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pogre's Trailblazer Campaign - Update 2/20/2011
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<blockquote data-quote="pogre" data-source="post: 5395316" data-attributes="member: 6588"><p><strong>Episode 3</strong></p><p></p><p>Episode 3</p><p></p><p>The sergeant of the town guard, Fel Rightforth, was not a large man, but he was an intimidating presence nonetheless. Weighing perhaps only seven stones he had a hard look about him and a chiseled face with a short cropped beard and a quick business like manner. As the adventures came into his office he offered neither a greeting nor small talk. Once he learned the group was there about the gnoll raiders, he quickly announced that Goldcreek was offering a reward of 10 gold pieces per pair of gnoll ears and 75 gold pieces for the head of the gnoll chieftain. </p><p></p><p>Graxxus asked if there was a specific region where the gnolls had concentrated their raids.</p><p></p><p>Rightforth replied, “The raids have come in a number of areas in the outskirts of town. The raiders leave no survivors and seem to concentrate on farmsteads. The latest was at the Plowsmith's farm about eight miles south-southeast of Goldcreek. The raid just occurred the other day and perhaps you might pick up the gnolls' trail from there.”</p><p></p><p>“Has anybody else been after the gnolls?” Deadsmell asked.</p><p></p><p>“We have limited manpower in the town guard, but the reward is public knowledge. I will give money to any man that shows up with a pair of gnoll ears," the sergeant replied.</p><p></p><p>Rightforth then gave a curt nod and indicated with a sweep of his hand that the meeting was at an end.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>"Well, he wasn't a very friendly fellow,” Goldie said.</p><p></p><p>"I like him," Deadsmell began, "got right down to business".</p><p></p><p>"The only reason you like the man is because he is offering us gold," Wolfclaw said.</p><p></p><p>"What can I say, the man is talking my language," Deadsmell replied..</p><p></p><p>"I'll ask around to see what I can find out about these gnolls. We will have breakfast at the inn in the morning and then take off tomorrow morning," Graxxus said.</p><p></p><p>"Ale time," Skullcrusher said.</p><p></p><p>"I'm with you there old Skully," Deadsmell agreed.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>The following morning the group set down for breakfast at one of the inn's tables. Deadsmell did not eat much, and put his head down on the table and moaned for much of the meal.</p><p></p><p>"Too much ale last night old boy?" Graxxus asked.</p><p></p><p>Skullcrusher gave a loud laugh, which only caused Deadsmell to moan even louder.</p><p></p><p>The only thing dumber than getting in a drinking contest with a dwarf is getting in a drinking contest with a half-orc," Goldie said.</p><p></p><p>"Shut up," Deadsmell said.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>As the adventurers approached the Plowsmiths' farmstead husks of a barn and a simple cottage jutted up from the land. The simple stone foundations remained, but feeble charred beams rose up only suggesting the buildings' former shape. The rotting carcass of a cow lay in an abandoned yard. The innards and the meat of the animal long since stripped. A simple stone wall fence surrounding the property was in ruins. There was an odor of decay and death.</p><p></p><p>Wolfclaw and Deadsmell began scouting around the farmstead and found a few metal tools in the ashes and miscellaneous remnants of the Plowsmiths' possessions. They also discovered a few broken black fletched arrows.</p><p></p><p>Graxxus quickly found a trail leading away from the farm. "Whoever it was they were not concerned about leaving a trail," Graxxus said.</p><p></p><p>The adventures began following the trail. A couple of miles into the trail they heard a whimpering, animal noise a short way into the woods. Quickly, Wolfclaw saw a small domestic cat that appeared to have a pair of broken legs. The cat was hidden in undergrowth, but its pitiful meowing gave its position away. Surveying the area Wolfclaw could see that two large trees had been splintered and the remnants of a beehive lay scattered and broken on the ground. </p><p></p><p>“Be careful, it could be a trap," Deadsmell cautioned.</p><p></p><p>Wolfclaw did not hesitate. He went straight to the cat and began to calm it with a soothing voice. He then cast a spell which instantly healed and mended the cat's broken legs.</p><p></p><p>"That was very nice of you," a squeaky voice called.</p><p></p><p>Everyone in the group surveyed the area quickly trying to find the source of the voice. "Who was that?" Wolfclaw asked in a whispering voice.</p><p></p><p>"Reveal yourself friend, you have us at a disadvantage," Graxxus said.</p><p></p><p>"I had to make sure that you were not allied with them," the tiny voice said. "I am here above you."</p><p></p><p>The group as one crane their necks upwards, but did not see anything.</p><p></p><p>"Perhaps you could make your location more obvious," Graxxus said.</p><p></p><p>"I am right here," the voice answered.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, I see him," Wolfclaw said. "Look, right above the broken branch, there is our little friend. Hello friend, my name is Wolfclaw, friend of the forest."</p><p></p><p>“More like Wolfclaw, tree-huggin', scaredy pants elfy,” Skullcrusher muttered.</p><p></p><p>"I am Noom,” the tiny sprite replied.</p><p></p><p>"What happened here Noom?" Wolfclaw asked.</p><p></p><p>“A band of Gnolls came crashing through these woods in a bloody fury. They broke the cat's legs, destroyed the beehive, killed all of my band. They even destroyed my fiddle. I barely escaped the carnage." The sprite's voice was full of sorrow.</p><p></p><p>"Why did they come after you?" Goldie asked.</p><p></p><p>"I have no idea. The gnolls are never very nice, but they do not usually go out of their way to be so destructive. The Fey don't necessarily have good relations with the gnolls, but it has never been openly hostile either," the sprite replied.</p><p></p><p>“How did they break the cat's legs?” Skullcrusher asked. Wolfclaw winced at the odd question and thought about how he never ceased to be amazed by what interested the half-orc. </p><p></p><p>“They brought the poor thing with them. They started throwing the cat at the beehive. The bees swarmed out and stung the feline making it yowl terribly. The gnolls kept doing it until the cat could not move anymore,” Noom replied.</p><p></p><p>Wolfclaw petted the cat protectively.</p><p></p><p>Deadsmell stiffled a giggle as he whispered to Skullcrusher, “At least they are creative, violent gnolls.”</p><p></p><p>"How many?" Skullcrusher asked Noom.</p><p></p><p>"At least a dozen, they also had a young human child they were dragging with them," the sprite replied.</p><p></p><p>"120 gold," Deadsmell said with a smile.</p><p></p><p>"Lots of blood," Skullcrusher added.</p><p></p><p>“How old was the child?” Graxxus asked.</p><p></p><p>“She was young, not even as tall as your dwarf friend,” Noom answered.</p><p></p><p>"Is there anything we can do for you now?" Wolfclaw asked.</p><p></p><p>"Sadly, no. The gnolls came through about a day in the half ago and I have been hiding ever since. I think I shall warn the other Fey in the forest of the gnolls' hostility," Noom said.</p><p></p><p>“May the Old Mother watch over you,” Wolfclaw said.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the group exchange goodbyes to Noom and the sprite flew off into the forest.</p><p></p><p>"We should have asked him which way the gnolls went," Goldie said.</p><p></p><p>"I don't think that's a problem," Graxxus replied. "They did not exactly try to cover their trail." Graxxus pointed to a wide swath that had been cut through the forest.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>"Ambush," Skullcrusher whispered, halting the group.</p><p></p><p>"What?" Graxxus asked in a low voice.</p><p></p><p>"There, behind that large tree," Skullcrusher replied. The rest of the group look closely at the foliage ahead. They could see a cleverly disguised humanoid with a bow pointed in their direction. After a quick, muttered conversation about tactics, they charged. </p><p></p><p>The gnoll let loose with an arrow that grazed Skullcrusher's shoulder. The half orc barbarian ignored the wound and rapidly closed the distance. Skullcrusher engaged the gnoll in combat with his huge axe. Deadsmell moved deftly around the gnoll and sank his two blades deep into the gnoll's torso. Goldie and Graxxus flicked their blades into the gnoll as well. The gnoll collapsed and died as its lifeblood spilled onto the forest floor. Skullcrusher hacked off the gnoll's ears and placed them into a small pouch.</p><p></p><p>Wolfclaw picked up the gnoll's curved bow and a very fancy quiver full of black-fletched arrows. He was delighted to discover the quiver was magical with a space that held an amazing amount of arrows in an extra-dimensional space. The bow was magical as well.</p><p></p><p>“At least we know we are headed the right direction,” Deadsmell commented.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>The group saw three skin tents surrounding a roaring fire. Two gnolls were standing near the fire roasting a deer. There was a murder of crows pecking at a pile of debris at the edge of the camp clearing. Following a quick conference, the group decided that they would sneak around to the rear of the clearing to attack the gnolls. As they made their way around the clearing, Goldie tripped on a branch and sent the murder of crows cawing upwards into the forest's canopy. </p><p></p><p>The gnolls emerge quickly from the tents and went out into the forest. One unfortunate gnoll stumbled into Skullcrusher. The barbarian let out a roar and decapitated the gnoll with his great axe. The scene quickly devolved into a confused melee in the forest. A short time later, Skullcrusher was hacking the ears off a half-dozen gnolls.</p><p></p><p>The group searched the camp area, but found no signs of a young child. They did find a few coins and on one of the larger gnolls a strange medallion. The medallion was made of hammered copper and depicted a round sign with seven points flaring out from it. After surveying the perimeter of the camp, Graxxus discovered another trail leading away into the forest.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>The group came across an unusually large growth of thickets and brambles. The trail led to a five-foot wide opening into the circle of thickets. The thickets and brambles rose from the forest floor about 12 feet up into the canopy of trees above. The trees appeared to be all thorny, hawthorn trees.</p><p></p><p>"I don't like the looks of this," Deadsmell said.</p><p></p><p>"I agree," Graxxus replied. "Let's see if there is a different way into this thicket."</p><p></p><p>The group work their way around the perimeter of the thicket and found no other obvious entrances. Skullcrusher suggested cutting their way in and used his axe to hack at the thicket growth. The entire thicket shook with his first blow, sending a ripple through the entire thicket and bramble wall.</p><p></p><p>"That seems worse than going through the front door," Deadsmell said.</p><p></p><p>The group quietly discussed their options, and as usual, they settled on a frontal assault. </p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>Skullcrusher insisted on leading the way, and the rest of the group was more than willing to let the half orc barbarian do so. Skullcrusher sprinted into the entrance and tripped over a wire. Immediately, a branch with thick thorns slammed into the half-orc's thigh. Skullcrusher howled in pain and stumbled into a 25 foot wide clearing.</p><p></p><p>The clearing contained two buildings. One was some sort of open air temple. The temple had crudely painted symbols that seemed obscene and evil. The other building was a crude hut made of brambles, skins, and living trees. Gnolls quickly took up arms at the sight of the intruders and a strangely dressed gnoll emerged from the crude hut. The oddly dressed gnoll performed an incantation and Skullcrusher found himself frozen on the spot.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the group pushed past Skullcrusher. Except Wolfclaw, who paused and slapped the half orc on the face. Skullcrusher still could not move, but his eyes betrayed a burning anger at the elf's action.</p><p></p><p>The group plowed into the trio of gnolls guarding the shaman. These gnoll warriors were much tougher than others the group had faced and the fight was a difficult one. Goldie was wounded almost immediately and Graxxus had a difficult time hitting his opponent. Deadsmell was more successful. He maneuvered his way to a flanking position on one of the gnolls and his twin blades struck out skewering the gnoll.</p><p></p><p>The shaman cast another spell attempting to hold Deadsmell in place. Deadsmell managed to shrug off the spell and turned his attention to the shaman. Although weakened, Goldie managed to hack down her opponent, and just at that moment Skullcrusher shook off the effects of the spell holding him in place. The barbarian roared in rage, and with his axe twirling in a death spiral, decapitated the remaining gnoll guardian.</p><p></p><p>Deadsmell began carving into the shaman's flesh. The shaman lashed back and staggered Deadsmell with a vicious blow. The shaman was quickly in trouble. The rest of the group closed in on him and a wolf summoned by Wolfclaw harassed the shaman biting and tripping the spellcaster. The gnoll shaman would never rise again. Blades hacked down on the shaman cutting him to ribbons on the ground where he lay.</p><p></p><p>The adventures searched through the camp and destroyed the evil temple they had found. They also found a small, female, human child bound in ropes in the shaman's hut. They freed her and she immediately began clinging to Graxxus. They found a few pieces of jewelry and another distinctive medallion on the shaman's neck similar to the one they found on the greater gnoll in the previous camp. The medallion was made of hammered copper and resembled a sun with seven rays jutting out from its circular center.</p><p></p><p>Skullcrusher joyfully decapitated the dead shaman and stuffed the head into a larger sack. The barbarian also gathered ears from the other gnolls and put them into smaller pouches.</p><p></p><p>Graxxus tried to communicate with the young human child but she would say nothing. Her eyes showed great fright even as the adventures tried to reassure her that she was safe now. Graxxus had discovered some scrolls that mentioned the name Harakhan. Thinking back on the religious and history texts he had read as a younger man, he vaguely recalled the name: Harakhan was, a great ,evil demon venerated by some dark cults in the old Empire. Graxxus then destroyed the scrolls and set fire to the hut.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>Fel Rightforth counted out the last of the gold coins owed to the adventurers.</p><p></p><p>“What about the girl?” Graxxus asked.</p><p></p><p>“What about her?” the sargeant replied without looking up.</p><p></p><p>“What do we do with her?” Graxxus asked.</p><p></p><p>“Don't know, don't care,” Rightforth answered bluntly.</p><p></p><p>“Is there an orphanage or a temple or a family that might adopt her?” Graxxus asked.</p><p></p><p>“She's just another mouth to feed in this wilderness. I doubt you will find a family to take on a young girl. The temples are just getting started out here and you sure as creation don't want the temple of Gravitas Morte to take her in,” Rightforth smiled at his own joke about the death cult.</p><p></p><p>Graxxus gave the sergeant a bewildered, pleading look.</p><p></p><p>“I'm sorry friend, you found her, and now she's your problem,” the sergeant’s tone made it clear he was not the least bit sympathetic or caring about the situation.</p><p></p><p>Graxxus snatched up the proffered gold. “Good to know the protectors of Goldcreek are good for something.” Graxxus stormed out of the guard tower.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>Graxxus made arrangements for the girl to stay at the Embassy Coaching Line Inn and put up extra gold for Saul to hire on help to watch the girl. Following the discussion on accommodations for the girl, Saul wiped his brow and said, “Gart Prillason has gone missing.”</p><p></p><p>“The pan miner? How?” Goldie asked.</p><p></p><p>“Don't know, but his brother's been looking everywhere for him. Ole' Gart has not been to town once this season neither.” Saul began using a cloth to polish a mug. “His brother will probably be in tonight again looking for somebody to help find Gart.”</p><p></p><p>“That's a job we can pass on,” Deadsmell stated.</p><p></p><p>“He's offering quite a reward,” Saul replied.</p><p></p><p>“Perhaps I was bit hasty, what with Gart being an old friend and all...” Deadsmell said.</p><p></p><p>Goldie and Wolfclaw simultaneously rolled their eyes.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pogre, post: 5395316, member: 6588"] [b]Episode 3[/b] Episode 3 The sergeant of the town guard, Fel Rightforth, was not a large man, but he was an intimidating presence nonetheless. Weighing perhaps only seven stones he had a hard look about him and a chiseled face with a short cropped beard and a quick business like manner. As the adventures came into his office he offered neither a greeting nor small talk. Once he learned the group was there about the gnoll raiders, he quickly announced that Goldcreek was offering a reward of 10 gold pieces per pair of gnoll ears and 75 gold pieces for the head of the gnoll chieftain. Graxxus asked if there was a specific region where the gnolls had concentrated their raids. Rightforth replied, “The raids have come in a number of areas in the outskirts of town. The raiders leave no survivors and seem to concentrate on farmsteads. The latest was at the Plowsmith's farm about eight miles south-southeast of Goldcreek. The raid just occurred the other day and perhaps you might pick up the gnolls' trail from there.” “Has anybody else been after the gnolls?” Deadsmell asked. “We have limited manpower in the town guard, but the reward is public knowledge. I will give money to any man that shows up with a pair of gnoll ears," the sergeant replied. Rightforth then gave a curt nod and indicated with a sweep of his hand that the meeting was at an end. ***** "Well, he wasn't a very friendly fellow,” Goldie said. "I like him," Deadsmell began, "got right down to business". "The only reason you like the man is because he is offering us gold," Wolfclaw said. "What can I say, the man is talking my language," Deadsmell replied.. "I'll ask around to see what I can find out about these gnolls. We will have breakfast at the inn in the morning and then take off tomorrow morning," Graxxus said. "Ale time," Skullcrusher said. "I'm with you there old Skully," Deadsmell agreed. ***** The following morning the group set down for breakfast at one of the inn's tables. Deadsmell did not eat much, and put his head down on the table and moaned for much of the meal. "Too much ale last night old boy?" Graxxus asked. Skullcrusher gave a loud laugh, which only caused Deadsmell to moan even louder. The only thing dumber than getting in a drinking contest with a dwarf is getting in a drinking contest with a half-orc," Goldie said. "Shut up," Deadsmell said. ***** As the adventurers approached the Plowsmiths' farmstead husks of a barn and a simple cottage jutted up from the land. The simple stone foundations remained, but feeble charred beams rose up only suggesting the buildings' former shape. The rotting carcass of a cow lay in an abandoned yard. The innards and the meat of the animal long since stripped. A simple stone wall fence surrounding the property was in ruins. There was an odor of decay and death. Wolfclaw and Deadsmell began scouting around the farmstead and found a few metal tools in the ashes and miscellaneous remnants of the Plowsmiths' possessions. They also discovered a few broken black fletched arrows. Graxxus quickly found a trail leading away from the farm. "Whoever it was they were not concerned about leaving a trail," Graxxus said. The adventures began following the trail. A couple of miles into the trail they heard a whimpering, animal noise a short way into the woods. Quickly, Wolfclaw saw a small domestic cat that appeared to have a pair of broken legs. The cat was hidden in undergrowth, but its pitiful meowing gave its position away. Surveying the area Wolfclaw could see that two large trees had been splintered and the remnants of a beehive lay scattered and broken on the ground. “Be careful, it could be a trap," Deadsmell cautioned. Wolfclaw did not hesitate. He went straight to the cat and began to calm it with a soothing voice. He then cast a spell which instantly healed and mended the cat's broken legs. "That was very nice of you," a squeaky voice called. Everyone in the group surveyed the area quickly trying to find the source of the voice. "Who was that?" Wolfclaw asked in a whispering voice. "Reveal yourself friend, you have us at a disadvantage," Graxxus said. "I had to make sure that you were not allied with them," the tiny voice said. "I am here above you." The group as one crane their necks upwards, but did not see anything. "Perhaps you could make your location more obvious," Graxxus said. "I am right here," the voice answered. "Oh, I see him," Wolfclaw said. "Look, right above the broken branch, there is our little friend. Hello friend, my name is Wolfclaw, friend of the forest." “More like Wolfclaw, tree-huggin', scaredy pants elfy,” Skullcrusher muttered. "I am Noom,” the tiny sprite replied. "What happened here Noom?" Wolfclaw asked. “A band of Gnolls came crashing through these woods in a bloody fury. They broke the cat's legs, destroyed the beehive, killed all of my band. They even destroyed my fiddle. I barely escaped the carnage." The sprite's voice was full of sorrow. "Why did they come after you?" Goldie asked. "I have no idea. The gnolls are never very nice, but they do not usually go out of their way to be so destructive. The Fey don't necessarily have good relations with the gnolls, but it has never been openly hostile either," the sprite replied. “How did they break the cat's legs?” Skullcrusher asked. Wolfclaw winced at the odd question and thought about how he never ceased to be amazed by what interested the half-orc. “They brought the poor thing with them. They started throwing the cat at the beehive. The bees swarmed out and stung the feline making it yowl terribly. The gnolls kept doing it until the cat could not move anymore,” Noom replied. Wolfclaw petted the cat protectively. Deadsmell stiffled a giggle as he whispered to Skullcrusher, “At least they are creative, violent gnolls.” "How many?" Skullcrusher asked Noom. "At least a dozen, they also had a young human child they were dragging with them," the sprite replied. "120 gold," Deadsmell said with a smile. "Lots of blood," Skullcrusher added. “How old was the child?” Graxxus asked. “She was young, not even as tall as your dwarf friend,” Noom answered. "Is there anything we can do for you now?" Wolfclaw asked. "Sadly, no. The gnolls came through about a day in the half ago and I have been hiding ever since. I think I shall warn the other Fey in the forest of the gnolls' hostility," Noom said. “May the Old Mother watch over you,” Wolfclaw said. The rest of the group exchange goodbyes to Noom and the sprite flew off into the forest. "We should have asked him which way the gnolls went," Goldie said. "I don't think that's a problem," Graxxus replied. "They did not exactly try to cover their trail." Graxxus pointed to a wide swath that had been cut through the forest. ***** "Ambush," Skullcrusher whispered, halting the group. "What?" Graxxus asked in a low voice. "There, behind that large tree," Skullcrusher replied. The rest of the group look closely at the foliage ahead. They could see a cleverly disguised humanoid with a bow pointed in their direction. After a quick, muttered conversation about tactics, they charged. The gnoll let loose with an arrow that grazed Skullcrusher's shoulder. The half orc barbarian ignored the wound and rapidly closed the distance. Skullcrusher engaged the gnoll in combat with his huge axe. Deadsmell moved deftly around the gnoll and sank his two blades deep into the gnoll's torso. Goldie and Graxxus flicked their blades into the gnoll as well. The gnoll collapsed and died as its lifeblood spilled onto the forest floor. Skullcrusher hacked off the gnoll's ears and placed them into a small pouch. Wolfclaw picked up the gnoll's curved bow and a very fancy quiver full of black-fletched arrows. He was delighted to discover the quiver was magical with a space that held an amazing amount of arrows in an extra-dimensional space. The bow was magical as well. “At least we know we are headed the right direction,” Deadsmell commented. ***** The group saw three skin tents surrounding a roaring fire. Two gnolls were standing near the fire roasting a deer. There was a murder of crows pecking at a pile of debris at the edge of the camp clearing. Following a quick conference, the group decided that they would sneak around to the rear of the clearing to attack the gnolls. As they made their way around the clearing, Goldie tripped on a branch and sent the murder of crows cawing upwards into the forest's canopy. The gnolls emerge quickly from the tents and went out into the forest. One unfortunate gnoll stumbled into Skullcrusher. The barbarian let out a roar and decapitated the gnoll with his great axe. The scene quickly devolved into a confused melee in the forest. A short time later, Skullcrusher was hacking the ears off a half-dozen gnolls. The group searched the camp area, but found no signs of a young child. They did find a few coins and on one of the larger gnolls a strange medallion. The medallion was made of hammered copper and depicted a round sign with seven points flaring out from it. After surveying the perimeter of the camp, Graxxus discovered another trail leading away into the forest. ***** The group came across an unusually large growth of thickets and brambles. The trail led to a five-foot wide opening into the circle of thickets. The thickets and brambles rose from the forest floor about 12 feet up into the canopy of trees above. The trees appeared to be all thorny, hawthorn trees. "I don't like the looks of this," Deadsmell said. "I agree," Graxxus replied. "Let's see if there is a different way into this thicket." The group work their way around the perimeter of the thicket and found no other obvious entrances. Skullcrusher suggested cutting their way in and used his axe to hack at the thicket growth. The entire thicket shook with his first blow, sending a ripple through the entire thicket and bramble wall. "That seems worse than going through the front door," Deadsmell said. The group quietly discussed their options, and as usual, they settled on a frontal assault. ***** Skullcrusher insisted on leading the way, and the rest of the group was more than willing to let the half orc barbarian do so. Skullcrusher sprinted into the entrance and tripped over a wire. Immediately, a branch with thick thorns slammed into the half-orc's thigh. Skullcrusher howled in pain and stumbled into a 25 foot wide clearing. The clearing contained two buildings. One was some sort of open air temple. The temple had crudely painted symbols that seemed obscene and evil. The other building was a crude hut made of brambles, skins, and living trees. Gnolls quickly took up arms at the sight of the intruders and a strangely dressed gnoll emerged from the crude hut. The oddly dressed gnoll performed an incantation and Skullcrusher found himself frozen on the spot. The rest of the group pushed past Skullcrusher. Except Wolfclaw, who paused and slapped the half orc on the face. Skullcrusher still could not move, but his eyes betrayed a burning anger at the elf's action. The group plowed into the trio of gnolls guarding the shaman. These gnoll warriors were much tougher than others the group had faced and the fight was a difficult one. Goldie was wounded almost immediately and Graxxus had a difficult time hitting his opponent. Deadsmell was more successful. He maneuvered his way to a flanking position on one of the gnolls and his twin blades struck out skewering the gnoll. The shaman cast another spell attempting to hold Deadsmell in place. Deadsmell managed to shrug off the spell and turned his attention to the shaman. Although weakened, Goldie managed to hack down her opponent, and just at that moment Skullcrusher shook off the effects of the spell holding him in place. The barbarian roared in rage, and with his axe twirling in a death spiral, decapitated the remaining gnoll guardian. Deadsmell began carving into the shaman's flesh. The shaman lashed back and staggered Deadsmell with a vicious blow. The shaman was quickly in trouble. The rest of the group closed in on him and a wolf summoned by Wolfclaw harassed the shaman biting and tripping the spellcaster. The gnoll shaman would never rise again. Blades hacked down on the shaman cutting him to ribbons on the ground where he lay. The adventures searched through the camp and destroyed the evil temple they had found. They also found a small, female, human child bound in ropes in the shaman's hut. They freed her and she immediately began clinging to Graxxus. They found a few pieces of jewelry and another distinctive medallion on the shaman's neck similar to the one they found on the greater gnoll in the previous camp. The medallion was made of hammered copper and resembled a sun with seven rays jutting out from its circular center. Skullcrusher joyfully decapitated the dead shaman and stuffed the head into a larger sack. The barbarian also gathered ears from the other gnolls and put them into smaller pouches. Graxxus tried to communicate with the young human child but she would say nothing. Her eyes showed great fright even as the adventures tried to reassure her that she was safe now. Graxxus had discovered some scrolls that mentioned the name Harakhan. Thinking back on the religious and history texts he had read as a younger man, he vaguely recalled the name: Harakhan was, a great ,evil demon venerated by some dark cults in the old Empire. Graxxus then destroyed the scrolls and set fire to the hut. ***** Fel Rightforth counted out the last of the gold coins owed to the adventurers. “What about the girl?” Graxxus asked. “What about her?” the sargeant replied without looking up. “What do we do with her?” Graxxus asked. “Don't know, don't care,” Rightforth answered bluntly. “Is there an orphanage or a temple or a family that might adopt her?” Graxxus asked. “She's just another mouth to feed in this wilderness. I doubt you will find a family to take on a young girl. The temples are just getting started out here and you sure as creation don't want the temple of Gravitas Morte to take her in,” Rightforth smiled at his own joke about the death cult. Graxxus gave the sergeant a bewildered, pleading look. “I'm sorry friend, you found her, and now she's your problem,” the sergeant’s tone made it clear he was not the least bit sympathetic or caring about the situation. Graxxus snatched up the proffered gold. “Good to know the protectors of Goldcreek are good for something.” Graxxus stormed out of the guard tower. ***** Graxxus made arrangements for the girl to stay at the Embassy Coaching Line Inn and put up extra gold for Saul to hire on help to watch the girl. Following the discussion on accommodations for the girl, Saul wiped his brow and said, “Gart Prillason has gone missing.” “The pan miner? How?” Goldie asked. “Don't know, but his brother's been looking everywhere for him. Ole' Gart has not been to town once this season neither.” Saul began using a cloth to polish a mug. “His brother will probably be in tonight again looking for somebody to help find Gart.” “That's a job we can pass on,” Deadsmell stated. “He's offering quite a reward,” Saul replied. “Perhaps I was bit hasty, what with Gart being an old friend and all...” Deadsmell said. Goldie and Wolfclaw simultaneously rolled their eyes. [/QUOTE]
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pogre's Trailblazer Campaign - Update 2/20/2011
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