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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1204271" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 14, “Another Chapter as the Gnoll sees it." September 13th, 1019, 11:45 A.M.Chief Ujjain stared both Rizah and Gogol in the face, then grabbed each of their uniforms by the lapel and pulled their faces close to him.   The gnoll leader then yelled, “So you are saying that you retreated your post!  Abandoning the Central Howdad in cowardice and letting the enemy take what they wish from it?”   A clearly intimidated Lieutenant Gogol stutters out a response of “Rizah did.  I wasn’t there when it happened.”   Ujjain throws the Lieutenant to the floor and then kicks him while stating, “How dare you try to shirk the blame for this!  You are responsible for the actions of all of your subordinates.  I should kill you for your negligence!”  Ujjain releases Rizah and then kicks Gogol again with full force, cracking one of the Lieutenant’s ribs.  Ujjain yells, “But I won’t kill you. You should be ashamed of what you have done so you need to feel shame.  You are stripped of your rank, and deemed no longer worthy to ride upon the Kadtanach.   Take the basket to the ground below.  Inform Lieutenant Renjarr that you are his new wagon driver.”  As Gogol stands up Ujjain strips the gnoll of his insignia, and bellows “Get out of my sight, you sicken me.”   Gogol hurriedly exits the howdad. Ujjain then turns his eyes towards Rizah.   Rizah stands straight at attention and states, “My Chief, administer whatever punishment you feel I deserve, but please allow me the opportunity to first explain my actions.”   The Chief moves so his face is within an inch of Rizah’s and says, “Very well Kegyai, what excuses do you have?”  Rizah remains unfazed at his Chief’s proximity and replies is a strong and authoritative voice, “No excuses sir, just an explanation.  I would have preferred to remain on the Archers’ deck, fighting alongside my men.  However, my discovery that the gnoll heretics were the ones who were responsible for this incursion changed that.  I was the only one close enough to the ladder to go sound an alarm and thought that my first duty at that moment was to and report this act of treason to my superiors.   If that judgement was incorrect then I will freely accept any punishment you see fit, up to and including my death.”   The Chief moves back and ponders what Rizah has said, as well the courage the gnoll has just shown in standing his ground.   Ujjain replies, “Rizah, I find that your judgement in this instance was correct.  But if you ever abandon troops assigned to you again, for any reason, I will personally kill you for cowardice.   Do I make myself clear…Lieutenant?”   “Yes. You do sir,” Rizah replies.  Ujjain hands Rizah the insignia formerly worn by Gogol, which the new Lieutenant pins to his armor.  Lieutenant Kajjan then enters the Howdad and says to the Chief, “Father, there is no sign of the intruders and all of the prisoners are gone.   The stone-skins and lizard-fliers report that no enemies are in sight anywhere on the Kadtanach.  They also report that the traitor Gnu-Dalcom appears to still be within his own howdad, so perhaps the enemies have gone there.”   Ujjain turns and orders Rizah “You will go to the Yoke Howdad and inform the Great Demon Lord of what has transpired.   He will decide how to best deal with Gnu-Dalcom.”   The Chief then turns to Kajjan and states, “Son, we are at great risk while we are stopped.  We must get the Kadtanach out of these mountains, but I do not want to hurry into what may be an ambush by our enemies.  Signal for the beast to resume traveling at half its regular pace.  Put the troops go to medium alert except for those near Gnu-Dalcom’s Howdad.  Have those archers stay at full alert and fire on anyone exiting that habitat.”  Both Lieutenants depart with their new orders.  Rizah sees a pair of gnoll archers and orders them to accompany him.  They make their way back to the Central Howdad, then along the bridge connecting it to the Shoulder Blade Howdad.   By this point the bells have changed to Medium Alert and the Kadtanach has started moving again.    They head down the forward ramp and around its catapult.   At the edge of the ramp the rope ladder is lowered and the three gnolls climb down towards the Yoke Howdad below them. They are assisted onto the Yoke Howdad crow’s nest by Drog-Jeru, the gnoll Sub-Chief and tribe’s shaman.  He is flanked by the five most powerful gnoll fighters on the Kadtanach, with the six of them serving as the Elite Guard to the gnoll deity.    Rizah respectfully tells his Sub-Chief what has transpired.  The Sub-Chief opens the trap down to the building below, ordering Rizah to accompany him.   Rizah has never been inside of this structure before, and is unsure of what to expect. The demonic dog belonging to the giths is in the room below and barks at them, not recognizing Rizah as someone authorized to be inside of this howdad.  In fact, the beast would have most likely attacked and killed the new lieutenant if one of the three red-skinned Duthka’Gith warriors had not held it back.   Both of the yellow-skinned Ghustil (priests) of the Githyanki race then question the two gnolls as to what is taking place.  Both Ghustil then accompany the two gnolls down the ladder to the bottom level, where Yeenoghu awaits.   Rizah immediately feels a sense of awe in the presence of the gnoll deity standing before him.  He takes his cues from both Drog-Jeru and the two gith shamen as to the kneeling, reverent gestures and other ceremonial groveling that is expected in the god’s presence.  After begging for the god’s blessings and giving declarations of each one’s unworthiness, Yeenoghu commands them to stand.  Drog-Jeru reverently requests permission to address Yeenoghu directly.   Once granted, the Sub-Chief relays the information told to him by Rizah.   Yeenoghu gazes at Rizah, and asks for confirmation that the gnoll druid Gnu-Dalcom has committed treason.    Rizah feels his heart racing faster and sweat appears on his paws.  He bows his head before the great Yeenoghu and confirms that the heretics have betrayed them.  Yeenoghu orders one of the giths to bring Gnu-Dalcom to him.  The yellow-skinned being climbs upward, continuing up to the crow’s nest along with two of the red-skinned giths.   The A period of time passes, during which both of the shamen converse with Yeenoghu in the Gith Language, which Rizah does not yet know.   Twenty minutes after they left the giths finally return, forcefully holding the gnoll druid.   When questioned, the druid claims ignorance of the invaders but has no explanation as to how or why his apprentice was involved.   Yeenoghu commands the duthka-giths to “force some different answers from him.  Ten minutes of physical violence and torture follow, with the druid’s responses remaining the same as before.  While the druid is being tortured, the Kadtanach reaches the end of the mountain pass.  The deity commands that the beast’s speed increase to full.   The alarm bells soon change to a different series of rings, and the pace of the monster picks up.   Yeenoghu states in the Gnoll language that Gnu-Dalcom is lying and that an example must be made of him.   Drog-Jeru and Rizah are commanded to spread the word for all of their gnoll tribemates to watch the punishment.   He then speaks to the Giths in their own language.   The two gnolls climb back up to the crow’s nest.   Drog-Jeru and his troops start to climb the rope ladder back up to the platform above.  Drog-Jeru says that he and his elite troops will spread the word of the coming example to the main fortress.   Rizah and his two archers are told to get word to the howdad and baskets atop the creature’s head.  This assignment proves to be both challenging and very dangerous, in that the only way to reach the head is by a cable running between the crow’s nests of the Yoke Howdad and Head Howdad.   This maneuver is usually conducted when the Kadtanach is stopped, and it is now moving at near its top speed.    The cable used for this is also currently strapped down to the creature’s scales, to prevent it from snagging along branches and cliffs as the beast moves.   It takes the combined strength of all three gnolls to pull the cable loose from its fastenings.   A hooked swing is then attached to the cable.   One of the archers attaches a thin rope to an arrow and fires it into the Head Howdad’s upper wall just beneath the crow’s nest.   The gnoll sentries in the Head Howdad pick up the rope, and Rizah orders one of the archers to go first.   The gnolls at the Head Howdad use the rope to quickly pull him across.   The swing is then drawn back.  Rizah decides to go next, and is then pulled over.   The swing is returned once more and they begin to pull across the final archer.    The Kadtanach continues to march onward through the forests, splitting or knocking aside any trees in his path.  One such tree happens to house a large flock of Elgart Birds, a species, which resembles a giant quail.  As the birds’ home becomes uprooted the flock flies upward.  The Kadtanach sees the two-dozen large birds fly up in front of its face.  It opens maw and cranes its neck upward at them as they attempt to fly higher and away from it.  The beast’s mouth envelops the entire flock, and its great jaws close over them.  This sudden and violent neck movement causes the cable between the two howdads to suddenly pull taut and then snap.  The gnoll had been midway across when the cable breaks, and he falls for thirty feet, landing hard and on the behemoth’s neck.   The neck then begins to rumble and sway as the Kadtanach swallows its meal, causing the gnoll to slip.  He attempts to grab onto the beast’s scales, but is unable to get a firm grip as the weight of his own body now works against him.   The gnoll slides off from the creature and falls a hundred feet to his death.</blockquote>

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