Leonia muses aloud "perhaps a spell that travels, like Dancing Lights, can lure the butterflies away from an area we are in. An experiment we may need to try at some point. Actually, what of an illusion of butterflies following Lilly if we encounter her again? It might unsettle her enough to make a mistake."

Akane considers it for a moment: "I could sent a silent image after her... But then I wouldn't be able to do anything else during the entire fight. Well, I can still coordinate a dance-fight, I suppose... But I wouldn't be able to attack or cast other spells."

OOC: Concentrating on a spell is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, which means Akane will only have a move action available on each turn. It's still a potentially viable idea if Lilly considers the firefly a real threat: at the very least it should make it easier to get a flanking bonus.

Aran nods in agreement.

"It's the best plan we've been able to come up with so far. For now though, we should get some sleep. I'll take the last watch, so Leonia and Dakash will have some time to 'prepare' their magic."

Aran scoffs playfully as he lays down to relax and warm himself near the fire.

"Well, when faced with an enemy in their own territory, I have never seen it come to pass that success is met by letting them choose the time and location of the battle. If we wish, I can attempt to track this bog nixie, at least to places she's been, and perhaps those places will also steer us clear of these undead sprites she seemed to be wary of as well."


Dakash Szagdala rolled 12 using 1d20+7 with rolls of 5.  Track (if necessary) otherwise take 10.

Not sure the DC or parameters of this so...

"Then I'll take first watch, with Midnight to watch my back." Leonia says as she pulls out a spellbook to study.

Dakash is fine with second or third, though he prefers to see the sunrise. The preference of other spellcasters getting the rest they need is given higher priority than his desire to usher in a new day with prayer.

OOC: Guard shifts: Leonia 30 (+midnight 28), Dakash (?), Levithian (1), Akane (9), Aran (?).Leonia's shift passes without many surprises; at one point, she gets a definite feeling of being watched. As she carefully inspects the surroundings, however, all she notices is a little lizard-like animal scampering away from the big scary elf.

Leonia casts a Detect Magic, in case the Lizard is a polymorphic Lilly, come to spy on them. When the time comes, she awakens Dakash.

First round: Leonia finds that magic auras are present within her line of detection.

Leonia hands flash into a spellcasting pattern.

Initiative 11 on d20+4.


"Dakash, wake up!" she hisses.

A few moments later, Dakash wakes up. By the time he gets his bearings, Leonia is no longer sensing any magic auras.

Groggy, foggy, soggy...all these things came to mind as the big blue warrior-priest rose from his slumber. It was much like the feeling he got when he first realizes in each incarnation that he's been in others before - disorientation and confusion. But his mind quickly focuses and he rises to a crouch, hand on his weapon.

"Sorry to wake you, Big Guy. Lilli stopped by to see what we were up to, but she left before I could Stun her. She was polymorphed into a small lizard-like creature and scampered away just now."

He chuckles as he shrugs on his chain shirt. She always seemed to have a nickname for him of some type or another. For a moment, Dakash considers creating light by cantrip, but remembers the ghost bugs are supposedly attracted to magic.

"A small lizard will be nearly impossible to follow in this landscape. Is she toying with us, like a will-o-wisp, hoping to draw us into danger? This little creature disturbs me; I can begin to see why they may be dangerous to passers-by." He finishes his preparations in mere seconds and stands ready for action.

"I suppose we could chase after her and cast cantrips, hoping to draw our mutual enemy upon us both. Or sit around for another night and hope she gets curious again."

"Go back to sleep. I will wake you when it's your watch. I think she was just spying, trying to see if she could catch us unawares." Leonia says.

"If you insist. I wonder...if Lev is a summoner...could he bring in a  creature with the ability to track her by scent? Just a thought." He lay back down, choosing to keep his chain shirt on for the odd remaining hours of rest he'd get, then quickly fell back into a dream-filled sleep.

Leonia's shift ended without further surprises, and Dakash did not find any reason to awake Levithian before the appointed time.

As he woke up Lev for his shift, he floated past him the idea of using a summoned creature to track down Lilly.

Lev regretfully informed him that... He wasn't a very good summoner.

He then bade Dakash goodnight and started his watch.

OOC: I am sticking to Levithian's established background, which indeed has him not be as much of a summoner as one might expect.

Even without that, however, summoners can only have creatures out for a few minutes at a time (20 minutes at level 20, last time I checked).

Which is still about an order of magnitude better than your average spellcaster, but insufficient for that particular purpose.

Next post will be back to present tense... And the promised fight.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:30, Tue 15 May 2018.

Buzz. Buzz. Slish. Splash.

Slish. Splash. Slish. Buzz.

Spash. Buzz. Slish. Splash.

Slish. Slish. Buzz. Flap.

Wait... Flap?  That's a new one.

Flap. Flap. Flap flap flap flapflapflapflap...

The first thing that Levithian sees is a large... Thing... The size of a human child, With bat wings, insect eyes, and a beak (or maybe a proboscis?) shaped like a giant needle.

The second thing Levithian sees is the beast's companions, multiple smaller things shaped just like it.

All of them flying at him.

"Wake up! We're under attack!"


OOC: Roll init, roll knowledge arcana to idendity.

Even though she was expecting something like this, Leonia is sluggish in awakening.

Initiative 5 on d20+4.
Knowledge Nature 29 on d20+9. Natural 20.
Knowledge Arcana 29 on d20+10.

07:54, Today: Aran Kalisar rolled 27 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 19.  Initiative.

Aran swiftly responds to the call to wake, and glares at the threat with contempt.

OOC: Order of Initiative:

Aran 27
Stirge 3 21
Giant Stirge 19
Stirge 1 18
Stirge 5 17
Akane 16
Stirge 2 13
Stirge 4 13
Dakash 10
Levithian 6
Leonia 5

Aran is up first: he has a chance to take out most of the stirges in a single shot with a burning hands, if he still has one. Unfortunately, unless most of them die on the spot, there is a very good chance he'll then end up a tasty snack.

Aran chants momentarily in Ignan and a fiery shield appears around him. He then casually makes his way towards the Stirges.

Casting Shock [Fire] Shield. If I get surrounded by stirges, I will release the fire shield to do 1d6 Damage to them.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:06, Fri 18 May 2018.

The stirges seem worried for a moment by the flames surrounding Aran, but go back to their aggressive posture as the flames focus into a pane and disappear. Not having magical senses, they cannot see the invisible force shield that they have transformed into.

What they can see is Aran, who appears to be offering them a tasty meal, and the stirges are more than happy to oblige him.

Three of the small creatures, and the large one, descend on the sorcerer and sink their needle-like proboscises into the closest exposed part of his body they can find.

Akane reacts clapping her hands hard, which focuses everybody's attention on the fight, then she pulls out her dagger while moving a few steps closer to Aran.

The remaining two stirges just join their comrades in taking advantage of the free meal being provided. The first one joins its brethren, but the last one seems at a loss as to where exactly it should attach.


OOC: to reiterate, you can only take free actions on your turn.

As it turns out, stirges have +7 to their attack, not +1, so all of them except the last one hit Aran.

Lucky him...

Aran loses 5 Constitution points, which also lowers his maximum and current hp total by 4.

Everybody now has the benefits of Inspire Courage, which is a +1 to hit and damage rolls, and a +1 bonus against charm and fear effects.

With the action already begun, Dakash turns and hurls his scimitar at one of the 'bugs' still circling the wizard, though his desire to kill it in one shot is at odds with his desire to *not* hit his ally. The result is a spinning blade that arcs gracefully through the air like a boomerang, missing everything.

The priest moves up to stand a few paces from the wizard, believing he knows the fiery effect about to take place, and catches his sword as it spins back into his open hand. He just needs to be close enough to step up and heal the man if he needs it, or catch him if he passes out first.


Rolled a 9 to-hit. Spent 1 daily blessing for an easy shot and missed.

Move to about 10' from Aran.

Levithian points a finger at the large stirge, barking a single word of power. A small orb of liquid flies off and impacts the largest of the stirges, hitting one of its wings. The creature winces in pain and flaps it quickly, removing most of the acid, but an angry red mark indicates that it didn't get off unscathed.