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Message: <blockquote data-quote="seasong" data-source="post: 708195" data-attributes="member: 5137">Early Winter in AglaonisOnce in Aglaonis, the group split up. Greppa needed to go through the library and mark out a better map to get to the hidden valley (as well as confirm what possible threats might be faced there); Athan wanted to chat up the local breweries, and introduce Arkos and Kyliados to beer; and Merideth wanted to talk with a local esper she'd been referred to. Athan managed to get a reference to a fur trapper who knew where the valley was and could lead them to it, and, after Greppa made a few last inquiries at the book repository, they got together to discuss it.Greppa had the first question, "Will he want to know what we're doing out there?"Athan grinned, "As long as it's not in his trapping zones, I don't think he'll care."Merideth nodded, "Besides, we're adventurers. We'll just let him assume we're out there because we're crazy."The trapper turned out to be a fur-wearing misanthrope who overcharged and disappeared as soon as they got there. Fears of questions or jumping their reward for finding the mine were quickly allayed... now the trouble was simply finding it.The valley was a mile and a half long, a mere crevice in the mountains that housed it, and Greppa was fairly certain it was supposed to be on the northern slopes... but that was still almost a square mile of land to go over and try to find a small opening or evidence of the mine's location.Ultimately, they decided to sleep on it. Greppa summoned a mud doll to watch over them, and everyone settled into sleep......and it was almost dawn when the mud doll began to wail, its voice pitching up and up, and as the grabbed spears and half-sat, looking around, an answering roar matched the mud doll's tone. It was a massive creature, easily three man-lengths long without the tail, a pair of huge wings, and a thick, ruffed neck. Lizard-like, but built more like a large-legged bird, its slate grey skin blended into the darkness.It was a wyvern, and it was taking some serious offense to the mud doll. As they watched it, it attempted to bite, then stab with its spiked tail - the doll simply reformed and continued wailing. Finally, Greppa told it to hush... and the wyvern looked up at them.Greppa at least knew what this thing was - a flying reptile that preyed on large herbivores and occasionally fought with armorcats for territory. Its tail spike contained a deadly venom, it hide was said to be as thick and tough as iron shields, and its bite was said to crush bones with ease. The only real weakness it had was that it was a clumsy flyer, due to the weight of its hide and oversized legs...It seemed to be sizing them up, so Greppa took the opportunity to summon up a magical shield, and say, quietly, "Look out for its tail. Poison."Then everything seemed to happen at once. The creature's tail darted at Greppa's face as he was casting, Athan and the Keraunesti hurled their secondary spears and barely nicked its hide, and Merideth began moving in from the side, trying to get close without provoking an attack.The creature ignored the others - it focused entirely on the spell caster, biting and stabbing at Greppa. He began a more powerful spell, and yelled, "Retreat! I'll hold it!"He intended to fly as soon as the others were clear, of course, but no one knew that - they just knew the caster was damned stupid. No one ran.Then, three spears thunked into its hide from close-in, hard; Greppa unleashed his newest spell, sun bolts; and Merideth managed to unleash her worst life-damaging energies simultaneously. As spears pierced its hide, and brightly glowing missiles streaked through its wings and flesh to burn into the mountain behind it, and green lightning crackled along its ribs, the wyvern yelped, twisted, and took off into flight. They hadn't even seriously injured it, but they'd caused enough pain for it to retreat.No one slept after that.</blockquote>

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