Ahran feints and then hacks at the troll again, holding his sword in two hands and driving powerfully at its weak spots.
(DC is 10 + target's BAB + target's WIS modifier. If target trained in Sense Motive, DC is 10 + Sense Motive bonus if higher.)
Alister digs a flask of alchemist's fire out of his pack and hurls it toward the troll. "Take him down!"
Piotr's glob of acid burns some scrub plants on the side of the path, but Ahran's swordplay dazzles the stupid troll into blocking in the wrong direction. The Chelaxian warrior slides in under the troll's defenses and stabs his sword deep into the monster's heart. It falls, gurgling on its own blood, but even as he watches his foe fall, Ahran sees its wounds begin to knit up.
That's when Alister douses it with alchemist's fire, setting it ablaze!
With the fury of a berserker, the second troll steps directly into the fire to attack Ahran, biting down on his sword arm with tremendous power.
Initiative Order
Troll #1 (83 damage, prone, dying, on fire)
Piotr (and Corb)
Ahran (21 damage)
Alister (9 damage)
Troll #2 (4 damage)
Aristu
Mikhail (1 damage)
Ahran takes the measure of this new foe, then follows through with his technique, striking at this new aggressor.
Alister marvels at the single-mindedness of the troll to stand in the middle of the burning alchemist's fire. "Cut him apart!" He pulls out a ball of butter and hurls it towards the troll. Immediately the area under the troll becomes slick.
Aristu scans the tower for any signs that more trolls are coming, but takes no additional action.
Mikhail attacks the next troll.
In some cases, you may have to squeeze into or through an area that isn’t as wide as the space you take up. You can squeeze through or into a space that is at least half as wide as your normal space. Each move into or through a narrow space counts as if it were 2 squares, and while squeezed in a narrow space, you take a –4 penalty on attack rolls and a –4 penalty to AC.
Ahran and Mikhail attack the troll sentinel with practiced ferocity, dancing on the edge of ruin to hasten the guardian's demise. Their swords slash and cut, dazzle and bleed the great monster.
Alister sees no signs of backup arriving yet. So many of the trolls have marched on Stagfell that few are left to guard the redoubt.
Initiative Order
Troll #1 (83 damage, prone, dying, on fire)
Piotr (and Corb)
Ahran (21 damage)
Alister (9 damage)
Troll #2 (54 damage)
Aristu
Mikhail (1 damage)
Piotr invokes the cantrip again, sending another splash of acid at the remaining troll.
Blazing with fire, the troll attacks Ahran and Mikhail. The pair of warriors easily block its powerful but wild blows.
Initiative Order
Troll #1 (87 damage, prone, unconscious)
Piotr (and Corb)
Ahran (21 damage)
Alister (9 damage)
Troll #2 (60 damage)
Aristu
Mikhail (1 damage)
"More fire!" Ahran shouts, before continuing to hack at the troll's weak spots.
(DC is 10 + target's BAB + target's WIS modifier. If target trained in Sense Motive, DC is 10 + Sense Motive bonus if higher.)
Ahran feints, the troll snaps forward and down to try to bite him, and the warrior drives his blade upwards through the troll's lower jaw and into its skull. With a shudder the monster dies and falls into the now-sputtering remains of the alchemical fire.
COMBAT OVER!
Mikhail motions for Alister and Ahran to back away from the smoldering corpses and then calls upon Abadar to heal them all.
WHile Mikhail heals his companions, Piotr quietly makes a request of Corb.
"Corb, can you fly up near the top of the tower and determine if there is a watcher there? Not too close, so that a watcher could harm you, but close enough to see?"
Piotr finds another morsel for his familiar, a piece of sweet trail ration rather than the usual dried meat.
Corb bobs his head as he looks back and forth between the dry sweet bread and the freshly killed carrion. Finally, he decides to humor his human and takes the piece of trail ration.
After gulping it down, Corb flies upward to circle the tower and determine if there is any sentry there.
Since he is a bit of a daredevil, Corb will land on the tower if he does not spot a watcher.
"Piotr, can you spray the corpses with more acid? I want to be sure they're not going to get up and attack us again." Alister walks with Mikhail for the man to heal them.
Afterward, he moves up to peer around the corner. He checks to see if the door is open.
Corb returns, having seen nothing atop the squat tower. All of you realize that anyone inside will have heard the fight, however.
Corb lands on the body of the first troll and hurriedly pecks at the eyes, glancing up at his human between pecks.
"I don't know if eating troll will agree with you," Piotr says to his familiar as he gets closer. "I know that you like those parts but I don't want you being sick."
Piotr repeatedly casts his cantrip to coat the bodies of the trolls with acid, watching to ensure that he does not splash his familiar.
Aristu makes his way up the path, carefully stepping over and around the sizzling troll corpses, and peers around the corner of the tower.
"It seems like stealth is over. We should move with speed so that no one escapes through some back passage." Mikhail then moves to start heading into the tower.
A single stone door provides the only entrance from the ledge into the guard post. When the trolls moved in, they broke the door by forcing it open too far.
Arrow slits overlook the approach and outside ledge to the north and east. Daylight shining through the arrow slits and half-open door light the room with dim illumination. To the south and west, darkened, wide stone staircases lead up and out of the room.
The funk of troll-stink lays strong upon the air, but no other trolls appear to be in residence.
"Alright, let's go pay Hargulka as visit. Be wary though. They might know we're here, but that doesn't mean we have to take them all on at once." Alister waves his hand and a glowing, vaguely humanoid shape appears and enters the building.
"I hope that will draw out any trolls lying in wait." He enters the room after the figure and then points to the southern stair. "Let's try that way."
Mikhail walks up to the door and listens to see if anything might be close and out of sight.
[/dice=Perception]1d20+12[/dice]
Mikhail walks up to the door and listens to see if anything might be close and out of sight.
Piotr will summon Corb to him and follow his companions into the guard post.
"Can any of you tell which stair has had more traffic?," asks the wizard. "One of these must go up to the tower watchpost, and one deeper. Or, this could be on multiple levels. I wonder who built this and whether they were still here when Hargulka moved in."
Piotr looks about in an effort to identify the makers of this structure.
Corb hops onto his human's shoulder. This might be interesting and he's all warm inside from the freshly cooked troll eyes.
Wand in hand, Aristu follows his brother into the guard post. As he looks around, he keeps his eyes open for an indication of who built this place.
While Piotr can't seem to place the style of the ruins, he does recall that the gnome Jubilost Narthopple was looking for dwarven ruins. This place is so sturdily built that it could be dwarven.
"Corb, do you see any signs of trolls? You know - scratch marks from their toenails, stains on the walls from carelessly wiping their hands, lingering odour of carrion, that sort of thing. Help me look, will you?," asks Piotr.
Ahran takes a look around.
Corb and Piotr see no signs to indicate the passage of trolls, but to a tracker like Ahran, much is revealed.
"Look here. Many trolls travel between the entrance and the eastern archway. Fewer travel between either of those and the southern archway. Let's head to the south."
Mikhail will head up the southern stairs.
Alister nods and sends the glowing figure ahead. "Ok, let's move."
Piotr and Corb will follow their companions up the southern stairs.
A horrid stench grows sharply as you ascend the southern stairs, almost unbearably rancid. The trolls have used the round room at the end of the stairs as a latrine. Apparently for many, many years.
A single staircase ascends the outer wall of the room, rising to a second floor twenty feet above.
Mikhail holds his breath and climbs the stairs carefully.
Holding his breath, Aristu hurries to follow Mikhail in search of cleaner air.
Despite your making no efforts to be silent, the troll watchman in this tower is caught completely unaware, cleaning his ear with disgusting and broken fingernail.
Spotting the lone troll, Aristu immediately begins casting. He points two fingers at the troll, twists his wrist, and a beam of fire shoots from his hand towards the troll.
Mikhail moves towards the troll.
If we are by the door, and it looks feasible:
Ahran attempts to drag the club back out of the door such that the troll wouldn't be able to reach it.
If we are not by the door, or the club is clearly too big to move:
Ahran studies the troll.
Piotr mutters to Corb, "Keep an eye on the stairs.. The wizard then utters the words for a cantrip.
"Take him down, now!" Alister yells.
Ahran grabs the big weapon in two hands and hurls it down the stairs into the filth of the lower room. Meanwhile, Alister orders his warriors forward. While Mikhail approaches the troll, Aristu and Piotr launch gouts of fire and acid at the hapless sentry, scorching him.
Initiative Rolls
Initiative Order
Troll Sentry
Mikhail
Alister
Aristu
Ahran
Piotr
The troll responds by leaping at Mikhail and trying to tear him to pieces, forgetting all about shouting warnings to his fellows our sounding the large horn around his neck. Though the warrior's speed and armor protect him from death, the troll still batters him with its rock-like fists.
__________________________________________________
Initiative Order
Troll Sentry (13 damage)
Mikhail (10 damage)
Alister (9 damage)
Aristu
Ahran (7 damage)
Piotr (and Corb)
Mikhail takes a more defensive posture and strikes hard at the creature in front of him.
[ooc]+2 AC from Fighting Defensively.[/dice]
Piotr tries to again hit the troll with a splash of acid in order to keep it from regenerating.
Aristu moves off the stairs and brandishes the black wand. A cone of flames roars out to engulf the troll.
Ahran steps forward and feints one way before turning the other and cutting at the troll with a vicious blow.