Chapter 14: The Ashlanders
After discussing their plans, the party decided to have Rasper create an illusion of a great fire atop one of the Gnoll tents. The illusion distracted the gnolls, allowing them to descend into the camp and free one of the hunters. As they made their way through the gnoll camp, they ambushed a group of the creatures but attracted the attention of archers on a bluff. As they fought, a few more gnolls joined the fight as they came to investigate their missing brethren. After killing the first group, they snuck up to the remaining gnolls still distracted by the fire and freed another hunter. As more gnolls came to investigate, they ambushed them again but Thrain alerted them. A great battle ensued against the remaining gnolls in the camp, and after a protracted battle they were all slain.
But just as the last gnoll died, the mist thickened and they heard a deafening roar coming from the highest bluff in the camp. A giant gnoll leapt into the camp, wielding a flail with 3 heads made of spiked skulls. With limited visibility, they fought back against the giant gnoll. His flail almost proved a match for the group, as he nearly killed Thrain and Tar'Kanis with it (its magical heads causing various magical effects like confusion and paralysis). As Rasper and Dox joined the fight, they managed to encircle the thing and eventually bring it down. Exhausted, they waited for the next attack but instead saw the mists recede. They explored the rest of the camp, freeing 3 more Tuhka Hunters. They left the camp and returned to Tuhka Kotiin, with the hunters as their guides. Along the way, they found ruins of an ancient black road made of solid stone and the wreckage of some kind of small arcane transportation device. They asked the Tuhka about the road, and were told they were built by the masters who broke the world long ago, and most lead to the ruins of cities and other major population centers.
Back at Tuhka Kotiin, the villagers were elated to have their hunters back safe. Chief Topa called for a great feast in the group's honor, and a cow was butchered to serve at the feast. The tuhka offered the group the honor of slaughtering it, and Tar'Kanis did the deed (failing to kill it in one stroke, the tuhka ended the beast's life with a knife to the heart). They ate and drank, Dox trying the tuhka's signature beverage of fermented cow's milk and retired for the night. The next morning, they decided to head back out on their expedition. Tar'Kanis asked about a Tuhka guide, and a hunter named Sivald was granted the honor of guiding the group through the mistlands. The chief gave them a small stone with tuhka writings and the symbol of the Ukko clan (an eagle) as a token of friendship. Should they show this to any Tuhka, they would be treated as kin and given any food or lodging required.
They left with Sivald as their guide, traveling back to the road they had seen near the gnoll camp before heading south down the road. Along the way, they encountered some oozes that crawled out of drainage pipes but chose not to fight them. As they journeyed south, they came upon some mountains and followed the road around them. As the days passed, a feeling of existential dread crept up on them as they slept. Dox seemed to be affected by it, altering his behavior in strange ways. On their 3rd day of travel, the mists thickened and they encountered black gangly demons that ambushed them with sharp claws and magical darkness. They slew the demons and the mists receded once more.
The next day, they encountered a Tuhka settlement of the Elk (Tapio) clan. Sivald spoke with them and showed them the group's token of friendship, and they were invited into the village. They were given salted cod fished from the ocean on the nearby coast and soft beds of fur and hide. Their chief, a man named Vili, approached them and asked if they would venture into ruins to the north to retrieve the spear of a Tuhka Legend named Brynolf. According to legend, Brynolf led a failed revolt against the masters before the breaking of the world and was captured. Now, the ruins of the city are filled with demons so the spear cannot be retrieved by them. If the group would retrieve it, they were promised elk mounts to help them along their travels through the mistlands. The group agreed and retired for the night. The next morning, Dox had shaken the strange thoughts he had developed on the road and the rest of the group slept undisturbed.
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