Darius, Dram, and Dalin continued to swing at the foes in front of them. One more fell to the their blades, but its body was grabbed by a gnoll behind it and dragged backwards into the mass. “We must remember to burn the bodies!” Dalin shouted. Nudging him to the left, Igor saw his chance as another gnoll stepped forward to fill its downed ally’s space. With his bastard sword held high, he swung under its helm and cut off the creatures’ head. Calm up until this point, the other gnolls finally broke and a cacophony of barking and echoes filled the hall as they retreated.
The team quickly searched the dead bodies for loot. Darius remained in the darkened corner as the other stripped off the gnolls’ chainmail armor and stowed their axes in Igor’s sack. Only a small stack of silver was found. As flasks of oil were poured over the piled remains of the dead gnolls, Darius called Dalin over. “Watch this spot. I’m going ahead to find out where they went.” The smoke from the flames behind him reached Darius’s nose as he cautiously stepped down the stairs. He did not need to carry a torch as the other did, but he knew the gnolls could see in the dark just as well. At the bottom he saw the passage continued straight for another 25 feet and opened into another chamber. A second passage angled back and to his right. It looked smaller as less used.
Choosing the second, hopefully safer route he scouted a few feet further and saw an archway on the left hand side. Sidling up to its edge he peered around the corner. Whatever was there smelled awfully foul. SMASH!! A massive clawed paw flung the paladin into the opposite wall. “Darius?” called out Dalin. Enlisting some help Dalin, Dram, and Mirel approached the top of the stairwell with torches. Feeling confident in his new armor, Dalin descended to the bottom and waved the other two back. He advanced alone hoping one torch was less likely to be seen. Around the corner to his right he saw blood along walls and Darius’s crumpled form. Grunting and loud breathing noises came from an archway near the body. Dalin approached slowly and cautiously dragged the dwarf’s body back to the stairwell. In the shadows beyond the arch he saw a shaggy form reach out for him.
Running as fast as possible back to the main group, Dalin was helped by Dram to pull Darius’s armored body up the stairs behind them. Mirel unfastened Igor’s sack and they stuffed the dwarven paladin into it. Most of the team had already evacuated after permanently destroyed the six gnoll dead. Once outside, everyone ran together back down the hill and along the newfound path to Quesquaton. At the streamlet below, Dram saw what he thought was a hobgoblin, but it was facing away from him and searching the surrounding countryside. “Turn right”, he called out and the group headed for the dryad’s tree instead.
Running along the Greenwillow River the Quesquaton hill came into view on their left side again. Remembering what had happened last time Dram, Igor, and Dalin cleared away every track they could. Once at the top of the hill and safely back within the entrance tunnel, the team set up camp. The sun was setting outside as Brother Ben bandaged the wounds on Darius’s body. The others were in poor shape too. It was a long and frightful night as each watch waited for the coming reprisal.
[DAY 49 – Feastday, Jinto 10th, CY 81]
– [DAY 51 – Thunderday, Jinto 12th, CY 81]
For the next two days Darius was too laid up to move. Brother Ben used his healing prayers to restore his lost vitality and seal shut his wounds, but the dwarf still needed time to recuperate. The party kept a constant vigil day and night, but nothing ever approached the cave’s entrance. Each had rations enough to last for over a week, but no fire could be built as it may have alerted the enemy to their presence. Upon the third day Darius’s health had fully returned and the team packed up for departure. With Igor scouting ahead, they moved back to the Greenwillow river and crossed over it. It took the entire morning to find their way back to Outpost Young. In actuality a patrol found them. The rest of the day was spent walking back to Keep Margrave and finding lodging for the night.
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