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Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5803084" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p>The night was particularly chilly and an occasional breeze moaned through the bare branches of the surrounding trees and whistled through the tall swamp grasses.</p><p></p><p>The first watch had gone off without incident, though Braddok and Festus were decidedly on edge from their odd run-in with the troupe of lizardmen.</p><p></p><p>Despite the chill, they'd let the small campfire run its course, down to embers, fearing the light would be too tempting a beacon for lizardmen or giant insanely venomous snakes or whatever other predators the Feldmere had in store for them.</p><p></p><p>Fen and Haelan agreed when they were roused. The daelvar puffing into his gloved hands occasionally to ward off the chill. He watched as Buttercream stretched and rose and disappeared into the night. It seemed, to Haelan, since they'd entered the swamp, the ferret was fond of hunting while Fen was awake/on watch. But, she always managed to return before they broke camp in the morning and had no trouble maintaining pace with her many two-legged comrades.</p><p></p><p>Haelan said a silent prayer to Faerantha that their fuzzy companion be safe in her wanderings.</p><p></p><p>Fen, as was his usual tack, moved to a place of clustered trees and/or undergrowth along the perimeter of the camp and, with a wink and a smile, quickly faded from few wrapped in the blending enchantments of his sacred druid's cloak. Every now and again, the halfling might pick out the outline of his leaf-tip spear or a stray tress of orange hair poking out from a rounded "head-sized" knot of bark...but they were always momentary and quickly meshed in again with the illusion.</p><p></p><p>Haelan blew into his cupped hands again and debated the possibility of using his enchanted bowl to "magic up" some hot chocolate. But, he decided against it and chided himself for his selfishness when the party was becoming increasingly dependent on the magic of the stone bowl to feed themselves. Maybe, the daelvar cleric mused, he would suggest to Erevan and festus to do some hunting the next day. There had to be some marsh deer or rabbits or something suitable to eat that didn't need to be "magicked up."</p><p></p><p>He smiled to himself as his thoughts turned to his mother's rabbit stew.</p><p></p><p>Then he saw the first one. A dark shape whizzed across the edge of the limited light from the glow of the dying fire. Haelan jumped from the fright but figured it was a bat. A large bat, to be sure but nothing so unusu-WOAH! There it was again...or antoher one? Another two? Wow they were big...and fast...and whipped around in the air completely silent.</p><p></p><p>Unnerving, to be sure. But just bats, Haelan reassured himself.</p><p> </p><p>"HAELAN!" Fen called out from his hidden resting place across the campsite.</p><p></p><p>Haelan's mind heard the half-elf's words just as a loud "whizzing" sound passed very near his right ear. Then there was a high-pitched "screeee" from just behind him. Only after all of that did the druid's form come into focus as the cleric turned around to see the Feldmere's latest horror!</p><p></p><p>Thoroughly skewered upon the leaf-tip spear and pegged to the ground was Haelan's "bat."</p><p></p><p>It was a foot and a half long, a dirty brownish grey, with six grasping legs with little hookish "feet". Its bat-like wings fluttered momentarily until it stilled, completely dead. It's head was broad and flat with huge yellowy eyes and another foot-long...was it a "beak?"...not a "snout", Haelan mused...but a long slender needle-like protrustion where a nose or snout would be.</p><p></p><p>"Ugh! That's disgusting what is it?" Haelan was questioning before the realization that he'd notced more than one of the things! "Fen, there..." he began to cry.</p><p></p><p>"To arms! To arms, friends! We are under at-AAAK!" the druid was hollering at the top of his lungs as another of the things swooped down onto his back and struck its needle-like "nose-beak-thing" into his shoulder even as the insectoid hooked legs clamped down around him to secure the creature on the half-elf's back.</p><p></p><p>Haelan, on pure instinct and horror flung his magic shield toward the thing on Fen even as he heard Alaria scream in surprise from her bedroll.</p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, the daelvar missed his target and banged loudly off of a tree behind the assaulted half-elf. More unfortunately, the shield's mystic return was impeded by the head of the half-elf.</p><p></p><p>"OO!" Haelan winced visibly at the loud clang off the druid's cranium. He managed to get out a, "Sorry Fennn!" as the shield returned to his waiting hand.</p><p></p><p>The druid, thoroughly knocked out, crumpled to the ground, the creature still clamped onto his back with its beak stuck into the druid's meaty shoulder.</p><p></p><p>A moment later, an arrow struck clean through the bat-thing slurping loudly on the half-elf. A second arrow from Erevan's bow, the elf still crouching in the place he had been "resting",sent the creature flying off of his "kiili."</p><p></p><p>"Stirges!" cried out Festus as the satyr swung with his blades and hopped around in a panic, attempting to keep the creatures at bay moreso than to actually strike or do any damage.</p><p></p><p>"Gods' Blessings, goat-butt. Now <em>hit</em> something!" Duor returned from his position, crouching unceremoniously beneath and behind Coerraine shield, which the paladin was using to bat away more of the creatures dive-bombing the campsite. </p><p></p><p>The Redstar Knight was jobbing into the air with a distinct lack of results. The things were barely visible until they were practically on top of him and completely silent in their flight. His spear was proving most ineffectual.</p><p></p><p>An arcane syllable was followed by a bright burst of blue-white electrical light flared as another "stirge" flew, trailing smoke and sparks, from the position of Alaria's bedroll.</p><p></p><p>It hopped a couple of times before coming to a smoldering lump at Haelan's har-topped feet.</p><p></p><p>It twitched once before Haelan slammed his mace down upon it...just in case. The creature "splattered" most visibly and audibly all over the halfling's feet.</p><p></p><p>"Augh! GROSS!" Haelan protested.</p><p></p><p>Erevan, who now stood over Fen's unconscious form, let another arrow fly in Haelan's direction. His bolt flew with elvin accuracy to skewer another of the creatures right out of mid-air somewhere behind the halfling.</p><p></p><p>The wounded creature made "scree-ing" sounds and fluttered about, though unable to regain flight, until Haelan ran over and again, splattered the stirge-thing's guts all over the ground.</p><p></p><p>With the increased light from Alaria's staff, Braddok was actually enjoying "batting" at the creatures with his newly purchased morningstar [<em>Author/DM's note: the spiked ball/mace-head kind, not the variety with a chain</em>]. The dark-haired warrior had struck down two of the things but was having trouble making contact with a third...as he was trying to aid the paladin while, at the same time, avoid Coerraine's less-than-controlled attacks with his spear.</p><p></p><p>Another of the stirges was able to land upon Alaria's back and shoulder. The magess shrieked as the needle-like proboscis sank through her cloak and robe into he back.</p><p></p><p>Festus, finally, made contact with the thing on Alaria's back, severing it in two. In his panicked zeal, however, the strike of his second blade also managed to slice into the wizard.</p><p></p><p>"OH goat-patties! Alaria? Alaria?! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! HAELAN quickly!" the satyr ranted in apologetic surprise as Alaria slumped forward to her knees. </p><p></p><p>Alaria maintained a grip of her staff, which was all that held her up for the moment, though the electrical light filling the campsite began to flicker and spark and dim. She grasped her shoulder (she could not reach where the wounds actually were) with a stunned silent surprise on her face. She was in a pain she had yet to experience in her short-lived adventuring career. A grin began to form on her lips as she thought to herself, "Here lies Alaria 'the great and powerful Stormrider', felled by a drunken lusty lout of a satyr."</p><p></p><p>Her vision was just beginning to cloud and darken as she heard Haelan's familiar voice close to her and began to notice the scent of honey and pine trees.</p><p></p><p>The pain seemed to warm away and her vision cleared in an instant to see Haelan standing before her with a concerned look on his face. The Redstar Knight and warrior stood over her with similar looks on their faces while the satyr seemed practically in tears.</p><p></p><p>Fen rose with Erevan's assistance, rubbing the back of his head and tenderly touching the large bump that had formed during his 'nap'. "That was quite a clobber, friend Hilltender. But we seem to have won. So that's something."</p><p></p><p>The druid then whispered some words of his secret tongue and a feint greenish glow later, he stretched and cracked his neck, side to side.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, that's much better. How'd we do?" the half-elf said scanning the sliced, skewered and utterly smashed remnants of their attackers. His gaze came to rest on the gore-smattered feet of Haelan. </p><p></p><p>"We won...and nobody died." Duor said dryly in Festus' direction.</p><p> </p><p>"I said I'm sorry!" the satyr defended.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 5803084, member: 92511"] The night was particularly chilly and an occasional breeze moaned through the bare branches of the surrounding trees and whistled through the tall swamp grasses. The first watch had gone off without incident, though Braddok and Festus were decidedly on edge from their odd run-in with the troupe of lizardmen. Despite the chill, they'd let the small campfire run its course, down to embers, fearing the light would be too tempting a beacon for lizardmen or giant insanely venomous snakes or whatever other predators the Feldmere had in store for them. Fen and Haelan agreed when they were roused. The daelvar puffing into his gloved hands occasionally to ward off the chill. He watched as Buttercream stretched and rose and disappeared into the night. It seemed, to Haelan, since they'd entered the swamp, the ferret was fond of hunting while Fen was awake/on watch. But, she always managed to return before they broke camp in the morning and had no trouble maintaining pace with her many two-legged comrades. Haelan said a silent prayer to Faerantha that their fuzzy companion be safe in her wanderings. Fen, as was his usual tack, moved to a place of clustered trees and/or undergrowth along the perimeter of the camp and, with a wink and a smile, quickly faded from few wrapped in the blending enchantments of his sacred druid's cloak. Every now and again, the halfling might pick out the outline of his leaf-tip spear or a stray tress of orange hair poking out from a rounded "head-sized" knot of bark...but they were always momentary and quickly meshed in again with the illusion. Haelan blew into his cupped hands again and debated the possibility of using his enchanted bowl to "magic up" some hot chocolate. But, he decided against it and chided himself for his selfishness when the party was becoming increasingly dependent on the magic of the stone bowl to feed themselves. Maybe, the daelvar cleric mused, he would suggest to Erevan and festus to do some hunting the next day. There had to be some marsh deer or rabbits or something suitable to eat that didn't need to be "magicked up." He smiled to himself as his thoughts turned to his mother's rabbit stew. Then he saw the first one. A dark shape whizzed across the edge of the limited light from the glow of the dying fire. Haelan jumped from the fright but figured it was a bat. A large bat, to be sure but nothing so unusu-WOAH! There it was again...or antoher one? Another two? Wow they were big...and fast...and whipped around in the air completely silent. Unnerving, to be sure. But just bats, Haelan reassured himself. "HAELAN!" Fen called out from his hidden resting place across the campsite. Haelan's mind heard the half-elf's words just as a loud "whizzing" sound passed very near his right ear. Then there was a high-pitched "screeee" from just behind him. Only after all of that did the druid's form come into focus as the cleric turned around to see the Feldmere's latest horror! Thoroughly skewered upon the leaf-tip spear and pegged to the ground was Haelan's "bat." It was a foot and a half long, a dirty brownish grey, with six grasping legs with little hookish "feet". Its bat-like wings fluttered momentarily until it stilled, completely dead. It's head was broad and flat with huge yellowy eyes and another foot-long...was it a "beak?"...not a "snout", Haelan mused...but a long slender needle-like protrustion where a nose or snout would be. "Ugh! That's disgusting what is it?" Haelan was questioning before the realization that he'd notced more than one of the things! "Fen, there..." he began to cry. "To arms! To arms, friends! We are under at-AAAK!" the druid was hollering at the top of his lungs as another of the things swooped down onto his back and struck its needle-like "nose-beak-thing" into his shoulder even as the insectoid hooked legs clamped down around him to secure the creature on the half-elf's back. Haelan, on pure instinct and horror flung his magic shield toward the thing on Fen even as he heard Alaria scream in surprise from her bedroll. Unfortunately, the daelvar missed his target and banged loudly off of a tree behind the assaulted half-elf. More unfortunately, the shield's mystic return was impeded by the head of the half-elf. "OO!" Haelan winced visibly at the loud clang off the druid's cranium. He managed to get out a, "Sorry Fennn!" as the shield returned to his waiting hand. The druid, thoroughly knocked out, crumpled to the ground, the creature still clamped onto his back with its beak stuck into the druid's meaty shoulder. A moment later, an arrow struck clean through the bat-thing slurping loudly on the half-elf. A second arrow from Erevan's bow, the elf still crouching in the place he had been "resting",sent the creature flying off of his "kiili." "Stirges!" cried out Festus as the satyr swung with his blades and hopped around in a panic, attempting to keep the creatures at bay moreso than to actually strike or do any damage. "Gods' Blessings, goat-butt. Now [I]hit[/I] something!" Duor returned from his position, crouching unceremoniously beneath and behind Coerraine shield, which the paladin was using to bat away more of the creatures dive-bombing the campsite. The Redstar Knight was jobbing into the air with a distinct lack of results. The things were barely visible until they were practically on top of him and completely silent in their flight. His spear was proving most ineffectual. An arcane syllable was followed by a bright burst of blue-white electrical light flared as another "stirge" flew, trailing smoke and sparks, from the position of Alaria's bedroll. It hopped a couple of times before coming to a smoldering lump at Haelan's har-topped feet. It twitched once before Haelan slammed his mace down upon it...just in case. The creature "splattered" most visibly and audibly all over the halfling's feet. "Augh! GROSS!" Haelan protested. Erevan, who now stood over Fen's unconscious form, let another arrow fly in Haelan's direction. His bolt flew with elvin accuracy to skewer another of the creatures right out of mid-air somewhere behind the halfling. The wounded creature made "scree-ing" sounds and fluttered about, though unable to regain flight, until Haelan ran over and again, splattered the stirge-thing's guts all over the ground. With the increased light from Alaria's staff, Braddok was actually enjoying "batting" at the creatures with his newly purchased morningstar [[I]Author/DM's note: the spiked ball/mace-head kind, not the variety with a chain[/I]]. The dark-haired warrior had struck down two of the things but was having trouble making contact with a third...as he was trying to aid the paladin while, at the same time, avoid Coerraine's less-than-controlled attacks with his spear. Another of the stirges was able to land upon Alaria's back and shoulder. The magess shrieked as the needle-like proboscis sank through her cloak and robe into he back. Festus, finally, made contact with the thing on Alaria's back, severing it in two. In his panicked zeal, however, the strike of his second blade also managed to slice into the wizard. "OH goat-patties! Alaria? Alaria?! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! HAELAN quickly!" the satyr ranted in apologetic surprise as Alaria slumped forward to her knees. Alaria maintained a grip of her staff, which was all that held her up for the moment, though the electrical light filling the campsite began to flicker and spark and dim. She grasped her shoulder (she could not reach where the wounds actually were) with a stunned silent surprise on her face. She was in a pain she had yet to experience in her short-lived adventuring career. A grin began to form on her lips as she thought to herself, "Here lies Alaria 'the great and powerful Stormrider', felled by a drunken lusty lout of a satyr." Her vision was just beginning to cloud and darken as she heard Haelan's familiar voice close to her and began to notice the scent of honey and pine trees. The pain seemed to warm away and her vision cleared in an instant to see Haelan standing before her with a concerned look on his face. The Redstar Knight and warrior stood over her with similar looks on their faces while the satyr seemed practically in tears. Fen rose with Erevan's assistance, rubbing the back of his head and tenderly touching the large bump that had formed during his 'nap'. "That was quite a clobber, friend Hilltender. But we seem to have won. So that's something." The druid then whispered some words of his secret tongue and a feint greenish glow later, he stretched and cracked his neck, side to side. "Ah, that's much better. How'd we do?" the half-elf said scanning the sliced, skewered and utterly smashed remnants of their attackers. His gaze came to rest on the gore-smattered feet of Haelan. "We won...and nobody died." Duor said dryly in Festus' direction. "I said I'm sorry!" the satyr defended. [/QUOTE]
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