Arisa says “the Dragon’s Hand has a nice ring to it. And we can sort of consider Felogos a sponsor I guess. Perhaps, if it gets around we have dragons on our side, it may help keep the Zhents away, I fear they may seek out revenge against us for our nightstone adventure…. But you had some good suggestions as well Belkas. “
Zyllith squints her eyes in thought as she considers everyone's suggestions, "Eh, kinda likes Aces o' Tempest fer somethin' I came up with on tha' spot. But Dragon's Hand 's not too bad. Though kinda sounds like we be subservient ta' tha' dragon, which kinda rubs me tha' wrong way. Hmm ... Oy! How 'bout combinin' them a bit? Could be Dragon's Aces, since we be tha' secret trump card 'gainst tha' giants in ther' war."
Zyllith squints her eyes in thought as she considers everyone's suggestions, "Eh, kinda likes Aces o' Tempest fer somethin' I came up with on tha' spot. But Dragon's Hand 's not too bad. Though kinda sounds like we be subservient ta' tha' dragon, which kinda rubs me tha' wrong way. Hmm ... Oy! How 'bout combinin' them a bit? Could be Dragon's Aces, since we be tha' secret trump card 'gainst tha' giants in ther' war."
"We do represent a stacked deck--what with there being five of us to four standard aces." Vernon looks at Elion. "Sorry, but I'm not counting you as an Ace just yet."
Arisa laughs and says “well, we have to keep Elion happy or the songs he writes about us will be embarrassing. Let’s keep moving- goldenfields is a true paradise of good food and company, as I recall. And I think they have experts on cheese!”
Elion, comes out from his semi-hiding place behind one of the cottonwood trees. He had slunk behind it during the arrival of Felogos, obviously frightened, or at least unnerved by the dragon. He nods, agreeing with you.
"Fine, I am no Ace... I have not the bravery that you all possess, for I could not even face the likes of a magnificent dragon without hiding, but I shall indeed carry the memory of this encounter with me to the grave. Would that I had the same courage as you folk, but that is why I am here, to learn about the more deadly aspect of the world, and as I quickly learning, not all of them involve death itself. I am fortunate that you have allowed me to travel with you, for I have just seen something that few folk ever witness... that alone is sure to influence many lines of verse for my poems... and we are only on day three..."
Hearing Elion speak, Belkas' distrust of him recedes. "Don't feel badly about hiding. Wisdom and courage combine when you support your friends in the ways you are best able. Rushing into danger without the equipment and skills does nothing but call the Raven Queen upon us all. Staying alive and inspiring others with your poems will do more good for this dark world."
Elion seems genuinely moved by Belkas's advice. Already, after two and a half days on the road with you, you've begun to see more of him than just the cocky, death-obsessed youngster. That's still there, but there are occasional cracks in what you guess to be a self-protective facade. "I shall do my best to heed your advice, Belkas, as I do not wish to see my own death anytime soon."
With Felogos now out of sight, you continue along on the dry and dusty Northfurrow Trail into the late afternoon. After hours of walking beneath the warm sun, you can taste the dirt in your mouth from the breezes that have blown it onto your clothes and skin, a fact that was certainly magnified by the dragon's crash landing and large flapping wings. At this point, going from Arisa's memory, you figure, you have 2-3 more hours of travel to reach Goldenfields.
Vernon will keep buffing his shield whenever it loses its shine, occasionally glancing back to see how his banner is doing. He will attempt to keep his new hammer out of the breeze.
As that party walks along, tiny specks of dust rise from the dirt trail and seem to dance in the shafts of afternoon sunlight. The sun takes on a fire-red hue like dragon fire. Only some dragons apparently breathe lightning.
Belkas turns to Arisa, "Sorry to go about this, but I can understand dragons breathing fire. They could build up a flammable gas in their stomachs and belch it out. Similarly, spitting acid makes sense. What I don't get is how they would shoot lighting out of their mouths. Where does it come from? It doesn't make sense to me."
Overhearing Belkas's line of questioning, Zyllith was happy to inject her thoughts as they walked along the road, "Ye magics blokes blast all sort o' weird shite outa yer fingertips, aye? Fire 'n lightning n' who knows whot. Would'nae be no different fer a dragon then, 'tis all magic."
Arisa laughs “she’s right- Magic doesn’t make much sense, often. That’s what’s so wonderful about it! Dragons are creatures of incredible magic. I wonder if they could even fly if they weren’t? The lightning breath isn’t even the strange one for me- supposedly they can magically repel creatures with their breath as well. And not just the way some people do in the morning!”
Belkas smiles, thinks a little, and then nods. "That makes sense. For some reason it hadn't occurred to me that dragons could also control the flow of magic, but then I really don't know much of them beyond the stories we are told as children. Like Elion, I feel privileged to have had today's encounter."
You all continue on the Northfurrow trail that pass through wide open grasslands, with occasional stands of cottonwood trees. Elion says no more about the encounter today, and for the next couple hours of walking he seems lost in his own thoughts, no doubt reflecting on what he saw.
Then, something catches your eye... off to the west (left)... About two hundred feet away, you spot a small band of humanoid creatures, certainly not men though. They appear to be a armored in dark hide of some sort, carrying weapons and tall enough that they are are visible in the tall grass. They are walking perpendicular to your path, and their current trajectory is such that they will soon intersect with you on the trail, or come very close. At this point, it is not obvious if they have spotted you yet.
Perception checks to see how many you see and if you can identify what they are.
Arisa says “the Dragon’s Hand has a nice ring to it. And we can sort of consider Felogos a sponsor I guess. Perhaps, if it gets around we have dragons on our side, it may help keep the Zhents away, I fear they may seek out revenge against us for our nightstone adventure…. But you had some good suggestions as well Belkas. “
Zyllith squints her eyes in thought as she considers everyone's suggestions, "Eh, kinda likes Aces o' Tempest fer somethin' I came up with on tha' spot. But Dragon's Hand 's not too bad. Though kinda sounds like we be subservient ta' tha' dragon, which kinda rubs me tha' wrong way. Hmm ... Oy! How 'bout combinin' them a bit? Could be Dragon's Aces, since we be tha' secret trump card 'gainst tha' giants in ther' war."
Sylnache Ashrain - 7th Sojourn
“Dragon’s Aces.. I like it!” Arisa says
Belkas says, "Dragon's Aces is fine with me."
"Lightning though? I didn't expect that. I'm glad I don't carry around much metal on me," he says as he looks at his mail-clad companions.
"Shall we continue onwards?"
Worm gives a sharp caw before taking off overhead,
"The Dragons Aces, a fine name for a fine group... worm approves of this."
DM - Warlock of Firetop Mountain
"We do represent a stacked deck--what with there being five of us to four standard aces." Vernon looks at Elion. "Sorry, but I'm not counting you as an Ace just yet."
Arisa laughs and says “well, we have to keep Elion happy or the songs he writes about us will be embarrassing. Let’s keep moving- goldenfields is a true paradise of good food and company, as I recall. And I think they have experts on cheese!”
Elion, comes out from his semi-hiding place behind one of the cottonwood trees. He had slunk behind it during the arrival of Felogos, obviously frightened, or at least unnerved by the dragon. He nods, agreeing with you.
"Fine, I am no Ace... I have not the bravery that you all possess, for I could not even face the likes of a magnificent dragon without hiding, but I shall indeed carry the memory of this encounter with me to the grave. Would that I had the same courage as you folk, but that is why I am here, to learn about the more deadly aspect of the world, and as I quickly learning, not all of them involve death itself. I am fortunate that you have allowed me to travel with you, for I have just seen something that few folk ever witness... that alone is sure to influence many lines of verse for my poems... and we are only on day three..."
Hearing Elion speak, Belkas' distrust of him recedes. "Don't feel badly about hiding. Wisdom and courage combine when you support your friends in the ways you are best able. Rushing into danger without the equipment and skills does nothing but call the Raven Queen upon us all. Staying alive and inspiring others with your poems will do more good for this dark world."
Elion seems genuinely moved by Belkas's advice. Already, after two and a half days on the road with you, you've begun to see more of him than just the cocky, death-obsessed youngster. That's still there, but there are occasional cracks in what you guess to be a self-protective facade. "I shall do my best to heed your advice, Belkas, as I do not wish to see my own death anytime soon."
With Felogos now out of sight, you continue along on the dry and dusty Northfurrow Trail into the late afternoon. After hours of walking beneath the warm sun, you can taste the dirt in your mouth from the breezes that have blown it onto your clothes and skin, a fact that was certainly magnified by the dragon's crash landing and large flapping wings. At this point, going from Arisa's memory, you figure, you have 2-3 more hours of travel to reach Goldenfields.
Vernon will keep buffing his shield whenever it loses its shine, occasionally glancing back to see how his banner is doing. He will attempt to keep his new hammer out of the breeze.
Osmord will work on his smell.
DM - Warlock of Firetop Mountain
As that party walks along, tiny specks of dust rise from the dirt trail and seem to dance in the shafts of afternoon sunlight. The sun takes on a fire-red hue like dragon fire. Only some dragons apparently breathe lightning.
Belkas turns to Arisa, "Sorry to go about this, but I can understand dragons breathing fire. They could build up a flammable gas in their stomachs and belch it out. Similarly, spitting acid makes sense. What I don't get is how they would shoot lighting out of their mouths. Where does it come from? It doesn't make sense to me."
Overhearing Belkas's line of questioning, Zyllith was happy to inject her thoughts as they walked along the road, "Ye magics blokes blast all sort o' weird shite outa yer fingertips, aye? Fire 'n lightning n' who knows whot. Would'nae be no different fer a dragon then, 'tis all magic."
Sylnache Ashrain - 7th Sojourn
Arisa laughs “she’s right- Magic doesn’t make much sense, often. That’s what’s so wonderful about it! Dragons are creatures of incredible magic. I wonder if they could even fly if they weren’t? The lightning breath isn’t even the strange one for me- supposedly they can magically repel creatures with their breath as well. And not just the way some people do in the morning!”
Belkas smiles, thinks a little, and then nods. "That makes sense. For some reason it hadn't occurred to me that dragons could also control the flow of magic, but then I really don't know much of them beyond the stories we are told as children. Like Elion, I feel privileged to have had today's encounter."
You all continue on the Northfurrow trail that pass through wide open grasslands, with occasional stands of cottonwood trees. Elion says no more about the encounter today, and for the next couple hours of walking he seems lost in his own thoughts, no doubt reflecting on what he saw.
Then, something catches your eye... off to the west (left)... About two hundred feet away, you spot a small band of humanoid creatures, certainly not men though. They appear to be a armored in dark hide of some sort, carrying weapons and tall enough that they are are visible in the tall grass. They are walking perpendicular to your path, and their current trajectory is such that they will soon intersect with you on the trail, or come very close. At this point, it is not obvious if they have spotted you yet.
Perception checks to see how many you see and if you can identify what they are.
Belkas comes to a sudden stop and peers at the creatures in the grass to the west (Perception 20+1) before crouching down and looking for cover.
Perception check: 16 + 0
If Vernon sees them, he will pull out his hammer.
Zyllith tries to slip in quietly into the tall grass to remain unseen just in case while peering carefully towards the creatures.
Perception - 12+3 = 15
Stealth - 17+9 = 26
Sylnache Ashrain - 7th Sojourn