Kulan: Knightfall's Heroes of Carnell Game [IC]

Locke: Prepares his weapons, his magical Sword of Subtlety in one hand and his magical Spiked Chain in the other.
Trying to see where and what this dragon is, he moves to flank it, careful to avoid the various ways to die in this place.

TaranTheWanderer said:

Phar wasn't one hundred percent sure what the beast was but he decided to communicate the worst case scenario,

"Dragon! One hundred feet over there."

He points to the South east crags,

"Try not to group up."

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Aureus eyes snap to the location where Phar is pointing. Her blood runs cold. She doesn't see a thing in the mists.

TaranTheWanderer said:

"Silence. Be wary of wingbeats or the sound of the crags breaking underfoot."

Phar moves quietly to the south. If the fog is obscuring their view then, surely, it will obscure them from the creature. He readies to interrupt the creature with a spell if it attacks.

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Phar finds his across the hilly terrain without too much difficulty. The fog is wispy, so he doesn't have to worry about his footing. He moves silently and quickly disappears into the swirling mist. Aureus watches the paragon elf step past him. Soon, Phar is barely an outline in the mist.

Aust Thale said:

Locke: Prepares his weapons, his magical Sword of Subtlety in one hand and his magical Spiked Chain in the other.
Trying to see where and what this dragon is, he moves to flank it, careful to avoid the various ways to die in this place.

Click to expand...

For a moment, Quinn isn't sure if he should rush forward and challenge this dragon or simply stand his ground. While his gut tells him to stand his ground or rush forward to challenge this new foe, he knows Phar is right. The group can't be caught standing too close together. Still, he doesn't want to lose his companions in the fog.

The gladiator-knight moves down out of the hills into the dry scrub to the southwest. He tries to move as silently as he can in his armour, but the noise is startling to everyone's ears. At the very least, he might be able to draw the creature into an ambush.

OOC: Quinn (hasted) - Move Silently check: 1D20-4 = [12]-4 = 8

Angus will try to put some distance between himself and the rest of the party; he will move 20 ft. to the east (straight forward) and ready his action (sword attack) so as not to be too close to everyone else.

Locke: (additional information):
Locke moves sneakily directly to the east, putting a little distance between himself and the party. The movement is flanking the creature wide to its right, his (and the party’s) left. He keeps an eye on Litrix and Angus. He goes inside of the lava splash pit very careful to avoid steps that will end him.

Aust Thale said:

Locke: (additional information):
Locke moves sneakily directly to the east, putting a little distance between himself and the party. The movement is flanking the creature wide to its right, his (and the party’s) left. He keeps an eye on Litrix and Angus. He goes inside of the lava splash pit very careful to avoid steps that will end him.

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Maur watches as Locke disappears into the mists. The human's stealthy movement is impressive and the chameleon seems to vanish completely as if he cast an invisibility spell. Locke silently slips past Litrix like a ghost in the fog.

Tellerian Hawke said:

Angus will try to put some distance between himself and the rest of the party; he will move 20 ft. to the east (straight forward) and ready his action (sword attack) so as not to be too close to everyone else.

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Angus keeps his eyes focused on where Phar pointed to in the fog. The mist doesn't seem to be getting any thicker, but it continues to swirl in the shifting wind. Whatever is out there is hidden in the fog and has remained silent.

Aureus follows Phar and Quinn's lead. She cuts in between the two of them moving silently through the fog while preparing to fire her bow at anything that appears. She tries to keep equal distance between her and both Phar and Quinn. Then, Aureus' ears perk up. She looks towards the low crags in the distance, which are barely visible in the mists. Echoing from somewhere, initially, unseen is what sounds like low peals of thunder.

Everyone hears the noise. The ground under your feet quivers with every impact of the creature's steps. There is another roar. The creature isn't being stealthy any more, but it doesn't rush out of the mists at you. It is seeking you through the mists... hunting. Then you see it. Definitely some sort of winged lizard creature, although it doesn't look like any sort of dragon you've ever seen before.

The creature moves into view just behind the crags to the southeast. It moves along the eastern edge of the crags. It seems to be tracking Angus more than any of the rest of you. It keeps its reptilian snout up in the air, and then you hear the reptilian foe emit a low guttural laughter. "I can smell you, horse-man!" The creature's voice thunders. Then, it seems to snap at the air and hisses at itself. "Sssshhhhh! We need to be sneaky." It shakes its head, almost like it is confused, and then growls and sniffs the air again. "Hu- hungry.... heh, snort, heh.... HA! HA! HA!"

MetaVoid said:

"Or sound of inhalation." adds Litrix moving away from Phar and Maur toward the dragon.
"If not corrupted, it might recognize us."

He raises the sword high, both for better visibility and to better strike if he's attacked suddenly.

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While Angus is the first to see the dragon come into view, Litrix (and Locke) see it next. The beast has a large head, running legs, small frontal arms, and large bat-like wings. Litrix knows dragons when he sees them, and this creature doesn't appear to be a true dragon. It could be some sort of half-dragon or something else entirely.

Angus, seeing the weirdly-proportioned creature, is relieved. If it IS a dragon---and his gut tells him it's not---then it's the smallest dragon he's ever heard tell of. But what really gives him hope is the creature's speech; no self-respecting dragon would call him a "horse man," when there were so many more haughty appellations to be had, like "mortal worm," or "insect."

"Horse man?" Angus snorts, "Is that the best you can do? I'm surprised at you. I'd have been thinkin' ye'd be a little more creative than that, laddy. In fact, I feel insulted! Come on then, what are ye a'waitin' fer? Come and eat me! I hope you brought a big fork, though. All I be havin' is me big butter knife, here."

---

Phar wasn't sure what to do. Angus could close on it by charging but then the centaur would be alone with it and there was no telling what the Gloom had done to this lizard. With the mist, though, it might be possible for it to hide again.

Phar cast a spell and an explosion of light flashed all around the creature, outlining it in the fog.

---

Maur looks as his companions rush ahead and grumbling to himself he follows Litrix. But given his bulk in armor and shorter legs, he would come only half way to the fleet Centaur. Except, elven magic blurs his movement into unnatural speed and he finds himself next to Angus.

"The thing may be able to fly, but once it is here, we should hold it in some uneven or dangerous ground."

Locke:
Moves silently to the left of Angus and to the right of the lava blooms, staying away from the dangerous path. Moves as far as he can to clear the lava blooms, and then back out further to the left, continuing a gradual flanking move.

TaranTheWanderer said:

Phar wasn't sure what to do. Angus could close on it by charging but then the centaur would be alone with it and there was no telling what the Gloom had done to this lizard. With the mist, though, it might be possible for it to hide again.

Phar cast a spell and an explosion of light flashed all around the creature, outlining it in the fog.

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The motes of light settle on the creature and it shakes its head and yells. "Ah, I'm blind! I'm blind!" Then it laughs manically and glares in Phar's direction without actually locking eyes with the paragon elf wizard. "Oh, wait, no I'm not! HA! HA!" Then it roars. "I know you're out there wizard, and my teeth will find you... eventually."

Aust Thale said:

Locke:
Moves silently to the left of Angus and to the right of the lava blooms, staying away from the dangerous path. Moves as far as he can to clear the lava blooms, and then back out further to the left, continuing a gradual flanking move.

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Locke glides through the misty fog like a ghost in the night. He is certain the creature cannot see him. He moves carefully to avoid both the lava plums and the cracks in the earth. The ground around the various rifts are very unstable and it wouldn't take much for the ground to collapse around them.

Hopefully the others know to keep away from them.
- - -

Quinn moves with as much silence as he can across the uneven ground of the Gloom. He knows he's not likely to sneak up on this dragon, but he does his best to try to not be too overt. His armour creaks as he moves under the enhanced speed of Phar's spell. While the gladiator-knight's movement is obscured by the swirling mists, he cannot hope to not make noise.

The dragon doesn't react to his movement. Did he fool the creature or is it so focused on Angus and Phar that it is ignoring him. Regardless, Phar's magic now clearly outlines the creature, even in the mist.

Tellerian Hawke said:

Angus, seeing the weirdly-proportioned creature, is relieved. If it IS a dragon---and his gut tells him it's not---then it's the smallest dragon he's ever heard tell of. But what really gives him hope is the creature's speech; no self-respecting dragon would call him a "horse man," when there were so many more haughty appellations to be had, like "mortal worm," or "insect."

"Horse man?" Angus snorts, "Is that the best you can do? I'm surprised at you. I'd have been thinkin' ye'd be a little more creative than that, laddy. In fact, I feel insulted! Come on then, what are ye a'waitin' fer? Come and eat me! I hope you brought a big fork, though. All I be havin' is me big butter knife, here."

Click to expand...

The reptilian creature's eyes lock on Angus and it growls. For a moment, it seems as if the dragon is poised to charge him. But, instead it lets out a low chuckle and then hisses. "What is that, dear lady?" It cocks its head and looks skyward. "You wish to meet this prey. Yes, yes, I understand." It's right eye flash a bright green that outshines Phar's magic for a moment. "Then, come forth my dear from the Darklands and rend them asunder. It will be so much fun!"

The creature makes no motion towards Angus or the others but its right eye continue to shimmer green in the swirling mists. It holds its place and giggles to itself. "Yessss, sssso much fun."

You aren't sure what or who the dragon is waiting for... if anything. Is it so mad that it is talking to itself? Or could there be something else sneaking across the landscape towards you? Or, perhaps something in the gray skies? The creature seems to be focused on something as it continues to laugh with its piercing green eye wide and wild. The other eye seems unfocused... or shadowy.
- - -

Aureus tries to block out the creature's babbling as she glides across the broken landscape of the Gloom. She stays close to Quinn while staying low to the ground.

When the creature calls out to its unseen ally, she puts her senses on high alert. She sweeps her eyes from left to right and perks up her ears. She only hears the dragon giggling to itself, but her keen eyes find something out in the mists. There is something there, but it is hazy. At first, she thought it was only mist, but a figure barely shimmers in the mist. It isn't invisible but it looks insubstantial.

She isn't sure what to make of it.

"Quinn," She says to the gladiator-knight, who is standing only 20 feet from her. "There is something else... there."

She points to high hill that stands roughly 25 feet southeast of Angus's position. Quinn strains to see what she is looking at but he cannot see anything through the mist but the glitterdusted dragon.

Aureus knows she cannot stay quiet. "Angus!" She shouts. "Beware, there is some sort of ghostly creature near you! It is shimmering in the mist. Twenty to thirty feet in front of you... a bit to your left."

The creature hisses, but it doesn't turn its head towards Aureus. It is keeping its focus towards Angus. "Yesss... the lady will be here soon."