The group decided to spend the rest of the day and that night in the valley where they had left the wagon, Dynamo, and Happy tied to a tree.
When he wasn’t cooking or eating, Philip spent the rest of the day riding on and playing with Happy.
Jess nonchalantly investigated the slightly submerged ledge around the pool in the fungus cave, but found nothing of interest.
Once it got dark, they all gathered around Valeria as she cast
tiny hut, creating a ten-foot-radius gray dome of force around and above them. Inside, it was comfortable and dry, and Valeria was able to control the brightness. They set watches throughout the night, but it was uneventful.
They woke with dawn, and as soon as they finished their morning preparations and ate breakfast, Vernim cast
dispel magic on the bloodstained bowl and ewer. Arpad cast
detect magic from her spellbook, confirming that they were no longer magical. Valeria placed them in her sack with the goblets.
They began the long process of loading books from the library into the wagon. Arpad selected the books from the library and walked them into the hall to Lawrence, who brought them up the stairs to Prynhawn, who brought them to Vernim by the entrance, who gave them to Jess on the top of the ravine, who climbed them down to Philip lower down the ravine, who handed them off the Valeria, who placed them in the wagon.
They had almost emptied half the shelves when Valeria spotted almost a dozen tall humanoids appear from out of the eastern treeline. The greenish-gray skin of their hyena-shaped faces was surrounded by their brown, furry hides. Some of them had painted faces, exaggerating their already savage appearance.
Recognizing the creatures as gnolls, Valeria alerted Philip, who alerted Jess, who alerted Vernim, who alerted Prynhawn, who alerted Lawrence, who finally alerted Arpad. One by one, they dropped the books they were carrying and dashed toward the valley.
Knocking an arrow in her bow, Jess quickly turned and ran east along the upper ridge of the ravine.
Quarterstaff in hand, Philip leaped down the ridges toward the valley as the gnolls clashed their spears on the shields and charged across the valley toward them.
Valeria scrambled up onto the lowest ridge of the ravine and continued east.
Reaching the valley, Philip dashed east.
Jess began taking shots at the gnolls from the upper ridge as she advanced, hiding behind whatever boulders or rises she could find along the way. On her third shot, she hit the nearest gnoll in the chest.
Reaching the nearest gnoll, Philip grabbed it and flipped it over him, knocking it prone and poking it with his quarterstaff before smacking the next one as well.
When Valeria had advanced close enough, she blasted a gnoll with two
eldritch blasts. The blasted gnoll broke away from the pack and limped toward Valeria, throwing a spear when it reached the edge of the ridge. The tip of the spear pierced the bard’s shoulder.
Reaching the valley, Vernim shot his crossbow at the gnolls, but missed.
Four gnolls surrounded Philip, thrusting their spears, but the halfling was too nimble for all but one, who caught him with a glancing blow. The monk feinted and weaved, making his way out of the circle of gnolls and caught up with the gnolls that had kept charging, missing the first with a thrust of his staff, but catching it with a kick. A kick at the next gnoll was too far to land, but his quarterstaff cracked the gnoll in the snout just before Jess’ arrow landed in its throat.
After landing the first kill of the day, Jess advanced to the edge of the ridge, ducking behind a small outcropping.
The four lagging gnolls dashed after the fleet halfling, regrouping with their pack that were busy tearing into Philip with the spears.
The gnoll limping at Valeria leaped up onto the ridge and scratched her. Ignoring the injured gnoll, Valeria dropped one of Philip’s assailants with two
eldritch blasts.
Advancing closer, Vernim and cast
flaming sphere, creating a five-foot-diameter swirling sphere of fire thirty feet in front of the gnolls.
Badly hurt, Philip weaved out of the surrounding gnolls and dashed toward Vernim with a
step of the wind.
Finally within range, and seeing that all the gnolls were clumped together where Philip had just been, Lawrence cast
fireball, enveloping the whole lot of them, killing four.
Vernim met up with Philip and cast
cure wounds on him. A charging gnoll stopped short and threw its spear, landing it right in Philip’s back. Two other gnolls dashed up to the halfling, spears ready.
Valeria evaded the gnoll limping after her, finally drawing her longsword and finishing the wounded mut.
Prynhawn finally joined Philip, but missed with a wide swing, but it was dropped by two magic missiles from Arpad, a third missile hitting the nearby gnoll.
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