<br/>We have people weighing in with Cecily first, Randal near the front and Dora (or rather Rodger since Dora is an eagle) behind Randal; since arcane casters usually prefer the rear:<br/>Using formation:<br/>Cecily Randal Rodger Kelsia Toria Kalia(?); Rodger and each horse are Large (10'x10'), single file with 40' intervals in between.<br/><br/><br/><br/>North past the Huntsilver estate, the road was straight and well-kept for its next few miles flanked by farmland; the fertile soil along the Starwater was ardently used by tessellating patches of planted or fallow fields. Dora would know enough about such cycles to recognize that the local farming practices were actually quite aligned with a long view of the soil's health, particularly by human standards,<br/><br/>With each mile the road grew narrower, and overgrown patches became more frequent, especially where it wound closer to the fern-choked riverbanks, thanks either to fewer feet beating down plants or less Crown attention to upkeep or both. Occasionally streams crossed the road to feed into the Starwater just to the left, but a bridge of sure engineering and either straight-cut stone or well-cured wood traversed each.<br/><br/>The columns trees to either side never closed in more narrowly than forty feet apart, but grew taller, and the elevation gradually climbed. At such stretches as the road was straight enough, its open slice between the trees ahead afforded some view of the peaks of the Stormhorns a league or more distant.<br/><br/>Six miles north of the manor, as Cecily's horse traversed the third and narrowest-yet wooden bridge, a column of flame momentarily shrouded and obscured her and her horse from the sight of those behind her - and most of those same compatriots were divine spellcasters who would recognize the evocation usually known as<em>Flamestrike</em>all too well, though none had yet seen or heard whatever had brought it into being.<br/><br/>The road under those allies' horses' hooves would, with almost perfect synchronization, prove itself sufficiently overgrown for yet more magic to erupt; grasses and flower stems writhing and growing long like snakes, seeking to snare horse-hoof and tiger-paw. From above, spontaneous sleet and snow fell from a clear sky, blanketing Randal and Rodger, and rendering icy the ground underhoof and -paw, even as plants reached up through the gathering slush.<br/><br/>The bridge under Cecily's horse gave way quickly - perhaps too quickly - under the heat and flame; the burning animal neighed spastically as it plummeted..<br/><br/>The ambushers or at least some of them, by virtue of their spellcasting antics, could not maintain their stealth much longer: two lizardfolk could be seen clinging high in the trees to the east, green-scaled bipeds with grinning reptilian-snouted faces but bodies well-armed and chain-armored like human foresters. The number of ambush spells used with such synchronized timing would, of course, suggest more sentient beings somewhere else in the vicinity.<br/><br/><br/>The open path is 40' wide between the trees; with the characters centered. In the treed area, movement is half speed, and characters have concealment. Most of these spaces have treees, which average about 60', do not take up their spaces, and provide cover bonuses of +2 AC and +1 Reflex saves.<br/><br/>The spotted lizardmen are in trees, immediately south of the stream, 30' into the forest from the east side of the clear path, and 40' above the forest floor.<br/><br/>Flamestrike (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/flamestrike.htm) @ Cecily and her horse, 21 dmg, Reflex DC 18 half<br/>(Players can do saves etc. for their own horses; see Light Horse stats linked in OOC)<br/>Flamestrike takes out bridge; Cecily and her horse will fall. The gorge is 20' wide and 20' deep. The water at the bottom (no falling damage) is 10' deep, has a 30'/west current, and a Swim DC 10. The walls of the gorge have a climb DC of 15. 300' to the west, he stream opens into the Starwater River. The gorge appears to gradually get shallower (less high walls) to the west, and higher to the east (upstream).<br/><br/>Sleet Storm (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/sleetstorm.htm) at  Randal/horse and Rodger (Dora is above all this in eagle form)<br/><br/>Entangle (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/entangle.htm) at Randal/horse and Rodger, Reflex DC 13.<br/><br/>Entangle (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/entangle.htm) at Kelsie/horse and Toria/horse, Reflex DC 13.<br/><br/>(only those in contact with the ground are subject to Entangle - i.e. the mounts. Each affected horse or tiger is 10' from the nearest edge of an Entangle. The Sleet Storm overlaps with the first Entangle.)<br/><br/>End surprise round<br/><br/>Llzardmen initiative roll 17<br/><br/>Please make initiative rolls<br/>(and post whatever you want but if its <17 more may happen first - as always, you would be free to change your mind about your first turn in response to that, if your first turn is after it)<br/>IIRC there is a rule that mounts can use their riders' initiative to act on (note that Rodger is not currently a mount and will have his own)