Session 1-16: A Watery Grave

General Summary

A Gnoll New World, Heart and Gnoll, The Gnoll Truth A Watery Tomb As the door opens the group finds themselves facing down a water elemental. Sypha still has comprehend languages from reading the puzzle, speaks to the water figure, asking “Why are you here?” The elementals voice comes back to Sypha with three concepts. “Defend this place. None may Enter. You may leave.” These words are nothing but sounds of rippling water to the rest of the party. Sypha continues to talk with the elemental bluffing while the part attempts to get into a better tactical position. Sodyrin makes the first move and destroys water with limited effect. Malor shoots it with an arrow, it sticks into the watery mass of the elemental, then flows with the current dropping to the water they are all standing in below. Having chosen to not leave the water elemental response by forming a wall of water cutting the party in half where Tycone and Hella were standing. Hella is thrown up into the ceiling before tumbling back to the standing water below. Tycone being more massive and a bit more attentive rolls forward to avoid the wall. Popping up, he breathes fire on the elemental and slashes it with his battle-ax. Sodyrin hears the elemental talk to her again, “So be it Mortals” The elemental try’s to envelop and attack the Tycone as his attacks continue to hit, however, the very nature of water makes his attacks less than fully successful. Arrows bolts and spells fly at the elemental as it churns the water in the room in its anger. The group cut off from the battle try with limited success to penetrate the wall of water with ranged weaponry. Sodyrin and Tycone are enveloped as the elemental slams water into Malor and pushes him away. Despite the odds, the party continually hammers the elemental with hit after hit. Amenadiel shooting arrows distracts the elemental long enough for Sodyrin to cum up for air and again destroys water to great effect. Sypha blasting away with bolts of shadows asks the elemental “What do you protect that is worth your life?” The elementals voice over the din of combat says “Your life is inconsequential, and matters not.” Sypha curses the elemental and asks “Yours, is it worth dying for this thing you protect?” Tycone and Amenadiel continue to cut and shoot the elemental as it says to Sypha “I can not die, you can only set me free.” The battle rages on, Carilius tolling the dead. Sodyrin destroying the water knocking the legs out from it only for the water to reform them again. Hellah and Amenadiel knock and fire more arrows. Tycone swings his ax. Sypha moves past the battle to look for any clues to help the group at an Alter of Rhya. One final destruction of water spell granted by Sodyrin deity and the magic binding this elemental to our world is evaporated. With the spell that held it here gone, the wall of water crashes down and the water in the room begins to settle and calm. The group collects itself and works to search the room and alter for any clues to what is going on here. A hidden lock at the alter shows a compartment with a dead body and a note:

I write this as I am soon to take my last breath. If you got this far, I beg you, to turn around. Leave this tomb as it is. Danger exists here. Please heed my warning. --Doris of the Light Oaks.

Just before Sunset, behind Nevins House. The body of Doris of the Light Oaks is slumped in the secret room, legs folded as if she met her fate knowingly and in meditation. Sypha begins to pray over the body and administer funeral rites. While Carillius finds a leather, pouch tucked away from sight. Inside is a stone in the color of blue-green that is slightly warm to the touch. The party minus Sypha who is still praying over Doris climbs up and out of the Tomb. As Carillius climbs out of the Tomb, above the earth and clear of the protective magic Doris died to put into place. He feels with a staggering suddenness, a presence pushing in on him, unnatural as if in eye searching the whole valley has now snapped to look directly at him and stare with unbridled intent of purpose at him. Then a voice comes to the holder of the stone's mind, “Thank you, we are coming.” Unsettled by that alone, the horns blowing in the distance send a chill down Carillius’s spine. “We need to move now”, the group yells to Sypha who is lost in prayer as they move out into the orchards that surround Nevins's house. The party pushes east toward the mountains as the sound of horns grows louder. It seems the forces of ill intent were close to the party, closer than they knew while down in the tomb. Shapes shadow them in the dimming light closing in on them as they run. Battle at the Home of Nevin Sypha comes up out of the tomb, horns all around and shadows in the woods near the farm. Running to the main house to take cover she pounds on the rear door to be let in. Nevin and Jackmen let her in. Nevins's house was not what one would expect of a farmer. Weapons hung next to every door and window. Arrow slots allowed shooting crossbows at all angles of approach to his house. Jackman was shooting as Sypha ducked under as never closed and latched the door. A few loan scouts lied dead in the front yard. The enemy was testing their defenses after the first few gnolls were killed. It did not take long for the battle-hungry gnolls to start their attack on the house in earnest. When they did a fire arrow shout out at a seemingly normal barrel causing it to explode on impact. This set off a chain reaction as smoke and flame engulfed the first ware of gnolls into the farmers’ yard. Nevin and Jackman worked quickly to set off very dangerous defensive traps around the perimeter of the house. This lasted for 10 minutes or so before Jackman and Nevin retreated to the center of the house where a trap door revealed a ladder down into a tunnel. Sypha was ushered into the tunnel after Jackman. As Nevel followed them down but before he entered the tunnel, he lit a fuse on something. “Move now!” Nevel said as he pushed Sypha to catch up with Jackmen in the dark tunnel ahead. The Wood on Fire Everyone was taken aback as the world behind the fleeing party exploded in fire and smoke. Something big went up back the way the part had come from. No time to ponder it however as their Gnolls running on the group's sides had now closed to bow range. The group needed to take a stand as it was evident, they could not outdistance their pursuers. Hyenas driven in front of the Gnolls quickly start closing the distance. Betwixt the archers in the group and the traps in Neven’s orchard, the party dropped a dozen hyenas as the charged. However, they were simply there to allow the Gnolls to get close to the action. The Gnolls and one of the unworldly cloaked aberrations they faced a few nights back. As hand-to-hand fighting broke out the lines blurred, and the group was separated over a large area. The running and none stop action were taking their toll on the group. The party members started to go down Tycone, Carilius and Malar are all dropped in short order. Hella and Sodyrin provide Amenadiel and his panther cover fire so they can engage the aberration. The gnolls finally bend under the onslaught of their blades and the Panther Mazikeen takes a hit for his owner Amenadiel that flings the cat to the side where it laid unmoving. At that moment, however, Amenadiel finds his opening and kills the Beast as Hellah’s arrow claims the last Gnoll. Sodyrin hurt as well, pushes past the pain and stabilizes with healing magic the fallen on their side and brings each in turn back to consciousness. As the last bit of sunlight is lost to the evening the glows of fires can be seen in the growing smoke.