Thursday April 18th 1428 Imperial Calendar
The hike up pilgrim’s road was no less difficult than the ascent from the valley. Precarious outcroppings and snow-melt streams made the path treacherous. By noon the path had diverted away from the Valley of the Rose. Conifers and scrub oak dominated the landscape. Calais detected signs of an arial predator over-hunting in the vicinity. It was soon revealed to be a trio of Harpies. The group descended on the party in a horseshoe bend in the trail preceding a misty falls. The siren song of the harpies caught Calais and Mouse weaving the song into their conscious minds and overriding their better judgement. Casper unleashed paralyzing magic on the leader of the harpies sending her plummeting hundreds of feet. The impact of the fall was not enough to kill her and she managed to take shelter long enough to heal herself. The fate of her two sisters was more definite. Their tactic of grappling targets on a fly-by attack proved inconvenient to Casper who was hurled over the cliff. His ability to float like a feather allowed him to avoid disaster, but Calis (who had just shaken of the effects of the song) killed the harpy and cast a rope to Casper.
The other harpy met a similar fate as the majority of the group rushed to eliminate the remaining harpy hiding above the falls. Calais seized the opportunity to ground the harpy by enchanting the area around her. The the trees shrubs and roots conspired to hold her to the ground. She deftly managed to evade the enchantment by taking flight. The nearby member of the party were not as fortunate and found themselves spending more energy evading the plant than pursuing their prey.
The harpy seizing the opportunity swooped down on Silverhawk. Jerking her skyward the two were in flight together for second before the harpy released Silverhawk into the craggy maw of the falls. A pale realization swept across the party. Each stared helplessly as they watched their comrade fall to her certain death. The wizard Casper who had just managed to land firmly on the path again, (thanks to Calais) had a spark of inspiration. Extending his hand he summoned stone from thin air. Seemingly pulling a granite bridge from the cliff face he interrupted Silverhawk’s fatal journey with a sickening thud. The impact was harsh, but not fatal. Calais Responded with a bristling quintet of arrows felling the last harpy.
Late he and Mouse would descend to claim the magical tool she used to torment the adventurers.
After healing resting and getting a bite to eat they set out again up the path to San Marin.
With less than an hour of daylight remaining the party reached San Marin. From the approach road they could hear a conversation between two gravely voiced figures. Close inspection reveled the gargoyles atop the chapel were the source of the conversation.
A hastily hatched plan efficiently moved the entire group into the plaza in defensible positions. The two ranges removed the rooftop threats without breaking stride. Unbeknownst to the group the real threat on the plaza was a 17 foot tall mountain troll. Enzo was the first to face his fury. The massive club swung down on Enzo as he approached the monster. Unleashing his own fury on the best Enzo stood to bear the full fury of the Troll. The first strike pushed the air out of his lung s and cast him to the ground. Even in his dazed state he was savvy enough to play dead. His act was convincing enough for the troll to move on in pursuit of others.
The threat of real death was obvious to everyone. surviving one strike was possible, two unlikely. With heroic fearlessness everyone stepped up taking a share in the risk. Each sweeping attack from the behemoth troll took its toll. Celeste found herself the focus of the trolls attacks after Calais succumbed to the troll’s attacks. Her survival was due in part the she shared wounds with Corman. His magical absorption of half the wound inflict placed i him in dire risk. Everyone knew if one more of them fell the game was over and retreat was not a viable option. Waiting for her moment Celeste unleashed the killing blows on the creature.
A collective sigh of relief escaped the entire group as the troll fell. Not a moment too soon. Calais was returned to consciousness under the grieving tears of Silverhawk. A hug and a smile said it all, welcome back. |
