While traveling through the West, the party saw a group of large black birds, probably karfu. That night, they were attacked by a combination of invisible and flying foes designed to lure Ganeth (our high-profile Mr. Mobility and Dr. Detection) into harm's way. The bad guys included a diseased-looking humanoid that created a noxious cloud when killed, a small invis birdlike creature that dissolved into an acidic stinking cloud (similar to the critter G killed by the gnome's shelter in the Banditlands), three manes (who intrinsically explode when they die, continuing the theme), a much nastier demon that merely looked like a manes (who was dispelled by Silvana before it could say why it was there or explode, though it was pretty clearly focused on G), and a kenku mage/thief (who didn't explode, just for the record). The party later learned that kenku have been seen around Lord Rogash's keep, where they've been telling people pathetically obvious lies and flying off before they could be captured.
En route to Chthul-Ra, the party flew over a group of owlbears and three humans heading west. They ditched the cloud ship and attacked, killing the human priest and a bunch of owlbears and capturing the human archer and mage (who calls herself Xagye Rushkita). The owlbears turned out to be constructs that turned into sludge when they were killed; each of the sludge piles held a cat's eye gem. According to Xagye, the owlbears were being delivered to Modna the Malevolent, an "ex-Silverton ex-vampire mage" whose description could also fit the Pentat representative; the constructs were eventually going to be used to help delay the Western army. Xagye also noted that the owlbear convoy had been attacked by a group of kenku, including a kenku mage and a kenku kensai, before the party came raining down on it.