Wakey, Wakey, Trolls and Bakey - 12 and 26-May-2006
by Greywolf-ELMWith all the Troll guards dead and being burned by the Orcs, or having fled to raise the alarm, the warband is able to walk right up to the huge solid rock and earth structure. It looks as if it was carved from a small mountainous outcropping of rock here in the swamp. Up higher on the Temple, large arrow slits can be seen. None seem to be manned, or trolled for that matter. The main doors are fashioned from enormous planks cut from a twisted swamp oak, all banded together with thick iron straps. Enormous branches still grow from the wood here and there, as the wood refuses to die. (1) The doors are nearly 8 knucks wide and 15 knucks tall each. (2)
Gaak, using his enchanted greataxe, chops his way through the steel-banded swamp oaks, in little more than 2 spits. (3) The greataxe was purchased at great expense from a greasy little orc at the Sacred Caverns. But what is the price of chopping your enemies open with the added ease of an enchanted axe blade?
The warband is met at the door by 2 guards, and a large temple full of trolls, black candles flickering in candleholders around the grand hall give the room a disturbing array of shadows. Most of the Trolls are in a trance, rocking back and forth, and praying to their god. The priests are in a trance of some sort as well, leading the prayer to the image of their god, dug into the North wall of the room. In addition to the chanting of the trolls, drums can be heard, and much shouting, and fighting coming from nearby rooms.
Tuukar signals Saar to fly around and scout the area. The great eagle leaves perch on a nearby tree to follow the commands.
Grall steps up and injures a troll guard, with a crushing pair of blows from his heavy flail, and is quickly slashed by both guards for his trouble. Gaak levels a troll, chopping through him into the next troll guard. Tuukar manages to shoot a few arrows into a troll for significant damage.
Quickly Gorga determines that with Gaak fighting in the doorway, and Troll bodies falling to block entry that someone needs to start dragging the bodies out to be burned on the bonfire. The Orc and Hobgoblin troops have started up a large fire between the guard posts. At the direction of Gorga and Tuukar, their followers have begun dismantling the guard posts for fuelling the fire. . Gorga gives orders to Grall and Haggrekk to keep trolls from getting back up to reengage the warband.
You, Grall and Haggrekk, drag bodies and parts back to the fire to be burned, we will keep hacking them down.
Some of the bodies are still struggling to grow back together. With them out of the way, Gorga sees that the majority of the trolls are in a trance and take no notice of the chopped-in doors, and warband outside. One of the priests begins to come out of his self-induced fog, and sees the invasion to the temple. He begins to exhort the followers to rise up and defend the Grand Hall of Afnar.
Gorga, the only Worg Champion of the Blood Orcs lands, rides his Worg companion in to attack one of the guards, further in the main hall. Nachip calls upon a spirit of predators to instil Gaak with the grace of a cat. Gaak wades into the crowd of Trolls, swinging his axe like a scythe at the Trolls who seem aware of what is going on. A random hit on one that is still entranced, helps bring it around, and into the fight. Darkhunt and Gorga team up to badly injure a troll petitioner, and trip it to the ground. When it tries to get up, Gaak still enlarged and graceful is able to send it back to the ground in pieces. While back at the tribe he gained some training in making attacks when the opportunity arises in combat, and is reaping a payoff in trolls.
Throughout the battle trolls come out of their trance to engage the warband, who have evolved into efficient killing machines. Gorga and Darkhunt team up to injure trolls, and take them to the ground, while Gaak cleaves through troll after troll, as they attempt to move up to engage him. The few, who make it through, do not stand long against the huge flaming greataxe swung by the Ogre. Grall and Haggrekk carry bodies and parts out to the waiting Orcs and Hobgoblins, and their growing bonfire. Trolls parts are burned thoroughly to ensure the inability to regenerate. Nachip, unable to take part directly in battle, spends time healing Gaak of his most painful wounds.
Late in the battle, a priest escapes out one of the archways to the right side. It brings reinforcements in the form of 3 more priests, but most are soon killed, even after casting Doom, and holding Gorga motionless with the fell power of their god. Gorga is able to shake it off, and the same spell cast by the other priests is unable to overcome his will. The remaining priest flees out the far end of the room.
In a room off of the main hall, a group of quarrelling trolls break off the fight to join their brethren in battle. These few do not stand long against the combined might of the Wyverns. Soon the warband drags out the rest of the bodies, and begins searching the grand hall, and the nearby chambers.
In a few short minutes, the room is cleared of all troll pieces, and the bonfire gives off the stench of cooking troll meat. The sounds of drums and shouting can be heard from a room farther on into the temple. Shrinking down to normal size, Gaak can feel the magical enhancements slowly fading after the battle. The warband and some of the Obsidian Orcs begin searching and securing the Grand Hall. Another victory for the Wyverns can now be counted. All totalled: 15 Trolls, 4 Troll priests, 5 Troll guards.
The main hall is quite large, nearly 60 knucks, by 130 knucks in size. Four archways lead to other areas of the main floor. Candles still flicker and burn around the room, and the image of Afnar carved into the North wall, stares balefully at everyone in the room. Investigating the sounds of Drumming and shouting coming from the Northwest archway, an Obsidian Orc sees eight trolls, and some kind of large winged-troll. A couple of them are pounding on drums made of skulls, bones, and skin. The rest seem to be playing some kind of game. Stepping quietly back, he rushes to tell Gorga of his discovery.
Notes
(1) Paraphrased from the Temple of the Troll God, by Fast Forward Entertainment.
(2) Knucks are equivalent to feet, Ogre Knuckles as a unit of measure
(3) Spit -Spits are used as a measure of time. A boar on a spit is turned over a fire 6 times in about a minute. So a spit is ten seconds.
Next Up: On the Life of Grr - courtesy of fitz