Mad Gnoll is Mad
The key opens a set of gilt double doors where chanting could be heard from beyond. Inside, a gnoll-priest is in front of an elevated wooden altar of some sort. To one side, two large cauldrons stood where, on each a force bubble held the two captured townsmen the heroes sought. Stairs led down from the altar where a large minotaur skeleton, a barlgura, and three carnage demons stood waiting to bar the way.
Quorbin lets fly against the barlgura, twice, hitting once. Kurgan and Casval look at each other and at Yshven. Yshven clamps into a defensive position, bracing. Casval casts a stinking cloud but it does not seem to affect the monsters inside it. The chanting continues and reach a crescendo, a flash, a scream of agony. Suddenly one of the villagers is gone, dissolved to ash. The room goes warm, engulfed in a reddish hue.
The heroes realize that time is not on their side. The barlgura moves against the archer but misses. Yshven positions to intercept but misses in turn. Kurgan steps in and slashes at the apelike demon. The minotaur skeleton strides in and clobbers the red dragonborn with a mace, connecting with vicious effect. Kurgan shaken by the impact begins mouthing something to himself. Steel swords and shields collide, blood is let, faces are pounded, shouts and cries ring out, arcane blasts and rays heat the already molten air, arrows fly into the tangled combatants.
The barlgura is down, a pincushion of shafts. The three carnage demons are downed as well, chopped and pounded to bits. Only the looming skeletal minotaur remains. The monsters have delayed the heroes successfully and the last villager turns to dust. The rooms’ crimson hue deepens and the gnoll cackles with glee, gloating, stoking the warriors’ rage. They close in past the minotaur in desperation but the gnoll is quick with a spell on Garrosh. The blue dragonborn is lifted off the ground, immobilized. A glowing radiance encases the dog-faced caster, a burning aura that sears Yshven as he steps in to engage. Meanwhile, Kurgan sweeps in against the Minotaur skeleton in Yshven’s place but is clubbed down by its huge mace as he bounds atop the platform. Seeing that the hulking skeleton is still a threat, the party focus on it to finally stop its assault. Yshven divides his attacks between the brute and the caster. The dragon-head hammer finally brings the barlgura down as it shifted away to come after Garrosh. Now only the cackling gnoll remains. There is a grim set to each face as the group finally rounded in on their gloating adversary; the creature simply had to pay. He fought madly to live or perhaps, in the end it was only madness that fueled him. There was still a half-smile on his dead and crushed face as Yshven drew the bloodied crag-hammer from it.
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