Finishing the Gnolls

The Vast

Emerging from the mist are several large rafts with many gnolls on them.

Jaden boldly undresses and quietly swims out and starts to cut the ropes holding one of the rafts together with his knife. Even as the raft begins to come apart and force the gnoll to go back to the far shore, Jaden gets stabbed with a spear from a gnoll and the daring Duskblade has to swim to safety lest he perishes in the summer-warm waters.

Meanwhile Rob and Lars try their best to find targets in the mist and injure several gnolls but not enough to stop them all.

Several of the brutish beast men charge ashore and battle ensues.

Jaden arrives, wet and short of breath after a while. He dons his chain shirt and wearing naught but this and a loincloth he charges in to aid his fellows who are locked hand to hand combat with the gnolls.

Both Gates and Rista are safe and mostly sound behind their massive armour plates while Legolars fights at a distance. Rob and Said are somewhat worse off, being lightly armoured, but the arrival of Jaden soon turns the tide in the heroes' favour.

After a badly needed breathing pause the valiant band decides to land on the far side of the lake in the hope that the gnoll are less likely to patrol that stretch of beach.

As they land they find that they are right but only by a small margin as they hear a small patrol passing by. They ambush it and wipe it out as quietly as possible before they start to move towards the main gnoll troop, aiming for a surprise attack.

Soon enough they run into the gnoll horde and Said is badly injured by a Javelin of Lightning thrown by the shaman. While Rista heals the injured Calishite the others charge into the fray and a gory melee breaks out. Even Legolars goes forth, longsword in hand and with a combination of magicks and force of arms the gnoll soon succumb. Those who do not die flee into woods.

The giant comes by attracted to the noise but when he is told that his former "buddies" are dead he deems it no sense in fighting since he's already been paid and thus it's money for nothing.

Relieved that they do not have to fight the hulking brute with their resources depleted the band decides to settle in for the night.

The day after, however, Said convinces Rob and Jaden that the giant might be dangerous still and pressures Legolars to track it.

They catch up with the giant just before nightfall and decides to attack, using captured Javelins of Lightning and the element of surprise.

Although Gates nearly perishes and Jaden is gravely injured they eventually conquer the giant and the threat of this huge ne'erdowell is ended.

With this last adversary done away with the gang gathers the loot from the giant's backpack as their rightful claim.

Having made sure that there are no enemies left behind the band eventually returns to the village of Edgewise.

They explain the situation to the people who are relieved to hear that such wickedness has been disposed of but also slightly disappointed as the wizards' demise will now bring an end to the comparatively generous amounts of coinage the latter brought to the village.

They proceed at a leisurely pace back to the city of Soffleport. Here they are rewarded and presented as heroes of the land for their deeds against the forces of evil.

It has been a good summer so far.