"Well that was just odd" Tilaleria said "I'm glad we went through it. I shall write it in my diaries... gosh .. what a thought. We will be writing things down that no one else will have experienced. It won't be a 'me too' journal. It will be a 'here is the only source...'" she looked a little stunned at the realisation and was quiet for a little while as she thought about it

"Well that will be fun to get up" she observed. "Imagine getting a wagon up there" she paused "Or a sledge..." she suspected that others would have magic to make it possible though.

"Perhaps you aerial scouts could check out that there are no ambushers up there. Borun why don't you and I sn...er ... 'covert' our way over there and covert our way up the steps?"

Borun frowned at Tilaleria's "joke", although an observant viewer might notice the corner of his mouth briefly twitch into a smile.

"Yes, I can scout out the steps with you. Let me go first."

Tilaleria gestured for Borun to go first. As was probably not too much of a surprise she, as an elf, was actually quite good at sneaking along quietly. Something helped by the lack of weapons and armour. Within a short distance she became just another shadow drifting through the bushes



21:35, Today: Tilaleria rolled 39 using 1d20+23 with rolls of 16.  Coverting

Only Elmohtar and Lady Isile have a companion or familiar that can fly, although a few others can shape-change into a flying form while others can summon flying creatures that will scout for them.

Other than that, Lady Isile has been your 'eyes in the sky'.

Seeing the obvious potential threat, she sends her hummingbird aloft, while Elmohtar sends his roc aloft. In Elmohtar's case, the roc has been aloft the whole time; it's a bit like a shark in that has to keep flying.


As Borun and Tilaleria reach the stairs, it becomes obvious to Borun that the stairs were carved by Dwarves. There are quite intricate and elaborate carvings all along the sides and bannister. Even the risers are so carved.

The carvings and runes tell of a great battle fought here several centuries ago, called the Time of the Reckoning. Although Sauron isn't mentioned by name, the impression is that some evil very much like him was responsible.

Many things happened because of that battle: the scarp was raised, and the land on the top was shattered and broken, beyond which the Searing Desert was created. Cities fell. A few that didn't fall were forever altered.

About every twenty steps there is a column that supports the bannister. It is on these columns that runes of warning are carved. The runes are warnings of things to come: the stone trolls, the Fire Beasts of the Pits, Naethrul the Cursed City of the Dead, the Black Rifts, the Great Trolls of Forstani, the Mad Orcs of Belegost, the hummerhorns, the Shining Spires of Sharandor, the Mechanar, the Rovotic, the Vaharadar, and the Avari.

The runes hint that there is a safe way through each of these features, but it doesn't say what they are.

The risers on the steps have images, dates and deeds of Dwarves that died or survived in the battle. Maybe one in 25 seems to have survived.


You've reached about the midpoint when the flyers report a swarm of other flying creatures approaching. They appeared to have come out of caves in the cliff face... or perhaps the nests. None of the nests are close enough to the stairs that you can get a good view of them, but they do seem to be a bit on the large side.

Borun's grim demeanour changed into a smile at the sight of the dwarven sculpture. He eagerly pointed out the images of dwarven warriors, slain orcs, and a couple of dwarven kings, one of whom wielded a holy warhammer. Borun has not been this animated for weeks.

However his mood changed with the repeated warnings of traps and dire consequences. He reluctantly explained the first few, but became increasingly disquieted and eventually stopped volunteering the information. He continued on silently, and spoke again only after the flying scouts reported their findings.

"Perhaps I should go ahead first to assess the threat. Even if they see me, which is unlikely, I should be be able to return quickly and safely."

"I think it unlikely they have found us" Tilaleria breathed. "Why don't we two scouts go forwards together, leaving the others behind. I'm not particularly worried about a few birds, and I'm no slouch on my feet either. We'll see how the traps work out, I'm keeping my eyes open for them"


17:49, Today: Tilaleria rolled 45 using 1d20+29 with rolls of 16.  Perception.

Borun nodded at Tilaleria.

"May I pre-emptively cast a protective spell on you?" he asked her.

If Tilaleria agrees, Borun casts Magic Circle Against Evil on her.

With a final glance at his companions, Borun turned and crept forwards.

OOC: Stealth roll 37
Perception roll 29

"That's very kind of you" Tilaleria said. She didn't normally let other people cast spells on her, but she'd come to know and trust Borun. "I have no similar spells, I'm afraid. I'm limited somewhat to simple and direct magics." she gestured ahead "Let us ... covert ... our way over there. Perhaps something has disturbed the birds. It may well be our companions, but if not it is probably interesting" with that she began to move in that direction as sneakily as before

Anira remained at the bottom of the stairs with the others, shifting from one foot to the other and back again with a concerned expression.  If there were traps it was possible she could prevent them from triggering them but she also felt that two could likely get through with less likelihood of being spotted than three or even more.  For now she would wait though was ready to ascend quickly if needed.  With the idle time, she turned to the others.  "How is everyone faring?" she asked, her attention a little more on Radagast.  He wasn't a youngling anymore and she wanted to make sure 'grandfather' stayed well.

"We are all well, thank you for asking," Radagast replied to Anira. "I am well."

Why does everyone thing I'm some old man? he thought, only mildly annoyed. While they waited, he pulled his pipe out from his beard. It always seemed to be lit, of course. Equally of course, it was always lit. Hidden under his scruffy shaggy beard was a pouch with peculiar dampening properties, given to him by Eloryn.

As he puffed on it thoughtfully, he continued his conversation with Anira.

"Sling a hammock in Saxon's wagon and the travel is not so bad. We were just contemplating how to get his wagon up the scarp. I do not think Elmohtar's roc is large enough to carry it."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:27, Sun 10 July 2016.

Saxon tilted his head side to side as he was leaned back looking up at the sky, "Could just enchant a few very strong summons with a spider climb spell. I have two magic items that enable me to carry a lot more, should work on a summon as well."

"The hard part is we would have to wait until the coast is clear, as anything I summon would have to make a mad dash up the wall. I can do a few strong summons for ehhhh, ten minutes at most?" He signed a bit, "Days like to day make me wish I was a wizard. Just cast three floating disk spells under the wagon and let it float up with me."

The eerie keening cry of the flying creatures reaches the group just before the foul stench of decay. The cry sends involuntary shivers running up everyone's spine, including Radagast!

The beasts are the size of condors or large eagles; the swarm now numbers in the dozens.

These are fell-beasts known as hell-hawks. It's been known that the Dark Lord bred Elder creatures into winged beasts to dominate the skies. The stench is not because they are decaying, it is simply an odor they emit, much like the stench plant.

As the birds flew past them, clearly ignoring the two on the path, Tilaleria cast a spell. It was clear they were going to have to chase after the birds and she wanted to be able to do that quickly. Spell cast she began to move down the stairs at a pace that would normally be reckless, if it wasn't for the magics that allowed her to do it safely

"If you can cast fly, that would be good" she called to Borun. It wasn't just the getting there by flying, it was the 'what if they pick us up and drop us' and the 'how do we get to them'.


Borun you and I are hasted
This message was lightly edited by the player at 17:17, Tue 12 July 2016.

The screetch and stench assaulted Anira's senses and she instinctively snapped up her mage shield then drew the flaming rapier which ignited in flames.  Turning to face the oncoming swarm, she lifted her arm and pointed her finger uttering the word "Fánaperyar."  A bolt of lightning streaked from the tip of her finger straight at the oncoming hellhawks, hoping to possibly deter them or at least wound as many as possible to make things easier for them.

---

17:20, Today: Anira rolled 28 using 10d6 with rolls of 1,1,3,2,4,4,3,4,5,1.  Lightning Bolt.  >.<  Couldn't even get half of the possible damage and Reflex saves means only 14 points of damage.

AC: 26
HP: 110/110

Borun cast a spell of magical flight upon Tilaleria, then hustled down the steps towards the group.

Standard action: Casting Fly on Tilaleria
Move action: 50 feet down the steps

Saxon quirked an eyebrow at the fluttering mass of monsters. "Well... That is going to be a bit of an isssue if I had ever seen one... Best get ready."

He took out a number of bottles and a few reagents of questionable potency if not odd origin. His range of effect was limited to as far as he could throw even with a bomb thrower. So he prepared one of his light bombs to test a theory.

Anira's lightning bolt cuts through the hell hawks, managing to strike all but three of them.

The bolt mostly delivers shock to them, but two of them were hit square on and leathery hides exploded from the surge, sending those two careening aside, colliding with some of the others. Unfortunately, it didn't kill those two (or any of the others), and they swoop down to attack.


Borun and Tilaleria are on the stairs, about halfway up, on one of the landings where the stairs switch back to the other direction. They can hide behind the solid balustrade if they want, or they can make noise or something to get the attention of the hell hawks. Or, of course, you can go back down the stairs.


The others at the bottom still, awaiting the all-clear signal from Borun, are mostly ground fighters. There's almost no way for them to attack the hell hawks until the hell hawks attack them first.

Muttering a spell as she moved, Tilaleria used Borun's fly spell to head towards the crowd of birds. Her plan was simple. To attact the attention of the birds so they went for her instead of the others, and move them downwards to within striking range of the others. Hopefully they would focus on her leaving the spell casters to do their spell casting and deal with the the threat

As the hell hawks approached the eyes, Isile had a few rounds to get ready. She landed up top, beast-shaped into a lammasu, then cast Stoneskin on herself. She wasn't normally a combatant type, but she felt this was one of those exceptions, since most of her friends couldn't fly. The battle would have to be taken to the hell hawks... in the sky.

Then she launched herself off the cliff top in a power dive at the flock of beasts. She was sure they were magical, but so was she!

When she was close enough that she could catch as many of them as possible, she cast her own lightning bolt at them.

17:17, Today: Lady Isile rolled 44 using 10d6 ((6,5,6,5,3,3,5,3,3,5)). Lightning Bolt.

Lady Isile thanks you, Anira! If your roll hadn't been so poor, mine might not have been so good! :-)

Although it wasn't his strength, Elmohtar was one of the few that could take to the air if needed. Clearly he wasn't as adept yet as Lady Isile, for he could not take the form that she could--the powerful lion-bodied lammasu.

He had other options, though.

Round 1: Summon Nature's Ally V--manticore.

Round 2: Summon Nature's Ally IV--griffon.

Round 3: Call Lightning Storm.

His thinking was that the griffon and the manticore might provide protection for his allies. If this was a replay of the last battle, then the lightning would not kill the beasts.

He had his summoned creatures wait in reserve, only attacking the hell hawks if they got too close.

He'll also use his Lore to see if he knows anything about these hell hawks; they are nearly legendary.

19:30, Today: Elmohtar 18,19,17,21 using 5d6,5d6,5d6,5d6 ((6,6,1,4,1,4,3,4,3,5,2,1,6,3,5,3,6,5,2,5)).

And thank you Lady Isile, for getting the only good roll! Pfft.

That's four lightning bolts, but only one per round. He'll target whichever one appears to be the weakest/most damaged in the hopes of eliminating it.

With a few others bringing some fight to the air, Anira decided not to cast something that would injure their allies so once the hellhawks were in range, she let loose a burst of flames from her hands hoping to singe at least a handful of the creatures.

---

11:59, Today: Anira rolled 13 using 5d4 with rolls of 2,4,1,3,3.  Burning Hands.  Reflex halves damage.

AC: 26
HP: 110/110

As far as Tilaleria knows, these hell hawks are some sort of descendant of prehistoric flying lizards (pteranodon). She believes they were transformed through dark magic, and some were further altered to become ring-wraith steeds.

They aren't creatures of the dark any more, though, as they are clearly flying in sunlight without any ill affects. If they have a weakness, it's their bloodlust and aggressiveness... sensing an intruder, food, or blood, they take on a single-minded purpose.

Her ploy to fly directly at them kind of has the desired effect, in that those that see her swerve to aim at her and Borun. However, Anira's lighting bolt had disrupted their pseudo-organized flying formation, and those that got scattered a bit don't spot Tilaleria and continue on at the others.

20:56, Today: Azurak the Blue rolled 24,33,33 using 1d20+20,1d20+16,1d20+16 ((4,17,17)). Hell hawk #1

20:57, Today: Azurak the Blue rolled 28,33,26 using 1d20+20,1d20+16,1d20+16 ((8,17,10)). Hell hawk #2

20:57, Today: Azurak the Blue rolled 40,25,29 using 1d20+20,1d20+16,1d20+16 ((20,9,13)). Hell hawk #3

As three of them swoop at Tilaleria, she discovers their unusual attack method--impale the target with their long pointed beak and then claw! Since only the 3rd one manages to hit Tilaleria (for 20 points of damage). It's the equivalent of lance charge!

Both claws miss, even though they have a bonus because she's temporarily impaled. It's still trying to grab her, though. She realizes its tactic is to drive a target to the ground and then stab and claw it to death. However, it only weighs about 80 pounds, so it's not enough to knock Tilaleria out of the sky.


...to be continued...

While Borun had basic physical and magical ranged attacks, he was far better in melee. Thus he spent another round casting a flight spell on himself, then moved into melee alongside Tilaleria.

Standard action: Casting Fly on himself
Move action: Fly 60 feet to the hell hawks

Lady Isile, in the form of a lammasu, is the first to dive into the flock of hell hawks. She has just enough time to cast Bull's Strength on herself. It wasn't much, but every little bit helped.

It might seem foolish for her to get up close with a monster, but her amulet and stoneskin should easily see her through the battle.... she hoped.


06:08, Today: Lady Isile rolled 29,28,27,24 using 1d20+20,1d20+20,1d20+15,1d20+15 ((9,8,12,9)). Claw, claw, wing, wing. Rake if both front claws hit.

06:21, Today: Lady Isile rolled 28,27 using 1d20+20,1d20+20 ((8,7)). Rake: claw, claw.

06:23, Today: Lady Isile rolled 50,8 using 4d8+32,1d6+5 ((7,4,4,3,3)).

Mostly horrible rolls, but I think she may have hit with 4 claws and one wing. She pushed it as much as she could... using a power dive/charge. If she can't hit with that, she's probably not going to be any good in melee.

Elmohtar's lightning bolt, even though he cast it last, strikes first, hitting one of the hell hawks. He can't really tell if it's one that Lady Isile zapped first, though. In any case, it doesn't go down.


Elmohtar's manticore attacks as the lead hell hawk continues to target the group.

06:37, Today: Azurak the Blue rolled 12,14,17 using 1d20+10,1d20+10,1d20+12 ((2,4,5)). Awful. Bite, both claws and spikes all miss.

Elmohtar's griffon also attacks as the hell hawks get close.

06:41, Today: Azurak the Blue rolled 17,13,17 using 1d20+8,1d20+8,1d20+7 ((9,5,10)). More horrible rolls! Bite, claw, claw all miss.


A hell hawk attacks the manticore.

06:44, Today: Azurak the Blue rolled 40,27,30 using 1d20+20,1d20+16,1d20+16 ((20,11,14)). Beak, claw, claw... all hit!

06:49, Today: Azurak the Blue rolled 11,9,11 using 1d12+4,1d12+4,1d12+4 ((7,5,7)). Does 42 points of damage to the manticore, but it's not down yet.


Another hell hawk attacks the griffon.

06:47, Today: Azurak the Blue rolled 40,31,31 using 1d20+20,1d20+16,1d20+16 ((20,15,15)). Beak, claw, claw... all hit!

06:52, Today: Azurak the Blue rolled 9,10,13 using 1d12+4,1d12+4,1d12+4 ((5,6,9)).  Does 41 points of damage to the griffon, but it's not down yet either.


Anira's Burning Hands hits one of the hell hawks, but it's not nearly enough to take it down.


Lady Isile, however, hits a hell hawk in her power dive, and she winds up doing the exact same thing to the hell hawk that it tries to do... drive a foe to the ground. The hell hawk doesn't have nearly the wing strength it needs to even support the lammasu, let alone resist the full power dive. It slams into the ground with the lammasu on top of it and take another 20 points of damage.

Unfortunately, it still has some kick left.