The Gray King

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

What happens next is very fast. Maavnod, muscles corded to kill, Oliver, poised to dance, Arrgha'n, swift and deadly, and Yatrax, dark and silent, all begin to move in for the kill. Unbeknowst to them, Irthos has spread his wings and is racing over the forest, covering in seconds what took the others minutes.

The filcher is their target, and its odd eyes widen in perhaps surprise as you all step closer. Roth shouts a harsh phrase, and the filcher throws the marauder head up in the air. Roth then grabs something on his belt, and signs of strain on plain on his face as he rapidly taps and smooths something on some straps around his body. There's something bulking at his back, like a lop-sided backpack that begins to make a curious muting hum. He slowly begins to rise out of the filcher's grasp as the deadly Arrgha'n and swift Oliver close the distance and strike out hard.

Arrgha'n's longsword flickers out with uncanny accuracy, striking for the filcher's vulnerable stomach and opening a nearly-lethal gash deep in its bag-like body. Oliver dances around the side of the filcher with the grace of a dancer and almost delicately stabs the creature deep in the arm.

Maavnod bounds across the clearing, arms real and phantasmal clamping onto the filcher with terrible strength, wrenching back all four of its arms and knocking it off its foot onto the ground. Yatrax points at the fallen filcher as shadow gathers at her hand. With concentration, the blackness streaks from her to the filcher, like an arrow, and Maavnod feels the filcher go limp underneath him, not dead yet, but unconscious and very near death.

Roth howls in a ringing roar of animal pain, and shoots up into the sky, disappearing into the blackness.

Almost as an afterthough, the marauder head thunks down in the middle of the clearing, just missing Oliver's toe. The light abruptly goes out, leaving you all standing in dim moonlight.

~~~~

Irthos, your dragonborn eyes see a small humanoid figure with what seems to be a lopsided hunchback come hurtling toward you in the air. It nearly collides with you, and in pure reflex you lash out with your claws, scratching the skin of the creature and drawing a shriek from it. With a curse, it continues flying away, without wings, and is soon lost to sight. It's flying faster than Irthos is capable. All is not lost however; Irthos can see it got a scrap of the flying creature's clothing in its claws, some kind of leathery stuff, but will have to get it into some light to determine what color it is.

~~~~~~~~~

Valerian and Kurst, there've been some shrieks and howls coming from the woods that have abruptly ceased, and Irthos took off a few moments ago to investigate the light. Now the light has stopped, and all in the woods is silent and still...

[sblock=OOC: ] Filcher tosses up Roth, but is otherwise occupied and still flat-footed (long story, I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill your characters). Arrgha'n hits a 19, doing a total of 13 points of damage to the filcher. Oliver rolls a 5, burns an action point for another 6, with his attack bonus getting a 19 for a total of 5 points of damage to the filcher. Maavnod busts a move, hits the filcher's touch AC with a 21, grapples with a 33 to the filcher's 15, and has the filcher in a double nelson. Yatrax uses arrow of dusk, and does 5 points of subdual, which knocks it unconscious.

Irthos, you got an attack of opportunity, rolled a 20, didn't confirm, and did 3 points of damage to Roth before he got away. Combat is over, well done people![/sblock]

 

[stonegod]

Irthos snarls, then lands. Seeing the quarry gone, it climbs back up and then glides back to camp.

It drops the flesh bit unceremoniously. "Ripped thissss off. Might be useful to track by magic or mundane meanssss."

 

[Forgefly]

Kurst, Human Artificer/Warlock 1/2

"Ripped it off of what?", He shudders, "What was all that noise about?"
Kurst steps back nonchalantly from the grisly trophy, but steps on the hem of his robe falling flat. Embarrassed he stands and quickly turns and goes to his bedroll.

 

[FreeXenon]

Arrgha'n (Half-Daelkyr Kin-Hunter)

Arrgha'n half lipped smirk at the downed filcher turns to a mild frustration at Roth's unexpected and surprising escape.

"Didn't see that coming." he states.

The Hobgoblin-thing asks "Does anyone have any idea how he escaped?" as he looks down to examine the filcher body and the maruader head for anything of note.





[OOC: Spot/Listen/Survival 7/9; Search 7]

 

[Erekose13]

Maavnod contines to hold the unconscious filcher tight. He flexes again aiming to tear it apart like the marauder in his frustration of the true opponent having escaped so easily. Covered in gore, he turns to Arrgha'n and replies, "Mutation I believe."

 

[EvolutionKB]

Oliver, Human Binder

Oliver pleased with himself, for piercing the defenses of the filcher, gives eyes to his keen rapier, before gingerly wiping it on his cloak and sheathing it with a flourish. "Well that was disappointing..." he mutters. "What kind of mutation would let one get away like that? And why would he shrink?"

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Irthos, examining the leathery substance you ripped away from the small humanoid's body, it seems to be part of leather strap reinforced by metal, along with a bloody scrap of hardened purple leather. The blood, however, has a distinct orange tone and acrid scent that sets your teeth on edge.

Arrgha'n examines the area and finds a few tracks from the filcher, and a few less of the man you assume is Roth. There is an area where something bulky, heavy, and somewhat spikey was stashed behind a tree, and the size matches up with what was on Roth's back.

While the hobgoblin-kin is examining the ground, Oliver, Yatrax, and Maavnod can take a look at the marauder head, if they're so inclined. Near the short crest on the head is a series of what looks like bronze nails and heavy staples, slightly corroded, holding together what looks like a fresh head wound, a long laceration.

[sblock=Maavnod]You're not sure what mutation, per se, could have allowed Roth to escape by air. A mutation might have let him compress himself, and there are some mutants who have wings, but Roth clearly had no visible wings. Thinking back to what Andoran has asked of you for this mission, you have a horrible sneaking suspicion that perhaps this flying thing could be one of those "unusual artifacts." Or it might be a magic item. Or perhaps something else, like a metallic creature or construct, it's hard to say...[/sblock]

 

[Erekose13]

"Or maybe not a mutation. Wings would be a sign of mutation. Roth had no wings. Maybe its one of those unusual artifacts Andoran spoke of." says Maavnod.

 

[stonegod]

"The ssscrap came from your quarry, though it not ssseeem to be fully human. Look at the blood." The kobold hands it to the others, then scuttles back up the wagon. Licking its thin lips, it waits to move on, having lost interest in the weird human.

 

[EvolutionKB]

Oliver, Human Binder

"Could be," Oliver shrugs, "let us move on, he is gone for now. Probably impossible to track as well. If we are meant to run into each other again, we will."