Eryndor shrugs and follows Ran.

The problem solved itself, and Meili, breathing a bit easier, turned toward the exit too. "He does attract a lot of attention. We might as well climb over the wall while everyone is occupied with the prince."

 [Was there some part of the wall that looked less guarded or more climbable?]

The party retraces their steps through the winding tunnels beneath the amphitheater.   Their footsteps echo softly on the stone, careful to avoid the fallen remains of the raptors they just fought.  They make their way through the maze-like passages, lit only by the glow of Ran's new lantern.  Finally, they reach the tunnel's exit, pushing past hanging vines and stepping out into the sweltering heat of the day once more.  Steam still rises from the ground, where last night’s rain is quickly evaporating.  

Ahead, they see the crude fortification built by the Cormyr Company.  The wooden palisade wall, more than ten feet high and topped with sharpened spikes, stands stubbornly against the jungle at the base of the cliff wall.  It’s a patchwork of timber, lashed together and reinforced at intervals, but it looks functional enough to repel most threats.

As they draw closer, they hear it—the bellowing roar of the King of Feathers, loud and resonant, almost shaking the ground itself.  The monstrous, magical tyrannosaur slams its massive shoulder into the palisade, causing the whole wall to shudder.  Tiny clawed arms scrape at the wood, splinters flying as it gnashes its teeth at the barrier, frustrated and wild-eyed.  

The party slows, taking cover behind thick ferns and fallen stone blocks, watching the scene unfold.  They scan the fortress for any sign of movement—guards rushing to the walls, archers taking aim, or at least someone in the watchtowers reacting to the commotion.  But there is nothing.  The watchtowers stand unmanned, no heads peeking over the walls, no shouts of alarm.

From their concealed position, the party glances upward at the Thayan airship floating above, tethered to a platform halfway up the cliff face.   A few tiny figures move about on deck, but none are actively reacting to the massive dinosaur below.

The great beast continues to roar and bash its bulk against the wooden barrier, foam gathering at the corners of its jaws, but the fortification holds.  Despite the King’s might, the palisade appears sturdy enough to withstand even his strength—at least for now.  The party huddles in the brush, exchanging glances as they take in the surreal sight; a primordial king of the jungle, bellowing at a wall while the inhabitants inside remain oblivious.  It is a bizarre, almost absurd moment, as the giant predator is being ignored as it throws its weight against the fortified barrier.

"So nobody is home?" Ran says. "Not a punter in sight."

He watches the King of Feathers for a few moments longer.

"Do we let him burn himself out or try sneaking in now while the wizards up there," Ran says, gesturing up at the airship, "are looking elsewhere?"

A few more minutes pass.  The dinosaur doesn't seem to be running out of steam, as it passes back and forth along the wall, occasionally snapping at it or throwing a hip into it.  But still, no alarm is raised and no defense comes to the wall.

Ran looks at Eryndor and then back at the feather king.

"Think you're friend will eat us if we make a move?" Ran asks. Then he looks at the others. "How about we just go through the front door? If that doesn't work, looks like it's only about ten feet tall. Boost someone up and over and they can open the gate from the inside before the wee wizards up above notice."

Eryndor glances from Ran to the looming form of the King of Feathers, then back to the gate. He gives a languid shrug, his expression wry.

"At this point, my friend, walking through the front door sounds no more mad than anything else we’ve tried." He adjusts the strap of his lute and nods toward the gate. "If the prince means to eat us, he’s had plenty of opportunity. Let’s hope he’s found my voice more nourishing than my flesh."

He gestures theatrically. "Lead on. If boldness is the path, let’s tread it with style."

((Will give Meili and Mica a moment to weigh in on something less 'bold' if they like, otherwise Ran is going to go to the front gate))

“This doesn’t feel right,” said Meili. “A creature like that hammering at your gates and no one so much as peeks over the wall?” She shook her head. “Either they’re gone, or they’re watching us through something we can’t see.”

She looked at the King again, watching as he slammed another shoulder into the palisade, and nodded. “We take the front gate, we stay quick and quiet. If it’s locked, you are right ten feet isn’t much - just lift me up a bit.”

She hesitated, then added, “He’s buying us a chance, whether he means to or not. Let's use it.”

(Not insisting on Meili to be the one getting over the palisade first, but she might be the lightest to lift up)

((She's likely the most agile and least likely to clumsily fall over the top)).

With Eryndor and Meili voicing agreement, Ran looks over at Mica and smiles, "Let's get going then."

Ran strides quickly to the main gate, still doing his best to look like one of the mercenaries. Once there he looks for a way to open the gate, pushing on it, pulling, hoping for a lever or pulley or something. If it doesn't open, he bangs on it. If that doesn't get a quick response, he turns, cups his hand into a foothold and gets ready to boost Meili up.

Ran moves swiftly to the gate, approaching as if he belongs here.  The roars of the King of Feathers still echo across the clearing, punctuated by the dull thuds of his massive frame slamming against the wall. 

At the gate, Ran crouches low and examines it.  It's a solid construction: thick planks of jungle hardwood, bound together with heavy rope and a few iron bands and reinforced with crossbeams.  The top of each plank is sharpened to a crude spike at the top.  It won't last a generation, but it's well built-enough to serve its purpose.  He presses against it, testing for give, but it doesn’t budge.  There's no handle or latch on this side—just a narrow seam between the doors and a few splintered spots where past impacts have scarred the surface.  Whatever mechanism holds it shut is on the inside.

Ran  signals to Meili.  She dashes forward, nimble and quiet as a cat.  He cups his hands low and braces.  With a soft exhale, Meili plants a foot into his grip and launches upward. 

[Meili, please roll athletics or acrobatics, DC10.  There is no doubt she will clear the gate, the roll is to see if she avoids 4 piercing damage clearing the spikes at the top.]

She lands on a stone plaza just behind the gate.  The air smells of pitch, woodsmoke, and the musty canvas of the airship moored above.  A tall stone obelisk looms behind her, between her and the cliff.  There are some tents and simple wooden shelters nearby, but no people in sight.  She quickly scans the gate’s interior side. There, bolted across the doors, is a large horizontal beam, dropped into heavy iron brackets.  It's keeping the gates from swinging open.  

Back outside, Ran, Mica and Eryndor notice the roars and crashes have paused.  Turning slowly in unison, they see that the King of Feathers has stopped and locked eyes on the three of them.   Its great plumed head, tilted slightly, gives a little shake, as if clearing away a thought.

For a long second, it just watches.  Then there is a flash of something like understanding, then rage, or madness behind those eyes.  All three, not just Eryndor, realize in this moment that you can taste the colors of this creature's vibrant feathers, as though somehow the colors have gotten confused and forgotten which of your senses they are supposed to tickle. 

And then the monster roars, chasing away those curious notions.  It is not a natural sound.  It begins with the thunderous, bone-rattling bellow of a tyrannosaur but layered beneath it is something stranger.  A harmonic resonance, like wind through chimes or the scream of glass cracking.  A shriek that is almost a voice—almost a word—spilling forth from a throat too monstrous to speak plainly.

The King of Feathers charges.  The earth trembles as it moves—massive feet pounding the stone, a blur of feathers and muscle and glinting scales.  

Initiative:  

1. The Party  19-7
2. King of Feathers  3

[No map yet.  The King of Feathers is 100' away from the 3 outside the wall.  You can go in any order when you have time to post.]

(Roll for potential piercing damage, DC10 on Acrobatics: 24)

Meili couldn’t see the others through the gate, but the sudden silence was suspicious, scary even. No crashing. No roar. For a moment, it felt as if she was deaf.

She didn’t wait to question her senses, though. Meili darted to the heavy beam and threw her weight into it, as she pushed and heaved to slide it free and open the gates. The beast could run straight inside, maybe even attack, but there will be time to think about it later. Right now, all she wanted was to open the gates.

((Is there any cover anywhere around the gate? How far to get around the side of the palisade?))

Eryndor will slip as out of the way and take cover/hide as best as he can (Stealth rolled in log: 17) and Ready a spell for when Meili opens the gate and the King of Feather's is within 60'

Mica, Eryndor and Ran hear a heavy thunk from the other side of the gate, and then it loosens, a slight gap appearing.  It looks like the gate could be pulled open from the outside now.

Ran jams his hands into the gaps and pulls hard, shouting at Mica and Eryndor to "Help me get this open before we become dino shite."

Athletics?: 17  and w/ advantage if he gets some help 13 

Mica turns toward the charging dinosaur, one hand held up in the air as a stop sign.  He draws on his connection with the primal spirits in an attempt to speak with animals.  His words come out in a predatory snarl and growl as he tries to reason with the beast “Wait, wait.  We mean you no harm. We are not your enemy, we are here for the wizards.  Those are the ones that trapped you.”

With the gate door opened by Ran, Eryndor will wait until the King of Feathers is within 60 feet of himself, then while slipping inside with the others, he will cast Phantasmal Force (Int save DC 15) without any damage - just to create the illusion of one of the mages that had harmed the King of Feathers inside the gate - a tempting morsel to lead the muscle bound engine of destruction into the camp to sow chaos - and perhaps enough of a distraction to let us slip where the group needs to.

Mica plants his feet and calls out to the King of Feathers.  

For a heartbeat, the monstrous tyrannosaur does slow, if only by a fraction.  Its great head cocks ever so slightly as the magic takes hold, creating a channel of understanding between Mica and the dinosaur.

What pours back through that connection is not speech, not truly.  It's madness.

A tangle of noise and fury surges into Mica's mind, a hurricane of half-formed words and feelings.  The King’s voice is thunder layered with lightning.  The language is almost elvish, enough so for Mica to understand bits and pieces...beautiful, lilting vowels mixed with unintelligible roars.

“Where is the moonlight?  Where is my name?  WHO TOOK MY NAME?”

It shifts again, spiraling into shrieking rage.  “Too loud!  The bones sing lies!  NO MORE CHAINS!  NO MORE CHAINS!”

Then suddenly, imploring, almost weeping.  “Help me—help me—kill me—kill them—kill everything—”

Then a scream, high and strangled and endless, not from the monstrer's throat but from some deeper, broken place.  The King of Feathers throws back its head and roars again, louder, fiercer, foam trailing from its jaws, saliva steaming in the humid air.  It does not slow.  Each moment brings it meters closer as it thunders across the courtyard.

Eryndor conjures something visible only to the King of Feathers (INT save:  8).

[Between Ran and Meili, they were able to open the door.  I took the liberty of putting everyone inside.  Are you letting it in, as Eryndor intends?]

Not knowing what the others are doing, once everyone is inside, Ran would be closing and barring the gate as quickly as possible. A rampaging dino is not what he thinks is a good idea while they take a look at what's inside the compound.