Session 53 - Hyenas. No Laughing Matter

Wed 1st Dec 2021 20:00 - 23:30

In-game timeline: Nightal 19 - Nightal 20 DR1489

Our "Heroes" are having an early pint in the tavern, discussion their plans for the day - which at present comprises heading out to the Hecana Plains to tackle the Mayor's concern over the hyena threat - but as we know by now, this is a fickle group and their plans regularly change.

As they neck their beers, a black cat sidles up to the group and seems to be after food. Drogan suddenly becomes all soft and has a conversation with the cat who, it turns out, is called Felix, Lord of All Things and Destroyer of Rodents. The cat is hungry, and has no information to offer the group. Drogan adopts it.

The group get their horses from the stables and enquire after the location of one of the furthest farms in the direction of the Hecana Plains, assuming that they are probably most likely to have knowledge or experience of the hyena raids. Having got directions to the outlying farm of Rudon Hazelaxe, the party set out.

The plains are quite barren, and at this time of year are covered with a heavy dusting of snow. Visibility is good, until the snow starts to fall.

During a break in the cloud the party spot a group of large birds in the far distance, probably some miles out. They are not certain what kind of birds they are, but are tempted to head in that direction, rather than head straight for the Hazelaxe farm, despite the dusk drawing in. When a distant black mass is spotted in the distance, they make up their minds and head for it, wanting to investigate what was attracting the birds.

In the dying light of day, they come upon a set of bones, picked clean, of what looks like a horse. The body looks to be dead for at least 3 days, but the party do find a few arrow heads amongst the bones.

Using Nigel's keen eyesight in dusk, the group manage to find their way to the intended farmhouse where Dwarrow asks if they can stay the night. Unfortunately Dwarrow is none too persuasive and needs to hand over some gold to convince Rudon to let them stay… in the barn.

Felix, Lord of All Things and Destroyer of Rodents heads off to destroy some rodents (a task at which he proves most proficient) whilst our "Heroes" settle down for some food in the barn. They chat to Rudon, who is a little surprised about the reports of hyena incursions, and a little concerned at the group's reports of hyenas taking a horse only a few days ago. Rudon decides to bring his cattle in from the outlying fields the following day.

After a relatively comfortable night's rest, the group head out again towards the distant hills, where the hyenas are reported to be laired. After a few hours' travel, as the hills become larger in the distance, the group spot some disturbance a few hundred yards ahead. They alight from their horses and leave them, and Felix, Lord of All Things and Destroyer of Rodents, behind for safety. They approach the disturbance cautiously.

And see a number of hyenas attacking a prone creature, looking like a black horse, with a number of humanoid creatures (which they assume to be gnolls, based on their previous knowledge of such creatures) also taking part in the attack. More worryingly were the two very large hyenas, with gnolls sitting astride them, looking on.

The group manage to get a couple of shots off, but they are already spotted and the gnolls return fire with longbows that have better range than most of the party's weapons. One of the giant hyenas, with rider after loosing a couple of arrows, turns and runs. The party get a couple of shots off at him, but with the distance, their impact was minimal, and the party turn their attention to the more threatening, rapidly advancing, hyenas.

With the gnolls staying back and firing arrows at the group of adventurers, and the hyenas running towards them, Dwarrow calls down a lightning bolt from the skies with Traxiil and it strikes the giant hyena as it closed in on the group. It was not enough to take the creature down, but Drogan ran to meet it and engages it in battle. The standard hyenas, and even the gnolls, prove relatively easy to kill, but the gnolls do score a few arrow hits on the group before they are taken down. The remaining giant hyena proves harder to bring down, but he does eventually fall. The kills seem to be shared around the group, with Dwarrow invoking his sickle-formed spiritual weapon to help them out, Alwaith taking down one gnoll with his magical armour (of Agathys), and following that up with creating a spectre from another gnoll that he hexed, then blasted to oblivion. Alongside Drogan's "pet" cat (though Felix, Lord of All Things and Destroyer of Rodents, would definitely NOT want to be referred to as a "pet"), Alwaith now has a "pet" spectre, called Phil.

With the area littered with bodies, the group check out the "hunted" creature. It is now dead, though it seemed to have taken a hyena down with it as it fell. It is not a horse. A creature unlike anything the group has seen before, with a pitch black body, two arms that end in bone-like 'hooks' and with a large bird-like face, but a body the size of a small horse. Its body is peppered with arrows, but it seemed to have caused some damage to some of the creatures attacking it before it was taken down. Blood flows into the surrounding snow, making the scene look even more gruesome.

As the group look towards the direction that the giant hyena and its gnoll rider headed, they consider having a short rest to regain some of their lost health and abilities before following…