The PCs assist the remaining Flaxwall villagers in putting out whatever flames remain from the encounter with the invisible skycraft, and then Kneebro leaves the Hunt to help others escape to a safe place with some cover. Soon, Mamma Boe, Skitti and Un'krug arrive from Briar's Edge to rejoin the rest of the group. The Hunt debates whether to follow the fleeting vehicle or to press on and extinguish the fourth of the Scunj altars at the Ayrie of the Ancients. It is decided to do the latter, so the group marches southward towards the mountain, eventually crossing into the one area of the Plateau where the sky still seems...'natural'. As they arrive at the Ayrie, Mamma Boe and High Hood Lavener decide to fly up on her ladle of flying and get a head start dismantling the southern altar, while the rest slowly ascend the mountainside.
When they arrive at the Lair of 'Saurvax' and the old monastery, they find it abandoned. They enter the cavern and take some precautions, Boe animating skeletons from the prison cavern and then setting them to watch the back ledge near the Scunj research corridor. High Hood eventually gets the job done, getting faster at disarming the light patterns on the altar since he's already done it three prior times. The last chunk of 'natural' sky blinks over to the strange, alien star patterns that now blanket the rest of the Plateau. Out on the ascent, Gatespur of Cleftown notices a strange, spiraling pattern of lights in the sky near the south of the Whipwater Plain. Once Boe and High Hood have flown back to the main Hunt safely, they decide to head towards the source of the spiraling light. They march half way to their destination before going on watch. Flearikz scales a tree in the Verdant, and notices a dim, burning light coming from far to the West, which Slakethirst confirms must be the Place-of-Scales under attack from one of the mysterious airships. Bandana Jakk notices another burst of spiraling light from the North.
Hathun, Third-Week, Fourth-Day, The Now-Year
With news that yet another village is burning, the PCs decide they will break for the Court-of-Crows and mount some sort of last stand should it be assaulted from the air. However, the location where the strange lights were active is en route, and they will check that out first. After several more hours of traveling through the now-endless-twilight, through which bats and animals scurry about in utter confusion, they cross over from the Verdant, and are halted when they find a hallowed out hill that none had ever seen before...right where the origin of the lights was presumed. Part of the hill has been converted into some sort of fortress, with large energy projection weapons set up for defense, and 'manned' by what appear to be a number of Scunj soldiers. Before the Hunt can get its bearings, they are spotted, and thus attempt to siege the structure!
Soon, the Scunj have unleashed to packs of creatures, raptors and sabertooth tigers, which appear to have some sort of alien machinery embedded into them that affects their behavior. Beyond that, a small warband of Scunj shock troops and officers move to defend the once-hidden fortress, several mounting and firing off the large energy cannons set along the wall on platforms. Several of the PCs grab warriors and dimension door up onto the ramparts, while the main body stays out on the clearing south of the fort, dealing with the waves of altered creatures and Scunj soldiers that rush out to meet them. Mamma Boe casts a fog cloud to make it harder for the cannon manners, and a deadly melee breaks out on part of the fort's terraces. Yukkbutt realizes with dismay that the shock troops are wearing thicker suits of the 'plastic' armor which can absorb impact from bludgeoning weapons, while Slakethirst transforms into a brontosaurus, just inside the gate, with the intent to wreak havoc behind the wall!
Below, on the Plain, Mamma Boe and the Hunt's archers unleash pain about the raptors and sabertooths, but the Scunj troopers start concentrating the fire of their blast lances, which proves deadly to the elf warrior Sharps. As the battle goes into full froth, the PCs are surprised when one of the stealthed skyships appears and attempts to vaporize a group of the Hunt, eliminating K'gug the Tall! Can they prevail against such overwhelming odds, even with the enhanced might of the Long Hunt? The fight for the Cleft Plateau rages on towards its conclusion...
Long Hunt Casualties: K'Gug the Tall (slain), Sharps (slain), Kneebro (exits Hunt)
PCs: Borracho, Flearikz, Greech, Mamma Boe, Slakethirst, Vraal, Yukkbutt, Za'ku
XP Rewarded: 5000
Inspiration: --
Renown: --
