One efreeti is dangerous. Three efreet are a fiery nightmare.
After a prolonged and spectacular aerial battle high over the slums of Sayr Ulan, the largest city in the Kingdom of Sind, three young griffon riders, their salty new acquaintance Torsten, and his temperamental griffon Skritch have only just managed to defeat one of three efreet chasing them. The two larger efreet are showing no signs of giving up in spite of the defeat of their smaller companion.
As efreet are lethal in close range melee, the griffon riders opt to keep them at a distance and blast away at them with whatever mid to long-range spells the riders have to hand. Torsten turns out to be very handy with a longbow. The griffons have the advantage in flight speed, but the efreet outclass the griffons in aerial maneuverability.
The efreet are not without ranged spells of their own, and the griffon riders take damage from tight bursts of flame hurled in their direction. The efreet are careful not to injure the griffons, as they want these already trained griffons alive and relatively unharmed. The efreet want griffons of their own so they can join the Order of the Fiery Heart, a griffon flight for efreet nobles garrisoned in the City of Brass on the Elemental Plane of Fire.
Weary from the hard-pressed and unrelenting attack, the griffon riders are considering their options when another efreeti appears in the midst of the battle. That is enough to convince the riders to flee away from Sayr Ulan and out towards an oasis visible in the far distance. Even though Alessandro is convinced this efreeti is a Major Image cast by one of the other efreet, he has Auster fly hard and fast after the other griffons and their riders.
The four riders and their griffons make it safely to the oasis village of Uttarlaya, 16 miles west of Sayr Ulan. Here they take a short rest, knowing full well the remaining efreet will find them again soon. Perhaps there may be something useful in the defeated efreeti’s looted gear.