The troll that Vermundr and Zed defeated groans suddenly and it's eyes snap open. Suddenly the tower is full and it's nostrils are filled with the smell of blood.
From the ground it lashes out at all comers!
Miss
Miss
Hit
Grork sees his ally has regenerated and he shouts;
You help Grork with these and I'll see you well rewarded!
Hit
Miss
Hit
The troll chief rips into Vermundr with newfound enthusiasm, tearing strips of the warrior's flesh with tooth and claw.
Down in the courtyard, the final troll leaps at the puny human girl in front of him.
Miss
Hit
Hit
The warpriestess cries out in pain; We need fire, this thing is just regenerating!
Grork's claws leave Vermundr bloodied but his bond with his familiar blunts the pain. He slams his blade into the troll thrashing underneath him before turning his attention back to the giant leader.
Constantin focuses and the still-conscious Grork suddenly bursts into flames!
(Fort save DC 15 for half damage)
Counting on Vala to burn the other troll, Constantin focuses on using his longspear to help defend Vermundr.
Zed continues the onslaught.
Zed presses the troll up against the wall, forcing it back and then bringing his tetsubo around in a backhand swipe that crashes against the monster's face, spilling blood and teeth alike.
Vala slings an orb of fire at the troll harrying Hazel. "Zed and Vermundr can handle those trolls in the tower! Kazamir, help Hazel with this one!"
HP: 39/39
Negative Energy Resist 5
AC: 14 (10 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 14
F/R/W: +5/+2/+9 (+2 vs death effects, energy drain, negative energy, & necromancy)
Monstrous Insight used: 0/7
Wand of CLW: 14/50 remaining
Heaven's Leap targets: Zed, Vermundr
Current Wandering Spirit: Heavens
Stardust used: 1/7
Prepared spells
Orisons (4) | DC 14: dancing lights, disrupt undead, identify, read magic
Level 1 spells (3+1+1*) | DC 15: color spray* [ ], inflict light wounds [ ], magic missile [ ] [ ], produce flame (CL7) [X]
Level 2 spells (3+1+1*) | DC 16: hypnotic pattern* [ ], glitterdust [ ], spiritual weapon [ ] [ ] [ ]
Level 3 spells (2+1+1*) | DC 17: daylight*[ ], fly [ ], lightning bolt [ ] [ ]
Ongoing Effects
produce flame (2/7 minutes)
Vala's ball of flame streaks across the courtyard and, as menacing as the troll looks, it howls in fear like a scalded cat eventhough the ball passes a clear foot over it's head.
Kazamir tries to draw attention too, unleashing another barrage if magic missiles on the horrid troll.
The two trolls in the tower still lie in a slowly bleeding heap, but their wounds continue to regenerate before your very eyes.
Down in the courtyard though, Hazel continues to have her hands full standing toe to toe with the one remaining giant.
Hit
Miss
Miss
Constantin shifts his attention to one of the trolls and with a frown of concentration he unleashes unstable psychic reverberations that cause it to burst once more into flames.
"Keep these two down. I'll help the others", Vermundr warns the inquisitor before heading for the stairs.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Vermundr breathes across his new ring causing a javelin of pure darkness appears in his clenched fist. The big northerner rears back and hurls it with all his strength at the troll facing down Hazel.
"Keep these two down. I'll help the others", Vermundr warns the inquisitor before heading for the stairs.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Vermundr breathes across his new ring causing a javelin of pure darkness appears in his clenched fist. The big northerner rears back and hurls it with all his strength at the troll facing down Hazel.
Save, still takes 2 points of str
"Finish off that one!" shouts Constantin after he sets Grork on fire.
Grork erupts into a conflagration of foul-smelling flame.
Zed nods as his Ulfen ally runs off, raising his tetsubo above his head and bringing it down on the still-regenerating troll.
"Regeneration (Ex) A creature with this ability is difficult to kill. Creatures with regeneration heal damage at a fixed rate, as with fast healing, but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning (although creatures with regeneration still fall unconscious when their hit points are below 0). Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, cause a creature's regeneration to stop functioning on the round following the attack. During this round, the creature does not heal any damage and can die normally. The creature's descriptive text describes the types of damage that cause the regeneration to cease functioning.
Attack forms that don't deal hit point damage are not healed by regeneration. Regeneration also does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation. Regenerating creatures can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts if they are brought together within 1 hour of severing. Severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally."
Vala frowns as her first shot misses but takes aim a second time and throws another small ball of fire.
Miss
But once again the melee is too frantic and she fears for hitting Hazel.
Seeing that the other humans are descending from the tower, the troll is smart enough to know they must have done for old Grork. He fancied his chances against the little girl, but not so much the hairy one or the scary one.
And so with that, the lumbering beast turns and begins to run with great bounding strides out of the now open gatehouse doors and along the path.
Constantin focuses and something in his voice takes on an unusual timbre. He speaks in a guttural, clipped, consonant-heavy language.
Thr Troll stops dead in its track before slowly turning and heading back toward the psychic, stopping in front of him and saying;
Constantin holds out a hand to his companions. "Hold, please - it is willing to talk," he explains.
Vala checks her step, as she was rearing back to hurl another tongue of flame, but shoots Constantin an encouraging smile as he manages to tame the brute. She waits patiently for him to translate and interpret, the orb of fire still dancing languidly in her palm.
She reaches out to Hazel in the interim, easing some of her injuries. "There, dear. I hope that's a bit better at least?"
HP: 39/39
Negative Energy Resist 5
AC: 14 (10 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 14
F/R/W: +5/+2/+9 (+2 vs death effects, energy drain, negative energy, & necromancy)
Monstrous Insight used: 0/7
Wand of CLW: 14/50 remaining
Healing Hex targets: Hazel
Heaven's Leap targets: Zed, Vermundr
Current Wandering Spirit: Heavens
Stardust used: 1/7
Prepared spells
Orisons (4) | DC 14: dancing lights, disrupt undead, identify, read magic
Level 1 spells (3+1+1*) | DC 15: color spray* [ ], inflict light wounds [ ], magic missile [ ] [ ], produce flame (CL7) [X]
Level 2 spells (3+1+1*) | DC 16: hypnotic pattern* [ ], glitterdust [ ], spiritual weapon [ ] [ ] [ ]
Level 3 spells (2+1+1*) | DC 17: daylight*[ ], fly [ ], lightning bolt [ ] [ ]
Ongoing Effects
produce flame (3/7 minutes)
Nope. Just us an' Grork. Ain't many around here, they mostly live in the Tusk Mountains but we been wandrin' a while. Came across this place an' we wanted to steer clear. But Grork checked it out with his eyepiece an' reckoned it was deserted.
We went in an' sure enough all the killin' was already done. Shame really. But there's a scary dog on th' other side of th' bridge an' we hadn't figured how to get past it yet.
One of the goblins suddenly cries out;
Watchoo longshanks talkin' with it for?? Kill it afore it kills us all!
Constantin nods his head as the troll speaks, still seemingly concentrating hard.
"Please keep them quiet," he says offhandedly to the group. "This one says that he and his fellows came across this place by accident, decided it was abandoned and someone had killed everyone here, and moved in. They say that there's a scary dog on the other side of the drawbridge and they couldn't get past it."
Constantin pauses, then says, "Given what trolls fear, that probably means a fire-breathing hound."
He turns his attention back to the troll, his mind continuing to bore into the creature's awareness.
The gates open on a broad chamber with a vaulted roof. Two large fires burn in the room, and spiral stairways climb up in each corner toward the ceiling. The gate on the far side of the room is barricaded with timber and furniture.
While examining the barricade you find a stained and ragged gray tunic with blue trim.
Hunks of dubious meat (mostly local mountain goat) hang from meat hooks attached to an old staff among piles of timber. Far from looking bent and broken, the staff looks in remarkably good condition and even radiates an aura of magic. Clearly the Trolls had no idea
Grork had a masterwork heavy crossbow (large size)
Grork wears the mummified hands of 20 of his victims, and has thrust several needles through his flesh, three of which are actually fancy hatpins ending in tiny rubies, worth 150 gp each. He also carries a magnificent spyglass bound in gold worth 1,500 gp
You no kill us! You no kill us longshanks. We nice, we nice, we nice! the female cries out in an annoying high-pitched whine. We the Trollses slaves!
Vermundr gives an unhappy animal growl but leaves Constantin to chat with the enchanted troll.
"Why don't you start with what you know about this place", the big northerner demands from the goblins. "Have you seen what's beyond that bridge - the one with the dog the trolls seem frightened of?"
Spotting potential valuables among the detritus, Vermundr fishes out the stained tunic and well-made staff. "Are these colors familiar to anyone?"
No we ain't seen nothing. Trollses wanted to go across but the nasty dog chased them off. They been here waiting for big nasty to think of how to get across. the male goblin replies.
Trolls make us cook and kicks us when not happy. They take us from swamp moons and moons ago. We not nasty, we nice! says the female once more, as if trying to reassure Vermundr they aren't evil