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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nebulous" data-source="post: 4798433" data-attributes="member: 31465">Adventure #8: Owlie's LairPART TWOA large, feathery beast slumbers in the middle of a dirty straw nest. It’s as large as a bear and sports mangy brown fur interspersed with the feathers.  Merric instantly knows what it is…an owlbear!  A vicious predatory beast at home in the woodlands. What’s it doing down here?  The monster is too large to squeeze through the tunnels (and there is a second goblin tunnel exiting the lair), so either it was raised here since a baby or there is a secret exit. Douvan and Merric tell the others about what they have found, but rather than risk the others waking the monster, the thief and ranger decide to combine their attacks and try to coup de grace the owlbear before it notices them.Merric advances first, his breath hitched in his lungs, daggers oily in his palms, and he’s raising the blade to strike when his foot lands on a desiccated bone.  CCCRACK.The owlbear’s yellow eye snaps open, glaring at Merric only a few feet away.  The halfing smiles feebly and PLUNGES his dagger into the monster’s back!  Screams of agony reverberate through the room, and then the thing is thrashing and scuffling to its feet.  Douvan leans around the corner and sends two arrows zipping at the enraged target, but only one connects.  The owlbear’s hide is tough and easily shrugs off blows, and now enraged, the monster rushes Merric, its deadly talons slicing back and forth.<img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl10.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Merric ducks, ducks again, and scrambles backward into the goblin tunnel, a squeal of terror escaping his lips. The owlbears dives after him, cruelly raking his leg, but with an impressive Sly Flourish, Merric dives between the monster’s legs as it crams its head and shoulder into the small hole…and finds itself only a few feet from a shocked Douvan.<img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl11.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Meanwhile, Raven, Nari-lana, Jolen, Blackjack and his prisoner have advanced upon hearing the commotion, but the druid readies a magic spell in case anyone enters from the goblin door. Blackjack is farthest away in the tunnel, wrangling his captive with sharp blows to the back of the head to keep him subdued.  The swordmage is in the main tunnel now, split between aiding her allies and countering whatever threat comes through the door.  And that threat doesn’t take long to answer.A bewildered goblin archer throws upon the door, immediately spying three intruders.  Unfortunately for it, a Flame Seed arcs from Raven’s hand, exploding in its face in a hot flash of light.  Reeling, the goblin survives the attack, trying to swat the flames out, but the area around him is hissing and smoldering with residual energy.  No other goblin is willing to enter the conflagration. <img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl12.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /><img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl13.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />The goblin archer can still take aim at Nari-lana though, and since the swordmage is already hampered by the tunnel, the arrow easily finds its target.  Nari-lana retaliates with her own magic, and Jolen tosses a ray of light as well. Raven tries to follow up with a second Flame Seed, but her aim is off and the missile impacts harmlessly even as the former seed burns out, allowing the goblins egress through the flames.  Things are getting hairy as Douvan and Merric contend with the owlbear all alone and the others deal with the glut of goblin archers flooding the tunnel from the west. The beast has pulled itself from the hole, and since Merric is the only viable target, it ruthlessly charges him.  A horrendous swipe of its claws bloodies the rouge, who knows he doesn’t stand a chance with this thing at close range.  He ducks and rolls, narrowly missing an opportunity attack, and rushes down an unexplored goblin tunnel to safety (safe from the owlbear at least).  From here he can throw his enchanted, returning dagger. <img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl14.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />That leaves Douvan and Jolen to contend with the beast, and the ranger keeps firing arrows at the monster as Merric distracts it with ranged attacks.  Jolen summons a powerful Spiritual Blade, a glowing manifestation of his faith in Tempus that also jabs and hacks at the feathery abomination (and grants combat advantage to the rogue, which is a huge plus).<img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl15.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />[GM Note:  the party’s goal is to clear out the monster’s lair to hole up for a defensive position in a large room, rather than getting butchered in the goblin tunnels].In the hallway, Raven decides to transform into a wolf and maul the nearest goblin.  These are not pushover minions but rather stalwart artillery, plugging the hole and raining a constant barrage of sharp barbs on anyone in sight. Raven savages the nearest enemy, tearing it down in a squealing pile of twisted limbs and blood. <img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl16.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Raven transforms back to human and tries to flee down the tunnel, but it has become a deadly gauntlet.  More goblins keep firing and moving, firing and moving, and in sudden succession, three arrows in a row strike the druid.She stumbles and collapses, dying. <img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl17.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Douvan, Jolen and Merric are having a hard time as well.  The owlbear is TOUGH, taking a tremendous beating but not going down.  Its hideous screech rings in their ears (they narrowly avoid its Bloodied reactive attack), but up to now they’ve managed to evade the worst of its assault…until Douvan is finally snagged by both horrid claws. The ranger is drawn into a crushing bearhug, despite how much he writhes against the monster’s strength.  Swords in hand, he stabs at the beast, trying to relinquish its grip, but the owlbear is undaunted and its serrated beak opens wide, wider, even WIDER, and clamps onto Douvan’s shoulder, shredding through armor and muscle to scrape across bone. <img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl18.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Douvan screams in terrible pain, barely lingering, but he still cannot escape the creature’s grasp.  The hungry maw opens again, preparing to rip the man to pieces.  Jolen calls upon the healing powers of his deity and fills the ranger with rejuvenation, but it might be enough to save his life…Back in the hallway, Nari-lana thinks quickly and pours a healing potion down Raven’s throat after she fails her first death saving throw.  Sputtering, the druid rises to her feet, but she’s hardly out of danger.  Arrows zip over her head or tangle in her cloak, any one of which could drop her again.  She has to escape. Nari-lana advances on a goblin with a resounding crack of thunder from her spellsword, splintering the rock at her foe’s feet and knocking it prone. The goblin fires from the ground but misses, and that brief moment is all Nari-lana needs to finish it off.  Four formidable goblins are still clogging the hallway, with more bustling at the entrance, jeering, hooting and cackling. Jolen has cast a spell with secondary damage to slay the owlbear, but just as its maw opens to eviscerate Douvan once and for all, the glowing Spiritual Weapon dives into the monster’s armpit, skewering its heart in a geyser of dark warm blood.  It keels over, dragging the terribly injured ranger with it.  <img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl19.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />  In the hallway, Nari-lana and Blackjack cope with the archers as best they can while Raven retreats. Numerous arrows are still pinging off walls and armor, and it’s a desperate moment until Jolen surges into the hall and yells:“FALL BACK!  NOW!” He sends the Spiritual Weapon eerily gliding ahead to contend with the goblins, and it does so with ruthless efficiency. <img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl20.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Nari-lana, Raven and Blackjack all flee, the latter dragging the prisoner with him, still kicking and whining under the gag. The hallway is filled with five dead archers, and Merric watches the goblin door close, as if whoever is beyond does not want to deal with the heroes. Yet.Everyone stumbles into the owlbear’s cave with only the cleric Jolen unijured. He quickly begins applying his skills to aid his allies.  Raven and Douvan nearly perished, and everyone else has been hurt as well.  They tend to their wounds, bandaging themselves and taking a moment to catch their breath.  That was a difficult fight, and they have no idea what lies in the tunnel behind them. Could the goblins be flanking them even as they wait?  They quickly take stock of the situation and peer down into the dark recesses of the corridor, wondering what lies in wait…<img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/owl21.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />And there we stopped.</blockquote>

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