A Wing and A Prayer

By Petraag after the Ripa Daneo Mount Faire, Cathance thought she was getting used to the mountain gryphon, Nutmeg.  The little gryphon was feisty and fast, and seemed so much more enthusiastic about everything than Jigsaw was.  Of course unlike Jigsaw, Cathance hadn't blown Nutmeg up with fireball a couple times.  Anyhow, Cathance wanted to try out going on a mission with the new mount.

Fine Branch, Nix, and Quelenna were all feeling like they wanted a mission other than guarding a livestock event, so they were happy to oblige.  So they accompanied Cathance to visit Damakaios and learn what work was available to such as themselves.

Damakaios' office was the same as it ever was, with his matching mahogany desk and various sizes of guest-chairs, display cabinets with small arms, even nicer small arms on the wall behind him.  The Pungarehu hanyou tilted his head slightly as they entered.

Quelenna leaned on the doorway, arms crossed, and Nix sat on the largest chair, her feet barely touching the floor.  The winged cat Mercury settled on the back of the chair behind her.  Cathance chose a normal-sized chair, which was also far too big for the diminutive Mikumwes, and kicked her dangling feet.  Fine Branch, still smarting by Damakaios' prank of gluing a tankard to his desk a few primes earlier, sat in a random chair, looking anywhere but at the desk.

Damakaios' face gave away nothing, as he reached deep into a thin drawer and retrieved 4 separate sets of papers.  The first one was by far the thickest packet.

Reading from that one:  "First, Amabel Villa.  Most recently, Dryali, Fine Branch, and Kaikoa cleared out a room or two."

Next, he pulled out a single sheet of fancy pressed stationery:  "Death Butterfly wings for House Hadid, in the southwest of Commerce.  It will pay well."

Setting that aside, he pulled out a 2-page packet:  "Investigate more of the airship crash.  250 eagles." Damakaios scanned the second page.  "Airship is partially in a cavern."

Lastly, papers with an envelope attached:  "Waypoint Tremendous–Daystar lotion and cult activity.  300 eagles apiece.  I can set up transportation, but I have no idea what you will find."  He sat back and looked at everyone.  "Sometimes we find Daystar people, sometimes… well, once, dinosaurs ate them all."

Cathance:  what's Waypoint Tremendous like?  Will there be dinosaurs to eat me?
Damakaios:  it's in the upper reaches, on the way to Coldstream.  It has boreal forest.
Nix:  if I remember correctly, Death Butterflies are basically vampire butterflies.  Sounds unpleasant.
Damakaios:  sounds right?  Not sure what they want it for.
Quelenna:  are we unintentionally supporting them trading in illegal magic items?
Damakaios:  I would not have taken the mission.
Cathance:  if they're vampire butterflies, can they be knocked out by a whole lotta light?
Damakaios:  they're like vampires, not actually vampires.
Fine Branch:  this has been offered long enough, I kinda want to see what's the deal
Cathance:  up for this, or airship crash.
Nix:  can support this
Quelenna:  I'm up for this or anything unknown
Fine Branch:  how big are they?
Damakaios:  Monarch Butterfly sized.
Fine Branch:  …how big are those?
Damakaios <gestured>:  normal?
Nix:  I wonder if they prefer the blood of the living.
Damakaios:  it would have to be fresh

So, they decided to go after these Death Butterflies.  Cathance bought rations enough for her and Nutmeg, and also a butterfly net for 1 eagle.  Before the Freelancers left, however, they stopped at a market and bought a lamb for 2 eagles.

The quickest way to go to the southwest of Commerce was to fly directly south from Ripa Daneo/Gata Nahaki and then pivot once out of the mountains.  So the Freelancers decided to start by heading towards the Tranquil Crossing monastery which was directly south.

The gorge was easy to navigate but the weather was horrible for travel via flying mount.  The wind howled through the mountains and the peaks boomed with thunder and lightning.  Nix, who was carrying the lamb, found herself with her hands full by the panicked creature, who kicked, bit, and headbutted everything in reach (not to mention urinated multiple times when the thunder boomed especially hard).  Nix gritted her teeth, and used prestidigitation for the latter problem.  But the Freelancers emerged into calmer weather, circled Tranquil Crossing, and headed southwest.  Perhaps there was a stronger meaning to the monastery's name.

The Freelancers kept flying, with Fine Branch looking for a likely campsite.  Cathance cast guidance on them as well.  The skylith was starting to curve gently downward when the cleric found a good camping spot, on a hill between two of the rivers.  They landed, and set up camp, with Nix again using prestidigitation to deal with lamb slobber and urine on her clothes.

The watch order was Cathance, Fine Branch, Quelenna, and Nix, ensuring the Freelancers with darkvision had watches during truedark.
Cathance heard assorted noises: water in the nearby stream, other water trickling, wind in the trees scattered around them.
Fine Branch heard noises too:  they thought it was also wind in the trees.  But Nighthawk was very alert, nudging them and staring out into the darkness.  Fine Branch realized they smelled a predator odor, and started subtly waking people up.

Quelenna, roused early from trance, didn't notice anything.  Nix and Fine Branch, looking around, thought something was there, with a musky odor.  Cathance could tell there were a couple creatures…

…but Mercury could tell, and was telling Nix, it smelled of big cat, that wasn't super fastidious about its eating.

Cathance murmured quietly, "There's a couple creatures out there," and Fine Branch dropped daylight centered about 40' away from the camp, away from the nearby river, illuminating an area 80 yards across.

Three cheshires were revealed by the daylight, tentacles and tails waving agitatedly in the sudden illumination.  Their outlines and shadows were hard to focus on.

Nix got on her broom of flying, then flew between Fine Branch and Cathance.  She used her sorcerous abilities to twin cast haste on the two of them, they flew up 30'.  Mercury flew up to her shoulder, digging in his claws.  "Eris, attack," she called out, and the wyvern flew close enough to bite and sting the nearest cheshire, who yelped in dismay as the poison hit its system.  Eris flew up another 40', sizing up other antagonists.

• The bit cheshire ran off.  Another one attacked Fine Branch but missed.  The third cheshire attacked Nutmeg, and also missed.
• Cathance used her boots of striding and springing to leap on Nutmeg's back.  "Nutmeg, attack!" she called out and the little mountain gryphon struck the cheshire attacking her with beak & claw.
  • Cathance sent a chromatic orb right there in the cheshires face, and it settled on poison as it struck.
  • Nutmeg flew up next to Nix on her broom.  The cheshire tried to hit the mountain gryphon with its tentacle, but missed.
• Fine Branch disengaged from the cheshire attacking them, then mounted Nighthawk, who flew up.  The cheshire tried to hit the hippogryph with its tentacle, but missed.
  • The hasted cleric cast dawn 25' behind the cheshires, so the two attacking were just inside the beam of sunlight.  The cheshire they'd left behind avoided damage, but the one Nutmeg had injured was burned by the radiance.
  • Fine Branch then cast spiritual weapon in the form of a spray bottle.  It attacked the injured cheshire, but missed.
• Quelenna attacked the injured cheshire from outside the area of dawn.  She sliced it twice with her magical fans and followed up with two strikes from flurry of blows.
  • While it was still reeling, Hau-kea also attacked, striking with beak and claw.  The cheshire succumbed to its wounds, sinking to the ground.

Nix cast an uplevel'd chromatic orb at the remaining cheshire, which settled on ice before it struck the surprised feline.  Eris then swooped from above, biting the cheshire and trying to sting with her tail, but she missed from the blur.  The wyvern flew back out of the dawn.

• The cheshire, snarling, exited the dawn to strike Quelenna twice.  The tentacles had hooks!  So the Wild elf was pierced as well as bludgeoned.
• Cathance also cast an uplevel'd chromatic orb at it, which again settled on poison before it struck.
  • Nutmeg swooped in for her attack, but critfailed both attacks, and was lucky nothing worse happened.
  • Cathance, hasted, pulled out her magical warhammer and smacked the cheshire with booming blade.
  • Nutmeg flew off, and the cheshire tried to hit the mountain gryphon with its tentacle, but missed.
• Fine Branch cast guiding bolt on the cheshire, but critfailed and was lucky nothing worse happened.
  • The spiritual weapon spray bottle hit the cheshire with force.
  • Nighthawk swooped into attack the cheshire, and struck with his beak, but critfailed the swipe and tripped over his own claws.  Fine Branch wrapped their arms & legs and managed not to fall off.
  • Since they were next to the cheshire, hasted Fine Branch drew their daggar to strike the cheshire, but critfailed that too and sent it point first into the ground at the creature's feet.
  • Fine Branch dropped the dawn.
• Quelenna, waving her fans, approached the cheshire, which reared up.  She slashed its belly, and it succumbed to its wounds.
  • Glancing at the fleeing cheshire, she mounted Hau-kea, who dashed after it.

The others chased it too, with Nix and Cathance using ray of frost to slow it down.  As soon as they were in range, Fine Branch cast guiding bolt, which cancelled out the blur, and Quelenna beat it up.

So.  It was early in truedark, and they had three dead cheshires and an hour of daylight going.  Grimly, Fine Branch retrieved their daggar, and set about the business of skinning the cheshires.  Nix helped, and Cathance made liberal use of guidance, so the Maneki nekomata got 3 good pelts off the creatures before the daylight expired.

The rest of the night was uneventful, and the Freelancers decided to get some extra sleep in the morning to rebuild spell slots.  After all, Quelenna could keep watch.

None of the above woke up the lamb.

The Freelancers arose to an overcast morning with a light breeze coming across the rolling plains.  Happy at the prospect of a pleasant flying day, they took off and started looking for these butterflies.  They were not going particularly fast but were generally heading southwest.

After an hour of meandering, they came across a meadow with some scrub-type plants here and there.  The grasses appeared to sport red & white flowers.  But then the Freelancers realized the colours were flitting from flower to flower, and it was all red & black & white butterflies.

"Hey guys," Cathance announced, "Look, I think it's the Death Butterflies!"

The Freelancers realized the meadow had a lot of these butterflies.  They paused at a distance, and discussed what could be done.  Nix thought she could use dragon breath, and Mercury too; Cathance was thinking hypnotic pattern.  Fine Branch wondered if holy radiance from their more offensive spells would damage the wings, which is what House Hadid was paying for.  They wanted to use the butterfly net to snag one of them and then cast guiding bolt.

But, it was clear the density of butterflies was too high to just get one.

Cathance:  propose we use Quelenna as bait
Quelenna <startled>:  …what?!
Cathance <reasonably>:  then you can do monk-stuff, and put them all in the bag of holding.
Quelenna:  uh.

Cathance looked over the meadow again, to see if the Death Butterflies were following any patterns.  They appeared to be maintaining 3 cohesive swarms:  2 with hundreds of butterflies, the third with thousands.  She pointed it out, and noted the closest swarm was the smallest.  Perhaps if the lamb was dropped in a place toward the end of the meadow, that swarm could be isolated from the others.

Nix nodded, then cast dragon breath on Nighthawk and Mercury.  Cathance made ready to cast ray of frost on the swarm if they flew at the assembled Freelancers.  Fine Branch cast spiritual weapon in the form of a giant flyswatter, right next to the swarm.

Finally, Nix flew up and over on Eris, then cast feather fall on the lamb and dropped it next to the swarm.  The creature bleated all the way down.  It found its footing, then moved towards the swarm of butterflies flitting around the flowers.

Cathance was vaguely disappointed.  So much for drawing the swarm closer.

The butterflies became aware of the lamb, and as insects can do, slowly at first, then very quickly, attached themselves all over it.  It quickly collapsed from the blood loss.  The two other swarms also started to move in that direction.

Then Quelenna, to Cathance's horror, flew over to the lamb on Hau-kea.  She swept out her fans and knocked many butterflies out of the air with them.  They fell to the ground mostly undamaged.  

• The monk followed up with a couple unarmed strikes, without dismounting Hau-kea, so one of those missed.  
• Cathance called out, "Quelenna, don't stay there!"  So Quelenna flew back to the rest of the waiting Freelancers.

Mercury flew down to the swarm and breathed cold dragon breath on it.  The Death Butterflies avoided much of the damage but still many succumbed to the cold.  Mercury retreated also, not willing to be near them.

• Nix cast a twice-uplevel'd ice knife at a random butterfly.  It hit, of course, then exploded in tiny shards of ice which was too much for the butterflies to avoid.
• By now the swarm was less than half the original number.

Also by now, the rest of the Death Butterflies were fully aware of the Freelancers.  They all moved towards the group.

• Cathance cast ray of frost at the one heading towards her, to slow it down.  Many butterflies were frozen but it was still upon her and Nutmeg!
• The swarm they'd been trying to isolate surrounded Mercury, blinding the winged cat.  
• The big swarm of thousands surrounded everyone but Nix, where "everyone" also included the mounts.  Nighthawk was also blinded.

Fine Branch cast guiding bolt on the big swarm, and a number of butterflies fluttered to the ground, succumbing to the holy radiance.  Nix observed out loud that the wings were undamaged.  

• Nighthawk flew blindly further over the meadow to get out of the swarm and thus escaped being blinded.  The big swarm failed to harm Nighthawk in a meaningful way.  
• The spiritual weapon flyswatter then smacked the big swarm with force.
• Nighthawk turned around and breathed cold dragon breath on it.
• So many Death Butterflies dropped to the ground, so many.

Cathance, sticking to the plan, cast hypnotic pattern on the swarms surrounding herself and the others.  She used her sorcerous abilities to avoid the other Freelancers and their mounts.

• The small swarm avoided the pattern, but the big swarm all dropped to the ground.  Most of the butterflies woke up.
• Nutmeg dived to Mercury, and the Death Butterflies glommed onto her, biting and poisoning the mountain gryphon.
• The gryphon attacked the swarm surrounding Mercury, who was considerably smaller than that lamb, but was off her game because of the poison, so missed.  She flew away, further into the meadow.

Quelenna flew over to Mercury and swatted at the swarm with her fans again, knocking butterflies out of the air.

• She followed up with a flurry of blows, and initially missed, but then she crit.
• There were still many butterflies, so Hau-kea disengaged and flew back up.

Eris let out a screech of anger and flew to Mercury's aid, striking with claw and stinger.  Getting poisoned themselves wasn't good for butterflies, and the last of the butterflies died.

• Eris started winging towards Nighthawk.
• Mercury, freed from these butterflies, flew up near the big swarm, then breathed cold dragon breath on it.  Frozen butterflies fell to the ground.  Then he flew to the other side of Nutmeg.
• Nix cast chromatic orb on the big swarm that was still on the ground.  The orb settled on cold when it struck, which killed the remaining members of it. 

The remaining swarm moved upon Quelenna and Hau-kea!  They failed to bite the Wild elf but they glommed all over the owl gryphon, biting and poisoning her.

Fine Branch moved the spiritual weapon flyswatter to the butterfly swarm and swatted it with force.

• Then they cast a thrice-uplevel'd guiding bolt, burning the butterflies with holy radiance.  By the time the Death Butterflies finished dropping, less than half of them were left.

Cathance wanted to give Nutmeg some of her restorative ointment, but thought she could take out the rest of the swarm.  So she cast an uplevel'd chromatic orb at the remaining butterflies, which settled on cold before it sailed on by them all.  So she had regrets.

Quelenna attacked the swarm with her fans again, knocking some out of the air.

• She followed up again with flurry of blows, knocking more out of the air.
• Hau-kea, who was not feeling great, disengaged and flew over to Nighthawk.

Nix sent Mercury over to Hau-kea, then cast cure wounds via her familiar.  Quelenna looked at the witch in gratitude.  "Thank you," she said, and Nix just replied, "yeah."

• Eris was so done with these butterflies, she again struck with claw and stinger, with the same result, and the last of the butterflies succumbed to the wyvern's poison.

Cathance landed, upset, and applied the restorative ointment to Nutmeg, which cleared the poison.  Nix saw how upset she was and cast a twice-uplevel'd cure wounds on the mountain gryphon, restoring her to full health.

Then it was time to collect all the wings.  The colours were distinctive, and there were bags of holding, so the Freelancers were able to collect them all.  It did take a couple of hours, though, so it was Daystar zenith by the time they were ready to head out.

Unencumbered by bad weather or any need to look for butterflies or a campsite, the Freelancers easily made it back to Ripa Daneo in the very late afternoon.  They dropped in on House Hadid with their amazing bounty of Death Butterfly wings.

House Hadid paid 1875 eagles for the entire lot of the wings, and also was willing to pay 600 eagles each for the cheshire hides.  Nix had decided she wanted one, so House Hadid only got two.  But Nix made it up to the others by not taking the cheshire pelt coin, and paying everyone 50 eagles.

The Freelancer Cut only applied to the 1875 eagles, so it was quite a take.

• Nix → lvl 8!  (Sorcerer 7/Wizard 1)