Gärwin recognizes what these creatures are. Rage, half remembered, floods back to him as he lands a crushing blow!
"Get your half rotten, swamp-pickled hide out of here, you overgrown Mögel!" The dwarf half roars, half spits.
Charles summons the power of the New God and sends a bright flashing light into the face of the troll, blinging him!
Tesswyn bounces her staff off the troll, while Drot unsuccessfully tries to taunt it. Everyone looks at him like, "What are you doing?!"
Gärwin slams his sword into the troll hard, severely hurting it.
The blind troll roars and tries to find someone to grab and crush.
Tesswyn dodges out of the way as the blind troll wildly tries to grab something, anything in front of it!
Pellius says, I've an idea! Billy, grab that log!
Billy understood what Pellius was going for and grabbed the log. He dragged it behind the troll, setting up a classic prank.
Pellius takes a running start and sprints towards the troll, leaping into the air and slamming his feet into the giant's chest. The Troll steps backwards to maintain its balance, but trips over the log! It's now prone!
F*@+ yeah! says Billy cheering at Pellius' bravery.
The flashing light showed the other trolls exactly where the commotion was, and they started meandering towards the noise and light.
One stops at the pond of shrieking eels and grabs a handful, shoving them into its maw. The other stops short of the other side of the waters and prepares his net.
Damage Chart
Troll 1: 17
Troll 2: 0
Troll 3: 0
Gärwin leaps atop the creature and hacks away like a man possessed.
"You slime suckling bastard! If your wounds close, I'll just open new ones for you!" The lantern on his belt sways wildly with every slash.
A flash of insight guides Tesswyn's staff to a vulnerable spot on the troll's body.
Tesswyn narrowly misses with her second strike.
Charles watched as Billy and Pellius worked together and smiled, nodding at the two of them. "Nice work you two, keep it up."
"Drot'ook, what are you doing?"His head snapped to the orc and he barked an order. "Stop wasting time and prepare yourself for battle!"
He glanced toward the other Troll that had just managed to stop at the edge of the water with his net. Charles exhaled and began again.
"By the grace of your light, blind this monstrosity" Another flash of blinding blue light shot from his hands toward the troll.
"Billy, Pellius, think you can try that trick again?"
It's a rare sight to see an orc turn shades of red, but you have now borne witness to it. Drot turns away from the fallen troll, temper rising, and howls. Loud.
""
There's that word again, the same one from the wolf encounter. Oddly distinct and as he yells it you can see pain in his eyes next to the anger.
Now that Charles had a moment, he noticed something he'd missed before on the closer of the two trolls.
Stone? Is there skin made of... oh wait. That's it!
Suddenly a memory came rushing back to him.
She stopped and stared back at him.
"Oh come now. It's not so bad. We're making good time cutting through this area. Besides, this way we won't run into any trolls.
Trolls? Wait, they exist?
Yes. They do, and you don't want to be found by them. So travel during the day. The Sunlight is their natural enemy. We still have a long way to go today, we better hurry." With that his teacher hitched up her pack and began to move.
"Wait, don't leave me behind!" he called out, hurriedly grabbing his pack. "Astrid!"
"No, I've got a better idea. Pelt the other one with rocks. Draw it towards the sunlight!"
Gärwin and Tesswyn continue to hammer down on the prone and blinded troll. Drot uses magic to hurt it soe more.
Charles blinds the next troll.
None.
Billy and Pellius run round the water and throw rocks at the troll, trying to entice it to come towards them.
The downed blind troll gets up and tries to back away.
The troll figures out which way to go and runs.
The standing blinded troll lashes out at the stones. He tries to find who is throwing them and charges in that direction, hoping to grab something!
The troll charges at the boys, but his aim is a little off. Billy and Pellius back up and bit and the troll runs directly into the pond, grabbing at air!
The final troll prepares his net and moves to cast it out, aiming for the easiest meal in the back - Drot!
Drot is caught in the net and pulled towards the troll!
Damage Chart
Troll 1: 52
Troll 2: 0
Troll 3: 0
Hearing a heavy splash, Gärwin turns quickly to see Drot get pulled away.
"Not so fast, scumdrinker!" Gärwin heaves his sword through the air, cleanly severing through the net, freeing the Orc. With a squelch, Gärwin's sword sinks about a foot into the sludge at the troll's feet.
Seeing Drot in trouble, Tesswyn charges to his aid. She swings her staff at the troll's groin!
Exploit Opportunity
She then smashes the troll's fingers!
This time, what followed Drot's odd word was clear. The troll's skin began to rip open in jagged lines causing it to bellow in pain. Drot's expression was on of hatred and craze as he watched the beast's suffering.
Scrabbling out of the net, Drot quickly stands while sputtering a few arcane words.
"Viribus; Interius; Brachium Eius!"
His arm pulses with power and he lashes out at the troll!
"Good job you two!" Charles said, praising the two boys for working together successfully. As the Troll tried to charge them and ended up falling into the light he smiled.
It works!
But he knew it wouldn't stay there. So he had to keep it there.
Seeing that the others had the other troll, and that Drot'ook was no longer trapped in the net, he rushed forward at the other blinded one, attempting to knock it down in place.
Gärwin and Charles took the opportunity when it presented itself and striked at the fleeing troll before it ran. The troll took three steps and then fell flat on its face. It did not move again.
Gärwin launched his sword through the air, aiming to sever the rope pulling Drot. The sword cleaved through the rope, allowing Drot to get out.
At the same moment, Tesswyn charged the Troll, coming to the aid of her long time friend, striking her staff hard against the beast.
The troll roars and swipes at everything.
The giant clawed paw scrapes at Tesswyn.
Charles moved to help the boys, tripped the troll and knocking it down.
Woah! Nice work, Sir Charles! Billy said.
Hold it down! Pellius called out as he rushed to the troll.
Billy manages to hold the beast into a spot of light, furthering the stone process.
The troll tries to get up, but cannot with all the people on him, so he lashes out instead.
The troll grabs Pellius and bites his head off. The boy's limp body falls to the water and blood flows outwards, mixing with the swamp water.
Billy just stands there in complete shock.
[Ooc]+1 Insanity, Frightened for 1 Round.
Damage Chart
Troll 1: Dead
Troll 2: +4D, -4S
Troll 3: -34
"What?!" Charles said aloud as the two youths rushed forward to try and keep the Troll held in place.
"What are you two doing?! Get back that thing is too dangerous!" But before the two could react to his warning, the troll grabbed Pellius by the head.
He started to rush forward, he was only steps away as long as he could... it was too late.
Anger began to well up in Charles.
Shouldn't have happened. That should have been me there.
"Billy get back from that thing right now! Astrid, help me destroy this monster!"
Then he rushed forward, his weapon glowing with divine power and he leaped, driving his halberd down into the Troll.
Tesswyn doesn't even seem to register Pellius's death. She focuses on murdering the troll in front of her.
Too far to know what's happening with the other troll, Drot presses his attack along side Tess.
Gärwin leaps up and bashes his shield into the troll's lower jaw, dislodging several teeth. "Don't worry, you won't be missing' them once yer dead!"
Gärwin powers through the mud and muck to Billy's side and attempts to bring his shield to bear upon the Troll's head, but can't land a solid blow. "This is no place for children to be playin'! Get back now!"
Tesswyn uses her Fortune to save Pellius!
The troll reaches out to grab Pellius, and it's claws rake across the boys chest, sending him staggering back.
The Fates have Ruled - Pellius is to stay alive and conscious, though he is Impaired for one minute.
Drot and Tesswyn both continue to attack the troll. Drot's swing goes a bit wide, but Tesswyn hots hard.
Billy tries again to keep the troll in the light.
Pellius moves back out of range and takes a breather for a moment.
The standing troll looks at his two potential meals.
It looks down at the orc and decides it's the easier, tastier target. It smashes Drot with it's club.
Charles tries to impale the Troll. While he fails in completely impaling it, he does succeed in keeping it pinned to the sunlight.
The stone covering the troll is now almost entirely over its body!
Gärwin Charges the troll the boys are on.
The troll writhes as it is forced to stay in the light. It bats its arm around, trying to knock anyone back, and then it backs away on all fours, doing a crab walk to get away from the pain.
Between being almost entirely stone and the difficulty in moving in water, it does not go far.
It swipes in the wrong direction, not hitting anyone.
Free Attacks for Charles and Gärwin.
Damage Tracker
Troll 1: Dead
Troll 2: -20, +6D, -6S
Troll 3: -40
Tesswyn delivers another powerful blow!
Exploit Opportunity
And yet another!
The club crushes Drot's shoulder, stunning it. His eyes blaze with the ferocity of battle while his veins bulge up and down his neck and arms. The Berserker swings his hammer at the troll with newly found strength.
Drot's shoulder wound proves to be too incapacitating and The Berserker is unable to connect the weapon to the troll.
Charles could see that the Trolls was almost done for.
"Billy, what did I say? Get back!" he warned the boy as he ran forward to grab the behemoth.
Gärwin grabs the Troll, preventing it from moving. Just imagine, this solid short dwarf holding back an 8' tall troll.
Charles also grabs the troll, holding it in place.
The paladin and the knight hold the troll in a spot of sunlight filtering down between the trees, and the troll finally turns to stone. It becomes a statue in the pond.
Tesswyn smacks the troll again, while Drot enrages.
The troll looks down at these two mettlesome pests, who were supposed to just be an easy meal. It swings its club at Drot.
But it misses wildly! Drot ducks under the clubs and comes back up for a counter attack!
Damage Tracker
Troll 1: Dead
Troll 2: Stone
Troll 3: -59
Tesswyn's final blow cracks the skull of the troll. It falls on it's back, it's bowels emptying.
The two trolls have nets, all three have large clubs. The two who haven't been turned to stone also have skulls and heads of varying states of decay, of different species tied around their necks.
Tesswyn breathes a sigh of relief as the troll falls. "Nice job, but next time, keep those kids away from the monsters, Charles! That thing could have ripped Pellius's head off!"
She grabs a handful of berries from her pouch and casts two spells, then passes them out to the injured.
Gärwin sends some time dragging the dead trolls into patches of sunlight.
"Glad to see the bastards go, that's at least one problem solved! But it's not quite what we came for is it?"
He's not hurt but feeling tired, going to try and figure out what's going on.
Noticing how Garwin was feeling drained, Tesswyn says, "Take your armor off. Check for leeches."
"Leeches? Oh, If this swamp couldn't get any worse."
Gärwin takes a moment, searching for the bloodsuckers and finds two, nice fat ones. One just under his beard and a second on his left leg. He searches his pack for a moment and pulls out a small box of cigars.
"Any of you want one?" the dwarf says as he lights one and takes a few puffs.
After taking a minute to enjoy his cigar, Gärwin burns the leech with the lit end and it falls off. He does the same for the other one. Then he finds even more!
"How many of these buggers are there?" Gärwin repeats the process for each one he finds, before moving to help the others.
Tesswyn follows her own advice, plucking off a trio of leeches that had been sucking at her blood. "Ugh, gross!"
She waves away Garwin's cigar offer. "We should hurry up and keep moving in case other monsters heard the sounds of fighting."
After the troll falls Drot grabs up his club and slams him with it a few times and then proceeds to break it on a nearby tree. He's breathing hard but you see the rage slowly fade from his eyes.
He leans on the tree a moment, then walks over to where the sword rests under the water and grabs it. After handing to the dwarf, Drot inspecs the trolls' jewelry for anything of interest and grabs a net.
He seems quieter then normal.
Charles sighs at relief as the Troll finally succumbed to the light and was no more than a statue. He turned to look over at Tesswyn.
"It's not like I told them to go running in there, Tesswyn."
"Leeches? Great." he takes a moment to find a dry spot and begins removing his armor and then his clothes to find them. He also finds two fat leeches, surprised he'd had no idea idea they were there.
Charles let it go at that and turned to check on the two boys, particularly Pellius.
"Hey are you doing alright?"
Tesswyn is definitely not stealing glances towards Charles as he strips down to check for leeches. Nope, definitely not!
Yes sir, I'm fine. Not a scratch on me!
Billy also gets undressed, but does so behind a tree. F!+*ing leeches! you hear him call out.
|
Pellius looks less fine. His shirt and upper half of his waders are torn and his wounds still bleed. His shirt is damp with redness.
Sitting down on a dry patch, he takes off his boots and waders. I'm not doing so well. Is this what you guys do for a living? I've been out to these swamps many times, and I didn't even know those things lived here. The town needs to know about this, we're only a few hours away.
Thinking about going back already, huh? Don't be a pussy! Billy calls out from behind the tree.
Didn't your mother ever teach you manners! There's a Lady present!
You're just trying to take a peek at my naked ass, aren't you! It's ok. You can admit it!
Gärwin rolls his eyes. "One minute they're workin' together, fightnin' for their lives. Next they're arguin' again. 'Least neither of 'em died."
The dwarf continues to enjoy his cigar. He nods his thanks to Drot'ook when he returns his sword, and offers him a cigar in return.
Once the leech adventure is over, he asks Pellius, "How much further we got? Like to make it there 'fore she does."
Tesswyn isn't watching Pellius, her attention clearly not focused on Charles. Eventually, though, she turns to the boy. "Maybe you should head back to town. You're hurt, and I don't want you to get killed out here. Can you make it back on your own?"
Drot stares at the cigar for a moment before deciding.
"Uh, sure... "
He takes the cigar and inspects the thing for a moment then, as he had seen Gärwin do, puts it in his mouth. He proceeds to inhale the entire contents of the cigar and is subsequently forced into a coughing fit!
Drot takes the berries from Tesswyn and manages a thanks between coughs. He pops them into his mouth all at once and sighs with satisfaction as his shoulder pops back into its socket.
"Mmmmmmm, ooh! Ah... *cough*, *cough*!"
Everyone gets dressed and their armor properly donned. Clothing for all is wet. The armor is damp and covered in various slimes, but it all fits.
It's another hour through the swamp when Tesswyn sees it - strange markings on the trees.
Those who spend ten or so minutes studying the markings:
Tesswyn scratches her head as she studied the markings. "Looks like magic mumbo jumbo to me. I'm guessing we are close to the hag's house. Everybody be ready. Drot, don't forget to armor up."
Following her own advice, the rogue renews her oak skin spell. She stows her staff as her shillelagh spell expires and readies her bow.
As Tesswyn stopped to examine the runes Charles eyed it.
"Huh, a rune to keep out creatures that aren't smart."
"Ha Ha! that's not how you do it! Like this!" Gärwin tries his best to show Drot how to smoke a cigar, but can't stop laughing.
The dwarf nods his agreement with Charles. "Hopefully it keeps pests out, I'd like to stay leech-free too."
Gärwin turns to the boys. "Alright lads, you know what I told you. This is where we part ways. Billy, I'm orderin' you to keep Pellius safe, he already almost died today. You two know this area better than I do, but keep safe."