Knowing she's going to need more magic to harm this construct, Gabriella calls down Pharasma's favor on herself.
Ellie smashes the construct with her flail, knocking several chunks of stone from its body. Alessandra fails to grab a hold of it.
The statue retaliates against Ellie, lashing out with its dagger. The wickedly-sharp blade slices into the fighter, leaving deep, bleeding wounds!
Gabbi raises her crossbow, but then the blood flowing from the Lore Warden catches her eye. Telling herself that her desire is to help, she steps closer and touches the woman with an outstretched hand and summons divine healing.
She then pulls her blood-covered fingers back. She hopes no one sees that they immediately move to her mouth and that her eyes close in pleasure.
Alessandra sidesteps and grabs the creatures arm as it withdraws the dagger for another blow.
The statue shakes off Alessandra's attempt to grab it!
Even before Ellie can register the fact that she's bleeding, Gabbi has swooped in and healed her. Giving the dhampir a nod of acknowledgement, she focuses the rest of her attention on demolishing the statue.
Ulrich comes in and tries to help Alessandra grapple the contruct.
Elká tries to surprise the statue by coming in swinging from behind. Putting all her strength and weight behind the attack, Elká almost drops the mace upon impact as the blow resonates within her elbows and shoulders. "Ah! Why do you gotta be made out of stone!?"
Elly and Elka both score solid hits. With Ulrich's help, Allie grapples the statue. It turns its dagger on her, stabbing her repeatedly!
Gabriella flinches as the sharp blade strikes at her sister and she reaches out to render a different kind of aid.
"Brace yourself, Love," she whispers as she touches her twin's shoulders.
Ellie once again lashes out at the statue, but even with the benefit of flanking it her strike is somewhat less controlled than she might like.
Jolting back and forth between the blade and a blast of painful healing from her sister Allie wrenches at the creature's arm - hoping to pin it fully.
Alessandra manages to pin the statue in her grasp. Though her teeth barely scratch, she holds it still long enough for Ellie to land a solid smash! The statue crumbles to rubble, leaving its cloak and dagger behind.
"These look perfect for you Elka." Alessandra says, wincing as she eases her arm around and swipes a bit of blood from Gabriella's lips to trigger a spell of healing.
"Shall we push on? There's a little more time on my spells."
Elká gives the dagger a look of disdain. "That's a glorified toothpick! I, eh, I could use it as a throwing dagger, but it feels like abuse using such an enchanted blade for that. " The cloak, however, she loves. "Now this one I like! Ohh, the stories say that these cloaks are made with the hair of elven thornbacks. You know, women who haven't managed to snag a man past a certain age."
Gabbi calls down a little more healing for Ellie. "You need to be a little more careful," she says to the warrior as she leans in, her nostrils flaring at the smell of blood. "Someone might say you're trying to tease me."
"Ok, let's push on," she says with a nod to her sister.
Several willow trees cluster here, many with nests built in them. Fallen leaves and baubles such as bracelets litter the ground. To the northwest, the hedge opens into a larger arbor with more trees. A torn section of hedge leads west.
Three large black crows perch in the trees, unnatural intelligence gleaming in their green eyes. "Look, sisters! These humans have brought so many pretty trinkets for us!" one says.
"We'll just have to kill them first so we can take them!" another replies.
Witchcrows have numerous spell-like abilites and can hex their foes like witches.
With the birds being far outside of Elká's reach - and that of her javelin, the changeling dips down and is ready to jump to the side if one of the bird decides to fly at her.
"You can try," Gabbi mutters to herself as she takes aim at the nearest of the crows and looses a bolt.
"Witchcrows," she says to the others as she reloads her weapon. "Vile creatures. They're like flying, feathered witches - hexes and all."
Ulrich draws his crossbow and shoots at the same witchcrow that Gabriella targeted.
Both Gabby and Ulrich score good hits. The wounded crow shrieks and disappears from sight. The other two take to the air, circling twenty feet overhead. They squawk and try to hex you!
Elká snarls at the crows and reaches for a javelin. "Stop staring at us, you creepy birds!"
Gabbi takes aim at another one of the mystical birds and fires.
Although her second shot seems to hit nothing but black feathers, she continues to reload.
Alessandra simply watches, unable to help against the flying creatures.
Ulrich easily resists the witchcrow's hex, but in his overconfidence he looses a bolt into the distance. Looking down at his pouch, he realizes something: He only has one more bolt...
Ellie also recognises the enemy as witchcrows. With nothing to be done for now, she studies the nearest opponent.
Gabby and Elka score hits on one of the witchcrows, wounding the creature. The crows caw and glare at Ellie and Elka, cursing them with ill luck. The invisible crow suddenly appears as it swoops past Elka, trying to steal the silver kukri from her belt. It fails to do so, though, and Allie just manages to snatch it by the leg and prevent it from flying away. "Hey! Let me go!" it squawks angrily.
Gabriella smiles as her sister pulls one of the annoying birds from the sky. She then continues her sniping of the airborne ones.
She grunts in satisfaction as her bolt strikes true and she reloads.
Ellie swiftly strides over and smashes the trapped bird with her flail.
"She'll let you go when your lifeless body hits the ground. Is that what you meant? Because it works for me."
Gabby shoots the wounded crow again. Ellie smashes the one Allie is holding, leaving it terribly injurd but still conscious.
"Oh really! Well, sucks to be you bird, but my mom is like, thrice the witch you are! Catch, you cawing idiot!"
Kamosh flies to one of them and tries to fatigue them!
Elka scores another hit with her javelin, badly wounding the witchcrow! Allie pins the one in her grasp. The third crow slashes at Kamosh as the smaller bird darts at it, but it misses. It resists the touch of fatigue.
The pinned crow struggles in vain to free itself. The one Gabby and Elka have been shooting casts as spell and vanishes. The third one give Elka the evil eye before landing near a weeping willow tree with a pale and mottled trunk and long, bone-white branches. "Come and get me!"
"Don't need to," Ellie mutters. "We can shoot you from here."
She does her best to dispatch the crow currently struggling in Alessandra's grip.
Ellie crushes the pinned crow's skull!
"Here, oh, ahh!" The changeling is sure she had her throw lined up perfectly, but she finds herself tripping over a mean couple of blades of grass.
"Why should I come after you?" Gabriella says with a grin as she takes careful aim with her weapon. "When you're right where I can see you?"
She looses the bolt.
She smirks as she reloads.
Alessandra applauds politely as her sister perforates the crow with a beautifully aimed shot.
"Jolly good show darling!" She calls, affecting a ridiculous Taldan accent.
Gabbi can't resist taking a moment to bow towards her sister. "Thank you, darling," she returns in the same voice.
Kamosh returns to Ulrich and perches on his shoulder.
Ulrich starts concentrating on Detect Magic, in the hopes that it will reveal the invisible witchcrow.
Elka's throw comes up short, but Gabby shoots the other crow right in the chest. It squawks angrily and disappears from sight. Ulrich can sense the illusion auras of the crows quickly getting farther away, until they are out of range of his spell. It seems like the birds won't be coming back any time soon...
His detect magic spell also reveals a few magical items in the boughs of the tree the crow landed in front of--a ring, a scroll, and a gem.