Cereidh holds up her hand in acknowledgment, forestalling Amalina's own advance as she does her best to pad forward silently, the grip of her bow and an arrow laid across it together in one hand.
Findegil draws his great bow and waits in the dark.
Cereidh and Gylwinth creep toward the barrels, but as they come close, the Dunedain woman twists her foot on a rock hidden under the snow, and she stumbles forward.
You hold your breath. A moment later, you hear the tell-tale sounds of heavy footfalls on the snow-covered scree. One of the trolls returns!
"It will smell them," Estel whispers with urgency.
Cereidh looks around frantically - before she chooses to do one thing or the other, she tries to determine if any the barrels smell pungent from where she is ...
Cereidh looks around frantically - before she chooses to do one thing or the other, she tries to determine if any the barrels smell pungent from where she is ...
[dice=Perception]1d20+4
They all do but that won't save you.
Cereidh grabs Gylwinth's elbow, and unsheathing her sword ducks to crouch between the barrels, hoping to place the inquisitive troll between herself and the arrows of her compatriots.
"Is there some other way to make noise that will get them to walk away? Maybe up wind of them?" Wulfgith asked as she looked around for anything.
Amalina and Winter drift a little further back up the hill. After a short distance she and Winter start to yip and bark.
"Yip. Yip. Yipyipyip. Yieeeeee. Yip." Performing the best coyote imitation they can to try and keep the troll from searching too closely for the others.
Th troll sniffs around the barrels and would have clearly seen Gylwinth retreating to the trees but for the sudden sound of Winter barking from another direction. It sniffs the breeze, its eyes also straining into the encroaching twilight. After a long moment, it turns back to the valley and rejoins the other group of trolls.
Cereidh is well hidden, but she cannot determine the contents of the barrels. They smell of fermentation. She could easily carry off a flaggard and return to the group to examine it.
Cereidh shrugs to herself, thanks her luck, and does just that. "Something to warm us?" she jokes when she reaches the others. "It certainly smells strong."
A few minutes later, with darkness beginning to settle, a pair of trolls come down from the valley again with a big cart. They load up two of the largest barrels and drag it back from where they came.
Breathing a heavy sigh of relief as the troll guard heads back into the valley, Amalina creeps down to rejoin the others.
Confirming that the barrels contain enough alcohol for an army, she watches thoughtfully as the cart is loaded and driven off into the valley.
"Hmmmmm....perhaps we've an opportunity coming up." She says thoughtfully. "If we give a little time for that firewater to do its work, it might be possible for us to slip into the valley for a look at who is gathered. Trolls aren't known for their restraint, so my guess is once they get started drinking, they won't stop until the sun drives them under cover."
"If we are quick and quiet, we might learn enough to take back to the Council." She says. "Are we willing to give it a try?"
"The trolls could well be sodden enough to miss our passing. I say that we give the plan a try. Good work in scouting."
A fine plan. Everyone who wants to sneak into the Broadcleave still needs to roll Stealth, but it may be at a lower DC. You'll have to roll to find out.
Cereidh looks among them all. "It seems me that I'm an obvious choice for the *trying*, at least ... What hearty fools will I have with me?"
"This one.", Findegil adds with a grin.
"A fine plan, Gylwinth. I would gladly accept the use of some."
"An excellent idea." Amalina says, nodding at Gylwinth. "It seems Wulfigth or myself might benefit the most following you and Findegil." She says as Cereidh moves with graceful silence back toward the valley entrance.
Wulfgith gave Gylwinth a respectful and thankful nod for the oil and then followed after the rest of the group.
With the otbers taken care of Amalina takes a breath and follows after, hoping they weren't sneaking right into some trap.
Cereidh is careful not to stray too far away from her compatriots! As much as she suspects that doing so might aid her own efforts to hide.
Evening passes into twilight. As you sneak past the barrels into the valley you soon hear the raucous bellering of trolls in the distance. The walls of the valley narrow as you approach - impossibly steep facades of sheer dolomite reaching into moonlit climbs of the Misty Mountains. Perhaps a mile ahead you see dozens of lights, like small pyres, illuminating a swath of the crevasse. You carefully pick your way amongst immense boulders which have collected where the Broadcleave narrows before opening up again.
Once past the boulders, you immediately spot three sentries - great Trolls of incomparable size!
They needed to get further into the valley and from what Amalina could see there was only one way to do that. Unfortunately, that way meant fighting the three trolls blocking the way. She looks over to the others as she quietly draws Hope's Fury. Once everyone is set and ready, she leaps out at the guards hoping the boisterous noise from farther in the valley will keep any others from hearing this coming fight.
Cereidh bites her lip in a soundless huff, considers the trolls, shrugs, and draws her sword in resignation. If they're not going back!
Findegil readies his sword and shield, and nods to the others.
Findegil bounds forward, trying to position himself centrally, as a solid core for the group's battle line, such as it is. He swings his blade with mighty force, aiming for the same troll as Amalina.
The look of uneasy on Wulfgith's face said it all, she really didn't want to do this but couldn't help in thinking of another way to get around this. Thus she gives in and readies her bow, with an internal sigh she gives the nod very reluctantly.
Cereidh switches her hand to her bow, stands by Gylwinth, and - mind going back to their well-oiled success in felling the trolls earlier in the pass - she shoots off two arrows in quick succession. Her hands and the span of her arms move so quickly, it's possible to miss how her arrows flicker.
Amalina and Winter spring to attack the nearest troll, catching it momentarily unaware as they burst forth from the shadows into moonlight. Hope's fury cuts powerfully into the collection of plates and mail cobbled together which serves as its armor - the useful fragments from its many victims!
Troll 1 takes 22 damage!
Astride the powerful woodwoman, the Knight of Minas Tirith swings his blade with great force!
Troll 1 takes 22+7 damage!
Not to be outdone, the wall of archers looses a volley of deadly arrows, each burying shafts deep into stinking troll-hide!
Troll 1 takes 29+3+18+28 damage!
Finally, Estel draws his greatsword and makes a flying leap at severely wounded troll. His blade cuts deep through the shoulder into its chest. The troll gurgles in agony before crumpling over dead!
Troll 1 takes 78+27 damage and dies!
As the other trolls realize what happened they turn on the frontline warriors and shout in a black troll tongue. You sense something from behind, and the archers see that the line of boulders they just trespassed are not boulders at all. As they stand up you realize in terror that a pair of gigantic, two-headed Ettins now guard against your escape!
Amalina, Estel, Gylwinth, Wulfgith, Cereidh
Ettin 1
Findegil
Troll 2, Troll 3, Ettin 2
Troll 1 is dead!
Troll 2
Troll 3
Ettin 1
Ettin 2
Tactical: Amalina, Findegil, and Estel are in Melee with the two trolls. The archer line is 30' from the trolls. The Ettins are 10' behind the archers.
Cereidh's eyes widen, shining dark in her panic. "I don't - I - ettins."
Her mind goes to her limited bag of underhanded tricks. In an unfair fight, why fight fair? However, the will-o'-the-wisp she could call would be a greater threat to her compatriots than the trolls.
She hurriedly steps away from the Ettins, to for the moment stand between the trolls and the settings. Her arm rises and falls mechanically to send two more glimmering, enchanted arrows at the nearest ettin. The magic might be impressive, but it's badly overshadowed by the doom they stand under!
Hope for a quick fight fills Amalina's heart as the first troll quickly falls, but that is quickly dashed as the two ettins rise up from their hidden perches and cut off their escape. Once again she found herself trapped and the odds stacked unfavorably. So once again, she found herself digging deep into her well of strength and courage to stand firm and not fall to these shadow spawn. At least not before taking at least one more down with her. With Hopes Fury solid in her hand she whistles to Winter and the two once again take up their deadly dance with the enemy.
"Oh this is the cave all over again..." Wulfgith said with a shaky sigh before she took aim again. She would be out of arrows in another two volleys or so, meaning melee would be were it went.
Seeing one troll fall, Findegil drives his blade at the next!
The battle joined, Amalina swings her axe at the next troll, but though the hound creates a small distraction, her swings are errant. Estel follows the woodwoman, his greatsword swinging in concert with Hopes Fury.
The powerful young man's blows are so precise and devastating that the troll, grievously injured, recoils as its flesh is hewn asunder, and it staggers, unable to counter this round!!
Troll 2 takes 48 damage!
Gylwinth, her shortbow drawn taut, fires an arrow square into the chest of the shaken troll!
Troll 2 takes 48+8 damage!
While Wulfgith's arrows fly astray, Cereidh whirls and steps back, stinging the two-headed rock-monster with terrifying precision!
Ettin 1 takes 23 damage!
But now that Ettin roars, a terrible sound like falling rocks, and it advances to attack! () It swings a club made of stone at Cereidh, but it misses badly!
Findegil thrusts his longsword into the belly of the wounded troll, gashing it deeply with the first strike, but missing with the second.
Troll 2 takes 56+12 damage!
Though shaken, the troll responds to the company's assault with a torrent of hateful black speech, showering the front line fighters in blood and spittle!
(Troll 2 gains 15 temporary HP)
The final troll rushes to fight. () It directs its ire at Findegil, leading first with it's gnarled jaws and then with its studded maul! But against the magnificent armor and shield of the Knight of Gondor, it cannot find purchase.
The second Ettin crashes ahead, () swinging its stone maul at Gylwinth!
The healer is bludgeoned, and the Ettin drives the swing through her, causing even more pain! (Horrible Strength - Addl +5 Damage on successful melee attack)
Gylwinth takes 23 damage!
Troll 1 is dead!
Troll 2 has taken 53 damage!
Troll 3
Ettin 1 has taken 23 damage!
Ettin 2
Gylwinth has taken 23 damage!
Cereidh considers her options. Perhaps - perhaps if they break through the trolls, they could break through to the other side? Forge ahead? She fires two arrows into the troll that Findegil is engaged with.
Amazed at Estel's skill, luck, combination of both, Amalina can't help but feel even stronger admiration...and she must admit...attraction to this mysterious son of Elrond. Perhaps if she survives this troll cursed journey she will try to learn more of this handsome warrior. But for now she really needed to concentrate on the battle at hand.
Her first swing flies wild as she slips on the uneven, mucky ground. But she recovers quickly and lands one solid blow against her brutish opponent.
Cereidh, you are in melee. I believe you have disadvantage on those range attacks, or you can drop Bregghar and go toe to toe with it.
Cereidh considers her options. Perhaps - perhaps if they break through the trolls, they could break through to the other side? Forge ahead? She fires two arrows into the troll that Findegil is engaged with.