running from Ma and Pa
RUN! Mirabelle knows of a short cut through the canyon which may just give them the lead they need to get out in 24 hours before dad attacks. About an hour into their hike the canyon gets very narrow and really deep. They spot stairs with 3-foot risers (Ankili size) and start down. All the way the party is pressing Mirabelle for information on her dad, anything they might use against him. “Well, he likes illusion spells and summons air creatures. He’s prideful, and he has a trick knee.”
The way down these stairs is slow and steep. Occasionally, someone stumbles, but no one falls. After 4 hours of this exhausting trek, they stop to catch their breath. Deke spots 6 dark shapes in the sky. Morgaine says they don’t sound like sturges, they sound like eagles. Morgaine casts sleep, and 3 of them fall. Thomas, Deke and Gemma each take one out. So much for Pa giving them 24 hours.
They press on. Around the next bend the stairs stop and a gentle slope begins. Mirabelle detects magic, but all seems real. Around the next corner is a 50 foot gap – the path just ends. They can see a small tunnel across the gap. The party struggles to come up with an idea for how to cross, when Lucre invokes the name of Ankili. Suddenly, the path they are standing on begins to pull away from the canyon wall. Half the party slides, but no one falls. The path pivots and tilts until it meets up with the tunnel. With several “Thank you, Ankili”s they rush into the tunnel just as they see Mirabelle’s mother bellowing down the trail. She is a large blonde woman, a barbarian, with a huge battle axe.
Kel commands “fall,” and she does which gives several party members a chance to attack. Deke, Morgaine and Kalina, unaware of the battle, have headed down the tunnel. Lucre and Borin charge and strike.
Suddenly Pa appears in the sky and sends shock waves at Borin who falls flat, but grabs on. Marja hastes herself and Borin. At this point Ma moves off the path and dissolves into mist. Borin and Lucre move in again to attack the mist. Unfortunately, Lucre is relying on his heavy crossbow, but hasn’t been able to hit anything all day. Gemma sends Ma shooting backwards with a gust of wind arrow.
Kel fires a spiritual hammer at Pa, but misses. Pa starts to cast at which point Lucre fires his crossbow to try to break his concentration, but once again the shot goes wide. A dark thread escapes from Pa’s fingers and shoots to Borin’s axe. As the party watches, a cloud of billowing darknes begins to spread from the axe, engulfing them. They can see nothing. Borin covers his axe with his cloak, which puts out the darkness like covering a torch puts out the light. His axe, however, is not useless. He spots Ma, and drat! She appears to have healed herself. Morgaine appears from the tunnel and uses her cat, Taylor, to cast fly on Borin. At this point Pa disappears, and Ma runs up and over canyon wall.
Lucre jumps on Borin’s back, and they fly in pursuit.