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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1244304" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 24, “I’ve never liked amusement park rides”, September 13th, 1019, 7:30 P.M.The two flying creatures from the town move towards them as the Kadtanach moves closer to the town, closing the distance between them.     The Kadtanach has now left the outer edge of the forested lands and is trampling through the fields of outlying farms of the town.  The two flying objects pick up speed and near the front of the Kadtanach.   “It’s the Dragon Stalkers!” Cassie exclaims.    Cassie describes what he sees to the others, “General Teakas is using her winged boots to fly.  She’s carrying the ranger Kela, whose broken arm appears to have been healed.  That team’s leader Gellyath is carrying a lance and riding atop a dragonne (a winged creature that resembles a cross between a lion and a brass dragon).   “Where in hell did they find one of those?” Narg asks.   Purge interjects, “They said Gheldaylin was his home town.  Maybe it is a family pet.”  The two mounted wyverns fly forward to meet them.   Gellyath flies directly at one, using his lance to try to dismount one of the gnolls.   The gnoll pilot veers sharply to the right, the lance then scraping against the wyvern’s hide.    Teakas and Kela take on the other wyvern, with Kela firing off a series of arrows.   She initially targets the gnoll archer, without much success due to the Wyvern’s maneuverability.   The wyvern flies closer and she then attempts to fire at the animal’s eyes, with an arrow narrowly missing an eye and striking the side of the creature’s head.    Mojo’s player comments “This is like a cross between Godzilla and Midway.” Narg yells, “People, we’re wasting valuable time.  They are providing us with a distraction, let’s use it!”    Mojo says, “He’s right.  It’s time to get unbelievably violent on this thing.  Cassie, did you take a Locate Object spell today?”  “Yes,” she replies.   Mojo yells “Then use it.  You saw what that helmet looked like.”    She casts the spell, which points in the direction of the creature’s left flank.   The building immediately in that direction is the one that they first entered.  “That’s where they are.  Let’s Go!” Narg yells.   Cassie says, “Should we get in the bag of holding?”   Narg says, “Have Mark get in there until we need him.”  Mojo comments “There’s no way we can keep him in there that long.”  Mark gets into the bag. Mojo directs Narg to where the front window and he starts to climb out.   Below and to the left is a wooden bridge connecting that howdah to the one in front of it, and Narg lets fly his Rope of Climbing.   The rope secures itself around the bridge as Narg loops on the other end and hands it to Purge.   The half-elf then dive out the window and slides down the rope.   His sudden movement catches the attention of the gargoyle atop the other front tower, which flies off of the tower and begins a dive downward.  Narg reaches the bridge, jumping up onto it.   He sees the gargoyle making a beeline towards him and grips the Nargblade back with both hands.  He holds it up over his shoulder as one would hold a baseball bat, and softly says to him, “Just like Babe Ruth.”    Narg waits on his swing until the monster is nearly upon him and then lets loose with all of the strength that he can muster and then some.   He is barely in time, with one of the gargoyle’s horns actually starting to poke against his face before the creature is then forced away from him.   The monster is propelled away into the open air in front of the towers, with blood flowing from a very deep gash in its side.    “Damn, I fouled it out,” Narg states.  Mojo has now slid down to join him, and Narg helps him up onto the bridge.   The propelled gargoyle manages to eventually regain control of its wings, and starts to hover then flies away from them.   Mojo gets one hammer toss at it, but misses.  The gargoyle then flies off behind the buildings.   By this point both Purge and Cassie have also slid down the rope to join them.    It is getting darker out, and Cassie’s armor is comprised of very bright light, so she is shining like a beacon.   “Geez, can you tone that down?” Narg asks.  Alton has remained behind, and is now busy pouring vials of oil in the wizardesses's chamber and lighting them.  He mutters a complaint to himself about Cassie having taken all of the best combustibles in the room. The Kadtanach stops move with the center of town just a third of a mile ahead.    The party sees that the Dragon Stalkers are still busy fighting the mounted wyverns.   Kela is now sitting atop Teakas’s shoulders, still firing her bow, while Teakas is now using her crossbow as well.   One of the gnoll archers having been knocked from the sky and the other three gnolls all appear to be wounded.    The Dragon Stalkers are showing no visible wounds, although the dragonne has a few of the gnoll’s arrows sticking into it.   The Kadtanach then begins to sway from side to side and everyone grabs onto the side of the bridge to keep from falling off.   Cassie sees that the creature is now frantically shaking its head and she exclaims, “Uh oh, the fire’s burned down to its scalp.”   “Let’s get into this building, quick!” Narg states, grabbing his rope again.   Purge attempts to pick the lock on the door, but with the creature’s constant movements is unable to.   “Here, let me use my lock pick,” Mojo states, as he takes his hammer to smashes the lock with such force that metal lock breaks completely off from the wood holding it, destroying that whole section of the door.   The door is then pulled open and they run inside. They find themselves back in the room with the prison cell.   “I think we’ve been here before,” Mojo comments.   “Yeah, around nine hours ago,” Cassie comments.    Alton scurries into the room and says, “Another fire’s now burning in that tower we just left.”   The floor then tilts very sharply forward at a forty-five degree angle, with everyone falling back in the direction of the door.  Narg’s immediate reaction is to throw his rope ahead of him, having it tie to the iron bars of the prison cell.  Alton and Cassie both grab the rope to keep from falling out the door.   Purge and Mojo both fall against the front wall beside the doorway, which is now becoming the floor of the room.   All of the kegs and chests that were inside the room on the side wall slide towards them.   The door cannot be shut due to the broken lock, so Mojo and Purge act quickly to avoid being hit by the approaching objects while also pushing and pulling the largest chests over to partially block the doorway.  The room now begins to also tilt sharply to one side.  “What’s going on?”  Cassie yells.   Purge looks out the doorway and states “The Kadtanach is kneeling forward to the ground, and is now trying to scrape the burning building off of its head against a grove of trees.”     Mojo exclaims, “Well I hope that it stops soon.  I’ve never liked amusement park rides.”    “We need to find that leader now, while this is keeping him preoccupied.”   “Like we’re not preoccupied ourselves?” Mojo retorts. Cassie mentions that she had seen a trapdoor in the floor the last time they were in this room.   “That must be where they are,” Narg yells.  Mojo pulls himself up the rope and locates the edges of this door.  He uses his dagger to pry it open and looks inside.   Narg yells “Is the leader down there?”   “No, just money,” Mojo replies, seeing a room filled with chests where several have now broken open, spilling coins all over the lower room.    Also in the room are various jewels and other valuables.     The room then tilts again, with the floor going back to where it belongs.    The party again has to dodge several boxes and kegs that now roll back in their direction.    They look out the doorway and see that the Kadtanach is now standing again.  The Head Howdah is gone, with only a few burning embers and smoke coming from where it had been.  It is now dark outside and the wyverns and Dragon Stalkers are no longer in the air. “Where did they go?” Alton asks.   “Who cares, we have gnolls to kill,” Narg replies.    “Come on, they must be in the room above.  Let’s go,” Narg yells and scurries up the ladder, the others following.  They arrive in the archer’s loft above and find it deserted.  Narg climbs up further, sticking his head into the crow’s nest, which is also deserted.  The area outside is now beginning to light up from the fire Alton started in the adjacent tower.</blockquote>

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