Torek nods at Autumn words, then answers Sir Titian, "I see two together moving west, that's the way the loggers would go to get wood. They seem to be moving quickly and ... like with some urgency. They are up to something, but what we do not know. Given their speed I'm not sure I could keep up without a horse, and I doubt they'd be happy to see us following them. Not sure what to do or even what we can do. Two trolls would be very hard to deal with." Torek continues to watch them seeing if he can determine anything else.
Autumn held up two fingers to Titian as Torek spoke. "We need fire to kill a troll." She told when, a look of worry upon her face. "If that is the way the loggers went... I think maybe we should try to fight. I said before that loggers would be able to handle themselves against most things but... I am not sure of against two trolls." Autumn shifted in her saddle. A call needed to be made. "Let's try." She finally told the group. "We said we'd check in on them either way... We can just add this to it."
"Two Trolls seems a hard fight" Augustina explains, "Though failing to, at least, alert the loggers would greatly damage our reputation. Plus, we can't leave them to their own fate, of course." She finishes by looking at Autumn. "I'm in."
"Does anyone have some sort of hunting horn or the like, something that will make a loud noise and attact their attention?"
He asked already starting to kick his horse into faster movement. It would be better to at least face the trolls out in the open where Titan and his mount could most effective. Damnable trolls. He bellowed out loudly, an Ulfen warcry from his youth even as he readied his morningstar and shield.
Augustina doesn't have a horn. She usually has the attention of those she gives a speech to.
"Maybe you can hit your shield with your weapon, like a drum."
"Trolls?" Larin gulps nervously. For all his excitement about getting out into the Stolen Lands, a confrontation with trolls wasn't something he was prepared for. With the loggers potentially in great danger Larin agrees with the others, nodding his assent. "If we can't protect the loggers, then why are we even out here. We have to try," he suggests as Herger spurs his mount and unleashes his war cry.
"This is it then Frostbite," he mutters quietly, beginning to draw his magic together, small sparks flashing in his eyes and between his fingers as he reaches within himself.
Torek tentatively start to discuss a plan when Herger takes off after the trolls. "Herger wait we need a plan to work together." But he is talking to the wind, and chases after Herger; Torek feeling he is left behind again when he tries to form a united force against enemies, the lack of focus fretting his nature terribly.
The drum of horse hooves on turf would have done it. The trolls turn at the sound of Herger's advance. Their toothy maws opening in a roar; long, strong, gangly arms outstretched. Those claws look really big. And sharp, and jagged.
Augustine rides after Herger, banner to the wind, not willing to let her comrade charge into suicide alone. "For the real Starlord!"
Larin tries to hold Frostbite back, but knows that he'll have to hop off the wolf's back soon so that she can follow Autumn into the fray. He readies himself for confrontation as his hair flutters in the breeze and his eyes darken to the colour of stormclouds.
"Damn... Can't lag behind. Can't be too spread out." Autumn muttered to herself as she kicked Solstice onward and whistled for Frostbite to follow in kind.
Frostbite followed swiftly, bolting after Autumn and Solstice with Larin still on her back. Though the added weight of the halfling slowed her slightly. After all she was still getting use to having Larin as a passenger for long distances.
Seeing the Trolls' response and hearing Autumn, he tries to bring some order to the charge, "Sir Titian take the lead, I'll join you, everyone else with riding horses be ready to stop and dismount before attacking. Do not take an untrained horse into combat, please! And, ... not sure about Frostbite being ridden into a fight. No more time, fight!"
Torek draws his blade, preparing for a slashing swing as he rides to attack, Torek will stay in engagement range to attack instead of riding by.
"Let's go Frostbite," Larin says as the group begins to move towards the trolls. "Let's get me into cover then you can join up with Autumn," he says as he steers the wolf towards the edge of the forest. Reaching the trunk of an old oak Larin hops off Frostbite, leaving the wolf free to rejoin her mistress. A strong breeze begins to tug at the edges of Larin's duster as his magic takes hold, and leaf litter begins to flutter into the air at his feet.
Augustina rides into battle... to the point where her horse allows, since once he smells the trolls too near he will probably try to flee. Our heroine dismounts, then, covering the rest of the ground running.
Autumn moved Solstice closer to the trolls before dismounting from the saddle, just because Solstice was battle trained didn't mean she wanted the mare in combat. At least anymore than she had to be.
Frostbite followed Larin's words and took him over to the trees, letting him off of her back. When he was on solid ground she moved from the trees and towards Autumn.
Not that he was much of a trained warrior anymore, The tall ulfen man moved his horse close to the little halfling in their group.
He spoke gruffly to his mount as he readied his shield first. Why did it have to be trolls.
"Sir Titian it appears that our line of charge is blocked, do you want to come pass that tree to Autumn's left or close with our friend and slide past? I don't think I can reach the trolls straight quickly anyway." Torek still intends to follow Sir Titian's lead.
DC 15 control combat trained mount without holding the horse's reins. Free Action.
One of the trolls moves toward Larin along the tree line. The other moves out into the meadow. They both flex their claws in anticipation. Their mouths gape wide to display fangs.
Torek follows Sir Titian pulling up on the right of him, he intends to follow him in his charge but will stop when he reaches the target as he is not trained to gallop by. He will attempt to reach a flanking position. "Yes, Sir! The Troll in the open is the target Sir?"
Autumn ran foreword summoning Frostbite to follow along. Pointing to the troll she called "Impetus"
Then she ran her hand down the length of her bow, it glowed a faint earthly green before the light seeped into the wood of the bow.
Frostbite charged the troll, teeth bared.
Torek sees the tree blocking any charge he could make but his horse is very maneuverable so he gallops towards the troll in the open and faces towards the trolls flank leaving the back area open for another attempt by Sir Titian.
Riding Hope he hustles, weaving around the tree he narrowly avoids Autumn lining up her shot and stops at the troll's right flank. Given the troll's height Autumn should have a clear line of fire with her skill. Need two moves to do this arrives with neither himself or Hope having any actions left.
Augustina rides until she thinks she's more or less near the melee but far away enough that Rover doesn't frighten. She dismounts carefuly to not stumble and drop the flag, and trusts her horse to put himself out of trouble.
Shield ready, he pulled out his morning star and advanced in front of Larin. He definitely didnt want the halfling to be the target of the monsters ire. He slammed the hilt of his morning star on his shield with everystep forming a slight rhythm.
"Erastil, it seems that your humble servant here has once more found himself in battle against terrible foes. Protect me as I do good work trying to tame lands for decent folk to live."
He set his feet and held his shield up high with his arm back morning star held low.
"group up... dont let them single anyone out"
He called grimacing... and waiting.
Larin holds back to allow the riders and the fighters to advance towards the trolls. He follows along behind Herger as the tall northman sets up for the inevitable charge of the troll, finding another tree to shelter behind as he gathers his magic. Larin's eyes glow more intensely as electricity crackles around his fingers, and he concentrates on the space in front of himself and Herger, ready to react to the troll's advance.
Larin channels his magic towards the approaching troll and unleashes a clap of thunder within it's primitive brain, the noise audible only to the troll as Larin tries to stun the creature.
Larin unleashes his scream, but it seems to have little effect on the hulking troll. It continues toward Herger. The cleric strikes it with a mighty blow, but the troll doesn’t go down.
The troll rakes at Herger with a claw, but Herger is able to catch the attack on his shield.
The other troll turns it’s attention to the pesky wolf. Apparently it doesn’t care for the animal nipping at it’s feet.
; ; ; ;
The troll scoops Frostbite up in both claws, tearing into the flesh of the wolf. The troll grins as it drops the limp form of Frostbite to the ground.
"No..." Autumn breathed out as she watched her faithful She-wolf fall to the ground. She called, rage making her hand shake as it gripped white knuckled on her bow. Firing one shot at the troll before running in to save her friend.
Augustina notices how the poor wolf is almost split in two. She runs, flag in hand, to the animal and prepares to apply some healing .
"Get torwards the others Larin, safety in numbers, I'll keep em off you."
He called shifting ever so slightly to the side to make sure the troll couldnt just chase after the halfling.
He grunted as the troll easily avoided his heavy swing and the tall Ulfen priest merely scowled.
"I can't leave you to face this one alone," Larin calls back, unwilling to abandon Herger. Instead he runs behind the cleric, pulling his morningstar from his belt as he goes. He stops and concentrates for a second, channeling his magic towards the ground beneath the troll's feet. Suddenly the grass is as wet and slick as after a downpour, threatening the the troll's footing
Round 2
Torek sees Frostbite go down but can do nothing to help but launch an attack. He first directs Hope to attack (free action) with him as rider.
Fight with Combat Trained mount DC 10. Free action. (Much easier than directing an attack without rider).
On a 19-20 attack roll, if this would hit apply critical Damage.
Add to total Damage.
On a 19-20 attack roll, if this would hit apply critical Damage.
Add to total Damage.
As Hope's hooves crash down on the Troll huge hide, Torek swings his blade with all his might.
On a 19-20 attack roll, if this would hit apply critical Damage.
Add to total Damage.
The troll’s clawed feet easily dig into the soft grassy loam of the forest floor. Larin’ s slippery spell has no effect for the moment.
Herger again, somehow deflects the raking claw; then the troll’s dim brain remembers that some oils burn. It scrambles to get out of the slippery area.
The other troll attacks Hope, the horse’s soft underbelly makes too tempting a target.
;
;
;
Then a woman’s voice rings out, though she isn’t speaking Taldan.
A woman, and man approach from the southeast. They both are black haired and olive skinned. The woman wears a black skirt, white blouse, and red vest. The man, black boots, baggy trousers, and a red vest over a mail coat. He brandishes an Aldori sword.
Disappointed by the troll shrugging off another of his spells, Larin begins to skirt around to get an angle on the troll. He thrusts his hand forward and a crackling ball of electricity shoots out towards the troll. As the spell leaves his hand he sees two figures arrive in the area from the southeast. "Look out!" he calls to the group fighting the other troll.
Augustina kneels before Autumn's trusty companion and asks for divine intervention. The loyal animal deserves better than this.
Ignoring the troll for a moment he hustled back closer to Larin, He grabbed his holy symbol chanted a quick prayer out and cast Shield other on Frostbite. If Augustina had moved closer to the she wolf and cast healing on it, she had to be alive, hopefully ol' deadeye favored her some more. Spell down He beat his morningstar on his shield a few more times and let out a loud roar at the troll he and Larin had been squaring off against.
Shield other - The subject gains a +1 deflection bonus to AC and a +1 resistance bonus on saves. Additionally, the subject takes only half damage from all wounds and attacks (including those dealt by special abilities) that deal hit point damage. The amount of damage not taken by the warded creature is taken by me.
Autumn softened a bit when Augustina got to Frostbite. She saw the spell wash over her loyal she-wolf and Frostbite breathing and shifting slightly. The spell from Herger that shielded Frostbite helped her mind a great deal as well.
With worry set aside for a moment Autumn was about to focus her anger upon the troll, however then she heard the voice the rang out over the field. While she couldn't understand it what they said however she knew that sword!
'Swordlords?! Here? Maybe they'll help?' Autumn wondered before she focused upon her target.
With Augustina's spell, Frostbite's eyes opened. The she-wolf whimpered as her whole body still hurt, but no longer was she bleeding upon the grass. However to the poor wolf the world still spun a bit too much to get up and fight.
Round 2 addendum.
Torek tries to move Hope out of the troll's vicious attack but fails.
Hope's screams of agony are cut short as the troll all but tears her apart. She collapses almost dead.
With no time to act Torek reflexively kicks out of the stirrups and tries to soft fall to the ground away from Hope.
Soft Fall, no action needed per riding rules. Success at DC 15, failure means taking 1d6 damage. Will land prone.
;
Of the newcomers, the man casts a spell one handed, then moves towards the fray. The woman casts as well, placing her magic on her companion.