Valik settled the crossbow into the crook of his shoulder, his natural instincts and training going through the motions without him even consciously thinking about them. As the shaft left the weapon behind, already he was cocking the string back for another shot. He moved toward the edge of the cliff to see the fate of his friend, letting the uncontrolled parts of his brain manage the weapon on his behalf.

Initiative	6
Move	As needed to have line of sight, fire, then try to position to see Aelina w/o being in melee
Rolls	18:13, Today: Valik rolled 6 using 1d20+4.  Initiative.
Action	Light Crossbow attack hits AC 12 for 8 Piercing damage
Rolls	18:28, Today: Valik rolled 12,8 using d20+8,1d8+4.  Light Crossbow.

Loading his ammo pouch with stones, Ayrron planted the pointy end of his hoopak into the stone of the clifftop, and pulled back on the sling embedded into the top.  The springy wood of the kender weapon bent to an almost alarming degree before Ayrron released the stone, which buzzed like an angry hornet as it sped through the air almost faster then sight.  The stone struck the winged woman on the head, which snapped back as she cried out in pain.
OOC: Ayrron hit for 8 bludgeoning damage.

"Obscurata," the woman hissed as she rose into the air.  In the blink of an eye, she vanished from sight.  The *whump, whump* sound of wings taking flight followed.

---

OOC: Pausing here to allow for changes in actions.  Note the >> marker on the combat table below shows where we are in the initiative order.  Vailin's up next, followed by Valik.  Vailin, you were in melee range, so you get an attack of opportunity if you want it, but it's at disadvantage, since she's invisible.

Round		1
Init	Combatant	AC	HP	Conditions
13	Ayrron	14	15/15
11	Winged Woman	??	-8/??	invisible,
>> 8	Vailin	18	(10) 19/19
6	Valik	16	(5) 25/25
5	Aelina	13	17/17	Falling: 60'

Resources used:
Aelina: 0 bardic inspiration
Ayrron: 0 sling bullets
Ayrron: 0 magical tinkering
Ayrron: 0 fearless
Ayrron: 0 taunt
Ayrron: 1 kender pockets
Vailin: 0 crossbow bolts
Vailin: 0 second wind
Vailin: 0 action surge
Valik: 1 crossbow bolts
Valik: 0 second wind
Valik: 0 stone's endurance
Valik: 0 action surge

Spell Slots Remaining:

Character	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Aelina	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Ayrron	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Winged Woman	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

This message was last edited by the GM at 02:44, Mon 14 Aug 2023.

Vailin, already in motion to attack the winged woman, swept his sword through the empty space where she had been, half expecting to meet nothing but air.  Instead, he felt the familiar impact of sword on flesh, and his blade came away wet and red.  The winged woman's form faltered and blinked back into visibility, a nasty wound on her leg, now no longer serpentine.  Trailing blood, she flew out over the water, apparently trying to escape.
OOC: Vailin hit something for 11 slashing damage.
ROLL: Winged woman rolled 8 to maintain concentration, and failed.

Not to be forgotten, Valik lifted his crossbow and fired.  This wasn't the heavy-duty one he normally used, but the lighter, faster model.  Taking an educated guess, he fired almost without aiming, trusting his instincts.  The bolt slammed into the woman's shoulder, almost spinning her in place.  She dropped several feet before catching herself with her wings.

Below, Aelina continued to fall slowly, aided by Ayrron's magical device.

---

OOC: Aelina, you're up.  You're currently falling slowly, and are approximately 120' from the top.

Round		1
Init	Combatant	AC	HP	Conditions
13	Ayrron	14	15/15
11	Winged Woman	??	-27/??	airborne, 30' feet out from the cliff face over water
8	Vailin	18	(10) 19/19
6	Valik	16	(5) 25/25
>> 5	Aelina	13	17/17	Feather Falling: 120'

Resources used:
Aelina: 0 bardic inspiration
Ayrron: 0 sling bullets
Ayrron: 0 magical tinkering
Ayrron: 0 fearless
Ayrron: 0 taunt
Ayrron: 1 kender pockets
Vailin: 0 crossbow bolts
Vailin: 0 second wind
Vailin: 0 action surge
Valik: 1 crossbow bolts
Valik: 0 second wind
Valik: 0 stone's endurance
Valik: 0 action surge

Spell Slots Remaining:

Character	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Aelina	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Ayrron	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Winged Woman	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

This message was last edited by the GM at 02:44, Mon 14 Aug 2023.

The shock of the unexpected push and subsequent fall surprised the bard and she could only try to scramble to stop her fall down the cliff, helped with Ayrron contraption that slowed her down.

Today: Secret Roll: Aelina rolled 11 using 1d20-1 with rolls of 12.  athletics. Actually its 12, didn't have the -1 as she's half proficient in Athletic

Ayrron saw the woman disappear and reached into his pack, producing a copper sphere. "What....now you have your stone you don't wanna play?"

He twisted a knob and threw the thing in the air. It hummed for a second, then exploded with a fine dust, that when it hit the air, clung to everything and glowed green. "Peek-a-boom - my own design." He muttered. ".....but you'd rather play with some boring rocks!"

---

Initiative	Ayrron rolled 13 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 11.  iniative.
Movement	None
Action	Cast Faerie fire in the area of Invisible woman
	Dex save DC 13 or be seen. Peek-a-boO!
Bonus Action	Taunt
	Wis save DC 13 or it has disadvantage on all attacks other than Ayrron
Reaction	None
Special Note	Two magic stones left

Aelina strained and reached, her fingers sliding against the stone of the cliff face.  Finally they found purchase, and the bard's downward progress was halted.  All that was left.... was the 120 foot climb back to the top.

Ayrron hurled his copper ball towards the woman.  The ball exploded as it drew nearer, and the phosphorescent power covered everything in the vicinity.  The winger woman dove to avoid it, but was too slow and was covered in the powder.
ROLL: Winged Woman rolled 10 on her Dex Saving throw, and failed.

"Celeritus receptum," the woman gasped, and blurred into motion, flying down and away.  About thirty feet beyond, the woman split into two women, each heading at a slightly different angle.  Both women -- both still glowing that vivid green -- flew on at that incredible pace.

---

OOC: Vailin's turn, followed by Valik, then Aelina.  You have advantage on any attack rolls you wish to make, but please be sure to specify which target you're going for.

Round		2
Init	Combatant	AC	HP	Conditions
13	Ayrron	14	15/15	Concentration: Faerie Fire
11	Winged Woman (left)	??	-22/??	Faerie Fired, airborne, 90' feet out over water, fleeing
11	Winged Woman (right)	??	-22/??	Faerie Fired, airborne, 90' feet out over water, fleeing
>> 8	Vailin	18	(10) 19/19
6	Valik	16	(5) 25/25
5	Aelina	13	17/17	Feather Falling: 120'

Resources used:
Aelina: 0 bardic inspiration
Ayrron: 0 sling bullets
Ayrron: 0 magical tinkering
Ayrron: 0 fearless
Ayrron: 1 taunt
Ayrron: 1 kender pockets
Vailin: 0 crossbow bolts
Vailin: 0 second wind
Vailin: 0 action surge
Valik: 0 crossbow bolts
Valik: 0 second wind
Valik: 0 stone's endurance
Valik: 0 action surge

Spell Slots Remaining:

Character	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Aelina	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Ayrron	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Winged Woman	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

Vailin quickly sheathed his sword and drew his crossbow.

"I have left!" he called before opening fire against his assigned target.  Though in the rush to swap weapons it was more a snap shot than aimed and it showed.

Attack: 10  Damage: 5
This message was last edited by the player at 13:11, Fri 11 Aug 2023.

With the winged woman fleeing out above the water, Valik let his light crossbow drop to the ground, and drew out Gale. Villagers always fled when they were attacked, off to find guards or neighbors, or whatever they could find. Once upon a time, Valik's job had been to kill the guards first, making the raid easier to get started, and then to pick off every runner he could find while the others got their hands dirty inside.

He had even enjoyed it, fun little game that it was. To start with, at least...

Free	drop light crossbow
Action	draw Gale & attack w/ advantage, Hit AC 18 for 20 Piercing damage
Rolls	01:09, Today: Valik rolled 18,20,16 using d20+3,1d10+14,d20+3.  Gale Crossbow

Vailin's bolt sailed through empty space, dropping away before it could reach the target.  Valik's bolt was on target, passing through the left image of the winged woman without incident.

OOC: Aelina's up next, then Ayrron.

The bard took a few seconds to catch her breath after stopping her fall. Hoping Ayrron gizmo would still work if she did a misstep, she lifted her head and gingerly moved her limbs to slowly start her crawl up the face of the cliff.

Today: Secret Roll: Aelina rolled 14 using 1d20 with rolls of 14.  athletics.

Ayrron was happy not only that the Phosphorous bomb worked as he planned, but that they were now visible. He again took a stone from the pouch, and loading it in the already grounded Hoopak, drew back with his tongue out, and fired.

---

Initiative	Ayrron rolled 13 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 11.  iniative.
Movement	None
Bonus Action	None
Action	Attack using Hoopak (Magic Stone)
	Ayrron rolled 12 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 14.  Attack - Hoopak (Magic Stone).
	Ayrron rolled 5 using 1d6+3 with rolls of 5.  Damage - Magic Stone.
Reaction	None
Special Note	One magic stones left

Aelina began climbing back up the cliff face.  It was slow, pain-taking work, while magic and crossbow bolts flew through the air above her.
OOC: Aelina climbs back up 15 feet.

Ayrron loaded another stone into his hoopak, pulled back and fired at the right side of the pair of winged women.  The stone hummed like an agry hornet as it streaked out over the water, but before it could hit her, the stone bounced off a magical barrier -- a shimmering blue half-sphere of force shimmer into existence a split second before the stone hit.

---

OOC: The winged woman is clearly fleeing.  With her movement, she'll be out of range in 3 more rounds (5 for Valik's heavy crossbow) or even fewer if she stops taking defensive actions and uses her action to dash.  In the interests of time, if you would like to keep firing, make:
* up to 3 attack rolls (Vailin)
* up to 5 attack rolls (Valik)
* 1 attack roll (Ayrron)

Round		3
Init	Combatant	AC	HP	Conditions
13	Ayrron	14	15/15	Concentration: Faerie Fire
11	Winged Woman (left)	??	-22/??	Faerie Fired, airborne, 150' feet out over water, fleeing
11	Winged Woman (right)	??	-22/??	Faerie Fired, airborne, 150' feet out over water, fleeing
>> 8	Vailin	18	(10) 19/19
6	Valik	16	(5) 25/25
5	Aelina	13	17/17	Feather Falling: 120'

Resources used:
Aelina: 0 bardic inspiration
Ayrron: 0 sling bullets
Ayrron: 0 magical tinkering
Ayrron: 0 fearless
Ayrron: 1 taunt
Ayrron: 1 kender pockets
Vailin: 1 crossbow bolts
Vailin: 0 second wind
Vailin: 0 action surge
Valik: 2 crossbow bolts
Valik: 0 second wind
Valik: 0 stone's endurance
Valik: 0 action surge

Spell Slots Remaining:

Character	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Aelina	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Ayrron	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Winged Woman	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

This message was last edited by the GM at 02:45, Mon 14 Aug 2023.

Vailin knew they had little time.  Falling to one knee he took careful aim at the creature, specifically at the wings and kept firing until the creature was out of range.

If the creature fled beyond range and kept going, Vailin then moved to help Aelina as best he could.  He had no rope but if others had it he would try to pull her up.  Else the best he could offer was a hand as she got close.



Attack 1: Hit 4
Attack 2: Hit 6

Not even bothering with damage.

Ayrron knew the winged woman was moving fast, and she would soon be out of his reach. He reached in to his pouch with the stones and muttered. "C'mon"

He pulled back and fired, the stone soaring majesticly like a bird.

---

---

Initiative	Ayrron rolled 13 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 11.  iniative.
Movement	None
Bonus Action	None
Action	Attack using Hoopak (Magic Stone)
	Ayrron rolled 20 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 15.  Attack - Hoopak (Magic Stone).
	Ayrron rolled 8 using 1d6+3 with rolls of 5.  Damage - Magic Stone.
Reaction	None

Valik reset the large crossbow, loaded another bolt, and sent it flying. There was a lust that filled him, clouding his mind from the situation at hand. Not a bloodlust, though he'd experienced that before too. No, this was a lust for challenge. It had started with the raiding, with picking off the runners before they could find aid.

He had felt hints of the challenge-lust since then, in those first years after leaving his kin, but as he had channeled it into hunting, it had become much more challenge and much less lust. Before the group separated to do their lands-wide search for signs of the gods and healing, the lust had all but disappeared. He had faced goblins and bandits in that time that he was alone, and seeing them flee had not triggered these feelings either.

The reasons were likely there, if he were to look back on the event later. At the moment, however, there was only a weapon and his prey. He drew in a deep breath, started to let it out, and then went still as he held his breath to take aim. The only movement on his person before he pulled the trigger to lose, were the two coils of rope he had tied to the outside of his pack, lightly swaying with the movement of him catching the breath.

Action	Attack w/ Gale (right) - hit AC 15 for 16 piercing damage
Rolls	13:59, Today: Valik rolled 15,16,15 using d20+3,1d10+14,d20+3.  Gale Crossbow.

Attack 2 hits AC 9 for 21 - 17:26, Today: Valik rolled 4,21,9 using d20+3,1d10+14,d20+3.  Gale Crossbow.
Attack 3 hits AC 17 for 16 - 17:27, Today: Valik rolled 17,16,14 using d20+3,1d10+14,d20+3.  Gale Crossbow.
Attack 4 hits AC 4 for 17 - 17:27, Today: Valik rolled 4,17,4 using d20+3,1d10+14,d20+3.  Gale Crossbow.
Attack 5 hits AC 10 for 20 - 17:27, Today: Valik rolled 10,20,6 using d20+3,1d10+14,d20+3.  Gale Crossbow.

This message was last edited by the player at 22:29, Tue 15 Aug 2023.

Aelina continued to climb, moving carefully to avoid falling to the water so very far away.

Above, the three remaining companions fired at the fleeing winged woman.  Ayrron's magic stone, launched from his hoopak blasted through the woman's shield, and the woman's flight path altered as she took the blow.  Vailin and Valik fired as well, both bolts missing as the woman took evasive manoeuvres.  A moment later, and the glowing green phosforessence of Ayrron's faerie fire bomb scattered as the effect was dispelled.  Shortly thereafter, the woman vanished from sight once more, invisibility falling over her like a veil.

As the last of Valik's bolts sailed out into open air before falling into the water below, the wind picked up, blowing salt spray into everyone's eyes.  Even Aelina had to shut her eyes and reach for the next handhold by feel.  It wasn't there -- in fact, nothing was there.  For a brief second, she thought she had fallen, but there was no sensation of movement.  Just nothing at all.

When the companions opened their eyes once more, the cliff face was gone, and Aelina stood beside them, her arm outstretched above as if reaching for something above her.  The companions found themselves in a dim cave, lit only by the moonlight barely creeping through a single crack on the ceiling above.  Surrounding them were stone statues of people, each perfectly preserved in life-like poses.  The statues' realistic features were frozen in various expressions, some looking ahead with complete confidence while others cower and shrink away from an unseen danger.  Broken parts of the statues that had fallen off with time and erosion covered the floor.  On the other side of the cave, a heavy wooden door lay a hundred feet away, the only clear exit from this place.

---

OOC: The Test continues...

Ayrron watched as the woman disappeared, then the cliff and area. He looked around, and saw Flux fly over, letting out a metallic chirp as he landed on his shoulder. "Good work buddy....you helped her good."

He looked at Aelina and smiled. "Good to see my 'decent deseleration kit' worked. Hate to have seen you splatted."

He then looked at the cave and sighed. "Well....these statues are ominous." He muttered.

It took a moment for the bard to get her heart beating at a semi-normal pace, the experience of falling down that cliff pretty harrowing. Once she was reassured that she was back on firm ground, beside her friends, she took a deep breath and brushed her clothes with her hand, to hide that it was still trembling. Only then did she felt herself ready to talk. "Thank you my friends. Your contraption really worked, Ayrron. I think I was pretty reasonable, why did that woman attacked me? Oh well, no sense losing time on that, is everyone all right?"

Noticing the statues, she approached the first ones, trying to see if they had an historical interest.

Today: Secret Roll: Aelina rolled 14 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 11.  history

Though she made no special effort to move quietly, Aelina was a half-elf and possessed some measure of their natural stealth.  Or she was incredibly lucky as she navigated the short distance to the nearest group of statues.  Bits and pieces of broken stonework littered the floor around the five statues, which were grouped together as if on a picnic.

The first was a cat-like creature -- still humanoid, but with fur and whiskers among other feline features.  The stonework was incredible -- the whiskers looked fine enough to snap off, but several were still attached.  She -- Aelina determined the creature was female -- was thin, and maybe middle-aged.  She was clothed in a set of robed that were very well cut, and had exquisite shoes carved around her feet.  A scar was carved into the bicep of one arm, and she was missing a finger on the same hand.  Looking down, Aelina could see the finger on the floor at her feet.

The second was a goliath -- shorter and less muscular than Valik, but still taller than any of the other figures.  He wore armour and a short cape, and his fingers were decorated with stone rings.  His nose was carved to look as though it had been broken and not set properly, and a deep scar marred one eye, giving him a perpetual scowl.

The next was a dwarf dressed in a  working robes, and a padded and quilted jacket.  The dwarf had his hair in dreadlocks, and a thick beard groomed into an anchor style, ending somewhere around his sternum.

The last two were kender -- both male.  The first was shorter than the second and had his hair in a mohawk.  He work working robes and a jacket and scarf.  The second was tall for kender, but very skinny.  He wore his hair in the traditional topknot of the kender people, and hand one hand reaching down into his stone pockets.  Looking closer, Aelina could see that the stonecarver had even taken the time to hollow out the inside of the pouch, so that the kender's two slender fingers could be seen inside.

---

OOC: Everyone make a perception check for me, please.

Ayrron followed after the half elf, also quiet but his steps less guarded as he held his Hoopak. "The detail on these sculptures is remarkable.....even the individual hairs look like they were separate almost as if...."

He stopped mid-sentence, his face serious as he looked at Aelina. "these couldn't be real people, could they?"

---

<OOC: Ayrron rolled 13 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 10.  perception check.>

"Perfect craftsmanship? Sounds like more illusions, to me. You can make all kinds of marvelous things when none of it's real, I imagine."

Otherwise, standing guard as I should-be (poorly):

12:29, Today: Valik rolled 6 using 1d20+2.  Perception.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:29, Sat 19 Aug 2023.

While the others focused on the statues, Vailin kept his attention outwards.  While the statues could be sources of knowledge, or a threat, he thought three sets of eyes were enough.  He focused on everything else.  Walls, floor, roof, etc.  He looked for ambush points, signs of trouble.  He slowly made his sweep towards the door, clearing the room as he went.

Aelina slowly backed away from the statues after Ayrron comment, visibly shocked by the idea. "I... I do not know... but Valik also brings a point. Let me check if I can sense some magical emanations from them, or recall what could cause this if they are real persons turned to stone" The bard concentrated on what she might recall from her studies about that possible polymorph.

Today: Secret Roll: Aelina rolled 20 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 17.  arcana. –
This message was last edited by the player at 11:01, Sun 20 Aug 2023.

There were a number of creatures which could turn people to stone, Aelina recalled -- basilisks, medusas, and gorgons among them.  In addition, this was within the reach of several of the more skilled mages.

As the party moved around to look at the statues, small bits of stone shifted and slid underfoot, sending echoes throughout the chamber.  The shifting and sliding sound bounced off the walls around them. .
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:53, Mon 21 Aug 2023.

Vailin's sword and shield came up.  "Contact front!" he called urgently to the others.  When he had their attention he gestured forward.

"There's something up there.  Looked like a woman with a snake tail.  Was dressing the statues.  She's slithered behind that column over there."

Having no experience with 'snake women' Vailin held position at the front, shield high, aiming to protect the others from any potential attack.