Chapter 5 What the Hell Just Happened?
General Summary
It was Saturday, the 5th of May, when the group, once again, reported to Snodgrain. Ren, Eddie and Merric arrived a bit early hoping to get a jump on the day. Unfortunately, Dolly sent word that she was ill and would need to stay behind on this patrol. Without a word of explanation regarding Fülgur’s absence Nabnivar began to explain the assignment that the patrol was being given as their next job.
Nabnivar explained the origination of Gnolls as he knew it saying “Our research indicates that a Gnoll Fang of Yeenoghu is capable of creating a new Gnoll population. Fangs do that by locating a clan of Hyenas killing a foe and feeding it to the hyenas. While eating the kill the hyena goes through a swift and painful transformation becoming a Gnoll. That experience leaves them ferocious and rage filled monsters. In addition, whenever a Gnoll makes a kill they perform a ritual before eating that, if Yeenoghu is pleased, will result in a Gnoll being transformed once again into a Fang of Yeenoghu becoming a fiend of the abyss”.
The task that followed seemed easy enough. Find the Fang and destroy it. Leaving Nabnivar’s office and exiting the building our heroes noted on how beautiful the weather was. With that, and with a bit of pep in their step, they headed for the Main Gates and out into the wilderness hoping to reach the Central Mountains before dark. However, after only half a day’s travel they noticed a tiger with a bluish hue to its fur was tracking their travels. This was not the first time they had seen a blue tiger but this was the closest they had ever been to one. Eddie speculated that the tiger was Aurora the druid they had met some months earlier. Ren thought it a promising idea to attempt to approach the tiger but while heading toward the beast Merric, ever the cautious one, drew his sword and immediately the tiger made two bounding leaps and was lost to sight even in the tall grass of the plain. Disappointed that they had not been able to reach the tiger the guys moved on.
The weather remained sunny and warm for the time of year as they attempted to track the Gnolls near the Central Mountains. However, on the 4th day of tracking, neither Gnolls nor hyenas could be found, the temperature soared and a light wind blew. Seeing that the day was drawing and being not far from Tocia Ren, Eddie and Merric thought to head in that direction with the hopes of an ale and some fresh food. As they approached the town, they were surprised to see Guntert, their friend the butcher, standing in a farmer’s field slaughtering a pig which he left lying where it died.
Inquisitive as to what Guntert was up to they joined him as he was returning to town. Striking up a conversation the patrol was able to determine that there had been no further attacks by Gnolls that were known of since they had killed the clan in the mountains. Asked about the pig, Guntert responded, “Great Maker Boys! Better to trap them hungry beasts out here in the fields than to let them get closer to the children. I dug me a pit trap and baited it with that pig. That should catch them. That is, if there are any left out there.” [/P]
Thinking to take advantage of Guntert’s plan and asking the farmer’s permission to dig a trench, not far from Guntert’s pit trap, in which to hide a decision having been made to sit and wait in hopes that they could pick up a Gnoll they could track back to its lair. [p/]
Well, they set up camp and settled in to see what would come of their surveillance. On their 3rd day in the trench the weather change for the worse. The temperature dropped significantly and gale force winds, coming from the east whipped across the plains. With the wind blowing the patrol feared they might face frostbite and in order to protect Merric from the wind so as not to have him picked up and taken by the wind Ren and Eddie place Merric between them acting as wind blocks.
After too many days to count, the winds shifted from the east into the southern areas behind them and a torrential rain began. As the winds began to die down, and the rain continued to fall everyone was shocked to see a Giant Wasp appear and alighting on the pig, left by Guntert’s trap, settled in for a feast. Seeing the wasp in this type of weather seemed totally out of place until someone realized that it must have been blown inland by the weather. Merric for some unknown reason decided to go out and behead the bug and proceeded to cut it open thinking to find meat they could eat. Instead he found himself standing a puddle of stomach goo and getting drenched by the rain. Eventually, the rain began to slow but did not stop and once again the temperature soared making the whole setting summerlike.
Giving up on their plan and seeing three men on horseback coming from the direction of Diolius and heading toward Tocia the drenched patrol approached the road to greet the travelers. As the two groups got closer to each other Ren and Eddie stood on the road and Merric stood off too the roadside and addressed the men. Three ragged looking men dressed in wet clothes and wearing ponchos, swords in their scabbards and bow across their backs bore down on Ren and Eddie. Merric prepared to draw his weapon if need be as Ren shouted out “Hail friends how are your travels” to which the lead rider replied, “Stand Aside”. Ren called out again “We are just looking for information friend. Give us a minute please”. The riders pulled up their rides and looking displeased listened as Ren asked if they had encountered any Gnolls or hyenas during their travels. With a withering look the lead rider replied “Why yes we saw some out in the hills of the Eastern Wall. Now stand aside and allow us to be on our way” while quickly kicking their horses rode straight toward Ren and Eddie who barely cleared the road before being trampled. Suspicious but not looking for a conflict Ren, Eddie and Merric deemed the information spurious and decided to ignore it, choosing to enter Tocia long enough to replenish supplies and head north to Esaca.
While traveling to Esaca the patrol encountered a monk in the robes of the Esaca Abbey. Thinking to acquire news of the Gnolls they stopped and spoke. The monk was helpful enough indicating no Gnolls or hyenas had been seen in weeks. Alas, as the monk began to move on, in passing as he started to walk away, he asked, “You are aware that Gnolls are nocturnal right?” and proceed in the direction of Tocia. With a slap of palms to foreheads out intrepid heroes decided they needed to change their tactics.
Not much later the patrol reached the Abbey and asked if they could impinge on the monks to provide them a base to explore the mountains north and west of their location for which they received approval, Om the next afternoon they left for the mountains to set up a campsite where they could set out each day to search the mountains, hills and grasslands of the area. One night, with the skies clear, the stars bright and the moon full, Ren was standing the watch when the center of the galaxy known as the Gash rose barely above the horizon in the east and set. Soon thereafter was seen the Scimitar appear on the eastern horizon as if chasing the Gash through the night sky.
After a week of searching the area north of Esaca it was decided to follow the foothills of the Central Mountains south towards Tocia. Shortly after heading out their friend the Blue Tiger appeared once again about 200 yards away. Wishing to try again to approach the animal Merric kept his weapon in its sheath. They managed to move to within 100 yards of the majestic animal before it, once again, bounded away disappearing without a trace. Moving along they spotted a herd Wild Horse playing on the plains.
It was not long, about a week before the winter solstice, that our tired and frustrated by this assignment that Merric spotted a solitary Gnoll. Unnoticed and in a moment of extreme restraint the group decided not to kill the monster and follow it, hopefully, to its lair. For 4 days they stealthily followed the Gnoll until, in the dark of night in a swampy area beneath the mountains, it took them to its lair. In the moonlight, Merric crept as close as he could without being noticed, toward the encampment and could see 5 posts in the middle of the site, a wall along the back edge and a small rivulet flowing through the swamp. As best as he could tell this was no small clan of Gnolls.
During the next day, while the Gnolls were resting, Merric made another approach to spy on the encampment. What he saw disturbed him for within the camp could be seen 5 posted driven into the ground each with a member of the dwarven, elven, gnome, halfling and human race crucified with ropes to the posts. In addition, Merric could count at least 15 Gnolls in the clan. There appeared to be 3 Fangs, 3 pack lords and at least 12 Gnoll hunters. All the Gnolls appeared to be preparing for some kind of ritual given the pentagram with the posts at each point and a large flat rock in the center using blood to draw the lines connecting it all.
As Merric filled in the others and their options seemingly limited, run back to Caesion for help or attack the Gnolls and quite likely be killed, that a new plan was being developed and dusk was fast approaching. It was then that the Gnolls began to chant ritualistically, prance about and bark at the waning moon as it rose in the east. It became clear that a frontal assault would be suicide and leaving was untenable because they would not have enough news to be of help to President Penry. It was then that Eddie used his magic to find out what the Gnolls were changing. It quickly became evident that the ritual was to be a summoning of Yeenoghu to this plane. Finally, a decision was made to send Eddie back to Caesion for help so the Gnolls could be dealt with and hopefully exterminated. Knowing that it would be a week before any help would arrive Ren and Merric settled in to keep watch over events.
On the day of the solstice arrival the Gnolls began chanting even more loudly, the language began to leave Ren and Merric nauseous, and their gyrations became more frenzied, At the moment of the solstice events became very strange indeed. The sky overhead darkened as if the sun was gone for the sky and no moon shown, a portal began to open where the alter was placed and a twisting fire shot into the air. Watching in horror, Ren and Merric could see Yeenoghu attempting to come through the portal and then seemingly wrenched back into the Abyss. Yeenoghu was quickly replaced by the visage of Orcus and a skeletal apparition speaking in an unknown language but sounded similar to the language the Gnolls had be using in their chant. Suddenly, Ren became more nauseous and Merric could hear inside his skull the voice of Orcus. Orcus was saying “Stupid Gnolls your pentagram was crocked your god is dead. I give you a new leader to help you achieve my wishes”. The figure on the alter was speaking so fast and repeating itself so frequently that no sense could be made of what it meant, However, one thing was clear, a spell was being cast and as the twisting fire in the sky exploded a booming thunder clap was heard all across the land. Looking up Ren and Merric could see that the Fangs, pack lords and the sacrificial victims and crucifixes had been burned to cinder while the Gnoll hunters had scattered as quickly as they could run from the area.
As the Gnoll ritual was being usurped by Orcus Eddie was approaching the gates of Caesion. Upon entering the gates of the city, a twisting column of fire shot into the darkened sky and as it exploded a loud booming sound swept across the land. Not wanting to waste any time Eddie ran for Nabnivar Snodgrain’s office as fast as he could run. Out of breath Eddie quickly brought the bureaucrat up to speed indicating the discovery of the Gnoll Lair, the substantial number of Fangs. pack lords and Gnoll hunters on site, and the alter Merric had described to him. In closing, Merric asked for more men to travel back with him and save his friends. Nabnivar shuffled Eddie to a seat and told him to wait. A short while he was shepherded in to meet with President Penry who asked Eddie to retell him the events of the past week in a slow and orderly manner. Eddie calmed himself and recapped his story finishing with a request for help in saving his friends Ren and Merric. Grudgingly, because he did not know if his capital was coming under attack, Ameny agreed to Eddie’s request and ordered a company of his army accompany Eddie to the Gnoll Lair. Three days later Eddie and the company returned to where the lair was located. It took a short while to locate Ren and Merric as they had gone into hiding but once they were found they walked the Army Captain through the events of the solstice. Thereafter, they returned to Caesion where they stood before President Penry, once more, as the captain briefed the president of what he had seen and been told.
Once finished the patrol was told to make themselves available, for an important meeting, that Ameny intended to convene on July 1st. Scared, exhausted and hungry the patrol returned to their barracks to rest and prepare themselves for the upcoming meeting.
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