Gewyn flicks blood from the tip of his blade and sheathes it again, laying a reassuring hand on the Smeagle's back. He leans forward and whispers encouragement to it before focusing on the illusion of a dragon he'd called up. It starts flying over to place its body between the party and the distant cloud of cockatrices, letting out a loud dragon's bellow to discourage more from joining the fray.
The fairy dragon illusion does it's job in warding off any more cockatrice from attempting to harass the group.
As Elthana moves and attacks at the straps hector uses his movement to leap backwards provoking a reactionary attack from the cockatrice up in his face, it swipes and misses and as soon as hector touches the sled he inverts his gravity to stick himself to the under side of it.
Flying up closer the cockatrice follows hector to take another swipe, but can't wrap it's mind around its own current predicament and ends up missing once more screeching in frustration.
The last cockatrice in melee with Sam's passenger attempts a swipe but also fails.
The petrified smeagle continues its descent regardless of whether Elthana was successful in her attempt to release herself and the sled from it's trappings.
Expertly Elthana cleaves the sled lashings and separates it from the petrified smeagle which plummets out of sight. Griff immediately feels the relief of the weight change and begins ascending slowly, but the single rope of the sled twists as Elthana and Hector begin to be spun and buffeted by the winds, dangling in their vulnerable position.
(Need either a Dex save to hold on, or Wis save to change gravity centered on the sled, both DC 13, from Elthana at the start of her turn)
Elthana wipes her brow as she watches the statue of the poor smeagle plummet and then quickly uses that hand to grab hold of the sled as it twists and turns in the air. Seeing that they were slowly ascending, she leaves that for the moment to Griff, blessed Griff who could have just flown off but didn't, and focuses on the cockatrice that is still hanging around Hector. With her hands busy holding the rope, she kicks out at him.
With the cockatrices attacking them seemingly under control, at least they will be when Sam dispatches the last one, Vin sets his eyes further out towards the roiling cloud of the beasts. He watches for any more that decide to ignore the warning of Gewyn's Faerie Dragon and attempt to intercept them.
If they do make a move, he will look to dissuade them as soon as they come within range.
"I'll try and dissuade any more from joining the fray, see what you can do to help the others", he calls across to Gewyn.
Special: Bardic Inspiration from Gewyn - 1d8 - 9 minutes, 36 seconds remaining Action: Ready a pair of Eldritch Blasts at the first cockatrice to come within 120' Reaction: Eldritch Blast x 2 Attack 1 - To Hit: 18+8= 26, Damage: 9+5= 14 [force] Attack 2 - To Hit: 8+8= 16, Damage: 8+5= 13 [force]
Sam continues grumbling and complaining and demanding the Dragonborn get this damn bird headed towards Elthana... He also slams his handaxes down and once more picks up his bow, annoyed that the last attacker is too far away to reach with the axes.
Longbow Attack: Attack: 18 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll. Second Longbow Attack: Attack: 12 Damage: 8
"Oh hey! Our bird man is saving your boss man's life!" Sam then notes with some surprise. "How ironic is that??"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
Between Elthana's kicks and Muir's bird the cockatrice perishes, leaving the vast empty air of Thaeir as the only immediate threat to Elthana and Hector's life.
Sam switching out for his long bow also makes shirt work of the last remaining cockatrice, to which his passenger gives a cheer and sheathes his weapon.
With no more hostiles on the battlefield, and Gewyn's illusory fairy dragon keeping the rest of the shimmer at bay combat comes to a close.
Griff struggles his way another 15ft toward the nearest smeagle, Muir's. That specific smeagle with Eaos' anchoring it down and Muir calming it successfully, moves towards the struggling Aarakocra. As soon as Eaos' is within reach Hector inverts his gravity once more and flies up to meet his dragonborn protector who catches his master easily.
Griff reaches down and grabs onto Elthana with his feet talons simultaneously letting the sled go and hoping that she will too, "I cannot be carrying it all I am being exhausted" assuming Elthana let's the dead weight go, Griff carries Elthana slowly over to Sam's smeagle and deposits her there, after which he struggles against the wind amd lands himself safely with Gewyn and Vin, notably out of the reach of either dragonborn or Hector.
"That was close,"Gewyn says, bending his illusion to unleash another roar at the distant flock. "Thanks for saving El, Griff. As complicated as things are, you are a good ally, and we are in your debt." He also flashes Elthana a warm smile. "And you, Elthana... It's good to have you safe."
As Griff drops between himself and Gewyn having saved the day, Vin reaches over and pats him on the back between his wings.
"That was amazing, Griff. And not just what you did, holding all that weight whilst flying, but the fact you risked yourself to save us and Hector. Gewyn's right, you are fine ally", he says finally taking his eyes off the strange swarm.
"I guess that smeagle will just keep falling then".
Surprised and relieved to be alive, Elthana turns to Sam and gives him a big hug. Then looks around to see where the hell they were and if their destination was anywhere near.
Perception: 22
(Gewyn, I don't think Elthana can hear you through the wind? I could be wrong though)
Sam grumbles as Elthana hugs him but a smile grows upon his face once she can no longer see it for herself. He reluctantly hugs her back and does so as if she is fragile and he is afraid to squeeze tightly. After a moment or two he shrugs out of the embrace, first wiping the wind out of one eye (yeah, it was the wind!) and then holding her a bit away from himself for a moment to look her over and make sure she's really ok. "Nobody ever taught you stones can't fly?" he grumbles at her. His hands squeeze her arms once more to reassure himself she is there and real and then he releases her and clears his throat...
"Yeah, anyway, this here is... Well anyway, welcome aboard, hold on tight, and this one here seems to speak Giant and I think Elvish if you're in a chatty mood," Sam instructs. "Get anything from your friend before you let your bird get killed?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
Griff gives a beaky smile to Gewyn and Vin "it is taking more than rope to keep me bound" he says crackling lightning over his talons, then his face goes grim, "be believing me, if I could have let the heretic go I would have been doing it. Though I am thinking his cultist would definitely be killing me because of it. I have saving him to save myself..." After a moment Griff puts his talon into the feathers of the smeagle and looks back to the sled containing Neferox. "We are being too heavy for this creature, it is struggling, slowing, the rest of the flock feel it too they will be staying together but I am thinking we will be taking longer than expected"
As Sam holds her out and looks at her after wriggling out of the embrace, Elthana raises an eyebrow, "Yes, it is me. Were you expecting someone else?"
As he asks his question, Elthana's mouth drops open, she narrows her eyes and stares at Sam. "Why.. what? Sam!!" She crosses her arms and just glares at him.
Brushing past the oaf, she looks to the dragonborn and in Elvish she asks a question.
"What I say?" Sam responds, wounded. "Just wondering if he told you how much longer til we're there or anything..." Sam shrugs and grumps back down to a sit.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
"Well, whatever the intention, the actions were noble", Vin replies to Griff with a smile, then looks back at the sled following Griff's gaze.
"There is no doubt she's a big girl, but the smeagle was coping fine. Are you saying your extra weight is enough to tip the balance? If so, perhaps you should move to one of the other birds?", he suggests and looks to the other birds. "Oh, possibly not the best idea", he adds realising Griff likely chose this bird for a very good reason.
"Perhaps I can help give her renewed energy from time to time", he says and touches the smeagle, helping it reach beyond its tiredness. He will repeat that often, but not at the expense of his own rest.
The slowing of the more burdened smeagle soon becomes apparent to the group as it begins to struggle and the other smeagles keep pace. With vin's guidance and encouragement the burdened smeagle is able to quicken slightly and after 16 more hours of flight, the group having been able to take another short rest if needed, Muir having talked Hector's ear off, Sam still wondering what in the seven realms Elthana is upset about, and Vin and Gewyn's smeagle well and truly exhausted, a falling Ilse begins to come into view ahead.
As the group approaches they see that the Ilse, once whole, is shattered from a central point, a point which the massive shards of falling crystal now circle. The winds and the perpetual fall seem to be keeping the bits together enough that travel between the massive shards seems possible, and the positioning even after all these years displays what massive amount of power must have reigned down from above to split an entire land mass like this. The group spot hafgufa and blagufa circling the broken isle, and many darkened spots where ruinous townships and encampments are occupied.
The smeagle's swoop low over one such ruined cityscape diving down into a large crack between two shattered landmasses. There they come to a gentle enough landing in a crystal crevasse.
Gewyn flicks blood from the tip of his blade and sheathes it again, laying a reassuring hand on the Smeagle's back. He leans forward and whispers encouragement to it before focusing on the illusion of a dragon he'd called up. It starts flying over to place its body between the party and the distant cloud of cockatrices, letting out a loud dragon's bellow to discourage more from joining the fray.
Action: Move illusion
BA: Bardic to the Smeagle
"I'm fine," Sam grumps to the Dragonborn. "Worry about the attackers!"
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
-- Eleanor Shellstrop
The fairy dragon illusion does it's job in warding off any more cockatrice from attempting to harass the group.
As Elthana moves and attacks at the straps hector uses his movement to leap backwards provoking a reactionary attack from the cockatrice up in his face, it swipes and misses and as soon as hector touches the sled he inverts his gravity to stick himself to the under side of it.
Flying up closer the cockatrice follows hector to take another swipe, but can't wrap it's mind around its own current predicament and ends up missing once more screeching in frustration.
The last cockatrice in melee with Sam's passenger attempts a swipe but also fails.
The petrified smeagle continues its descent regardless of whether Elthana was successful in her attempt to release herself and the sled from it's trappings.
Travin Tiller, Junk Dweller Bard, AURYN.
The Ironmaiden, Questionable Artificer, Descent into Avernus.
DM, Peacekeepers of Northmorrah
Expertly Elthana cleaves the sled lashings and separates it from the petrified smeagle which plummets out of sight. Griff immediately feels the relief of the weight change and begins ascending slowly, but the single rope of the sled twists as Elthana and Hector begin to be spun and buffeted by the winds, dangling in their vulnerable position.
(Need either a Dex save to hold on, or Wis save to change gravity centered on the sled, both DC 13, from Elthana at the start of her turn)
Travin Tiller, Junk Dweller Bard, AURYN.
The Ironmaiden, Questionable Artificer, Descent into Avernus.
DM, Peacekeepers of Northmorrah
Elthana wipes her brow as she watches the statue of the poor smeagle plummet and then quickly uses that hand to grab hold of the sled as it twists and turns in the air. Seeing that they were slowly ascending, she leaves that for the moment to Griff, blessed Griff who could have just flown off but didn't, and focuses on the cockatrice that is still hanging around Hector. With her hands busy holding the rope, she kicks out at him.
Attack: 11, Dam: 7
Attack: 19, Dam: 9
Attack: 11, Dam: 11
With the cockatrices attacking them seemingly under control, at least they will be when Sam dispatches the last one, Vin sets his eyes further out towards the roiling cloud of the beasts. He watches for any more that decide to ignore the warning of Gewyn's Faerie Dragon and attempt to intercept them.
If they do make a move, he will look to dissuade them as soon as they come within range.
"I'll try and dissuade any more from joining the fray, see what you can do to help the others", he calls across to Gewyn.
Special: Bardic Inspiration from Gewyn - 1d8 - 9 minutes, 36 seconds remaining
Action: Ready a pair of Eldritch Blasts at the first cockatrice to come within 120'
Reaction: Eldritch Blast x 2
Attack 1 - To Hit: 18+8= 26, Damage: 9+5= 14 [force]
Attack 2 - To Hit: 8+8= 16, Damage: 8+5= 13 [force]
Sam continues grumbling and complaining and demanding the Dragonborn get this damn bird headed towards Elthana... He also slams his handaxes down and once more picks up his bow, annoyed that the last attacker is too far away to reach with the axes.
Longbow Attack: Attack: 18 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.
Second Longbow Attack: Attack: 12 Damage: 8
"Oh hey! Our bird man is saving your boss man's life!" Sam then notes with some surprise. "How ironic is that??"
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
-- Eleanor Shellstrop
Muir tries to calm the birds and steady them so Eaos doesn't slip off.
Animal Handling 16
Meanwhile Muir's bird aims to protect Elthana by fighting whatever bird is fighting her.
Bird attack #1: Miss
Bird attack #2: Hit 13 Dam 10
Between Elthana's kicks and Muir's bird the cockatrice perishes, leaving the vast empty air of Thaeir as the only immediate threat to Elthana and Hector's life.
Sam switching out for his long bow also makes shirt work of the last remaining cockatrice, to which his passenger gives a cheer and sheathes his weapon.
With no more hostiles on the battlefield, and Gewyn's illusory fairy dragon keeping the rest of the shimmer at bay combat comes to a close.
Griff struggles his way another 15ft toward the nearest smeagle, Muir's. That specific smeagle with Eaos' anchoring it down and Muir calming it successfully, moves towards the struggling Aarakocra. As soon as Eaos' is within reach Hector inverts his gravity once more and flies up to meet his dragonborn protector who catches his master easily.
Griff reaches down and grabs onto Elthana with his feet talons simultaneously letting the sled go and hoping that she will too, "I cannot be carrying it all I am being exhausted" assuming Elthana let's the dead weight go, Griff carries Elthana slowly over to Sam's smeagle and deposits her there, after which he struggles against the wind amd lands himself safely with Gewyn and Vin, notably out of the reach of either dragonborn or Hector.
Travin Tiller, Junk Dweller Bard, AURYN.
The Ironmaiden, Questionable Artificer, Descent into Avernus.
DM, Peacekeepers of Northmorrah
Elthana eagerly lets the sled go, knowing Griff has her and as he flies her over to Sam's smeagle she reaches up and squeezes his taloned foot.
"That was close," Gewyn says, bending his illusion to unleash another roar at the distant flock. "Thanks for saving El, Griff. As complicated as things are, you are a good ally, and we are in your debt." He also flashes Elthana a warm smile. "And you, Elthana... It's good to have you safe."
As Griff drops between himself and Gewyn having saved the day, Vin reaches over and pats him on the back between his wings.
"That was amazing, Griff. And not just what you did, holding all that weight whilst flying, but the fact you risked yourself to save us and Hector. Gewyn's right, you are fine ally", he says finally taking his eyes off the strange swarm.
"I guess that smeagle will just keep falling then".
Surprised and relieved to be alive, Elthana turns to Sam and gives him a big hug. Then looks around to see where the hell they were and if their destination was anywhere near.
Perception: 22
(Gewyn, I don't think Elthana can hear you through the wind? I could be wrong though)
Sam grumbles as Elthana hugs him but a smile grows upon his face once she can no longer see it for herself. He reluctantly hugs her back and does so as if she is fragile and he is afraid to squeeze tightly. After a moment or two he shrugs out of the embrace, first wiping the wind out of one eye (yeah, it was the wind!) and then holding her a bit away from himself for a moment to look her over and make sure she's really ok. "Nobody ever taught you stones can't fly?" he grumbles at her. His hands squeeze her arms once more to reassure himself she is there and real and then he releases her and clears his throat...
"Yeah, anyway, this here is... Well anyway, welcome aboard, hold on tight, and this one here seems to speak Giant and I think Elvish if you're in a chatty mood," Sam instructs. "Get anything from your friend before you let your bird get killed?"
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
-- Eleanor Shellstrop
Griff gives a beaky smile to Gewyn and Vin "it is taking more than rope to keep me bound" he says crackling lightning over his talons, then his face goes grim, "be believing me, if I could have let the heretic go I would have been doing it. Though I am thinking his cultist would definitely be killing me because of it. I have saving him to save myself..." After a moment Griff puts his talon into the feathers of the smeagle and looks back to the sled containing Neferox. "We are being too heavy for this creature, it is struggling, slowing, the rest of the flock feel it too they will be staying together but I am thinking we will be taking longer than expected"
Travin Tiller, Junk Dweller Bard, AURYN.
The Ironmaiden, Questionable Artificer, Descent into Avernus.
DM, Peacekeepers of Northmorrah
As Sam holds her out and looks at her after wriggling out of the embrace, Elthana raises an eyebrow, "Yes, it is me. Were you expecting someone else?"
As he asks his question, Elthana's mouth drops open, she narrows her eyes and stares at Sam. "Why.. what? Sam!!" She crosses her arms and just glares at him.
Brushing past the oaf, she looks to the dragonborn and in Elvish she asks a question.
"What I say?" Sam responds, wounded. "Just wondering if he told you how much longer til we're there or anything..." Sam shrugs and grumps back down to a sit.
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
-- Eleanor Shellstrop
"Well, whatever the intention, the actions were noble", Vin replies to Griff with a smile, then looks back at the sled following Griff's gaze.
"There is no doubt she's a big girl, but the smeagle was coping fine. Are you saying your extra weight is enough to tip the balance? If so, perhaps you should move to one of the other birds?", he suggests and looks to the other birds. "Oh, possibly not the best idea", he adds realising Griff likely chose this bird for a very good reason.
"Perhaps I can help give her renewed energy from time to time", he says and touches the smeagle, helping it reach beyond its tiredness. He will repeat that often, but not at the expense of his own rest.
Muir talks to Hector……anyone looking and perceptive enough could notice
The slowing of the more burdened smeagle soon becomes apparent to the group as it begins to struggle and the other smeagles keep pace. With vin's guidance and encouragement the burdened smeagle is able to quicken slightly and after 16 more hours of flight, the group having been able to take another short rest if needed, Muir having talked Hector's ear off, Sam still wondering what in the seven realms Elthana is upset about, and Vin and Gewyn's smeagle well and truly exhausted, a falling Ilse begins to come into view ahead.
As the group approaches they see that the Ilse, once whole, is shattered from a central point, a point which the massive shards of falling crystal now circle. The winds and the perpetual fall seem to be keeping the bits together enough that travel between the massive shards seems possible, and the positioning even after all these years displays what massive amount of power must have reigned down from above to split an entire land mass like this. The group spot hafgufa and blagufa circling the broken isle, and many darkened spots where ruinous townships and encampments are occupied.
The smeagle's swoop low over one such ruined cityscape diving down into a large crack between two shattered landmasses. There they come to a gentle enough landing in a crystal crevasse.
Travin Tiller, Junk Dweller Bard, AURYN.
The Ironmaiden, Questionable Artificer, Descent into Avernus.
DM, Peacekeepers of Northmorrah