Episode - 9 - Up Up and Away!

Where we last left off, our intrepid party continued down the North Road in pursuit of the dark elves, rescue the Rybalka prisoners, and retrieve the Moonshard.  After defeating an ambush and continuing the chase, a bright fireball explosion was seen and heard ahead.

Coming across a rushing creek, the drow on the other side had destroyed the bridge.  However, their goal was in sight as they saw a number of Rybalka villagers.  The drow, led by a rogue spider-rider, double-timed their prisoners to move.  Before leaving, he dropped a globe of darkness on the far bank. 

Scomitch along with the help of his owl Fatalismo, determined four dark elves waiting for them in the globe of darkness.  After exchanging fire, with a battle-cry of “Leeroy Jenkins!” Nick Beardless jumped into the water and swam across to meet the drow head-on.  There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the drow as Waythe led the grey dwarf into battle. 

Dispatching the drow and the rest of the party carefully crossing, a couple of large frogs visited and slurped a couple of the dark elf corpses.     

Giving chase again and on the heels of the drow, the party noticed the tree line had been cut back.  The road continued between several wooden stumps and the remains of felled trees. The dirt road continued as the vast mountain range, the Spears of Arnut, rose to the east.  

Up ahead, behind three fallen logs, the party saw a grouping of Rybalka villagers with their hands tied.  Flanking on either side of the road is a giant spider watching over them with a drow rider on each.  Two other drow are nearby, with one giving orders to the other. 

Standing next to the drow are two-winged humanoid creatures with grotesque features.  They resemble fiends, as they had horns, sharp teeth, claws, a tail, and a pair of bat-like wings…gargoyles.  The gargoyles were much taller and larger than the drow.  Their skin had the texture of stone and a dark grey color, akin to basalt. The gargoyles' red eyes turn toward the party.  In a voice that sounded like rocks being crushed, one said.  “Yoflid.”

Yoflid, the leader with a mohawk going down the center, followed the gargoyles' gaze.  “My, you are tenacious for hu-mons.  Goliath, continue to ferry the remaining hu-mons to Adrik’s Folly.”   With that, the two gargoyles each picked up a villager and flew off to the east into the Spears of Arnut mountain range.  Their screams of fear echoed as they were flown off in the distance. 

Yoflid then turned to the other drow and said, “Serral, if these hu-mons take one step closer.  Kill the remaining slaves.”