S1 E16: The Grassy Gnoll

General Summary

• Started off with the vault under the bed, containing a pouch of 170 electrum, a decorative skeleton key inlaid with a large (50gp) emerald, and a small music box made of bone or ivory. The pouch turned out to be a Robe of Useful Things, tied with a silken Rope of Climbing. The glass case on the desk held not 1, but 2 more of the strange green waxy stone tablets.
• Some discussion with Ophidra about her desire to be left in peace, and promises of a far more interesting horde of Yuan Ti Treasure in the pagan Gnoll lair. She makes it clear that she has very little interest in the coinage - "It's not as if I'll be slithering into town and paying with gold to buy roast chicken and pickles or whatever you mortals eat," she said. But she also cautions that if they turn up spending scads of electrum, it will certainly send more annoying adventurers snooping around her temple. Their first task, however, is to dispatch or drive off the pagan Gnolls who are in every way unworthy worshipers of her. "And Dendar," the group pointed out. "Sure," she said. "Right, Dendar too."
• The key opened the secret tunnel, bypassing needle traps on both ends. This gave ingress to a small throne room with two gnolls in it. Xi Shi asked about their faith, but unfortunately not in Gnoll, the only language they spoke. An attack knocked one of them prone, and its head passed into the wall - not as if smashing into the wall, but passing through as if the wall wasn't actually there. More Gnolls came through the space, as well as a pack of Giant Hyenas, and a Gnoll Shaman; a large stone sarcophagus was visible through the illusory wall, once they all realized it was mere illusion.
• At first, the gang was in a spot of trouble; the Gnolls weren't tough individually but they tried double teaming some of the front line, while the Shaman cast spiritual weapon that harassed the backline fighters. He also was able to give them a surge of aggression for a second mass attack, all at once. Luckily they failed to connect on most of these, and as the battle went on, the Gnolls began to fall. The Shaman called upon some necromantic power to bring forth the mummy of Nefer-Meret, who advanced slowly towards the party - slower still after Lorfel's divination magic reduced its movement further. Combined efforts brought down the mummy quickly, and the Shaman fought to the death, which came quickly after he was isolated.
• This leaves the gang standing among the corpses of 4 regular Gnolls, the mummy, and the shaman, as well as with two large piles of gold on the floor, presenting them with the classic dragonslayer's math problem - how to load up and take all the gold and goodies in a hoard when there's more than can be easily carried, and more combatants surely on the way.
• The room has not been searched but it looks like a fairly epic burial chamber and has a 40' wide illusory wall, so additional well-hidden things may also be found in a thorough search - but time is a real issue. More Gnolls are yipping and barking at each other, coming down the hall towards the door. They may be weaklings, easily dispatched, but if Gnolls are organized like the Orcs were, the Shaman is not the clan's main warlord. And certainly more than 4 of them were living in this part of the complex.

Rewards Granted

• Robe of Useful Things with 6 patches in addition to the standard kit (2 x daggers, lanterns, etc): 
  • 2 x mastiffs
  • 10 x gems worth 100gp ea
  • 4 x Potions of healing (normal)
  • 10' pop-up pit
  • 12' rowboat
  • Single use Iron Door
• 170 Electrum
• Small ivory or bone-inlaid music box

XP

2050

Missions/Quests Completed

• "Meet the Gnolls"
• "Nefer Metet's mummy"
• "Giant Hyena Fight"
• "Reconnecting the Complex"

Character(s) interacted with

• Ophidra
• Unnamed bat-hybrid cultist
• Gnoll Shaman gnoll shaman link
• Mummy of Nefer-Metet mummy link

Notes

The gang has not yet looted:

• a small pile of gold and items
• a large pile of gold and items
• a mummy (gold accessories, a necklace, possibly amulets in the wrapping)
• a Gnoll shaman (Yuan-ti holy symbol visible on a leather cord around his neck, pouches, a club, armor)
• 4 dead Gnolls (maces, armor, pouches)

There are also 4 dead giant hyenas, unlikely to have gold or gear but with cool trophy material - skulls, teeth, claws.

Report Date

19 Jul 2022

Primary Location

The Caves of Chaos

Secondary Location

The Borderland Marches