade is too small and cant seem to get all the way through Vod's thick furry coat causing the little elf-like creature to curses and stomps in frustration.
"Damnfuzzyovergrownbastardthinkyou'resosmart?I'llcutyoureyesout!" The thing seems to scream all in one breath before it darts back down the stairs and out of sight.
Signy could sense something wrong about the woman, and she knew for sure she was no good. But, nothing in what the woman said was of necessity false just because of that. The situation placed Signy in a position where there was every reason to distrust the supposed elven princess, but no solid reason to act.
Meneas provides the reason when he declares the woman's true nature as a wicked fey creature. Signy chants a protective incantation and draws her sword.
Carmine's swaying, flowing movements soon transforms into a full blown dance with the fey creature running her hands up and down every curve and contour of her body as her hips sway tantalizingly.
Brental, Vodnykel, Lina, and Meneas all stand and stare. Utterly captivated by the fey woman's enticing movements while Signy just manages to to snap herself out of it enough to catch Carmine's glare.
"Very well then, I'll begin by ripping you to pieces before I spend some quality time with each of your little friends."
Meanwhile the smaller fey appears again to strike from the void at Signy but once again meets with no success at all much to his frustration as he cries out as he tries to get away. "Damnblondeb#%$*!Won'tbesoprettywhenIscalpthoselittlegoldielocks,nowwillyou ?"
Despite his taunts he only manages to get about halfway down the stairs this time, unable to fully feel the situation as he springs away.
Signy is very worried. She also wishes she wasn't once again finding herself in a desperate fight while boxed in so badly. If the others need some time to snap out of their charmed state, she needs to find a way to give them some time. If they won't be snapping out of it, she needs to be sharper to win alone.
There's only one way Signy can think of that will give her one, if not both things.
"I'm not so easy to catch though. You're just not pretty enough for me. I'll always be the one who slipped through your fingers" she replies to Carmine as she retreats past Vod and down the stairs to almost the lower landing. Signy stops there to cast Divine Favor.
Meneas’ warning proves all too well-founded, but as the bloodthirsty fey woman ignores Brental’s exquisitely polite request, under the circumstances, Lina has only a moment to consider the frantically rude thing that pops out to threaten and curse energetically before disappearing again, before the witch finds her eyes drawn helplessly to Carmine’s sensual dance.
She doesn’t want to stare – the very idea is repugnant, and just makes the whole situation that much more nightmarish as her eyes widen, her heartbeat quickens, and she swallows uncomfortably, the deeper part of her self struggling desperately against the magic that brings her lizard brain to the fore.
"Oh you rotten b&$&*!" hisses Carmine as Signy taunts her then disappears down the stairs. The fey enchantress gives chase but never ceases her rhythmic dance as she does.
"Run all you like, after all, I do love when they play hard to get." Carmine teases then her jaw distends into a horrific maw lined with razor sharps teeth as she bites savagely at Signy giving off a deadly hiss as she falls short of the agile inquisitor.
Carmine's captivating dance seems to have take two new victims as Veil stands still as a board and even the smaller fey seems taken by his mistress, unable to look away in time, he stands slack jawed at the sight of her.
Carmine's dancing approach gives Signy a bit of time to take a read of her. Signy weaves to avoid Carmine's lunging maw and quickly strikes back, cutting at the fey thing with her sword.
As she recovers back into her stance after delivering the cut, Signy asks "hard enough for you?"
Signy's blade strikes true but the mundane metal of the sword barely seems to make a scratch on Carmine who cackles mercilessly as she continues her dance. "What's that? A tickle? You'll have to do a lot better than that darling... Let me show you."
The sith's hands swiftly contort into sharp bestial claws that each lash out at the woman in turn before she attempts to take another bite our of the intrepid inquisitor. Signy's stance is flawless, however, unbreakable and thus she easily manages to deflect each and every attack coming her way.
Signy isn't expecting a flurry of many attacks. While she manages to fend them off, she can't expect her current good fortune to continue. She shuts up and concentrates.
"Another scratch!" Carmine laughs, at first amused, then seemingly hysterically at the inquisitor's attempts to slay her. "Maybe with your friends you'd be something to worry about but as long as I keep dancing well... I'm sure you can see the inevitability of your doom."
Carmine's first claw is deflects but her second finds an opening in the woman's guard and her armor. The wicked fey's claw digs deep into the woman's gut and spills her blood all over the pristine floor.
As she makes to cry out in pain Carmine follows up with a bite to the shoulder adding agony upon brutality.
Carmine dances teasingly before Signy licking her lips and then individually her blood-soaked fingers. "This is the part where you run away and let me enjoy my feast on your little friends."
"Alright, I'll be on my way. I don't want to be followed though" Signy replies as she take a cautious step back from Carmine.
With a brief utterance, "Silmistä poissa mielestä", Signy blinks out of sight.
Carmine hisses in self-satisfaction as Signy vanishes from sight. "That's what I thought."
After making her way up the stairs the woman looks around proud of her collection of slack-jawed men and woman, then her gaze turns to the mastodon and shifts to slight frown. "I suppose I should kill the spare before I enjoy my meal..." She hums and slashes down at the mastodon, an animal's blood being a disgusting thing to a sith such as herself.
Signy gives Carmine some lead time to make sure she won't be noticed, then she heals the worst of her injuries and follows her back up the stairs.
What goes through someone's mind when they are enchanted, captivated? For Brental, it had been like a nightmare, staring dumbfounded and unable to lift his arms, watching as Signy and Carmine traded blows. At last, he heard Signy announce that she was leaving. There was some sort of spellcasting, but in the waking nightmare Brental couldn't tell what was happening. Nothing fully registered. All was ethereal. But when the wicked fey struck his longest companion, that was a bridge too far. His eyes flicker, the irises bleeding red, and his teeth clench together. As though taking control of his nightmare, a scream tears its way through Brental's throat and he roars.
Stop the dance. Stop the dance. Stop the dance.
Brental winds up his sword and sweeps it at Carmine's feet to try to knock her down.
Carmine's eyes are wide as she notices the druid escaping from the grips of her magic with sheer force of will and attempts to strike out at him but too late.
In a flash, Brental has knocked the fey off her balanced and sent her crashing to the ground with a scream as her magic fades and the others feel the control of their bodies returning to them.
After making her way up the stairs the woman looks around proud of her collection of slack-jawed men and woman, then her gaze turns to the mastodon and shifts to slight frown. "I suppose I should kill the spare before I enjoy my meal..."
“But – ” Lina bites her lip, aware on some level that she really shouldn’t be jealous of Vod for being sliced up just because it’s by a beautiful, seductive woman, not least because the rational part of her mind is screaming tinnily at her, You’ve been enchanted, stupid! Shake it OFF!
“ – I’ve been so very good a witch,” she pleads, her lower nature giving up her words all too eagerly, even as it leaves Lina blushing to the points of her ears. There are very, very few people in the world who she’s ok with hearing her sound so needy, and her friends aren’t on that extremely short list.
Carmine's eyes are wide as she notices the druid escaping from the grips of her magic with sheer force of will and attempts to strike out at him but too late.
In a flash, Brental has knocked the fey off her balanced and sent her crashing to the ground with a scream as her magic fades and the others feel the control of their bodies returning to them.
She’s vaguely aware of the screams that break from Brental and Carmine, and only registers what must have been a savage sweep of his blade after the fact, when its effects come crashing down along with the wicked fey he’s toppled.
Lina finds herself suddenly able to breathe normally and the various levels of her thoughts arranging themselves appropriately, and her grip on her spear shifts instinctively so that her weapon's branching tips dip down towards the melee. Her blush persists, only shifting from one of mortification to outrage.
In the fury of her offended dignity, the witch, whether or not she’s as good as she protests, stabs through the first gap she spots between Meneas and Brental.
Carmine's claw had raked across Vodnykel, only to meet a celestial resistance and the love of a druid unwilling to allow any further harm to come to his companion. Where her claws had struck the mastodon, a holy flame sparks into life and the faintest hint of a scratch plays across Brental's face.
The mastodon's trunk rises and he instinctually taps into the growing celestial heritage that his master clung to. A blaring trumpet fills the room as Vodnykel's fur takes on a golden hue. With the glory of an empyreal like Bharnarol, Brental's companion comes out of his enthrallment to stab the wicked fey with his tusks, striking her and keeping her down.
Meneas finally shakes the enchantment from his mind with a low growl, and takes a brief step away from the fey before circling around to flank her with Signy.
With that, he attacks the baobhan sidhe with a ferocious vigor, expertly taking advantage of Signy's presence on the far side of the creature.
Carmine desperately attempts to paw at Meneas as he takes a step back but the downed fey can only manage to scratch his boots as she is savagely torn at by Brental's growing companion. She screams in horror and pain as the mastodon rips out chunks of her flesh and crunches down on bones which snap like mere twigs under the fluffy beast's bulk.
Lina's attack adds a mere scratch to the situation and Meneas can hardly make a good strike with his companions all ganged up around the downed woman.
"TEORLIAN!!!" The woman cries out as she attempts to stumble to her feet amidst the barrage of attacks coming her way."TEORLIAN! COME! YOUR LADY NEEDS YOU!"
This is not why Lina carries the spear she does (that's because she likes the twigginess, and because at a glance it doesn't always look very threatening), but it is certainly what makes it work.
As the wicked fey tries to get to her feet, it takes just a flick of the wrist for Lina to catch her a raking blow with one of the smaller blades set on the smaller branches of her weapon, just a little below the main spearhead.
Signy strikes at Carmine, causing her to suddenly appear, now visible.
"Surprise b&~**!"
The druid and his companion both slash out with their respective bladed weapons in retribution. Brental's eyes darken as he witnesses the fey's form gain additional wounds. "We asked nicely," Brental seethes. "Now there will be no mercy for you."
Even if she summoned reinforcements, her fate was sealed. She and her wicked coterie would all perish.
Meneas lashes out at the fey, his cold iron weapon striking with serpentine grace.
In a flurry of crushing, slashing, stabbing, and burning the fey monstrosity Carmine is reduced to a fine red paste on the floor.
Meanwhile the small fey on the first floor springs back to life and immediately speeds up the stairs with the intent of plunging his sword into Signy's unprotected back.
... And miraculously slips on the remains of Carmine dripping down the stairs causing his slash to go wide.
In the courtyard there is a new humanoid creature emerging from the skull studded tower. It is gaunt and greyish with sharp teeth and elongated finger-like claws.
Meneas growls as he notices the creature outside. "Deal with this thing quickly! There's something outside."
He calls out to Veil. "Veil! Protect yourself!"
With that, he sweeps forwards, sending a flurry of attacks at the quickling, but not actually attempting to strike home. Instead, he attempts to catch the creature off-guard as he whirls his cloak and flicks his blade.
Brental had warned her, the wicked fey. Now she would trouble the folk of this realm no longer. With any luck, she had left behind some record of her foul deeds so that they would be able to provide comfort and recompense to anyone whose kin had fallen victim to her wiles.
For the first time (consciously aware), Brental sees the quickling. Another fey resistant to cold iron, and with ample First World tricks up its sleeve. Its natural invisibility probably wouldn't be fooled by the same trick that had revealed the will o' wisp. But anything could still be cut so long as it could be seen.
Before this Teorlian joined the fray, they would end another threat.
Brental raises his blade, roiling with flames, and strikes down at the next fey in line.
Vod lets out a trumpeted blast of victory before charging over Carmine's corpse and down the stairs to the next foe.
As a standard action, taken during your move or as part of a charge, you can attempt to overrun your target, moving through its square. You can only overrun an opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you. If you do not have the Improved Overrun feat, or a similar ability, initiating an overrun provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver. If your overrun attempt fails, you stop in the space directly in front of the opponent, or the nearest open space in front of the creature if there are other creatures occupying that space.
When you attempt to overrun a target, it can choose to avoid you, allowing you to pass through its square without requiring an attack. If your target does not avoid you, make a combat maneuver check as normal. If your maneuver is successful, you move through the target’s space. If your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD by 5 or more, you move through the target’s space and the target is knocked prone. If the target has more than two legs, add +2 to the DC of the combat maneuver attack roll for each additional leg it has.
That will almost certainly fail, so let's just hope he steps to the side. AC 23 vs an AoO.
I'm not moving Vod yet because where he ends up will be dependent on Riggs' actions.
Signy hadn't forgotten about the annoying little speed demon. She's expecting him behind her at some point soon after Carmine is taken down, and helps him a little on his missed attack.
She's no no mood to try chasing him, nor is she going to be content to wait around for him to cruise by. She exchanges her sword for her bow, giving chase with an arrow.
Carmine’s dying plea for aid and the reappearance of her quickling minion crowd all other thoughts other than preparing for further attacks from Lina’s mind, and she takes a first step to where she can support the others as they face attack from below.
The angle’s rotten, though, and to reach that far needs both hands on her spear, which isn’t cold iron anyway, so none of her witch’s spell trickery if she goes that route, so Lina rests her spear instead, and concentrates simply on calling forth her own magic.
Rushing through a hasty invocation, spotting Signy where the inquisitor’s reappeared after faking out the baobhan sith, Lina loops her into her spell. “Signy! Thank the goddess! We would have been doomed without you!”
Brental makes a tremendous swing with his blazing scimitar at the fey before him. The creature only barely manages to avoid the blow, heat stinging the quickling's cheeks as he just barely manages to duck out of the way in time to strike at the charging mastodon.
The quickling manages to barely nick the mastodon and yet the poison of the quickling's blade seeps in all the same. Vod, for his part, remains strong and resists the full effects of the deadly concoction. Still, Rigg manages to fend off the mastodon's charge with little concern and even Signy seems unable to lay a finger on the swift creature which makes to sprint out of the room as quickly as possible.
Meneas slashes out at the quickling with a fierce attack as he takes advantage of the openings he and the others have created for him.
You can move 5 feet in any round when you don't perform any other kind of movement.
Meneas' blade swings wide as the distortion caused by the creature's movement's causes the cavalier to be just slightly off in his aim.
“Don’t worry, Meneas, we can do this!” Lina calls out, looping him into her spell as her glance flickers from him to the nasty fey imp tying them up while this Teorlian makes their way to the melee.
She draws herself up to her fullest height and lets her spear rest at a casual angle in one hand as she fixes the quickling with a scornful look, her free hand drawing her crystal wand with a rather theatrical flourish.
The nasty quickling swipes out as Vod tries to charge past Signy, but the mastodon's innate connection to the waters of the River Kingdoms (combined with inexplicable aid from the knavishness of Meneas) allow him to pull up short of the fey blade. Brental's downward swing misses as well and he grunts in frustration.
What was this rage percolating within him? Was it righteous or rotten? It was probably neither--his friends were in danger, and diplomacy had once again failed in the face of debased horror.
"We fight better in open spaces," Brental states, his voice hard as bark. "Let's give chase."
Yeah that's a total wash anyway.
Brental and Vodnykel give chase, ready to deal with whatever else was awaiting them in the courtyard and approaching Veil. They are careful to avoid the marked tile on the first floor.
Meneas grunts, but feels the reassurance of Lina's magic swell up within him nonetheless. "Right." He hesitates, considering, before vaulting onto the stairs and following the quickling as hastily as he can. Never going to catch it at this rate. We need to outwit it. If only he could figure out how.
Lina's magic seems to unsettle the small fey man but he mostly maintains his composure despite the effects of the witch's magic.
He curses at the amount of attacks coming his way and heel-turns to make a hasty retreat.
Meanwhile the odd creature below rushes up to Veil as quickly as it can through the weeds and strikes out at her with a wicked claw.
The beast's claw gouges into the side of the fey-horse and causes the toothy fey to smirk with bloodlust. "Yessssss, it has been too long since these claws of mine have slicked themselves in the blood of my fellow fey!"