The Wilds - Cleanup, Hut Three

Most enemies are down, but we stuck with combat rounds this turn, because there are still fleeing gnolls and cowering kobolds around. Since there are no visible enemies, initiative isn't really a factor.



[Round Nine]

Saurabh rises higher into the air, keeping a sharp eye out for foes approaching and the retreating gnolls. Mordikarr advances until he can see the kobold hut, bow at the ready. Rawon moves to a better position to keep watch as well. Mordikarr is surprised to see the giant bat circling the hut. "All dog-heads must be inside," he mutters.

Grendor and Strom grab the nearest brute and try to drag him toward the nearest hut, but the mud-covered corpse is too heavy. It takes three people to move the thing. Raúguey helps them drag the body into the big hut. As they shift the corpse, Ingvild cautiously checks out the interior. It reeks of rotten meat and dank wood, but the building has a floor, sort of. "I think we can burn this," he says.

"Search it first," says Strom. "We'll keep moving bodies and search them too."

"I'll help search," says Maro, moving into the hut with Ingvild.

As they work Saurabh calls out, "The gnolls are headed west! I don't see anything moving around the northwest hut."

Meanwhile, Durego digs into his pack and pulls out the dwarf kettle. He orders the magical device to prepare a batch of broth, takes a sip, then offers it to Grendor, Strom and Raúguey. [1, 3, 1, 2, for Durego, Grendor, Strom, Raúguey]. Dagmarten moves west, past the huts, using his quarterstaff to probe the mud for traps. Once there he keeps watch, just in case. Ohwatoo keeps an eye out to the south.

[Round Ten]

Durego casts find traps and scans the surrounding area. He starts pointing out nearby traps and warning people when they get close.

With most of the party searching and moving bodies, they have the brute and gnoll corpses piled up inside the hut pretty quickly. The others continue to watch, and the bat continues to circle the last hut. Mordikarr sends Mageta east to keep watch on the narrow gap east of the party's position. Saurabh loses sight of the gnolls in the misty rain. They're still heading west.

[Round Eleven]

Ingvild and Maro move to check the other nearby huts, carefully probing the mud for traps as they move. All are crude living quarters with raised floors and crude bunks inside. A few crude bowls, cooking utensils and soot-streaked hides are scattered across the table, and suspicious-looking chunks of meat hang from the rafters. All the huts stink, though none so badly as the brutes' big shelter. All the searching turns up a few handfuls of coins, plus a few small gems. [details below]

Raúguey pulls out an oil flask and pours it over the bodies. "Still not sure this is going to burn," he mutters, applying steel to flint. The oil catches and the hut quickly fills with foul, black smoke. Raúguey gets out and the others back away, as the flames rise.

"Uh oh!" says Dagmarten.

"What?" asks Ingvild, poking his head out of a hut.

The cleric gestures at the smoke. "That's going to draw attention if anyone's around to see it! We should figure out what we're doing next and do it."

"We need to take care of those kobolds," says Raúguey. He starts heading toward the northeast hut. "Come on!"

"Ohwatoo, call back bat!" says Mordikarr.

"Bat? What... oh, the bat. Right." Ohwatoo follows in Raúguey's footsteps, and several others trail behind.

"Can you send it after the gnolls," asks Raúguey.

Ohwatoo shakes his head. "I need to see the target to direct the creature."

[Round Twelve (plus)]

Raúguey pulls out another oil flask and approaches the hut with Mordikarr, Grendor and Strom at his back. Ohwatoo stops a good distance away and commands the bat to return to the wand. It vanishes, and the mage feels a minor jolt of energy from the magical device.

As Raúguey gets close, there are squeals and shouts from inside the hut. He pauses a few feet away. "Can anyone make out what they're saying?"

Grendor frowns. "It sounds like 'Don't kill us, we surrender! We will leave this place forever and never come back! Don't kill us!'"

"It's a trick," says Durego. "Light them up!"

OOC:

The gnoll and brute corpses are burning in the big hut. There are still three other huts nearby, plus the kobold hut (northeast) and empty(?) hut northwest. Saurabh is up 80 feet in the air.

The searchers recovered 390 GP, 2340 SP, and 4x 25 GP gems from the huts and the corpses.

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