Post by naerdith on Nov 18, 2016 11:37:25 GMT -5
The heroes Ryder, Seraphina, Two Rivers, Lillian, Cyrus, and Maxine set out to hunt the large cats the city has identified as the culprit in stirring up problems with travelers. Two Rivers tracks the animals and discovers that there are two bipedal prints alongside the cat prints. After tracking into a clearing, Two Rivers notices that there are two camouflaged bipedal creatures waiting in ambush. Ryder sets up for a backstab while the others move in to attack. Seraphina, Lillian, and Cyrus hang back, not wanting to get into physical combat. The party dispatches the two creatures, but are hurt in the process. They make camp for the night while Seraphina and Lillian tend the wounded. Ryder prepares them all dinner and the night shifts start. On Two Rivers's watch, he sees two eyes watching him and sees they belong to a small juvenile cat. Shooting an arrow at it to scare it off, he hits it and sends it off yelping in pain. Two River's then sets a perimeter of sharpened bamboo sticks into a makeshift palisade, but the cat returns with the whole family. Noticing them first, again Two Rivers attempts to scare them off by shooting them with an arrow. He hits the uninjured one, scaring it off and the larger male cat chases after it. The other juvenile charges with the mom. Waking up the party, Two Rivers's starts shooting again. The younger cat goes down and the mother is seriously injured between Maxine, Ryder, and Two Rivers. A Cause Serious Wounds from Seraphina sends the female adult cat running off into the woods. Lillian exhausts her final spells to tend to the wounded and get people back up as Cyrus, Maxine, and Ryder were brought down by the female cat. Attempting to get her spells back, Lillian rest while the others sleep too to recover. Unfortunately, the large male cat returns, watching the party through the clearing. Two Rivers sees him through the palisade and shoots at him, missing all shots. The cat knows he is seen and comes in. Two Rivers defends agains tthe new cat by keeping the pallisade between him and the cat by circling. Unfortunately, the commotion of the cat coming into the clearing wakes up the party and everyone jumps to defend. Seraphina and Lillian hold back to assist anyone that falls while the rest of the party attacks. Sadly, the cat knocks the party to the ground quickly, leaving Two Rivers, Seraphina, and Lillian as the only people standing. Seeing the desperation of the situation, Lillian jumps in to defend the party and is rewarded for her bravery by being ripped apart by the cat. Seraphina steps in to help fight the cat, but she is largely ineffective. At the last minute a man runs from the forest and attacks the larger cat to assist the party. He lands a good blow, but is quickly retaliated against and kill in one swipe. Two Rivers and Seraphina manage to kill the tiger barely. They save who they can and Seraphina sends her familiar to get help from the village. The Kochiro comes with men to assist and bring the gravely wounded party back to the village, but as payment, Lord Baidan claims the bodies of the cats as personal trophies. Lillian and the new unidentified man were beyond saving, but the cats were now no longer a threat to the village.