Dolgrym fires off one of his Toppling Magic Missles, to try and slow the gnoll's retreat. He then moves forward 20', hoping to fire off another one next round, if the gnoll continued to flee.
Damage
Trip check
The 14 damage from MM #1 and Khepri's arrow have not yet dropped it...
Khepri takes another shot when he can (Assuming he does will do his next attack at -4 for Range)
Dolgrym again fires a bolt of arcane energy at the gnoll, hoping to knock it off balance for the others to pounce on.
Damage
Trip Attempt
"Up camels! Hi-yi up!'
Love continues to ready the camp for a rapid evacuation.
Dolgrym again fires a bolt of arcane energy at the gnoll, hoping to knock it off balance for the others to pounce on.
Damage 2d4 +2
Trip Attempt 1d20 + 6
"Nice shot Dolgrym!"
The gnoll and hyena make good their escape from the party as Love busies himself making the camel ready for travel.
Padrym sighs as the gnoll makes his escape.
"They were fleeing us Love, they knew we were here. Trying to stop them was our best and only option. Bu you are correct, we need to move now."
"Yep, they will soon know our general location. We'd best get moving as quickly as possible. I suppose this would probably be an appropriate time to update Sangvit about our detour, though." Dolgrym then uses the Raven bracer to send a missive that due to the rockslide a detour had to be taken closer to gnoll territory.
"Yep, they will soon know our general location. We'd best get moving as quickly as possible. I suppose this would probably be an appropriate time to update Sangvit about our detour, though." Dolgrym then uses the Raven bracer to send a missive that due to the rockslide a detour had to be taken closer to gnoll territory.
"They will know our exact location and be on our trail. Thrice dammed hyenas."
Love secures the last water-skin to a rather annoyed camel
"I don't know how long it will them to organize a war party. Hopefully there are no young bucks looking to prove themselves. If they take it careful and send a scout in to verify things it will buy us more time. A group of blood-hungry youngsters will just tear off and run us down before we can reach that cave."
"Well, that's that. Time to move?"
The one two days behind you where you sheltered the storm? - or a different one?
I suggest we keep moving. If we sneak in the direction of the gnoll camp they may pass us by on the way to catch us. They'll never expect us to head straight towards them."
I suggest we keep moving. If we sneak in the direction of the gnoll camp they may pass us by on the way to catch us. They'll never expect us to head straight towards them."
"I too think we should go towards them."
"Do any of you happen to know how well gnolls see in the dark? Also, for a night march, Khepri might not be our best choice for the front line."
"Towards them? Are you mad? All we would be doing is saving them a walk. Have you seen the trail we are leaving? A four year old child could track us."
But maybe I am mad, you are a far better fighter than I so perhaps I don't understand. How would you deal with, say a band of fifteen, twenty Gnolls with a dozen cats for support. Remember we are on an exposed trail and if they kill the camels we loose most of our supplies. Remember also that they have the troops to harry us all day and all night.
I may be mad but I do not see how pressing further into their territory without their cooperation leads to happy ending."
"Ah well, you're a better talker than I am, how would you negotiate with 100 gnolls and a thousand cats then? Do you see a better way forwards? In case you've forgotten we need to take care of these gnolls one way or the other, but we need to make it to the meeting spot first. Does losing 2 or 3 days to explore a cave we didn't explore 2 days ago make sense? We are in their territory, and now we need to leave it as quickly as possible. If we go back two days and that cave leads nowhere then we are not only trapped by gnolls but we will have failed! How are you going to get the camels into a cave anyway?"
Padrym's voice swings from impassioned to angry to pleading as he finishes his rant, before turning and walking to the edge of the hollow, looking into the distance towards where the gnoll fled.
"Ah well, you're a better talker than I am, how would you negotiate with 100 gnolls and a thousand cats then? Do you see a better way forwards? In case you've forgotten we need to take care of these gnolls one way or the other, but we need to make it to the meeting spot first. Does losing 2 or 3 days to explore a cave we didn't explore 2 days ago make sense? We are in their territory, and now we need to leave it as quickly as possible. If we go back two days and that cave leads nowhere then we are not only trapped by gnolls but we will have failed! How are you going to get the camels into a cave anyway?"
Padrym's voice swings from impassioned to angry to pleading as he finishes his rant, before turning and walking to the edge of the hollow, looking into the distance towards where the gnoll fled.
"The cave is outside their territory. That is why the hunters were using it. The gnolls are less likely to follow if we leave their land. But if they do there is only one good path to the cave mouth. We could hold that aginst a hundred gnolls.
Heck the landslide is likely outside their territory. We could head back there and try the unknown southern route. My only point is that they know we are here and a threat should they return in force we will be overcome and eaten. This is why I argued against splitting forces in the beginning. A tribe that might not want to try it's strength against a large caravan will be quite happy to attack us.But you are the warrior and I a thief. As a thief I propose tucking our collective tail and running to saftey and trying another way. As a warrior do you propose attacking the entire tribe? Or do you have a different plan?"
"You find offense where there is none, Love. This is not the difference between a warrior and a thief. I am perfectly capable of reasoning out my actions despite knowing how to swing an axe, and you'd do well to remember that the next time you attempt to build a scarecrow from my proposals."
Padrym continues to stare into the distance.
"I will go no further back than the rock slide. Your idea to take the southern route has the merit of being a compromise that increases our safety without costing the time we would lose going all the way back to the cave."
Padrym speaks this last with a conciliatory tone, though it is clear to all he has compromised as much as he is willing.
"No offence taken or intended. Just trying to provide options. Why I'm here really. Southern path sounds good. Worst case making a stand on top of that scree pile would give us a nice advantage."
Love holds out his hand, "We good?"
Padrym takes Love's arm in the manner of warriors.
"We're good Love. I've been told I'm young and reckless, so I value your opinion being different than mine. It doesn't help that Magatha here really wants to get to Tar-Urkatha."
Female voice: Are we done bonding now? Can we move a little faster?
"No offence taken or intended. Just trying to provide options. Why I'm here really. Southern path sounds good. Worst case making a stand on top of that scree pile would give us a nice advantage."
Love holds out his hand, "We good?"
"South path sounds good to me as well. Our first priority is to get to the mines. I wouldn't mind bloodying the gnolls a little bit as well if possible, but avoiding anything that isn't to our advantage makes sense."
"If we could have dropped that gnoll before he got back to the others, I would have agreed that pressing forward would have been the favored path. However, with his surviving, the odds have changed, and the whole tribe will no doubt be on alert now. Prudence dictates we should regroup, and try a different path, as stealth is no longer on our side."
This would be more amusing if not for the imminent danger.... "But haste is called for; I would prefer that we were long gone before the rest of the tribe comes calling, and though you dwarves can march slowly forever I am not so hale. How far are we from the gnoll notation on the map?"
This would be more amusing if not for the imminent danger.... "But haste is called for; I would prefer that we were long gone before the rest of the tribe comes calling, and though you dwarves can march slowly forever I am not so hale. How far are we from the gnoll notation on the map?"
"Less than two days at least. That Gnoll was not carrying much in the way of supplies."
"Come on everyone, faster we leave, safer we are."
To Cynara. "Aw don't sell yourself short Legs. You'll walk us all into the dust."
"But the gnoll also had several hyenas, who could presumably bring it food they had caught."
The party gathers their belongings and begins the trek back the way they have came. Eyes ranging behind them and ears pricked for hyena call, though the pressing darkness makes it difficult to be certain if they are being followed or not.
The party presses on with speed through most of the night and takes a short rest before daybreak. Furtive glances behind you on the trail yield neither comfort nor unease as you see no signs of being followed. You force march through the next day and are soon approaching the rockslide once more.
During the march, the magical raven returns from Stonebrow with an acknowledgement of your missive as well as stating that they are travelling slowly but with purpose.
Approaching the scree-fall in the early twilight you see that the pass remains blocked.
Perception
Dolgrym is pleased with the speed of the retreat. Only when the group gets back to their original position at the rockslide, does he begin to relax. "I doubt the gnolls will push this far from home. Now we just need to figure out what else is out there."
"It's unfortunate we had to turn aside so soon. I hope we can make up the time on the southern pass."
We will get there Magatha, do not doubt it.
Perception check:
Love Perception:
Feigr Perception:
Love spots some tracks on the ground leading up to the scree.
There are jackalwere tracks at the base of the rockfall. They seem to come from the direction you originally came from, but you cannot discern where they travel to from here.
Love Perception: 1d20+7+4
Feigr Perception: 1d20-1Love spots some tracks on the ground leading up to the scree.
There are jackalwere tracks at the base of the rockfall. They seem to come from the direction you originally came from, but you cannot discern where they travel to from here.
Survival
"So there are more of those jackalwares, huh? Best be aware of their kind sneaking up on us. Let's go explore the other path and see if we can find a way through."
Khepri is able to determine that some of the force did leave the area along the Southern route you currently plan to follow, though you cannot discern numbers.
"Agreed, hopefully the jackalweres are less in number than the gnolls. Otherwise, we are heading under, which would be unfortunate with the camels. Let's keep moving forward."
Continuing on the next morning after making camp, the group finds the going on the Southern route slightly harder. The trail they follow is less worn and more overgrown - but still able to be traversed as long as steps are taken calmly and with purpose. Keeping a low and wary profile the group traverses the country unhindered for a few long and tense days.
While travelling in the early afternoon, you come across a flatter area of ground and can see a small collection of crude huts in the distance. You gauge that the village would support roughly 8-10 souls and cannot see a means of continuing your path without passing near to it. There is still scrub and small trees, so if you wished to attempt to approach stealthily - it would be achievable.
"Be ware, this is a trail. Jackelwere tracks everywhere."
Perhaps that town is where they live?
Cynara doesn't bother looking in the direction of the village, since she couldn't see it anyway. "The jackalweres--or something that smells like them, anyway--travel the trail here at times. Anything that lives here is either allied to them or too dangerous for them to attack; either way, we'd best try to avoid it."
Perception
"That makes sense, Cynara. Let's do our best to avoid those hovels, if possible. No reason to invite trouble, if it can be avoided, until we reach our goal."
The choice is whether you try and move past en-masse or whether you seek to scout out the village first.
Let's walk right up to them...they'll never expect it!
Cynara looks to the trapsmith. "Love? I think this is more your specialty."
"Well looks like we found their home. Seems we have three choices; go back and try to go over the scree, walk in all friendly like and see how they react, or wade in on a tide of blood. I prefer the second choice." "Though if you like I could try to sidle up and take a gander."