The party have gathered outside the western palisade gate of Mordred Plains, they sit on horseback provided by Aegheard Leofred and his men. A small unit of cavalry are gathered awaiting for the last two to arrive. Only 9 riders will be travelling west, Mornington Lormanston, Edward Fogbluff, Crom, Aegheard and 5 of his men.
The last two riders slowly come into view as they round the long curved wall of the palisade. They are not riding horses though. Instead, they ride atop giant bull, each the size of a small wagon. Muscular, with imposing horns jutting out of their skulls, they instantly give an incredibly intimidating appearance. Mornington starts to wonder how they keep such furious creatures under control, and after asking Aegheard, is introduced to Cranda. Cranda is a herbalist and bull whisperer, he specialises in training these animals and has special techniques for keeping them in line. He wears armour and cloaks similar to the other Mordred soldiers but has an array of pockets and pouches on his torso and down his legs for easy reach.
The small band of cavalry start making their way along the road heading south and pass a number of the mills in the area. As they begin to pass fields of grain a man on a horse is hurtling towards the junction, shouting loudly. He exclaims that the beast has returned and that he needs help. A terrible creature has got into his cattle house and is shredding his livestock. He pleads for the soldiers to come help. The loud outburst disturbs the two bulls, they start snorting loudly and one begins to buck. Cranda quickly reaches into a pouch and cups his hand in front of his mouth, with a quick sharp blow, a fine mist of yellow coloured powder bursts into a cloud by the heads of the two bulls. In moments their erratic movement calms down and they start trotting forward at a very sedated pace. Aegheard urges the party to help the farmer, and that they should follow the western road to reunite with the others.
The party follow the farmer on horseback as fast as they can, churning up the mud track. They soon arrive at a large cattle pen and an equally large barn is sat within its fenced area. The field is partly flooded and the party can already see and hear the commotion. The barn is creaking and rattling, while the bellows and panicked moos of the cows within, carry loudly across the area.
The party leap into action and each volt the fence. Mornington gracefully dismounts with an acrobatic somersault, Edward is not so lucky, slipping on a muddied boot and falling into the dirt. Crom takes a little extra time to tie the horses before running towards the fence. He places one foot on the rung of the fence, jumping in one swift motion and landing in a full sprint towards the barn. Mornington and Edward get to a decent distance and hold their ground waiting for the creature to show itself. A cow bursts out the barn door, only taking a few strides before something yanks it with great force back into the barn, a moment later a loud crunching sound is heard as the party grimace. A dark shape moves past the gap left by the open barn door, Mornington and Edward let loose their attacks, purple eldritch energy and a crossbow bolt hurtle forward. A deep gurgling roar of pain is heard from inside followed by further sounds of chaos as more cattle perish. Crom sprints forward to the open barn door and as he does the barn wall to his left erupts with debris as a cow is thrown through it. It thuds to the floor and slides along the muddy ground, it's neck snapped. The party can now see the creature in broad daylight as they prepare to take it head on.
Within the barn the party see a hulking mass of dark green scales, with a narrow elongated snout, and a long spined tail. This large crocodile, standing on its hind legs, turns its head, staring at the party with cold, emotionless eyes. It's arms bear sharp claws, its maw red-soaked, glistening in the light as it maneuvers to confront the party. Crom flies into a rage, screaming his name as he faces off against it in the barn's doorway. They exchange some nasty wounds before the fight moves further into the interior. Edward and Mornington continue to assault the creature with ranged attacks, using psychic mockery and eldritch blasts. The crocodile turns and smashes through the back wall of the barn, which was holding back a portion of the flooded field. Water starts to pour through the gaping hole and the bipedal crocodile begins wading out into the water. Crom closes the distance to get another strike in before Edward lands an incredibly accurate shot, agonising purple energy bursts from the creatures head. To the surprise of the party the creature begins to shrink, almost deflating, before it splashes and slips beneath the waters surface.
Crom puts his arms under water, and sweeps his axe around, he can't find a body. He then notices the water rippling and the odd air bubble rise to the surface as something swims towards the bank of the flooded area. Crom warns the others as he makes chase, they both try to find better positions outside the barn to keep eyes on it. As the ripples reach the waters edge, a short slender figure emerges. A stout humanoid lizard with a red crested head quickly steps forth, it wields a shortbow, wears a leather stripped war skirt, and bears a wood carved necklace.
Mornington aims his crossbow and pulls the trigger, but the bolt does not release, he inspects the mechanism before the bolt fires a moment later jutting off in an aimless direction. Edward lands one more Eldritch Blast as he rounds the corner and the creature begins to look panicked with it's twitching movements, especially with Crom closing the distance, wading through the water. The creature returns fire and lets loose an arrow that catches Edward off guard, wounding him on his approach.
Crom moves up to the creature, finally closing the gap after being slowed by the water and prepares to attack. The lizardfolk creature sees the lumbering barbarian and watches his moves carefully as it retreats out of his reach before undergoing a terrible transformation. Its snout grows long like a bird's beak, and its arms stretch outward as the bones in its fingers hyperextend and webbing forms between them. In just a few short moments the creature, now a large featherless bird, starts beating its wings and takes to the sky flying north. Edward and Mornington release their final volley of ranged attacks and one lands, making the creature lose altitude for moment but it is not enough to bring it down as it continues flying, shrinking towards the horizon.
The party gather their breath and console the farmer who sits against a nearby fence, head in hands. Mornington speaks with him trying to reassure him despite his losses. The farmer asks that they speak on his behalf to Torma Mordred and plead he have a tax pardon to give time to recover from the damages. Edward kindly parts with 30 gold coins which pleases the farmer and says it will surely help him in the coming weeks.The party untie their horses and mount up, ready to join the Mordred soldiers as they travel westward to further prove their loyalty.
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