Flock Buster

## Synopsis

In Season 2, Chapter 30: Flock Buster, our excitement over what we'd looted from the bandit stash was short lived – because as soon as we packed up and turned to leave the cave, we heard some concerning noises coming from outside.

Rustling branches were paired with animalistic noises of bleats, roars and hisses – and for a brief moment we felt a pit start to form in our stomachs at the thought of a chimera creeping just around the corner.  Luckily, Graven was able to suppress the righteous wrath rising within him long enough for Erland to discern that the sounds might be part of a ruse… and as we crept forward we saw familiar faces up on the ridge.

After escaping from our earlier skirmish, the bandits had gathered whatever reinforcements they could muster on short notice and followed us here to the safehouse – and with a black powder bomb warning shot they impressed upon us their willingness to take a violent approach.

Pretending to comply with their demands for surrender, Erland stalled to give the others time to heal and plan their next moves.  When the time was right, Graven charged out looking to catch their leader by surprise with a Hold Person incantation – but our foes were ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble and we didn't get the element of surprise we were hoping for.

Just like earlier on the bridge, our positioning played a big part in the difficulty of the fight.  Stuck on the low ground with a pair of mangy leucrottas that had been sicced upon us, the ranged attackers peppered us with spells and bolts from above – and we knew if we couldn't close the gap we'd be slowly whittled down.

A pair of imperfect fireballs from Graven didn't quite deliver a knockout blow, but they did push our enemies back a bit and Erland used one of his septic powers to tree stride up into the fray.  With the rest of his allies so far behind, it was a dicey spot to be in – but Orba used the Blink spell to great effect and Safira found the angle to have her Healing Spirit tend to wounds when it was needed most.

Once we'd ascended the ridge, we were able to swarm our opponents and we put them down in short order.  There wasn't much to loot from the bodies, but it was certainly a relief that none of the bandits were able to escape this time – giving us reason to believe we'd bought ourselves a reprieve from all the fighting.

A quick rest that followed had us feeling better and gave us time to identify our newly acquired magic items – and from there it was time to return to the path and further our progress toward the isthmus.  Some time later, a fork in the road forced us to make a choice and we opted for the route that looked like it was headed to the "lanes" – a series of small peaks and valleys where one of Emmitt Nesbitt's contracts promised valuable rewards.

During our walk, Safira felt her wild ordnance bow bristling with energy as it fed off of the untamed wilds around us – and she unlocked a deeper connection to the spirits that would let them come out to play more frequently.  This was welcome news, especially because moments later we came upon humanoid statues that Orba believed were the result of petrification… a diagnosis confirmed by the feathers and fecal matter scattered around the forest floor.

In part because we didn't want dangerous monstrosities popping out and nipping at our heels – and in part because it seemed like the right thing to do, we tracked the feathers to an area just off the path where several Cockatrices had made their home near a watering hole in the woods.

Knowing that the glands harvested from these creatures (if prepared correctly) could potentially cure the effects of flesh turning to stone, we set a trap and baited the birds out of their nest and we braced ourselves for a fowl stampede.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: three natural ones were rolled in this Chapter. 1 each by Jordan, Riley, and Matt.