Caias and the Gnolls

A DnD Tale by Kovecs

Caias Neph'raim walked along the road in utter silence save for his footsteps and the gentle hum of the wind. It had been days since he had seen a soul, but he did not mind that in the least bit. He wanted to be alone. In truth, the sentiment was more like: he did not want to be with others.

The tall man was quite the sight in the wild lands. An Aasimar by birth, with light blue skin and war markings upon his face. The boiled leather armor and great battle-axe did little to add to subtlety.

He had never been much for travel, having been born and raised in a single village. Home was always something constant and familiar. The members of his tribe's presences were as much a part of life, to him, as the sky was blue and the pines were green.

The silence would have been much more bearable, were his mind not adrift in a sea of torment and his heart not shattered and numb. No matter how hard he tried to put his guilt and shame to the wayside, they just kept creeping back like a dragon to its lair.

At the very least, he had been able to sleep the night before. That was a good development. However, that sleep was given, not earned. Every time he shut his eyes, he still saw unspeakable horrors and felt the sting of guilt. The previous night, he must have been asleep no more than a minute after he lay in the grass. Not enough time to ponder when you're sound asleep.

But gods, he was thinking again. That was not a good sign. His mind had already taken off and had landed in the worst place imaginable; self pity, and self pity led to anger.

Suddenly, in the distance, he heard howls and cackles. There was barking too, but not the barking of a friendly hound. This sound was savage and desperate. Caias knew instantly what that sound meant; Gnolls.

He drew his axe, the familiar weight feeling natural in his hands. He hated how natural violence was. His anger was now channeling from his mind into adrenaline. Caias' eyes were fixated upon a nearby brush, time only measured in heartbeats until swiftly the gnolls burst out and were upon him.

Immediately, he swung his axe and cleaved one of the mangy canines in two. Its blood sprayed everywhere and puddled on the ground where its remains soon lay. He did not have time to count his enemies, but his blind rage was enough to put up a fight.

As they fought, he felt pain seer from his limbs and cool droplets of blood spill from his body. But he kept on cleaving through enemy after enemy. His own war cries and yelps of the gnolls' pain were all a blur in his mind. "Ahh! Gods damn you all!"

Even the mightiest oak will fall eventually. Caias had slain countless enemies in his life, but even he was no match for an entire pack of gnolls. Dozens lie dead at his feet, but dozens more still relentlessly bit and clawed at his flesh.

Caias began to feel his body fail him. He could barely stand and he was certain that at least two beasts were attempting to feast on him. One gnoll, a bold (and crazy) brute, opened its jaws to bite at his neck. But, with his last bit of energy, Caias brought his axe down, burying it deep within its skull.

The last thing he remembered was the force of his body hitting the earth and something completely unexpected. As he lost consciousness, he heard the sounds of battle and the voice of a man fending off the gnolls. Soon, their snarling voices were gone. But Caias was drifting fast. As he slipped from this world to another, he saw the image of a one-eyed Elf who said: "Took a nasty hit there, fellow. I'm Brim; let's get you out of here."

Dear Reader,

I originally wrote this to help my friend envision is backstory for our DnD Campgain set in the Critical Role world of Exandria. It is the story of how our two characters met. I'll leave this as a vignette for now, but if people like it I'll be happy to share more. Thanks again! If you did like it? Please favorite and review! Ya'll are the best.

~Kovecs