Rukh Attack

The party was still cautious about entering the tower.  Discussion was on going about how to approach this.  Erevel was interested in just going in, swords drawn.

Ciprian moved 100 feet off to the east and levitated to about 100 feet.  He saw the magnificent garden on the top of the tower along with flowers, ballistas and statues.  The tent and building seemed silent as he saw no one or thing moving among the trees and flowers.  Two stairways led up to the tower top and the middle was open as Barnabas described.

"We are going to have to fight our way out in any case," she said.

"You think we can't talk with Biting Lash without fighting everyone?" Armania queried.

"If we have to fight on every level we might not make it in, let alone out," Ciprian added.

"Do they even notice us standing out here?" Gavril wondered moving up to the edge of the entryway.

The Gnolls and humans paid no attention to Gavril or any of the rest of the party.  Ciprian moved up along with the rest of the group as they talked about just entering together and talking with someone in charge, if such a Gnoll existed.  As they studied the entryway no secret doors or traps were seen but Ciprian stood off to the side and cast heightened senses and when he looked again he saw a cleverly hidden portcullis at the edge of the archway.  There were also murder holes in the ceiling of the walkway.

 As they entered the area, the heroes experienced a brief sensation as though they were inside a stone cell. In their heads they heard, “You’ve made it. Find me here soon. We must stop its growth. Come to my side, help me, our joining is at hand!”

"Did everyone hear that?" Ciprian asked. 

The rest of the party concurred that they had heard a voice with an image of a stone cell.

Hurrying the rest of the party through Ciprian, Armania, Erevel and Gavril made it through into the center courtyard while Paullus and Urisna were trapped in the entryway as portcullis fell down with a thud at both ends.

Armania used Dimensional Steps to gather both Ursina and Paullus and move them out of the entryway just as a liquid came pouring down the murder holes.  Then the Gnoll trainers moved to attack the party with their clubs or threw Alchemical Fire at the heroes.

Gavril returned the attack followed by Paullus attack against a Gnoll. Then some of the slaves holding blunted spears, began to attack the party being goaded on by Gnolls.  Erevel, with a mighty swing knocked a Gnoll completely to a small blot in the sandy ground.  She then screamed at the slaves demanding that they move out of the way.  Ciprian identified the Gnolls and their capabilities and began a Bardic Performance boosting the party, he then began to attack a Gnoll on his own.  Ursina attacked with her Holy Book.

Armania lined up four Gnolls and blasted them with a lightning bolt, three of them bit the dust.  A gargantuan raven like bird flew down from the roof and scooped Erevel up in its beak while flying back up in the cylinder.  The remaining Gnolls pressed their attacks and Gavril slew a slave that had attacked him.  Paullus continued his assault against the closest Gnoll.  

The slaves mostly ran away especially the ones not pressed by a Gnoll.  Erevel drew out his dagger and hit the huge raptor for minor damage.  Ciprian now identified the flying creature as a Rukh but that was all he could learn.  Ursina continued to attack slaves that had attacked the party.

The battle continued with spells flying and two more Rukhs joining the fray.  One grabbed Ciprian the other Armania.  Erevel was swallowed whole but then cut his way out of the creature.  Armania dimension stepped away from her Rukh while Ciprian used Dimension Door to float away even after he had cast feather fall on Erevel as she fell out of the monster.

The Gnolls were dispatched and the party continued to fire arrows at the giant birds Paullus even used the Javelin of lightning to great effect.  Starfall did not make them drop out of the sky but they did take damage.  Finally the Rukh began to fall, literally on top of Paullus and Erevel.  The last Rukh grabbed Gavril and was ready to swallow when Paullus arrows felled it.

The party found themselves in a circular, sandy yard that gained partial shade from the towering rounded wall. A row of openings in the stone runs some thirty feet above this yard. A further thirty feet above that, the roof was engulfed with trees and flowers; songbirds echoed and swooped about this high garden.

Most of the party was in need of healing and Armania started to talk with the humans who were still a little scared of the group given that three of their fellow humans had been killed.  Once Armania had quelled their fears they answered questions to the best of their knowledge.

The citizens indicated that they had just been brought to the tower. They were bound and blindfolded when they came in so they do not know much about the tower.  They awoke in cages inside and only know of that area in the tower.  There was a ramp going up in the same chamber and several cages.  When they were led here to the courtyard today they came out from the door in the north.  In another room they saw gnolls and camels, along with shelves of feed.  Also they saw some timber cages along the outer wall.  The humans said they would be grateful if the heroes could get them out of this tower.

The group next discussed how to go about continuing entry into Blossoming Thorn.  The only doorway was quite stout and no one knew if it was locked for barred.

DM's Notes:  The party earned 7766 XP for the night.