Battle of the Valley

The Battle of the Valley was a skirmish between the Band of Four and the Gnolls of Kreeg.

Setting
Before entering Magelbrath from the planes of Nath, one must pass a valley. The valley is surrounded by mountains and there is almost no way to get out except for a few small passages leading out of the valley, namely one to the North-East, towards Stagwick, and one to the West, which is where the Band of Four came from.

Retelling of the battle
Before entering Magelbrath from the planes of Nath, one must pass a valley. The valley is surrounded by mountains and there is almost no way to get out except for a few small passages leading out of the valley, namely one to the North-East, towards Stagwick, and one to the West, which is where the Band of Four came from.

The Background
Earlier that month while riding towards Magelbrath, the party had encountered a group of gnolls, the Rotting Ravagers, fighting the Upper Kineherders, a party of pseudo-viking explorers who had come down from the mountains of Iìsgaròth. They joined the fight on the side of the humans, who seemed more civilised and also seemed to be losing, and won the skirmish. They killed all of the gnolls except the leader, whose name was Kreeg, or the Horrid Screamer, or the Flesh Gnawer, or the Downfall of the Western Eastlands. It escaped the fight with one less arm but plenty of vengeful thoughts.

The Plan
Kreeg, who had great influence over the lands around Nath as an infamous gnoll war-baron, gathered a gnoll army while the adventurers were busy at Mader Funam. Kreeg’s army consisted of around 5000 gnolls, many of which were from other tribes, but so great was the influence of Kreeg that it had no trouble persuading them to join its cause. The plan was for a preliminary force of 1000 gnolls to block off the route to Magelbrath as the adventurers returned, surround them, and gradually advance forwards as the adventurers became more and more trapped. The gnolls had all the advantage, with the high ground of the mountains and hills, the advantage of ambush, and safety in numbers. Another thousand gnolls would wait behind the first wave, playing drums and screech-horns to scare the enemy, and, in an emergency, attack. Another three thousand gnolls were waiting in and around the mountains further North.

The Battle
The surrounding and ambushing went exactly as planned, and the targeted adventurers were quicly trapped. Kreeg galloped forwards on an aurochs to meet them, but the Band of Four quickly turned themselves and Aloy’s ten sheep invisible. Kreeg’s Aurochs tripped on the invisble sheep and Aloy beheaded Kreeg. The Band of Four managed to escape the first wave (without their sheep) just as Kreeg’s gnoll army was about to finalise the surrounding manoeuver and close in behind them, and went due North, throwing fireballs and peculiar bombs called fire-bombs behind them. They were still invisible, so most of the gnolls assumed they were still in the center of the gnoll circle, where they had been before, so they continued the charge—straight into the invisible sheep. Chaos ensued for the gnolls that had made this mistake, and many gnolls died from their own comrades’ confused blades.

The rest of the first wave, along with the whole of the second wave, kept track of where the fireballs were being shot from and followed that. Coincidentally a teppin and a gnoll run at about the same speed, so the gnolls were unable to catch up with the adventurers, who continued to bomb them until there were hardly any left, and those who were had run away.

The third, fourth and fifth waves, who were camping up north, were much less eager to reach the charge from the mountains, as they had seen what happened to the first two waves and did not want to suffer the same fate. Those who did go after the Band of Four, however, were comforted by the hope that the adventurers were running out of spells and ammunition, and went in, mostly to run away or die under fire.

The Aftermath
This battle is known by some of the Neridic towns that the battle happened nearby as ‘the Cleansing’ as so many gnolls died that there was a considerable and permanent decrease in the number of Gnoll raids and an equal increase in the hatred of gnolls towards humans. In fact, so great were the casualties suffered by the gnolls that they are now recognised as an enangered species. Some would argue, however, that this is a good thing, for the two reasons that a) the gnoll species was created by the wizard Safactis Milanwes by manipulating and mutilating human souls and were therefore ‘never meant to exist’ and b) Gnolls are an invasive and usually overly agressive species, and now, the wild animals, humans and goblins of the area around Nath will be able to live in peace.

Many people agree that the factor that really decided the victor of the battle by slowing the enemy down was the invisibility spell and furthermore the casting of it onto the sheep. To celebrate this, several towns around the area including Magelbrath and Fasfauld, have put up an empty pedestal in the city centre with a brass plaque that reads “To the invisible sheep that saved our town”.

Duckhand's opinion of the battle
Here is an account of the battle, told by Duckhand, who fought in it:

“After coming from the planes of Nath we find our selves attacked by 1000 Gnolls. we find ourselves trapped in a valley with nowhere to go. We defend ourselves by using fire balls and a peculiar kind of bomb called a fire bomb. Since the objects/spells do area damage they successfully defeat the Gnolls.

Sadly, the Gnolls drive us up the mountains to Babylon. There, we meet the archmage of Babylon. and prepare for the great battle against the green dragon...”