Episode 18: "Gnarly Gnolls Gnashing"

Quest Information

 * 2 Arah-Ululu
 * Kassithe, hex 1204
 * Level 4
 * Location: Badlands

Primary Cast

 * Craganor, battle cleric of Inanna
 * Daric, camel merchant
 * Ket-Ramat, soldier-scout, former member of the Ag-Rakade militia
 * Lugal, Mage of Learning
 * Shoklen, swamp ranger

Secondary Cast

 * Gemekaa's Caravan
 * Gemekaa, bombastic & beautiful merchant & caravan leader, and her employees:
 * Tas-da-Urdu, big & beefy Dark Continent chief of security
 * Tabni, caravan's forward scout
 * Meerkani, caravan guard
 * Four other caravan guards
 * Ansunu & Kullaa, Gemekaa's aides
 * Enusat, Kipluu, sargon & Dimetria, junior merchants
 * Caravan workers
 * Ariishaka, Kinaa and Nutesh: three clerics of Ravnu (god of peace & balance)
 * Ak-Korak, high orc merchant leader and his companions Zartok, Az-Koleth, Fin-Lokar, and Krakoo the accountant
 * Dadanum, Nikanuur, and Enhuay: exotic animal merchants
 * Kerlina, captured turncoat guard/assassin

Summary
The gnoll hoard approached, at least fifty strong, accompanied by a similar number of xvarts. "Go, now, warn the caravan!" Lugal is normally a very independent thinker, but in cases like this, he freely takes orders from Ket the Soldier. Lugal urges his horse as fast as it can go through the loose tuff to the caravan below. Ket turns to his companions: Daric the camel merchant and Tabni, the caravan's desert ranger. "We three will do what we do best: let's find some cover and snipe at them when they cross the ridge. Maybe we can thin them down a bit."

The gnoll horde swarms over the rise. The archers manage to take a couple down, but it's not enough to prevent the rush on the caravan. Lugal has done what he can to organize a defense in two minutes, and decides to do what he does best. Drawing on the arcane power that has become second nature, the Mage of Learning blasts into enemy lines with two fireballs, killing multiple assailants. It's still only a dent in the gnoll offensive. "That's all the big stuff," he shouts to Gemekaa. "I think we're in big trouble."

The charismatic caravan leader looks a little frazzled, no doubt a result of the attempt on her life during the xvart attack yesterday. "We're grossly outnumbered." she says. She turns to her lieutenant. "Tas ..."

"On it." The massive Dark Continent warrior hefts his great sword. He gathers two of his guards; the three march forward, ready to meet the gnolls head on.

Lugal has an idea. "Hold on. Gemekaa, use the mastodon."

The party recovered a wondrous magical item, a marble mastodon, during the xvart assault the day before. Xvarts are inherently meek and stupid, they did not have the skill to use the beast effectively. In the hands of a skilled warrior, at the command of experienced adventurers, the marble mastodon should be devastating.

Gemekaa removes the small, smooth sculpture from her satchel. She caresses it for a moment, then tosses it to one of her guards. "Meerkani, the code word is 'conquer'." Meerkani holds it, gives a wink, and says the word. The small statue wobbles for a brief moment, then expands out to become a massive, shaggy elephant-like creature. Climbing up the beast's netting, he clambers up to the saddle and sits astride the beast. Giving another wink, he says "I think I'll call him Stampy" before ordering the beast to charge.

Side by side, the caravan guards, the mastodon, and the party fight the gnolls. Ket gives up on the bow and pulls his dual short swords, acting as Tas's flanking partner. Lugal stays back with Gemekaa, using his remaining ranged spells to decent effect. The guards tangle with the gnolls' dire hyena companions. Stampy lives up to his new nom de plume to devastating effect. Shoklen and Craganore enter the fray, the former with his longbow prowess, the latter with his customary battle frenzy. Daric taunts the high orcs into assisting the caravan. Orcs do not embarrass well: they rush into combat to great effect.

The battle goes well. The party and the guards dispatch several dire hyenas, but the gnolls don't seem to be effective. Tabni, however, realizes something important. "They're heading for the mastodon!", she shouts.

She's right: Meerkani had been taking constant bowfire from several gnolls. Pierced with several arrows, he falls off the giant beast. The marble mastodon comes to an abrupt halt as two gnolls climb the netting to sit on the saddle. Cackling in victory, one gnoll takes the lead seat, and sets the mastodon in motion.

Several notice the gnoll is moving the great elephant in the wrong direction. He's not attacking the caravan, he's retreating! The gnolls are stealing the mastodon! "We can't let them have it!" Lugal yells, but is interrupted by a horrible shriek. Turning, he sees Gemekaa, the caravan leader, confronted by a carnivorous owlbear!

"Where in the world did that come from?" asks Lugal. "Who's tossing owlbears?"

Gemekaa and Lugal retreat from the vicious beast, and the gnolls and their xvart allies press their attack, apparently to cover the escape of the stolen mastodon. "Owlbears aren't even from around here!" offers Shoklen, as he unsuccessfully attempts to shoot the gnolls off the back of the stolen mastodon. Daric, trying the same tactic, thinks the party is in serious trouble this time. It appears he is right: the gnoll and xvart shaman enter the fray, casting spells at the party and members of the caravan. Ket finds himself blinded by one of the gnoll shaman. Lugal, distracted by the owlbear, is badly wounded by the forces of necromantic bolts, and falls to the ground. Likewise, the giant warrior, Tas, falls to a hail of spells from the xvart spellcasters.

Craganor leaps into action, charging towards Ket, Tas and Lugal in a daring effort to save his companions. He manages to free Ket of his blindness, but is rapidly surrounded by the nastiest of gnolls. Meanwhile, Gemekaa's guards surround the owlbear ... who morphs into a hook horror! They're fighting a shapeshifter! The beast lunges at different targets with his massive claws, severely wounding Gemekaa. Shoklen has had enough. He nocks and arrow, draws, aims carefully, and releases. The arrow strikes true, passing right through the creature's head. It falls into a lump ... and dissolves into a clear ooze before seeping into the loose dirt.

With the shapeshifting monster's death, the entire retinue is able to focus, and manages to save Ket and Craganor from the assaulting gnolls. Craganor and the three peace-loving clerics of Ravni provide the divine healing necessary to retrieve Lugal and Tas from death's door. Ket, however, realizes what's going on. "We can't let them take the mastodon!" Shoklen fires, and takes out one of the gnoll riders. The remaining one is still in charge, heading towards the ridgeline. Daric looses one final arrow -- and misses. The gnolls have successfully stolen the marble mastodon.

Exhausted, the caravan leadership regroups. Fortunately, no one has died, and the caravan is still in tact. In the confusion, the turncoat prisoner escaped, apparently accompanied by one of the exotic animal merchants and another worker. There seems to have been a conspiracy to murder Gemekaa. Even worse: the gnolls have captured the marble mastodon. This could destroy commerce between Kassithe and Hurrethe. Xvarts are impetuous, foolish, and lack the strategic thinking required to make the mastodon an effective weapon. The gnolls, however, are savage and brutal, yet also cunning and organized. An item as powerful as the marble mastodon, in their hands, could prove disastrous to travel on the road through the Badlands and beyond.

Outcome
The party and the caravan survive the gnoll/xvart attack, however the gnolls made off with the marble mastodon. Gemekaa survives the second assassination attempt, but it appears the conspirators (the captured guard, one of the exotic animal merchants, and one of the wagon drivers) have escaped.

Rewards
Craganor, Daric, Ket-Ramat, Lugal, and Shoklen each gain 2500 xp. This is enough to raise Craganor and Daric to 5th level.

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