After the dangerous Hunting Chosen entered the tunnels, the intensity of the tunnel warfare Transia was waging in the Barren Mountain theater shot to a new level.
The players and their NPC auxiliaries had to follow orders from headquarters, rapidly maneuvering through the tunnels to harass the enemy in scattered or concentrated attacks. They also had to play "hide-and-seek" in the tunnels with vicious little gnoll bosses and huge numbers of stupid kobolds.
The fighting was anything but easy.
Every day, some unlucky squad got ambushed and wiped out in the tunnels by those elusive enemies. Every day, Hunting Chosen were tracked down by the "Underground Stalkers" who specialized in hunting them and turned into walking treasure chests. The NPCs found the situation terrifying, but the players adapted their tactics with astonishing speed.
A dedicated force was formed to clear the tunnels. With the earth priests' burrowing magic and the players' squads relaying reports and location data over the psionic network, they moved through the complex, three-dimensional tunnel system.
The players assigned to this mission suffered heavy casualties. But most of them were maniacs from the Wam Brotherhood or Shadowtracker Monks who pushed their martial arts to the limit. Under the leadership of Great Shark, Teacher Li, and Master Yang, they were more than willing to make a ruthless contribution to the war effort.
Thanks to their activity, the gnolls' "anti-tunnel warfare" was also suppressed, and headquarters was able to function smoothly again.
Though interference kept them from coordinating as perfectly as before, they could still meet the tactical requirements for launching attacks from all sides across the Barren Mountain region, using hit-and-run tactics like a flock of sparrows.
The elite squads active near Blackflame Mountain Pass were especially effective.
Their attacks on the gnolls' supply routes and grain convoys