​​Return to the Smelly Gnoll Hole

The party awakes the next day, has a big breakfast and leaves for the gnoll cave. Their goals are to rid the town of the gnoll threat and to learn the fate of their two missing men.

​​After a full day’s travel, they camp overnight and get back on their way at dawn. It is midday when they know they must be within an hour of the location. They slow their approach and cautiously peek over any ridge they find. Soon, they are close enough to see a larger force protecting the hills near the shore.

Two hunters are atop each of the two hills with four spear-wielding gnolls plus one feral one guarding their bases. The two hunters, three spear-wielders, and one feral gnoll are also still positioned near the shore.

They duck back down and decide to stay out of sight by traveling to the north then around to the coast. This way, when they approach from the north along the shore, the large cave opening will stand between them and the gnolls. To be safe, they cast Pass Without Trace to ensure they can’t be tracked.

They traverse the rocky ground for a few hours and finally reach their destination as the sun is setting. The edge around the rocky cave entrance and find it to be fairly wide with a rickety wooden boardwalk around the rocky edge of the cave. The rowboats are docked just as Duncann had described, and each contains a pair of oars inside. But the cave does not have an obvious entrance.

Duncann points and motions downward and whispers that the tunnel is underwater. The rest of the team nods. They all submerge themselves silently except Lucian, who spends a few extra moments next to one of the rowboats. He fishes through his bag for some tinder and places it inside one of the rowboats. His intention is to summon a bonfire as they make their exit in the other rowboat. He wraps up quickly then joins his friends.

Just as they are all about to submerge themselves, Artair raises his hand for them to stop. He whispers that he and Duncann should make sure it’s clear enough before they all go at once. This makes sense as Artair will be able to keep them stealthy, and Duncann is the only one that’s actually been down there.

Duncann and Artair traverse the underwater tunnels, and emerge at the location where Duncann had put on his show for the gnolls. This time, no one was there. They peek out a little more to peer into the room where the fabric had been stored. No one. Maybe this is why there was such a presence on the surface.

They re-enter the tunnels and make their way to the other pool. Here they can see down a long tunnel southward. They peek around the corner eastward and can see the back of one gnoll all the way at the end. It looks like it opens to another room. What else are they hiding down here?

They rejoin their friends by the dock and decide they should go to the pool where Duncann became the dolphin. They all silently step out of the pool and explore some of the immediate offshoots of the cave system. Nothing. No one. They make their way towards the ladder where they’d entered on their first tour.

They strongly consider setting fire to the ladder but decide against it in favor of remaining stealthy. They enter the intersection where they’d first found that gnoll guard. Two branches of tunnels leave this intersection: to the north and to the east.

To the north they can tell there are two offshoots to the right side before reaching the end of the tunnel, where the other pool is. To the east, there is an offshoot to the left, then a small chamber with three gnolls. The tunnel continues beyond the chamber and curves to the left.

They decide to travel northward first. They slowly walk towards the first offshoot. Gnolls can be heard coughing and grunting at each other. They seem to be almost jovial. Lucian peeks around the corner to see three gnolls drinking, smoking, and just screwing around. They are clearly not at their post. Perfect.

Draven looks at his allies. It’s go time.

Surprise Mothfuckas!​

They rush in silently, and kill one before they even know what is happening. They attempt to fight back, but their weapons are not at the ready – and neither are their minds. The first is taken down by Artair’s bite; he rips the poor creature’s throat out. The second by Draven’s claws; he slashes through the gnolls rib cage, dislodges a rib, and flails it towards the last remaining gnoll, stabbing him in the eye. The third by Duncann’s spear.  You may have heard about “sticking them with the pointy end,” but that’s not Duncann’s style. No. He uses the butt of the weapon, gnarls it with Shillelagh, then rams the gnoll hard against the wall and forcing the knotted weapon through the gnoll’s thick flesh.

Though the Roots take some minor hits in this scuffle, they prevail with the hope they’d not made too much noise.

This little alcove exits to the south, but it also has a little cubby to the east. That cubby has two-foot-wide gaps: one leading north, the other leading east. They are too small for any of the party to get through except Duncann.

The party splits. Duncann follows the narrow eastern gap while the others follow the tunnel south then east. They rush the three gnolls standing on low-alert guard.

Draven tears into one of them with acid claws. Lucian taps him with Frostbite. The creature thaws quickly and stabs Draven with his spear. Lucian follows up with another round of Frostbite. The creature’s extremities turn black as its eyes roll back into its head.

Duncann squeezes through the crevasse and peeks his head to the left, northward, and sees a few gnolls in a larger room. Knowing his allies are to the south, and suddenly tuned in to a soft scuffle, he charges southward and knocks into the frozen gnoll. It tips over and falls to the ground with a thud.

One of the remaining two gnolls calls out. Artiar and Draven claw it, and Lucian touches him with Frostbite. Similar to the first, the gnoll’s extremities blacken, but this one’s tongue rolls out of its mouth. Duncann stabs at the creature with his staff, tipping this one over too.

Artair sends a puff of noxious gas from his palm into the third gnoll’s face. Through the cloud of gas, a gnarled staff grazes the creature’s face. This angers and infuriates it, and it tries to claw whatever almost struck him. Because Duncann is a little guy though, he only manages to dissipate the gas cloud. Draven bites him with a loud crunch. The gnoll falls to the ground in a heap.

More must be coming. This was not a quiet encounter.

Surprise is Not Persistent…

Lucian peeks around the corner to see a bunch of them heading their way through the northward tunnel. It doesn’t look like the gnolls have seen them quite yet, but they definitely know something’s up.

Lucian tosses a Moonbeam down on the ground just ahead of the lead gnoll. The first gnoll steps into the light before he even realizes it’s there and is suddenly engulfed in white flames. It’s then smacked in the face with a bullet from Duncann’s sling. It lets out a loud “GAWWW!” The sound is followed by a cacophony of grunts afterward. The lead gnoll rushes forward, clearly seeing Artair and Duncann.

Each of the gnolls behind rush forward with nowhere else to go but through the moonbeam, and each is engulfed in white flames as they pass through.

As the lead gnoll approaches the group, it notices Lucian and Draven. Seeing as Draven is actually closest, he is the gnoll’s focus. The line of the gnolls are backed up through the tunnel, leaving one unlucky bastard to stand still in the Moonbeam.

They realize that although the eastward tunnel is still empty, it probably won’t be for long. It’s time they start making for an exit through the westward tunnel. This plan is forced into action when they hear a couple of the more feral gnolls near the back of the line of gnolls.

Draven summons a bonfire in the middle of the line, causing them to tumble and jump into one another and slowing their progress. Lucian moves his Moonbeam to the front of the line, hoping to make the gnolls stop following them at best, or at worst, make them easier to defeat if they proceed through it.

Artair sends another spray of poisonous gas at the gnoll just in front of him. The creature coughs, but seems still ready for the fight. He makes some space between the gnolls and himself. The rest of them will need to squeeze past each other as they make their way through the tunnels, but not Duncann; this little guy may not be able to run as fast, but he can easily move past all of them without slowing down.

The party continue down the tunnel with Lucian moving the Moonbeam to the leader of the line each chance he gets and Draven moving his bonfire just behind the leader. The gnolls push on, by a combination of continuous pressure from the rear and pure stupidity.

As the lesser spear-wielding gnolls are killed by the Moonbeam, bonfire, and other attacks by the party, the hunters get a better line of sight. When struck by their arrows, it hobbles them slightly, making their getaway more difficult. The Roots continue to cut them down one by one while taking their fair share of hits themselves.

Eventually, the party makes it to the northmost pool. A clear escape path through the underwater tunnel, but they are going to stand their ground as long as possible. Artair summons a beast to help fight and between that beast, the Moonbeam, the bonfires, and everything they can muster themselves, they manage to kill all of the most feral creatures and a few more of the spear wielders.

Many of the gnolls they’d seen earlier were now coming into view at the end of the long southward tunnel: four each of the hunters and spear-wielders plus one gnawer. They rush towards the party. A few of the hunters at the end of the tunnel loose arrows that strike Draven.

They decide it’s time to fall back. Immediately. Draven is the first in the water followed by Duncann. 

Before Lucian is able to jump, one of the gnolls is within 10 feet of him. Lucian turns toward the gnoll and fires a Guiding Bolt into its mouth. Its head glows a bright white then red. Just as it dims, the creature’s eyes brighten with blasts of white light for a brief moment. The creature’s momentum carries it forward to land at Lucian’s feet, sliding past Artair. Just as Lucian is about to enter the water, he is struck by an arrow and falls against the wall. Artair fends off one of the spear-wielders and is expecting to have to carry Lucian through the tunnels. Just as he neds down to lift him, Lucian’s eyes pop wide open and he gasps for breath.

Artair rolls him into the water and jumps in after him just as an arrow sails through the space where Artair had just been.

Draven in front, he leads the party through the tunnel.

Will he take them to the cave entrance or to the pool where Duncann became the dolphin?​

We end this session in the evening of Day 681, each of them 1100 XP richer and in poor health.