Shadowed Tower - 12 "The Flight of the Griffon"

As mules bray and Dinari trade bolts for arrows with the possessed guardsmen, the dark robed sorcerer drops a handful of small, chitonous balls on the dirt before the gate. Whatever they are, the mules want nothing to do with them. Panicked, they pull free of their traces and strike out with hooves at anyone too near. The armored spheres break open and sprout legs, growing into monstrous spiders that quickly attack. Graham brandishes his blade and rushes to meet them.

Another fireball from Cinder eliminates what few possessed soldiers still trouble their flanks. As Khabsha and Rowen help Graham with the spiders, Taen harries the sorcerer. Several Dinari are wounded by arrows and one is brought down by a spider before arrows and Khabsha's hammer end it.

Red Gail, the Dinari illusionist appears long enough to send a dazzling mote of rainbow colors into the face of the sorcerer, who falls back out of view as he slaps at the disorienting colors and disappears from view. Taen flies up to track him, but quickly finds that he has disappeared.

The last of the spiders are dispatched, and the wounded are quickly tended to as Red Gail, swooning from an arrow wound and large uses of magic, finishes a mass veiling over the group. As  quietly as possible, they move out of the city, making for a rendevous in the woods to the north.

Graham does what he can to hide the tracks, but with such a large group, everyone knows it is only a matter of time before they are pursued.

On a small cleared hill in the midst of tall oaks they wait for darkness, ever watchful for signs that their unknown enemy has found them. Master Wayfinders mules are taken to a safe spot and released. Taen flies into town to warn the merchant.

As night approaches, a bell can be heard from somewhere above. With its sound, Gimblius's Dinari begin scrambling about. From behind a well made veil of magic a huge airship appears and ropes are thrown down. As the hull sinks to within thirty paces of the hill, ropes are secured with enormous iron screws. The heroes watch in awe as a portal opens in the understern and a platform is lowered on oiled chains.

Captain Gimblius smiles with pride and motions toward the platorm where Dinari are already loading supplies. "Welcome aboard the Griffon ladies and gentlemen."

The party is lead through the hull of the ship, down small corridors in which they have to duck (except for Taen), and past a well locked and guarded room at the ship's center. The deck of the ship is crisscrossed by guide ropes, at thigh level to the Syvani and Nerans. Once the supplies are loaded, the anchor screws are hauled in and the incredible ship slowly rises skyward.

Once underway, the Captain explains that the ship was damaged in the violent storms more than three weeks ago, the same storms that caused the rivers to rise and trees to be blown down in the forest. They were forced to bring the ship down in the landsto the west of Neued while they made repairs, but during the crash landing, they lost some of their supplies to weather damage.

Needing supplies and equipment for repairs they began scouting the town and buying up what supplies they needed, but required mules to bring the supplies to their ship. They were preparing their plan B - to skyhook their supplies during the night, when the swans secured the mule train for them.

When asked about their mission, Rowen and the group share most of the story, relating what they know of Laird Jory and the servants of Minerest. They show the Dinari captain and his illusionist the alchemy book and the Kuranani fleshworking manual. Red Gail asks to examine them in his study.

When he returns he reveals that a tracking rune had been placed on the Kuranani book, which he took the initiative of removing. He also offers the group a trade of 5 Item veiling charms, 5 Dinari crossbows and 1 Ring of Veiling for the alchemist manual, which after a little haggling, the group accepts.

As we rejoin the Swans, they are swiftly approaching the city of Kaergot on the northern shores of Fom.