FLUFF: Jammers: Turn 49 Chapter 7

The Adventures of my Jammers PBEM game.

I hope folks are enjoying these, if there is a consensus that they 
suck I will be happy to stop posting them. Let me know what you folks 
think. (My players should feel free to comment as well:))

Website: http://lost.spelljammer.org/Jammers/

----------- = Meanwhile, elsewhere...
*********** = Later...
{} = Actions and descriptions within these brackets take place within 
the psionic mindscape and are OOC knowledge for all accept the 
parties directly involved.

The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts upon
Turns Ashes--or it prospers; and anon,
Like Snow upon the Desert's dusty Face
Lighting a little Hour or two--is gone.

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (XIV)
Rendered into English Verse by Edward Fitzgerald

IC:

Round 8:
Fore Deck:

The dead wyvern's corpse suddenly vanishes, leaving Italapate's mangled body
wedged against the ship's railing.

Two of the massive vultures land on the foredeck.  One lashes out 
with its cruel beak at Grigree, who dodges the blow and slices back 
with his blades, leaving a wound on its bald head.

The other attacks Raken, its beak opens as it dives at the druid.  He 
slips in Italapate's blood as he back pedals from the beast and falls 
heavily on his back, but his dust devil swoops in between the two, 
taking the blow of the beak in its small mass of whirling winds.

Nilaroo turns runs to attack the amidships wyvern.

Abandoning the ballista, Dhebun charges amidships towards the nearest dinosaur.

Amidships:

Dhebun arrives and says, while swinging his mithril axe in a vicious 
arc at the dinosaur, "There is no room for stowaways here!"  His blow 
lands fair, slamming into the back of one of the bipedal dinosaurs. 
The beast growls in pain and fury and spins around on him.

With a wordless yell, Lellyn lunges at the Wyvern again, his main 
gauche ready to parry any attacks.  His blade slips beneath a scale 
and inflicts a deep wound on the beast's shoulder.

Freneth rolls forward just in time as the wyvern's tail whips over 
its shoulder with blinding speed and sinks deep into the deck where 
he just lay. He then flings him elf up, swinging his axe underhanded 
at the creatures belly. It cuts deeply so that the wyvern's blood 
spurts out and soaks the halfling.

Kain tries to keep working the lines, but his attempt is futile as 
both one of the dinosaurs and a vulture attack him.  Kain draws his 
short sword and stepping to one side he jabs at the giant vulture's 
head.  But the vulture is too quick and his stab misses by inches.

Oquid continues cowering behind the ballista, trying to keep it 
between her and the newly arrived dinosaurs.  She makes a quick 
arcane gesture, and then opens her mouth as though to scream. A 
battle cry to seems to come from just behind the head of the 
amidships wyvern.

It turns to see the threat, exposing its flank and neck to a vicious 
cut from Nilaroo as he arrives amidships and slices his massive sword 
into the wyvern's neck.  The wound is deep, but he hits bone and 
bounces so it is not fatal.

The other dinosaurs leap aft...

Aft Deck:

"I'll web'em" Holland shouts as he faces the lizard creatures and 
quickly begins chanting. His web cuts across the ship, blocking the 
amidships from the stern, but he only manages to get one of the 
dinosaurs entangled within it.  Three of the dinosaurs are thus among 
those aft.

Before Holland can do anything else a vulture is on him, its beak 
lacerating his left arm.

Allagan tries to return to manning the sails, but one of the vultures 
attacks him.  He takes a vicious bite on his thigh but the beast 
somehow eludes his spear.

Holstering his now spent and smoking starwheel pistol Ives booms out 
"Holland get the vultures, I've got the lizards! Nilaroo, Grigree 
deal with that damnable Wvyren. Raken try distracting some of those 
lizards." With sword raised and shield up Ives charges forward 
towards the closest of the lizards.

For a moment, Sekeht looks around for Leera, then gives up. He 
stretches his arm out toward the wyvern and knits his brow.  Then a 
vulture slams into him, giving him a nasty cut on his skull.

Ferric finds himself facing the third lizard as the other two face 
off with Ives.  He makes a quick lunge and discovers the beasts are 
cunning as it easily dodges his strike.

Still bound, Masawa stands and hobbles to the side of the ship as the 
fighting continues, calling out in his tongue as he retreats.

Leera mumbles a quick liquid syllable and (still invisible) 
transforms into the form of a lovely female winged elf.

Below Decks:

Vais keeps the ship moving at the same speed, but with the sails 
unmanned she begins to level out in a straight line.

Off Ship:

Talus points his fingers at the flames and sends a gust of wind 
through the flames, fanning them higher.

Above decks Talus can hear shouts, the smoke from his fire has been 
noticed. The DRAGAZHAR continues diving. picking up some speed as she 
descends.  She and the NIGHTWIND are now flying in virtually opposite 
directions.

Round 9:
Fore Deck:

The vulture slashes and buffets Raken's dust devil, sending the minor 
elemental back to its home plane with a final puff.  But Raken takes 
advantage of the distraction to rise to his feet and regain his guard.

Grigree dodges another attack from his vulture and slashes once on 
each side of its naked neck, decapitating the scavenger bird.

Amidships:

Again Lellyn thrusts at the Wyvern seeking a telling blow, but this 
time the scales defeat his thrust and his blade skitters.

Attacked by a vulture and a dinosaur, Kain continues to use his short 
sword to fend off the creature's attacks.  He succeeds with the 
vulture, but the dinosaur is two quick and its talons rip into his 
gut as its jaws clamp onto his shoulder.  All three leave painful 
wounds that bleed profusely.

Freneth shouts, "Oquid! Load the ballista!!" He again lashes 
viciously with his axe up into the wyvern's belly, trying to gut the 
wyvern. Again he cuts a deep wound that gushes more blood, but this 
time the wyvern's life gushes out with it, and the beast collapses. 
Unfortunately it collapses on top of Freneth, burying the halfling 
warrior beneath its bulk.

Oquid carefully moves to keep the ballista between her and any 
attackers on the deck. She calls out again, projecting a battle cry 
behind the head of the dinosaur engaged with Kain.  The beast whirls 
from the wounded psioncist.

Nilaroo sees the wyvern drop and leaps over it to help Kain.

Angrily Dhebun presses the attack, his axe flashing as he hews 
furiously at the dino.  He wounds it again but its claws leave 
vicious cuts on his arms as it strikes back.

Aft Deck:

Holland turns to face the oncoming vulture and tosses some colored 
sand as he chants again.  But the vulture is too fast for him and its 
beak again slashes into him, disrupting his spell and opening another 
wound on his shoulder.

Allagan again stabs his spear at the vulture, this time digging it 
into the creature's chest as it flaps and shrieks in pain.

"Take that, what!" Ives booms out as he sends his blade flashing out. 
The blow leaves a deep wound on one of his dinosaurs, and the other's 
leaping attack is foiled by his shield.

Sekeht draws his scimitar and swings it at the vulture attacking him. 
He drives the bird back a step, but doesn't land a blow.

Ferric lunges at his dinosaur, skewering its stomach but the 
creature's viciously clawed feet catch his leg and leave a deep gash 
in return.

Masawa leans against the railing and looks over the edge.

The invisible Leera dives overboard and begins to circle the ship.

Below Decks:

Vais keeps the NIGHTWIND moving forward at the maximum safe speed she 
can attain in the atmosphere.

Off Ship:

Talus sends another gust of wind through the larger flames, trying to 
force the flames through the swinging door into the rest of the ship 
and along the walls of the room.

He sees several men appear at the doors, but they are forced back by 
his sudden gust of wind.

Then, suddenly, the air about him is filled with a fine, sparkling 
dust which coats his invisible form and leaves him readily visible to 
anyone with eyes.

The DRAGAZHAR continues to dive at full speed away from the 
NIGHTWIND, the two ships are now over three hundred yards apart and 
the distance is growing.

Round 10:
Fore Deck:

Raken attacks the vulture before it can lunge at him, leaving a deep 
cut in its neck.  Before the beast can react to the wound, however, 
Grigree leaps on it from behind, sinking both blades deep into its 
back and forcing the shuddering corpse of the large bird to the deck.

Amidships:

Lellyn moves to assist Freneth, struggling to force the mass of the 
dead wyvern off the halfling.

Beneath the wyvern, Freneth struggles and pushes to get the corpse 
off of himself.  Then, suddenly, the wyvern's corpse disappears, 
leaving Lellyn and
Freneth struggling with empty air.

Kain takes advantage of his distracted foe to attacks its tail, and 
calls loudly as he stabs into it with his sword, "Some help, please."

Fangs agape, Nilaroo leaps over and slices at the beast with his 
great sword. But his timing is off and his blade misses.

Oquid carefully keeps the ballista between her and any attackers on 
the deck. She calls out again, projecting another battle cry behind 
the head of the dinosaur fighting Kain and Nilaroo.

"Get off our ship, dragonkin!" Dhebun growls, his axe blade cleaving 
heavily as his eyes flash.  His blow lands another deep wound in his 
dinosaur foe.

Aft Deck:

Holland is knocked back again as his vulture again slashes into him 
with its beak, leaving another wound.

Allagan twists and prods with his spear, slaying the great vulture he 
has pinned to the end of it.  With a final jerk he allows the corpse 
to slide off his point and fall beneath the ship.

Ives continues fighting, slashing again at his wounded foe and 
dealing it a death blow.  But its companion skirts around his shield 
this time and begins a savage, slashing attack with its claws leaving 
lots of cuts on the giff warrior's hide.

With renewed fury, Sekeht swings his scimitar at his feathered 
opponent.  He lands a solid blow which cuts open the beasts head, but 
it's beak leaves a gash in his shoulder in return.

Ferric staggers back as his dinosaur leaps at him cutting and 
slashing, leaving small, painful, bloody wounds.  Ferric stabs the 
beast again and it staggers back as pink froth begins bubbling from 
its wound and mouth.

Masawa stands, leans, and falls over the side of the NIGHTWIND.

Below Decks:

Vais continues to power the ship.

Off Ship:

Leera swoops invisibly towards the shrikeship. She sees Delmaria 
clearly standing by the damaged bow, leaning over the side and 
looking down.  The shrikeship is continuing to dive away from the 
NIGHTWIND, however, so that she finds she is losing ground.  The 
shrike ship is soon six hundred or so yards from the NIGHTWIND, and 
300 plus yards from Leera. 

In the shattered shrikeship, and alarmed at his total visibility, 
Talus flies out of the gash in the bow.  He hears a shriek of rage as 
he exits and then, in a moment of supreme panic, he realizes he has 
gone blind...

Date/Time: 2:33 pm, 12th day of the 11th Month, 5049 OC

-- 
"He thinks being Dungeonmaster gives him a license to mess with our heads."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Perhaps I should let you encounter kittens and 
Grandmas so as not to upset you." 'Discos and Dragons', 
_Freaks-n-Geeks_

Paul Westermeyer,  westermeyer@????????.net