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Dunmari Frontier - Session 12

Desperate Defense: in which the party repels a gnoll attack

Featuring: Kenzo, Wellby, Delwath, Seeker, Riswynn
Companions: Vola
In Taelgar: Apr 13, 1748 DR
On Earth: Sunday Nov 08, 2020
Raven’s Hold

The Dunmar Fellowship successfully repels waves of gnoll attacks, and then investigate Raven’s Hold, finding clues to its history.

Session Info

Summary

  • The Dunmar Fellowship is awakened after a restless night marked by bad dreams by approaching gnolls and a bat-like demon.
  • Wellby kills the demon with an arrow, prompting a battle where the gnolls are slowly picked off.
  • One gnoll flees but is tracked down and defeated by Kenzo and Wellby, with the rest of the party joining to clear the threat.
  • Post-battle, the party finds starving animals in the stables and signs of previous hobgoblin occupation in the fort’s buildings.

Timeline

  • Apr 13, 1748 DR, morning: Kill many gnolls in Raven’s Hold, eventually clearing the threat. Have breakfast.

Narrative

We begin as the morning sun rises over Raven’s Hold. As the party awakens and prepares for the day, they are interrupted as Kenzo and Delwath note the approach of a band of gnolls, heading towards the closed gate. They are traveling with a small bat-like demon, and moving quickly across the courtyard, past pools of fetid black water, avoiding the low hanging mists lingering in the air. As they approach the gate, they bang on it a few times, and there seems to be a brief discussion as the leader reaches for a spear, when Wellby’s arrow flies out of the windows on the tower, striking the demon-beast dead.

With that, the battle is joined in full. The gnolls make an attempt at firing arrows at the party, but as they are in a well-defended position this has little effect, and they begin to be slowly picked off. As they start to retreat, Kenzo leaps off the wall, landing gently on his feet as he draws on his ki to slow his fall, and opens the gate. The gnolls immediately take the bait, and turn and run forward, trying to break through the door, as Kenzo holds his ground, deflecting arrows and sending them back at the gnolls with a flick of his hands. However, the charge of the gnolls is hard to withstand, and eventually they are able to push through the door, leading to a pitched battle for control. While Wellby and Seeker manage to take down the leader in the distance, Kenzo, Riswynn, Delwath, and Vola eventually defeat the gnolls at the gates.

However, one gnoll manages to escape towards the outer gates of Raven’s Hold. While Seeker excavates pits to hold the hyenas he put to sleep earlier, Kenzo and Wellby sprint after the escaping gnoll. They track it down in front of an outer plaza, near the outer gates of Raven’s Hold itself, where several other gnolls are rushing to attack. As Riswynn and Delwath catch up, the last gnolls are quickly dispatched, and the party gathers on the remains of a parade ground and plaza, near the outermost walls of Raven’s Hold. 

After the gnolls are defeated, a calm seems to settle over the holdfast, broken only by the cacophonous sounds of wild animals penned up in the stables to the north. Seeker and Kenzo investigate the animals, while Riswynn and Wellby explore the crumbling buildings and barracks that sit between the plaza and the outer courtyard, and Delwath keeps watch over the valley, where nothing seems to be moving.

In the ruins of the stables, many dozens of animals are penned in, probably close to a hundred in total. Some are chained, while others are trapped by rubble and stone, and still others are tied crudely with rope. All are gaunt and look starving, as if they have not been adequately fed for days. Seeker, using his magic to speak with them, learns that they were captured on the plains in the past days, and have been kept here, starving, since. For what purpose, the beasts don’t know.

In the ruins of the outbuildings of Raven’s Hold, Wellby and Riswynn glance about without doing a careful search, but still note some important clues. Between the courtyard with the dark pools of water and the parade grounds / plaza, are two large buildings, seemingly once barracks, storerooms, and mess halls for troops. Both are in somewhat poor condition. The building to the east, against the cliffs of the mountains, seems to have been burned at one point, as the second floor is largely in ruins, scorch marks blasted across the stone walls and the roof collapsed. The first floor of this building, though, may have been used as sleeping quarters by the gnolls. 

The building to the west, against the outer walls, is more intact, and retains signs of former hobgoblin occupation. The second floor has a large open mess hall, probably used as a training and council room by hobgoblins. In this room, a number of crates are piled up, seemingly full of weapons and armor. On the lower floor, a number of empty storerooms are found, along with one room with a chain and lock blocking entry.

The leader of the gnolls, dead in the outer courtyard, is carrying a few items of note. First, his spear, while filthy and covered in blood, seems to be well made and of Dunmari origin, as beneath the grime the running horse design can be seen. Also, around his neck is a chain with a small metal vial, which seems to be full of some acrid, hissing liquid. 

The session ends as the party gathers again, finally has a break and some breakfast, and discusses their next steps.