Round 1:
Muqaq stands and preps himself for fighting by casting a defensive spell. He shouts his commands to Akhom.
Akhom at first braces to launch a series of arrows from his bow, hears Muqaq's instructions, and decides to obey them. He ducks and weaves through the cacti, finding a better angle from which to assault his foes. He looses an arrow at the same one he targeted before, striking him solidly. The Gnoll appears injured for certain, but he is still standing, a snarl on his face.
Seif draws his blade and charges up into range with the leader of the gnoll force.
Gruthic stands and rushes forward as fast as he can. Short legs and sloping hills slow him, but he covers much of the distance to the gnolls.
Mohgwier moves up towards the Gnolls, bearing down on the one on the right.
Xanyon takes aim and fires at the archer. The bullet hits, and puts the wounded gnoll down. He slumps to the ground, the arrows in him jumping with the motion, and the large bullet hole in his chest discharging his life's blood onto the desert floor.
Sati pops up form her hiding place and looses the attack from her crossbow. The bolt flies straight, but must hit some armoured plate beneath the leader's cloak, for it is deflected and breaks as it hits him.
The first spear wielding gnoll the one on the left, dashes forward, shifting his shield into position on his arm. He moves around and between the cacti, aiming to get close enough to Akhom to attack.
The leader unlimbers his weapon, some sort of flail made from two long bars of equal length, secured by a heavy chain in the middle. It appears heavy, but he wields it with familiar motions. He swings it around to gain momentum, and then brings it down at Seif. . Seif is able to deflect the blow easily with his sword.
The spearman on the right thrusts at Mohgwier. . The spear bites into her left shoulder, spilling her blood on the hot rocks.
Round 2:
A feral yell on his lips, Sef-al-Din takes a powerful swing at the Gnoll in front of him.
Muqaq sprints around the edge of the depression, trying to close the distance with the gnolls.
Sati shifts her aim to support Mohgwier, and looses her next quarrel at the Gnoll she is fighting.
Snarling, Mohgwier tears into the gnoll.
Round 2
HP = 26/26
AC/T/FF = 19/15/14
Weapon Equipped = Pistol
Grit = 2/2
Orc Ferocity = 1/1
Bullets = 29/30
Black Powder = 29/30
Alchemical cartridge (paper) = 18/20
Speed = 30'
Status Effects = None
His resolve strengthened by the death of the gnoll, Xanyon turns his aim to the creature on Akhom.
Akhom steps back and raises his bow, launching one arrow after another at the dog-headed humanoid in front of him.
Round 2:
Muqaq breaks into a run, trying to get closer to the action and into spell casting range.
Akhom takes a step back and looses to arrows in rapid succession. The first connects but snaps on the studs of the creature's studded leather, the second going a touch high and over the Gnoll's head.
Sief lets loose a battle yell and swings, but has his strike diverted by a parrying motion of the gnoll's flail.
Gruthic continues to move around the rock, coming around until he is face to face with the Gnoll fighting Mohgwier.
Mohgwier flails at the gnoll before her with tooth and nail, tearing out a gouge of flesh with a fierce bite, and laying open a tract of flesh with a sharp claw. The Gnoll reals back, bloodied and unsteady.
Xanyon readies his pistol and fires, hitting the gnoll pursuing Akhom in the shoulder.
Sati fires her crossbow, and strikes a shallow hit on the wounded gnoll next to Mohgwier and Gruthic. The Gnoll looks next to death.
The first gnoll, that next to Akhom, steps forward and drives his spear down towards the itinerant archer. . The strike is easily avoided by the dark skinned warrior.
The second gnoll, that fighting Seif, swings his flail again. . The flail connects with a heavy thwack!
The last gnoll, that fighting Mohgwier and Gruthic, strikes out at Mohgwier, using some instinct to defend himself to the last. . Mohgwier deflects the thrusting spear with snapping jaws.
Round 3:
Sati reloads her crossbow, and takes aim for the best available target.
Mohgwier attempts to finish off the Gnoll with a flurry of bites and slashes.
Spinning away from the gnoll's attack, Akhom rolls backwards again and repeats his previous tactic. His eyes blaze balefully as he stares down his arrow at the horrible creature and releases.
Round 3
HP = 26/26
AC/T/FF = 19/15/14
Weapon Equipped = Pistol
Grit = 1/2
Orc Ferocity = 1/1
Bullets = 28/30
Black Powder = 28/30
Alchemical cartridge (paper) = 18/20
Speed = 30'
Status Effects = None
Seeing Akhom still in trouble Xanyon fires again.
Gruthic takes a swing with his trusty waraxe and lets out a grunt as it connects. He glances at the other gnolls, but does not recall anything noteworthy about them.
"Surround this brute, Seif."
Sefi-al-Din continues to hack at the Gnoll in front of him, practically oblivious to the successes of his companions around him.
Muqaq continues to advance, raising up a hand and fling a ray of fire at the gnoll on Akhom. Trying to avoid scorching the archer causes hin to miss horribly.
Round 3:
Muqaq charges forward around the edge of the hollow, and fires of a bolt of fire at the nearest gnoll, but throws it into the cacti instead.
Akhom steps back, down the hill into the hollow, and then repeats his attack, firing arrows into the gnoll. The first misses due to the haste involved, but the second hits, and Akhom is rewarded with the sight of blood.
Seif continues attacking the leader, and breaks through his defense, scoring a deep wound upon his foe.
Gruthic, having closed with the eastern gnoll, sees the creature reeling in pain, and with a swipe of his axe, cleans the thing's head clean off.
Mohgwier hardly hesitates after seeing the gnoll go down, and charges at the leader, flailing at him. Unfortunately, the leader is able to keep the teeth and claws at bay.
Xanyon hurriedly loads his pistol, and leveling it again, fires at the gnoll harrying Akhom. The shot strikes solidly, and the gnoll is knocked back to the ground, where he lies dead.
Sati launches her arrow at the leader, the last remaining gnoll, but again it strikes armour and breaks without inflicting harm.
The Gnoll, who was facing one opponent just a moment ago, and is now facing three, sidesteps to try and make it harder for his oppoents to suround him and swings his flind-bar at the dwarf. . Though the attack is a good one, the size of Gruthic's shield makes him a difficult target, and the blow is deflected away.
Round 4
"Tha's right, ya cur! You're dying in the sand today!"
Gruthic smells the stench of desperation coming off the gnoll - or maybe that's just how they always smell - and shifts north with it, trying to press the advantage. Once Seif is also in position, he swings.
Seif steps up to the lone remaining Gnoll, and takes another swing, hoping to take its head off.
Sief strikes the creature with a vicious blow, not quite decapitating him, but close enough that only a scrap of muscle and skin connect it to the body. As blood bubbles forth and soaks into the thing's matted fur, it falls to the ground, dead.
3 medium suits studded leather
1 medium suit Scale
2 spears
1 club
1 Flind-bar (exotic weapon)
1 Longbow
Quiver with 21 arrows
4 knives
1 Sling
Pouch of 15 lead bullets
gold pieces worth of cash and jewelry
Potion (DC: 17 to identify)
Seif-al-Din leans wearily against a boulder, only now truly feeling the pain of the blow dealt to him by the Gnoll, now that heat of battle has abated.
He looks over the bodies, trying to find anything useful, piling the items away from the bodies. His gaze is arrested by a small vial...
...but sighs in frustration when he is unable to identify it.
"Muqaq? Do you have any idea what this might be?"
"Well, that went well. Anyone need healing? We could hide these bodies and wait for the next group to come investigate when these don't come back."
Xanyon shakes his head.
"Our front line fighters did an excellent job keeping them off Sati and myself."
tracked on Campaign info tab.
Gruthic cleans his axe and puts it away. He helps gather the bodies, and those nearby can hear him speak firmly, but softly to each one.
"Torag judge you fairly," he says. One gnoll seems to have not yet expired, and he gives the same benediction to that one before stabbing his long knife through its eye to ensure that it is dead.
"That was a good fight. We can re-use this hollow or set up another site. I think we should continue to diminish their numbers before setting foot in the village. We could continue to harry them until sunset - at that point the advantage will shift to those who can see in the dark, gnolls included."
"This hollow seemed to work fine, and I think we can squeeze one more ambush out of it. After that they'll probably be too suspicious."
Xanyon moves back to his post.
"They'll be coming in greater numbers this time, with the first patrol vanished."
"We all hide together this time, or at least closer together. Target any gnolls with ranged weapons first, and then switch to their apparent leader. If this goes half as smoothly as the first time we'll be lucky."
Akhom nods intently at the older men's words.
"It is good. That rock to the west is big enough to conceal us all. I'd recommend we hide as a group there."
It takes some time for the next patrol to arrive, and several hours pass while you wait. Watching from a position, just ducking a head up above the top of the rock, the group is able to see a group organizing, and then later departing the village. You count six gnolls this time, and they appear to have dogs of some sort with them. Four beast run out in front of the group.
As before, their search pattern is meandering; they do not head right for the smoke, indicating perhaps that they suspect a trap, or perhaps that they are just lazy and putting off their arrival, as it seems is typical of this foe.
They move around the edge of the pesh field on the North, until their dogs seem to pick up your scent at a point near the river. They follow that back in towards the smoke. You all huddle in on the west side of the rock as the group of gnolls approaches following your trail from the east. As they near the hollow they slow, and you get a better view of them.
They appear wary, and move with caution. There are six, as you saw, but the beasts are not dogs, but Hyenas, two held by each of two handlers at the front of the group. Three more behind them sport longbows, with arrows knocked, while the last carries another of those flails.
As they near the edge of the hollow the one with the flail issues a bark, and one handler looses his two hyenas. They dash down into the hollow, noses to the ground, searching out your scent. Of course you have been all over that area, so the scents will be confused, but within moments they will likely have found your position. The handler, hands now free, draws a sling and sets a lead bullet within the cradle. None of the gnolls draws closer. They keep surveying the area, waiting for the hyenas to find something, or for something to find them...
Gruthic secures his shield at the approach of the hunting party.
"Shoot the archers first," he hisses to Akhom. "I'll keep their dogs off you while you take them out."
Akhom nocks an arrow, readying himself to shoot at an archer when everyone is ready, trusting the dwarf's tactics implicitly.
"I'll create a cloud of mist around some of the archers, force them to move to get line of sight. When the mist appears, attack!" Muqaq waits for a confirming nod or look from the others, then steps behind Seif to get a better view and then casts his spell.
"I've no range for the archers, I should've taken one of the bows. I'll assist with the hyenas."
Akhom steps to the IDE, bow already raised, and looses an arrow at one of the archers.