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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1138058" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 5, “The Dragon Stalkers”, September 12th, 1019, 5:30 P.M. An exhausted Alton is finally convinced to take flight again, and the men reluctantly climb back into the Bag of Holding.  Alton comments, “Narg does have a point.  We have a whole stable full of horses back on our Island, which we ride around there, but never think to bring any of them with us on adventure.”   “Well it’s too late for that now.  Get moving,” Cassie remarks.   Alton flies up well above the lake and again towards the currents of air rising up from the mountains that the lowering sun is now shining upon.   He rises to a higher elevation than before, to begin a long gradual glide.   He and Cassie now notice a second road around four miles to the west running parallel the road they are following.    They fly southward, past the end of the lake, and on for another few miles.   They notice through the breaks in the trees that the two roads turn and curve towards each other and link, it actually being the same road.    They then notice some dust rising up from between the trees below, and descend more rapidly in that direction. When they are about 300 feet away from the dusty area they see a series of wagons loaded with furniture, farm implements and other equipment.   The dust is now dissipating and the wagons appear to currently be stopped.   They then see a row of horse tied up off to the side of the road.  They get closer and then see a group of around a dozen archers standing together with their bows drawn.   A volley of arrows is released, flying up towards them.  Most arrows miss, but two strike Alton’s wyvern form, one bouncing harmlessly off of his armor, the other penetrating for five points of damage.  “Ouch!” the druid exclaims.  “Pull up, fast,” Cassie exclaims.   Not needing to be told twice, the druid does as instructed.  Two more volleys of arrows fly up towards them before they are completely out of range, but no arrows connect hard enough to inflict any damage.   Alton yells out, “Hey, knock it off!  Make love not arrows,” but his voice does not carry far enough.    Cassie pulls out a piece of paper and quill, and writes out a note reading “Looking for information on the 100 foot high monster.  Was sent by your Lordholder.”  She then folds it into the shape of a paper airplane and lets it fly down to the archers below.  A female dwarf moves out from behind the archers and retrieves the note.   She then rises up from the ground, flying in Cassie and Alton’s direction.    She is wearing a uniform identical to that of Mojo’s and Cassie recognizes her to be Teakas, a fighter/rogue of the Dragon’s Stalker party who also serves as that team’s liaison and General in the Queen’s Army.    Cassie has seen her during a battle two months earlier (Module #117, where Alton’s player had played her as an NPC) and remembers that she has a pair of winged boots that allow for limited flight.    Teakas approaches cautiously, aiming her magical crossbow at the mounted wyvern. Cassie yells over, identifying herself, and Teakas lowers her crossbow and flies alongside.   Alton says “Hey, it’s just us with the Silver Moon.  Why did you shoot at us?”   The dwarf replies, “We thought you were working with the invading monster.”   Alton says, “Yeah, well who else flies on a wyvern?”  Teakas answers, “They do!  They had at least two mounted wyverns as part of their attack group!”   “Really?  We didn’t know that,” Alton comments.    (The DM comments, “No, but I did, which is why I loved it when you picked that particular form to head out in.”)   Cassie suggests that Teakas head down and have the others hold their fire.   Alton then lands on the road below.   Cassie then helps her four allies out of the Bag of Holding. The Silver Moon Adventurers look over at the people gathered around.   Most appear to be refugees, with overloaded wagons also filled with women, children and livestock.   The dozen men are a rag-tag assortment of fighters, with a hodgepodge of weapons and armor.   Only three of the six members of the Dragons Stalkers team present, and all three appear to be wounded and rather disheveled in appearance.    Teakas’s wounds appear to be minor.  That team’s female human ranger Kela is wearing damaged leather armor and has her arm in a sling.  That team’s leader, Gellyath, has a long bloody scar on his face, some rips and holes in his tunic and his long blond hair is in a state of disarray.   This is contrast from the immaculate “pretty boy” image he normally projects, and Narg whispers to Cassie “Maybe you should offer him some hair gel.”    Mojo is the first to speak asking, “So, you guys tried to fight the creature?”   Gellyath says, “Yes General, and we paid the price for it.”   “Exactly what happened?” Cassie inquires.    The fighter replies, “We began our assault by having our two most powerful spellcasters, the mage Asgorad and the cleric Mandize, fly at the head of the creature to distract it with spells.    Teakas then flew up along the side and fastened grappling hooks onto the creature’s scales for the rest of us to climb.   The plan then fell apart.   Of the spellcasters, one was killed and the other became petrified.”  “As in afraid?” Cassie asked.  “No, as in turned to stone,” Teakas interjects. Gellyath continues, “Actually, both were turned to stone and fell to earth.”   Mojo comments, “Ah, I get it.  One landed well, the other, not so much.”     Gellyath says, “Yes.  Asgorad’s form shattered as it struck the ground, and it was then stomped to dust by the creature’s foot.   Mandize’s god Ukko must have been looking out for him, as he landed in a small pond and sank.   One of the refugees later swam down and reported that his statue form appears to be intact, but is lodged deep into the mud at the bottom of the pond.   We will head back later and retrieve him.”“And your climbing assault?” Narg asks.    Gellyath replies, “We were barraged by arrows, boiling pitch and rocks.   The attackers then managed to cut the ropes attached to the grappling hooks.  Teakas was able to help slow my fall, and Kela was fortunate that she only broke her arm when she crashed to the ground.   Our gnome rogue Grelmak managed to grab onto the monster, and climbed up the side.  That was the last we saw of him.   While I carried Kela to safety Teakas flew back up to look for Grelmak.  That is when they launched a pair of mounted wyverns from a deck above the creature’s flank, which flew at her.   She got off a few shots from her crossbow, but they were far more maneuverable than she was.  She reluctantly retreated and they did not pursue her.   Teakas then got word to the Queen, and we’ve been traveling with the refugees ever since.   Our orders and top priority is to get a warning to Gheldaylin   We have another twenty miles to go, and anticipate reaching there at some point during the night.   We hope to reach there in time, as the town is actually only about ten miles from the mountain pass.”  Alton comments, “Yeah, whose brilliant idea was to put in forty miles of road to reach there?”  Gellyath replies, “The road goes south to reach the lake, and also forks with another road south at the turn, before heading back north.  A more direct road couldn’t be made between the town and the mountain pass because of some natural barriers.   Those barriers, however, will be but a minor inconvenience to the monster.” Narg then asks, “Exactly what type of hairy humanoid creatures were that manning the castle on the monster’s back?”   Gellyath replies, “Gnolls.”   Narg exclaims, “GNOLLS!  Gnolls aren’t smart enough to even take a bath once a month.  There’s no way they could have built something this elaborate.  Someone else is behind this!”    Teakas comments, “Perhaps, but that is all that we saw.   It looked to be a small army of gnolls manning the buildings.  And the structures are not only attached to the saddle on the creatures back, but on its neck yoke and head as well.”   “Why could it need a yoke?” Cassie asks.  “Probably to attach chains to and pull something,” Purge comments.  “More like pull anything it wants, given the size of the creature,” Mark adds. Gellyath says that he is anxious to get moving again to Gheldaylin.   Before they depart Cassie says that she wants to question each of the three adventurers individually for a specific description of the creature.   Narg volunteers to go talk to the very attractive Kela.   Cassie again reminds him that he is now married.  Narg replies, “Hey, I’m new at this.”   “At what, fidelity?” Cassie retorts.  Narg says, “Yeah, fidelity, responsibility, and all those other long words that I can’t spell.”   Alton comments, “Yeah, but watch who you flirt with.  Your wife is a skilled archer, and she only needs one arrow to permanently stop you from straying.”   The DM wholeheartedly concurs, Narg’s wife Vallessa being one of his Playing Characters .</blockquote>

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