After Rose stole the Idol of Kozah from an ancient ruin, the Troupe were forced to defeat the undead Doom Guards cursed to protect the Idol. Having gained a taste for exploring ancient ruins, the Troupe has decided to make their way toward the Firewine Bridge to the east. They still have a long journey ahead of them before they reach the ruins.
30 Flamerule 1368
We travel over half a day toward the Trade Way to the east. The wilderness is barren of human life, so Verr’Sza reverts to his natural form. He’s more comfortable this way.
His fiendish scent must have been picked up by his kin, as soon after this we hear the familiar growling of hungry gnolls. The large hyena-like beasts emerge from the trees, dragging their halberds as they approach. They bark as they approach, a sound like the laughing of hyenas bouncing off the trees.
Rose feeds one of the gnolls a crossbow bolt. it falls, clutching at its neck as it drowns in its own blood. She smiles as she drops her crossbow and raises the Chesley Crusher, knowing her halberd is superior to the ones these lumbering beasts bear.
They must be drawn to the rakshasa’s scent as they ignore Rose and charge straight for him. They must have a hunger for the fiend today.
Before they get close, Jaheira cracks one of their skulls open with a bullet. Cat and Rose move in to help protect Verr’Sza.
Verr’Sza draws his swords and cuts open one of the remaining gnolls, leaving it to contemplate its insides.
Rose teaches the remaining gnoll how to use a halberd properly, the last lesson it will ever learn. She pulls the halberd out and cleans it on her dress.
It isn’t long before we run into more of these fiendish hyenas. We must be in gnoll territory. And they are always hungry. They’d eat each other if they couldn’t find anything else.
Khalid strikes true with his long bow, downing one of the gnolls before they can even engage.
Jaheira takes out two more out with her sling. She taunts Khalid, who seems mildly irritated that she killed more than him.
Rose rips the last gnoll in half, sending parts of it flying in all directions. They won’t be feeding their god’s hunger today.
We wander the wilds for another hour before encountering more of these beasts. Khalid is quick with his bow once again. He winks at Jaheira.
These gnolls seem to be more aggressive than others we have encountered here. They must be hungry, but their hunger doesn’t make them any better at defending themselves. One is impaled on the wrong end of Rose’s Crusher.
Almost in sync, Jaheira and I strike the last two in their mangy heads. Rose pokes them with her halberd, making sure they are dead before we continue on our way.
We come to a lake and find an small adventuring party camped nearby. A heavily armoured human, a robed human woman, and a hobgoblin holding a bow. We are wary as we approach, and our caution turns out to be justified.
“No one will be hurt.” The last man in armour who said that to me murdered my father. I know this is a lie, just as my father did.
Aegon: What is it you want with us, and who are you?
Teyngan: My name is Teyngan, this is my girl Jemby. The ugly one is Zekar. What we want is your money. Hand over all your cash, and you’ll be unharmed. Before you do anything rash, think it over awhile. I’m sure your life is worth more than the little gold you might possess.
He’s a fool if he thinks I would trust his benevolence. He’s even more a fool for telling me he wants to die.
Aegon: Greedy bandits. You infest our roads with your stink. Draw steel!
Teyngan: Stupid, STUPID! Now you die!
We focus our arrows on Jemby hoping to disrupt her spellcasting. She still manages to get a Shield up for protection. Rose readies the Chesley Crusher and moves in to keep Teyngan occupied. Khalid provides her with Cover during her approach.
Zekar tries to take out Rose at range before she can get close. Jemby manages to finish her spell and several illusory copies of her flash into existence – a Mirror Image! I attempt to sap Teyngan’s strength with a Ray of Enfeeblement, but he is able to resist the influence of the Weave.
Cat and Rose start poking holes in Teyngan’s armour. Jemby’s Mirror Images fail to protect her from our missile weapons. She’s badly hurt, so tries to fall back out of range of our weapons.
Edwin finishes his incantation and 2 hobgoblins spring forth from the ground to support us. Edwin directs them to train their bows on the mage as soon as they emerge.
Teyngan drinks a Potion of Healing, and many of his open wounds start to close up again.
I hit the images of Jemby with a Magic Missile in an attempt to dispel the illusion. Meanwhile Edwin conjures Melf’s Acid Arrow and sends it flying toward Teyngan. It hits and starts to melt both armour and flesh.
Under heavy fire from arrows and bullets, Jemby panics and flies from the fight.
Now the wizard is out of the battle, Jaheira slings a bullet at Teyngan. With his armour melting due to the acid from Edwin’s spell, the bullet punches into his chest and we hear the wet snap of breaking bones. He struggles to breath as blood fills his lungs.
Edwin gets a lucky shot with his bow that flies through the neck of their hobgoblin archer. He’s a surprisingly good archer for a Red Wizard.
Verr’Sza spots Jemby running through the trees and, with cat-like reflexes, finishes her off with a quarrel.
They’re bandits, so Rose pulls out her knife to scalp them. Stripping them of their equipment we find a wand I can’t identify on Teyngan’s body.
Jemby was wearing a Robe of Fire Resistance. It didn’t do her much good against arrows and stone.
Among her equipment we find a Scroll of Resist Fear. Edwin attempts to copy the spell into his spellbook but fails.
She also has a Scroll of Larloch’s Minor Drain that Rose makes a copy of.
Her last scroll is a scroll of Mage Armour. Rose, Edwin, and I already know this spell, so I stash it in my Scroll Case.
South of the lake we encounter more of the demonic gnolls. Here we go again.
Rose gets too cocky and while her back is turned one of the gnolls sinks a halberd into her. She screams as the back of her dress turns a bright red. Her dress has been soaked in so much blood that it’s mostly pink these days.
She steadies herself and, in a fit of rage, makes short work of the last couple of gnolls. I rush over to heal her before she gets hurt again. I can’t bear to see her die.
As soon as the last gnoll draws its last, we are approached by another hobgoblin dressed in Chill colours. Another bandit asking to be killed.
Aegon: Why should we help you?
Grajuk: I’m a member of the Chill, the mercenary band. If you want all of my friends breathing down your neck, then just keep pissing me off.
Aegon: Well, right now there’s just one of you, so I think we’ll take our chances.
Grajuk: You’ll regret your decision.
We don’t regret our decision. Jaheira and Verr’Sza make Grajuk regret his.
More gnolls. This place is swarming with them. These gnolls seem distracted, however. They hunger for another.
We follow them closer to find their target. I see a blur of blue blades and armour through dozens of gnolls. Whoever it is is cutting them down fast. I notice their hair, white as snow. Skin is as black as ash. It’s not Viconia. Could it be…?
He notices our Troupe and calls out to us.
Edwin: Your power of observation is stunning, drow.
Aegon: Fear not, we will not stand aside while another is in peril.
Drizzt: The fight is joined, and I welcome your aid. Tiresome beasts these gnolls are, and I’ll be glad to be done with them!
Rose: Fighting alongside Drizzt! That will make a good story, I’m sure.
…Maybe in the story we will fight demons instead of gnolls, anyway.
She giggles as she follows her halberd into battle. I should tell her that gnolls actually are…
Well no time for that right now.
The Good Drow fights like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Even father’s murderer was slow and methodical, but Drizz’t turns fighting into an art form.
We help all we can, but he cuts them down faster than we can engage. I’ve never seen such an efficient slaughter.
The corpses pile up, but the gnolls don’t stop fighting. Their need to feed won’t let them stop fighting.
It almost seems like I blinked and these dogs were replaced with piles of blood and fur. Why did he even ask for help if he’s this capable? Was he humouring us?
Drizzt observes the carnage, then wipes his blades on his cloak. He turns back to us.
Aegon: It was not always thus, and I strive to return peace to these lands.
Drizzt: Noble goals indeed, and ones I would hold dear to myself. Your struggle will be difficult, for the bandits I have encountered – being beset at every turn as I am – are no mere vagabonds with blades. The humans bear the style of the Blacktalons, and the hobgoblins that of the Chill. Mercenary groups both of them, and as such it is unlikely they are the architects of this endeavor. You would do well to insinuate yourself into their ranks and determine their true masters. Difficult, but not impossible, and potentially the most fruitful course.
Edwin: Surely, the simple appearance of Drizzt Do’Urden should have sent every bandit flying by now. Or do the bards’ tales exaggerate your deadliness, drow? Ah, it is of little importance; it is quite possible the bandits around here have had no chance of hearing the exhilarating tales about the fires burning in your lavender eyes, the mesmerising dance of death that your swords do, or the accursed crossdown parry. (Or the back-flip of instant doom, or the diary pages of instant nosebleed…)
Aegon: This is sage advice which I will heed. Know that I think well of you on your journey.
Drizzt: Well met, friend. Luck be on your side.
Perhaps I shall seek you out elsewhere along the Sword Coast.
Farewell.
Never in a million years did I think I would meet Drizzt Do’Urden, let alone fight alongside him. He is the hero of the North. I read volumes upon volumes about him when I was a child. And he just talked to me like I was an equal.
Of course, he left us with a pile of corpses to loot. Among their halberds and the fur drenched in the metallic scent of blood, we find several scrolls they must have taken from previous meals. Edwin finally manages to copy a Resist Fear spell to his spellbook.
Rose tries and fails to copy Melf’s Acid Arrow. I guess this will remain one of Edwin’s personal tricks.
I try to learn Glitterdust and fail. This could have been useful against any thieves that try to sneak up on us.
I do learn how to summon slimes to our aid. I don’t think Mur’Neth would actually mind me using his kin this way.
Edwin tries to learn how to evoke explosive snowballs, but his handwriting fails him. He’ll have to keep relying on his Acid Arrows against any more gnolls we encounter.
We move on, leaving the pile of corpses behind. We’ve had enough of hungry gnolls now. I’m sure Drizzt has too. We’ve both slain our fair share of them.
We will keep going toward the Firewine Ruins. We won’t look back.
