"Didn't Auric and Khellek say something about getting rich from killing a cave full of trolls on the way back from Diamond Lake?" Eben asks once Rodrigo relates Sombra's story.
"Did they?" Carina asks, puzzled. "Oh..."
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"So why's that troll working for Auric and Khellek? And what's he doing down here?" Tanith ponders aloud.
"In any case we're going to have to deal with him if we want to explore further."
"Gonna take a wild guess and say that's the one that crawled out of the firepit waaay back."
"One mystery solved, at least."
Carina nervously fidgets again. "I'd rather we not get into a fight if we can avoid it--I'm afraid the sounds of battle will just draw unwanted attention to ourselves."
Tanith shrugs. ”Let’s call it a night. Tomorrow we’ll try to figure out what that troll’s doing there and how to get him out of the way without making a racket and I’d rather not kill him if we don’t have to.”
”It’d probably be easier to talk to Auric about him. Khellek’s a grumpy jerk most of the time.”
"Well, what if we're going to be facing him in the arena later anyways? But yeah, we're better off resting for tonight." Astraden walks back to the group's room and begins praying to her god.
"I imagine he's more in the 'kill Auric and Khellek for murdering my entire clan' frame of mind than working for them..." Eben says drily. "Which is inconvenient, since I promised Tirra we'd try and keep them from being killed, though that was more a 'if you fight them in the arena' promise, but she might look ill on it happening by other means as well... man, this is why I usually don't make promises, they always come back to bite you. I mean, we could just talk to the guy, see if his vengeance can wait 'til after the games? I'd like to get some exploring done tonight so we can know where to focus tomorrow." And he quietly mumbles to himself, "Plus I took all that time to make up this guys disguise, not like we all can just say a few magic words and have a new face..."
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"What, Eben, you haven't learned that yet? It's one of the most basic powers Olidammara dishes out. I could try to teach you, though I dunno how well it translates to your style of magic." Astraden starts walking down the passage. "And yeah, you might be right. If this guy is here to kill those two then we'd better stop him."
"I think I can brew an extract that'll do the same thing, but more thoroughly... I'll have to send for a scroll to prep the proper formula, though." Carina tags along behind Astraden, making sure to stay close to Tanith.
"Would I have to, y'know, devote myself to him for that, though? I'm just not a one-god guy." Eben says. "If only there was some kind of inexpensive magic item that would let me change my appearance whenever I wanted..."
"Janger?" Astraden recognizes the name of her "current self". She and the others turn to see a drowsy-looking guard—Esther, they've heard her called—peering at them confusedly. She staggers over, squinting in the darkness and leaning heavily upon her shortspear. "And you, Nebe? Thoughtchu went to bed. What are you two doing with these prisoners?" She pauses, clearly still struggling to fully wake up. "Um, I mean, glad'ittors. S'ry. Habit. I...full-time job's at the, uh, jail place."
Farrukh tries very hard not to smirk.
Note to self: If you ever get arrested in Greyhawk, it's not a big deal.
Tanith watches silently, waiting for someone that needs punching to appear.
"Was about t'go t'bed myself. Then got orders from Lord Raknian. He wants to meet with this lot, private-like. Thinks something's funny about how they were supposed t'be the worst group an then slaughtered everyone in their match."
Esther blinks. She rubs her eyes. "Uh...but why're you going towards the Titan's House? Aren't stairs that way?" She gestures towards the west.
Mental note: the Titan's House doesn't connect to the rest of the understructure, apparently...
"Yeah, but hisself wants to meet in private." 'Nebe' says, putting emphasis on the 'private' part. "Not be seen meetin' with them. Doesn't want it to look like he's showing favro... favori... uh, playing favorites. So we can't bring them upstairs and he can't come int' the Coenoby, he headed to the 'House and wants us to bring them to him there. So nobody knows but us." A look of alarm crosses 'Nebe's' face. "Aw, s@@*, I probably shouldn't have even told you. Be a sport and don't tell anyone you saw us? I could get in trouble!"
"Oh, uh, sure. Don't worr'boutit." Esther nods dully as she turns to head back to bed. "Just watch ou' for the ghouls, right?" She laughs.
'Nebe' gives a laugh in return, while Eben does some quick calculations in his head. Is that some kind of in joke? Am I supposed to go along with it? Or are there actually ghouls?
"Thanks Esther," Janger says, motioning the gladiators forward ahead of her and Nebe.
"I figure we can try negotiating with him first. Obviously, we won't let him go up this tunnel and alert the guards, but we can ask him how he ended up here before we fight him. If we have enough rope, and we find a good hiding spot, Tanith might be able to tie him up so we can leave him until after the games. Otherwise, I've got a few spells left to help take him down." "Janger" walks purposefully behind her friends, in case any other guards wander out behind them. Guards aren't supposed to slouch.
Carina keeps her mouth shut as Eben and Astraden talk their way past the guard.
They know what they're doing, and odds are I'd just ruin it for them if I spoke up.
Spiny's Six comes into the great chamber known as the Titan's House. The troll is there waiting for them. It seems interested, but not frightened. Indeed, the sight of the party seems to put it at ease somewhat—as if it was anticipating something else. It stares balefully at them. "I know some of your scents."
On the way down to the Titan's House, Eben puts his bow away so as not to seem immediately hostile. He does, however, get his glass rod out and carry it nonchalantly over one shoulder.
"Probably Tanith's." Eben says blandly. "When he finishes a morning workout, the results can be potent."
"Which ones of us?"
"My sense of smell is powerful, but not quite so much." The troll raises an eyebrow. "But I know your voices, too. You were some of the only travelers brave enough to approach the pit—and almost the only ones to see my tracks. How curious that we meet again here. One of many curiousnesses I have seen in this place."
"So you are a survivor of Auric and Khellek's troll battle?" Eben asks. "Given what you'd told our friend's.. pet, we'd assumed as much. Actually, how did you get down here? Is there a back entrance to the streets? It's hard to imagine you'd have slipped through the crowd in the north cavern in the past few days."
"I am a good swimmer." The troll grins. "It was not easy, but from that river, through the sewers...there are ways in. Much strangeness between there and here, though. Only one such as Trulent could possibly survive the trip—even among trolls.
"Yes, I fought the one called Auric and the one called Khellek, along with their revolting elven gkaral." He snorts in disgust. "I chose to feign death when my injuries began to subside, thinking they would leave in ignorance. They had a firepit. It was a mistake."