Lockjaw rummages through the loot for a suitable weapon.
Chitleen eyes the pool of turgid liquid appraisingly... though from a careful distance. While he does he adds "Perhaps our hirsute brethren will take a mite more care on their morning constitutionals?" before regathering his equipment from their place of rest. Once re-united and ready he smiles a white toothed grin at Lockjaw before bowing slightly and intoning "Lead on good dwarf, and I shall follow"
The dwarves definitely feel warmed up and ready for action as Lockjaw rearms with a spare weapon taken in an earlier encounter. It seems a propitious time to deal with the Spine King gnolls.
The startled cry of a swallow captured mid-flight answers the question of what the cave fishers eat. The dead fisher from the previous day is gone, likely resting at the bottom of the algae covered pond.
From the park, the adventurers pass down a wide lane of empty buildings and into the light streaming from above the main gate. A procession leads deeper into the Grand Transept bordered with statues at heroic scaled, now defaced and covered in scrawled graffiti. Further east lies the caravanserai which apparently serves as the lair of the Spine King gnolls.
Chitleen eyes the graffiti, wondering if anything of interest has been scrawled. However for the path ahead he turns to his hirsute companions for guidance of their preference.
"Bah, this weapon don't feel like it's worth two shakes!"
Lockjaw takes a few practice swings with the scimitar before looking around.
"So, we killin' gnolls or headin' deeper?"
Most of the statues have their heads knocked off and deep scratches and cracks. The graffiti is mainly the idle scribbles of bored gnolls. Several statues have wooden stakes and broken blades shoved into deep cracks in the masonry. The words "Spine Kings" in gnollish show up several times.
A word that Chitleen doesn't recognize, "Shoosuva", is scribed in white pigment several times as well often near the gnoll word for undead.
"May I suggest that above is secured before below is thought of? We have gnolls and bat-winged men to deal with before we brave what lies deeper in the halls."
Killing gnolls seems to be the order of the day and the group continues through the scattering of empty ruins to the caravanserai along the eastern wall near the entrance of the Grand Transept.
Peering around a corner, the low blocky walls of the building are broken only by a single archway. The wide entrance is blocked by pair of old wooden doors and a pair of gnolls with longbows stand guard on the roof above the arch.
"You long ears gonna be able to take 'em from here?", Tararr ask in a hushed tone.
Chitleen shakes his head slowly "Not without some risk they might still give an alarm... but perhaps we could entice them towards us?" mulling his thoughts a moment before adding "We could make a noise to try and draw them out, then fall upon them as one?"
(Earlier) Karrak smiles at the sight of the burly dwarf with the slender scimitar. "Just remember to poke 'em, not bash em."
Spying out the gnolls, Karrak asks if he should summon an animal to distract them. Or maybe a fire elemental?
"Aye then, let's do it."
Lockjaw seems eager to start cleaving, though his face notably darkens when he looks at the flimsy weapon in his hands.
"No weight to this, how they fight wit it?"
Chitleen restrains himself from a witty retort, and instead seeks a bolthole from which he can draw a line of fire.
Stealth (if needed):
A sleek white rat appears at the end of Karrak's incantation. Daeron bends to speak a few words in its native tongue and the creature nods as it bounds out into fifty foot opening between the alley and walls of the caravanserai.
It stands on its hind legs and lifts its nose into the air so give a lilting call and then spins on its tail to run back to the alley. The alert gnolls are quicker though and the dire rat is pierced through by an arrow. It disappears mid-stride with a sparkling of light.
The gnolls growl in disbelief at the strange event.
Chitleen
Karrak
Daeron
Lockjaw
Mankato
Tarrar
Gnolls
Karrak asks Daeron if he knows any illusions to draw them out.
Daeron considers, "No, and I believe that gambit has been played. I can however, blind them to our approach." So saying he invokes a spell with a pinch of dust and the gnolls on the roof are swallowed by a cloud of golden glitter.
"You comin"?,Tarrar ask as he charges forth with a battle axe held high.
Round 1
HP = 34/34
AC = 21/10/21
SR = 8
Weapon Equipped = Mwk Piece of Elvish Frippery
Speed = 20'
Lay on Hands/day = 3/3 (1d6)
Smite Evil/day = 1/1 (+2 hit, +3 damage, +2 deflection AC)
Status Effects = None
"Aye then."
Lockjaw charges as well.
Tararr leads the charge toward the caravanserai as fast as his short legs can go and Lockjaw follows right behind.
Seeing the dwarves charge headlong towards the doors, Chitleen doesn't feel like making himself the sole target of the gnoll's bows... and hurries after his shorter and more hirsute companions.
Daeron remains behind laying down covering fire at the blinded gnolls above. One of the gnolls shakes the glitter from his eyes and continues shouting in his barking tongue as he shoots at the incoming dwarves. An arrow bounces off Lockjaw's stone pauldron.
Tararr takes advantage of his superior speed to push ahead of the others reaching the door and giving it a shove.
Round 2
HP = 34/34
AC = 21/10/21
SR = 8
Weapon Equipped = Mwk Piece of Elvish Frippery
Speed = 20'
Lay on Hands/day = 3/3 (1d6)
Smite Evil/day = 1/1 (+2 hit, +3 damage, +2 deflection AC)
Status Effects = None
Lockjaw follows Tararr into the building.
Tararr throws his shoulder against the doors as hard as he can with only the thought of smashing throw them.
Tararr hits the doors at full speed and they groan inward cracking as they are forced back. An instant later, Lockjaw follows adding his mass against the door. With a crash the aging wood splinters spraying wood fragments.
Inside, a pair of gnolls armed with axes stand in the foyer. A narrow staircase on the left leads to the roof across from a door. The entrance to the courtyard lies ahead and corridors lead left and right. Karrak follows behind.
Round 2:
Chitleen follows in the dwarven wake, taking position with back to one wall just to the right of the entryway. As he does, he shoulders his bow and brings out his talwar.
"Now we got ya!!!", Tararr hollers as he dust bits of wood from his shoulders.
Karrak will fire once at the guard with his crossbow before heading to assist with the doors.
damage
Karrak's shot is high and he misses from the difficult angle of the shot. Chitleen takes shelter against the wall and Daeron advances firing at the unblinded gnoll above injuring it.
On the roof, one gnoll continues rubbing at his eyes and the other fires at Daeron, but misses. The gnolls inside the caravanserai charge forward, but fail to get a solid blow in as the dwarf frontline pushes back.
Seeking to beat his brethren to the punch, Tararr works himself into a rage lashing out at the gnoll before him.
The gnoll guard falls before Tararr's axe and the rager steps over him. Karrak stows his crossbow and draws his dorn-derger as he steps up to Lockjaw's side.
Round 3
HP = 34/34
AC = 21/10/21
SR = 8
Weapon Equipped = Mwk Piece of Elvish Frippery
Speed = 20'
Lay on Hands/day = 3/3 (1d6)
Smite Evil/day = 1/1 (+2 hit, +3 damage, +2 deflection AC)
Status Effects = None
Lockjaw attempts to copy his kin despite the thin blade in his hand.
Round 3:
Precluded from joining the fray by the presence of the dwarven line of scrimmage, Chitleen awaits behind them with talwar in hand. He focuses his ears on what sounds come from within as he takes a defensive pose - attempting to discern if any further gnoll are within.
Perception: and total defense.
Lockjaw strikes with the lighter weapon and hacks through the boiled leather armor, but only leaves the gnoll wounded instead of split. The gnoll swings an axe at Lockjaw in return, but the heavily armored dwarf shrugs the blow off. Chitleen waits for the entrance to clear. Above he hears the gnoll archers shouting back to their compatriots within the compound.
Round 4
HP = 34/34
AC = 21/10/21
SR = 8
Weapon Equipped = Mwk Piece of Elvish Frippery
Speed = 20'
Lay on Hands/day = 3/3 (1d6)
Smite Evil/day = 1/1 (+2 hit, +3 damage, +2 deflection AC)
Status Effects = None
"Hah, this sword ain't nothin' but ye can't pierce stone dog breath!"
Swinging his wild eyes to the gnoll still trading blows with his comrade, Tararr unleashes his wild fury fully upon the dogman.
Tarrar's frenzied swing misses, but the gnoll leaves an opening as he avoids the blow and Lockjaw brings him down with a thrust of his scimitar. The entry opens up as the dwarves step forward allowing everyone to enter the caravanserai.
A narrow staircase up and an empty store room flank the front gate. A few steps ahead, a wide corridor bisects the way before short wide stairs lead down to the interior courtyard where shouting can be heard.
Whispering to the dwarves as he moves safely within "More come to meet us... I would meet them at the head of the stairs." moving to a position where he could get clear line of sight down the stairs to the interior courtyard.
Tararr lets his rage ease and moves to ambush the newcomers.
The party advances past the intersection which Chitleen's sensitive nose notes bears a musty ophidian scent to the right and the stink of excrement to the left. Nevertheless, the dwarven frontline edges to the arch leading to the courtyard. Over their heads, Chitleen sees a quartet of savagely pierced gnoll longspearers backing up a pair of man-sized lizards with barbed scales.
Chitleen
Karrak
Daeron
Lockjaw
Tararr
Gnolls
Round 1:
Reacting quickly to the intrusion, Chitleen reaches into his satchel for an acidic welcome...
Alkahest: for
Chitleen's bomb strikes a gnoll spraying over adjacent lizards and gnolls. Daeron conjures a gaping hole in their midst and the central gnolls fall, one to his death. The quick lizards unfortunately leap forward to fall upon the dwarves. One barbed beast rips into Lockjaw's leg. Its companion locks onto Tararr sinking foul needle teeth into his flesh.
The gnolls remaining above ground jab at the dwarves. Tararr is stuck while struggling with the big lizard.