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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 176825" data-attributes="member: 143">Book IV, Part 6While enjoying a brief noontime respite from their long trek through the mountains, the companions are attacked suddenly by a quartet of ravaging perytons.  Delem’s shouted warning was still lingering in the air when the first of the creatures knifed down the sloping length of the ridgeline and into their impromptu encampment.  The perytons held their sharp antlers before them like lances, aimed squarely at the defenders as they reached for weapons or called to mind the power of magical spells.  But the perytons had crept up on them by flying low over the nape of the terrain, and had gained almost complete surprise.  Only Delem, who’d seen them appear over the crest of the ridge above, had time to react.  He called upon the power of his magic, drawing the flames from deep inside him to smite yet another enemy that threatened him and his friends.  To his surprise, the rush of power that came at his call felt different than anything he’d done before, and instead of magical missiles or a stream of burning flame, a small bead of liquid fire sprung from his hand and raced up the slope toward the diving creatures.  The bead exploded in a raging inferno, a fireball fully forty feet across that sent a wave of heat rolling down toward them.  Delem stared at the conflagration in amazement as it dwindled and then faded away into wisps of smoke that quickly dissipated in the wind.  His amazement was cut short as he realized that the fireball had exploded too far away, only catching one of the creatures in the rear as it dove, burning it severely but not enough to slay it. The first of the perytons targeted Lok with its charge, fixing a long point of its antlers on his chest as it swooped down at him.  Lok barely had time to raise his shield to take the charge, but it was enough to deflect the potent force of the impact.  Benzan, a few paces away, wasn’t so luck as the second creature gored him through the protection of his mailshirt, driving him back and leaving a dark red stain on the creature’s antlers.  The second pair selected their own targets, the first slamming into Elly with enough force to knock her roughly prone.  The last, the one injured by Delem’s spell, bore in directly toward the sorcerer, its jagged, tooth-filled maw opening in a ragged scream as it sought to return the pain that had been inflicted upon it.  Delem stood there in terror at the creature’s horrific appearance, but at the last instant Dana crashed into him from the side, knocking both of them down and under the deadly course of the creature’s attack.  The perytons had scored blood on their first attack, but if they expected an easy victory, they were not destined to be satisfied against this bunch.  The force of their dive abated, the perytons hopped awkwardly a few feet above the ground, their wings beating furiously as they continued their attacks with multiple strikes from antlers, claws, and teeth.  Lok’s adversary tore at him while the genasi blocked each attack in turn, until one claw tore through his defenses and raked an angry gash across his forehead.  The genasi had shrugged off far worse hurts in the past, however, and responded with a mighty chop from his axe that sent the creature reeling.  It screeched at him in pain and anger, but even as it came at him again Lok responded with a backswing that caught it in the belly, opening a second vicious gash that sprayed tiny droplets of frozen blood onto the stone.Cal rushed to help Elly against her adversary, which was tearing at her prone form, giving her no relief from its violent attack.  Cal fired a color spray at the creature, which stunned it long enough for Elly to roll out from under it and regain her footing, a little unsteady from the multiple wounds she’d already taken from its attacks.  The woman rushed to pick up her spear while the peryton fluttered around, trying to regain its bearings.Benzan drew his sword and tore into the creature, the warrior and the peryton going at each other with fully unbridled force.  Benzan took another thrust from the peryton’s goring antlers, but was able to withstand its other attacks through judicious combination of his dexterity, mithral armor, and magical shield.  His own blows were telling, although the creature’s desire to tear him apart was not noticeably reduced by the injuries it suffered.  The two continued to spar in a storm of steel and feathers as the battle raged on around them. Dana arched her back and sprung back up to her feet as the creature that had dove at Delem spun and awkwardly flapped back toward them.  Dana was ready for it, in a defensive posture that allowed her to dodge a vicious thrust of its sharp antlers.  It managed to catch hold of her shoulder with one claw, however, tugging her slightly off-balance.  While Dana recovered quickly, the peryton took advantage of the brief distraction to lock its slavering jaws around her outstretched left forearm.  Dana gritted her teeth in pain and yanked the wounded limb roughly free from the thing’s bite before it could get a firm grip.  Dana’s delaying action had given Delem another chance to strike at the creature.  Focusing his thoughts, he called up another series of magic missiles.  Demonstrating that the increased power evidenced by the fireball was not a fluke, this time he managed to create three missiles, each slamming into the creature’s body in rapid succession.  Already wounded by the fireball, the peryton staggered and collapsed to the ground, flapping its wings uselessly as its life ebbed from its misshapen form.  Lok, meanwhile, had dispatched his adversary with one more devastating swing of his axe, and was already moving to aid Cal and Elly.  The peryton that Cal had stunned had recovered enough to see that this fight was not going the way of his side, and even as Lok approached it beat its wings feverishly in an outright bid to flee this combat.  Cal managed a parting shot from his crossbow, but the missile flew wide of the departing creature.The last peryton, however, the one fighting Benzan, gave no indication of seeking retreat.  If anything, it came on more ferociously, focused entirely on a single-minded effort to bring down the tiefling.  It tore and bit at his chest, thankfully protected by his magical mithral chainmail.  Even so, he took several hits from its scratching claws and thrusting antlers, although none of the wounds were really that serious.  In return, he’d managed another hit that scored the monster’s body deeply.The ultimate winner of the confrontation would remain undetermined, however, for the arrival of Benzan’s friends led to a speedy end to the battle.  A spear thrust and axe chop later, the peryton bled out the last of its life on the barren stone, and quiet returned again to the mountains.  While Dana and Delem tended to their wounds, the others regarded their strange attackers.  Benzan reflexively rubbed his chest with a hand streaked with blood, as if reassuring himself that everything was in its proper place.  “Now, that was something,” he said.  “Perytons,” Lok told them.  “They’re not uncommon in the northern ranges.  They are driven to tear out the hearts of their prey, and immediately consume them.”“Yeah, it’s good to be back in Faerûn,” Benzan said, with a wry side look at Cal.  “Home sweet home.”After gathering their gear, they set out again along the trail.</blockquote>

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