Scene 3 - The Ardeyn Run

Micah adjusts the straps of his clothing, though it feels more and more like a complex harness system supporting a sling that holds his... Well, with the straps properly adjusted, the slight breeze feels rather good.

"Does anyone know how far ahead of us they are? Who can read the trail? We've been traveling hard for days now. We have to be gaining on them, right?"

"Hours ahead, if that," the Qephelim concedes. "But we don't know what resources they have. What if they have a crew ready for us." He shakes his head.

"If you otherworlders betray us, I'll use my death curse on you. Then you'll wish you were licking the undersides of tables in Istanbul." His smile gives the lie to his serious words.

Noise from above indicates the Queen climbing down from her leafy vantage. When she jumps the last 3 meters and lands superhero style, she stands up slowly and straightens her gear, panting lightly from her exertion. "I saw smoke. Not far. But it is rocky there." She shrugs. "We ride!"

Jumping onto her talbuk, she canters further into danger the woods.

Leaping onto her talbuk in turn with the Queen, Katyu smiles. "Come on, boys. Keep up." Looking at Micah and Domic while she says it. She moves off after the Queen.

Micah shrugs and mounts his talbuk again. He snaps the reins and directs the large animal after Katyu with a lopsided smile at Domic. "We're not in the betrayal business, friend."

Vinny perks up when the queen says "Rocky," realizing they are continuing he swallows yet another urge to ask if we're there yet.

Adding to Micah's comment. "Even if we were, you have no value to our ends as it stands. So you can rest easy"

Domic and Huval jump for their talbuks, quick to follow their mercurial Queen.

After you canter through the trees for an hour or so, you get a strange sense of foreboding moments before the Queen comes to a halt and slides off her mount. You recognize the intrusion to the peaceful woodland. You smell camp smoke!

After you have all dismounted, Huval 'instructs' the high spirited talbuks to behave and then joins you beside the Queen.

You're at the edge of a shallow bowl, hidden from sight by foliage. Eight mercenaries are setting up a camp and cooking around a small, lightly smoking firepit. Beyond them, you see a crevace leading under a long finger from the mountain.

The mercenaries are armored and armed, with equipment that looks well used.

The queen says, "Attack pattern lightning strike." and Huval groans.

He turns to you and says, "At the signal, we charge. Ranged attackers will move a few paces to either side before unleashing to avoid firing directly toward the crevace. Is everyone ready?"

Questions? Preparations?

Katyu smiles, gripping her lance, ready to fight.

"Just a heads up if you see something and you don't know what it is please don't try and blow it up. I don't want to watch this world come to an end." Duke volunteers while looking at the landscape for the best route to the crevice during the engagement from their position and the camp.

What about smashing stuff? Vinny says with a wink before focusing on the crevasse and pumping himself up for the fight.

Micah's eyes bug out a bit when he hears the plan. "No! That's a terrible idea! I..." he looks around, his hands turned up almost in an shrug, "I don't even have a weapon!" He looks around and will ask someone who has a bow and arrow or something similar, who looks like they're going to charge into the melee, for their ranged weapon.

Huval hands Micah a fighting knife (light weapon, -1 step difficulty, 2 damage) and readies his own sword.

"Ready? Now!"

The Queen jabs her arm into the air. A bolt of lightning strikes down from the sky, obliterating her completely. Simultaneously, a second bolt strikes the ground in front of the cave and there she stands, hand still high in the air.

The mercenaries turn at the first, then second strike, startling for their weapons.

Domic and Huval run down getting most of the way there (it's a medium distance).

Initiative rolls, please, versus Difficulty 3. If you beat/tie a 9 (6 if Trained in Initiative) go ahead and act.

Micah looks in horror at the knife in his hand before raising it above his head and running down, following the knights to join in the fight.

"Ooooooh, noooooooo!" he cries.

As Micah advances, he keeps an eye on the leader of the mercenaries, watching them for any weaknesses or quirks he and his companions can use advantageously.

Demius moves around in the same direction as Domic and Huval in a flanking position towards the cave. Having a bad feeling about the queen sidestepping the ones out front without knowing what's in the cave for sure.

Vinny rumbles forward into the fray.

Watching the queen 'move' like that amps up Katyu's adrenaline.

The Queen lashes out with her hand, a bolt of lightning flashing our and striking a mercenary square in the chest. He screams but isn't down. (Q1 takes 5.)

Huval and Domic rush down toward them, trying to free stealthy.

The mercenaries split into two groups, six rushing to surround the Queen, two turning to face the chargers.

They've all closed to melee combat range, but no blows have been landed yet, and all of you are up.