Ruthmum leaves for a few minutes, and some thirty minutes later he again departs, returning with a grim expression.
"The rat ****s've certainly noticed us. Looks like they're packin' things up and makin' t' get out. I suspect we've got nae more than a few hours afore they're up and gone."
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"We need to get moving before they continue on. If we don't stop them now, who knows how many horrors they will inflict upon the people of this region" Threla situates the pack on her back and motions for Olan to start scouting
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Hi, I'm Raccoon_Master, a young genderfluid actor, writer, explorer, and bass vocalist. Pronouns They/Them/Theirs
My Characters:Brorminthe Devout Crusher; Ellorathe Romantic Rookie
He nodded to Threl, half surprised that he didn’t react to the mention of Lolth. Between that and the fact that the man lived on the surface, the warlock could almost believe the bard a fellow escapee. Worth of genuine trust. The words of encouragement filled Veldruk’s body with strength and the results of the scouting came.
“I don’t know, Nodjeim. In the road they will be all together in line of sight of one another and as we know firsthand, an ambush is not a guarantee of victory.” He imagined the party dealing with the two ogre-sized gnolls while a dozen or so of the regular ones surrounded them. “The good thing is that we can be sure they didn’t receive any support since they are getting ready to relocate. Question is - where to?” A place were they would feel safe, or at least safer. A den with larger numbers? Maybe the seat of their crowned leader. “Maybe we should leave one or two of them alive. Follow them, discover the other hideout.” If they found too many enemies they could still sell the location to the closer cities. That could be worth more coin than mercenary work. “I think the best case scenario is to hit as they are divided between areas, if they are divided between areas.” He turned his crimson eyes to Ruthmum. “Are there any guards outside of the cave or are they all inside?”
"They ent left yet, but they were movin' their things out front. Saw one o' those big freaky gnolls, but couldn't get much more detail. Spell don't allow for that."
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"Olan, could you and Nodjeim scout ahead and ascertain which way they seem to be leaving? So that way we can set up an ambush, as well as find out whether they are leaving in groups or all together."
"If either of you wishes, I can grant you a charm that will hide you from all but the most mystical of beings" Threla suggests, offering to cast Invisibility
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Hi, I'm Raccoon_Master, a young genderfluid actor, writer, explorer, and bass vocalist. Pronouns They/Them/Theirs
My Characters:Brorminthe Devout Crusher; Ellorathe Romantic Rookie
Nodjeim nods as his name is mentioned. "With some luck we won't be spotted. Save the spell until luck runs out?" And with that Nodjeim is ready to take off scouting, moving quickly until nearby the caves and then switching to stealth and caution...
Olan checks his disguise and heads off with Nodjeim. "When we get there we should find separate vantage points to observe from; it will enable us to view more of the area."
Olan and Nodjeim find the way back to the camp relatively easy, and end up each perching along the sides of separate hills to observe below. They see that Ruthmum's word is truth; many of the gnolls are out in front of the cave, while others are carrying items — weaponry and supplies, mostly — out of the cave. They both see two hulking, ogrelike gnolls, as well as a single robed individual, wearing on their head an iron crown of thorns. They observe quietly for a moment, as the gnoll seems to be barking orders in a combination of gnollish and giantish. All of a sudden, as Nodjeim attempts to find better footing, a bit of the path gives way and crumbles beneath his foot, tumbling below. The crowned gnoll looks up, furious, and raises a hand.
Nodjeim, make me an Intelligence saving throw and make a choice: stay, or run.
Nodjeim, take 10psychic damage and you must choose whether you want to take an action, a bonus action, or a move during your next turn. Only one of the three. Nodjeim feels something tear into his skull. Something angry. Something hungry. Something which scrapes its teeth along his basal ganglia, sinks its molars deep into his limbic system. He feels mandibles masticating his hypothalamus, tearing off, chewing and swallowing bits of his temporal lobe. He feels a tongue like rotting sandpaper slide across his brain stem, curl around his spinal cord, and pull. He feels alive. He feels like he ought to be dead. He knows himself as nothing more than a meal for something greater, and deeper, and hungrier than he could imagined. Then, just like that, it's gone. But the terror, the momentary helplessness, all that remains, and it roots Nodjeim in place, preventing him from acting fully.
As Nodjeim stays, he is not chased. He is, however, shot at by a squad of gnoll archers, as the one in charge quite literally barks an order. Nodjeim desperately attempts to fend off the strikes. One arrow would hit home, if he hadn't easily reflected it. Of the ten arrows fired, the other five are not so easily avoided. One hits. Thuk.5 piercing damage. Another hits. Thuk.5 piercing damage. Another hits. Thuk.7 piercing damage. Another hits. Thuk.6 piercing damage. Nodjiem drops. A fifth would hit, but he's down now. Prone. With disadvantage, mercifully, this final arrow misses the mark.
Nodjeim is down, dry blood oozing into the side of the hill. Unless Olan has some way of reaching Nodjeim, being on the opposite hill, I'd like you to make death saves until you die or stabilize. The gnolls are coming to get you, but they aren't stabilizing you. They just don't care enough.
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Seeing the burst of activity to the south, Olan realises that Nodjeim is probably in trouble. He begins to make his way to help him, heading first for the hillock in the centre, skirting around it then across the open valley at its narrowest point.
With a barked order, Olan sees that the gnolls themselves are heading towards Nodjeim, at the order of the crowned one. At this rate, being stealthy like this, they'll beat him. If he wants to grab Nodjeim, he'll have to pick up the pace, and that almost certainly means getting himself spotted. Being spotted almost certainly means another barrage heading his way. Unless he's got some other solution, things aren't looking great.
What does Olan do?
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Seeing the area from a slightly different viewpoint, Olan realises that he can't get to Nodjeim without being spotted, and even if he did, there's no way to get him to safety. The only option seems to be getting back-up.
Offering up a prayer to Tymora for Nodjeim's rescue, he drops out of site and then heads for the others as fast as he can run.
Evelyn perks up at Olan's return. He looks anxious and worried...and Nodjeim isn't with him. The wizard fears the worst. "Nodjeim needs help, doesn't he?" she asks, but she is already moving toward Olan, ready to follow him back toward their friend.
"Nodjeim is down, and there was no way to get to him from my position." He stops to get his breath. "There's the thing with the crown, the 2 big things, 5 ordinary gnolls in the open. There's more moving supplies but I can't say how many."
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Nyli Bemblade - Gnome Arcane Trickster
Portia Thornleaf - Halfling Rogue
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('fraid Veldruk's gonna hafta keep waiting...)
Ruthmum leaves for a few minutes, and some thirty minutes later he again departs, returning with a grim expression.
"The rat ****s've certainly noticed us. Looks like they're packin' things up and makin' t' get out. I suspect we've got nae more than a few hours afore they're up and gone."
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"We need to get moving before they continue on. If we don't stop them now, who knows how many horrors they will inflict upon the people of this region" Threla situates the pack on her back and motions for Olan to start scouting
Hi, I'm Raccoon_Master, a young genderfluid actor, writer, explorer, and bass vocalist. Pronouns They/Them/Theirs
My Characters: Brormin the Devout Crusher; Ellora the Romantic Rookie
Check out my EXTENDED SIGNATUR (hasn't been updated in forever, fyi) and don’t forget to join the Anything but the OGL 2.0 Thread!
"I don't make sense to you, and I don't make sense to myself. Maybe the only one I make sense to is God" ~ Me, trying to sound smart
"Better to attack on the road than fortified caves anyway, is it not?" Nodjeim asks ready for any plan of attack.
He nodded to Threl, half surprised that he didn’t react to the mention of Lolth. Between that and the fact that the man lived on the surface, the warlock could almost believe the bard a fellow escapee. Worth of genuine trust. The words of encouragement filled Veldruk’s body with strength and the results of the scouting came.
“I don’t know, Nodjeim. In the road they will be all together in line of sight of one another and as we know firsthand, an ambush is not a guarantee of victory.” He imagined the party dealing with the two ogre-sized gnolls while a dozen or so of the regular ones surrounded them. “The good thing is that we can be sure they didn’t receive any support since they are getting ready to relocate. Question is - where to?” A place were they would feel safe, or at least safer. A den with larger numbers? Maybe the seat of their crowned leader. “Maybe we should leave one or two of them alive. Follow them, discover the other hideout.” If they found too many enemies they could still sell the location to the closer cities. That could be worth more coin than mercenary work. “I think the best case scenario is to hit as they are divided between areas, if they are divided between areas.” He turned his crimson eyes to Ruthmum. “Are there any guards outside of the cave or are they all inside?”
Olan turns to Ruthmum. "When you say they are packing and leaving can you give us any more detail? Are they leaving as one, or in groups?"
"If they're splitting in groups it gives us a better chance, we can pick off the last group, then the next to last, and so on."
Nyli Bemblade - Gnome Arcane Trickster
Portia Thornleaf - Halfling Rogue
"They ent left yet, but they were movin' their things out front. Saw one o' those big freaky gnolls, but couldn't get much more detail. Spell don't allow for that."
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"Olan, could you and Nodjeim scout ahead and ascertain which way they seem to be leaving? So that way we can set up an ambush, as well as find out whether they are leaving in groups or all together."
"If either of you wishes, I can grant you a charm that will hide you from all but the most mystical of beings" Threla suggests, offering to cast Invisibility
Hi, I'm Raccoon_Master, a young genderfluid actor, writer, explorer, and bass vocalist. Pronouns They/Them/Theirs
My Characters: Brormin the Devout Crusher; Ellora the Romantic Rookie
Check out my EXTENDED SIGNATUR (hasn't been updated in forever, fyi) and don’t forget to join the Anything but the OGL 2.0 Thread!
"I don't make sense to you, and I don't make sense to myself. Maybe the only one I make sense to is God" ~ Me, trying to sound smart
Nodjeim nods as his name is mentioned. "With some luck we won't be spotted. Save the spell until luck runs out?" And with that Nodjeim is ready to take off scouting, moving quickly until nearby the caves and then switching to stealth and caution...
Stealth: (yikes) 2+7 for 9 total...
Olan checks his disguise and heads off with Nodjeim. "When we get there we should find separate vantage points to observe from; it will enable us to view more of the area."
Stealth 11 for the initial journey.
Stealth 24 for final approach and observing.
Nyli Bemblade - Gnome Arcane Trickster
Portia Thornleaf - Halfling Rogue
Olan and Nodjeim find the way back to the camp relatively easy, and end up each perching along the sides of separate hills to observe below. They see that Ruthmum's word is truth; many of the gnolls are out in front of the cave, while others are carrying items — weaponry and supplies, mostly — out of the cave. They both see two hulking, ogrelike gnolls, as well as a single robed individual, wearing on their head an iron crown of thorns. They observe quietly for a moment, as the gnoll seems to be barking orders in a combination of gnollish and giantish. All of a sudden, as Nodjeim attempts to find better footing, a bit of the path gives way and crumbles beneath his foot, tumbling below. The crowned gnoll looks up, furious, and raises a hand.
Nodjeim, make me an Intelligence saving throw and make a choice: stay, or run.
The gnoll:
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Int Save: 11
Stay... for now. No need to run until being chased, eh?
Nodjeim, take 10 psychic damage and you must choose whether you want to take an action, a bonus action, or a move during your next turn. Only one of the three. Nodjeim feels something tear into his skull. Something angry. Something hungry. Something which scrapes its teeth along his basal ganglia, sinks its molars deep into his limbic system. He feels mandibles masticating his hypothalamus, tearing off, chewing and swallowing bits of his temporal lobe. He feels a tongue like rotting sandpaper slide across his brain stem, curl around his spinal cord, and pull. He feels alive. He feels like he ought to be dead. He knows himself as nothing more than a meal for something greater, and deeper, and hungrier than he could imagined. Then, just like that, it's gone. But the terror, the momentary helplessness, all that remains, and it roots Nodjeim in place, preventing him from acting fully.
As Nodjeim stays, he is not chased. He is, however, shot at by a squad of gnoll archers, as the one in charge quite literally barks an order. Nodjeim desperately attempts to fend off the strikes. One arrow would hit home, if he hadn't easily reflected it. Of the ten arrows fired, the other five are not so easily avoided. One hits. Thuk. 5 piercing damage. Another hits. Thuk. 5 piercing damage. Another hits. Thuk. 7 piercing damage. Another hits. Thuk. 6 piercing damage. Nodjiem drops. A fifth would hit, but he's down now. Prone. With disadvantage, mercifully, this final arrow misses the mark.
Nodjeim is down, dry blood oozing into the side of the hill. Unless Olan has some way of reaching Nodjeim, being on the opposite hill, I'd like you to make death saves until you die or stabilize. The gnolls are coming to get you, but they aren't stabilizing you. They just don't care enough.
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Nodjeim Death Saves (w/Advantage):
1 or 3 - First Fail
12 or 14 - First Save
2 or 15 - Second Save
12 or 5 - Third Save, Nodjeim stabilizes...
Seeing the burst of activity to the south, Olan realises that Nodjeim is probably in trouble. He begins to make his way to help him, heading first for the hillock in the centre, skirting around it then across the open valley at its narrowest point.
Stealth 15
Nyli Bemblade - Gnome Arcane Trickster
Portia Thornleaf - Halfling Rogue
With a barked order, Olan sees that the gnolls themselves are heading towards Nodjeim, at the order of the crowned one. At this rate, being stealthy like this, they'll beat him. If he wants to grab Nodjeim, he'll have to pick up the pace, and that almost certainly means getting himself spotted. Being spotted almost certainly means another barrage heading his way. Unless he's got some other solution, things aren't looking great.
What does Olan do?
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Seeing the area from a slightly different viewpoint, Olan realises that he can't get to Nodjeim without being spotted, and even if he did, there's no way to get him to safety. The only option seems to be getting back-up.
Offering up a prayer to Tymora for Nodjeim's rescue, he drops out of site and then heads for the others as fast as he can run.
Nyli Bemblade - Gnome Arcane Trickster
Portia Thornleaf - Halfling Rogue
Nodjeim drools a little... Otherwise he just lies there all unconscious like. It's actually kind of peaceful...
Threl sees Olan's hurried approach, and worriedly speaks to him "What happened? Where's Nodjeim?" He draws his rapier, looking around for danger
Perception check (I know it probably isn't needed, but Threl doesn't): 19
Hi, I'm Raccoon_Master, a young genderfluid actor, writer, explorer, and bass vocalist. Pronouns They/Them/Theirs
My Characters: Brormin the Devout Crusher; Ellora the Romantic Rookie
Check out my EXTENDED SIGNATUR (hasn't been updated in forever, fyi) and don’t forget to join the Anything but the OGL 2.0 Thread!
"I don't make sense to you, and I don't make sense to myself. Maybe the only one I make sense to is God" ~ Me, trying to sound smart
Evelyn perks up at Olan's return. He looks anxious and worried...and Nodjeim isn't with him. The wizard fears the worst. "Nodjeim needs help, doesn't he?" she asks, but she is already moving toward Olan, ready to follow him back toward their friend.
Extended Signature
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf (Phandelver and Below) ♦ Vesta Trevelyan (Vecna: Eve of Ruin) ♦ Ada Kendrick (Curse of Strahd) ♦ Gareth Blackwood (Dragon of Icespire Peak)
DM: Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus & Phandalin Adventures
"Nodjeim is down, and there was no way to get to him from my position." He stops to get his breath. "There's the thing with the crown, the 2 big things, 5 ordinary gnolls in the open. There's more moving supplies but I can't say how many."
Nyli Bemblade - Gnome Arcane Trickster
Portia Thornleaf - Halfling Rogue