So there they were… spread throughout Sharn far and wide.
Gnofulk the gnome barbarian was participating in the Race of the Eight Winds and was in the northwest of the city atop a flying squirrel named Nutasha. The aerial race was going well for the gnome. His two biggest rivals, dwarf and former victor Officer Gladstone on his hippogriff, and the frightening elf Gary Vadalis on his masked Pegasus, couldn’t seem to overcome one another to threaten the gnome’s lead. Way further back, not even starting their second lap, the halfling known as Bolad the Beautiful and her glidewing maneuvered away from the Orc Slash and his griffon, who had already taken two riders out of the race with his deadly beak and claws. Not even halfway done with their first lap was the gnome Janus Campbell atop his owl, riding leisurely. Gnofulk had just lapped and “buzzed” Janus. In first place and focused on the race, Gnofulk was giving a fantastic performance and having a good time.
The tiefling sorceress Comfort and the halfling rogue Shadowale were in the southeast of Sharn, near the starting line. They had made a sign for the halfling to hold up to support Gnofulk, and had drunk most of Shadowale’s hidden flasks already. These two were fantastically drunk and having a good time.
The human monk Turnin and the human wizard Kyllar, however, were not having a good time, despite having located some fantastic hobgoblin allies from the Death’s Noggin clan. Sober, they were quite cognizant of the terror unfolding.
Tumbling rubble had silenced the narration of the Race, and an unusual “airship” – powered by fire – had now lumbered into view, spitting numerous arrows and firebolts out into the city.
In Turnin and Kyllar’s section, most of the spectators had now turned to flee. However, they noticed a small squad of goblins and satyrs actually moving towards the commotion. To the monk’s eyes, it looked like they were intending to commandeer the nearby announcer skiff.
Already near both the front of the section and the skiff itself, the monk jostles the wizard, and then moves to interpose himself between the skiff and the advancing Daask gangsters.
Kyllar catches the gist of the situation rather quickly, and tries to warn the announcers and techs to abandon the skiff. They couldn’t hear the wizard over the din, but do notice as a bonfire is conjured atop the skiff and around them. They bail.
The hobgoblins near the duo look to them for guidance, and the duo point the little soldiers at the oncoming Daask with a suggestion to detain them if possible.
None of the racers had yet seen the airship, and so continued on. Gnofulk’s lead began to lessen as he hit the straightaways, but the racer’s order remained unchanged. Officer Gladstone and Gary Vadalis continued to shoot and spook one another respectively; Bolad continued to daze Slash and keep just out of the way of the griffon’s deadly claws; and Janus Campbell puttered onward at his own pace.
Comfort and Shadowale were starting to get wise to the chaos unfolding around them. In the back of their stand section, drunkenly, they blinked in disbelief and nudged one another. Why is everyone leaving? What’s that burny ship-shaped thing in the sky? Why is everyone screaming?
Together, they manage to rouse one another to drunken action. Shadowale sees the fleeing spectators, as well as a group of Daask already boarding the announcer skiff in their section. The halfling starts fighting the rush of people and making his way down to the front of the stand.
With the extra height from the back of the stands, Comfort has a clear line of sight to the skiff, and decides to risk a shot. As Daask satyrs confront the announcer – the last surviving member of House Sivis on this particular skiff – all are engulfed in a large, devastating lighting bolt, and their smoking, charred bodies tumble off the untouched skiff, falling into the dark, low areas of Sharn.
Still blissfully unaware, the remaining racers urge their mounts on. Janus is still leisurely finishing up his first lap; Slash and Bolad race on, far ahead of their fiery airship; and Officer Gladstone and Gary trade shots while closing the gap with Gnofulk.
Kyllar and Turnin watch the skiff burn. The hobgoblins have engaged the Daask; holding the line against the satyrs and goblins. Turnin decides to intervene, and flanks the Daask, bashing a goblin in the head with his cool staff and knocking him out cold. The monk drags the goblin back to Kyllar, and the two humans discuss how best to rouse the goblin and interrogate him while the rest of the Daask and hobgoblin soldiers trade cuts.
Kyllar shouts to the Death’s Noggin hobgoblins to finish up the scuffle and then to try and join them; the duo will be heading out to fight the airship. Kyllar polymorphs Turnin into a griffon. The majestic beast retains the monk’s headband, which billows elegantly in the wind. The polymorphed monkand snatches up the unconscious goblin as Kyllar hops onto Turnin’s new feathery back.
Janus Campbell is finally nearing the end of his first lap; Slash has lagged a bit behind Bolad, though both are far ahead of the airship and still oblivious to it. Gary Vadalis and Officer Gladstone continue to trade barbs while Gnofulk is able to maintain a bit of his lead, and rounds a corner –
-into view of the fiery airship.
The gnome is a bit stunned at the sight, but remembers bets were made. He is determined to win, or at least finish this race and collect. Whatever is going on here; it will have to wait. Gnofulk flies behind the ship, hoping to draft off it a bit, as the ship continues to fire projectiles and magic into the surrounding towers.
Their section mostly empty now, Comfort and Shadowale easily make their drunken way down to the skiff and hop in. Shadowale locates the controls, and guns it. The skiff zips forward but lurches to a halt, bobbing in midair. Comfort is tossed from her seat out into the sky.
The tiefling has the presence of mind to cast Feather Fall on herself, and manages to land on a small bridge a few stories down. The halfling adjusts the controls and cuts the mooring rope, adjusting gingerly descending to pick Comfort up and try this again.
Gnofulk flies up close to the airship, and through the ring of fire. The gnome sees a number of orcs on deck, and small goblins and satyrs moving about. He shoots at the large orc helming the ship as he passes by, but the gnome’s sporting crossbow bolt merely buries itself in the large wooden wheel that is the helm.
Gary Vadalis edges out in front of Officer Gladstone, and turns that into a small lead as the hippogriff is too afraid to approach. Bolad dazes Slash with a well-placed bolt shot, and gets a few hundred feet in front of the murderous griffon. Janus continues to plod along gracefully on his owl.
Turnin the griffon leaps into the air, carrying the poor unconscious goblin in his talons and Kyllar on his back. As they rise up into the path of the airship, they see Gnofulk flying toward them, and Kyllar gives a little salute before turning his attention to the airship. The wizard sees what appear to be orcs, goblins and satyrs manning the ship, with arrows and firebolts flying from out from it at nearly every angle and out into the city causing havoc. With his new improved eyesight, Turnin notices all that plus Feral Fawcett, the snake-bodied medusa loosing her own arrows into the city from a large bow in the upper decks of the bow of the ship. Unfortunately, his cawing fails to attract the attention of Kyllar.
Gnofulk flies away, more than halfway done with his second lap. Gary maintains his lead over Officer Gladstone as the two fly into view of the airship, and Slash continues to chase Bolad with Janus still bringing up the rear.
Comfort and Shadowale fly their skiff into view of the airship at the same time Gary and Officer Gladstone do. The tiefling points out the riders to Shadowale… who proceeds to purposely turn into Gary’s path.
The elf was focused on Officer Gladstone behind him, and his masked (blind) pegasus mount gave no warning. The skiff smashes into the pair, and Gary Vadalis is knocked off, falling into the depths of Sharn, fate unknown. Without sight and now without a rider, the pegasus tumbles away from the crash. It soon reorients itself, and begins flying ever-so-slowly away and downward, “looking” for a place to land.
Comfort drunkenly laughs that was probably a bad thing to do. Then she stammers that she and Shadowale should drink more because they are friends. Shadowale takes a swig, and the two decide that the tiefling should cast the spell “Friends” on the halfling. She does, and no noticeable change occurs between them.
Gnofulk responds to Kyllar’s little salute with a wave, and continues racing. Officer Gladstone watches Gary tumble down and then brings his mount alongside the commandeered skiff of Shadowale and Comfort. Looking around, the dwarf racer notes that the spectators are fleeing; two drunks have knocked off a rider; and a large airship is flying between the plateaus of Sharn, blasting away at the buildings and the inhabitants with arrows and magic as it maneuvers through the city. The dwarf decides to throw in the towel, and, assuming the drunks have a plan, asks how he can help stop this rogue airship.
Turnin bobs and weaves in griffon form, trying to avoid the enemy fire pointed their way. Kyllar casts Message, and tries to formulate a plan with the monk as the ship continues to advance. The polymorphed monk telepathically warns the wizard about Feral Fawcett up near the bow, and the duo decide to strafe the ship.
Turnin dives down at the ship, avoiding most of the arrows while Kyllar releases a fireball at the fiery airship bow. Flames roll over the bow as the ball impacts. However, the airship seems magically warded against the attack, and while some goblins are killed, maimed, and/or crisped, no discernable structural damage is done to the ship, which continues to plod ahead.
Gnofulk zips into the last stretch of his second lap. The spectators here have not come under fire, but even here too, they are starting to vacate the stands.
Janus Campbell and his owl turn the corner to start their second lap, and they see the aerial fight, and Kyllar’s fireball impact the airship. The rider reins in his owl mount, noting the lack of announcing and rapt spectators. Bolad maintains her lead on Slash as they continue the race, focusing solely on one another and their violent competition.
Officer Gladstone follows the skiff down, getting behind and below the airship. Comforts lets a firebolt fly up at the belly of the ship, but is unable to do more than scuff the hull. With Shadowale’s plan of boarding from below unlikely now, the three confer. They quickly decide not to blindly dimension door their way inside, and instead drift backward, and position themselves behind the stern of the airship, prepping to assault the helm.
Turnin dodges most of the oncoming fire, but he and the wizard do take a few hits from firebolts and arrows. The polymorphed monk decides that interrogation is unlikely, and probably unnecessary, and that it is now time to weaponize the unconscious goblin. Folding his wings back, the griffon precipitously plummets towards the airship, passing through the ring of fire. The monk had hoped to toss the goblin at the helmsmen, and pull up to provide the wizard with his own opportunity, but it was not to be.
During the approach, the monk felt his eyes drawn to the bow of the ship, and his gaze fell upon Feral Fawcett and her undulating, scaly visage. Transfixed, the monk/griffon could not pull up, and instead crashed into the helming deck himself.
Several orcs and goblins are pushed off the deck by the sudden arrival of the large feathery body; and Turnin’s talons unclench, tossing the unconscious goblin overboard. Unfortunately, the impact also tosses Kyllar from the back of the griffon, and the wizard is barely able to grab the edge of the battlements as he goes up and over.
Startled by the arrival of their comrade, Comfort and Shadowale drunkenly wave, and start to position the skiff below the dangling wizard.
Once the wizard is on board, Shadowale nudges the skiff higher, bringing it even with the deck. The orc helmsman bellows in glee as the skiff rises into view. What a move by the griffon! What a wonderful and chaotic battle! He abandons his post to fight, bellowing for reinforcements and commanding the two other orc survivors on his level to help him repel the boarders.
Comfort lobs a small, emerald-colored sphere of magic amidst the orcs, which explodes upon impacting the deck, spraying vitriol everywhere. The orcs’ exposed skin blisters and the helmsman roars in delightful anticipation; and his subordinates seethe in orcish fury.
Kyllar summons grease upon the deck, but the orcs are unfazed so far.
Shadowale fires a crossbow from the hip while piloting, and hits one of the orc underlings. The halfling gestures to Officer Gladstone, and the dwarf likewise ascends with his hippogriff to get even with the deck, and hits the same orc with his underpowered sporting crossbow.
Bellowing in a happy war rage, the helmsman advances upon the prone and polymorphed Turnin, who is wedged into the corner of the deck, legs and wings sticking out in odd directions. The orc swings mightily into the monks flanks and mingles blood with the grease and vitriol already on the deck.
The other orcs advance to the railings, standing ready to repulse the party. The vitriol burns the all orcs again, but despite the injuries, they greenskins appear undaunted.
Turnin flaps about, cawing, but eventually orients himself upright. He then attempts to get airborne while grappling with the orc helmsman. The orc shouts in delight at the attempted maneuver, but breaks free of the talons with a twist of his arm. As the monk flaps just out of striking range to join his companions, the orc helmsman laughs heartily. This will be a wonderful battle!
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