Nevill said:
Fangshi, if we wanted a spell to blast the crows out of the sky, what are our options? Did we recognize the lightning spell Nanshe used? Is there something like this among the conventional spells? I figured our eagles would appreciate it if we decimated the crow population before letting them operate.
Your options to try and hit the crows:
Derryth and Thaïs are not really built to take on large groups (in the hundreds). Neither one has an AOE spell that causes actual physical damage so killing enough crows to make a difference could be quite difficult.
Derryth: Assault and Mass Assault could drop one or a small group respectively. Compulsion and Suggestion might also do some harm if you could get them to fight each other but you would be targeting individual birds and small groups only. Magical Zap could probably drop crows if you aimed right. Firebolt and Energy Bolt definitely could if you could hit them with it though again that is one crow at a time.
Thaïs: She has much the same spell list as you do so she is bound by the same limitations. Greater Energy Bolt is good against a single strong target but it is not an area spell so it would do her little good.
Now Lyssa may actually have a few things that could help:
Lyssa: Some of her illusions could probably trick the crows into getting themselves killed or at least fleeing and a powerful enough illusion might even get them to clear off for a while. Crows are quite intelligent and these cows are more intelligent than most but they are definitely easier targets than fully 'sentient' species like humans, dwarves, mauls or ghôls. Her Strong Wind and Freezing Wind spells could also likely harm a number of crows in a single casting but Lyssa would tire quickly. She could also try to 'win the over' with her animal based spells but you can vaguely tell that there is magic at work there so you are hesitant to invest the time and resources necessary to convert the crows.
Now aside from your mages you do have a couple resources to consider in the mid to long term.
The spells you received from Nanshe might contain something and you also have that elemental spellbook. The Spellbook does not have a index or anything so you would just have to open it to a random page and see what you get if you wanted to use it without careful study.
If you give Berty the task and some time and resources he might also be able to create something to use against the crows but it is doubtful he could do too much in the next couple of hours.
Nevill said:
By the way, can our eagles cast spells from the rings? I remember it was said anyone could cast from them even without a proper magical training. I have some nasty plans.
As long as the instructions you give them are specific and simple they should be able to manage it. So sure you can equip the rings on the eagles and make
laser 'energy bolt throwing' eagles.
Just be aware that there are only two eagles and hundreds of crows, if you are not careful you could lose an eagle or two and one or both of your rings.