[Notes for the run of May 17, 2000.]

Going back in time, Pat now has the list of magic items that were available
in Westmore.  They generally cost 5 gold per "character point", so they're
rather expensive.  There's a plus-something shield.  There's something
called a firestone amulet, which turns out to be EGO defense, for only 10
gold.  There's a magic dagger.  A belt that adds to recovery.  Boots of
running (3 times per day for a short time, so fairly cheap).  A firesword
(good focus for a fire mage, very fine weapon, +5 INT usable only for
increasing spell slots); 16 gold 9 silver.  We consider buying the firestone
amulet, but eventually let it pass.

Advancing back to Fort Carcassone, we set out with a local guide in the wee
hours of the morning, carrying the boat.  Shortly before dawn we get down to
a place rom which the boat rises (much impressing the guide), and off we go.

Midmorning, Alessandro and Calais spot two dark spots in the distance on the
starboard side, apparently headed our way.  Anton starts looking for a place
in the hills where we might be able to set down the boat, though Paris warns
that we can't afford to let them pin us on the ground.  Calais brings out
his telescope, and can make out that the riders are humanoid, in some sort
of black armor, and cloaks that flow in the breeze.  The mounts are neither
bird nor bat.  The wings look scalloped like a bat's, but the resemblance
ends there.

We stay on our original course, and the riders eventually start closing from
behind.  Anton angles toward the hills a bit, so we're not as high off the
ground.  As the riders get closer, one pulls in front of the other.  The one
in front is armed with mace and shield; we can no longer see the other.
Anticipating a good lightning bolt setup, Anton takes the Empress's dose of
spell-enhancing herb.

As the lead rider gets within 64", Rhori and Paris start firing arrows.
They hit the shield a couple times, but that's all.  On segment 4, the lead
rider closes 15", having apparently gone to combat speed.  We still can't
see the other rider, but we figure he's quite a ways back now.  The boat
stays non-combat, to maintain our lead for as long as possible.  Rhori pings
another arrow off the rider's chest.

Calais, still using the telescope, gets a good look.  The armor looks fairly
stiff; he can't tell if it's metal or blackened leather.  It's more rounded
than typical armor (more aerodynamic).  There's a slotted helm, through
which he sees the figure has glowing red eyes.  Calais passes this
description to the others.

Segment 6, the boat moves 40"; segment 8, the rider closes another 15", down
to 54".  Rhori suggests Paris take a recovery, and then to start shooting
the beast.  So on segment 9, Paris recovers while Rhori finally hits the
rider.  Segment 12, Rhori fires again, and the rider blocks with his shield.
Paris hits the beast for maximum damage, stunning it.  It drops a bit, but
immediately unstuns, and the rider spends his action regaining control.  As
they drop down, we see the second beast, closing at non-combat speed while
the rider, wielding a sword, is casting a spell.

It's a fireball, but we're lucky and it does little damage.  The boat
survives with only cosmetic damage.  There's a horrible smell that we
remember from a while back: singed lion fur.

Segment 1, the spell-caster, who had been braced and set, aborts to dodge.
Segment 3, Rhori and Paris wait for the targets to get closer, but instead
of closing the two riders break off in different directions.  Segment 4,
Alessandro tries to hit the spellcaster with a spell, but misses.  Paris
fires at a beast but misses; Calais fires and hits the spellcaster's beast
solidly in the chest, but fails to stun it.  Rhori hits the first beast
twice, in the chest and wing.

Anton fires off a lightning bolt at the spellcaster, doing 9 and 27 to both
the rider and the beast.  "Mess with MY boat, will you?"

Rhori and Paris put several more arrows into the first beast, which starts
to plummet.  Alessandro again fails to hit the magic-user.  Jarvon turns the
boat toward the magic-user, and Anton directs him next to angle left to
present more of a broadside to it.  Anton tells us what to expect the boat
to do.

Calais shoots the second beast again, and it starts to descend as it
continues to try breaking off.  Rhori, Alessandro, and Calais hit it some
more, and Calais also tells Anton to have Jarvon angle the boat downward so
more of us can see the beast.

We continue to pepper the beast with arrows and magic missiles, and finally
knock out one wing.  It goes thump.  We decide not to risk landing to finish
them off (not even to get their cards?? sigh); having kept them from flying
ahead to warn others about us, or from fetching reinforcements, we get back
on course and fly on.

Anton asks for ideas about what we might do better if we get into another
aerial battle.  Rhori suggests flying lower, so we don't all die if the boat
gets taken out.  But of course that also means that killing the flying
mounts is less likely to kill the riders.  Anton says he'd rather stay
higher up and concentrate on protecting the boat, but he doesn't have any
concrete suggestions for how to protect it from fire spells.  Calais asks
Alessandro if the fireballs have any weakness we can exploit, like throwing
water in the air as the fireball is about to hit, but Alessandro can't think
of anything.  (And the only spell he knows that offers protection from fire,
protects only himself.)

We travel three more days after the attack, then land as planned at the edge
of Martin's territory, where we spend a day touching up the boat while Rhori
and Hobbes go in to talk to him.  The flying beasts have not appeared in
this region, though Martin's heard a sketchy report of them via the magic
communication link.  Rhori fills him in about our encounter; Martin will see
that the information is passed back to Carcassone.

Rhori comes back and mentions that he and his Order have been declared
outlaw, so we might not want to be caught being his friend.  The rest of us
say we're not leaving him, so what exactly does he have in mind?  This leads
to some discussion of how to represent ourselves if we run into people in
Louis's territory.  Anton suggests we form a plan to deal with the case,
say, where a soldier comes up and asks who we are and what we're doing
there?  We decide we should be able to just take him prisoner and hold him
until we're ready to set off again.  (And conk him out before we leave, so
he doesn't see the boat take off.)  If a bunch of soldiers approach, we can
have Hobbes slow them down while we hop in the boat and take off, and then
circle back and find Hobbes using Rhori's empathic link.  This does mean we
should keep most of our gear in the boat.

We cross Louis's front lines at night, and continue unmolested.  As we
approach Nice Place, Paris raises the question of whether to go inside and
hire a ship to take us part of the way.  She has a letter of introduction to
the Baron.  Having a known friendly ship in the vicinity could be useful if
the boat gets damaged during the rescue, for example.  A crew that knows how
to navigate would also be useful.  We debate the risks, such as not knowing
how closely Louis might be watching the Baron, and decide there is too great
a risk of discovery, especially since a ship setting out from Nice Place
would make about as good time as our boat.

So we continue along the chain of islands, always sighting on the next
island before heading out.  We come to the last hop, which we expect to be
about ten hours over open ocean.  Ten hours later, we're surrounded by
water.  Calais tries the telescope, and manages to spot some birds.  We head
for them, and find a small rock jutting from the water.  We land, much to
the annoyance of the birds.  Hobbes emerges, and the birds are more annoyed,
but less numerous.

We don't find any lights at night.  The next day we scout around and find
some more rocks, which are shown on a map that Rhori got from Martin, so
we're able to orient ourselves.  It takes us only two days to find the group
of islands we're seeking.

We discuss who should go in.  Paris wants to be part of the group that goes
in, so she can ask Carline to make her a protector of the blood, so that
she's permitted to touch royalty.  Rhori says he already did that with
Martin.  Paris wants to know precisely what was said, but Rhori doesn't
remember exactly.  He convinces her not to worry, or at least not to worry
aloud.

We go over other possible tactics, such as using a silence spell and archery
if there are guards atop the tower.  But it turns out there are no guards.
We do, however, notice a storm approaching from the south.  Anton lowers the
boat to just over the tower, and the stealth team alights.

Calais unlocks the hatch and opens it noiselessly.  Hobbes drops in and
reports there are two sleeping women, including the one who skritched him so
nicely.  Calais drops quietly in, and covers the door while Rhori follows.
Rhori goes over to Carline and whispers to her to wake her up.  She gasps
quietly and says, "So it's to be assassination?"  He reassures her, telling
her his name and saying that his other friends are on the roof.  He suggests
that she wake Cordelia.  She does so, and we bundle them quietly up to the
roof and into the boat.

Upon seeing Paris, Carline asks her, "Do you have surprise?"  Paris is
momentarily dumbfounded by the question, and Carline snaps her out of it by
crisply reciting the textbook military definition of surprise.  Paris says
we do.  Carline goes on with a recitation that she has clearly been
practicing during her imprisonment.

"The door is three inches of oak.  On the other side is a guard.  Then down
five stairways to a junction room, which will have two or three guards this
time of night.  Go through the doorway on the left as you go into the room.
There is a stairway down.  To the immediate right of the kitchen, there is a
door into the main dining hall."  Carline puts a hand onto Paris's shoulder
to steady her.  "To your left, on the wall, the lord of this manor has
decided to display my late brother's sword, and a bit of gold jewelry that
was very important to him.  I should like not to leave it in their hands."

As this sinks in, she looks around at us, and notices Alessandro.  She adds,
"I don't recall all of your names, but you and your companions are more
important than any items."