Episode 2: The Path to the Spire

After a good rest, the party sets out again. Thok however, it would seem has tickets for a magic show and plans on catching up later. (The player was running late).

So the party of three sets out towards the Sighing Valley through which they'll find Feathergale Spire.

Turns out, it was a good idea to rest and prepare as much as they could. They were attacked by four gnolls and their pet hyenas. 

It was an incredibly rough fight, however gnolls are not very bright. Partially due to Vega's Ensnare, the gnolls took quite a bit of damage from Menelwen's Chromatic Orb. Henry was well hidden in the long grass, shooting at the hyenas.

After a long but successful fight, they took a rest to regain lost hit points and spells. Then using Vega's transformation which is affectionately called the "Panther Express", the three of them climbed up the Howling Plateau to avoid getting into another scuffle with gnolls further down the valley.

However...there was a river blocking the way to the spire. So the three of them decided to cross.

Which...was a bad idea.

School of Quippers that laid siege to the party

Quippers attacked the party, leaving Menelwen in particular close to death. Vega used Barkskin to help as well as healing while the quippers nommed on his delicates.

Menelwen pushed them away with Gust of Wind which worked for a bit. Henry shot at them with his bow. Things were rough...then a familiar face joined them. Thok arrived, wondering what the hell these idiots were doing in a river.

Vega made a ball of water meant to contain the quippers. Meant to. He ended up lifting Henry with it.

They managed to defeat the school of quippers (with Thok's help) and reach the other side.

The party saw large birds flying and land. Warily, Henry stealthed forward to check it out. The birds looked like large vulture. Deciding it was best to avoid confrontation after the gnolls and quippers, the party gave them wide birth.

Eventually they arrived at Feathergale Spire and were greeted by a woman in armor with long, curly, fire red hair. She folded her arms over her chest, demanding they state their business.

Unfortunately...Henry (rolled a 1) when trying to speak with her and ended up...staring directly at her tits. Vega rolled to help but ended up staring as well.

Unimpressed, Thok picked the two of them up by the scruff of their necks. Savra allowed them in, not overly pleased at the staring but saw the benefit of having the adventurers as guests.
The party was brought before the Lord Commander of the Feathergale Knights who invited them to partake in the small feast. They happily agreed. While eating, Henry asked about any flying beasts that may have been spotted spiriting away young ladies. While he did not know of any at the time, the Lord Commander promised to keep an eye out. He did also inform the party about some shady things happening at a Monastery that could be found after going through Red Larch.

Before the feast could come to a close, the alarm went up. A Manticore had been spotted. The Knights armed up, each member of the party being given to a knight to help fight.

It was a rocky flight. Vega took a spike from the Manticore in the chest,  Menelwen almost took out the mount she was on with Chromatic orb. The damage dealt by the party and knights was severe. Thok managed to land the killing blow. They retrieved the head and brought it back to the Lord Commander. 

He was thrilled, allowing the party a place to spend the night. Vega was injured, spent time recovering. Henry confided in Menelwen about his sister. Thok actually, was propositioned by Savra to join the cult, making the fighter incredibly suspicious given Henry's insistence on getting to the Spire so quickly.

They rested uneasily. On the way out, they found a small kitten with markings that appeared like wings along its spine. After gaining the new small companion, they made their way back through the Valley to Red Larch on route to the Monastery.

~To be continued~