Live for Nothing or Die for Something!

The ranger steps in first just inside the door and lets fly against one of the chuckling dog-faces, hitting once the gnoll and a haybale. The gnoll yelps and the others move to take up positions of cover behind the hay. Meanwhile, the hyenas turn on the new arrivals. Quorbin, Kurgan and Yshven are attacked. The gnoll crossbowmen concentrate fire on the exposed ranger. The attacking dogs make it hard to dodge the bolts coming from the bowmen and Quorbin gets it bad. Yshven and Kurgan push inside and Garrosh steps up, meeting another of the hyenas. The mage lets loose with a cone of cold over most of the hyenas, including both Quorbin and Kurgan. Quorbin retreats into the doorway beside Casval, winded. He chooses the hyena engaged with Kurgan to pepper with arrows. Yshven makes a passing strike at one of his dogs and moves to strike another engaged with Garrosh. The gnoll bowmen draw once more, finding Kurgan in their sights. The dogs make it hard for him to block but his heavy shield saves him from taking more bolts than he did. Reeling, he misses the dogs with his dragonbreath but despite the pain and the blood in his eyes, he roars “ Your bolts are nothing! Your dogs but a distraction! Dispatch these vermin fellows! The standing dogs are next!” Seeing this, resolve is forged and focus renewed on the enemy. Garrosh steps beside Quorbin and makes good on his word to help. Bandaged, Quorbin steps in once more to wreak revenge on his quarry. The dogs are in a blood rage, now frothing at the mouth. The bowmen fire at will having more targets available. Casval blasts ice finding the enemy square on this time, missing his allies. Kurgan, Yshven and Garrosh are a flurry of hair, scale and steel. One by one the dogs fall. The ranger fells his quarry and the fighters stride to face the three surviving gnolls. Two throw down their crossbows and heft maces. The other moves further in to resume his sniping. The fighters engage supported by bow and magic. Suddenly, one of the gnolls lose heart and bolt off through a door, leaving his compatriots. Yshven pursues but returns instead to flank the melee gnoll engaged with Kurgan. Quorbin lets fly against the gnoll bowman as Garrosh move in to engage the same, causing it to switch to melee as well. Every once in a while, magical energy chills the foe, exacerbating their predicament. Finally, the room is cleared save for the still enraged boar struggling to break free its bonds in the center of the room.

~ by Carlo on March 8, 2009.