Meanwhile at the Lorriomor estate the morning was leisurely. Most of our heroes were sleeping off the previous night's excursion, but Keanala drifted in a fretful, restless slumber. Her dreams were nightmares of being lost in a deep, dark wood, gnarled trees looming up and misty pathways confusing the mind. In her dream she wandered, deepening panic rising in her chest as she searched futilely for some beacon to guide her.

Presently she heard the soft, keening strains of a flute drifting through the trees. Far from comforting, the eerie melody seemed to fill her slumbering mind with dread. And yet she felt compelled to follow it, pressing on through her dream towards the source of the haunting music.

In the Lorrimor's spare room she rose, sleepwalking, from her bed and marched towards the window. Her eyes were closed, trapped in her dream, and yet her fingers moved unerringly. She opened the window and raised the sash.

The music in her dream masked the noise, but the sound of buzzing wings grew louder and louder.

In the dream world the music grew closer and closer, and as she approached it fear grew in her. She was almost upon it, the discordant music coming from just around the next bend. Louder and louder, until the woodwind seemed to be tearing at her eardrums. And then, just as she rounded the last corner, she awoke.

She found herself standing in the guest room, alone, near the open window. But a very real buzzing sound filled the air as two massive insects, easily the size of her hand and resembling massive mosquitoes, were flying towards her. Stirges!

They darted into the room and, as if of its own volition, the window snapped shut behind them. Keanala found herself trapped with the dangerous little pests.

---

Keanala, you are trapped in the guest room with two stirges. Constantine and Garland are in the next room and can arrive in 1 round if called for. I'm not going to map out this combat since stirges attach to their victims and tactical positioning is less important, but normally for combats I'll put up a grid map to maneuver on. For now just assume that everyone can reach everyone else in one move action.

Keanala, it's your turn, Garland and Constantine can post about arriving or reacting but should hold off on taking a turn until next round. I've also split the combat off into its own thread since it takes place early in the day and Shara and Kendra will be researching until evening.

Enemies:
Stirge 1 - 5 HP, 16AC, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1
Stirge 2 - 5 HP, 16AC, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1

“What was that!”
 SCG set upright at the sound of the window slamming shut; he immediately grabbed his shield and sword stepping into the hallway.

It was not until he heard the scream that he knew exactly where to go.

Constantine burst into the room just in time to see the stirges swoop towards Keanala, one buzzing towards her throat and the other circling to land mid back. In unison they plunged their barbed proboscises through her clothing and into her flesh. She could feel the vacuum like suction as they began to drain her blood.

---

Sirges move into Keanala's square and succeed touch attacks, latching on.
Keanala takes 2 CON damage.

Players are up and everyone can act.
Keanala, because you didn't act last round you get an additional standard action this round.

Enemies:
Stirge 1 - 5 HP, 12AC, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1, Grappling
Stirge 2 - 5 HP, 12AC, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1, Grappling
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:23, Fri 01 Mar 2019.

“Hold steady!”

SCG takes a swing to separate the bug from the girl, his long sword removing one threat almost the moment it attacks.


22:57, Today: Sir Constantine Godalming rolled 7 using 1d8+1.  Damage roll. 22:56, Today: Sir Constantine Godalming rolled 22 using 1d20+3.  Attack roll.

Darcon had collapsed into an exhausted, dreamless slumber on the study couch the moment he had returned to the Professors house with the others.

The sound of a snapping window roused him to wakefulness, and he immediately became aware of a loud buzzing coming from somewhere in the house. Blinking quickly he rose and instinctively reached for his staff, wincing at the stab of pain that went through his shoulder, a painful reminder of the nearly fatal trap they had triggered yesterday in the crypt.

Rising slowly, he crept towards the sound of the noise coming from one of the guest rooms and came across a horrifying sight. Keanala was being assaulted by large insects, resembling overgrown mosquitoes!

Constantine was already in action, trying to remove the creatures, so Darcon hung back, remaining in the doorway and focusing his mind in order to bring his magical strength to bear.

Raising his free hand he clenched it into a fist, extended two fingers and made a motion in the air while murmuring, "Magica Altum Scintillis!"

Opening his hand he pointed it palm outwards in the direction of one of the insects, and twin bolts of bright blue power crackled forth, streaking across the room...

---

Move Action: Get to the combat location.


This message was last edited by the player at 13:02, Sun 03 Mar 2019.

Keanala was not sure if she was still dreaming or not.  She'd never dreamed about Stirges before, but then there was a first time for everything.  Things cleared up when the first Stirge bit into her.  She cried out, and then followed up with a string of curses to make a sailor proud.

Keanala had no weapons.  It was dangerous to sleep with a morningstar after all, something that she'd learned date hard way, and besides, they were sleeping in friends house.  Who gets attacked in the middle of the night at a friends house?!  Still cursing, Keanala stumbled about, trying to find something to defend herself with.  Luckily there was small bucket on the dresser, one that could be used to wash up with, and she grabbed it.

She whirled around just in time for the insects to latch on to her.  A figure burst through the door and appeared to attack the Stirges.  The Oread would have loved to have thanked him at that moment but there was still an insect sucking her blood and that took priority.  She swung her improvised weapon at the insect but she was thrown off balance by a sudden feeling of weakness.

OOC:
First round action will be to grab an improvised weapon.

Second round to attack Stirge
Attack -> 10 (includes -4 improvised weapon and -2 grappled)

It had been a quiet night and Garland had settled in to the old study with a glass of wine and a book he had found in the professors collection titled "Immortal mind" which was a physcological study of ghosts and the effects undeath had on a subjects psyche. He was just taking a sip of the wine when he heard a loud crash and a string of urgent curses which made him pause.

Concerned he picked up his morning star and held it at the ready in his hand as he poked his head out of the study. He passed each room, one by one, following the sounds of what sounded like a fight and for a moment he wondered if he was in a dream after having fallen asleep from a mix of wine and a book.

With a headlong charge of adventurers barreling into the room the dangerous little creatures stood little chance. Keanala didn't have much success defending herself, groggy as she was, but Constantine and Darcon's timely arrival made short work of the stirges.

Constantine's stroke whistled through the air and snipped the stirge's appendages, sending it tumbling down to curl up on the floor. Darcon's magic was not so subtle. Twin bolts impacted the bloated body of the little beast, popping it like an overfilled sausage and sending a splatter of ichor and her own drained blood dripping down the back of Keanala's smallclothes.

Despite the mess and the faint feeling of anemia Keanala was no worse for the wear, save the lingering strains of music that she could still faintly hear.

---

Our heroes spent most of the day resting, the encounter with the stirges took place in the late afternoon. With the little monsters taken care of we can jump back into the main thread.

Exeunt to Chapter 1 - link to a message in this game