Volant IRC Game Highlights

My Wednesday night Volant IRC game went off wonderfully, The bat riders of The Raft had captured one of the NPCs in an engagement which left Aelia unconscious, though her bird got her away and back to the camp. They suspected they had taken the prisoner to one of their camps - this one on a fragment, with tents and a hastily built log bat barn - that Tyss and Karvan had sighted.

They selected Karvan and Lorah to sneak in and free the captive Farise, giving them invisibility potions. Peerless Leader Roy would throw fire bundles on the roof of the bat barn, while Tyss and Aelia distracted the batriders. Vegred would stay behind and guard the camp and pack birds.

Karvan and Lorah rode in low, barely over treetop level, while Roy, Tyss and Aelia came in very high. They sighted two sentries - huge two man bats with a pilot and a crossbowman in back. Roy dived right between them on Oundateka, his Maribou Stork, while Aelia and Tyss each dove on the guard bats, taking out the pilots in each case. One raced away, without a controlling hand, while the other dove after Oundateka with a screech.

Roy tossed fire bundles onto the roof of the bat barn as he zoomed past. The roof blossomed with flame as the the pursuing bat flew over. screeching to wake the devil. Men piled out of their tents and ran to save the bat barn. Roy did a wingover and flew back over the barn and away, tossing on more fire bundles as he went, the pilotless bat following.

Meanwhile, Karvan and Lorah flew up from underneath the fragment and came over the lip of the fragment, draining their vials of invisibility potion. The dove off their birds as they went over the lip, but Karvan landed badly, spraining an ankle and arm in the fall, and getting cut up. Lorah and he found each other, not easy when you are invisible, and - hand in hand for safety - slipped into the enemy camp.

Tyss was magnificent as she used her bow to deny the batriders access to the burning bat barn, now filled with screaming, panicking bats. Despite having little skill with the bow, she used a maneuver most effectively, and drove them into cover. Aelia tried to toss more fire bundles onto the roof, but failed - Aelia having the coordination of a drunken bear.

Karvan and Lorah slit the fabric of a large, guarded tent at the rear, and slipped inside, but there was a guard there, along with five naked, trussed up, and gagged women, one of which was Farise. The guard did not see the invisible two slip in, but saw the slits appear in the back wall, and was ready. Lorah loudly whispered to Farise, attracting the guard's attention, while Karvan used a side kick maneuver to bring him down. Lorah took out the guard at the front with a sneak attack, while Karvan decided to rescue all the women.

The bat who had pursued Roy returned. The Bowman had managed to crawl into the forward saddle and get control. He was diving on Tyss and her raven Bertok, when Aelia and Rinne slammed into him and killed him.

The bats in the burning barn were screaming, and smashing themselves against the door and walls trying to get out, as the bat riders finally worked around through cover to free them. When they opened the door, though, the fire-maddened bats just burst out and flew away. Three riders were all that were able to swing themselves on board a bat, bareback, and go after Tyss.

Tyss, however, was riding Bertok, a raven, who was smarter, faster, and could fly higher than the bats. Together they led the bats a merry chase as the remaining bat riders tried to put out the burning barn. Meanwhile Aelia landed with Rinne, her woodpecker, and carried off two of the women with her, Rinne being a big, hearty bird. Karvan and Lorah took the other women and they dove off the fragment and away.

Fun times!