Dellas walks around the bear, holding his nose from the stench as he examines it closer and then the area the smaller bear disappeared from, shrugging his shoulders he turns to the others "Would there be more information from the direction they came?" As he looks up the hill.

"Probably...what is our purpose, or purposes, here and now?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 21:39, Tue 02 Apr 2019.

"I cannot get much useful information from the residual aura," Narthian says. "It is magic of a moderate strength, most of which is still beyond my knowledge. It could have been a summoned creature, or it could have been the druid using some magic beyond my knowledge to travel into the ground. Either way, I think we need to continue to escort these dwarves, and keep an eye out for another ambush." Narthian spends a little more time binding his and Thunders massive claw wounds. "... But maybe... after a rest."

Stonesinger grunts in agreement.  "There might or might not be some clues at the top of the hill, but sad to say my men are in sorrier shape after that fight.  We've got about two days back to Fort Cross, with our boars in the shape they're in and the wagon and all.  I would dearly like to know that the root and branch of all this has been chopped down, but I'll not go meeting my ancestors saying that I failed in my duty to complete my charge."

Farian holds out her hands and beckons people close.  "I have a fair amount of Pelor's healing light left; come and let me take care of the worst of your wounds."

OOC: For simplicity's sake Farian can do 4 cure light wounds spells at 11 points of healing apiece, 4 cure moderate wounds at 18 points apiece, and 3 cure serious wounds at 24 points apiece.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:26, Wed 03 Apr 2019.

Narthian and Thunder accepts Farian's healing with gratitude. "Let's move a little further from here. If my memory serves, there is a more defensible location an hour or so away. I do want to follow Master Stonesinger's advice and check for clues at the top of the hill. I won't be long and can catch up in due course."

Detect Magic lasts for 5 minutes. I'll keep it up for the duration, though I don't expect it to last until the top of the hill.

Survival roll - recall defensible terrain on the path: 15:06, Today: Narthian Goldleaf rolled 27 using 1d20+11 ((16)).

@DM: feel free to edit the time I offered to find a defensible locale. I used an hour since it should allow us to move 2-3 miles at a slow pace, giving us a fairly large area to find a decent camp. The "or so" also gives wiggle room for up to an additional hour, IMHO. ;)

"Continuing on a bit further would be good. We know this is a preferred ambush site, so it is not a good idea to stay here. Even another half mile on would be better," Dante agreed. "Hopefully a bit of distance will put us at a less advantageous place for an ambush -- and the druid will need more time to summon more of those shadows, so we can get some rest."

Looking over at Narthian, he offers, "I can fly up there and see if anyone's still in sight, and if Prreet and I can detect anything. He is able to see the shadows better than we do." He lightly touches the claw-marks just below his temple, which seem to have already scabbed over, then reaches further back to stroke the stone cat affectionately. "He was able to help me see them better, too."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:42, Fri 05 Apr 2019.

The rest of the group can take what healing if offered and move a few miles down the road to a more defensible location that does not offer easy bear-charging access.  There is also a notable lack of bats.  The dwarves, who have been forced to be alert for far longer, are nearly dropping in their tracks.  Bellis and Garvin, your guide and other messenger from Fort Cross, can start the watch rotation as the dwarves and boars finally get a chance to sleep.

While the rest of the night passes quietly, when dawn breaks (all too early), there is a curious number of birds who are huddled in the shade of the dwarves' wagon, feathers slicked down and eyeing the sky nervously.

--

Going back to the attack site, Narthian and Averdante can head up to the top of the steep canyon wall and examine the area for tracks.  Prreet takes an interest as well, hopping down off of Averdante and sniffing around the area.  There's little in the way of tracks, but there is some evidence of wilted vegetation, as if something large had laid here for a while.  Druids can choose not to leave tracks, and if your foe had done such a thing, there wouldn't be footprints, but there would be some evidence of lying in ambush for a while, which seems to be the case here.  There is also an impression as if from a backpack or sack of some sort, and two dried gourds with broken wax seals that have been cast aside.  It seems as if the gourds had contained something liquid that had since been poured out or drunk.  There's also a broken charm that Prreet finds, woven grasses with a bit of polished obsidian caught within its strands.  The charm would have fit around a very large wrist or a normal elf's leg.

Casting a wider net, you don't see any further tracks; it seems the druid was careful to hide his tracks.

Haazheel stands his watch, gets his sleep and studies his spells. He eats and keeps and eye on the birds...and the sky.

Narthian collects the debris - the gourds and the broken charm - to take with him. "I guess that the gourds had healing potions," he says to Averdante. He holds up the charm. "This is more of a mystery that I'll need time to unravel, although my guess is that this is how our opponent escaped the fight."

---

Narthian warns the party that the druid is very likely to still be alive when he and Averdante catch them up. As the sun rises, prepares his spells for the day.

The behavior of the birds pulls his attention. He climbs atop one of the wagons, bow in hand, and nocks an arrow. "If we're attacked from the sky, focus on the largest beast or the supernatural! I have prepared methods to deal with the normal animals. Master Songsinger, do you know the name of the druid that is angry with your clan?"

"Are they hiding from something?" Lantamori asked, bending down to peer at the birds beneath the wagon.

"Did something scare you?" she asked the birds directly.  "Why are you under here?"

Stonesinger shakes his head.  "Nay.  If we had known we'd angered someone like that, for understandable reasons or not, the clan elders would have sent out one of our own druids to counter their power.  From what you've told me, what with the attack on the priestesses of Wee Jas being by the same shadow-things that attacked us, and the trolls being blamed for it, this evil one looks to try to stir up trouble and cause some kind of feud," he muses.

As for the sky, there is no immediate threat visible... but there is a faint thread of music, sweet and seductive, twining through the air.



The birds tremble, shaking in every feather, and look eastward down the road, in the direction you're going.  As the music grows louder, they peep and throw their heads under their wings, flattening themselves to the ground.

OOC:  Everyone gets one round of actions and I'd like a Will save from everyone, please.  If you meet or beat a 16, you're good, if you fail, you're captivated by the song and want to walk eastward towards its source.

Haazheel rises and start to walk east.

Dellas had rested comfortably that night, his dreams wondering the mountains region he saw the phoenix rise from. As he awoke the next morning he made sure to eat a hearty breakfast before he began to prepare his spells for the day. His attention was called towards the music in the air, feeling the tug on himself he pulled out a scroll and began to recite the arcane words upon it as it crumbled a luminous form surrounded him and encased him in magical protection. As the music grows louder a smile crosses Dellas's face as he begins to skip towards the music, each skip in rhythm with the music heard.



OOC: Scroll: Mage Armour + 4 Armor Bonus to AC

Will Save:

16:30, Today: Dellas Nump rolled 7 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 2.  Will Save (+2 more if fear based).

Narthian and Thunder join to procession.

20:42, Today: Narthian Goldleaf rolled 12 using 1d20+7 ((5)).

Thunder Will: 20:43, Today: Narthian Goldleaf rolled 14 using 1d20+2 ((12)).

"Does anyone else hear singing?" Lantamori asked as she straightened up to see a few of the others already investigating the melody.

"Shouldn't we just see what it is after we're on the move?" she asked as some of the others seemed to be making their investigation a priority over getting on the move.

The elf lingered uncertainly around the wagon to see if anyone was going to reiterate their priorities.

OOC: Lantamori rolled 22 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 18.  Will Save +2 vs enchantment.

As Haazheel starts to walk, he cups his ears, bringing them perpendicular to his head... doubtless to hear better.

Dante watched Lantamori talking to the birds under the wagon as he started saddling Mask. The birds looked too frightened to attack, but their behavior was far from normal. If the birds were the druid's day shift, they were clearly unhappy about it.

Pausing when the birds suddenly tried to flatten themselves to the ground, he heard music playing. His first thought was it was one of the dwarves, but then the wizards, and then Narthian and Thunder, simply started walking away in the direction of the sound.

"Oh, no." Hearing Lantamori's question, he was glad she didn't seem affected, either.

"The music is some kind of enchantment!" he calls out a warning to the others. Taking up his bow, he looks down the road where his friends are heading. Is there a bend close ahead, behind which the musician -- spellcaster -- could hide? Would it be better to ride ahead and look for a target to shoot? Or is it closer, so he could simply run ahead of the others, find cover, and then try to sneak forward to get a shot at the ambushers luring in his friends? "Lantamori, we need to find and shoot that caster before the others are lured into an ambush."


16:35, Today: Averdante rolled 20 using 1d20.  Will save. Woot!
Do I need to roll for Prreet? Don't know if it affects magical creations/constructs/whatever Prreet is.

In addition to Haazheel, Dellas, Narthian, and Thunder, Farian, Volsh, and Bruenor also begin walking east.  Of the sixteen dwarves (plus Stonesinger) only Stonesinger and five of his compatriots manage to resist the urge.  Sir Aberlayne hisses at the potential danger and looks back at the others not affected with trepidation.


"I can try to get ahead of them on Valiant, while you sneakier sorts with bows get ready to sting the singers.  Or we can try to ring the bells of everyone we can before they get to where they're going, and stuff some cloth in their ears," she says, mounting up and looking ready to spring away at a moment's notice, whatever the decision is.

"This is a distraction!" Lantamori hissed, now realizing the others weren't investigating the melody in as careless a fashion as she'd originally thought.

"Someone watch the wagons.  I'll take the woods," she declared, grabbing her bow and disappearing into the foliage.  She was trying to get ahead of her zombie friends and spot the music maker.

Lantamori can scale the sides of the rocky walls and gain entry into the thin trees above, working her way down the top of the canyon to see what could be seen.

The elfin woman was lost to the sight of those below.

Bruenor has breakfasted, and looked after Demon (still tethered to the caravan); when he stops and cocks his head to the side...'What a lovely tune!' he thinks to himself, nodding along for a moment.

'I must see who's playing such wonderful music.'  It's not even a question, as he takes no notice of Demon's slightly flattened ears, and turns to walk down the road without another thought.

'Oh, some of the others are coming, too...how nice.'

"Sir Aberlayne, if you can get your brother stopped and rouse him from the spell, I'll try and stop some of the others," Dante tells the paladin. "We'll need his magic soon. Master Stonesinger," he turns to the dwarf, "I'll have Prreet try and stop some of your fellows, but Lantamori may be right that they'll try for the wagons instead of attacking those distracted, so be ready."

Turning back to Mask to hastily finish tightening the saddle's girth, he says aloud for the benefit of the others, "Prreet, shift to your larger form. Try and... pounce... on some of the dwarves. It doesn't seem as if they'll notice you, so if you can just knock them down and move on, they won't likely be able to attack you, and perhaps the surprise, or falling, will shake them loose of this spell. Stay close though. I'm going to try to knock a few of the taller folk down on the way, but our goal will be Narthian." Satisfied the saddle was secure, Dante gathered up the reins and swung up into the saddle. "I think we'll need him," he continued as he reined Mask toward the road, Prreet in his much larger form moving with them, "but if Thunder takes exception, I might need you to distract him. Try not to hurt him too much, but don't let him hurt you, either."

Clear of the wagons and remaining people, he nods to Sir Aberlayne and nudges Mask into a gallop. Once he closes on the first person, he reins the horse back to a brisk canter for better finesse, and a less forceful impact -- and prays to Ehlonna that this will both rouse his companions from the spell, and not hurt anyone too greatly.


[OOC: Okay, going to try the bull rush option. He'll try to clip a few of the humans, enough to knock them aside/knock them down, with Narthian as his end target. If successful he'll rein around there, and see if it's shaken any sense into Narthian. Prreet will be trying to pounce on a dwarf or three, kind of leap-frogging his way from one to the next without stopping. So, let me know what I need to roll for them -- or roll it for me if it keeps things moving, as I probably won't be online again before tomorrow.]

Lantamori creeps into position for a clever ploy...



Sir Aberlayne nods and Prreet shifts from the size of a housecat to the size of a leopard.  With a woop! from the paladin and a yowl from Prreet, they barrel into the crowd as Averdante uses Mask like an equine battering ram.  Over the din, Stonesinger begins a rhythmic chant that seems to cut through the song, advancing as rapidly as he can jog to get within earshot of as many people as possible.

Between Mask, Valiant, and Prreet, most of the group is temporarily halted from walking towards the alluring music, and Stonesinger's chant allows people to wake from the musical daze, once again in control of their action.  But now they've all gone forward enough to see the authors of those beautiful voices: You can see three scrawny creatures, half spindly bird, half scraggly human woman, clinging to the top of the cliff and singing sweetly.  Their faces are sharp, scarred, and spattered with bits of blood and feathers.  One of them has a half-eaten bird in her hand, another has two dead birds dangling from a thin belt at her waist.  Their hands are clawed and scaled like a hawk's, two have swords, the third has sharp metal talons augmenting her own.  The two sword-bearers are also clutching partially unfurled nets as they watch the roadway below with the eagerness of a lynx at a rabbit's burrow.

With the loss of their prey, the two with nets screech their rage and hurl them down upon the frontrunners of the pack.  Thunder adroitly slips free, though Narthian is entangled, along with four more of the dwarves and Volsh.  The one with metal talons makes a slashing motion in the air, and sharp darts of steel fly from her fingers to wound Bruenor (the largest target still standing) and Averdante (with his bow).   

As Stonesinger sees the bird-women, he shouts out, "Harpies!"

Lining up on one of the sword wielding bird people, Lantamori lets fly on the unsuspecting trio.

OOC: Lantamori rolled 23 using 1d20+7 with rolls of 16.  Composite Longbow Attack (Surprise! No Dex Bonus)
Lantamori rolled 9 using 1d8+1 with rolls of 8.  Composite Longbow Damage, sword harpy
Lantamori rolled 9 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,2,1.  Sneak Attack Damage, sword harpy

18 total damage to a sword wielding harpy