As the group sneaks closer, without going straight for a close combat, they got to see what the gnolls are waiting for. Next to the prisoner the ground opens and a tentacle lashes out grabbing him.
The gnolls break out in their hyena like laughter and run away, towards Kelmarane.
Tariq is a bit slower, though he runs too in case he arrives in time.
As the tentacle erupts from the ground, Aithaloessa tries to see what it’s attached to: some monstrosity new to her, she’s sure. She circles so she’s closer to between whatever’s grabbed hold of the prisoner and the fleeing gnolls, grabbing another arrow.
Yasmeena shoots an arrow at the dust digger, then stows her bow in preparation for charging with her scimitar.
Antarah slashes into the tentacle, but that doesn't hinder the creature to drag the prisoner into its gaping mouth, accompanied by a suffocated "NOOOOOooooooooooo".
The flailing tentacles are too hard to hit from how far Yasmeena is away.
Bloody hell! Aithaloessa thinks, beyond frustrated at the menagerie of horrors the gnolls have surrounded themselves with and are all too happy to exploit. She can only hope the group can induce the pit creature to release its prey before it’s too late.
Well, that, and that its body isn’t so fragile that the adventurers are likely to perforate the swallowed prisoner along with his captor. She closes as quickly as she can without throwing her aim off entirely.
Tariq is not sure that fighting the monster is the most convenient thing for the group, since he has the feeling they're doing the dirty job for thew Gnolls. One of his new friends, though, could be in danger, so he lunges himself into the fray.
Aithaloessa sends an arrow into the wilderness. Tariq cuts into one of the tentacles of the beast.
Yasmeena double moves to get close enough to stab at the creature.
The dust digger is more than happy to welcome more food into his arms.
Yasmeena draws her scimitar and activates her battle dance to honor Sarenrae as she stabs at the creature.
Aithaloessa tries to count tentacles as she carefully approaches, dropping her bow in favour of drawing her sword as she switches to cantrips, given the swirling melee.
She waits for an opening, not liking what she’s likely to need to do next.
The dust digger gets shocked as it grabs Antarah, and Yasmeena adds a big cut to one of the tentacles.
Tariq takes his scimitar in one hand, trying to cut off the tentacle grabbing him.
As Tariq hits the tentacle everything starts moving. The tentacles release all they have in their grip and retreat into the whole. The dust digger starts to descend into the ground. But in the last moment before the sand closes above it, it coughs up the man it swallowed before.
Half stuck in the sand, the torso of the unconscious man lies face down before you, with the legs buried.
Yasmeena moves to help pull the unconscious man out of the sand. "If we can keep him alive, he may be able to tell us more about what the gnolls are doing, though I shudder to think what horrors he may have experienced," she says sadly.
While it’s a relief not to have to be waving a sword around – certainly not her preferred mode of engagement – Aithaloessa rushes in anyway as the poor prisoner is mostly spat up into the loose sand. She does what she can to try to patch up the worst of his wounds, all too aware of how vulnerable a bad beating can leave a person even if one manages to get back on one’s feet.
She only manages to coax and convert the barest spark of healing energy through her reserves, but it will have to do for now. She turns to helping dig the man out so he can be moved.
The man is easily pulled out of the loose sand. With the healing spell he opens his eyes. It's a joy to see how the tense fear gives way for a relieved smile. A smile in pain, but a smile nonetheless.
"Yes. Get me away from those gnolls!" the man agrees and gets up with some help.
The quabble in the fields hasn't gone unnoticed and Garavel greets you outside the monastery. "Greetings. This is an interesting turn of events. Whom have you brought here?"
Garavel looks up and down the guy. "Get him to Father Zastoran to patch him up and start the interrogation immediately."
Aithaloessa falls back silently into line on the way back to the monastery. It’s a bit awkward, she thinks, to figure out what the appropriate interval after a near-death experience might be before starting a conversation. And while she’s had a close call or two in her time, she’s never been swallowed by something trying to eat her.
After the group checks in with Garavel, she tries to break the ice as she assesses the condition of the rescued prisoner and the others. She reassures the poor fellow, “Don’t worry, it’s his job to be hard-nosed. We’ll do what we can to get you cleaned up, and in the meantime we’d appreciate anything you can tell us about Kelmarane. I know it’s not the best time, but we’re hoping to take it back from the gnolls, and so we’re really trying to keep them off-balance.”
“That doesn’t mean that we’re not trying to find a way to free any enslaved folk at the same time, though. Are there very many of you, and where were they keeping you? And – Oh, but where are my manners?” She smiles apologetically and offers her hand. “Aithaloessa Cyana, aspiring mage, late of Alkenstar.”
Unfortunately, she's a bit too glib, and sounds like everyone's worst stereotype of a frivolous, pretentious elf, even to her own ears. She only just manages not to wince.
Yasmeena can't resist quickly asking, "Have you heard of a woman named Haleen?" She blushes realizing she is getting ahead of herself and adds: "I'm called Yasmeena."
In her haste to ask about her adopted sister, she worries she may have made a bad impression.
Tariq was waiting patiently for the guy to recover, but the question kept in his chamber is suddenly discharged by Yasmeena. He opens his eyes widely and moves his head forward, as if trying to hear a whisper, not wanting to lose anything of the man's response.
Once down in the basement Father Zastoran takes a look at the prisoner and call to Nethys for his blessing.
"If he's not well after you get him cleaned up you can bring him for a closer examination." the father tells with a wrinkled nose.
"My name in Oxvard. I'm a member of the Lions of Senara. I came to Kelmarane with five other members of my party, explorers from the distant nation of Cheliax seeking treasure in the far-off deserts of Katapesh."
"I've already seen several of my companions murdered by the foul gnolls, but I believe that my friend Felliped may yet live."
He pauses a moment to think. "I don't know if I can be much help witrh information about the gnolls. We were held in a prison cell. I didn't see much from there. The gnoll guards of course. But there were others. I think gladiators, that lived in the same kind of cells. Only they were free to leave them."
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Antarah wakes up as the man answers. He comes close and says "We've heard some howling at nights. Any idea where or what it came from? Also, how long have you been imprisoned? Is there anything about the gnolls' daily routine that you noticed? Did you manage to count how many gnolls there are? Also, there are more dangerous creatures such as outsiders in town. How many did you manage to notice? Yesterday, we saw a man get tortured. We tried getting close but were driven away by a large goat man thing. Was that you? If so, you must have seen other things. It would help us greatly if you told us anything that could indicate to what they are doing in town."
"Well, we didn't take the time to check out the gnolls in town. That was a big mistake, because we were surprised by them and some goat like monster when we entered town."
"As for the gnolls, we've only seen those that are patrolling in the prison. I guess its about 20. As for what they are doing? They have regular fights somewhere in the Battle Market. That I could hear. But everything else, I have no clue."
"Fellipe wasn't in prison with us. He got away when we were captured. I hope he made it out, but I have no idea where he would have gone to."
"As for the gladiators - they weren't prisoners. They are celebrated. At least those who win. And most of the time all came back. It's no fighting to the death. I don't know if they need saving, but I guess not."
Aithaloessa resigns herself to looking quite silly, hopefully disarmingly. At any rate, she’s not sure trying to claw some seriousness back would work any better, so she chimes in lightly after Antarah gets the most important details.
“The Lions of Senara?” she asks, glancing at the others. Alkenstar’s domains include only a frightfully isolated pittance of seashore, so all she really knows about Cheliax is its ruling classes’ sinister reputation and, for what it’s worth, the strength of its navy. Her lips quirk into a small smile. “If we had more in common, perhaps we could start thinking of a name for our own company more easily.”
She finally finds a bit more directness as she muses, “A score of gnolls. That doesn’t sound like all that many on the face of it. Like they’re trying the same thing we are. That does explain why they’re so cagey around the local wildlife, but if they’re working with goat-demons and harpies at least a few of them must be more experienced.”
“That’s for us to worry about, though. Thank you, Oxvard.”
With that, the guardswoman focuses on her associates. The unspoken question is plain on her angular features. Back directly to watch, or even track down that goat?
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Antarah watches the elf thinking loudly. He touches his chin to his chest, thinking himself. He says "I was thinking that killing the goat-man might scare them into dispersing, but if it is actually in one of the gnoll's control, do we really stand a chance? Even if we ambush and defeat Gary the goat, we won't really intimidate this leader? This is when an alliance with the pugwampis would be useful..."
Settling back from the conversation, Aithaloessa takes her pistol in hand to load the last barrel with a plain bullet for when the group heads out again. It’s frustrating to think she’ll have to stick to arrows, mainly, until they can find the goat – Gary. I like that. – but she doesn’t want to risk getting caught out without prepared bullets in case a shot or two goes wide.
“I suspect Almah might have a gnoll counterpart, so to speak, so it might be an uneasy balance of power in Kelmarane while the true leader is somewhere else entirely. Unless our goat is in charge, and taking a hands-on approach to command, including doing the rounds of watchposts.”
The elf frowns at the mold that covers her arm as she works. I’ll really have to do something about this. Flowers – even desert flowers, fine. But not some … some fungus. She files that project away for later, as something else occurs to her. “Dashki said pugwampis worship gnolls, though, didn’t he? Sounds like a recipe for misotheism, but then they didn’t ask me.”
"I agree that killing Gary could be a serious blow to their morale, even if their leader is any other." Tariq thinks that maybe the goatman is not the bomb that they think it is and that the Gnolls may have their best card still up their sleeves. He doesn't say so, though, wanting to keep the morale high. They'll deal with that problem when it arises, if it arises.