Aria was once again impressed with the gold dragon construct's sheer speed, and she actually found the humming of the air against the wings pleasant. The native woman, meanwhile, was stunned into silence and stillness; she'd probably never been airborne before, Aria realized, and any creature the general size and shape of Volera had been a threat (like the rainbow dragon they'd just slain, and this apparent other black-scaled one).<br/><br/>Aria was practically thankful for Volera's speed as well - surely enough to outpace a man or jaguar or anything in between. Fortunately, the stream the woman suspected they'd followed was visible from the air, despite the overhanging large-leaved rainforest trees - and more than a few colorful tropical birds scattered away as Volera passed overhead.<br/><br/>After several miles the air lit up all at once, blinding-bright, as if for one instant the sun itself were amidst them. Aria found herself reflexively throwing a forearm across her eyes and leaning so far in the saddle she was hanging down one side of Volera, using a wing for cover.<br/><br/>As the light dissipated after an eyeblink, the air became blustery rather than bright - leaves whipped up and swirled around them from the jungle canopy just below; they were in their own little tornado! This effect persisted rather than passing in an eyeblink, and Aria found herself once again reacting reflexively, this time pinching the saddle with her thighs to keep from being blown away into the open air.<br/><br/>The Maztican woman, meanwhile, screamed as the sunburst burned deep into her flesh, leaving her reddened and blackened. The wind them picked up her bodily, and a horrible snapping sound echoed from her neck and spine as it spun her about in the evoked whirlwind.<br/><br/>Ahead, in the open slice in the jungle canopy formed by the partially-overhung stream, the source of these not-entirely-natural effects could be glimpsed (Aria only wished she had done do<em>before</em>being glimpsed!) Two slender women radiating almost elf-like beauty were just lowering graceful arms from flowing motions, having almost certain spellcast and been the originators of the phenomena. Although each was barebreasted and nearly naked, she wore a loincloth and patchwork of skins and feathers and pouches, and jewelry of jade and gold. Kass would guess from their figure and faces that these were fey, and in fact nymphs, although such aggression was unusual for such creatures.<br/><br/>Behind them, six others stood in the stream: men of the same ethnic features as the villagers, with caramel skin and smoldering dark eyes and long shining black hair, yet each sported musculature of upper and lower body alike which in any other circumstances would've had Aria salivating and tail-twitching. For they were also loinclothed and shirtless, yet wore eagle-feather cloaks of white, which even sported beaked hoods, and were strapped about with hide bracers and with primitive but powerful looking bows, arrows, and javelins.<br/><br/>Four of the men were facing upstream, watching the fifth and sixth: each of whom stood before a kneeling and far less powerful looking human, one a youthful male and the other a slim female counterpart, wrists bound behind their lower backs. The feather-cloaked men had the youth's heads in claw-like grips, and each was forcing one to perform orally, ramming a distended organ between stretched lips again and again. The other four men were laughing and slapping one another's shoulders, and making comments (which Aria was fine with not being able to comprehend from this distance).<br/><br/>At the cries of the two nymphs, though, the men began to turn about, or extricate their phalluses from the mouths of their captives,<br/><br/>Then, they began to change. Fur seemed to sprout right through their pores, an a gold and black spotting pattern. Their strong hands became great paws, with feline claws slashing out, and their lower faces distended into the maws of jaguars. Their limbs extended, and swelled; each stood somewhat hunched, as if ready to go on all fours, but otherwise nearly the height of hill giants, yet far leaner. They were, Kass would recognize, lycanthropes.<br/><br/><br/><br/>Flying altitude of 60' (10' above treetops)<br/>Spotted distance 570'<br/>Stream is 40' wide, water is about 1 foot deep (3/4ths move speed)<br/><br/>NPC surprise round:<br/>nymph casts Sunburst (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/sunburst.htm), 26 damage and blinded, Reflex DC 28 negates blindness and halves damage (evasion applies)<br/>nymph casts Whirlwind (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/whirlwind.htm), 13 damage, Reflex DC 28 negates...if fail, make a second save or be suspended in air (Volera immune to both b/c of size)<br/>6 werejaguars shift to hybrid form (Large; the 'row' below is 4 of thm)<br/><br/>Aria reflex rolls 19 and 15, makes both<br/>woman fails both, dead<br/><br/>Initiative<br/>Aria 35<br/>NPCs 27<br/>Kass 11<br/>Volera 5<br/><br/>H = human captive<br/>J = werejaguar<br/>N = nymph<br/>V = Volera (mounted chars share spaces)<br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: courier;"><br/>J J H - - H J J<br/>J J - - - - J J <br/>- - - - - - - -<br/>J J J J J J J J <br/>J J J J J J J J<br/>- - - - - - - -<br/>- - N - - N - - <br/>~<br/>~ (570' of distance)<br/>~<br/>- - V V V - - -<br/>- - V V V - - -<br/>- - V V V - - -</span>