You barely register the effects of whatever spell had been thrown at you, shrugging it off like a single drop of rain.  However, you don't quite cross the distance to the creature and your swing catches only air.

The reptilians finish off the mechanik and turn to find their numbers decimated.  They hiss and back toward the safety of the trees.

The one remaining in the headdress pulls out a knife and mumbles some words as he draws the knife up his arm.  Blood wells and pours out on the ground.

Xan lowers his hands to his knees then raises them up about his head as he shouts some arcane words.  The ground around the last lizard man rises up and encases his legs in dirt preventing his movement.

It does not, however, cause it stop slicing into his second arm.  The pool of blood grows as it splurts out in a jet.

"Stop he!  He complete summon through blood!"  She races toward the reptilian with the headdress.  Out from behind a bush a hidden lizard man rises up and stabs her in the side.  Talisi cries out and bashes the attacker in the head with her hammer.  Its skull collapses and the body drops to the ground like rock.

Cecil continues to attack the lizard with the headdress. trying to bring him down before he completes his ritual.

[Private to Game Master: standard action attack to regain maneuvers.
attack roll: 17
total damage: 27

08:33, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 4 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
08:33, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 23 using 1d10+13. damage.
08:33, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 17 using 1d20+8. pwr attack -3.
]

Just before your blade slices through him, the reptillian sisses at you in a way that sounds like laughter.  Blood fountains from his body and sprays all over you and the fire and the ground.  The fire gutters low and turns a deep red.

The lizard man who surprised Talisi squares off against her, but backs toward the fire and does little more than swipe at her with his short sword.
This message was last updated by the GM at 15:03, Thu 21 Mar 2013.

Xan makes his way down the hill toward the fire, but does not come within melee distance of the remaining reptillian.

Talisi feints one direction then attacks from a different direction.  Instead of dodging or trying to parry, the lizard man leaves himself open for the warhammer to strike him.  Talisi pulls the hit at the last moment and knocks the lizard man away from the fire instead, sending him sprawling to the ground with little real damage.

Cecil doesn't know much about magic, but the laughter and the fire changing color certainly don't omen well. He gets the "you just screwed up" sensation as the hairs raise on the back of his neck. "Put the fire out quick." he calls out hoping that maybe his intuition pays off and his accidental expedition of the ritual doesn't cost the team their lives.

The last reptillian scurries into the foliage and is gone as the three of you work to put out the flame.  Xan summons a cloud of dust that appears as a sphere above the growing blood-flame then falls in a thick shower effectively choking off any air.  The fire goes out in a whuff.  You and Talisi manage to kick dirt on any stray bits.

For good measure, Talisi prays to Taphal and a deluge of water appears much the way Xan's dustball did.  It falls on the fire extinguishing any residual heat.

The fire it good and out.

"That close.  Not know what summon, but blood summon much bad."

"One got away. Which is bad. He'll probably be back with more of his kind for revenge. If we are lucky their territory is far from here. If not, well it's probably best we move. So long as neither of you is gravely hurt."

"I hurt.  Not bad."  Talisi kneels and prays again.  She places her hand on her side where the reptillian surprised her.  A white glow surrounds the area and soon she stands.  Even the armor is mended where the sword went through.  "Good now."

"You're right about the lizard men.  I've never seen those before, but I've never been this deep into the jungle either.  There's no telling where the lair is.  Let's keep moving and hopefully they won't catch us before we get to Shavon's."

There is little of worth to scavenge from the dead bodies and Talisi advises against burning the bodies given the summoning fire and the ritual.  Xan agrees and with Cecil's approval, the group moves on.

As night approaches, Talisi asks permission to cast a spell on the group.  She explains that she can only cast it once a moon, but it will allow you to travel through the night without need for sleep.  The next night, however, will require everyone to sleep for 10 hours, though she says she can set up a mechanik to act as guard for eight of those.

Xan worries about ambush the second night, but tentatively agrees.

"Let's push on as fast and long as we can. We'll worry about sleep and ambushes when the time comes."

It seems the fears of ambush and the side effects of Talisi's spell were unfounded.  Nothing bothered the three of you for a week.  Travel grew slower as the jungle grew more dense, but it remained steady.

One night, as camp is made (fireless), the three of you find yourselves surrounded by strange, beautiful creatures.  They seem to be part mammal, part reptile, and part bird.  A hard ridge of leather bumps runs along the back of the creature all the way down a very long reptilian tail.  They use their claws and prehensile tails to hold to tree trunks, branches, or whatever they wish.  Their bodies are covered in a soft, luminescent fur (or possibly tiny feathers?) that change colors in waves.  These colors run the gamut of the visible spectrum, but they are subdued in their brightness and pleasant to watch.  The fur on their backs and bellies fades into tiny feathers on a fold-able membrane between the fore and hind legs.  The membrane stretches out on a thin skeletal frame to five times the width of the creature's torso forming true wings.  They can sustain real flight much like bats, though they tend to glide more than flap.  Often complimenting the beautiful, peaceful color show is the soft cooing and chittering of the creatures' song.

Cecil watches the...creatures. He has never seen anything like them before and is fascinated. "what are they? Cecil asks the others quietly. Not wanting to scare or disturb the creatures.

Talisi laughs in delight.  "Luminaunts!"

The wizard smiles.  "They are, well, not harmless.  Nothing in Xamador is that.  But they are friendly.  Lots of elder race wizards like to befriend them as familiars.  Most luminaunts are quite intelligent, moreso than canines or felines."

"They are a wonder. how often do they travel in such large...flocks? and what do they normally hunt?"

"Generally they eat plants and bugs, sometimes small rodents.  This is a normal sized zephyr, which is the proper term for their grouping."  Xan watches the luminaunts for a while longer, then beds down for the night.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:20, Sun 07 Apr 2013.

"They one wonder of Xamador."  Talisi smiles.  Her Invaris is getting better.  She has moved from simple nouns and verbs to being more comfortable with adjectives and prepositions.  Sometimes the results are pretty funny.  She finishes cleaning up from dinner then leans against a tree, having drawn first watch.

cecil watches the Luminauts a bit more and then goes stands up and beings one of his training regimes. He skips the calisthenics since they've been on the move a lot and he will need his strength for tomorrow. instead he just goes through his weapon kata's, footwork and striking techniques.

The night passes in peace with the cooing of the luminaunts to sooth the group.  Soon the three of you are pressing on once more.

Several weeks in, the jungle breaks and you find yourself on the seashore.  It is nearing dusk and the ocean breeze feels wonderful after the oppressive humidity of the jungle.  Talisi asks to make camp high up on the beach.  Her Invaris is sufficient that she rarely stumbles over words now and her sentence structure is usually normal.  The only significant thing left is the telltale Kradok inflections and the deeper, rich timbre in a language meant for those with a high pitched, lilting voice.

Xan has already drifted off to sleep.  Talisi douses the fire.  The ocean waves and gulls chirping begin to lull you. [Roll Will, then Roll Spot]

Cecil looks out towards the ocean.

[Private to Game Master:  Might need to use iron heart surge. using it is an immediate action and ends any one spell, condition or effect currently affecting cecil with a duration of 1 or more rounds. So can't do shit against instant death attacks or the like, but lots of other uses. probably the single most powerfull maneuver in the book of nine swords to be honest. gonna wait and see what happens though.

18:28, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 13 using 1d20+4. spot.
18:27, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 10 using 1d20+1. will save.
 ]