Chapter 3: Ship people meet woods people

Once the skies are painted in sunset hues and night slowly crawls over the forest, Melianne joins her companions on the hill. She can't help but be tense, her worries from before amplified by natural apprehension before a fight. "I wish we could negotiate with them..." She sighs mostly to herself, watching her magical lights flickering between the trees. "Maybe they'll leave if we can withstand initial attack. Hopefully Rada and Phann made it safely back to the camp, and they are all safe..."

Krenmuth says to Melianne, "If a gnoll is close enough to talk, it is close enough to bite. It prefers the latter."

Then he addresses the group, "I don't have any long range attack spells, so I'll guard the left flank. The hill top is small enough that I can reinforce another area if needed."

Tharadin takes his javelins and jams three them in the ground next to him by one of the deadfall trees, ready to be grabbed at a moment's notice. His axe he slings across his back as he peers through the distance. Target their druids. Can't chop magic. he says firmly, feeling the heft of the javelin in his hand.

"Negotiate? With Gnolls? What a quaint concept. One might as well ask dwarves for table manners."
Aravel points to the nearby rock.
"I will be in cover here, lending my bow to the battle as long as my quiver lasts. Hopefully the animals will retreat once a few members of their pack have fallen."

"Quiet, all of you! Get ready, and try not to get killed."

Drusilia approaches Melianne. The herbs you showed me before... I think we can perform a small trick with them.
She explains that Melianne can bind the herbs together, say a certain incantation and then throw them. They will begin to grow into a spiky undergrowth that's difficult to traverse.
Just as she finished to explain the ritual you hear a rustling from the leaves, then snarling, growling and commands in a language you don't understand.
Suddenly gnolls break through the undergrowth. There seem to be ten of them. Behind them two figures in robes seem to direct them. Both of them are accompanied by a panther.
Juggrez! one of the robed figures yells and the gnolls stop. The figures murmur something and then yell MAGAN!.
The gnolls start to run at your position.

The shadows around Annika seem to shift and flow, coalescing into a jet-black crossbow in her hands. She raises it, and sights on one of the druids directing the gnoll pack.

Tharadin peers across the distance, knowing they are too far away for his javelins to be effective. For now, he will hold in place until the enemy is closer in.

Annika's bolt flies into the darkness. After a short while she hears a gasp. Seems like she hit someone!
Tharadin bides his time


The gnolls meanwhile storm forward. They seem to have split up into two groups.

With light concern Aravel watched the first wave of gnolls approach. Gods, how awful they would smell! He decided to thin the pack a bit with a basic little spell he had picked up once to be rid of non-elven nuisances. Then he hid behind the rock and pulled his first arrow from his quiver..

Using the log for cover, Krenmuth conceals a small rock rock under his waterskin then casts a Light cantrip on the rock.

Aravel casts his spell. One gnoll stops in its tracks, curls up on the ground and sleeps
While Krenmuth casts his spell the two panthers advance toward the heroes. One of them steps into the light cast by Melianne
The two druid of the Green Triskel murmur incantations, duck down and slowly advance behind the gnoll.
Carric and Drusilia cast a spell each too. Their skin turns into bark, in the dim light they look like two treants. Other than that they await the attacking forces.

Melianne stays by the tree she had chosen as her cover for the battle, nervously taping her fingers against the bark and biting her lip. The opponents are too far away for her words or magic to reach, so like Tharadin she can only wait for them to approach. Although, perhaps there is someone she can reach with her words after all... The dancer glances over at where Annika is reloading her crossbow, smiles mischievously and pulls out her lute. Nothing like some dramatic music in the middle of a battlefield, is there?

Annika shakes her head as she hears the music, but smiles. Raising her crossbow again, she sets her sights on the panther that wandered carelessly close to the dancing light.

Tharadin collects his javelins and moves up next to Melianne, waiting for someone to come within striking distance.

Melianne's song leaves a soft echo. The gnolls don't seems to be phased by it and advance further but everyone else seems to be a bit more calm in the face of the advancing enemy.
Annika's bolt hits the panther in its side. It lets out a high pitch yelp and drops down before forcing itself up again. It's still standing but heavily wounded.
Tharadin meanwhile waits for the gnolls to get into close combat

Krenmuth sees the gnolls moving toward his side of the hill. He grabs his rock with the Light spell and tosses it in an open area downhill.Krenmuth is nervous with the size of the force facing them, but he steadies himself by softly singing the chorus of an sea shanty he learned as a marine.
"We will find a way
We will find a way
Through sun and storm
While our blood's warm
We will find a way"