Lyra begins to dash after the others toward the mine entrance. Knowing she'll be slower than them, she calls out to Zephyros when she gets close to him: "Can you carry me on your back? I'm much slower! But—but only if I won't be a hassle!"

Lyra's Round 5:

DM/SOC_Benaiah7:

Bonus Action: The Spiritual Weapon advances 20 feet towards the mine entrance, and will keep doing so each turn the cleric spends moving towards the entrance (round 5 out of 10) .

Special: Concentrating on Pass Without Trace

Meira just hopes that Eldrin heard her words and will find a way to get out of sight.  For herself, she deftly moves away from the giant rat (Cunning Action - Disengage).  She will then move towards the north for 30 ft. then finds a place to hide. (Stealth: 23)

(OOC - Can't really see off the edge of the last map, but I'm hoping there is somewhere to hide!) 

Pain blooms hot in Eldrin’s shoulder, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. He clutches at the wound, blood slick against his palm, and stumbles through the underbrush, breath shallow and quick. Meira’s voice cuts through the haze, and he orients himself towards her. voice. The giant rat on the hunt for the pair and closing in fast.

“Not ideal,” he mutters through clenched teeth.

He glances down at the potion looped on his belt. The vial glows faintly, refracting the sunlight with a strange shimmer. Eldrin hesitates for the briefest of moments, lips tightening in frustration.

A shame, he thinks. I was hoping to test its interaction with displaced ambient light.

But there’s no time.

He uncorks the vial and downs the contents in one practiced motion. The taste is bitter, like crushed cinnamon and burnt mint, and the effect begins almost instantly. Light bends, first around the edges of his frame, like heat rising off stone. Then, bit by bit, the shimmer consumes him: the shape of his body fades, his outline dissolves, and in the span of a few seconds, he vanishes entirely.

Invisible now, he steadies his breath. The pain is still there, but dulled beneath purpose.

Time bought, he thinks grimly. Let’s hope it’s enough as he continues to evade his hunter.

Action: Consume potion of invisibility
Movement: 30 feet in the same direction as Meira

Lyra & Zephyros,

"Then hop aboard, my lady!" Zephyros casually chuckles as he swiftly hoists her on to his broad back.

The trained bodyguard then breaks into a sprint and traverses with the rest of the group, moving 60 feet

Action: Dash

Eldrin, you quickly pop the cork on the invisibility potion and quaff the drink. Immediately, you feel the magical effects take hold as your body disappears from view. Moving north, you spot a large oak tree that provides ample cover from wandering eyes. You make your way around the tree, eager to lose your pursuers. 

Meira, the pain from your recent wounds helps you recognize your peril. You disengage from the giant rat. As you turn to run, Eldrin has disappeared. You run north and see a ginormous oak tree. You run to the other side of it and hide from the chasing Ratfolk. 

Lyra & Zephyros, dash to the entrance just in time to see what appears to be the dwarves chasing the last of the Ratfolk out of the cave and into the open wilderness. 

The Giant Rat looks lost as both Meira and Eldrin seemingly disappear into thin air. It sniffs at the air for a second before turning to see the sound of four belligerent dwarves rushing out of the mine. It runs at them instead. It bites at Boggin, but the stout dwarf places his pickaxe into the rat's mouth and avoids the bite.

Gareth is up!

One of the Ratfolk says to the others, "To hell with this. Let's get out of here!" The other two nod in agreement, and they all dash 60 feet north, just past the giant oak tree, behind which Eldrin and Meira are hiding. They don't appear to have noticed the two adventurers as they come within 10 feet of the pair, on their path northward.

Don-Jon and Torrin run out of the mine and flank the Giant rat on both sides. Their combined attacks quickly end the rats life.

Combat ends, though you can still pursue the last remaining ratfolk if you'd like to give chase. 

Meira holds still for several long moments before slipping around the tree to make sure the fleeing ratfolk do not see her.  She tries to keep herself hidden as she tries to survey what's happening. 

"Thank you, my Lord!" a very well-hidden Lyra whispers to Zephyros from behind his back. The halfling quickly hops down to the ground and peeks out from behind the fighter, spotting the remaining ratfolk as they run away. She glances back toward the mouth of the cave—at any moment, Gareth should appear, likely followed by Tymora's Hand, though she can feel her goddess' spiritual weapon beginning to fade—but then her focus shifts forward again.

Where are Eldrin and Meira? They're nowhere to be seen!

She wants to call out for them as loudly as possible, but fearing the ratfolk might change their minds and return, she calls out softly instead. "Eldrin!? Meira!? Where are you??"

Meira catches sight of others coming from the caves. Slipping away from the tree she moves back south. Her steps are slow as the adrenaline of battle wanes and pain from a bolt that struck her leg is more noticeable.  She ends up leaning against the cliffside then sliding down to a seated position on the ground. 

"I'm right here!" Meira calls out. If anyone gets closer it is quickly obvious there is a bolt stuck in her shoulder and she is bleeding from a couple of wounds.  "Eldrin should be right here somewhere. You should check if he's ok!"

Gareth unleashes a parting silvered arrow, taking a wild shot at one of the retreating ratfolk, more to scare them than anything.

"And don't come back!" he shouts after them. 

Once he's confident the wererats aren't coming back, he helps Lyra look for Meira and Eldrin. He flinches when he sees the bolt sticking out of Meira's shoulder. "Don't try to remove that thing until we can heal you," he says. "You're already bleeding. Don't want to make it worse."

The ranger searches around for the missing wizard. "Eldrin! Where are you? Do you need help?"

Longbow: 11 to hit, assuming a miss!

From just a few feet away, the air stirs faintly, too deliberate to be the wind alone.

“I’m here,” Eldrin’s voice calls out, quiet and disembodied, but still bearing the clipped, deliberate cadence that marks him. “Still alive. Wounded, but functional.”

A moment of silence follows, as though he turns to look down at his own, now invisible form.

“It’s remarkable,” he murmurs, tone shifting with subtle awe. “This level of distortion, total light deflection. The shadow displacement, the edge diffusion… it’s perfect. No shimmer, no flicker. Not even a perceptible warping at close range.” He laughs, delighted. “And none of it achieved through arcane shaping. No sigils, no threads of the Weave. Just… liquid.”

There’s the faint crunch of leaves as he shifts position, still unseen. “I expected temporary transparency at best, some blurred outlines, but this… this is full optical concealment.”

He quiets for a moment, voice dropping lower more grounded, more present: “Are you alright, Meira?"

The vast warrior grumbles and gives a shake of disappointment as the wererats run away.

"I've only heard myths, but..." Zephyros sighs and analyzes how fast his adversaries are going, and if he could catch up to them.

Ironheart hesitantly continues, knowing some members of his party won't likely support his suggestion. "I've heard that beast people can turn other people into one of them by biting foes, like vampires. If we don't dispatch them, they very well may start a colony-sized problem again."

Zephyros waits for his friends input and will act accordingly.

Gareth runs out of the mine and looses one more arrow at the fleeing wererats. It sinks into the ground just in front of them and causes them to run just a little bit faster. Zephyros begins to ponder the merits of giving chase, but Meira slumps against the mountainside, leaving a trail of blood where her body slid down into a seated position. It's clear to the group Meira is hurt badly. Tymora's ethereal arm comes out of the mine and gives Lyra a thumbs up before dissipating into a quickly dispersing mist. Eldrin enjoys his invisibility as he recognizes no one in his vicinity can see him. 

The dwarves break off pursuit of the wererats almost immediately and regroup at the entrance to the mine with Don-Jon who never made any effort to pursue. Don-Jon turns to the group and says, "Well done my friends. You fought well. That fight reminded me of the time I fought a den of werebears! Did I tell you about that one already? Anyways... Thanks for your help driving those vermin out of our mine."

Torrin adds, "Aye, we woulda had a hard time of it ourselves. Now if you'll excuse me. We have a brother to bury still. Boggin and Finlie, please start digging another grave. Dremlie, come with me." The dwarves start to head off back into the mine unless anyone stops them.

 The air outside is cold. Fortunately, the looming mountainside blocks most of the easterly wind. The sun dips below the horizon to the west and darkness begins to take hold. A spattering of stars begin to dance among the partial cloud cover and a full moon starts its ascent.

What would you like to do? Give chase to the fast fleeing wererats? Rest in the uncomforts of the mine? Press on to the Butterskull Ranch, knowing time is of the essence? The evening is yours to do as you please.

"Hey! I'm still standing," Meira says, replying to Eldrin. She chuckles, though that is cut short with a muffled groan of pain. "Ok, I'm not standing right now.  But I could stand if I had to. And I don't know if it's just me, but it's starting to feel a bit cold out here." She slowly looks over at Zephyros. "Hmm, it's a very tempting offer sir. I could probably use a matching bolt in my right shoulder to go with the one in the left!  But I think I'll have to pass this time." 

Lyra gasps when she sees how badly hurt Meira is, then gives a startled jump at the sudden sound of Eldrin’s voice, unable to tell exactly where it's coming from. In the back of her mind, she hears Zephyros talking about the ratfolk—and how they can turn others into one of them by biting them—which reminds her of the dead miner. But she shakes her head sharply, as if to wake herself up and focus on the immediate, then runs to Meira, crouching at her side to inspect the wound.

She turns to Gareth. "You remove the bolt, and I'll do the healing, okay?" When he gives an affirmative gesture, Lyra locks eyes with Meira. "Uhmm, this will hurt a bit—but not for long!" the cleric assures her. She then places a gentle hand on Meira's forearm, and when Gareth is ready, Lyra channels her goddess's touch to heal her friend.

While this is happening, Lyra briefly glances at Tymora's Hand, which has just emerged from the mine. The spiritual weapon gives a quick thumbs-up before it vanishes, and the halfling smiles faintly into the distance before turning her attention to her friend, asking, "Better?"

A bit later, the halfling stands and tells the others, "The dead miner we found earlier... he'd clearly died from multiple stab wounds, but he'd been bitten as well. He looked like he'd been dead for a very very long time, but his clothes didn't suggest that. It was as if all the fluids had been pulled out of his body. I don't understand… I mean, if the ratfolk wanted to turn him into one of them, then why…?" Lyra doesn't finish the sentence, but then adds, "He had a letter for someone named Mary Gilmore. I wonder where she might live. I'd like to give her the letter."

(ooc: 8 HPs back for our rogue. Why do I always roll so low when casting healing spells!)

Quote from AbishaiTheHatless >>

Torrin adds, "Aye, we woulda had a hard time of it ourselves. Now if you'll excuse me. We have a brother to bury still. Boggin and Finlie, please start digging another grave. Dremlie, come with me." The dwarves start to head off back into the mine unless anyone stops them.

(ooc: Wait, did one of the dwarves die? I've completely missed this. Or are we talking about the one Lyra inspected?)

Gareth nods and kneels down next to Meira. He grabs the shaft of the arrow and gives Meira an apologetic look before he pulls it out in one quick motion. At least Lyra is there to quickly apply healing magic to the wound, closing it immediately. After he's done, he glances back at Zephyros.

"If we're quick, you and I might be able to run them down," he says quietly, not looking at Lyra. "We'd have to leave right now though."

The ranger finally looks at Lyra. "Maybe she lives in Phandalin," he suggests. "We can look for her when we're back in town."

When Lyra places her hand on her forearm, Meira gives her a smile. "It'll be fine," she tells the halfling confidently. Seeing the look from Gareth, she braces herself. For just a moment she tries to pretend it doesn't hurt. But quickly she lets out a sharp cry of pain, tears filling her eyes.  Just as quick, the magic healing sets in and she starts to relax a little. 

"See? No problem," she adds with a false laugh. "I'm definitely much better. Thank you Lyra", she says softly, and a bit more sincerely. 

Quote from FairIthilien >>

Quote from AbishaiTheHatless >>

Torrin adds, "Aye, we woulda had a hard time of it ourselves. Now if you'll excuse me. We have a brother to bury still. Boggin and Finlie, please start digging another grave. Dremlie, come with me." The dwarves start to head off back into the mine unless anyone stops them.

(ooc: Wait, did one of the dwarves die? I've completely missed this. Or are we talking about the one Lyra inspected?)

 Your character would know, none of the dwarves were killed in the fight. They must be referring to someone else.

There's a brief moment when Lyra gets super ultra worried that something she or Gareth did might not be working—but then, seeing Meira's pain ease, the cleric exhales and relaxes. "Stars above, you gave me quite the scare there!" she says, letting out a quiet"phew!" before smiling—nervously at first, then more warmly. "I'm really glad you’re okay now."

She stands and adds, "I'm really glad we're all okay!" Then, glancing left and right, she calls toward the invisible wizard, "You really okay, Eldrin? You're not just lurking around invisible and secretly bleeding out, right?"

Lyra notices Gareth's glance in her direction, but says nothing. She doesn't want to dwell too much—not just on the fact that he and Zephyros want to go after the surviving ratfolk, but on the fight as a whole.

Still, she can't help but turn toward Torrin and ask, "Wait. Did you just say you have a brother to bury? Wha—? Who do you mean? When did he die? What happened?"