Atlantean Bronze - 11
Our heroes approached the Pillars of Hercules with relief, at putting the African coast behind them, and trepidation, as if there was ever a place to ambush a ship, this was it. Kerinos summoned a convocation of eagles and used Beast Sense to see through their eyes as they circled first the northern headland, then the southern. A pryde gryphons resided on the former, and there appeared to be a flight of wyverns on the latter. As his comrades discussed which was the preferable opponent, Kerinos slipped into the ocean as an octopus and noticed a distinct lack of all marine life. Harnessing the giant octopus was also discussed, but rejected.
The group opted for the gryphons. Alexo took up position on the foredeck, Osina and Maia amongst the cargo, and Gialos on the starboard railing. Holgar climbed the mast and Kerinos stood in the stern. The wind was behind them and, as the Ketos scudded across the waves, the pryde indeed launched and came down out of the sun. Osina nonetheless managed to shoot the leader as Alexo raked them with scorching rays and Maia hit it with Faerie Fire. Gialos, meanwhile created a small storm cloud seething with lightning and Kerinos summoned 8 more eagles. Despite the interference, the gryphons all reached the deck and two engaged him, rending him severely. The gryphons attacking Osina and Alexo also hit, as Nebu hid inside an empty amphorae and the crew underneath the fore and aft decks. Holgar responded with an axe, Osina with both daggers. Alexo transported herself to the aft of the ship and fireballed the one she left behind. It also caught Osina's which crashed dead upon the deck.
A steady hail of arrows, amazingly impressive firebolts, sling stones, lightning bolts and eagle attacks swiftly whittled the gryphons down. When the two attacking Holgar thought the better of continuing the melee, Holgar leapt from the mast and slew one in mid-air. Fortunately, it was still over the deck at the time and as they fell, Holgar wrestled the corpse under him and landed upon it with no damage. The fourth retreated, to Osina's great disgust. "Oi, come back with my Hunter's Mark!" Then Alexo's cry rang across the boat.
"A DASTARDLY OF MANTICORES! COMING IN LOW TO PORT!"
For Kerinos' reconnaissance, although thorough, had not taken the possibility of inland patrols into account. Alexo and Osina took cover behind the dead gryphons and the injured were rapidly healed. The eagles were positioned as a first line of defence, with Holgar a close second, and Kerinos cast barkskin on himself.
Osina shot the lead, but the manticores let loose a volley of poisoned tail spikes, bringing down half the eagles. Alexo hit the lead with a firebolt, bringing an expression of annoyance to its weirdly human face. One lightning bolt and attacks by the remaining eagles later, it was dead in the water. As the remainder closed, Holgar took a running leap and called upon the power of his sword. He materialised face to face with the second manticore, stabbed and grappled it in mid air, causing it to look rather surprised.
Then Holgar looked down, and saw the reason for the lack of marine life. There is no collective noun for megalodon.
Seeing the wyverns approaching, Kerinos conjured a moonbeam upon the third manticore, hoping the wyverns would fly into it. The sizzle of arrows, fire and lightning was augmented by a regular boom! As the beam went off, following targets around the ship and accounting for the third manticore. The wyverns swooped across the deck, lashing Osina and Kerinos with their barbed tails. Holgar and his unwilling mount shredded each other with unwise enthusiasm as below, the megalodon opened its jaws.
The braver members of the crew emerged and began rolling a gryphon carcass towards the port railing.
Osina collapsed beneath a wyvern's claws.
Holgar grappled the manitcore's wings and they plunged. At the last possible moment, he let go.
CHOMP
The megalodon's bite did not kill the manticore at once. Its struggles kept the apex predator occupied for long enough that Alexo was able to levitate Holgar out of chomp's way. Healed by Gialos, Osina shot down the wyvern in revenge, and the sole survivor retreated.
"My MARK!"
Ropes were thown to Holgar, as the megalodon chose the fresh gryphon carcass over the Ketos.
In short:
"At the end of our voyage,
Primal Chaos sent to me:
four frazzled gryphons,
three mantichores,
two angry wyverns
and a huge shark, lurking hungrily."
A few, uneventful days later, the Ketos docked in Tartessos.