The Necromancer's Pact VII: Lake of Tears II

[Dr._Bob]

As the light fades, you pull the wagon between the rock outcroppings, keeping the horse fenced in. Callos places a feedbag over the horse's muzzle.

The lizardman bundles himself in furs, keeping warm by the fire. Thokk joins him, ostentatiously wraps himself in his new hydra-skin cape.

With nightfall approaching, Trinark agrees to join Tiriel in a search for additional firewood. The forest provides an ample supply of branches, and they return with arms filled shortly.

Lumpy climbs one of the rock outcroppings, huddling in a narrow cleft that provides an excellent vantage point of the surrounding forest.



Yix slips into the storeroom behind the curtain. He pokes around the old suits of armor, miscellaneous tools, and ingots of iron, looking for anything interesting. Under a tarp, he finds an unusual crate. Something about the crate seems strangely familiar.

Meanwhile, Achkby continues to haggle with the smith. Eventually, he is able to talk the armorer into selling him the suit of mithral chain for 900 gp. The armorer slips the glistening mail onto Achkby. Noting a loose fitting, he heads back towards his back room for a tool to adjust the armor ...

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

Lumpy settles into his crack, wedging himself into a vaguely comfortable position. He had a fine view of the cave's approach, and a height advantage, things one could hardly ask for better from a defensive position. It was perfect.

He liked standing watch. Nights were clear, a time he could claim all for himself. While the cold and darkness drove humans and other dayfolk to their bedrolls, they opened up a world that he could enjoy at his own pace. The lack of light lent him a clarity of vision he had difficulty enjoying during the day. It was peaceful, and not even a creature of war such as he could deny the comfortable solace it provided.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

The necromancer seems to be pretty adamant about sitting away from everyone else currently there, to focus on writing the paper he had started. However it wasn't too soon before he lost interest in being by himself and huddled around the fire with Thokk and the lizardman...though he is careful to sit on the other side of the fire. Too many bad expierences with the lizard as it was to feel safe being so close to him...or her....Callos assumed the lizard was a him. Always had. It was so hard to keep his eyes open though. Espicially with his eyes on the hypnotic dance of the fire in front of him starting to make his head loll.

Shaking it off briskly, he brandishes the sheet of parchment then eyes Thokk with an appraising eye.

"Hey Thokk....how would you feel about helping the magical community understand a...very un-researched energy?" He asked curiously even though he cringed inwardly as he said it. It didn't even sound safe to him and he knew it was perfectly harmless in the end!

[Spaz]

Yix
Yix tires to open the crate, if he is successful he begins to root around in it trying to find all the interesting and shiny stuff.

[Dark_Stalion]

Evendur

Evendur smiles thankfully at Tiriel. There was someone who he felt he could trust at least, something apparently wanting within the group. He eventualy sighs at the Lizardman's silence and persistant blanking. He is tempted to just heal him without a reply but his sence of honour stops him. It owuld not be right. Instead Evendur props himself up by the fire, seting an internal alarm. A few hours into the night he awakes and gets up. He aproaches Lumpy's perch, acknowledging him with a smile and a nod.

"I'll take the next watch if you want," he says, pearing out into the night. "Good idea to get some sleep."

[HempRope]

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

As the merchant heads off, Achkby begins perusing the shelves, admiring what he can. He doesn't know much about weapons or armor, but he can pick out good craftsmanship when he sees it, and some of the swords, especially, are very fine. He thinks about the shape his old spear is in, and is looking for the polearms when he remembers Yix.

Damn. Where's he gone off to?

Achkby changes course, and drifts toward where he last saw the little pseudodragon gamboling.

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

Lumpy shrugs at Evendur's offer, his expression a mask of indifference. Regardless, he relinquishes his position.

"If it suits ya."

Without further commentary, he climbs down to join the others by the fire. He dawdles in actually retiring, content to prod at the fire with a stick and enjoy it's warmth for a bit. He didn't like sleep either, come to think of it. Just one more thing to eat away at his time in the world. He'd liive his short years awake, thank you.

Regardless, he settles in after a while, shedding his restrictive platemail and hunkering down into his bedroll.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

*Before everyone heads to sleep*

"Ach Scaley, ye gave us a fright. Ya gotta stay with the rest o' us. Yer arnt exactly suited to tha cold. C'mon, ye stay with the clan! Eh, as long as we found yer again and didnt get in trouble with the guards, I assume tis all good. Half Breed, I'll take watch whenever needed. Till then, Im goin to sleep"

[Dr._Bob]

Yix finds the crate carefully wrapped in canvas and thick rope. The entire package seems to be radiating faint warmth. Yix recognizes the package as similar to the ones being transported by the drow through the Underdark - the ones containing the dragon eggs.

Yix hears the footsteps of the armorer. Hiding under a tarp, Yix waits for an opportune moment, then slips back out into the main part of the shop, rejoining Achkby.



Evendur relieves Lumpy at midnight. The enigmatic paladin settles into the same nook, surveying the forest by the faint moonlight. The fire has died down, but still provides a gentle heat for Lumpy, Tiriel, Thokk, Callos and the lizardman, who sleep nestled together for warmth.

At first, Evendur thinks he is just seeing the wind in the trees, but he suddenly narrows his eyes as he spots two shadowy forms moving slowly along the forest floor.

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid

The lizard had been startled by the sudden company of his party members.
His chest ached terribly and it hurt to breath he was also extremely fatigued but he figured lying next to a hot fire and trapping heat would suffice for now.

He had glared suspiciously and shaken his head at the human Evendur although inwardly he appreciated the gesture. It was one thing to trust in the magic of a packmate like Elthan but another to trust on the unknown magic of this human that Flamesword had brought along.

His wheezing caught the attention of Trinark who after examining him concluded that the cold had seeped into his chest. He frowned, the heal spells that he knew would not be of any help. It wasn't an injury that the lizardman possesed but an ailment that needed treatment.

Trinark worried that a detour to the human settlement to find a healer might become necessary and he confides this to Tiriel.

[Dark_Stalion]

Evendur

Evendur tries to keep track of the shadowy shapes, trying to work out who or what they are. If they aproach the mouth of the cave he will call out a warning to those inside. If he looses track of them he will slip down from his purch and stand guard at the cave entrance.

[Dr._Bob]

Peering down into the forest, Evendur strains his all-too-human eyes in the darkness trying to identify the shadowy forms. The waning moon breaks out from behind a cloud, and the slight added illumination allows him to make out two large quadrupeds slinking along the forest floor. The beasts are at least 8 feet long, and appear to have some kind of bristly manes made up of long quills covering the backs of their necks. Each beast is being ridden by a dark humanoid figure that seems unaffected by the long quills. It might be a trick of the moonlight, but the riders seem to glisten.

The two beasts with riders move quietly through the trees, seeming to be following a straight line. Evendur follows that line with his eyes and sees that they are not heading for the cave. Rather, they appear to be sneaking up behind another rider (that he had not seen initially).

This unsuspecting rider appears to be a human or elf, wrapped in furs against the midnight chill. He or she is riding a light horse through the woods alone, and does not appear to be aware of the other approaching riders.

Evendur tosses a pebble down to the entrance of the cave, which is enough to wake Lumpy. Evendur silently points toward the riders, and Lumpy quickly rouses the others, holding a finger to his lips to keep them silent.

The riders will pass within 90 feet of the cave, but unless they look back, there is a good chance that they may miss the cave entrance altogether, so intent are they on their unsuspecting prey ...

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

The clatter of the pebble was just enough to penetrate sleep's veil, Lumpy being used to sleeping light and waking on a moment's notice. At first, the dour half-orc assumes that Evendur was simply being clumsy, but that was a risk he decides isn't worth taking. Shifting into wakefulness, he goes stirs the others into wakefulness, muffling any noises they might make (by gesture or handgag, whichever proves necessary).

They'd caught him unarmored again. One of these days, he'd buy something lighter to sleep in. Until then, he'd have to keep things at range for as long as he could. He stuffs his flail into his belt, props his guisarme near the cave entrancem and strings his bow. He kneels next to the entrance himself, shading the glint of his eyes with one hand while he keeps watch on the ongoing pursuit.

He focuses in particular on the horseman (elf? woman?). It wasn't his business to intervene, but part of him wanted to. He was sure some of the others would want to. It wasn't prudent, certainly, but neither were any of them. Until someone else did something stupid, he seems content to watch with a morbid sort of interest.

[Spaz]

Yix

As Yix scurries out of the back, he ends up almost crashing into Achkby. "Be careful of that one, there's something strange about him." Is all Yix can manage to get out as his mind is racing with possibilities.

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

After waking up and being informed of the the situation, Tiriel silently takes her long bow from her bag and strings it.

She moves to the front of the cave with her strung bow and a quiver of arrows, gestering to Evendur to point out where he last saw the 2 riders.

Tiriel tries to get a better look at the riders before returning to the back of the cave,
"We better decide now if we're going to help. Some of us aren't in any condition to enter a fight.... Could you and the druid help with ranged spells though?" Tiriel asks Trinark.

[Dr._Bob]

From the cave opening, the figures are just shadows moving through the forest. The two larger sets of shadows slowly converge on the smaller set. Branches crackle, and the humanoid sitting on the horse turns round towards the sounds, drawing a rapier that catches the moonlight. Something about the figure looks familiar. "Isn't that Aeroz?" asks Trinark ...


Earlier that day ...

Achkby returns to the inn with his new set of armor. Yix accompanies him, filling him in on what he discovered in the storeroom. Achkby is intrigued by the discovery, though he had not originally been captured by the drow in the Underdark the way Evendur, Yix, Trinark, the druid, and the three women had been.

Arriving back at the inn, they find that Lumpy, Tiriel, Callos, and Evendur had headed back west looking for Trinark and the druid. Shortly afterward, Thokk had headed out on his own to try to catch up with them. As darkness falls, no one had returned, leaving those of you at the inn uneasy.

Aeroz snaps out of his silent brooding and announces that he is going to head out to find the others. "If I'm not back by dawn, the rest of you should head out without us. The Iron Lord must be warned about Sethra."

Si'rene doesn't like it, but she agrees to lead the rest of the party onward to Rashemen without the missing party members if they don't hear from anyone by dawn. "But no one else is heading out. Splitting up any further is a bad idea. Agreed?"

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid

Choking on a wheeze brings the reptilian back to wakefulness. His laboured breathing doesn't distract him from the fact that everyone seemed to have their weapons drawn and were observing something outside the cave alertedly.

Re-energised from the rest, only muscle aches persisted from the earlie generalised fatigue. The chest tightness and wheezing made getting up onto his feet a trial.


Leaning against a wall he staggers to the nearest partymate to discover the threat and how he could aid them.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

Thokk wakes up after a delightful sleep, and after being handgaged by Lumpy he discovers what is going on. Gathering his sword and bow, the dwarf eases his way up to the entrance of the cave, trying not to make too much noise in his armor. He had grown used to wearing it to sleep, and the hard steel no longer prevented rest.

"Gah, It is Aeroz! I say we go down and give them buggers a surprise for tryin to mess with the clan. Lumpy, ye ready to bash some skulls in? I suggest some of ye chuck arrows at them for a while untill the rest o us get close enough to rend them in two up close n personal."

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

Tiriel and Trinark fill in the wounded Druid, explaining that it seems that Aeroz has come looking for them and is now in trouble. "The two of you should stay here, help only when you need to." When the druid offers to cast bark skin on Tiriel again, she accepts gratefully.
Nodding to Thokk, Tiriel says, "Ok, I can distract them while you and Lumpy get ready. When you're close enough to engage, I'll make some light - no sense in giving them an advantage."
Tiriel then exits the cave and quickly climbs one of the larger rock formations near the cave. Gritting her teeth she takes aim at the closest of the two figures approaching Aeroz.

Ranged Attack: (1d20+6=11)
damage: (1d8+5=13)

ooc: of all the times to roll the highest number -grrr- the first roll would have been more helpful.

[runehawk]

Trinark, Cleric of Eilistraee

The drow nods to this. He casts what few blessings spells he has left before they move out.

Although he frowns once he is done.

"Why ARE they chasing Aeroz? Do we have any other enemies?"

"Perhaps taking them alive may be a ..smarter move. We have the numbers", he tells Tiriel.

"I can .." he's interrupted by a bout of coughing that the lizardman muffles quickly. He moves to help Ssathiya but is waved away.

"I'm.. fine.. help Sharp-ears", the druid gasps out.
Trinark nods and moves to the cave mouth, his keen eyesight surveying the scene.

[Dr._Bob]

In the inn ...

Achkby doesn't know much about dragon eggs, but Si'rene and Katrin describe their encounter with the drow/grimlocks and their valuable packages.

"The drow were headed east in a hurry, as I recall," says Katrin. I wonder what the connection is between them and your armorer.

Si'rene eyes Achkby's new armor appraisingly. "That is extremely fine workmanship. Almost elven in quality. It surprises me that you were able to find such a suit of armor this forsaken, decrepit town. I suspect that there is more to this story than meets the eye ..."

With half of the party missing, there is little to do but speculate about the package in the back room ... Lissa wanders downstairs after spending most of the day holed up in her room.


At the cave ...

After casting his spell on Tiriel, the lizardman sinks back down on his haunches, fatigued. Trinark raises his eyes to the moon and murmurs in his native tongue, blessing Tiriel, Thokk, and Lumpy, who crouch next to him before moving toward the cave entrance.

Tiriel slips ahead, around one of the rock formations. She appears at the top of the rock in surprisingly little time. Lumpy mutters to himself, "Now how exactly did she get up there without making any noise?"

Evendur, nestled atop a different rock formation points towards the shadow figures, but Tiriel appears to see them at least as clearly, if not more so, than the paladin. She nocks an arrow and sends it hissing towards one of the dark riders closing in on Aeroz.

The arrow misses, thudding into a tree trunk at roughly head height. The two riders wheel their mounts about. One of the spiny-maned beasts cries out, an eerie howl splitting the night and causing Aeroz's horse to rear up on its hind legs in fear. The elf struggles to stay in his saddle while keeping a grip on his rapier.

Thokk and Lumpy launch forward in a charge.



OOC: Surprise round. The mysterious riders are 90 feet away. Tiriel misses. Thokk and Lumpy double move. Please submit initiative and actions for round 1.

[HempRope]

Apologies for not being around, it's mostly just because friends are getting back from college, but it being December, capitalism calls, as well. Oh, and a college deadline.

Achkby, on the way back to the Inn

Interested was an understatement.

"A dragon's egg? What? Yix, are you serious?!"
Achkby pumps the pseudo dragon for every bit of information he can imagine, beginning with the type of dragon and moving on to how old the egg is and how it got there.

At this point he's breathless and practically running back to the Inn, having completely forgotten to admire his new mithral shirt.

Achkby, at the Inn

"What... do you think this is... is... contraband?" Achkby asks worriedly.

"Wait, what do you think they're going to the dragon? What'll happen to him? Drow? We should we do?"

He looks at the older women, clearly without any idea of what to do, but for once he's eager to do something.

[Spaz]

Yix


Yix looks up at Achkby "I've always wanted a pet of my own!"

[Frojoe21]

Initiative: 1d20+3=19

Aeroz

The horse now panicing, Aeroz makes a judgement call and decides to get off the animal. Trying quickly to get off the horse(1) and stands at ready, waiting for the unseen animals/bad guys to give some evidence as to their position.

[hr]
Crunchy Stuff
(1)Quick Dismount (DC 20): 1d20+6=20
Readying an action to attack a rider if it comes within striking distance.
Attack: 1d20+11-3(Expertise): 12
AC 22

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

Lumpy pauses in stride, straightening out and stringing an arrow to his bow in one motion. Canting the bow at an angle, he lines up and snaps off a quick shot at the nearest "mount."

Without waiting to see the results of his shot, the burly orc lets the longbow slip from his grasp into the snow beside him, legs already pumping up into a run. Closing with the same foe he'd aimed for, he looses and readies his polearm at a run.

"Here elf!"

((
Initiative (1d20=18)

Lumpy attacks with his bow, drops it, then single-moves closer while drawing his guisarme. If the riders act first and move closer to him, he'll forgo the bow and skip straight to melee))

Longbow Attack and Damage (1d20+7=19, 1d8+3=4) +1attk if Trinark cast bless
))

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

Tiriel curses as her arrow flies off the mark, glad only that it seems to have given Aeroz time to prepare for the attack. Tiriel locates a large pebble, about 5"-6" in circumference, with her free hand. Gripping it tightly, she makes a quick decision.

Tiriel uses her spell-like ability to cast daylight on the pebble.

Initiative: (1d20+3=12)

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

Being awakened suddenly in the middle of the night is never a pleasent expierence, espicially when one has not been getting much sleep. But there was business to be done and he was on the ones who had to do it. Of course it was hard to see, he was human and it was night time afterall, but he had dweomers that didn't require as good of sight to affect his foes. As always, out came the spellbook that he studied from religously every night, flipping open to the correct page automatically. Simple enough really. Djital and himself had always pondered why people had cavalry. It gave an other wise strong warrior a large weakpoint. The mount. When the syllables and gestures where finished Callos chose carefully, the mounts of the two unknown beings, before letting pure unadultared fear flow into their minds, though he feared if they had a strong will it might go as well.

( 1d20+1=8

Hm. Don't think I'm going first. In any case, Casting Scare on the mounts)

[Dr._Bob]

By the cave ...

Aeroz leaps off of his horse with typical elven grace, tumbling to his feet, rapier held ready.

He hears a familiar gravelly voice call out, "Here elf!" and turning toward the voice, he spots Lumpy and Tiriel running towards his position.

Tiriel leans down and scoops something off the ground. Suddenly, pure white light bursts from her hand, illuminating the area, casting the dark tree trunks and naked branches into sharp relief, and clearly revealing the riders and their mounts.

The two beasts wheel about, howling in confusion while their riders attempt to regain control. The creatures look like some kind of skinny, elongated lions with long spikes protruding from their shoulders. Their skeletal heads and alien appearance make it clear that they are not from this plane of existence originally. The riders are obviously demons. Their red eyes glow with hatred as they rein in their howlers as best they can. Each of the man-sided demons has a glistening ebony exoskeleton.

Lumpy fires an arrow into the neck of one of the howling beasts, then drops his bow and unfurls his flail without missing a step. He slows as he approaches the riders, shifting into a tactical crouch, flail at the ready.

Callos steps forward, crying out in an arcane tongue. Tiriel and Lumpy feel a psychological shiver across their necks as his spell sweeps past them, but his actual targets, the howling mounts, seem unaffected.


At the inn ...

Katrin shrugs. "Who knows what the drow want with those eggs?"

"Maybe they want to raise them as pets?" suggests Si'rene sarcastically.

Achkby and the women discuss the feasility of "liberating" the package from the armorer's storeroom, but it is not clear what you would do with a dragon egg even if you could obtain one.

[Dark_Stalion]

Evendur

Evendur has lept from his purch down (through various stages, if nessesary, to avoid damage to himself) and is himself charging towards the strange mounts and demonic riders. He draws his sword as the first of the arrows flies past, shouting out his words of command, evoking his godess as a battlecry.

"By the light of Suuuuuuuuuuneeeeeeeeeeee!!!"

Grasping the sword with both hands his armor bursts forth with comparatively bright light, flooding the area with the light of gods which glints off his gold encrusted sword. he nbarrows his eyes as he focuses all his strength and belief behind into his strike on the nearest mount in the hopes of unseating the rider.

*Sob* I can't get hold of my character sheet. Don't know what I've done with it. Gona have to redo him again. *sigh* ah well. I'm fairly sure I remember how he goes. No wories, found him on a diferent site. Now for crunchy time. Without shield and charging, Evendur's AC is mearly 16, but...

Power Atack Smiting roll: 1d20+10+2-5+4= 1d20+11=27
Damage roll: 1d8+4+5+7= 1d8+16=20
Intimidate roll: 1d20+4=22

Hmm, not bad, considering.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

Upon Seeing the Visage of the Demons, Thokk instantly lets loose a an unintellegable scream of rage and launches himself foward towards the demons. He drops his tower shield behind him and wields his sword two handed, all to cause more damage

Charge towards the Riders, and attack if possible. Drop Shield, wield sword two-handed. Power attack, taking -2 on to hit rolls and +2 on damage rolls

Thokk To Hit (1d20+11=21)
Thokk to Hit (second blow) (1d20+6=21)

Thokk Damage (both) (1d10+10=12, 1d10+10=17)