Play Report Mar 24 2026 - Crow's Keep #31
Introduction
Out of arrears on my DCC reports! Non-RPG things have been busy of late and itβs been hard to sit down and find the time. It does feel nice to do so much reflection while I grind these out; my notes continue to serve me well, and I truly feel like weβre able to get so much game in a short amount of time.
I softlaunched Mikeβs World in this session! I placed the gnoll ring fort atop one of the hills in the center of the map. For the ring fort itself, I used the one from Original Adventures Reincarnated #6 with minimal edits. In particular, I increased the total number of gnolls slightly; gave them some gnarly hunting dogs instead of hyenas; and gave them some extra horses, some especially savage and shaggy warponies.
During the fight, I screwed up and forgot one of the gnolls had ridden off on horseback. Aislinn was able to hunt her down and knife her in the back. As a compromise, I just said that the horse was likely to return to the fort and the gnolls would interpret that accordingly.
Paralysis continues to be insane when rolled high! As a compromise, I figured the gnolls would be smart enough to recognize spellcasters, and applied pressure to Kaledar and Tan in the form of wicked barbed arrows.
Also, this is the second such false flag operation the party has carried out⦠Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
Report
- Kaledar, level 3 cleric, and his young griffon Gilgamesh
- Aislinn, level 2 thief
- Bart, level 1 warrior
- Tan, level 2 elf
The Ogre-whelming Force now turns its attention to one of its oldest foes: the gnolls, led by one Lapis Fang. The cannibal huntresses from the north had suffered heavy casualties at the Battle of the Caves, and rumors abound of a schism between the gnolls and the Cult of the Eye. Scouts from the Keep and the Woodfolk report that Lapis has led her warriors north to a palisade atop a hill that had once been a small Woodfolk settlement.
Eager to inflame the schism and ensure that the gnolls would not return to the fold, the Ogre-whelming Force made plans to carry out another misinformation operation: using the disguises they have accumulated of gnoll and Cult alike, they would have a group infiltrate the fort in the guise of gnolls to gather intelligence, while another group posed as emissaries of the Cult and declare war upon the gnolls!
To accomplish this, the band hired a half dozen female mercenaries to don the gnoll-furs. Clever Aislinn would act as the leader of the group. The remaining Force would don the black robes and four-pupiled Eye sigil of the Cult and deliver the dire pronouncement!
The band headed north from the Keep, through the Whispering Woods. As it was still early in the season, only furled buds tipped the spindly branches. The expeditionβs path wound through the woods and over the low and crumbling hills to the north, where many months ago they had slain Gilgameshβs mother. The band pressed on, wary of encountering the widower-griffon that may yet haunt the hills.
Tan and Aislinn sought game in the woods, with Tan wounding a deer and tracking it by the trail of blood it left behind. Upon finding his quarry, the elf granted it mercy and the expedition ate well that night! Aislinn reserved a sizable portion of blood and flesh to daub upon the gnoll furs.
After some heavy climbing, the band crested the hill and was afforded a fine view of the countryside beyond. The ring fort dominated a bare hill in the center of the valley, surrounded by flattened trees. The collective shudder went through the Force, as they recalled their late ally Glenn causing a similar scene on Willow Island.
Aislinn and her women-at-arms broke off from the group in their foul disguises, shambling across the bleak landscape. They were soon intercepted by a lone gnoll astride a feral-looking pony. She was eager to interrogate them, seeing through Aislinnβs lie that they were a patrol sent out that day. The rider accompanied them the rest of the way to the gnoll bivouac while the rest of the Force watched from the hillside!
Aislinn and company were brought to the sacked great hall of the fort, where several gnoll elites were availing themselves of the Woodfolkβs provisions and flesh. Before long, Lapis Fang returned to the hall to interrogate the group. Aislinn spoke carefully, prolonging the conversation until it became apparent that their disguises had worked! The gnolls believed them deserters loyal to the Cult of the Eye. Aislinn flattered and coaxed the cannibal queen, apologizing for the lack of faith and begging forgiveness.
The ruse worked, and the apparent prodigal gnolls were welcomed back into the fold. Aislinn and her crew spent the remainder of the day trying to avoid eating the food the gnolls offered them. During this time, Lapis Fang mentioned that the gnolls had been brought in by the Cult for the specific purpose of opening a door deep in the Shrine in the Caves of Chaos, but had been unsuccessful.
At dusk, the remainder of the group set out in their disguises to the gate of the gnoll ring fort. Tanβs ventriloquism imitated the voice of the high priestess they had heard in the Shrine and vowed the destruction of the gnolls, while Bart and Kaledar posed as the Cultβs berserkers. This enraged the gnolls, with Lapis Fang hurling insults at the βpriestess.β Seizing a clean opportunity to escape, Aislinn volunteered to pursue and kill the messengers.
The band rendezvoused beyond the peak of the hill and traveled for most of the night. Once safely back in the Whispering Woods, they set about disposing of their gnoll costumes to try and frame the Cult of the Eye.
An arrow through a hirelingβs throat announced an ambush! The gnoll rider, still suspicious of the newcomers, had secretly ridden out in the morning to follow her so-called sisters. She and three more riders, accompanied by a brutish hunting dog, fell upon the band. Several hirelings were killed and two more fled. Bart was nearly kicked to death by one of the gnoll-ponies, turning into a puddle at the last second before certain doom. Tan jousted with the rider and knocked her from her horse, while Kaledarβs invocation of the Horned God froze several in their tracks. One of the gnolls tried to flee, but was dispatched by Aislinn! Two of the gnoll-ponies escaped.
Kaledar let Gilgamesh feed upon the slain gnoll-ponies, but the lean meat of the weird horses was unpalatable for the young griffon. The Force pulled jeweled teeth from the gnolls, while Bart and Tan claimed two of their fine bows. Though they sought the missing gnoll-ponies for a time the band could not locate them.
Back at the Keep, the band sold off the gnoll-teeth. Though their profit was just enough to buy a modest round or two at the Bloated Stoat Tavern, the Ogre-whelming Force reasoned that sometimes the real treasure was watching your enemies turn against each otherβ¦