Lord Flash's attack on the gnoll misses badly and he stumbles and falls a bit behind. Tallis's passes Lord Flash and tries a similar stunt, but the gnoll is a bit too agile. The gnoll dodges to the east, around an apple tree, and changes directions for a moment before turning north again and spurting off.
Tallis is able to stay on his trail.
Some light beyond the apple trees tells you that this chase through the woods is coming to an end. The landscape is about to change.
'huff, huff,'
This might be a nice spot for a picnic, I think to myself as I struggle to keep up with the faster monks.
Tallis attempts to hit the gnoll twice more, but he misses both times.
That is, unless his AC spontaneously dropped. EDIT: The second attack hits AC 17, for 5 damage.
Bandle springs along merrily trying to keep the longshanks in sight.
"I hope I'm not tooo late to see gnomish technology at work! Would be a shame to miss that, maybe then again this fellow can change his name back to Chicken Legs or maybe Slippery!"
Tallis attempts to hit the gnoll twice more, but he misses both times.
That is, unless his AC spontaneously dropped. EDIT: The second attack hits AC 17, for 5 damage.
Were these scorpion style strikes?
The gnoll stumbles a bit but regains his feet and starts to run again. Now all the party is right on his heels. Everyone can take one shot at him before he bursts out of the orchard and into the high grasses beyond.
"That's enough, huff, run...huff...ning"
Pulling a tanglefoot bag from my kit as I run, I wait till the gnoll is in sight and then throw it towards his feet.
The tanglefoot bag explodes in sticky white strands, tangling around the gnolls feet and bringing him down with a thud. He pulls himself partly up but is unable to escape. He's not entirely at your mercy though as he has a bow and arrow, though he has yet to remember them.
Bandle cries out "THAT'S the stuff...gnome technology-works every time"
He then closes but stays back about 15 ft.
As the gnoll trips, I charge in with a flying kick: "NOISY CRICKET!"
Flying kick: (1d20+10=13)
Damage: (1d4=4)
My enthusiasm surpasses my focus.
After the gnoll draws his bow, Tallis finally realizes he should be trying to punch it. He fails.
Lord Flash picks himself up from his near disastrous trip and races back after the Gnoll to see him encasd in a sticky goo. Smiling, he casually strides over and viciously slashes the Gnoll across the chest with his Kama.
Attack Gnoll with Masterwork Kama. (1d20+6=25)
Damage. (1d6=5)
Several attacks miss the sticky gnoll. Lord Flash's attack connects but does little damage. Given his predicament -- outnumbered, slightly wounded, and stuck to a large root -- the gnoll does what he has seen hundreds of villagers do as his hordes bore down on them. He whines, howls, and begs for mercy.
Tallis backhands the gnoll across the face. "Oh, be quiet. It's not like we're going to kill you or anything."
"I beg to differ. I thought that was exactly what we were going to do?" He raises his Kama menacingly in the Gnoll's direction.
"Maybe we should ask him questions," I say helpfully, "Like how he crossed the river? How many Gnolls are on this side of the river? Who's in charge? How many bodyguards? Stuff like that."
Stepping in front of the Gnoll, I try to look stern. "You'd better talk. Tell us what we want to know. I have plenty more of that sticky stuff and I bet its terrible trying to wash it out of fur! Who's your leader?"
Tallis lowers his hat over his eyes and begins speaking in a gravelly voice. "You don't want to mess with that glue, kid. I've seen that stuff do horrible things to a man."
The gnoll looks around to see if anyone else is watching him parlay with the humans and then spits out, "Nughoak. Nughoak, priestess leads. We waste days while she hides in caves looking for what?! We waste days while humans grow skinny in their fort. We waste days. Humans not going to eat themselves you know ..."
He stops himself as if wondering whether the humans might actually eat themselves making this seige a further waste of time.
The gnoll looks around to see if anyone else is watching him parlay with the humans and then spits out, "Nughoak. Nughoak, priestess leads. We waste days while she hides in caves looking for what?! We waste days while humans grow skinny in their fort. We waste days. Humans not going to eat themselves you know ..."
He stops himself as if wondering whether the humans might actually eat themselves making this siege a further waste of time.
"No, I'm pretty sure they've started eating each other." Tallis then turns away and twirls his kama as he walks back up the path. "I'm going to go scalp the one from earlier. I'll meet you back at the barn."
"No, I'm pretty sure they've started eating each other." Tallis then turns away and twirls his kama as he walks back up the path. "I'm going to go scalp the one from earlier. I'll meet you back at the barn."
"Eating each other? This is waste time. Nughoak waste time," the gnoll complains and looks to you for sympathy.
"Uh, Tallis," I begin weakly as Tallis walks away, leaving me alone with a gnoll captive and two crazed monks.
As Tallis disappears from sight I turn to the other two and smile weakly. "I suppose we should knock him out now, huh?" I say hopefully, hating the thought of killing a helpless prisoner who has surrendered.
"You two just follow Tallis. I'll make sure the Gnoll doesn't follow us." Lord smiles at the Halfling...
"You two just follow Tallis. I'll make sure the Gnoll doesn't follow us." Lord smiles at the Halfling...
Bandle agrees with a nod. "He's a rather dull beastman at that! Plus, the farther I am from that stink" Bandle crinkles his nose "The better! He smells worse than a Satyr on a three day firewine binge" Then cheerfully, he follows Tallis
The gnoll grins at Lord Flash stupidly until slowly a realization dawns and he pulls in his tongue and closes his mouth with a gulp.
With a sigh, and a shake of my head, I turn and head off towards the barn. The gnoll is certainly worthy of death, but it seems wrong to just kill him without a real fight or trial.
About halfway to the barn, I start wondering if Flash would actually be safe on his own with the gnoll.
Lord Flash watches Jackie and Bandle trudge off after Tallis and then turns back to the Gnoll, hefting both his Kama and offering a smile to the Gnoll. "Don't worry. I'll make this as painless as possible..."
"Eerp"
"Eerp"
The gnoll looks completely terrified. He's about to beg for mercy. There's no way he could beat the monk while covered in this sticky glue! ... And then he realizes that the glue has become brittle and begun to crack no longer preventing him from acting.
Initiative. (1d20+3=18)
As he steps up to the Gnoll, he notices that the Tanglefoot Glue is starting to crack, and his eyes widen in comprehension of the situation. A snarl escapes his mouth as he brings both Kama in on the now not so helpless creature.
Flurry of Blows with Masterwork Kama. (1d20+6=23, 1d20+6=19)
Damage. (1d6=1, 1d6=3)
In his haste to finish the rousing creature off, his blows only graze the beast.
"Ugh, too much running today," I comment to the gnome besides me on our way back to the barn, "But at least on the way back we don't have to worry about long-legged companions outpacing us."
Bandle nods as they move towards the barn.
"Something tells me our beastly friend back there is going to smell MUCH worse tomorrow" he says with a wink.
Bandle nods as they move towards the barn.
"Something tells me our beastly friend back there is going to smell MUCH worse tomorrow" he says with a wink.
"Well I suppose we could always have him take a bath when we cross the river," I begin and then realizing my misunderstanding I add, "Oh, you mean the gnoll?"
The kama hurts but his pain turns into a smile as he attacks you with a rather nasty looking short sword.
He misses but an identical short sword appears in his other hand and he seems ready for a fight.
Realizing that he may be in trouble, Lord Flash doesn't back down, but instead presses his attack, hoping to finish his opponent off quickly, before it can return his attacks in earnest.
His first attack rushes in, scoring a jagged gash across the Gnoll's filthy hide, but the second is deflected by the beast's armour. He prepares himself for it's return attacks.
Flurry of Blows with Masterwork Kama. (1d20+6=25, 1d20+6=9)
Damage. (1d6=6)
Realizing that he may be in trouble, Lord Flash doesn't back down, but instead presses his attack, hoping to finish his opponent off quickly, before it can return his attacks in earnest.
His first attack rushes in, scoring a jagged gash across the Gnoll's filthy hide, but the second is deflected by the beast's armour. He prepares himself for it's return attacks.
Flurry of Blows with Masterwork Kama. (1d20+6=25, 1d20+6=9)
Damage. (1d6=6)
The dark red-haired gnoll steps towards Lord Flash but not quickly enough. He takes damage from the kama once but able to knock it aside by the shaft before a second blow can be scored on him.
'Red' lashes out with his twin short swords, cutting Flash once but is unable to get close with his second
Since Lord Flash hasn't shouted out and the trees would muffle some of the sound, I'm gonna suggest it will take the other monks a DC 15 perception check to hear the fighting.
Tallis stops, sensing everything around him. He could hear a leaf drop a foot away. He could hear the snapping of twigs as the smaller monks followed. More importantly, he could hear the gnoll fighting Flash. He swears under his breath as he turns around and begins running back. As he passes the other monks, he quickly says "Gnoll fighting Pretty-Boy no time to talk" as he passes by.
Grunting with pain as he accepts the mighty blow, he swings in once more, blood trailing through the air from a large gash in his left arm. His initial strike once again hits home, but the wound has thrown his other arm off and his next attack goes wide of the mark.
Flurry of Blows with Masterwork Kama. (1d20+6=21, 1d20+6=7)
Damage. (1d6=3)
Grunting with pain as he accepts the mighty blow, he swings in once more, blood trailing through the air from a large gash in his left arm. His initial strike once again hits home, but the wound has thrown his other arm off and his next attack goes wide of the mark.
Flurry of Blows with Masterwork Kama. (1d20+6=21, 1d20+6=7)
Damage. (1d6=3)
"Um," I say, "I hear fighting. Do we think we should go back."
I think for a second.
"It would probably be the right thing to do," I comment with a shrug and then turning, I start running back.
"I think I hear it too...maybe they bought that grab-bag off the dwarves and Stinky got loose already...or maybe some more of his bad beastman friends showed up..."
He turns and follows Jakie still talking and thinking up different scenarios that would lead to the fighting sounds.
"Maybe Lord Flesh tripped and knocked....."
"over his herb tea, making sinky mad! Or maybe the bad dog showed up and knocked over stinky's tea in an effort to bite the hand that feeds! Or is that doesn't feed? Well one things for sure, never feed a feral donkey rat! They get mean! I mean, if Lord Flash wanted to be alone with stinky, maybe they were holding hands and trying to feed a feral donkey rat, that's sure to lead to a fight...:
Although Flash cuts deep, his second attack is easily parried and throws him off balance. The gnoll giggles and squeals as Flash loses his grip on the kama for a moment. He plunges his sword towards Flash's belly but Flash moves fast enough to suffer only a gash on his side. It could have been much worse. Flash is prepared for the second short sword attack and manages to avoid it completely.
The other monks can make it back in time to act at the end of this next round.