Sercha snorts.
"If you think they look mean, you should catch me some morning when my sister has been practicing her oboe all night."
Anklebiter eagerly jumps up and down, "I speak gnoll! Sister Raffia said it was my only marketable skill when I first came to the monastery."
Shadrach replied, "Not me. Does anyone know what tribe they are from the white stripe in their hair?
"I can try to talk to them, if they speak common or Osiriani."
The gnolls continue to yip and bark to one another. Anklebiter can hear the agitation in their voices as they complain about how fishing is a terribly boring hobby.
Shadrach moved forward, weapons sheathed, and hailed the gnolls in common. "Greetings friends, I am Shadrach! We are passing through this area. Don't worry, we're not going to take your fishing spot. However, if you have an fishing stories, I'd love to hear them!"
The gnolls snarl and raise their scimitars as you approach. They don't seem to understand either of Shadrach's languages, but Anklebiter translates into their native tongue.
"Fishing is terrible," one snarls. "We much prefer the carnage of a proper hunt. Usually we are not so lucky to have our prey come to us."
The second cackles and licks his chops. "You look mighty tasty. It's been a while since we had fresh meat..." He takes a few threatening steps forward.
Shadrach replied, "Let us not fight; I have no desire for bloodshed today. I will share a song with you, to lift your spirits!"
He decided to try entertaining the gnolls with music; perhaps what would better bridge the language gap. He sang a song about the beauty of the sunrise in the desert.
After he had finished his song, he added, "A few miles back, we killed a couple of normal hyenas, plus a giant hyena. We didn't eat the meat; if you hurry, you might be able to get some for yourselves!"
Sercha puts her face in her hands.
Oh gods, those were probably pets or something.
Lilata, while relaxed for a moment, tenses back up when Shadrach makes his comment about the hyenas, and studies one of the gnolls for weak points to aim for.
The song does not impress the gnolls. They shrug at Shadrach's statement. "Not our hyenas. We prefer a different sort of war beast. You bring us some of that fresh meat, and maybe we let you pass."
Shadrach drew his sword and told the gnoll leader, "We are in a hurry. I could always kill you, and then your companions would have meat! Or, you could let us pass."
Anklebiter translates, peppering in little falsehoods about how nasty and efficient they are at fighting and how it would be best to leave them all alone, but also Anklebiter specifically.
"Bark bark bark!" they lie.
"I don't want fish, and I don't want to bring you meat. I want to go past. Let us go past." She gives the gnolls a glare.
The gnolls look from Shadrach's sword to Anklebiter's razor-sharp teeth. They share a glance, then the first one growls. "Fine, just leave us alone. And don't come back, because next time we won't be so generous."
They sheathe their swords and step away.
"We won't." Elly heads past their camp.
"A wise decision," Shadrach replied. He sheathed his sword and moved around the gnolls, watching carefully for signs of treachery.
The gnolls glare at you until you are out of sight.
Past the camp, you reach the foothills of Pale Mountain. The way ahead is fraught with treacherous cliffs and steep inclines, but Lilata's survival skills allow you to identify the easiest path. This pathway alternates between short cliffs (usually 15 to 20 feet tall each), shallow inclines that go on for 30 to 45 feet at a time, and walkable flatter sections. Still, the difficult terrain makes for slow going.
You are about a third of the way up the trail when you come across the site of a battle. Strewn across the rocky ground are the corpses of a half-dozen gnolls who have been dead for 2 days, their bodies riddled with large bony quills and partially eaten.
Shadrach was sweating profusely as he ascended the foothills; his heavy armor made it hot going. This is where I pay double for wearing full-plate!
When they came across the remains of the battle, he stopped and took a well-needed rest. Examining the corpses, he said to the others, "I wonder what sort of creature killed them? The quills make me think of some sort of giant porcupine, but I thought porcupines were plant eaters."
"And they're usually not big enough to have quills this big either," Sercha adds.
Lilata racks her hunter's knowledge, trying (and failing) to think of what sort of creature attacks with quills.
Both Sercha and Lilata believe that it,s possible the gnolls were attacked by Porcupines Of Unusual Size. They do exist, you know!
I'm sure it was it Porcupines of usual size. Absolutely positive. Will we be storming a castle while we're here?" Elly has no idea what might have done the damage.
After a short rest, Shadrach was ready to move on. "Keep your eyes peeled for giant carnivorous porcupines!", he advised the others.
You continue up the mountain, keeping alert for any large quilled mammals. The sun is beginning to set as you reach about two-thirds of the way to your destination.
That's when a creature swoops into view, sticking close to the mountain to shield its approach from view. This monster looks like a lion with draconic wings and a chitinous tail, the end of which bristles with long spikes. Looks like it wasn't a porcupine after all!
Lilata looks up at the sky, Is that a bird? she wonders to herself, then sees the spikes. Not a bird. Flying porcupine?
She narrows her eyes and draws her bow, shooting off a pair of arrows at the beast!
"That is not a POUS. That's something else entirely." She moves up and casts Acid Arrow at it.
Lilata's arrows sail past the manticore, the second missing only by the narrowest of margins! Elly's aim is true, though, her acid arrow sizzling into its hide!
Roaring in rage, the beast hovers in the air and flicks its tail, lobbing a pair of spikes at Elly. Both hit the gnome sorcerer, wounding her and pinning her in place! The beast follows up with another volley, one aimed at Elly and the other at Lilata. The first scores a critical hit on the gnome, but the latter misses the ranger.
"Elya!", Shadrach cried; he cast a spell and touched Lilata's bow, then rushed over to the gnome, trying to shield her with his body.
"Hey, Anklebiter!" Sercha calls out, producing a scroll. "Hold on to your nethers!"
The feeling of weightlessness hits Anklebiter like the distinct lack of a ton of bricks. It is as if someone cut the tether between their shadow and their body.
They swim through the air, unburdened by gravity or even life itself, pausing to lift the spikes out of Elly.
After securing their friend, they shoot straight up, towards the sun. Well not straight up, more like a 45° angle, but towards the sun at any rate. As in, you know, upwards.
Lilata nods in thanks as Shadrach enchants her bow, and pulls back and fires a trio arrow at the beast, careful to not hit Anklebiter, but just sends her missiles flying off into the distance.
Thanks Anklebiter." Elly stands up and casts heal on herself
Anklebiter salutes Elly, spinning around in midair. "Think nothing of it, friend."
Sercha uses the scroll to allow Anklebiter to fly. The goblin yanks the spike out of Elly's leg before swimming through the air towards the manticore. Shadrach enchants Lilata's bow and moves towards Elly, while the ranger fires several arrows that miss their mark.
The manticore whips a pair of spikes at Elly and Shadrach, then follows up with two aimed at Anklebiter. All of the spikes stick harmleessly into the ground! Snarling in frustration, the beast continues to hover in the air, holding its ground.
Lilata grimaces in frustration, firing off another trio of arrows, once again missing every time.
Shadrach cast a spell, sending a barrage of magical energy at the flying porcupine (which looked unlike any porcupine he'd ever heard of).
Elly moves closer to the fight. Realizing that none of her spells can reach the creature, and learning her lesson about running into battle. Well sort of learning her lesson. She lets loose with a sling bullet.
Sercha spits out arcane words and, after circling her hands in the air, flings a eerie green bolt at the flying porcupine.
Anklebiter concentrates for a moment before soaring through the air, directly beside the giant porcupine in the sky. They lash out with their teeth, scraping and clawing at the beast's thick flesh.
Most of your attacks miss, but Shadrach's magic missiles strike true, and Sercha's acid arrow burns into the manticore' hide.
Ignoring Anklebiter, the manticore lobs the last of its tail spikes, two volleys that score hits on each one of you save the goblin monk!
Elly scrambles back out of the front line, and then heals Shadrach.
Sercha spouts off some choice phrases in Varisian before repeating her spell.
Shadrach cried, "Oh Yeah? Have some more then!", and shot three more force missles at the flying creature.
Though she doesn't really expect to do anything, Lilata still fires another trio of arrows into the sky, and as such is pleasantly surprised to see one of her arrows actually hit its mark.
Their bites effectively doing nothing, Anklebiter attempts to board the beast and force it downwards.
Anklebiter tries to grab a hold of the manticore, but the beast shakes them off. Sercha blasts it with another acid arrow, Shadrach pummels it with magic missiles, and Lilata scores a critical hit, her arrow sinking deep into its chest.
Terribly wounded, the manticore tries to retreat. It paws at the bubbling acid eating through its flesh, trying to smother it to no avail. After only a few more seconds, it roars pitiably before crashing into the side of the mountain and falling to the ground, flesh dissolving in a gruesome display.
Shadrach watched as the flying creature that was maybe not a porcupine smacked into the mountainside; "Are you OK, Anklebiter?" he called out.
Looking around, he could see that Elya was badly injured, so he cast a spell to heal her.
Anklebiter tries to gently lower themselves to the ground to some degree of success. "Better than yesterday," they say after landing on their ass.