Lyraesel casts her spell, speaking to the raven in its' own 'tongue'. Which makes it shocking when the raven speaks back in the Common tongue, for all to understand.
"Beware the Frozen Shadows." It says, with intelligence that is greater than that of a common raven.
Eyes narrowing after the initial shock, Lyraesel looks to the smaller ravens and crows, rather than the large one that responded.
"Is he one of you?" she asks in corvid speak, indicating the strange common-speaking raven.
Zaraleva, having neither of those skills, looks at Kelda to see if she reacts to that name.
"Are they hostile? Can they be bargained with?"
Aiko furrows her brow. Frozen Shadows? Sounds ominous and edgy, like something she might've come up with when she was six years old and pretending to be a ninja going on dangerous adventures with her father.
"This is a strange bird indeed. Is it just repeating what it has heard before? Or is this some kind of threat or warning?" Byron says as he glances around.
"Either way, I would rather we be on our way," Adrian added with squinted eyes. "This feels like the bird is tracking us."
The bloodfeather raven does not respond, but pulls back out of bow range and continues to fly behind ominously, until it vanishes after the next day. That night, the caravan sets up camp at the Skalsbridge that crosses the Thundering River.
The night is cold and misty and the normal sounds of nature are muted by the frosty fog. The mist clings so low that the campfire is able to do little more than provide a dim light.
It was an odd encounter with a raven, but other than that, the journey was uneventful. But it seemed like it could change in the night time when he wears something odd in the water. He sought to address the rest of the party. "There's someone on a rowboat coming this way. They're trying to be quiet about it too."
"I'll show 'em quiet."
Aiko loads up on her weapons and sneaks off away from the campfire into the darkness.
Byron will pick up his spear and move to be near his brother as he looks out into the fog.
"I hear it too. Kelda, know anything about this area of the river?"
She loads her crossbow.
Not noticing anything specific, but picking up on her companions' queues and actions, Lyraesel draws her sickle, pricking the tip of her little finger with it and uttering something in druidic as she sucks the drop of blood off of her finger, taking a long deep breath and, dropping into a low crouch as she shifts into the shadows to lay in wait on whatever was coming.
The sounds of night are muted amid the freezing fog that clings to blankets, cloaks, and Varisian mustachios alike. The dull silence is suddenly broken by the scrape of wood upon the gravel bank of the river—a boat has beached just beneath the bridge—quickly followed by the splash of feet in the shallows and the oath-cries and battle-songs of Ulfen raiders!
But the party is ready for this onslaught, having heard these raiders before they could get the drop on them!
Kelda init:
Zaraleva nervously casts Bless on the party before the enemy arrives.
Hearing the unmistakable sounds of an approaching warband, Lyraesel utters a
low druidic chant, crushing a piece of bark in her hand as her skin begins to darken and thicken, a covering layer of tough, flexible bark.
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Looks like a few more of us need to declare actions.
Byron will draw his bow and fire at the nearest foe.
Byron can hear the telltale sound of an arrow piercing flesh in the distance and from the sound of it, the arrow went in deep.
Adrian and Kelda opt to hold formation and wait instead of suicidally charging at 12 raiders. The raiders however, show little of that same tactical sense, charging at you all and screaming as they do so. As they come over towards you, they bang their axes against their shields, making as much noise as they can in an effort to disorient and demoralize before they begin their assault.
Despite being momentarily thrown off by the shouting, Kelda lets out a battlecry of her own and rushes towards the nearest raider, bringing her sword down at him!
Adrian also rushes into the battle, punching the enemy nearest to him!
Kelda fails to connect, as the disorienting shouts throw off her swing, but Adrian is able to strike true!
The rest of the party is up
Byron steps forward and watches the one he shot for a moment before releasing another arrow.
As the raiders charge forward, howling and banging their weapons, Lyraesel growls deep in her throat, her body dropping into a more feral crouch as her jaw extends slightly, her canine teeth extending into lethal fangs, as she prepares to leap into the fray.
Although possibly demoralized, Zaraleva moves forward a bit, stopping short of provoking an AoO and casts Burning Hands on the adjacent empty square and a 2x3 block of five Ulfen warriors (in orange box of fire.) (3 wide, 2 deep) She hopes their dexterity is poor and their toughness is weak. If they are wearing cloaks or furs, they are on fire. Reflex DC is 14.
fire damage, save for half. SR yes.
As intimidating as the flock of warriors looked like, he ended up being undeterred in the face of danger. He wasn't going to let any hesitation threaten any of his party's lives. He got to work in trying to stun one with a fist while dealing another blow to one next to him who he connected.
Aiko emerges from the shadows, moving with uncanny speed, to ambush the ambushers.
To no avail.
Byron's second shot strikes true as well, downing his already wounded foe. Adrian strikes one of the raiders twice and Zaraleva's flames finish them off!
Three of the raiders sprint towards Byron, Lyraesel, and Aiko, but Kelda takes a swing at one of them as they do so!
And misses.
Three of the raiders run up to Zaraleva, Kelda, and Adrian and take a swing at them with their axes!
Kelda then retaliates against her attacker!
As the raiders rush them, Lyraesel wades into battle unleashing on the enemy with both Ironfang and her own feral jaws.
Byron drops his bow behind him and draws his magical longsword. He then slashes at the man closest to Lyraesel.
Adrian grunts as a blade digs into his shoulder. He fights through the pain and delivers a straight shot at his attacker.
If the person is stunned, he moves to attack the one attacking Zaraleva. If not, he focuses the attack on the same raider.
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Zaraleva switches to her deadly blade and swings at a wounded enemy if possible. Otherwise, at the one who dared to attack her.
"Fools! Don't you know who we are?"
Aiko remains silent as she lashes out again, now no longer hidden.
Aiko remains silent as she lashes out again, now no longer hidden.
[dice=Naginata attack]1d20+6
Adrian fails to stun the raider in front of him, but it proves to be moot, as his blows take the man down. Aiko strikes a glancing blow at a raider, while Lyraesel and Byron team up to cut down a raider that had attacked the druid, and Zaraleva finishes off a raider that she had wounded earlier with her spell.
Two more raiders run up to get in combat with Adrian and Zaraleva, provoking as they do so.
The raiders proceed to strike at their enemies!
Crit confirmed. Kelda guts her attacker because the DM has had to refresh this page every time he's tried to add a dice roll to this post and doesn't want to do so again. Plus, you've got this battle in the bag.
Lyraesel continues to attack as another of the raiders wades in to face her.
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Byron stiffles a cry of pain as he is slashed and glares at the one in front of him before striking!
Aiko tries to move into a position from which she can (dishonorably?) use her naginata against a foe who's otherwise occupied.
Adrian put his focus on the attacker next to the cleric in order to make some space for them.
If Adrian dropped the one he was flanking, Zaraleva steps forward and attacks the one attacking Adrian.
If he didn't, she swings at the one in the flank.
That's gonna leave a mark...
With some assistance from the divine, Lyraesel cuts into the raider attacking her, trips him, and then finishes him off with a bite, while Adrian and Zaraleva team up to take down one of their enemies.
Seeing that three-fourths of their fighting force has been destroyed, the remaining Ulfen raiders begin to retreat back to their boats, opting to try and escape with their lives instead of dying in a futile attempt to take at least some of you with them.
Byron turns to go back to the caravan to make sure that there were no other assailants that might have swung around them in the fog.