A Strange Storm
General Summary
As Gourm and Caldwell saw the morning break, the last flickers of starlight stirred in them some force; somehow they knew where Stela was and this gave them hope in escape. They bounded forward with a new vigor, though even this was not enough to outstrip the horses initially. The general, a white kitsune, was able to bring his scouting party within capturing distance, but the party was able to elude them through the canyonlands with a well laid trap by Caldwell. Soon after, Giggle joined the party with encouraging words from Stela. Then the temperamental weather of the fall commenced, as though Tribulan himself had deigned to intervene. First, sheets of wind pelted pursuers and pursued alike, stripping them of their vision more than a few yards ahead. Then a hot wind, blasting through first dried then spread the sand and dirt amongst the air, a billowing sandstorm once again removing any chance for pursuers to track Caldwell and Gourm. Still they pressed forward, finding paths and energizing plants brewed to perfection by Gourm to fuel their harried journey to freedom.
Meanwhile, Besella and Stela continued their search for their comrades. Sending Giggle far ahead, Stela focused their divine energy into the bird's mind viewing the land beneath from his point of view. They continued to trek towards town, Sarthak leading them through various hidden paths and shortcuts with the guidance of Stela to ensure they moved in the correct direction. Besella found herself struggling to keep up the pace, and took wing to land upon the back of Snapjaw, gripping tightly to avoid being bucked as the creature jolted after her master. Stela, still peering through Giggle's eyes was able to pick out the two forms of Gourm and Caldwell and join them. Stela was able to continue to guide Sarthak in his movement through sharing unique land formations and outcroppings until the storms hit. Still, even through the sand and rain, the two parties were united once again.
While they had appeared to have lost their pursuers amongst the storms, the party continued to press forward to find a place to hide to allow for rest unhindered. The heat continued to build, the burning air twisting their vision but Besella was able to use her bardic magic to paint a way forward through the mirages. Eventually, Caldwell and Sarthak were able to lead the party to the serpent's hideout.
Total XP: 160 (950)
- 80xp for escaping the pursuers
- 30xp for using unique options to escape (Gourm using cooking to empower edible flora, Besella and Stela using spell slots, etc)
- 10xp for Besella RP in a fantastic use of Counter Performance to negate the heat mirages
- 10xp for Stela RP in using Familiar's Face and Guiding Star to ensure the party's were able to move in the correct direction towards one another
- 10xp for Caldwell in a well timed trap that kept the party from getting captured before the chase had time to start
- 10xp for Gourm/Caldwell PXP in encouraging others to roll on the table and working through best abilities to attempt to escape
- 10xp for Besella/Stela in discussing abilities and spells out of their turn to ensure they were able to make fun choices on their turn (such as riding the zetogeki)
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