Post by hubertbartels on Aug 17, 2019 14:24:10 GMT -5
On our way to Darkheart and it’s getting gloomer by the minute. It’s only mid afternoon and yet, the sunlight doesn’t quite reach into the depths of the forest. Things are lurking in the shadows. Aerwyn is looking out for them but only Gideon notices the creatures erupting out of dimly illuminated blind and charging at us. Quicklings, these maddened fey run out, stab at us with rusty daggers and run on. Aerwyn goes down and Galonis is killed in the initial rush. The others in the party take their blows and cut them down. Duncan heals Aerwyn - who then goes around, crushing their dead bodies with her boots. Gideon thinks they might have been drawn here by the violence of Iuz’s armies and warns us that there might also be redcaps.
Our journey takes us deeper into the shadowy woods. We cross another trail. Gideon is puzzled by the footprints – along with the prints of giant rats, he can also see squared-off footprints. We decide to follow that set of tracks. Within a half-hour, we find the giant rats. They seem to be guarding against something. We kill about five of the rats before more rats and blue skinned xvarts show up. They swarm over Wolfram and Gideon while one, armed with a wand, circles around to hit Aerwyn and Duncan with a thunderwave. Aerwyn is pushed into the front line of fighting.
The battle continues for a few minutes longer before we prevail. Then we move on into the woods. It is not easy going – the forest seems to resist us with stumps, exposed roots, stinging branches and dense undergrowth. Nightfall finds us exhausted and seeking a sheltered spot for a cold camp. Aerwyn casts alarm on the site to give additional warning if something tries to enter the camp.
On the third watch as Aerwyn is studying her spells, something sets off the alarm. The loud clang wakes everyone in the camp. A troll has wandered into the camp and seeing the elf, decides to grab her.
Everyone piles onto the troll, knocking it down and setting it on fire.
In the morning, we decide to backtrack the troll and check on it’s lair. Having found a lean-to constructed of hides and branches, Wolfram goes up to scout. He reports that he’s seen one more troll inside and several lumps which might be more trolls or might be prisoners. We decide to lure the trolls out of their hut. Gideon stands in view of the opening and sings lewd songs until the first troll comes out. As we attack that troll, a second troll appears at the entrance. Both trolls dies. In the hut, we find a third troll, a female but she is no match for our abilities. From the hut, we discover a lot of junk and armor from Iuz’s army – which includes a pay chest and a locked chest of potions. We also find a ritual spellbook which contains some rituals that Aerwyn wanted to have.