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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Plane Sailing" data-source="post: 757711" data-attributes="member: 114">Dariol and Alavarielle have returned to the camp, only to discover that half of the party is still missing. They resolve to find them and head out in the group’s original tracks. A pigeon arrives to say that Vladimar and Mischa have found the other caravan to the North East and will stay with it overnight to join them in the morning.Clint and Beyoncay have decided to stay behind and are settling down on the roof of a wagon when a hail of enormous arrows drops out of the sky into the camp. This is followed by a deafening gnollish battle cry and the camp fire erupting as a writhing red wormlike creature appears in it’s midst. Chaos prevails as the camp occupants scatter in all directions.. Beyoncay gazes out towards the source of the shout to see a gang of gnolls loping out of the gloom straight towards her. She rips out her rapier and prepares to put up a fight. Clint carefully sights into the darkness and at the edge of his vision sees an elderly gnoll, perhaps a leader. He fires an arrow which sinks deep into the creatures belly.Alavarielle and Dariol stare at each other in disbelief as the gnoll shout echoes across the plain behind them, and as one they whirl their mounts to charge back to the camp.  Further out, Katarn, Drucilla and Fareena also hear a distant shout off to their right, which Katarn identifies as a gnoll battle shout. With one mind they spur towards it.The worm thing jumps out of the fire on it’s snakey tail and lays about with a spear, skewering and burning with abandon. With Vladimar and Mischa both away there is no co-ordination in the camp and the charging gnolls have a straight run at the barricades. Dariol and Alavarielle split left and right as they thunder back to the camp. Alavarielle summons up personal protection spells and readies her bow. Dariol flings an entangle spell into the deep grass around the barricade and several gnolls including their two leaders are pinioned helplessly in its grasp. Alavarielle plugs one with an arrow now she has some targets. Clint and Beyoncay’s make their stand atop the wagon as the gnolls are clambering up, launching sneak attacks against their climbing foes. The two of them cut at gnoll claws, keeping them momentarily at bay. Several gnolls have made it over the hurdles and hack their way into the camp gleefully. Dariol spies a wounded foe in the long grass just beyond the camp gesturing at him, and finds himself unable to move as magical energies freeze his limbs. – held dammit! Fang hovers at his heels guarding obediently.Drucilla dismounts as she gets close, rolling under the side-boards of a wagon, dagger in hand. Fareena catches a glimpse of magical energy discharged on top of Annia and Stefan’s wagon and spurs her horse up to the ladder. Katarn charges up to a barricade and tumbles neatly from his saddle to land poised on the other side with rapier in hand. As Fareena climbs she sees a small movement, is there something down there by that wagon? She attempts to charm it, but the shadow darts away, a hissing humanoid face briefly visible at the edge of a cloak.Clint and Beyoncay slash one of the gnolls down but another climbs over the Wagon top and hacks at them with feverish vigour. Alavarielle has the aim now and the helpless entangled gnolls are suffering grievous injuries from her arrows. Drucilla aims a spell at the Salamander, no effect! Katarn tumbles round the beast and lands a solid blow. Fareena clambers up on to the top of Annia’s wagon to see a small grey winged creature chewing at the girl’s neck. Annia is out cold, eyes frozen open. The creature looks up and flies at Fareena’s face. She flinches back, avoiding the wicked sprite and flames it with a spell. Below her, a retreating gnoll picks up a helpless young camp girl, clambers over the barricade and runs into the night.Beyoncay and Clint are locked in a desperate battle on the wagon top as another gnoll clambers aboard, and the confined space is quickly slippery with the mingled blood of the combatants. Alavarielle’s arrows drop one of the entangled gnolls. Dariol stares helplessly into the dark expecting to be struck any moment and then realises his spell-casting foe must be trapped in the entangle – hah, no doubt it’s cursing the lack of remaining offensive magics or a missile weapon. We’ll see which spell runs out first he muses.Drucilla flanks the salamander as Katarn tumbles about, striking but doing little damage. The Salamander wraps its tail around him and steps forward to pull him into its flames and Katarn screams in agony as the fire burns his flesh. He wriggles painfully but fails to escape...</blockquote>

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