While the party discussed who should have the Belt of Might Consitution Paullus was scouting the area looking for a good path through the tree branches to the east. The woods was lush and full which made seeing any distance an issue.
Using the Gem of Seeing Armania did not make out any unusual or unknown beings.
After Erevel took the Belt the party headed off to the east to try and find the Tree Tigers. The Zoogs were definitely afraid of the creatures so the party was cautious as they headed toward the next huge tree.
The leaves and branches of the forest canopy opened to the deep blue sky above and were bathed in bright sunlight. On a large leaf ahead of the party they saw a human male who was bound, gagged, and staked to a leaf with wide thorns. His eyes moved toward the party as he tried not to move a muscle.
Armania broke out the Gem of Seeing and verified that he was really staked to the leaf and looked exactly as they saw him. The bright light was blinding as the party moved from the shadows. Armania continued to look around and saw four large-eyed humanoids that resembled glowing, emaciated elven children save for their small, transparent wings. Looking without the Gem they were invisible.
Armania cast Scorching Ray at one of the flying creature that attacked her. Ciprian also identified the creatures and found that they had Ritual Gate also. He then started a Bardic Performance for the Lurkers. Erevel then attacked the Lurker near him. Paullus used the scimitar against the lurker near him. Gavril moved next to Erevel and attacked. Ursina cast haste and stood waiting for something else to happen.
The Lurkers again attacked, sometimes flanking and attacking with poisoned daggers and some flyby attacks. The party continued its assault on the Lurkers with physical and magic attacks. The physical attacks seemed to do less damage than the party expected. Ursina moved toward the stem of the leaf that held the man. As he moved there the mans eyes got even larger and he shook his head more drastically the closer Ursina got to the stem.
After one of the Lurkers had fallen near Erevel, Ciprian and Paullus both found themselves flanking a Lurker, but they were each also flanked. The damage precision damage was greater and the poison both drained and damaged Paullus' strength. Ciprian and Paullus both attacked and stepped out of the flanking position. Erevel and Gavril moved over and finished off the last three Lurkers as Armania kept firing her Scorching Rays.
Ursina meanwhile had determined that there was something magic in the bindings holding down the man on the leaf. The aura was strong and there was no school associated with it. The man continued to dissuade Ursina from approaching. The rest of the party was healing and repairing Paullus strength drain.
At last Ciprian again cast mage hand and used it to carefully untie the gag from the mans mouth.
"Don't come out on the leaf, it is a trap," he stated firmly but quietly. "It may drop me down with any movement. Please be very careful."
Ciprian used the mage hand to untie the bindings and then the man sprouted wings and carefully flew to join the party. "I am Nestor Bindlay and I am very grateful to you for releasing me. Those elvish creatures were going to sacrifice me, but I think they needed more humans and you fit the bill."
Further introductions were made and the party explained their reason for being here in this area of the Dreamlands.
"What is your reason for being here?" Armania queried.
"I am pursuing a big-game hunter named Kelvetta Brix. Kelvetta is a Chelish woman with short black hair and a scar across her brow and nose. I have opposed Kelvetta’s cruel and capricious hunting practices throughout the Verduran Forest on Golarion, but she seemed to disappear entirely about 6 months ago. I learned that Kelvetta found her way into the Dreamlands and has been casually slaughtering its unusual denizens as trophies. I came here to stop his her, as I believe she might be hunting some of the unusual tigers of the Enchanted Wood."
"We are on a mission to find some Tigers to trade with the zoogs for a pard tail," Ciprian interjected.
"I do not condone animal baiting, painful traps, magic with the evil or pain descriptors, and wanton
butchery. I would suggest you do not use any of those on your hunt," Nestor declared with vigor.
"Would you like to join us as we continue the hunt?" asked Paullus.
"I will certainly go with you as Kelvetta may be snooping around. I will monitor your actions to make sure they follow my tenets."
The party plus Nestor headed off again in the direction indicated by the zoogs. About an hour later the group came upon a green and black striped Tiger standing on the branch in front of them. It did not seem to notice the group at first since it was facing in the opposite direction.
Another Tiger pounced on Erevel from above and grabbed her, using bite, claws and rake. Armania cast scorching ray, Gavril and Paullus continued to attack. Nestor fired magic missiles at the first tiger. The first tiger charged and pounced on Gavril but failed to grab or rake him. Ursina broke out her holy book and began smashing away with it.
Suddenly behind Armania a even larger Tiger appeared and attacked, dropping her to the branch unconscious as it held on with its bite. Ciprian moved beside her and cast a heal, taking a claw opportunity attack in the meantime. Erevel smacked her grappling Tiger, and it fell to the branch. Another Tiger appeared from above also and attacked, grappling Ursina.
Nestor fired Ray of Exhaustion at the large tiger as Armania cast fly and grabbed Ciprian to get them out of the line of fire.
DM's Notes: The party earned 2133 XP for the night and now have 43,921 needing 7079 to reach 8th level.
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