"Is why Kereek am having crow! If we am knowing where he is, we am going to surprise him for talking! No ambushes!"
"Yeah! No bad bushes!" Prazil enthusiastically adds.
As the trip continues Treshiell rides up next to Kereek. "The crow, how did you do that?" she asks.
Kereek smiles widely. "Kereek learn trick, lets Kereek talk to flying things and digging things and things on fire! It am spell for speaking el-em-ental! Kereek am thinking it am useful spell!"
You reassure the farmers that their problems should be solved, earning yourselves cheers and plenty of well-made fresh food.
Returning to Thronehold, you're eventually met again by Kereek's avian friend, who can relay to him that the troll went to some structures about 60 miles southeast of your capital.
Kereek pays his feathered informant in sweet rolls and shiny trinkets. He'll then seek out his companions and let them know where the troll went to, and ask them: "Since we no want ambush, why not we go to Hargulka before Hargulka come to us? If he am nice, we am for talking. If he am not, we am for fighting him without him being ambushing us!"
Prazil nods, liking the plan that avoids the bad bushes of Am.
"Makes a certain sort of sense. Just recall, Kereek, that he didn't seem so nice the first time we talked. Plus, one wide-awake troll is trouble enough. We don't know how many Hargulka has following him. We should talk in the open...preferably in a place surrounded by lots of kindling."
"And how did you learn that?" Treshiell asks with an unemotional expression.
Treshiell stands back listening to the conversation. "Why don't we burn Harulka? He causes us alot of trouble", she offers.
Kereek shrugs. "I no know. Kereek just sort of figured it out. It am something to do with..." Kereek begins wiggling his claws while making a few arcane syllables under his breath, "And it am working!"
"We am Big Heroes! First we am giving Hargulka chance to apologize for being bad neighbor. If he am not being polite and apologezzic, then we am for teaching him lesson! With fire!"
Treshiell looks at Kereek's hand and then at her own. She wiggles it in a similar fashin and waits patiently for a moment for the spell to take effect. "Nothing", she says in a neutral tone. Neither surprise or disappointment.
"So big heroes cannot be proactive?" Treshiell asks and tilts her head sideways.
Pinned underneath his sleeping war-sheep, Kereek calls out for help...
"Oh Big Heroes am pro-active! Big Heroes am in favor of activing! But Big Heroes no can attack nasty troll King without declaration of war. If him am King and him am claiming lad, Big Heroes am for treating him like King. If we no treat him as King, we can no get mad when him no treat us like country! Beside, this am war of minds. War of hearts and minds! We am needing to show people and kobolds that we am treating them same, not as monsters. Kereek think it am important to show we am for all people, all kobold, all people like kobolds who am not humans."
Treshiell doesn't seem to grasp the context of politics and the ethic that goes with it. "Setting Harulka on fire would solve our problems with him, would it not?"
"AFTER we am done talking with him, yes!"
Following the bird's instructions, you head southwest, past the lair of the lizardfolk and through strange woods.
Eventually you reach the location the crow indicated, seemingly nothing but a large forested rocky hill.
Orin will dismount and search the area for tracks.
Agnar will do so as well, having Fang sniff around and see what he can turn up, and will use speak with animals to learn what the wolf finds.
As Agnar and Orin look around, the cleric suddenly notices a nearly obscured clawed print.
Looking around more, he spots a narrow path winding its way up the hill, a steep cliff face on one side and a sheer drop-off on the other. At the top, the path follows a wide ledge, where the corner of a weathered stone building juts from the side of the hill.
Kereek dismounts off Pork Chop and watches as Orin and Agnar examine the ground. Seeing them find something, he goes ahead and casts mage armor on himself, just in case...
Agnar quietly points out the trail and the building. He sets Fang on guard at the bottom of the trail. Then he casts a spell, laying a hand on Orin's shoulder as he does so. .
"Kereek, if things go badly and we fight, I've made Orin less likely to burn. If you need to throw fire, you shouldn't hurt Orin much if he's in the way."
"Oh! Is good trick, Agnar! Kereek will remember this!"
"Well, we might as well go up, then," Orin says, moving stealthily up the trail.
Despite his efforts, he suddenly hears shouts in a language he doesn't understand!
As the group begins to work their up the narrow trail, Prazil instructs Spike to stay behind and guard the path alongside Fang.
As shouts break out ahead of them he remarks, "Prazil am not knowing what those voices am for saying, but Prazil am guessing they am not happy we am here!"
Treshiell grabs two handfuls of dirt and throws it up in the air. As she walks into the resulting soil shower choice bits of debris freeze in mid air before starting to orbit around the witch ).
"Since we are here to talk they should have nothing to fear", Treshiell says and looks further up the path.
As you reach the top of the path, you see a stone door, which suddenly bursts open as two trolls rush out!
Agnar:
Kereek:
Orin:
Prazil:
Treshiell:
Antagonists:
Kereek clears his throat. In a loud voice he calls in Common: "We am here to see Hargulka! We am come in peace to talk to him!"
The trolls don't seem to understand Kereek, and rush forward toward Orin, though the half-elf is fortunate that the trail is too narrow for both to reach him.
Orin fends off its slavering jaws, but its razor sharp claws catch him before he can react, tearing massive wounds across his chest.
"No! Trolls am not listening!" Kereek casts scorching ray at the troll, stepping back if necessary to avoid an attack of opportunity.
for fire!
"Ack! What am happening? We am here for diplomancy, not fighting!" Prazil turns around and starts pushing (or at least trying to) Agnar and Treshiell back down the trail. "There am not room for fighting up there! We am need more place for your big feets!"
Round #1:
Hit points: 17/44
Conditions: Power attack
Orin will step upto the corner of the building and swing his sword at the lead troll.
Agnar grasps his holy symbol, murmuring a low chant and sending out waves of healing energy.
Agnar: 13
Treshiell: 10
Orin: 4
Prazil: 6
Kereek: 15
Antagonists: 13
Agnar quickly heals Orin's wounds as the half-elf slams his blade into the troll, spraying blood down the cliffside.
Even as the wounds begin to knit close, Treshiell's eyes roll back into her head. "This is not what we came for," she says, reaching into a pouch and drawing forth a handful of sand, which she blows in the trolls' direction. Orin's foe remains on his feet, but he sees the other drop down, loud snores emerging from its snout.
As Prazil tries to push Agnar and Treshiell back down the path, Kereek instead darts forward and aims a blast of fire over Orin's head at the troll, who screams in pain as it hits.
The enraged beast launches a furious all-out assault, stunning Orin with his ferocity and ripping into the half-elf with claws and fangs. The ranger falls to the ground, body a bloody mess, his last breath seeming to rattle in his chest as the troll roars in triumph!
T1: 39
T2: Asleep
Kereek shrieks as Orin falls, mangled and bloody. He snarls a battlecry and launches another scorching ray at the troll!
for fire!
Well, that's a bummer.
Treshiell’s eyes darken as the troll rips into Orin and the ranger falls limp to the ground. ”Now they die”, she says with an eerie calm and unleashes a curse on the troll still standing.
Not able to get close enough to check on Orin, Agnar prays for the best and sends another wave of healing out, denying Erastil's grace to the trolls.
Wishing he were big enough to reach the troll but also wishing they weren't on a narrow ramp, Prazil turns back and forth with indecision several times before dropping everything and drawing his bow.
Agnar: 13
Treshiell: 10
Orin: 4
Prazil: 6
Kereek: 15
Antagonists: 13
Agnar's magic catches Orin's soul just before it slips away, the ranger's wounds closing, though the masses of spilled blood make it hard to notice, and he remains unconscious.
The troll shudders for a moment as Treshiell's magic hits it, then screams as Kereek's magic hits it.
Despite its pain, it gingerly steps forward over the half-elf's limp body, and claws at the smaller kobold, the blow going far wide as it slips on Orin's blood.
T1: 52
T2: asleep
Kereek snarls at the troll, equally fierce as the larger creature and shrieks loudly "YOU KILLED ORIN! YOU AM DEAD!"
A low growl eminates from the young witch as she focuses her gaze on the remaining troll.
Prazil takes a shot at the troll, not sure if the arrow will do any good at all. He continues to hop plaintively from one foot to the other as his companions remain gridlocked and cut off from Orin.
Agnar throws out another wave of healing energy, continuing to block the two trolls.
"Kereek! When this one falls, you put another one in the eye of the second troll before it wakes up and finishes what it's partner started."