Duty Session 84: Gnoll it All

"Hello, adventurers!" That had been the words that had started this whole thing. Kaydon had run into a Lander selling garlic from his garlic farm who had been having issues with gnolls attacking his town. Kaydon wondered if it was the same group of gnolls they had fought before.

EIther way, he'd put out some feelers for people to join him on taking down the group of gnolls that were terrorizing the poor garlic farmer, and once the group had gathered, the gnoll were fang had lead them into the dark woods.

He was sick and tired of his good name being sullied by the actions of these monsters, and was going to teach them a lesson. The group had found the makeshift camp, and in doing so, a small patrol of gnolls. The trio looked like they were scrounging for food, so the group had to decide quick. Attack, or try an alternate means of clearing them out?

Lucky for Kaydon, Arashi had been walking up to the very same Lander to see what he was barking toward adventurers about. It's really the only reason she agreed to even follow along. She had just finished going over a lot of the area, hadn't found what she was looking for, and her dour mood needed a lift. Bashing some gnoll skulls (that weren't were fangs) seemed like a good reprieve.

Camp. Good. There wasn't another option in her mind. She was already laying a hand on her -good- blade as the pack of hyenas turned their hungry gaze toward everyone. "Yeah, yeah, come get some eats, jerks.."

Kauchemar can totally relate. No she's not also a gnoll. But everyone just assumes she's all darkness and fire. She's more complex than that! Not just another pretty pony face! Or something like that.

Mostly its just she enjoys making strife for others, including other monsters.

Though at first she's spending more time scrutinizing the newest face in the madness. Huh. She hadn't known there was another dire equine roaming about. A lot more edgy though. "Maybe its just me, but you seem a little stressed."

Of course, there's already gnolls prowling around. "Fortunately, there's something to vent upon on the way." She lets go of the sword she was holding... and it just floats there on it's own. Ooooh, spooky.

Gwen had got a message from Kaydon that a tank was needed, given she was close enough to respond? The towering Sylph seems to be in good spirits however as she looks to Arashi and she tilts her head a bit. 5R
"Are you all right?"

Gwen takes a moment to make sure all her kit is ready.

"Right so let me pull their attention hen you deal with them... though I fought these things before."

She doesn't engage in direct combat a bit of meat it seems she has a plan already.

The trio of gnolls is immediately set upon by the group of adventurers. Before the hyena men know what's happening, Arashi and Kauchemar assault them. The group tries to fight back, but then Kaydon yells at both them, and the others attacking them, "ENOUGH!"

The strong command from another gnoll, or at least someone thatr looks like one, gets their attention and they whine and pay attention. Gwen gives them some food, and Kaydon points away from where they are headed, "Get the hell out of here and don't come back. NOW!" The trio scampers off, not wanting to argue with an alpha.

With that group out of the way, they move deeper into the woods only to come across another gnoll, who despite being alone, seems to be itching for a fight. Might have to put this one down!

The mare stepped up, swung for the fences, and managed to take care of any gnoll that got close, except Kaydon. Barely. "Hrmph.." She made note of the remarks from the others but just shrugs them off. She didn't really see a need to explain herself to them. What would be the point of that, anyway?

Moving on there's.. one more. Walking in a circle. It gets her head to cant and her eyes to roll before sweeping an arm toward the gnoll for the others, "HEY," the shire barks out, blades not even pulled up. The way she's stomping up she may just try to kick him right in the face.

Chasing off the first pack of gnolls is easy enough. A few strikes here and there, then Gwen bribes and Kaydon commands them to leave. Easy peasy.

Their boss doesn't seem like he'll be so easy to convince to leave. Arashi gets right to the point. "Spunky. That's good... and bad. For him." As for her, Kauchemar just starts strumming a upbeat tune on her lute. It punctuates the other mare trying to boot the dude well enough.

It also sends her own haunted sword into a tizzy, whipping itself through the air to blindside the gnoll while he's getting introduced to Arashi's hoof.

Gwen has a lot ofd experiance with Gnolls as she has another idea as they move on.

"I had some experiance with the Gnoll's before. She's palming a coin or two out of her coin purse.

"You know they really like shinnies too she notes. AT this point she looks at the GNoll fdor a moment holds up the coin and chucks it a good distance away. It should be enough to keep the Gnoll distracted and they can bypass the fight. They are more here to smash the leader's face in than the rank and file.

The gnoll, with the wicked looking hooked sword in his hand, goes running for the group, only to immediately get smashed in the face by one of Arashi's boots. He gets knocked head over heels and lands hard. It doesn't help the poor gnoll that the kick was enhanced by the bard's tunes, and he's pretty much down for the count.

And yet, Gwen distracts him with something shiny. It keeps his attention, and allows Kaydon to move up towards the nearly dead, very distracted gnoll and stab his blade into his back while he's on the ground, reducing him into sparkles.

The group moves deeper into the woods, until everything is pierced by a howl. Crashing through the trees comes a gnoll on the back of a massive wolf-like monster, this one is armored and wielding a spear. He sends out an alert call to the others at the camp deeper into the woods, and the warg charges towards the group of heroes. Better move fast!

Pause. Blink. Slight concern? It's hard to tell with Arashi. "Well. He's big," she points out, hearing both his approach, the horn, the warg, all of it. There's... no fighting that -right now- so unless one of the others has a really good idea, she's going to wait for the right moment. As a result, she crouches a little and dives once the charging warg, and rider, get close.

Kauchemar calls the ghostly sword back to her side. Distractions still count as helping. Well, the gnolls know they're here now, so she doesn't bother to stop playing even as they venture farther into the camp. Until the Warg Rider comes storming over the river. She frowns. "Damn, I was hoping to see those ghost dogs again." Alas. No such luck.

The nightmare steps out of the way of the charge, but the warg snaps its jaws shut on her cloak and yanks her back. "Oh that is not fair!" She grabs the cloak in both hands to rip it free of the beast's maw.

Gwen will move to pick up the coin then nods to Kayon.

"Nice work."

She notes but then there seem to be others coming it's almost like she's ready for it. Maybe she does know Gnolls as well as she says? She also seems to work pretty well with Kaydon as well.

"Not this time I think and oh they want to do this?"

She chants again creating a focused jet to water to strike both the Wrag Rider and their Warg.

Kaydon turns to face the new threat, as it rushes in. Arashi manages to dodge out of the way, getting clear. Kauchemar isn't as lucky, winding up with her cloak being gnawed and slobbered upon.

Gwen's jet of water magic strieks out, nailing both the warg and the rider, and from behind her Kaydon throws a pair of knives, which slice through the air and hit the rider and warg square in their heads, dropping both nearly instantly, "Excellently done, you all." Normally he and Gwen are the tanks, so he's a bit surprised the roles were reversed this time.

Without warning, another gnoll comes through the woods, wielding blades made of blood, "Blood magic user, look out!" Kaydon calls to the group, turning to face the heavily armored beast and preparing to fight.

Oh. -Wonderful-. A Blood Bender. This isn't something she's really going to be able to march up and deal with. Still, hating to really deal with mages, the mare decides that it may be best to defend a bit, rather than move in for an attack. With the warg, she just dove away. With this mage, she may be able to be the one that is the distraction. She takes a single step forward, and then she just surges ahead, appearing just a bit behind the blood-mage with a massive boom of sound. Counterspell? Who needs that if you scare the @#$*& out of them?

Gwen does not need to be told even once or to even think as the Blood-Weave makes itself known to the party. The towering woman charge right at it, sword and shield ready. She then moves rapidly getting into the caster's face bright green light starts to bleed from her body as is a powerful wind was somehow affecting it.

"ANCHOR HOWL"

It continues as she gets in its face if it even thinks about going after the other she will just carve into it with all the fury she can muster.

Kauchemar is going to have to get that mended later. Sigh. Welp, no time to worry about it now as there's another threat approaching! She tilts her head to the side. "Huh. Blood magic. That's even more edgy than little missy there with the broken sword." The nightmare grins her viper grin though, and stums the strings of her lute as they start to glow oddly green. "Best way to handle you is with something you can't affect!" The instrument sings at her touch, something that's oddly creepy yet upbeat at the same time.

o/~ Move your dead bones bones bones! Move your dead bones bones bones
The secret will keep you alive
Move your dead bones bones bones! Move your dead bones bones bones
We'll dance for the rest of your life... o/~ The final chord rings out in an almost demonic tone. "REANIMATE YOUR FEET!"

As ghastly green energys ripple from her bardic dark magic the grounds crack open around the blood mage, allowing the undead to emerge around him... and start dancing. It's violent, bumping and grinding against each other dancing, and being all bones and rotting flesh there's nothing for the evil gnoll to draw his magic from as he's trapped in the middle of the mosh pit mob.

The blood magic user lashes out with the bloody blades at Arashi, but by the time he swings she's gone, having vanished in a literal flash and re-appearing behind him. Then Gwen steps in with her tank speciality, and the chains from Anchor Howl latch onto the gnoll. Forced to turn towards her and engage, he opens himself up to Kauchemar's Grave Call.

And boy does she call to the grave. The zombies rise up, and collapse onto the gnoll, crushing upon him with their superior numbers, and rending him to veritable pieces.

In that whole mess, Kaydon spots his opening, and slides his blade in between two of the zombies, and right into one of the weak points in the armor. Sure he may be more of a weapon forger than an armor forger, but that doesn't mean he has no idea how armor works. The gnoll vanishes into sparkles, and leaves the group with an opening.

And follow the opening they do, it leads them into the center of the camp. And there he stands, sitting on his makeshift throne, the gnoll barbarian known as Haggar. He's big, he's mean looking, and when the players enter the obvious combat arena he rises to meet them.

Haggar! Huh. Wasn't he in Elder Tale Offline? He looks familiar, at least. Either way, the simply massive Gnoll doesn't seem to phase the six and a half foot Dire-Shire that's just glaring back at him in a rather impassive way. It's the mettle of someone who's been playing a really, really long time.

There's thought, she figures she can do this one way, but instead she decides to do something a little showy. The blade she's been using all night is slipped into her off and, and the hilt of a shattered blade is tugged off her back into the other. Even in it's current state, there's shadowy currents falling away from it. "Alright, I'll be serious for a moment," she decides before lauching herself at the beast, looking too stab him with both weapons. A lot. The broken weapon though? That's aimed at his head.

Kauchemar doesn't even bother with dismissing the undead swarm. With the gnoll dead and gone they'll just keep moshing until they knock themselves back to pieces and the spell ends. She just sashays off after the rest of the group into the center of the camp.

"Ah, there he is. The big mean ol' gnoll himself. The one giving fine fellows like our friend here a bad name." Note, Kauchemar did not put her instrument away. She's still strumming it, even as she smirks, her eyes flickering with eerie flashes. "How about a little serenade?" Her voice warps with the magic, somehow becoming even more dissonant and demonic sounding. "DEATH METAL STYLE"

A riff on the lute rings hard, and it is followed by a sound that can only be described as inhuman. Not just because it's source is inhuman. It is the most piercing, mind numbing, earbleeding hardcore sounding whail that would put banshees to shame.

Gwen sees that Haggar as ever is up to cause some trouble for people.

"Damn it Haggar when will you just get the idea to stop causing trouble?!"

She she vault in full plate no less to gt in the Gnolls face. The shield comes up there's aclash of steel and there are sparks as she take the hit. She will grins for a moment.

"You are going to lose again."

She'll keep him busy while her compans deal with the issue of taking him out.

Haggar charges forward. His mechanics are the same as they were in Elder Tale offline, so Arashi should recognize his patterns.

Well except that new axe swing, that's new. Thankfully for her Gwen is there in order to deflect the massive strike with her shield. Gwen's shield rattles from the force of the blow, but she holds solid and doesn't give an inch.

Kauchemar gives Hoggar a bit of a taste of a musical style he's never heard before, because the sound of the sonic blast knocks the massive gnoll backwards, sending him sprawling across the ground before he crashes into his throne and smashes it to pieces.

Kaydon drives past Gwen and strikes with his large two handed blade, delivering three rapid slashes with the weapon, before he jumps backwards, leaving a clear open path for the dire shire to charge in. Both blades are plunged into the gnoll's skull, and he screams before dissipating into the traditional sparkles of death. The rest of he gnolls scatter now that their leader is defeated.

The only one who gets the reward from it seems to be the one who struck the final blow, but the group is free to leave the woods now. Haggar will respawn, but not for a while now.

Inventory check. ... A pelt? ... Ugh. Well, maybe it'll be worth something to someone. Later. Both of Arashi's weapons are put away and without much of a word she'll be heading off to whatever town is close. Rest, repairs, dinner, all of the regular things at the end of the day. The others at least get a lazy wave as she goes, but little else.

Kauchemar finally puts her instrument away after that, as the boss is dead for the... huh... she has to stop and try to count how many times he's been dealt with. "You know, this is getting weirdly reoccuring, even for a game quest." Oh well. She smirks at Arashi. "I'll find -you- again later, for... getting aquainted. Ehehehe..." Don't think you can hide from her just because you're a soloist.

You can't outrun bad dreams, after all.

"Well. She's fun." Kaydon says, as he watches Arashi wander off without a word, "She's good though. I bet I can convince her to join Silver Sword." How is he going to do that? The same way he does everything. Challenge her to a fight, probably.

Gwen Says "She doesn't seem like my guild would do her much good, no." She looks Kaydon "At some point I'm going to need to order a weapon or two from you."

"Of course Gwen." Kaydon says, "I might need some help from you with something I'm working on." He says, as the group heads back to town, "But we'll talk about it later. Lets go get some food.." And with that, the group heads back to town, to get something to chow down on.