4 Flamerule, 1368: Wolves at the Door

7am
After breakfast and checking supplies, the party walks north on a trail toward the Dagger Hills, following the map to Shandar's tower site.

Noon
As the sun reaches its zenith, the party stops for a lunch of dry rations eaten along the trail.

Just as people start in, a pack of four wolves--attracted by the smell of food--bound over the stone wall. The party, wary in the wilderness, is not surprised and quickly launch a counter-attack. Stago hits one of the wolves with a bullet from his sling even as two other wolves strike Elessaria. Smarting from the gash torn in her arm, even at point-blank range her arrow thunks into the ground instead of one of the ravening beasts. The fourth wolf manages to sink fangs into Stago's shoulder.

Even the cats and dogs join the defense of the party, though with little success at first. Merle lands a forceful kick into the growling maw of one of the wolves. Soon everyone is involved in the fighting. Tick-a-Tick deals devastating blows on the wolves.

"How flammable is a wolf? Let's find out, shall we?" Stago says, and casts burning hands at the nearest beast. Tick-a-Tick pounds away at a still burning and smoking wolf while another clamps teeth down on Nugget. Selina stabs the wolf with her cat in its mouth with her knife, bringing it down. Stago hits another with his sling even it bites down on Elessaria. Routunious makes it to the elf in time to cast a heal upon her.

"I guess a wolf doesn't burn very long after all!" Stago observed, as he, Miss Kitty, Spike, and Tick-a-Tick all attack the smoldering wolf. It goes down and Stago slits its throat with his dagger.

Merle is bitten hard by another wolf, Fido leaps to her aid. Routnious hits the same wolf with one of his throwing knives. Spike joins the fight with the wolf attacking Merle and it goes down. All the wolves are dispatched and their heads removed, then knives and bullets are collected for future use.

Routunious gives Elessaria a draught of Extra Healing potion. Merle drinks as well. Stago drinks a dose. Routunious appplies healing and herbalism proficiencies for further aid, and the party is little the worse for the attack. Heads are buried under a stone cairn to be recovered on the return trip for the bounty, and Stago prepares a hot lunch of wolfmeat roasted over the campfire for those so inclined.

After lunch, the party gets underway again.

6pm
Before sunset, the party chooses a campsite near a ruined stone wall and begins setting up their tents.

8pm
The watch hears birds and are surprised to find that the birds are in fact stirges. They buzz the dogs and knock Stago off the stone wall. Next, the dogs and Stago are
hit by the winged monsters which then stab their victims with long probiscus-like beaks and begin drinking their blood.

Elessaria fires an arrow and hits the stirge on Stago, knocking it unconscious. Merle kicks stirge on Spike, also dealing a grievous injury.

Stago hits Fido's stirge with a sling-bullet and also knocks it out. Merle and Elessaria remove the bloodsuckers from the dogs and gnome.

The party retired after the stirge attack and Tick-A-Tick held watch through the night. Stago and the dogs were the only ones wounded by the stirges. As a night of sleep recovers 1hp, Stago elects not to drink any healing potions.