After defeating the Gnoll tollmen and disposing of their bodies in the woods, the party checks out the not-so-crappy building they were working out of. It was an old, but well-built brick building that didn’t have much to offer except a straw floor and a chest in the corner. The chest is little more than a simple wooden box and it contains a fair amount of coins: 213 Gold Orbs, 24 Platinum Plates, 45 Electrum Luckies, 151 Copper Commons, and 238 Silver Nobles. We were able to get an additional 55 Silver Nobles off of the Gnoll bodies, along with a nose ring, a spell component pouch, 2 decent quality long swords, and an “ok” round metal shield. (I bet the GM didn’t expect me to remember the coinage names!)
The shorter (slower) folks piled into the wagon and we took off until just before nightfall. A quick camp is set-up off of the road and the party divvies up shifts for night watch. We can hear some odd howling and baying in the distance and Klem assumes that the Gnoll bodies have been discovered and a search party is being sent out. The party briefly splits up so a quick patrol around the camp (but within sight) can be made. Before the patrol can take off, a large wounded dog limps into camp. Weapons are brought to bear….
Kylie and Earnest stare at the animal and Earnest recognizes it as a “Moondog”, a good creature. As the party grants the creature access to the camp, it asks for help (evidently Moondogs can talk!). Almost immediately the party is set upon by a number of two-headed dogs, later identified as death-dogs, and a large (as in large size!) Devil Dog.
Immediately spells and crossbow bolts are loosed. Several death dogs are knocked down but not out and the Devil Dog rips a huge chunk of flesh out of Klemwinkle. Dagon and Viggo whittle away the numbers and Hiram casts a spell that conjures a giant hammer that wails away at the Death Dogs. Klem is hit again for a huge amount (again, not far from his ToP check) and poor Kylie is engaged in melee combat, jabbing and bashing with her staff. Several PCs are bitten by the Death Dogs and have to make saving throws or contract a disease.
In the final round of combat, Kylie kills her attacking Death Dog, Earnest just blows another one away with his 12 gauge crossbow, and Viggo manages to down the Devil Dog before he can kill Klemwinkle. Cures are administered to both the PCs and the Moondog, while one PC dispatches the remaining wounded Death Dogs. The Moondog licks the wounds of a couple party members, cleansing the wounds of Death Dog disease (good to know!).
Klemwinkle converses with the Moondog and learns that it had been hunting a vampire off to the South. He managed to wound it severely, but not kill it (forshadowing!). He was wounded in the process and those Death Dogs and the Devil Dog were close to killing it before he came across the party. Klem, playing his role as a Troubleshooter, inquired as to the lay of the land. In addition to the vampire, there are tribes of Orcs and Goblinoids to the Southeast and Southwest. There was a human caravan traveling due South, but that direction is the home to more Gnolls and Flinds. Klem explained their mission and that they would be travelling South. As a parting gift the Moondog gave Klem an enchanted whistle, explaining that if there is any need for his services we could use the whistle to summon him. Then the Moondog walked off into the air…evidently they can speak, cure disease, and fly!
No comments:
Post a Comment