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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dark Dragon" data-source="post: 3763845" data-attributes="member: 1115">Ship ahead!Yesterday the story continued...The adventurers decided to visit Karelam's farm once more... <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/paranoid.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":uhoh:" title="Paranoid    :uhoh:" data-shortname=":uhoh:" /> Before the group left, Jasmina cast a Heroes Feast. However, it was a bit strange: On the table appeared a circle of seven red stars and blood-coloured mist emerged from the circle and poured to the ground. Jasmina was unsure about this sign, but she told her friends that a different name for Mystra is the Wounded Lady. The sign may be a hint that a battle may await the party...The alienist summoned some Phantom Steeds and the adventurers (without the dragons, Jasmina, and her bodyguard) traveled to the Thayan farm. The weather was good. Within a few miles of the farm (that is located close to cliffs at Lake Ashane - like the ones at Dover in Britain or Etretat in France) the group noticed a colossal creature hovering above the farm. The party was too far away to spot any details, but nevertheless, the creature - looking like a huge grey ray - was something they've never seen before.The party closed in on the farm. When one mile away they rode a half-circle around the farm to check for tracks that may lead to a secret entrance. But there was nothing. However, when they reached the cliff, they noticed a raft close to a tunnel leading into the cliffs underneath the farm. Six persons were on the raft and a long rope dangled from the colossal ray (a creature about 400 ft. in length hovering in about 180 ft. above sea level) down to the raft. The guys were about to lift boxes onto the creature. It seems that no one has spotted the adventurers so far (they were about half a mile away now). The adventurers also noticed that the ray is clad with iron plates at the wings and underneath to protect it.They were unsure about this (no one came up with a good knowledge check...).Well, then it happened: The party openly rode their Phantom Steeds down to the shore and advanced the raft, greeting the people and asking for a visit in the arena that should be somewhere here.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":eek:" title="Eek!    :eek:"  data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":eek:" />  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f615.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":confused:" title="Confused    :confused:"  data-smilie="5"data-shortname=":confused:" />   <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/nervous.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":heh:" title="Nervous Laugh    :heh:" data-shortname=":heh:" />   <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f641.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":(" title="Frown    :("  data-smilie="3"data-shortname=":(" />  A short conversation (it was more a shouting) over a distance of ca. 300 ft followed. The Red Wizards Karelam and Ranus and a Thayan Knight were directing the loading of cargo onto the ray from within the tunnel (which is somewhat similar in its function to a submarine base but too small for the ray).When the workers warned them of the strangers, the wizards prepared for battle. 5 guys on Phantom Steeds approaching this situation are either completely stupid or a threat.The wizards hid in a secret smaller tunnel (the normal entrance to the arena for invited guests). The entrance was covered by an Illusionary Wall. When the party was close enough, Karelam opened battle with a Meteor Swarm followed by a quickened Stinking Cloud. Ranus hammered the area with an Ice Storm. The spells destroyed the Phantom Steeds and caused the tempest to puke all over the place for several rounds...The following fight was controlled by nasty battle field spells: Black Tentacles, Web, Crushing Hand, Delayed Blast Fireball were mostly employed by the red wizards and thus subduing effective spell casting from the adventurers' side. But nevertheless with some luck, the ranger (making his save vs the Illusory Wall spell) was able to badly wound Karelam with some adamantine arrows and forcing him and Ranus and the Thayan Knight to retreat by Dimension Door.In the meantime the monk escaped a Crushing Hand via his Dimension Door ability - he decided to teleport ONTO the ray. There he saw what will be the Thayans' warship (it is not fully protected and equipped, however, to give the party some time to warn the Rashemi and prepare counter measures): On the back of the ray sits the upper part of a wooden warship, some 250 ft. in length and 60 ft. in width. The ship has no masts and sails (I abandoned this idea), but an elevated bow and stern section (like a galleon). The lower decks are also missing. Some 70 armed crewmen of various races man the ship along with a third Red Wizard. A large bat made of pure darkness and a dragonne with red eyes circled low above the deck...Realizing that he is in BIG trouble, the monk grabbed a long rope and tumbled off the ray in a nice Erroll-Flynn-style manoever and back into the battle on the shore lines...He received then a Sending from Jasmina who was observing the fight through the monk's eyes (she always casts Chain of Eyes on him when the party leaves the camp). She told the monk that the ray may be of great danger and that the party should immediately leave the area. Alanor has told Jasmina that this strange ray probably is used for something dark. Due to the long casting time of the Sending spell, Jasmina's warning was almost too late...But the fight was not going well. The ray was put into a better position by the Red Wizard, and Karelam and Ranus joined the crew after they retreated from the tunnel (the adventurers eventually all noticed the covered tunnel). The party was a sitting duck on the beach, but the way into the tunnels was still blocked by Black Tentacles.Karelam was not willing to let the adventurers escape once more and give word about the ship. Badly wounded, the group gathered and the monk tried to use his scroll with a Teleport spell. The alienist readied to counter any spell cast at the party. Karelam was also very low on spell points, but he readied a Fireball should the alienist cast a spell. Ranus readied a Scintillating Sphere should someone cast a spell.Actions were resolved. The monk rolled a 20 on UMD to use the scroll, so no problems here. Ranus cast his spell, and the alienist started to counter it. Karelam now cast his Fireball, causing enough damage to break the monk's concentration on the teleport spell. But the alienist could counter Ranus' spell at least.In that situation the party warmage/dragon disciple disintegrated a part of the cliff and so made a way into the tunnel around the Black Tentacles. The party retreated into the secret tunnel and the warmage blocked the entrance with a Wall of Force.The group used the time to use two wands with cure spells to heal. Karelam ordered his troops within the farm house and the arena to block the way leading deeper into the cliff. The troops (all level 10 ftr half-orcs, 12 of them) were lead by a level 13 cleric of Malar (and master of the arena). The ray held the position at the beach. The party was trapped, but they had one scroll with a CL 7 Dimension Door left - too weak to evacuate all adventurers...The secret tunnel ended at a locked iron door. The group decided to move on and the monk broke the door open. The cleric of Malar and his half-orcs had positioned themselves at the door and waited for the party.This fight was not going well either. The cleric summoned a dire bear, and, after some of his orcs were killed by the monk, the warmage, the ranger and some Lightning Bolts discharged from a wand by the alienist, he Harmed the monk, knocking him out after a quickened inflict light wounds. He placed his claw bracer at the monk's throat and threatened to kill the monk should the party not surrender (he readied an attack, not a coup de grace, should someone attack him). Now the tempest tumbled to the front (and past two half-orcs) and tried to grapple the cleric. Since she has not Improved Grapple, the cleric attacked her in an AoO and ruined her attempt. Then he used his readied action and killed the monk.The tempest was now in a bad position (alone in the front line, two ftr and the cleric attacking her). The warmage killed the half-orcs in front of him (opening a retreat way for the tempest) and then advanced to attack the cleric. The cleric cast two inflict spells and the two half-orcs finished off the tempest. Now the alienist used the Dimension Door scroll the monk has dropped before he was killed and evacuated himself, the warmage and the ranger into a horse stable close to the farm. The survivors are out of spells, on their last hps, and have almost no more means to heal themselves, and the dark bat from the ship now circles above the area....Jasmina is not able to reach the party via Wind Walk, she would die on the way (telthor drawback...). The dragons are not allowed to evacuate the party or interfere in the battle.___________________The ray is a Cloud Ray from MM2. No stats for its true length are given there (IIRC), but from the picture it seems to be BIG. I used the Half-Golem (Iron, three limbs modified) template to make it stronger and immune to magic attacks. Its main purpose is to act as a carrier for troops and arms.The 'ship' on its back is already protected with Unhallow spells, but it still lacks a Forbiddance. The crew is also not fully gathered (only one cleric and a red wizard are on board...).EDIT: Size stats of the Cloud Ray are given in the face entry of the creature (100 ft x 60 ft), but I advanced it anyway to enhance its impression and thoughness.The flying guards are a fiendish shade dire bat and a half-fiend dragonne. I plan to increase the number of flying guards.</blockquote>

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