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| "And they have berserks with them. Such men are hard to kill" |
August 15th
In the small hours of the morning, a small band of gnolls approaches the cave. They make no attempt at stealth and hail the sentries, seeking audience with the “Black Bitch-Chieftain”. Fortunately Harg the bugbear is on watch duty, and Harg understands the gnoll tongue and their idioms well enough to know that this description is not meant to be insulting – gnolls do not have a word for a female warleader. Ivy is roused, and the gnolls are eventually invited inside the cave. With Harg acting as translator, she holds a parlay with the gnolls' leader.
He turns out to be Widestripe, the younger of Corpse-Eater’s two surviving sons. After Ivy killed his father in the duel in the Starwater, Widestripe and his brother Horsebiter stood election for control of the clan. Most of the clan’s fighters sided with Horsebiter, and Widestripe fled with the two warriors loyal to him, Bent-Tail and Three-Laughs, along with his three wives Redmane, Long-Heat, and Dainty, his full-mother Damsontongue, and his half-mother Birdcatcher. They are also accompanied by three young gnolls: Widestripe’s two younger half-sisters and his son by Redmane. The children either do not have names, or Widestripe does not consider their names worth mentioning (Harg is unclear on which). Widestripe has fled with his household because as the winner of the election Horsebiter would have confiscated his property (including his wives) and killed his son. Widestripe would have had to fight to prevent this, and with only two warriors backing him he would have almost certainly been killed. Widestripe does not appear upset about this exactly – it is customary for clans to split up after an election, and the winners only try to stop the losers from leaving if they try to abscond with property that does not belong to them – but he would prefer to stay in Starwater Gorge. Instead of leaving for the Stonelands, why doesn’t the Black Bitch-Chieftain help him kill his brother? They can go to the gnoll cave, kill Horsebiter and any other males that resist, take the females, and split the goods. Then Ivy can have her side of the valley, and Widestripe will have his. They can work out details about hunting rights and so on later.
Ivy counteroffers: Widestripe swears fealty to her. When they take the gnoll cave, *everything* is hers. She’ll reward him with her treasure if he fights well, but he follows her orders and gives up all claims to the valley. Widestripe doesn’t understand the idea of swearing service. The closest term Harg can find in Gnoll is “tribute-gift”, which offends Widestripe. Ivy tries again in simpler terms, and Harg says she is demanding that Widestripe’s gnolls join her clan. Widestripe is confused, and offended again. The leader of a clan is the breeding male. Is she threatening to fuck him? Offering? Nobody fucks Widestripe! He’ll kill anyone who tries! Widestripe reaches for his battle-axe as Bent-Tail and Three-Laughs snarl. Redmane snorts (a vote of approval for the coming fight). Nogi hefts his axe and Mothclaw growls orders to his troops. Ivy does not stir, but her clear voice rings out above the din: “Tell this animal to sit down or he’ll get what his father got.” Harg provides the translation, but Widestripe seems to have gotten the message from her tone alone. The gnolls hunker, and Harg explains the difficulty to Ivy. Eventually she is able to explain the situation to Widestripe in simple terms.
“Fight for me and I will give you gold. Refuse, and I will kill you.” Widestripe accepts the terms.
As proof of her good word, Ivy gives Widestripe 50 gold pieces. The gnolls swear the vow of fealty given to the old Eveningstar kings (reciting the words of the foreign language phonetically as they are given them) and the war-council begins. Damsontongue is able to draw a map of the gnoll cave while Widestripe describes the usual defenses. The cave is always guarded by four sentries with bows. If intruders are spotted, one guard runs to alert the chief while the others shoot arrows at the attackers. In the face of determined assault, the sentries retreat into the cave, where the entire band can hold a chokepoint at a narrow place. If this fails, the survivors retreat down a long tunnel, where they can take cover and shoot arrows at their attackers. The module states that the secret door to the gnoll cave is “unknown to all”, so as far as Widestripe can tell Ivy this is the only way into the cave.
Ivy divides her force into three groups. She, Heinryk, Harg, Nogi, and the gnolls will form the vanguard. They will break the line, seek out Horsebiter, and kill him. The orcs and hobgoblins, led by Mothclaw, will form the second wave. Their job will be to secure the guard room at J47. The rest of the warband will remain outside of the cave under the leadership of Ambrosius to secure their retreat. The hobgoblins complain about the arrangements. Dedbane grumbles about taking orders from an orc, and Wolfeye complains that the orcs will push them to the front and then take all of the good plunder. Drunvir the wild elf, who speaks Goblin, suddenly laughs. If the hobgoblins are too frightened to fight, he says, let them cower outside under the wizard’s protection (meaning Ambrosius). He, Reedle, and Dorben the dwarf will change places. Ivy agrees to the change, cutting off further argument.
It is nearly 2 pm when they march to war.
THE LOG
The gnolls in the cave see the warband coming a long way off. With Widestripe loping along at Ivy’s side in the front rank, the warband’s intentions are clear. The sentries send a runner to alert Horsebiter. The runner has time to deliver the message and return before the warband enters arrow range. Ivy’s party will have to endure three rounds of arrow volleys before they reach the cave mouth (one at each range band).
TURN 1 – Combat
Round 1
Three-Laughs is struck with an arrow for 6 damage (2/8 HP). The warband breaks into a run.
Round 2
Nogi takes an arrow-wound (9/16 HP). The warband continues to run.
Round 3
Four arrows fly at murderously close range now. An arrow nicks Harg’s ear (11/14 HP). Widestripe is struck in the chest (5/10 HP), and Three-Laughs is killed outright. Widestripe and Bent-Tail test Morale, but charge on.
Round 4
The gnoll archers win initiative and scramble inside before the warband reaches them. They run past the chokepoint, where six of their waiting fellows close ranks behind them to block the hallway. Two archers will proceed down the long tunnel to J47, preparing the gnolls’ line of retreat, while the other two join the second rank of the defensive line. All told, eight gnolls in two ranks will hold the narrow pass. Burn, Shakes, Smiler, and Halfmouth are in the front line, armed with shield and axe. Horsebiter and his councilor Greypelt stand in the second rank, wielding long-hafted axes. Stinktooth and Gnawbone join them with their bows.
As the warband enters the cave Horsebiter calls out to the brother Widestripe, calling him “beggar-bitch,” “cringer,” and “hand-licker”. Greypelt snarls “Go now!” in Common. Only two fighters can attempt to force the chokepoint at a time, while all seven gnolls can strike back. “Heinryk, with me” says Ivy. The Hero twirls his axe and grins, a cruel light dancing in his mad eyes.
Round 5
Shields boom as the lines meet. Ivy’s blade Blackstar darts past Burn’s shield and into his one good eye, killing him. Heinryk kills Shakes, the most reckless gnoll in the clan, with a single mighty blow of his axe. The gnoll goes down without a sound, gnashing his foam-flecked teeth at Heinryk as he dies. The gnolls test Morale and fight on.
Round 6
Heinryk strikes Smiler for 5 damage, and the wounded gnoll yips with distressed laughter from behind his perpetual rictus snarl. Horsebiter catches Heinryk in the shoulder with his pole-axe (18/24 HP).
Round 7
Ivy kills Halfmouth, Blackstar shearing through his muzzle and scattering his few remaining fangs, and pushes forward into the weakened gnoll line. Nogi moves into the breach, brandishing his great axe.
Round 8
Ivy stabs Horsebiter in the footpaw, ducking under his guard just as she did to his father (5/10 HP). Nogi kills with wounded Smiler, then takes a second arrow to the chest (3/16 HP). Harg pushes into the melee, and the gnoll archers draw their axes as the formal battle lines degenerate into a chaotic melee.
Round 9
Ivy pushes the limping Horsebiter off balance and disembowels him with Blackstar. At the same time, Heinryk deals Greypelt a savage blow (1/9 HP). Greypelt drops his axe. “No more! You win” calls the old gnoll. The other gnolls prepare to surrender, following his lead. Ivy tells the warband to stand down, pleased to have left most of the gnoll clan intact. She could use fighters like this in her march on Eveningstar.
Round 10
Heinryk, laughing, buries his axe in Greypelt’s head. His eyes are red with battle-fever, his teeth shining white behind his bloodstained beard. The surviving gnolls break and run.
Continued in part 2...
