Note on fighting on stairs: much easier when up them from opponent than down them.Everything happened at once: Roof Guy on stairs nicked me and ran. Lucan pursued up the stairs. Yelled back that there was Peck shit going on. At same time, Kanton started *down* the stairs (towards landing where we had left sunrod). And was hit by Senet.
So there I am - up or down? Up - I'm good at resisting mind-affecting magic, I could help Lucan. But down - Senet.
Down, and Kanton goes down as I get there. Senet's looking bad, but he still moves like quicksilver. Enough to drop Kanton.
So I kick him in the balls. Wish I could claim it was "Stunning Tiger Technique" or something. But finesse means knowing where to aim, and I *did* chant "the Body is a whole, the Body is a unity" every morning for four years. It sort of sinks in. And besides, what kind of arrogant fuck doesn't wear a grepping *cup*?
So yeah, he was stunned, alright. Sort of froze up all bulgy-eyed. Couldn't manage to do anything even when I pushed right past him on the stairs so Barg could come in from above.
Was a little worried he'd go for Barg, who wasn't looking too good - tried to keep his attention on me instead, the punk who had just landed the stun. But we had him, and he knew it. He gathered himself up to try to leap down the stairs over me; I missed him (down stairs again) but as he took off Barg just swung out and caught his foot with the axe. And he went down. Worthy foe, worthy finish.
Wasn't quite the end. Lucan had managed to get himself blinded, but Barg dropped both of them (Roof Guy and the guy who put the whammy on Lucan) in one mighty cleave.
Got my axe back from Shiarra (who seemed rather dramatic about the whole thing) and took off Senet's head. I've heard Lucan muttering about "trophies" - trophy nothing, it's a disgusting thing to be carrying around. But Senet was not just a really good monk - he had strange powers, and how do I know they don't include getting up and walking away from looks-like-dead? My grandfather's grandfather didn't turn back the armies of the undead not to leave the clan with some important traditions concerning People And Things You Don't Want To See Again. Plus which, Valin was so sure we'd fall to Senet - maybe the sight of his leader defeated will loosen his tongue enough to get some real information?
Scouted the rest of the tower - made short work of some war machine on the roof. Good thing they didn't see us coming - I don't think I could deflect those missiles. But then thought, why stop with the ballista? Goal was to take out as much of their capability as possible. Senet dead most important part - project decapitated as much as he is. But why not destroy whole tower, really knock back their resource base? Handy barrel of oil in supply room. Got Lucan and Kanton out - found the cat dead in front of the tower. Had fought Senet, judging from Senet's appearance. Cat truly loyal to Kanton - died a hero's death. Suggested we burn in tower - hope this is honorable burial practice for Kanton's folk.
Also left chest in tower. Clearly Chest Of Important Things - Ceder found a key, and did very clever trick with magic to try it (best use for magic I've seen yet) thus avoiding blast of fire. Decided if we couldn't take it, second-best to destroy it.
Left Senet's body outside. Siarran commitment to invasion (that we've seen) relatively small; can hope they'll pull out entirely if shown we're not as soft as they think. Almost certainly won't though. But can try.
Shared a drink with Barg in honor of foe well slain, and made it out of the valley - barely. Ran over plains with party of eight in pursuit - while carrying Lucan. Elfboy may look skinny but feels like a cart of ore at a hustle. Took refuge with bariaur and Siarrans turned back - hope we haven't made the bariaur a target. But they already are the first thing those dragons will see if they come out of the valley.
Dragons? Didn't I mention? Shiarra spotted a cave across the gorge, above the other tower. Smoking. Thinks it's dragons. Guess she would know. Great.
Good ol' Cor. First she manages to stun that cleric within an inch of his life, and then manages to stun *Senet*, enough to get around him, flank him with the help of Barg.Meanwhile, as Barg makes a lucky lunge, catches Senet with his axe as he jumps out of the way and watches him drop like a stone twenty feet to the stone steps, I'm unconscious, being dragged out of harm's way by Siarrah and Ceder, who manage to dispatch the other cleric and a swordsman (the guard from the top of the tower, I assume), because I raced straight into the way of a spell that rendered me blind until they cut me down. Stupid, stupid Lucan. Five Our Fathers and six Hail Marys for you.
Spent much of today not conscious or barely so, as it turns out. First time that's happened to me since I've set out. Think maybe I've just been lucky all this time. But maybe a learning experience -- teaches humility. Weaknesses exposed: no defense against spells. Headstrong; too willing to charge into the next battle arena without checking for enemy spellcasters, giant falling boulders, snipers dangling from ceiling, etc.
In any case, many thanks are due to Ceder and Siarrah for saving me, and to Barg and Cor for killing Senet and saving Kanton. Barg seems to have grabbed a bastard sword -- from some Siarran bastard, no doubt -- for me, and may not really that I'm not quite big enough to wield it and this magic dagger at the same time. Nor am I eager to learn how to do so. If I am to learn anything from Senet, it is that stealth and speed can be paramount if used successfully.
Not used to being at war yet. Left to themselves, Ceder, Barg, and Cor opted to -- and I still can't believe this -- decapitate Senet, keep his head as a trophy, leave his body outside the tower as a warning, and burn down the tower. As Barg said, "I left my tribe to stop pillaging, looting, and burning, and here I am pillaging, looting, and burning." On the other hand, as Cor said, "No one invades my country." When I pointed out to Kanton that there's such a thing as honor in warfare, and it rarely includes a scorched earth policy, he pointed out that using dream warriors to distract us while they burned down a farmhouse, kidnapped Mom and the oldest kids, and left the rest of the children to burn, was not exactly "sportsmanlike." I acceeded the point and returned to tending my wounds.
Speaking of Kanton, when we reached bariaur camp, both of us still dying, he used what little energy he had to heal me a little, so I could at least stand up and walk around on my own. Which means he immediately keeled over again, so my first act upon getting my strength back was to stabilize his wounds. Remarkably selfless, for a man who walks around with all those daggers strapped to him.
Pity about Takia, too -- sounds like he's the real hero, from what Kanton said about the rake marks on Senet's face. Makes me feel proud as a Ranger; as one great leader said, "Let my armies be the rocks and the trees and the birds in the sky[1]." And the cats in the grass. I wonder if Kanton's taking it okay -- an animal friendship is a sacred thing, and terrible when it is broken oversoon.
Right now we rest in a bariaur camp; hopefully we can stay here a couple of days and recover before we push back to the Siarrans. The bariaur already turned away the party of eight wanderers we saw earlier, but we do need to go back and dispatch them; we also need to investigate a smoking cave that Barg and Siarrah saw earlier. (There be dragons?) I'm feeling better every moment; I've still got wounds that need healng, but I feel like when I'm healed I'll be even stronger than I was before. And something else strange, too -- a sense of connection to the nature around me I've never felt before. I feel a previous unknown energy surging in me. Must talk to Kanton & Ceder about it. If they can't help, maybe it's something I ate. Must talk to the bariaur cook.
May the trail rise up to meet us, and the wind be at our back,
Lucan