Endur's Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Craven looks at Lylamwyn with a sheepish expression.*

"Thank you for your magic, but I think I need to be smaller to fit under the portcullis," he says. "As for direction... one is as good as another. Remember to mark it so we don't miss it on the way back."

 

[Xael]

Lylamwyn shrugs, digs a piece of chalk from his backpack, and writes

Spoiler

"We went left from here."

in Sylvan at the wall opposite from the direction they came.

 

[Endur]

The party follows the winding corridor to the left. After traveling about eighty feet, they enter a 30' by 50' room from the west. On the east side of the room are three doors. On the north side of the room is a corridor leading to another room.

Belaver, Craven, Lylamwyn, and Toriah hear the sounds of gnolls conversing in the adjacent room to the north.

The party charges into the northern room (a 30' by 30' room) and attacks the eight gnolls with surprise.

Surprise Round
23: Kerwyn fires a crossbow at a Gnoll sitting on a bed, hitting him in the eye, killing him (hit 13+, dmg 9)
20: Belaver fires his sling at a Gnoll (hit 15+, dmg 1)
20: Neshi attempts to bite the nearest gnoll, but the gnoll dodges back from the deadly viper (miss 1)
18: Lenya fires a blast of green flame at a gnoll, killing him and setting his corpse on fire (hit 19+, dmg 10)
11: Toriah fires a crossbow at a Gnoll sitting on a bed, killing him. (hit 19+, does not confirm, dmg 15)
9: Lylamwyn fires a crossbow at the Gnoll, wounding him (hit 7+, dmg 7)
2: Raner charges the gnoll that Lylamwyn shot and delivers a solid blow with his war axe, killing him (hit 18+, dmg 7)
2: Craven charges the closest gnoll and smashes the Gnolls Skull with his warhammer (hit 20+, 17 to confirm the critical, dmg 17)

5 Gnolls dead at the end of the surprise round

Round 1
23: Kerwyn fires his crossbow at another gnoll, striking him in the eye, killing him (7+ hit, 12 damage)
20: Belaver fires a sling stone at a gnoll, wounding him (hit 7+, dmg 3)
20: Neshi bites a gnoll (hit 16+, dmg 1, dc 15 poison fort save 17)
19: 2 Surviving Gnolls draw weapons and attack. One Gnoll attacks Neshi and misses (4+3=7 miss), the other Gnoll attempts to attack Craven but misses (7+3+2 charging=12 miss).
18: Lenya hits the Gnoll fighting Neshi with a blast of green flame, killing the Gnoll (6+hit, dmg 9)
11: Toriah draws his rapier and hits the Gnoll fighting Craven with his rapier (hit 11+, dmg 6)
9: Lylamwyn ?
2: Raner kills the last Gnoll with a savage blow from his axe (hit 11+, dmg 11)
2: Craven

All of the Gnolls are dead by the end of the first round of combat. The party didn't suffer any wounds.

The room has ten very old-looking beds made of wood and padded with mattresses of straw. Clothes, armor pieces, and weapons lie about the floor, mixed with bones, fruit rinds, and other waste. It has the smell of wet fur.

Searching the room and bodies, the party finds four suits of leather armor, four suits of scale armor, eight battle axes, eight black cloaks, and 100 gold pieces. The party finds half a dozen medallions with a symbol similar to the fiery eye you found on the black cloak Kerwyn is wearing.

Returning to the room you entered earlier, the party finds nothing in that room or behind the three doors. Two of the doors lead to 10' by 10' closets, the middle door leads to a solid wall.

Going in the opposite direction down the corridor, the party enters another room from the north with three doors on the southern wall and a corridor leading to an adjacent room to the east.

Six more old wooden beds with straw mattresses are arranged in this room. A locked iron chest is near one bed. A stand with a brazier is against the east wall. A stand with a lantern is against the west wall.

Six orcish skeletons are guarding this room. The Skeletons are wearing scale mail.

Round 1
18: Raner charges the skeletons, swings his axe at the nearest and misses (5+7+2 charge=14 miss AC 17).
17: 6 Orcish Skeletons: Four Skeletons attack Raner with their claws, rending his flesh, even tearing his beard (13+3=16 hit, 10+ miss, 3+ miss, 20+/19+ confirms crit, 19+ hit, 9+ miss, 10+ miss, 12+ hit; dmg 26), the other two move to attack Craven(19+ hit,17+ hit; dmg 11).
16: Lenya blasts a skeleton with green flames, setting it on fire (20+ hit, no crit possible, dmg 4)
15: Kerwyn tumbles through to aid Raner (tumble check 16+) and ineffectually swings at a skeleton with the butt of his crossbow while fighting defensively (1+, miss)
12: Lylamwyn blasts two skeletons with magic missiles (dmg 5 each). One of the Four Skeletons facing Raner is destroyed.
12: Craven swings his warhammer at a skeleton, missing (7+6=13 vs. AC 17)
11: Belaver casts Cure Light Wounds on Craven, healing him (heal 5 points)
11: Neshi bites a skeleton fighting Craven (11+7=18 hit, dmg 1)
6: Toriah uses his rapier against the same skeleton fighting Craven (2+, miss)

 

[Xael]

Round 1

Lylamwyn casts Magic Missile at the skeletons (one at the one Lenya wounded, other at one near Raner), and tries to move a bit out of the way of others.

 

[Dalamar]

Kerwyn moves in on the skeletons surrounding Raner, waving the butt of his crossbow at them while trying to evade any claws coming his way.

OoC: Guess that's an improvised weapon. Fighting defensively (+3 AC thanks to Tumble), hoping for a flanking situation with Raner.

 

[Endur]

Round 2
18: Raner swings his axe at the nearest skeleton while fighting defensively with expertise and misses (9+7-6=10 miss AC 17).
17: 5 Orcish Skeletons (one at -5, one at -1): Three Skeletons rend Raner with their claws, and his bleeding body falls to the ground (20+/7+ hit but does not confirm, 2+ miss, 19+3=22 hit, 4+ miss, 6+ miss, 12+ miss; dmg 12), the other two attack Craven ineffectually(4+ miss,13+ miss, 9+ miss, 11+ miss).
16: Lenya destroys one of the skeletons attacking Raner with green flames, setting it on fire (13+ hit, dmg 7)
15: Kerwyn ineffectually swings at a skeleton with the butt of his crossbow while fighting defensively (5+, miss)
12: Lylamwyn casts a spell that sends a firey ray at a skeleton, utterly destroying it (Scorching Ray, 20+ hit/20+ to confirm, too bad undead can't be critted, damage 14)
12: Craven swings his warhammer at a skeleton, shattering it (12+5=17 hit, dmg 9)
11: Belaver moves up and casts Cure Minor Wounds on Raner and stabilizes him (1 healing, brings Raner up to -5 hit points from -6)
11: Neshi tries to bite a skeleton, but misses (1+)
11: Black Cat attacks Skeleton for ineffectual damage
6: Toriah stabs a skeleton in the eye socket with his rapier, but does no damage (13+ hit, dmg 3-5=0)

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

If Raner is still alive, Belaver will stabilize him with healing magic (CMiW); if not, he tries to bring down the murderous skeletons via sling.

 

[Endur]

Round 3
18: Raner(-37) is stabilized no longer bleeding.
17: 2 Orcish Skeletons (one at -1): One Skeleton attacks Belaver with its claws, and draws a wound across his right shoulder (9+3=12 miss, 15+3=18 hit; dmg 7), the other claws Craven (20+ hit/9+ does not confirm, 13+ miss, dmg 4).
16: Lenya destroys one of the skeletons with green flames, setting it on fire (16+ hit, dmg 6)
15: Kerwyn hits the last skeleton with the butt of his crossbow while fighting defensively (20+, dmg 1)
12: Lylamwyn
12: Craven swings his warhammer at the last skeleton, shattering it (17+5=22 hit, dmg 12)
11: Belaver casts Cure Light Wounds on Raner, restoring him to consciousness (heal for 8)
11: Neshi
11: Black Cat
6: Toriah

All of the skeletons are destroyed. You can barely catch your breath before ...

You hear the sound of harsh laughter. At the other entrance to the room is standing another Gnoll. Like the other Gnolls you've seen previously, this Gnoll is wearing a dark cloak and a medallion of the Temple of Elemental Evil over studded leather armor. A sword is sheathed at his belt.
In the common tongue, the Gnoll says,
"Give me your gold and all your possessions and I'll let you live. Otherwise, I will kill all of you and take all of your gold and possessions anyways. Either way, all of your stuff is mine."

 

[Thanee]

Lenya

Lenya whispers: “Yeah, right! First he's going to take our weapons and armor, and then he will attack. And even if he will let us live... what about his friends?”

The Rhennee doesn't even wait for a response. Raising her right hand pointing towards the gnoll, while demonic flames dance around it, she unleashes another blast of eldritch fire against him.

 

[Endur]

Round 1

20: Kerwyn loads and fires his crossbow, but misses (7+)
20: Craven (-10) charges and swings his warhammer at the Gnoll, but misses (4+6+2=12)
18: Lenya fires a blast of flames at the gnoll, but misses (1)
18: Belaver (-7) moves and casts his final Cure Light Wounds on Craven (healing 8)
18: Neshi moves and bites the Gnoll (16+ hit, dmg 1, dc 15 fort save 7+7=14 fail -6 con)
18: Black Cat moves and claws the Gnoll (1 miss)
12: The Gnoll draws a longsword and a short sword faster than anyone Craven has ever seen, and stabs Craven twice (quickdraw, ambidexterity, 13+4=17 hit, 13+4=17 hit, dmg 10)
10: Toriah stabs the Gnoll with his rapier (18+, possible crit, 9+ does not confirm, dmg 4)
9: Raner(-29) throws a javelin at the Gnoll (12+4=16, miss), missing as Craven's shoulder knocks the Javelin off its path (no damage to Craven)
7: Lylamwyn attempts to cast Grease on the Gnoll's longsword, but fails (reflex save 18+)