The next night Dead-Eye (Cris’ character), Bers (Jennifer’s character) and 4 of the remaining 6 deputies, the pair of sketchy fighters decided to “guard” the farmer’s longhouse while Tyvan was within “protecting” the farmer and his son, hid among a barn and some bushes with a mooing cow tied to a post in a clearing. One of the deputies was squating much too close behind a much too small bush, basically in plain sight (failed his hide check). The first to sight something was Dead-Eye, something far off and flying in fast!
It swooped in and stopped about 100 ft above the clearing, a dragon. Dead-Eye recognized the species as a Greyling (using his Dragon Lore skill). It beat everyone in initiative and snatched the cow in all four of its claws. To everyone’s surprise a second swooped in and snatched thwe barely hiding guy in a flyby attack, his screams quickly fading away into the distance. DEad-Eye shot at the dragon, it swatted the arrow with its tail. The remaining 3 deputies froze in their hiding places and Bers could do nothing having no ranged weapons. The dragon flew off over the treeline, Dead-Eye got one more shot off and struck it hopefully wounding it enough to track the blood drops. Just then a third jaunted from the treeline with a screaming deputy in its maw and leapt into the air. Bers again was useless in the battle as Dead-Eye got a couple more shots at it which it easily deflected before it finally got away.
4 deputies now remained, the red-haired kid, a wood-axe wielding mook and the pair of untrustworthy fighters armed with studded leather armor and clubs. Mull, the farmer, was understandably very upset, to that Tyvan apologized and assured him HIS next plan would be successful. In teh meantime, Dead-Eye and Bers along with the red-haired kid took to the woods to try to find a trail of any kind which they easily did but it dead-ended of course, the dragon flew down to the ground to hunt emerging from the forest and flying away with its victim. When they returned to teh farmer’s longhouse Dead-Eye had another plan. The same plan. He got Tyvan to convince the farmer to give them another cow. Needless to say the only one who would wait in “ambush” with them was the red-haired kid (neither of them eer asked this kid’s name and Dead-Eye outrightly did not trust the “little puke”; Go figure).
The second run through “the plan” went into effect during the day this time and of course one of the dragons bit, this time Dead-Eye decided to keep an eye on it rather than shoot at it and got the general direction to where it flew. North-East towards the direction of the ranch which had also been affected and which has been eerily silent according to Mull.
The next morning the reduced crew set out for the other farm traveling through the Light Wood North-Easterly towards Farm Creek which they would have to cross, the other farm lying on the opposite side. It took 2 days to finally reach the other side, the creek bed was rocky and low creating a deep cleft in the groud they climbed up out of the creek in the morning to see an open and overgrown glade where a ruined farmhouse and barn stood, the roofs torn open. They split up and circled the farm in grasses and weeds shoulder high. Some vegetables grew wild, doubtless planted the previous season. Dead-Eye went to collect some and saw it appeared something had been eating them recently. A Forest Pig burst out of the bush and charged him, he was able to stay out of the way of its tusks while Bers, hearing the commotion after Dead-Eye shouted for help (her Detection check sucks), ran towards him and came face to face with the fleeing swine, she swung and it parried with its tusks and it attacked. Dead-Eye ran into the batle and shot it. Again it fled. They both lost sight of it but Dead-Eye tracked the blood trail where they found it dying, Bers dealt the death blow. They considered using it for bait but decided instead to cook and eat it.
Before that was done they searched the farmhouse finding a trap-door which was jammed close, Bers pried it open easily (she may be ugly but her Strength makes up for it) and all were assailed with the powerfu stench of death. In the cellar among drying spices and clay jars of preserves (and some jugs of whiskey) were four rotting corpses, the farms former tenants all appeared to have starved to death. Teh red-haired kid imediately began to loot the bodies, the two fighters immediately took notice of the jugs and took those up top. Tyvan assisted our heroes in burying the corpses. They would have burned them (Dead-Eye distrusts all corpses; Gee I wonder why, tee-hee ;P) but didn’t want to attract the Greylings without proper preparation.
They passed the night eating roasted pig, and pig & vegetable stew passably cooked by Dead-Eye. The night passed uneventfully, the kid and two fighters ha the last watch. When Tyvan, Dead-Eye and Bers awoke the three scoundrels were gone and so was the rest of the meat set aside for rations and all of the whiskey. They quickly checked to make sure they weren’t robbed, they weren’t and then prepared to leave. The plan was to follow the creek towards the Arn mountains, the most likely area for a dragon’s lair in the immediate area.
For the next 2 days they traveled, Tyvan riding his beloved goat, along the rocky creek bed camping on the ridge above once sighting a Greyling flying in the direction of the deserted farm coming form the direction that they were traveling. On teh second night Tyvan revealed he was a Satyr under a magic disguise and though he was not too hot on tracking down a lair of any kind of dragon he would assisst them for a proper share of the potential horde. They came upon a mass of corpses, followers of Black Fork, lying in the creek along with a few Greyling hatchlings and one of the young dragons that they had already encountered. The waters were bubbling and giving off an acidic stench. Soon after they reached the source of Farm Creek, a deep sunekn lake in a box canyon fed by a waterfall.
After close inspection of the area they discovered an ancient narrow pathway carved into the living stone of the cliff which wound up out of their view. Needless to say they followed it near to the top of the cliff. The path terminated at an iron door which was very badly corroded and rusted but to the immediate North there was a large opening in the cliff wall through which the loud buzzing of wasps could be heard. A large wasp’s nest was in the short dug-out passage which seemed to open into an ancient structure, an old Stronghold. They attempted one-by-one to sneak past the angry nest. Needless to say they both screwed up and the wasps attacked in a swarm luckily they lit a couple of torches and used those to some effect but were badly stung. Tyvan threw some spell powder of Control Insect on the swarm and they ceased their attack. He said, “they won’t bother us again.”
They entered prowling all the way, well Dead-Eye did, Bers made alot of racket until she finally gave it up. They moved into a wide hall at teh end of which was a young Greyling in the room at the end. The room was a large square room with a pillar at each corner and a large pit dug into the center floor. The fight was brief. The dragon struck Bers wounding her and Bers struck with a massive Power Attack using her battle axe pretty much killing the dragon in a single blow (hey Greylings are Light Weight dragons afterall). They then inspected the area. A solid iron door, which was locked, lay to the North and a small open doorway lay to the East and West. They at first tried to lower a rope with Dead-Eye hanging on it down the pit but the distance was too far down and Dead-Eye could see the through the narrow beam of weak light that the bottom was filled with water and a strong reptilian stench filling the air. He assumed, again a successful Dragon Lore skill check, that this was the Water Chamber of the lair. He immediately had Bers pull him out and they focused their attentions on the locked iron door. Eventually Bers succeeded in kicking it in (lucked out with a Natural 20) as the lock simply broke being almost rusted completely through anyway. Within they found a dusty ancient armory. THere were spears, a chest plate which Bers took, a high qulaity longbow which Dead-Eye took, 2 shortbows, 6 quivers of arrows (Dead-Eye claimed these), 5 mundane daggers, 1 dagger with an ebony grip which was added to the group treasury, a longsword with decorative runes on the grip (also added to their treasury), 3 other longswords, and 6 round shields painted with a Black Fist gripping a multi-pointed star on a purple field. They wisely left the shields with unknown heraldry.
They then figured they had find another way into the lair, the pit was too dangerous and Bers couldn’t swim. Plus Bers needed to heal so they climbed up the cliff next to the path and reached the top of the cliff. They camped inside of the treeline with no fire plotting to find the rear entrance of the Greyling lair.
To Be Continued …