The sun beats down on the Texas ground in a warm and humid mid-day. Trails cutting through the wilderness still follow old country road from the Golden Age, and one such trail leads north out of Silver Hill. Vagabonds and Saddletramps pass the them on the trail heading for Silver Hill. The sides of the trail are dotted with ruins of old homes and businesses, long since reduced to nothing but cracked foundations and bits of gravel. Once every two or three miles, some bizarre piece of alien flora has taken root on a hill or in the shade of an Earth tree, but mostly the view is of grass and scrub brush. The oil fields and ranch land are now wilderness inhabited by jackrabbits, birds, coyotes, and stranger fauna. The descendants of cattle still roam the hills in small herds of feral and lean heifers and bulls.

Who is using what vehicle or steed to travel?

Ethan is in the Behemoth.

Ranging out beside the Behemoth, Nyx is a proud figure on his black Arabian horse. Dressed now in a suit of polished Vasqueros body armour, with a faded black and white poncho atop and the grips from several weapons visible, he epitomises the 'slinger of lore. Slung in front of him is a old pre-Rifts style rifle, long and slender, and behind a duffle with a bedroll tied to it

Polkitain is riding on top of the Behemoth enjoying the wind much the same way a dog in a car does.

Riding his own Arabian, next to his brother, Doc sits tall. His keen eyes taking in every detail around them. There are a few times he makes a gun gesture with his hand while pointing at some of the wildlife scampering about.

Doc is wearing his full Branaghan Armor, duster included. None of his weapons, save his rifle and the pistols that sit on his thighs are visible, since the coat covers them.

Polkitain waves down to Doc and Nyx.

"I should get myself a poncho it looks stylish."

"Maybe a hat too."

Doc grinned, Polky was excited about everything, a certain innocence surrounded him. He was after all, basically, a child. Doc then nodded, "Don't worry Polky, after we sort this mess, me and Nyx will help you get a proper wild west outfit. If you're gonna run with us, you gotta look the part, yeah?"

"You got it Doc, It will be fun to shop for some clothing. You two can help me fit in."

Polk was happy grinning.

Kalista rode alongside the monstrous vehicle on her horse.

Polkitain waved to Kalista.

"I am glad the Lady in Green gave us something fun to do."

Polkitain flapped his wings a bit before folding them back behind him.

Kalista gave polite nod to the hatchling but did not respond to the statement as she was unsure if it was directed to her. In case it was she mumbled an affirmative.

Polkitain smiled something he realized sometimes scared people so he stopped quickly.

"I am glad Sir Arulas and you are not dragon slaying knights. I was kind of nervous when I met you both but your aces with me."

Polkitain unfolded his wings again and wind surfed on top of the Behemoth.

Doc chuckled, "Polky, ain't nobody gonna slay you buddy. Not long as I'm around, 'specially not these two. Like you said, they're aces."

As he rode Nyx's expression alternated between an intense focus and boredom. Whilst he appeared focused he, like his brother, made a gun gestures with his hand. Of course the difference was when he did it the result was small rocks exploded or a dead branch might be sliced from a nearby bush. His mouth twisted in something akin to a smirk when they did. When he was bored he would often taken a coin from his belt pouch and roll it across his knuckles, or circle a set of fine silver blades around his head - sending them off to chase around a tree or hapless rodent.

He chuckled at the hatchling's naivety and his brother's enthusiastic reassurance, "Definitely, Arulas is the Ace of Spades and Kalista the Ace of Hearts"

Kalista just shook her head at the adolescent banter.

Polkitain was really happy that he had used one of Docs sayings properly. He was still learning American and the various idioms.

Watching Nyx explode rocks and things Polkitain smiled, "That rock had it coming."

"Yeah I sure was glad you came across me, before you I thought everyone was like those Pecos Raiders."

Meanwhile, Samuel is looking through the data on that pad, while piloting the Behemoth. He is attempting to figure out where this lady might be getting stuff from and where they could corner her to take her down.

"Nyx watch it this isn't some fresh faced human girl you are dealing with. Oh no this was my mentor and trainer. And by the way Ace of Spades really? I haven't killed anybody this week and the rest had it coming being soul sucking demons and all." Arulas says as he sits his Mustang stallion. His rifle slung in an old style shotgun holster for the horse. "Besides it isn't like we got in over our heads lately."

Polkitain looks down at Sir Arulas and resists the urge.
He spends a few moments resisting and humming to himself.

After an hour he blurts out, "Sir Arulas, make your sword."

At the chastisement from his friend Nyx mimed doffing a hat to Lady Kalista and remained quiet for a time, though he did not desist in honing his precision with the unfortunate rocks as they rode
This message was last edited by the player at 07:02, Wed 22 June 2016.

Polkitain knocked on the pilot compartment looking for Samuel.

"Samuel, I figured out what the runes say. It just took me some time."

"Full of talents I see. So friend dragon, what doest the runes say?"

"Light, darkness, hate, death, and the letter for E. I thought you might add them to the glowy pad thing they gave you."

"Most interesting, I will. Three negatives, a positive, and E....."

Polkitain was pleased that he had helped out.

He was always glad when he could help his friends since most times he felt they helped him more then he was able to pay back.

After a moment of making Polk wait, "You have to have patience sometimes Polk." he was fond of saying, he summons a deep blue blade simple and yet functional.

Polkitain hopped a little and smiled.

"That is so cool."

"Thanks Sir Arulas !"

She continued to ride all o Nguyen with the others.

Doc looked over at Arulas, "And sometimes, Polky, you have to go do what you want. Different strokes for different folks I reckon though." Doc turns to his brother, "Nice shootin'... show off." he grinned.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:48, Wed 22 June 2016.

Polkitain looked like he was thinking Doc's words over he had heard similar things before.

"Keeps me sharp", shrugged Nyx with a trace of a smile. After a few moments he stopped however

Ethan had spent the first part of the journey to their destination in the Behemoth’s sickbay, double checking the supplies and equipment there. “Not that I really need these things anymore,” he thought to himself. Still he found comfort in the routine so he made his pre-combat inspections as he always had.

Once that task was completed he left sickbay and went to find Samuel. He would have liked to get to know the elves more or spend more time with Kalista but they were all outside of the Behemoth on their mounts. He had none and he didn’t think it would be very comfortable for anyone if he rode behind them in the saddle for any length of time. “Although,” he thought as he turned another corner, “the dragon is sitting on the roof. I could take a trip up to the observation deck and pop open a hatch. Talk to it…him, through it.” He nodded to himself, satisfied with that course of action just in time to find Samuel. “So what can you tell me about vampires and where it is we are going? I gathered from the talk earlier that water guns can hurt them?” Ethan did his best to keep his skepticism out of his voice but some leaked through.

Polkitain turned around, "Oh hello Ethan, ah vampires. My mother was a scholar and she imparted to me a lot of lore on vampires since they are a large threat here."</B>

"Hmmm where to start, well vampires come from this horrid thing a dark god like thing called a Vampire intelligence. It seeks out someone who it offers power for infecting the world with more vampires. In a way it is like a disease spreading from the one to many. There are three types of vampires. The Master which makes other copies like itself just not as powerful, they are called secondary, then there is a degenerate form of vampire called Wild Vampires. They lack uhmn intelligence and are more savage and physically powerful. Usually they travel in packs and because of that are very dangerous. As for their weaknesses in some way I think the dark god that makes them all has some kind of elemental background, because a lot of their weaknesses are tied to the elements."

Polkitain tried to remember more of the things he heard within his shell.

<Blue>"Running water hurts them, they need to sleep on soil I think soil for where they were made vampires. Silver and wood hurt them. Silver hurts a lot of supernatural creatures. Sunlight hurts them the most. I am not really sure why. Oh if you run silver or wood through their hearts they stop moving but they are not dead. Most things don't hurt vampires. They can shrug off and ignore a lot. My own claws work, I think dragons and vampires must be natural enemies because vampires can hurt us too."

"Oh some magic and psionics work against them too, if you can get some silver bullets. Also I am making some stakes."

Polkitain shows the stakes he has been working on.

"These are for their hearts, oh I almost forgot. Religious symbols seem to hurt them a lot. I need to make some crosses for people. I am not sure why but religious symbols can hold them back and if you touch them with it, it really hurts them."

Samuel looks up at Ethan from the pilots chair and motions for him to take the co-pilot seat.

He laughs then says, "Those old flicks from before the coming of the Rifts were right about garlic as well. At least as a repellent as does the Cross. However, when the Cross is touched to a vampire or a light is shined behind a Cross and it's shadow 'touches' the vampire it also causes physical damage. A common vampire hunting weapon is a flashlight with a Cross affixed in front of it. Unless they are staked with wood or silver through the heart, they regenerate anything. Once staked, you can chop off their head and burn it in one pile and the body in the other to truly kill it. That are dumping the body and head, seperately, in running water."

"Oh I forgot about the garlic, sorry. Yeah and they can't be seen in mirrors. Samuel is right even if you hit them with things that hurt them they heal fast like I do."

Polkitain scratches himself a bit with his claws and then bio-regenerates.

"Thanks Samuel, sometimes I forget things about them."

"Polkitain is having a blast up there don't you think?" Arulas says as a bit of scale drifts down. "Might as well make proper introductions Kalista this is Nyx and Doc. Twins this is Kalista."

Doc tips his hat to Kalista, "Pleasure to meet ya ma'am. Hope the travel suits ya alright."

Nyx mirrored his twins gesture, though in his environmental armour he had no hat to doff

"No problem bud. I am sure there are other things about them we are forgetting that don't seem important for just combat."

Ethan had listened silently as first Polk and then Sam answered his question. Seeing the dragon put his face against the pilot's windshield was something he found both comical and unnerving at the same time. The idea of seeing a dragon, let alone seeing one act so...silly was the best term he could think of, was something that had never, ever entered his mind. "It's my new normal though, best get used to it as soon possible."

Out loud he shook his head as he looked from Sam to Polk. “So crosses, garlic, sunlight, wood, silver and running water are what kills them huh? Well I guess it makes sense they would live here in the desert, not too many trees around to provide wood and not much water.” He looks at his mechanically inclined friend. “Can you rig up a backpack fed water gun of some kind? When I was little we called them ‘super soakers’. That was great fun for kids but for vampires it sounds like liquid death.”

In reply to Samuel Lund (msg # 17):

Samuel's study of the data doesn't turn up much new information to learn, but there is a little. See the private line below...

The unnamed band of troubleshooters rides steadily through the afternoon and into the evening. By the time that the sun set, Arulas's horse, a Mustang, becomes tired. The horse also won't go near the Behemoth robot so long as Polkatain is on the roof. If anyone notices, the Arabians being ridden by the twins show no such signs of fatigue. Kalista's steed, a Glittermount, is not actually tired but it does seem to act a little cranky after a long day of riding.

As the sky grows dark, camp is made next to a large tree just off the trail. The tree sits astride an old broken fence and a small stream of clean water. This camp is just on the edge of what is believed to be Lonestar territory according to Samuel's map. From here, the group should be able to reach Glory's coordinates in another four to six hours depending on how rested the horses are before continuing.

https://www.dreamstime.com/roy...sunset-image20647818

Does the group rest until morning? Is there a campfire? Who is staying inside the Behemoth? Is anyone standing watch?

It's a mostly clear night, and the air remains pleasantly warm. The Mustang drinks from the stream contentedly. A crow lands on a tree branch overhead and picks at its plumage. Then a second crow lands next to the first. Then there are four. Then there are eight. Within minutes, the tree is full of forty or fifty crows, lightly cawing.

Suddenly, the Mustang rears up and shouts a whinny. It tugs against its rope. Characters with Sixth Sense suddenly feel that danger is nearby. The murder of crows begins cawing very loudly and excitedly. Even the Glittermount lifts its head and begins looking around, more curious than excited though.

Samuel had been staying in the Behemoth. There was PLENTY of room for everybody, including the horses, given that the dragon slept in the observation room. Resting everybody, and the horses, sounded like a very good idea to him. He volunteers to do any shift of guard duty the others decided to work with.

Polkitain watched the crows and smiled but when more and more showed up and they began cawing loudly he looked around. "They sure are getting loud."

When it came to watches Polk volunteered for a watch.

Doc eyed the crows, and noted the horses reaction to them "Polky, can you try using your mystic mumbo jumbo on them birds... I ain't no expert, but that seems like a lotta crows to be hangin' about together." He gives his brother a sideways glance and a nod of his head toward the crows as well.

Doc will wait for an answer from someone with more 'senses' than him. Otherwise he'll sleep if he can, and take his turn at watch, likely in the middle since he has night vision.

"Ok I could do that Doc."

Polkitain uses his psychic abilities and flies over to the tree to talk with the crows and ask them whats up.



-6 ISP

In reply to Doc (msg # 37):

Nodding to the twins, "Likewise. Kalista Nugendare, Lady Cyberknight," her simple self introduction.

Kalista volunteers to remain outdoors and keep watch, she does not require sleep as often as most people, and meditation allows one to remain aware of ones surrounds while still resting the body and mind. She does not bother with campfire.

Her senses alert her to danger and she is on her feet and armed with her rifle in a moment, using her psychic senses and the sensory array in her armor to spot the threat.

Given the choice of sleeping inside the Behemoth, on his own bed, in his environmentally controlled quarters , with nary a insect, snake or bandit in sight or sleeping outside on a bedroll along with ants, spiders, snakes and the vampire threat, Ethan elects to sleep in his bed.

 Arulas is doing light exercise. Mostly Cyber-Knight excercises to increase his sensitivity to other things. When the danger arrives he snaps his eyes open. The monitor that he was attempting to affect returning to perfection. The little bit of static fades quickly.

Samuel hits a button in the cockpit, since night is about to fall. Over the main headlights and on all the other external lights 'Crosses' slide down. He looks down at the extensive instrument readouts to see what might be going on outside of visual sight range.

Using the intercom he says, "Hey Ethan, please come to the cockpit so I can explain a couple of controls to you."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:46, Sat 25 June 2016.

Kalista and Polkatain are outside of the Behemoth. Samuel, Ethan, and Arlus are inside. Nyx and Doc are exiting the robot to investigate the flock in the tree.

Samuel's study of the instruments reveal only that they are functioning. The short hills of the surrounding countryside offer a pretty good view by radar of the surrounding countryside. Other than the tree right here a couple of buzzards passing well to the north, there is nothing on the radar screen. Infrared and external cameras both offer an excellent view of the immediate surrounding area. Internal sensors offer green reports across the board.

Ethan hears Sam's summons and also the cawing outside which is growing louder.

Polkatain first notices that the crows are not alarmed by his presence which is unusual. Most native animals of this world run away from him. His psychic power would have calmed them if they were panicked though. He sends out a psychic query which can be translated as "wussup". The description reads that this power targets one animal at a time. Different crows in this murder will answer differently. Give me a D40 roll please.

As the twins approach the tree, the situation escalates. The crows are beating the wings and cawing at the tops of their lungs. The Mustang tries to get away, tugging on its rope violently. It looks like it might injure itself as it bucks and pulls away from the tree, but its rope holds fast. Suddenly, both feel a pushing against them, like they were both shoved in the chest by drunken cowboy looking to start a barroom brawl. Doc has the Gymnastics skill, so he can maintain his balance with a successful skill roll. Nyx has 6th Sense, so I'll give him a 25% chance also. If these rolls fail, the twins are knocked on their backs. If the rolls succeed, they are merely pushed backwards a step.

Kalista feels a danger rising somewhere near her. She suddenly feels a tap and hears a plink as something hits her armor on her right shoulder. It felt like a pebble being thrown at her, but her armor is undamaged.

Note for Arlus: I am assuming that his horse was tied up near the stream in the normal cowboy way. If Arlus would have instead kept his horse inside the Behemoth, we can change this so that the horse was inside the entire time. The downside is that Arlus will need to clean up after his steed in the morning.

Ethan hears Sam's voice on the intercom, summoning him to the pilot's compartment. He sets down the book he had been reading, one of Erin Tarn's, and gets out of his bunk. "Interesting perspective she has on the time before the Rifts," he thought as he slipped his feet into his boots. "For the most part she is more or less spot on but some of her theories..." he chuckled as he finished lacing his boots and tucked his fatigue pants into the tops.

Finished with that, he taps on the wall intercom, "I'll be right there" he says to Sam and then exits his quarters. As he walks along the corridors to reach the bridge, he hears the cawing of crows. "Well that's odd. Just how loud are those birds that I can hear them through all that armor and bulkhead plating? What the hell is going on outside?"

Then he arrived on the bridge and saw Sam pouring over the sensors. "I'm guessing your lesson on the controls is on hold on account of whatever is bothering those birds?" he says to his friend. "Is everyone else alright?"

"Not sure Ethan. The Scope is clean and nothing out of the normal is coming up on thermal or ultraviolet sensors. Seems to be the crows are having a bitching session about us being parked here....."

Doc stumbles and falls at the sudden push, he shakes his head, and quickly gets back to his feet, "You mystic types best get to figurin' what's up with these birds, else it's time for a little fun." a hint of hope in his voice as his hands drift toward his silver plated revolvers, which he kept loaded with silver bullets.

Polkitain cawed at the flock looking at the vast number of crows.
He also let his other senses reach out including his natural ability to see the invisible.


08:18, Today: Polkitain rolled 10 using 1d40.  One Die Fourty roll.

Nyx regarded the crows curiously as he and his twin approached the tree, his head cocked to one side. When the back of his neck tingled with a feeling of danger his hands moved automatically to hang by his pistols and he was ready when whatever force buffeted him and leaned to one side to keep his balance. As his brother fell he drew his pistols and hardened his mind

OOC: 20:27, Today: Nyx rolled 11 using 1d100.  Balance, 25%.
Activating Mind Block

https://www.dreamstime.com/sto...ground-image47151138

One lone crow drops down off of its branch and flies onto the Mustang. It scratches at the horse's flank with its claws. The damage is only a minor scratch, but the horse is in a full panic now. The two Arabians still look like they don't care. The glittermount is beginning to back away from the tree.

At this point, anyone who makes a successful Perception Roll of 17 or better will notice someone special about a specific crow. This includes Ethan and Samuel who are observing events electronically.

Immediately after the attack against the Mustang, half of the murder (roughly twenty crows) leap out of the tree and fly towards the twins and-or the open door to the robot behind them.

The Mustang tumbles over onto the ground.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:34, Sun 26 June 2016.

Samuel is not looking at individual birds, but at the whole flock diving towards the Behemoth. He shuts the bay doors until somebody outside asks for them to be opened. Then goes goes and gets into his armor.

"Looks like there is some kind of bad ju-ju with the crows. I am going to go get into my armor."

Okay, Samuel is doing his thing, and the doors are closing behind the twins. He is still entitled to that Perception Roll you want it.

OOC: Just thinking but I failed the Perception check
05:31, Today: Nyx rolled 12 using 1d20 ((12)).

Ethan looks out of the windshield and over the displays but sees no cause for any of what s happening outside. He nods his head at Sam as he leaves to gets his body armor. "Roger, I will stay here until you get back," he says.

23:05, Today: Ethan rolled 16 using 1d20.  Perception. So close!

With the crows diving towards them, Nyx calmly begins to take potshots

Doc has a grin on his face, but there is a certain anger behind it now, "Brother, let's handle this mess, yeah?" he fires two shots from his laser pistols into the group of folks heading towards him and his brother.

08:16, Today: Doc rolled 5 using 2d6.  dmg.

08:16, Today: Doc rolled 7 using 2d6.  dmg.

08:15, Today: Doc rolled 23 using 1d20+4.  shootin' crows.

08:15, Today: Doc rolled 21 using 1d20+4.  shootin' crows.

"They seem to be controlled, like a hive mind. Do vampires control crows ?"

He looked at one of the crows fly down and attack the mustang.

"Hey leave that alone, that's Sir Arulas horse!"

When part of the flock took off Polkitain worried about his companions and breathed a puff of his toxin cloud into the crows leaving the tree.


07:46, Today: Polkitain rolled 17 using 1d20+3.  Perception.
Polkitain saw something strange about one of the crows.

perception Nat 20 for 22

Calista fired at the tree itself.

Doc is firing his revolvers. Which weapons are Nyx and Kalista using?

OOC: Probably the Wilks-Remi Six Shooters

Polkitain said, "Doc, Nyx, green glowy eyes."

Polkitain flew towards the unique crow.

"Why do you attack my friends ? We mean you no harm." Polkitain was tense knowing that shape or form didn't really matter as he himself could shapeshift.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:23, Mon 27 June 2016.

Kalista is currently armed with her JA-12 Sniper.

"Aw come on that was a good horse." Arulas seems annoyed rather than pissed off. The twins are taking potshots and Polkitain is breathing poison gas. Arulas grabs his rifle and takes a single shot at the murder of crows.

Rolled a 22 on perception. Natural 20 as well. That is a little crazy. Will roll attack in a minute

Arulas and Ethan both notice it also.



Several guns light up the night at almost the same time. Nyx shoots one bird. Doc shoots two birds. Arulas shoots a bird. Kalista shoots the tree. The struck birds explode in a grotesque scene. Kalista's laser burns a fist sized hole directly through the tree's trunk and superheated bark explodes from the exit point as if the tree has been struck by lightning.
Kalista just earned that XP bonus for a good but fruitless idea.

Remaining birds: 37.

As Polkitain swoops off the robot, he unleashes a funnel of smoke-like gas on the flying hoard. Thirteen of the birds drop in mid-flight and fall headfirst into the dirt. Only four birds of the original twenty survive the shooting gallery and reach the twins.

Remaining birds: 24 (that's 20 in the tree & four near the entrance hatch of the robot)
The four remaining crows flap at the twin cowboys and try to scratch at them but are unable to do much against their armor. One of the four crows drops onto the old fence and stares at the twins with eyes that begin to glow green. Nyx and Doc, both of you please roll me a Save vs Psychic Attack roll when you declare your next actions.

The Mustang remains on its side on the ground. It kicks wildly at nothing.

Polkitain lands with thud near the Mustang. Right now, it is very clear to the dragon that a malevolent supernatural evil is present. He can feel it in his spines. The dragon's telepathic query is answered with...

Kalista sees her Glittermount stumble and fall onto its knees.

Samuel can be finished donning is armor now as I don't want him to miss out on this entire scene while he changes if there is something you would like for him to try.

Irritated by the flurry of crows diving and cawing at him, Nyx nonetheless took in the watcher with the green eyes and turned his attention fully towards it, loosing a pair of shots at the bird as it balanced on the fence

Doc, like his twin, took aim at the green eyed crow. As quickly as his eyes turned, so did his guns. He fired.

OOC these attacks are assuming a save, post can be edited if need be.
07:39, Today: Doc rolled 9 using 4d6.  dmg if hit.

07:39, Today: Doc rolled 6 using 1d20+4.  two shots for the green eyed crow.


07:38, Today: Doc rolled 9 using 1d20.  save vs psychic attack +2 if it's mind control.

"I sense supernatural evil and I am getting that they feed off fear."

"I don't think the crows need to be killed they may just have been caught up in this. This one though seems to be a focal point."

"We don't wish to take your fear, we don't feed off such things. We can talk so no more crows need to be harmed. Are you willing to stop the attack and talk ?"

Samuel, his armor, and rifle in hand appear approximately 200ft up in the air a little to the side of the Behemoth. This so he wont land on it. During the half a second of slow free-fall he evaluates the situation. On his way to the ground he shoots the crow that the others are facing off against on the pole.

Kalista fired a grenade at the birds on tree/near remains of tree.

Polkitain grew more and more stressed as people kept firing.

His tail flicking back and forth held low.

I made an error, people. I called for rolls to Save vs Psionics. It's actually Saves vs Horror Factor that I needed. The relevant text for this monsters specifically reads, Their victims must already be alarmed if not already scared for this ability to work. They must also stare at their victim's eyes as their prey stares back at the glowing green ones. The victim must make a Save vs Horror Factor of 14 (17 if more than 30 are present) against this ability. The crows may attempt this action twice per melee round. The saves versus psychic attacks and mind control come into play later.

I have consulted character sheets for the appropriate bonuses. I am really trying to avoid invoking initiative rules here because that interferes with natural posting rates. Here is what shakes out next...

Nyx and Doc both take aim at the spooky crow on the fence and feel their concern grow into a sudden surge of adrenaline-feed panic. Both find themselves unable to fight the creature. Their hands shake too much to draw aim. Instead, they very, very much would like to run away.

Around this same time, Samuel appears at the edge of the battlefield. His presence goes unnoticed by all. Since there is a bonus to strike mentioned, I am assuming that this is not really a wild shot but an aimed shot he is making.

Polkitain's queery towards the branch-sitting crow is answered rudely.

Kalista's grenade launcher punts a live round against the trunk of the tree. In a jaw-rattling and ear pounding explosion, the center of the tree and everything within a ten foot blast radius is reduced an instant later to smoke, ash, and tiny pieces of debris. The Mustang takes another five points of damage from shrapnel. The other three horses are sort of knocked sideways but don't look damaged.

Polkitain alone sees something extraordinary happen next. Two translucent raven-like beings emerge fluttering from the smoke. They fly past him and straight into the bodies of two of the surviving crows near the twins.

Remaining crows: 4

Kalista notices that her Glittermount is pushing itself upright again.

Samuel's shot will go off in my next post.

Ethan  was surprised but not afraid exactly of everything that was unfolding outside the Behemoth. The swarm of crows, the dragon belching poison gas and Sam appearing in mid air, falling and firing his weapon. “Not to mention that one crow with the glowing green eyes…” but then that particular crow ceases to exist as Kalista blows up that crow and the tree it was sitting on. “Well that’s one way to solve the problem,” he muses. Then he spots the flesh and blood horse being injured from all the splash damage and the claws of the crows.

His healer’s instincts flare to life and he wills a protective dome of force over the horse, large enough to accommodate it if it makes it to its feet. Then he sprints for the main exit hatch of the Behemoth, not bothering to put on his armor first.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:51, Thu 30 June 2016.

Polkitain seemed to have a dawning look of understanding come over him but only Nyx and Doc could probably read his draconic features.

"I think this situation may be my fault. The crows fear of me drew what possessed them to come here."

When the grenade went off Polkitain winced and fell sideways shaking his head. He blinked and then his eyes opened wider. He looked to be slightly in pain.

"Oh." Polkitain said his eyes tracing something unseen to the others.

"Possessing spirits of some kind, spirit ravens. I think I have a picture of what happened. The crows became afraid of me which drew these spirits to them. Then they wanted to feed off your fears. They might be feeding off your horses fear Sir Arulas. Two of the spirits flew into those crows." He gestured to the newly possessed crows.

"If we leave and do not produce fear they may simply go elsewhere. Otherwise it is spirits we would need to be prepared to face. These crows are not at fault."

Arulas lowers the weapon. "Polk that makes some sense, but they attacked. All they had to do was fly away. Not to mention that they found us after we made camp. Fighting isn't an option in this case. They want the fight. I get it I do. This isn't about killing innocent crows. The spirits are out for blood Polk. We have to stop them." with that he aims carefully at the lead crow with the rifle. When he is sure he has it lined up he shoots. He drops his rifle onto the ground, but off to the side. Then starts to concentrate his hands start glowing brilliant white.

Polk shook his head hard when he saw Sir Arulas speaking in his direction. Not like he was saying no, but more like he was getting his hearing back.

Catching some of Sir Arulas words, Polkitain nodded.

"Alright."

He turned to the crows remaining, "You need to go." He moved to Ethan to protect his unarmored friend.

Nyx blinks hard. He had begun to fall under the effects of this strange attack, but his mental discipline from years of psychic training served him well. He shook off the hypnotic effects. Doc, however, did fall victim to the corvid's mesmerizing stare. He steadied his aim again at plump feathered target --

Samuel's weapon fired before Nyx squeezed his trigger. A laser from the Operator's Wilks 577 struck the still target on the fence. The bird vanished in a flash, leaving behind only some burning features and a cloud of red vapor.

Polkitain alone can see another translucent bird spirit on the fence exactly where the living bird was sitting one second ago.

The entrance hatch on the Behemoth opens, and Ethan emerges from it.

Arlus finds that his target away was taken Samuel's shot. He moves his aim to one of the other remaining crows who are flapping around the twins. BANG! His weapon takes off the head of one more crow.

Remaining live crows: 3

Arlus immediately drops his gun to the dirt and begins the process of psychically forging his favored weapon.

Doc still feels the terror gripping him. He is unable to make any offensive actions. On the other hand, the Mustang has stopped kicking.

The crows which had been scampering around the twins shift their attention. One turns its eyes toward Samuel who just dramatically announced his presence. The other hopped a half circle to face Kalista. I need Saves vs Horror Factor of 14 from both of you before you take any further actions.

08:11, Today: Kalista rolled 12 using 1d20+5.  sv HF.

Kalista is paralyzed for a moment by her fear.

Polkitain interposed himself between Ethan and the crows extending his wings protectively incidentally making himself look bigger.

"My friends your only killing the crows not the spirits possessing them. Can any of you see spirits and entities ?"

"I think, I may have a way of affecting the spirits."

Polk winced as he heard the crash.



How many spirits can Polkitain see ?

This message was last edited by the player at 15:11, Fri 01 July 2016.

Samuel continues to fall, but reaching the ground his exoskeleton's enhanced strength takes up the force as he hits the ground. He does go down to a kneeling position and has his rifle raised looking for additional targets.

"And if there are no crows they can't take up residence and mind frell us Polk. What is the alternative."

There are currently three live crows in the area. One is now landing on the fence around Nyx and Doc. A second is in the grass near Kalista. A third is in the grass near Samuel. I am not counting the dozen or so crows twitching on the ground under the effects of Polkitain's toxin.

Polkitain can only see the spirits when they are outside of a body. To see a spirit while it is possessing a body, one would need See Aura or at least Sense Presence. He can currently see one spirit still perched on the fence where its body had been blow away. That's a total of four crows in the area, 3 live and 1 visible spirit.

Ethan is looking at the backside of a dragon who has just leap in front of him, all wings spread and fangs on display.

Samuel catches a glimpse of illuminated green in the eyes of the crow that is hopping towards him, but he does not feel the paralyzing fear take hold.

Kalista on the other hand experiences something different. Despite facing down master vampires and other horrors, something about the glow of this crow's eyes is unique. It's fearfulness is potent when it takes hold. She can run or shout, but she cannot attack right now.

Nyx is not currently under any effects, but he does have some splattered crow blood all over him.

The two Arabian horses are still just standing near the creek as if nothing interesting is happening.

I am going to call this the end of a melee round and the beginning of another. This round, Arulas' psi-sword will form. Kalista and Doc will each need to make a saving throw versus psychic attack (standard rules, but there is a -2 penalty to roll while under the initial fear effect).
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:41, Fri 01 July 2016.

Polkitain lets his eyes sweep over the area. Studying the crows.

Doc is still dumbstruck with a feeling of fear.

13:55, Today: Doc rolled 11 using 1d20.  save please.

Nyx's fingers squeezed the triggers of both pistols for a moment, before he eased back the pressure. Out of the corner of his mouth he asked the dragon, "Tell me why I shouldn't end them, Polk?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:08, Sat 02 July 2016.

"I might be able to effect the spirits and not the crows. I am trying to find out how many spirits there are."

Ethan is surprised by the abrupt appearance of Polk in all his dragon glory. His wings completely block his view of what was left of the tree and the crows but that was alright with Ethan. “The big guy wants to run interference for me, that’s fine,” he thought has he sprinted for the injured mustang.

An instant before his mad dash would slam him into the nearly invisible barricade of his force field, the dome seems to flicker in and out of existence. In the span of two heartbeats, it disappears only to reappear the moment Ethan is past its threshold. He slides to a stop like a runner coming into home plate with the ball hot on his heels. Then he lays his unarmored hands on the horse.

Ethan reaches the horse and begins performing his services as this team's medic. He seems unconcerned about any dangers around him.

Doc begins to see a multitude of crows all around him. His vision fills with feathers and talons closing in on him. Doc has begun to experience the hallucination of being torn apart by an endless number of crows. I will let the player describe the experience and how Doc reacts to it.

Polkitain squints and begins perceiving his surroundings through his third eye. Observing auras, he sees that there are three spirits present. One of them is bodiless and perched on the fence. The second is revealed by the possessed aura of the crow near Kalista. The third spirit is inside of the crow near Samuel. None of the drugged crows nor the live crow who just hopped onto the fence are possessed. These three spirits have very malevolent auras. Polk also notices that Ethan's aura seems particularly strong for a human.

Arulas' psi-sword erupts to life from his hands.

With Sir Arulus' psi-sword flaring in to life, Nyx fires at the nearest crows in his line of sight - a single shot at each of them

As the crows appear, Doc starts shouting, "Too many of 'em!" as his arms flail wildly. Doc is swatting the crows away with his pistols, at least trying. No matter what he does, there always seems to be more. If he swats one, there are three in that ones place. Doc then starts running, stumbling and falling more than once, towards the Behemoth, "Get 'em off me!" he shouts, a cold sweat now breaking out on his forehead.

As Doc makes a mad dash to the behemoth screaming how he is getting torn up. Arulas flexes his right arm and does a few flicks with his white psi-sword. The effort of manifesting it was a little draining, but not extreme. The effort of maintaining it leaves him a little distracted. He walks up to the nearest crow slowly and rather calmly. As he approaches in Dragonese he says "I suggest you spirits leave. The fact is this will hurt you I have no doubt. We have fought vampires and walked away. You shall not survive this. Of course you could stay and we will rid the world of a minor evil."

Polkitain joins with Sir Arulas statements.

"Yes go back to what dimension you came from, our next actions will hurt even spirits." His eyes narrow.


09:00, Today: Polkitain rolled 60 using 1d100.  Intimidation.
Success by 5

Without the use of Commune with Spirits or Telepathy, these spoken words go unheeded. ...or perhaps the crow spirits are just stubborn. Either way, they do not retreat. The spirits are calling Arulas' bluff.

Polkitain wanted to tell Ethan to get back in the behemoth he didn't want his friend hurt. Though he wanted to join Sir Arulas and so he shuffled his claws digging into the ground.

Polk can still relay that message to Ethan, but his instructions will be ignored at the moment. If Polk studies Ethan, he might notice that there is an almost transparent shimmering effect around the man and the mustang -- your call as to whether Polk sees it or not.

Here is the tactical situation. Arulas, Kalista, Nyx, and Doc all possess weapons which they are reasonably certain are capable of harming spirits. Polkitain is uncertain if any of his attacks will effect spirits, but he is the only character who can spot them all. Doc is trying to get inside the Behemoth unsuccessfully because the door was hatch was closed.

Polkitains poke out of the side of his mouth quietly.

"Ethan, could you, you know get to safety I don't want you hurt."
It might have appeared comical the way he was whispering but Polk was serious his voice not joking at all.

(in NPC mode)

"I will be finished with this patient soon enough. Don't worry about me for now. I am better protected than most."

Doc continues frantically looking for a way inside the Behemoth, swatting at the non-existent crows that are pecking and tearing at him.

Polkitain nodded and moved to one of the possessed crows.

Reaching out to try and touch it. His body become limed with a golden white glow.

Kalista remains frozen, unable to move.

He gave the crow all the warnings he felt he needed to. He swipes at the nearest green eyed crow.

The first attacker to reach his target is Polkitain. He strikes at the crow who is landing on the fence. The animal makes no effort to avoid the dragon, perhaps arrogantly believing that it cannot be harmed. His claw wraps tight around the small burn, and a hissing noise comes from the creature as if it were a tea kettle about to whistle. The bird flaps wildly, but the animal's aura has shifted. It has lost its supernatural color leaving behind only the aura of a healthy natural (and panicking) animal. A part of the fence collapses under the dragon's weight.

Sir Arulas is the next to reach a target. He strikes at the creature in the grass near Samuel. The bird does attempt flap backwards out of the way, but Arulas' grace and speed far exceed the challenge of striking the grounded bird. With a flash of his sword, the bird is sliced in twain. The elf thinks that he can feel resistance at the tip of his blade as if something is really there like an invisible hand which grips and pushed back against energy weapon.

Meanwhile, the nightmare crows in multiplying in Doc's vision all around him.

Nyx and Samuel each feel a sharp impact against his armor. According to his HUD, the suit was just attacked by an unidentified projectile. It was actually a telekinetic bullet, a weapon which Nyx knows intimately. Nyx' body armor and Samuel's power armor each lose 1 point of MDC from their main bodies.

One phantom crow remains in spirit form sitting on what remains of the fence. A second phantom crow is in the body of a live crow, and that crow is in some tall grass near Kalista. A third feels like it's on the business end of Arulas' sword, but he cannot see it.

"You are free." Polkitain said happily. Then the fence gave out and he hit the ground. Polk shook his head then turned letting his eyes sweep over things.

"Keep the pressure on your sword Sir Arulas, I will try to help Lady Kalista." Polkitain tried to place himself between her and the crow if there was only a little space he tried to interpose a wing, hoping that doing so would break the strange spell the spirit had on her.

He tried reaching out to grasp that crow not hard enough to kill it merely to hold it.



07:26, Today: Polkitain rolled 20 using 1d20+3.  Try to gently grasp the crow.
07:27, Today: Polkitain rolled 14 using 1d20+4.  Pull Punch.


"Go back to your home dimension, you can be harmed and even killed."

If he has the crow in his grasp and the spirit refuses to go he will use the same attack as he did on the last one.

'Well guess I will have some repair work to do after all,' Sam thinks.

He finally notices that Doc is desperate so he uses his remote installed in his armor to open the door of the Behemoth so that Doc can get in. He shoots anything that tries to go in after him.

OOC: See Aura and Intuitive combat activated this turn. Up until now Arulas thought that the spirits could only inhabit the crows. Guessing he was wrong he attempts to see or sense the spirit crow at the end of his blade.

Doc leapt inside as soon as the door was open enough for him to do so, shouting about crows and saying things Kalista may find repugnant while he does so.

With his brother escaping inside the Behemoth, Nyx scanned the surrounding terrain to see if he could spot where the telekinetic rounds had originated from

The crow which was held by Polkitain leaps out of the dragon's claw and flies away with a very loud caw. The crow spirit which was sitting on the fence glides down and attempts to enter the body of that fleeing crow. The entity is rebuffed because the crow made its saying throw and bounces away.

Polkitain is bluffing when he makes his threat unless he finds another source of ISP, but it is a bluff which might work. Now that he has demonstrated a capacity for both finding and harming the spirits, they have a reason to heed his threats.

After Samuel opens the robot's hatch, Doc is able to scramble inside. From his position, Sam is able to monitor the entire site including the inside of the robot. He doesn't perceive anything following Doc inside. The only remaining active crow is staring down Kalista. There are exactly fourteen alive but incapacitated crows in the grass around Nyx' feet. Ethan and the horse seem to be just fine on the far side of the battlefield.

Arulus activates his power of See Aura which kicks in at the speed of thought. There is definitely a small aura at the tip of his blade, and it does not belong to the dead crow which was just bifricated by his psi-sword. The entity there is seriously injured but alive and supernaturally evil. The knight's intuitive combat requires some time and focus to bring up. GM's note: The restrictions on Intuitive Combat are extreme; am I right? It takes an entire melee round to activate, has a short duration, and cancels out all of psychic powers while it is in use.

Nyx is still standing amidst a murder of drugged crows flopping around in the dirt. He looks around but sees no clear source of attack. From the angle, it seems to have originated from the tree or what is left of it in front of him. With a successful skill roll of his Intelligence skill, he might be able to make a more precise educated guess.

Polkitain lands with a thump between the remaining possessed crow and Kalista. The breaking of line of sight seems to have the desired effect. Kalista feels the paralyzing fear lifting and is able to move freely again. The hatchling, however, is now being stared down by those glowing corvid eyes. Polk needs to make a saving throw versus Horror Factor of 13. If he fails, he is paralyzed by the entity's Induce Fear power just like Kalista was. If he succeeds, he may deliver his threat and make his Intimidation Roll.

Doc hears the phantom flock following him into the Behemoth. He feels their beaks and claws continue to tear at his flesh. This effect will persist until all either all of the spirit crows are destroyed, until they leave the area, or until they drink their fill of fear which can take hours.

12:15, Today: Polkitain rolled 7 using 1d20+3.  Save vs Horror.

19:18, Today: Nyx rolled 64 using 1d100.  Intelligence vs 41%.

Those rolls were not good. Polkitain finds himself mesmerized and gripped with terror. He may attempt to run away, but he cannot attack. Nyx suspects that the telekinetic bullet which struck him may have originated from one of the crows on the ground, playing stoned opossum.

Samuel sees no option but to use something he doesn't know almost anything about. His rifle is slung, a panel in the palm of his right gauntlet retracts exposing a small strip of bare skin. He reaches over to the non-vibro blade that he has sheathed on his left side and draws the weapon.

Polkitain's jaw drops a bit and his claws dig into the ground.
Obviously caught up the same way Lady Kalista had been.

Nyx could recognize from his body posture Polkitain was afraid.



"room, room in Be.. behem.. robot for me ?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:24, Fri 08 July 2016.

Doc continues to swat, and scream, to the point of near madness. The crows had gotten into the behemoth some how. If they didn't stop soon, he'd have to shoot them.

When Samuel grasps the small sword at his waist, his vision suddenly becomes sharper and clearer. Even the deep shadows in the evening light seem generously illuminated. One of the effects of this blade is that it grants the spell effect of Eyes of the Wolf. A small amount of movement catches his eye. It's a translucent bird swooping down from the sky.

Normally, there is a percentage roll to determine if the subject of the spell can see invisible items or not. I am just giving this one to you without a roll so to move things along. Sam can now see the invisible crow spirits just like Polkitain can. The sword does have other effects, but they are not immediately apparent.

The Spirit Crow drops out of the sky and glides into the body of one of the drugged crows.

Meanwhile, the possessed crow in front of Polkitain caws loudly at the hatchling. Polkitain understands the demon-bird's meaning, "This is punishment for what you have done with your claw. You will feel the claws of birds at your throat forever." Make that roll to save versus psionics now, normal rules but with a -2 penalty. Bonuses to save versus psi or mind control may be applied.

With his companions deeply afraid and nothing in sight beyond the crows, Nyx can do nothing but scan for further signs of where the danger is coming from

Polkitain still caught in the crows gaze knew he had to do something. When he heard it speak and felt the psychic touch he sealed up his mind. Mind Block He tested to see if that helped free him from the paralyzing stare.


06:54, Today: Polkitain rolled 13 using 1d20+1.  Save vs psionics.
only +1 with the penalty but it does make the save.
Ahh I forgot my ME is used for saves vs psionics not PE.
so the roll would have been 2 higher. 15

This message was last edited by the player at 18:25, Sun 10 July 2016.

Samuel uses his exoskeleton's mechanical might to leap into the air and come down with the magical swords blade on the drugged crow that was just possessed.


Using the PA for movement and power.
10:35, Today: Samuel Lund rolled 10 using 1d20+2.  Drugged Crow Attack.
-Mr. GM, go ahead and roll whatever damage you think is appropriate. :-)

Polkitain shrugs off a psychic attack from the possessed bird cawing in front of him. Switching to a more defensive tactic, the hatchling throws up a barrier which seals shut his own third eye. Like the slamming of a door, he immediately feels relief. The terror which froze his actions earlier is gone and seems a little silly in retrospect. He may now act freely and even attack if he wishes. However, he has lost benefit of his perceptive powers of See Aura and See the Invisible. He can no longer track the movements of these entities.

Samuel's leap through the air leads him to one of the crows on the ground. His sword comes down on the crow's body, point-first. The blade severs the animal's head from its feathery body and slides into the dirt below. Samuel alone witnesses the crow-shaped ghost leave the bird's body as if popping out of a bird house. The entity hops away through the tall grass.

Meanwhile, Arulas still perceives an entity at the tip of his psi-sword. With a slight release of pressure, the entity escapes. The bodiless aura looks more like a vague smudge of light across his vision than a target, but he can track its movement towards the nearby body of another one of the crows which Polkitain incapacitated earlier.

Doc is still haunted -- literally -- by the vision of crows attacking him.

Nyx feels a pressure on his brain as if something is trying to get in. The Induce Fear attack is being used on you again. Make another roll to Save versus Horror Factor. This time, the target number is only 13. It would be 14, but Nyx already beat this once, so I am granting him a slight edge.

Kalista and Ethan fall into a random rift. They will fall out when their players are available again.

Samuel runs after the 'ghost crow' and tries to attack it before it can inhabit another body.


20:14, Today: Samuel Lund rolled 19 using 1d20+2.  Ghost Crow Attack.
-Dodge that bird breath.

Despite Samuel's precision, his blade simply passes through the immaterial spirit.

Clenching his teeth Nyx muttered, "Get. Out. Of. My. Head!"

Doc, meanwhile, has completely wrapped himself in blankets trying to get the crows to stop. Nothing was working, this is maddening and he wasn't sure how much more he could take. Something had to be done, he searched out a cargo compartment to try to hide inside of.

I made a mistake. Polkitain can still see the spirits. He can see the one currently flying away from Arulas and towards one of the poisoned birds.

"Sir Arulas, the one below your sword moved it is heading to that one."
Polk pointed off towards it before he focused on the one near him. His body began to glow with white gold divine light again.

"Last chance, return to your world or be ended."

This scene is dragging badly, so let's wrap it up. Here comes the inevitable conclusion.

The spirits retreat. They fly away, not to their own home world, but into the deeper wilderness to regroup and seek out easier prey. The adventurers may take pride in the fact that they managed to banish one of the entities and destroy another before running off the survivors.

Kalista and Nyx both regain their full wits after having won their struggles to control their own thoughts. Doc didn't fare as well, but he feels the phantom experience fade away into a hazy but still unpleasant memory. He emerges from his security blanket with a sore throat from all of screaming and shouting he has done in the last couple of minutes.

Doc will to make a Save vs. Insanity roll. If he fails, he may develop a phobia of crows from his experience.

What really happened: The group was jumped and attacked by a specific species of entity called the Scaring Crows. These creatures possess living creatures like their cousins, Possession Entities, but these monsters are limited to specifically possessing crows and ravens. Scaring Crows feed on fear. Four such entities were hunting in the area when they were attracted to the fear that the horse was experiencing from Polkitain's presence. Four such entities were working together as a pack and mind controlling a larger flock of crows. Scaring Crows prefer to isolate a target and gang up on her, but they couldn't do that this time. The four began haunting the group, beginning with the horses and moving onto the two-legged critters, to see who was vulnerable. Their paralyzing fear is a form of attack with no lingering damage, and it requires a target to first be scared or at least alarmed. This attack sets up the target for the Murdermare psychic assault which creates the Scaring Crows' honey pot of delicious fear. Due to some dice results, only Doc fell victim to the full force of the Murdermare, and that only lasted for a couple of melee rounds instead of the hours that Scaring Crows prefer. The first entity to be defeated was moving from one possessed crow to another when it failed its possession attempt and was booted to its home world as a result. The second entity was destroyed by Polkitain. The third was wounded by Arulas. The third and fourth flew away just now. The mind-controlled crows (those few which survived the hacking and the explosion) recover slowly from their poisoning and disperse during the following few minutes.

Scaring Crows come from the Beyond the Supernatural article written by Stephen Dawes in The Rifter, Issue #44 if anyone wants to look them up.

Polkitain checked on Doc and the others to make sure they were ok.

When he had a chance he asked Samuel if he had any writing tools and paper.
"I would like to write down our experiences as we go along."

Doc, finally calmed down enough to come out of the storage area he'd hidden inside. "Those dang birds gone?" he asked hopefully.


09:36, Today: Doc rolled 8 using 1d20.  save vs insanity. dang....

Polkitain nods, "Yes the spirits have fled. Your safe now."

"Adventuring after the coming of the Rifts sure changed a nice camping trip."

Samuel heads over to Doc, pats him on the shoulder and says, "I have some cough drops in the dinning area, cabinet next to the frig, 2nd shelf. Help yourself."

Otherwise he heads off to get out of his armor and back to whatever he was previously doing.

Polkitain was a bit saddened that Samuel hadn't answered him but everyone was busy and dealing with what had happened.

Polkitain returned outside and was glad that Sir Arulas horse was alright. A brief look around and Polk flew back up to the top of the behemoth and curled up.

Obviously Samuel's concern for Doc, even if it wasn't showing as such, was distracting him.

After he gets his armor off Samuel will bring Polk a data pad to record his experiences on. Should that not be enough, there are pen and paper in the observation lounge storage closet.

Polk looks at the data pad when Samuel shows it to him a little dubiously.

"I don't want to break it, the paper and pen will be fine." Polk quicly recovered from any sulking though he still felt bad at what the crow had said that the fear he created was what drew them.

Polk slithers back into the Behemoth and writes down a journal entry describing the encounter with the crows and what they were able to learn of the experience. He event tried his hand at a bit of art sketching the tree and crows.

"Thank you Samuel." Polk nodded genuinely appreciative.

"Doc, you ok? I have no idea what you saw, but you were acting quite unlike yourself." He looks in the general direction of his horse as well as the rest of the horses. "Let guess you two got the robo-horses."

Doc gives Samuel a nod, "Thanks Sam. I appreciate that." looking over to Sir Arulas Doc shrugged, "Crows everywhere man, picking and pecking at me... terrible stuff man. And yeah, the horse is a robot."

Everyone may continue speaking in-character in this thread, but I am also going to start a fresh thread for the fresh week.

Pokitain looks to Doc, "They fed off fear, Doc I am glad you overcame it. If we ever run into them again try not looking in their eyes. When I placed my wing between one of these fear crow spirits and Lady Kalista it broke the spell the creature had on her."

"I will try and write down everything I can about them, it might help others in the future."

Doc gave Polky an easy smile, "Polky, I got a feelin' I'm gonna start shootin' crows on sight for quite a while now. That was awful. Write down everything you can, but not the part about me cryin' like a girl. Leave that out."

"Right, I will try to what is the word ? Fib, no bend the truth, wait Embellish that's it ! I will embellish your bravery."

Arulas chuckles at Polk. "No Polk just leave it out. Say something like he made a strategic retreat."