Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tom Cashel" data-source="post: 247150" data-attributes="member: 321">an episode from the journey back to EveningstarThe party had made camp in a previous spot, the top of a small hillock in a lightly wooded section of the gorge, overlooking the Starwater River. The weather had been cold and grim all day.After a nice supper of fresh fish, as the party is bedding down for the night after determining the watch, they heard the howling of wolves off to the north, as they had most other nights in the gorge. This night those wolves sounded a bit closer perhaps, but they faded into silence before midnight.The hours past...until Corwyn and Saeita's watch in the early morning hours.The two of them hear the keening cry of a sparrowhawk from the north in the gorge. A chorus of angry barking at about the same loudness explodes at the same moment...and fades just as quickly. The keening of the sparrowhawk is continuous in the night sky, growing louder and louder still...seeming to get closer.Corwyn whispers to Saeita, "I've got a bad feeling about those wolves."The sparrowhawk's cries become louder still, its harsh voice echoing off the limestone walls of the gorge.They both are able to see the faint silhouette of the hawk. It circled about them.Corwyn says, "Hmm, do you think, Saeita, that the hawk might be a familiar?""Could be," responds Saeita, "I'm going to wake the ranger, something seems odd here."At the risk of seeming like a scaredy cat, Corwyn begins to awaken the others as well.Van wakes up cranky. "What's up? Is it morning already? Damn, I hope it's not going to rain again."Saeita hears a crunch in the underbrush below the camp. "Shhhh," she says to the ranger. "I'm going to have a look."As the others wake up, only Corwyn has the presence of mind to put on his armor. Daziel hands Van the magical spectacles so he can see in the dark. Saeita crouches down and peaks over the edge of the camp.Daziel begins to don her armor, as Van looks around the camp. Saeita sees dark shapes, large shapes, moving through the underbrush down the hillock's side.Van whispers, "Take cover," as he hears them...approaching from behind...then, with a great snarl, two massive wolves explode into the clearing of the camp, one gray and one black.Van lets two arrows fly from his bow, the first one causing the gray wolf to howl in agony, but breaking his bowstring as the second arrow misflies.The two wolves lunge, seemingly at random, attacking Saeita and Velm. The black wolf misses Saeita, its teeth snapping shut in front of her. The wolf is feral, massive, six feet at the shoulder and seven feet long.The gray wolf clamps its teeth on Velm and flings him to the ground.The party springs into action, attacking the wolves in their own ways. The two Silverswords, Courana and Geradil, attempt to help as well. The gray wolf, who hunches over Velm, countines to rend him while Saeita is able to continue to dodge the black wolf. She responds by kneeing it in the mouth. Geradil is able to also damage the black wolf, while Corwyn and Daziel's attacks cause it to panic. As it tries to run away, Saeita kicks it in the ribs with her heal as it passes, but Daziel gets the last blow in, crushing its spine with her mace.Velm slips into unconscious as the grey wolf continues to rend him. Saeita rushes over to the grey wolf, jumping up and coming down hard on its hips (a sensitive area for wolves and dogs). The others, surrounding it, distract it from Velm until Courana impales it with a well-placed arrow.As everyone breathes hard, looking at the wolves lying dead in front of them, they hear the howling of the rest of the pack rising up around them. Daziel quickly urges Selune to grant healing to Velm, while Van rushes to put his chain shirt on.The howling gains in volume and ferocity as the beasts being a frenzied chorus...growing closer.Corwyn yells, "Quick, everyone, form a circle around Velm!""Someone start a fire," suggests Van.Abruptly, a nearby stand of trees and brush ignites in an enormous blast of flames. The whining and other cries of wolves dying is heard."Cyrgull?!" cries Corwyn.The night is torn open by a thunderous roar so massive, so terrifying, the party feels as though their very guts are turning to quivering sour jelly.Everyone in the party except Daziel panics and runs, most dropping what they had been carrying on the ground. Corwyn cries like a little girl, Van calls out for his goddess. Daziel hears a massive crashing and splintering of trees. Turning to face the sound, she sees an enormous shadow taking wing into the night sky. With a few huge leathery flaps, it's gone.Twenty minutes later, the rest of the party returns to find Daziel guarding Bronn's body."What in the seven regions was that...thing?" asks Van.Corwyn says, "Glad it came; glad it left.""I don't know, but very little can make me run off like that," says Saeita, shaking her head."Van," instructs Daziel, "go look for the tracks where it was."Van scouts the area, somewhat gingerly, finding huge clawprings in the earth and crushed undergrowth. "I'm going to make a guess here," Van says, "but...dragon?"Corwyn says, "That's my first guest...or maybe Cyrgul?"Geradil and Courana blush. Saeita asks them why. They say, "Sorry we ran.""Hell, if Daziel hadn't said something, I'd still be running," says Van.Corwyn aks, "Could this be a gold dragon?""Wolves I can handle," Van says. "Orcs? Let me at 'em. I'm not sure about dragons. I thought the last one was dead."The party packs up their belongings, readying themselves for another day of marching towards Eveningstar.</blockquote>

Verification