Elendor
Playtime with a Troll
Ollie the troll wanders across the nearly repaired bridge and the dwarves camped there try to chase him back across.
Sort Date: no date set
Location: The Last Bridge
Game Date: Late Spring
IC Time: Night
Description: [Frarin(#31050)] The bridge is now nearly complete. More than three weeks have the dwarves laboured over it, constructing a wooden makeshift bridge, hauling its broken stones up from the gully below. Slowly the structure has taken shape, and now it stands, the middle arch rebuilt, the only work still to be done being the side stones to form a safety.
And now the dwarves are celebrating. A good supper has been served around and beer from Bree brought forth. A fire at the centre of camp is focused on, with dwarves all around happily chatting. Someone begins to sing a hearty work song, a plucky fiddle striking up to support the deep baritone voice. And playing the fiddle, with a mug of beer at his side, is Frarin, quietly playing the instrument with practised skill.
Ranol has no musical talent, but he listens cheerfully, sipping his beer and relaxing. The encounter with the troll did little to phase the clan-karl and he's been in a rather good mood throughout the entire project. He's still quiet with most of the group, but far more social with Thari and Frarin of late. He's sitting near the silversmith, light blue eyes watching the fire crackle and spark.
[Thari(#31038)]
Thari didn't have terribly much to do with the preparations of the food, having gone on strike with cooking for some reason, but she is serving the lads. Everything has been passed around but the bread, a lovely hearty rye bread, soft and red and still warm from the baking. A large hunk is passed to Ranol now with a smile. The same smile then is given to Frarin as she turns to the fiddler.
[Frarin(#31050)] Frarin nods to his side, indicating he will take his bread in a moment. His beard bunches against the fiddle as he plays, the tune steady and upbeat as one played many a time in the mines or forges of Erebor. He smiles at Thari as she comes near. Finally the song comes to an end with a clammering of applause and two dwarves with a flute and a drum stand to give their own performace. Balancing his fiddle on his knee, Frarin turns to properly greet Thari and Ranol.
"Good eve, you two!" he rumbles. "Well then, another day or two and we shall be on the road again, eh? Not too bad, I should say."
"Thank you.." Ranol says as he takes the offered bread from Thari. He enjoys a bite as the song ends, then nods at Frarin as he makes his pleasantry. "Aye. It will be good to be moving on towards home again." The dwarf takes another bite of the bread, his eyes wandering over the small company that remains of their group. "I'm glad that there has been no further trouble as we work."
[Thari(#31038)]
"Lovely!" Thari says, her hands too full to applaud. She has fixed up a plate for Frarin beside his beer and now sets a generous piece of bread on it. "We've been sensible," she adds in response to Ranol. There is just enough bread for her own plate so she sits between these two dwarves on a log. "That's why we've had no more trouble. How quickly do you suppose we can get home?"
[Frarin(#31050)] Nodding at Ranol's comment, Frarin gives a grunt of agreement to Thari as she speaks aloud his own thoughts. "We shall have to be careful in the coming days though," he says, setting his fiddle in the box at his side and bringing his plate of bread to his knees. "The Trollshaws are devilish and do not bode visitors happily." Tearing his piece of bread into two, he takes a moment to think on the healer's question, then shrugs.
"It depends on what sort of delays we encounter. I expect we will stop over in Rivendell again, but I should like to be over the High Pass as soon as possible. Durin only knows what we will meet there this time. Then there is Mirkwood. I would say earliest...September, but if we are very unfortunate, perhaps no sooner than Yule.
"At least we are on the way -home- now. Hopefully we won't have any more detours." Ranol finishes off the bread, taking healthy bites and enjoying it while it's fresh and warm.
[Thari(#31038)]
The dwarves are up the western hill a ways in their camp at the early night. The fire is cackling merrily, there is a song of drum and flute playing just now, and the lads are eating a hearty stew with bread and beer.
Thari dips bread in the stew, looking down. "I can't remember. That fortress was taken care of up in the High Pass before we left Rivendell, wasn't it? I was asked to stay in the Valley for that one."
[Frarin(#31050)] "I was there," Frarin nods, chewing slowly as the memories are conjured up, now fully a year and a half old. "The fortress was taken and dismantled, but that was quite some time ago. Who knows what is the situation now. But I do not doubt the elves will give us the information we need before we take on the High Pass." He looks up as another dwarf comes forth and begins to sing unaccompanied, a slow song of history and lore. Frarin leans back with a contented sigh. "Morli has a fine voice," he murmurs, mostly to himself, then looks to the others. "It has been too long since we have had the chance to enjoy good dwarven music."
Ranol grins. "Best not let me sing, then.. cousin," the clan-karl muses, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. He reaches down for his bowl, intending to take it off to rinse along with his nearly empty beer mug. "Hopefully the fortress is no longer an issue.. There have been far too many delays already."
[Thari(#31038)]
Thari's spoon hovers halfway to mouth, eyes closing. "If you're very quiet with Morli singing you can pretend we're at home." The bite is taken and swallowed. Grey eyes open. "Were you there when he sang that song in Khuzdul at Yule three years ago?"
[Frarin(#31050)] Frarin's eyes close briefly, as if taking Thari up on her suggestion to merely taking a moment to listen to the fine baritone voice of Morli break the night. His eyes open again at the healer's question, but he shakes his head. "No, when we were still in Erebor, you mean? I believe my cousin and my brother's family and I spend most of the evening at the Longbeard." He chuckles low.
[Ollie(#15066)] There is a distant tremble in the ground a shuddering - perhaps the earth shifts away from a touch it dislikes. Or perhaps there was simply a rockfall among the hills. The rumble dies away.
Only there is another. And another. The night sounds still.
Ranol walks to the other side of the camp for a few minutes, seeing to the dishes and stretching his legs a bit. When he returns he stands near his two friends, one hand toying with his black beard while he looks up at the star-filled sky. He doesn't notice the rumble at first, but the persistance is enough to draw his attention.
The clan-karl frowns and closes the distance to the lovebirds. "Did you feel that?" He asks in a soft tone as his light blue eyes begin scanning the darkness around them.
[Thari(#31038)]
"The Tavern? My family was at the feast. He--" Thari fall silent and turns to look to the east with a frown. Here Ranol's question is inserted. "Yes...?" the smaller dwarf answers. "I did."
[Frarin(#31050)] "Aye," Frarin begins to say, nodding to Thari, but then both Ranol and the healer sense the movement of the earth, just as the silversmith himself feels the tremble in the soil beneath his boots. Indeed, the gathering around the fire begins to quiet as others take notice of the repeated rumbles. Frarin closes his fiddle case, then twists to look to the bridge and the Trollshaws beyond. His face is wary, a hand already going to the hammer at his side, but he says nothing, merely listening, waiting.
[Ollie(#15066)] The intermittent thunder grows louder... or perhaps it is just that it is closer.
Ranol moves away from the group and towards the bridge, loosening his sword in it's scabbard but not yet drawing it. Once he's put the light of the fire behind him he looks out into the darkness slowly, letting his eyes adjust better to the night shadows around them. As the rumbling continues he pulls his shield from his back and hooks it onto his left arm, preparing himself defensively, at the very least.
[Thari(#31038)]
Thari stands quietly as well and circles the fire, her form outlined against the light. There she finds her helm and her shield. Across the fire she looks as she pulls these on watching Frarin.
[Frarin(#31050)] Frarin rises now, concern plainly evident in his expression. The others around the fire have likewise paused their merriment, song and food stopped as all listen to the approaching thunder. Ranol's movement towards the bridge breaks the stunned silence, for soon the company is preparing for what it doubtless recognises from past experience. Frarin makes quickly for his bedroll and from his pack is pulled a small chain mail coif, which is brought over his head.
Someone begins to gather the ponies to take them away from the thunder. "Thari! How's your leg?" The voice is Frarin's, coming back from the darkness as the silversmith draws his war hammer. He gives Thari a serious look, which says very much that he wishes she were not there but that he will not dispute her part in whatever may come. Then, without a word, he jogs after Ranol.
[Ollie(#15066)] Oliver heaves into view - a black bulk that blots out the stars. He is humming to himself, and dragging something - it scrapes across the stones of the bridge.
A troll. The things of the night have crept away, hiding themselves or frozen in place, hoping to be overlooked.
Ranol glances over as Frarin joins him near the bridge, then turns his attention back towards the newly-constructed crossing. When the large black form becomes visible across the way, the clan-karl slowly eases his sword from it's scabbard as he takes a few steps to place himself at one side of the bridge entry.
[Thari(#31038)]
"Fine," Thari says, in a bit of a stricken voice while watching Frarin. "My leg is fine." Indeed, while pacing before the fire the little dwarf has barely a limp. The axe is pulled from belt, a ruby winking on the haft in blood-hues. The ponies eagerly are led away and this dwarf does not join the others near the bridge, not yet, only watching the shadows below.
[Frarin(#31050)] "It's got something," Frarin mutters to himself, squinting into the darkness. He came make out the black bulk of the troll, but it is the horrible scraping that alerts him to the troll's catch. "It's got something!" This is louder, whispered urgently to Ranol as the clan-karl moves to place himself at the bridge's entry. "If it already has something to eat, it might not bother us." Then a second's pause and more urgently still, "Was everyone in camp? No one was wandering?" A glance back at Thari as if to reassure himself the healer is still safe.
"Aye.." Ranol whispers softly in acknowledgement, not retreating yet. Instead he moves up to crouch alongside some stacked bridge supplies, holding his sword tightly and peering into the darkness. The clan-karl is nothing if not brave. He struggles to identify what the beast has, his eyes straining in the darkness.
[Thari(#31038)]
Dark shapes dot here and there along the slope-- perhaps ten dwarves are outlined by the fire behind them, flickering shadows reaching toward Ollie.
Frarin says, "Well done. :)"
[Ollie(#15066)] Oliver stops, cocking his head. He snuffles loudly at the air. "Not elfs," he says in a gravelly voice, to himself clearly, though his words are loud enough to be heard all the way across the bridge and back again. "Not mens...." He lumbers forwards a few more steps, peering down at Frarin. "Not sheeps..." Behind him, the thing he drags resolves into a length of timber.
[Combat(#13388)] Ollie wields The Squasherator.
[Thari(#31038)]
"Augh!" Thari says quietly. This dwarf puts fists on hips, the blade of the axe sticking up behind like a chicken's ruffled tail-feathers. "Why are they making a stand?" Thari is apparently talking to no one. "Durin save me, I hope I have enough splints."
[Frarin(#31050)] Frarin does not follow Ranol as the guard advances and crouches, instead placing one hand on the edge stone nearest him, hammer still clenched in one hand. He is still apparently waiting to see if the troll will come or ignore them, and his wait is not long. With sudden speed, Ollie is bearing down on the west side of the bridge, making what looks to be a beeline for the silversmith himself.
Taken by surprise, especially with the troll's gravelly muttering - of which Frarin catches only the last bit about 'sheep' - Frarin backs up a quick step or two. And when the troll continues to come, he half turns, knowing full well that Ranol and himself making a stand would be a pathetic one indeed. Scouting mission aborted. Frarin grunts, but his hammer is already up and ready, prepared should the troll attack, even as he retreats towards the main of the company.
A large wooden beam. Lovely. The clan-karl makes a mental note to avoid that at all costs. He tightens his grip on his sword, remaining where he is while the troll is focused on Frarin. If he reveals himself too quickly the flank won't be as effective. In theory.
Ranol watches as Frarin backs off, waiting until the troll is running past him to jump out and attack, stabbing his sword at Ollie's leg in attempt to hamstring the monster. The clan-karl is almost half Frarin's age. Some wisdom comes with time and experience, it seems. Or maybe the dwarf is a little too much of a thrill-seeker for his own good. All that pent-up energy has to go -somewhere-.
[Ollie(#15066)] Oliver is interested, curious. He leans a little farther down, to see what this small thing is that skitters away from him. "Hey," he tells it. "Yer comes back! Doesn't run away from Ollie!" And reaching out a hand for Frarin, hurrying his steps a little, he doesn't even notice Ranol's attack - biting into his club as it does. He gives the length of wood an absent-minded jerk to free it from whatever it has caught on, and continues forward, focused on the other dwarf.
[Thari(#31038)]
Thari spits out a single word-- likely a curse-- and begins to descend the hill toward Frarin and the troll. The smallish dwarf doesn't quite run, but is walking in a hurry, axe swinging beside.
[Frarin(#31050)] On lumbers the troll and, in the darkness, Frarin too fails to notice Ranol's attack, though he might see the clan-karls black shape dart somewhere behind Ollie. The troll is at least interested, rather than hungry or angry, but Frarin rather wisely decides that even a curious troll grabbing him is likely a bad idea. The silversmith's retreating steps cannot carry him fast enough from Ollie, especially with his persistant limp, and with the troll bearing down upon him, he halts his steps to make what stand he can.
Out stretch that rocky gnarled hand and Frarin's hammer is set to swinging. The weapon glints blue in the distant light of the fire as the mallet swings for two of Ollie's enormous knuckles.
Ranol has at least learned not to let go of his blade unless absolutely necessary. He hangs on doggedly as he's drug along for a few steps, finally tugging the sword loose of the wood. He stumbles to one knee from the momentum, a scowl on his face. He rises to his feet again and begins moving towards Ollie's back, closing the distance again.
[Ollie(#15066)] Something flashes out of the darkness, banging into the end of the club that sticks out of Ollie's fist, and the troll blinks, looking down to see what it was. Not sharp, not shiny, not a sword... he shrugs and ignores it, and reaches for Frarin again. "Comes here," he says more determinedly. "Ollie wants ter see yers." A pause. "Oo is yer?" he asks.
[Thari(#31038)]
"Leave him be!" cries Thari in a very stern voice, limping quickly toward the troll. "You're not to pick him up!" The healer reaches out for Ollie's hand with the axe, but it is turned so that the flat of the blade would smack the fingers, much as a spoon might smack a child's hand as she reaches for the cookie-dough.
Ranol tries to take advantage of the troll's fixation on Frarin, darting in again. He hears Thari yelling and really wishes his cousin hadn't approached, but there's little to be done for it now as he's rushing in with another cautious stab of his sword at the back of Ollie's legs.
[Frarin(#31050)] Every finger on Ollie's hand is like a miniature club and the giant moves with the speed of his size. Frarin skips back as his hammer strikes the troll's club instead and Ollie reaches again for him. "Hoh!" The troll's fingers strikes Frarin's side as the silversmith backpeddles, but he is spun around as the fingers clasp thin air, and stumbles a moment. Still Ollie's curiosity continues.
"Not for you is what I am," Frarin says in a tempered voice, though his eyes widen at the sound of Thari's voice. He spares not even a word for the healer for now his attack is to distract Ollie from Thari rather than merely defend himself. The spike of the hammer is turned, and aimed at Ollie's outstretched wrist.
[Ollie(#15066)] Something stings him in the back of his leg, and Oliver half turns to see what it is leaving himself wide open to the treacherous attack from the creature in front. The troll whips back around, missing Thari's swat entirely her voice might penetrate his fixation, but he is busy staring at his hand where a trickle of black blood is oozing up.
A roar of anger bursts out of him, and he whirls back around, dragging his club up and slamming it down at the Enemy Behind who has somehow hit him fore and aft simultaneously!
[Thari(#31038)]
Thari jumps once toward Frarin as he spins, but stills as he recovers. She backpedals once as the troll whirls around, then gives a cry. "Ranol!" A quick step forward, and the pucky healer is driving the blade of the axe toward Ollie's hamstrings. "Leave us alone, master troll!"
Ranol has a fleeting moment of triumph when he feels his blade poke into the tough troll flesh. Then the dwarf is backing up, preparing to attack again. The troll suddenly roars in rage and whips that club around (the same club Ranol had vowed to avoid) and the clan-karl barely pulls his shield up in time to block the blow. As the length of timber slams into the shield, it sweeps the dwarf off his feet and sends a jarring vibration through his arm.
Ranol hits the ground hard, but rolls over quickly and shoves himself back up to his feet, ignoring the ache spreading through his left arm. "Fine!" He calls in response with just a bit too much enthusiasm.
[Frarin(#31050)] The spike of Frarin's hammer meets flesh, but the silversmith is quickly pulling back, and good thing too, for Ollie whirls around in an angry instant and fails to drag Frarin with him. "Hoi!" Frarin cries to gain Ollie's attention, angry now just as the troll's temper suddenly builds. Thari is attacking, that much the merchant can see in his peripheral night vision, but he knows her more by voice than by shape. Ranol's shape, however, is much more identifiable as it flies through the air. With that, Frarin charges again, again aiming the spike of his hammer, this time at the back of Ollie's knee.
[Ollie(#15066)] "Yer leaves Ollie alone," Oliver says grumpily. It's a troll's life, that's for sure. Just out for an evening stroll and everything under the sun has to jump you. But he cheers up a little bit as he sends one of them flying. And ignoring the two still behind, he heads purposefully towards Ranol, swatting at him with his club as if he was golfing. If golf had been invented.
[Thari(#31038)]
"Stop, stop stop!" Thari limps hard toward the troll but is not quick enough to catch up with his huge footsteps and is too lame still to run. "Go to your side of the river and we'll leave you alone!"
Ranol is just regaining his footing and planning out his next attack when that club swings in again. He has time to brace himself, a last ditch defense before he feels that jarring impact again and is on the ground once more. The clan-karl is now losing a touch of that earlier enthusiasm as the troll keeps dumping him into the dirt. He rolls onto his feet again but doesn't run in to attack. No, instead Ranol hurries to try and duck behind a stack of stone blocks that are gathered for the last of the repairs.
[Frarin(#31050)] "Ollie! That's not a very fun plaything, is it?!" Frarin is calling after the troll as Ollie pursues the tumbled Ranol. His war hammer is again black with blood, but the silversmith has taken no time to revel in the victorious hit, for he is again charging. Thari's offer to the troll is paid no heed, not while Ranol is still at the centre of the troll's attention.
"Here we go, Ollie! Over here!" This taunt is yelled even as Frarin runs at the troll's backside again, attempting to lure him away from Ranol. Again the spike swings, this time headed for the back of Ollie's thigh.
[Ollie(#15066)] Something clicks in Oliver's stony brain. He stops dead still just at the end of the bridge and stares at the stones behind which Ranol cowers, club trailing behind... and once more taking the brunt of an attack that the troll remains blissfully unaware of. "Reddenblak," Oliver mumbles to himself. "Makes rocks..."
His face lights up and, no longer trying to attack, he leans down and pries at the stones, pushing them so they roll (sort of) down the slight slope of the bridge behind him. Towards Frarin and Thari, incidentally. And raising his voice to a kind of cooing sound, he calls, "Comes out, Reddenblak! Ollie won't hurts you!"
Ranol can feel numbness spreading through his left arm and shoulder, and the shield is a lot heavier now. He tenses as he hears the troll approach, ready to stab at anything that makes itself a target. But the creature shoves at the rocks instead, and the clan-karl holds off on the attack, figuring maybe the troll doesn't see him?
[Thari(#31038)]
Stones roll toward Thari and Frarin. Thari steps aside for one to roll past, right into the path of another. This stone is round enough to gain some momentum, hit something in the ground, and fly up. It doesn't need to fly very high before hitting the back of the healer's head with a clang on the lip of the helm. Thari collapses with only a very small thud against the ground, now only a heap of shadow.
[Frarin(#31050)] Frarin's hammer sinks into the wood of Ollie's club, but the merchant is already withdrawing it as rocks come flying towards him and Thari. He skips to the side, one small stone striking his knee, but the rest safely rolling past. And with the darkness and the sound of the tumbling stones, he does not notice Thari's collapse. Instead, Frarin is inching around what appears to be a distracted troll, attempting to come to Ranol's side. A wary glance is given Ollie as Frarin moves, but no further attack is made for the moment.
[Ollie(#15066)] There is no reply, and Oliver keeps digging at the stones, heaving them out of the way behind him. A few fly all the way off the bridge, landing with a splash in the river far below. Eventually, the troll is bound to remove enough of Ranol's shield that he'll be able to see him...
"Comes out!" he croons. "Ollie wants rocks! Comes out and talks to Ollie!"
Ranol waits for a moment more in uncertainty, but the sound of all the stones flying is enough to convince Ranol that the troll isn't going to give up and more people are likely to get hurt. He hefts his shield as best he can and quickly backs away from the pile of rocks, keeping his eyes on Ollie as he tries to lead the troll away from the bridge. "Ok.. ahh.. Ollie! There are lots of rocks down at the bottom there.. where those others just fell. Why don't you go and get some?"
[Frarin(#31050)] Well there is nothing for it, the troll is tearing through the rocks shielding Ranol without pause. Frarin pauses with a sharp breath as Ranol shows himself suddenly and begins backing away, but the silversmith does not waste time on pleasantries. In an attempt to distract Ollie long enough for Ranol to come back ashore and leave the bridge to the troll, Frarin lunges at Ollie, the mallet of his hammer swinging at the giant's knee.
[Ollie(#15066)] "Don' want them rocks," Oliver replies. "Wants reddenblak rocks. Yer comes here!" And he makes a sudden dart, as well as he is able for his great bulk, and snatches at Ranol.
Ranol has theories on what 'reddenblak' means and it's not something he wants to experience first-hand. Ollie grabs for him and the troll catches ahold of his shield, wrenching the dwarf back rather sharply. Ranol manages let go, sacrificing the shield to the troll in lieu of his arm getting ripped off. He staggers a step, then full out runs away from the troll, heading for any cover he can pick out in the dark. Maybe there's a good sized boulder or tree.
[Frarin(#31050)] At last! The clan-karl is running for safety and Thari's voice has gone silent, thus the healer dwarf must have relented in attack as well. Only Frarin remains now and he swiftly backs up, swinging the spike of his hammer as he half-turned, more an incentive for the troll to stay away than a real attempt at an attack.
[Ollie(#15066)] Oliver lifts the dwarf to his face, smiling with smug pleasure and anticipation. Teach it to think it could get away from...
The look of astonishment that spreads across his face is almost comical. He turns the shield upside down, then over and over. Then he gives his hand a wary, nearly frightened look.
And it is just at this moment that something slices through the back of his leg. Startled and outraged, Oliver lets out a yelp of pain that swiftly turns into a full-throated roar of rage. Trolls can be very swift for their bulk, and he spins around, smashing at whatever has bitten him with his club.
Ranol jumps down to hide in a natural dip in the landscape, looking back to see the troll once more distracted. He flattens himself down in the grasses to hide, willing to sit this out while he catches his breath. His shoulder feels as if it's on fire, the last grab by Ollie stretching some of his muscles to their limit.
[Frarin(#31050)] Crash! The jarring meeting of club and hammer sends harsh reverberations through Frarin's hands and the merchant grits his teeth against it. There is no possibility of pushing the club up and away, so he instead continues backing up, letting his weapon slip out from under Ollie's. But this is no time for a fight, not while Frarin is alone, solo against a troll. Both hands still clunching the war hammer, Frarin makes a still more swift retreat, covering the ground is surprising speed, even despite his limp.
And now the dwarves are celebrating. A good supper has been served around and beer from Bree brought forth. A fire at the centre of camp is focused on, with dwarves all around happily chatting. Someone begins to sing a hearty work song, a plucky fiddle striking up to support the deep baritone voice. And playing the fiddle, with a mug of beer at his side, is Frarin, quietly playing the instrument with practised skill.
Ranol has no musical talent, but he listens cheerfully, sipping his beer and relaxing. The encounter with the troll did little to phase the clan-karl and he's been in a rather good mood throughout the entire project. He's still quiet with most of the group, but far more social with Thari and Frarin of late. He's sitting near the silversmith, light blue eyes watching the fire crackle and spark.
[Thari(#31038)]
Thari didn't have terribly much to do with the preparations of the food, having gone on strike with cooking for some reason, but she is serving the lads. Everything has been passed around but the bread, a lovely hearty rye bread, soft and red and still warm from the baking. A large hunk is passed to Ranol now with a smile. The same smile then is given to Frarin as she turns to the fiddler.
[Frarin(#31050)] Frarin nods to his side, indicating he will take his bread in a moment. His beard bunches against the fiddle as he plays, the tune steady and upbeat as one played many a time in the mines or forges of Erebor. He smiles at Thari as she comes near. Finally the song comes to an end with a clammering of applause and two dwarves with a flute and a drum stand to give their own performace. Balancing his fiddle on his knee, Frarin turns to properly greet Thari and Ranol.
"Good eve, you two!" he rumbles. "Well then, another day or two and we shall be on the road again, eh? Not too bad, I should say."
"Thank you.." Ranol says as he takes the offered bread from Thari. He enjoys a bite as the song ends, then nods at Frarin as he makes his pleasantry. "Aye. It will be good to be moving on towards home again." The dwarf takes another bite of the bread, his eyes wandering over the small company that remains of their group. "I'm glad that there has been no further trouble as we work."
[Thari(#31038)]
"Lovely!" Thari says, her hands too full to applaud. She has fixed up a plate for Frarin beside his beer and now sets a generous piece of bread on it. "We've been sensible," she adds in response to Ranol. There is just enough bread for her own plate so she sits between these two dwarves on a log. "That's why we've had no more trouble. How quickly do you suppose we can get home?"
[Frarin(#31050)] Nodding at Ranol's comment, Frarin gives a grunt of agreement to Thari as she speaks aloud his own thoughts. "We shall have to be careful in the coming days though," he says, setting his fiddle in the box at his side and bringing his plate of bread to his knees. "The Trollshaws are devilish and do not bode visitors happily." Tearing his piece of bread into two, he takes a moment to think on the healer's question, then shrugs.
"It depends on what sort of delays we encounter. I expect we will stop over in Rivendell again, but I should like to be over the High Pass as soon as possible. Durin only knows what we will meet there this time. Then there is Mirkwood. I would say earliest...September, but if we are very unfortunate, perhaps no sooner than Yule.
"At least we are on the way -home- now. Hopefully we won't have any more detours." Ranol finishes off the bread, taking healthy bites and enjoying it while it's fresh and warm.
[Thari(#31038)]
The dwarves are up the western hill a ways in their camp at the early night. The fire is cackling merrily, there is a song of drum and flute playing just now, and the lads are eating a hearty stew with bread and beer.
Thari dips bread in the stew, looking down. "I can't remember. That fortress was taken care of up in the High Pass before we left Rivendell, wasn't it? I was asked to stay in the Valley for that one."
[Frarin(#31050)] "I was there," Frarin nods, chewing slowly as the memories are conjured up, now fully a year and a half old. "The fortress was taken and dismantled, but that was quite some time ago. Who knows what is the situation now. But I do not doubt the elves will give us the information we need before we take on the High Pass." He looks up as another dwarf comes forth and begins to sing unaccompanied, a slow song of history and lore. Frarin leans back with a contented sigh. "Morli has a fine voice," he murmurs, mostly to himself, then looks to the others. "It has been too long since we have had the chance to enjoy good dwarven music."
Ranol grins. "Best not let me sing, then.. cousin," the clan-karl muses, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. He reaches down for his bowl, intending to take it off to rinse along with his nearly empty beer mug. "Hopefully the fortress is no longer an issue.. There have been far too many delays already."
[Thari(#31038)]
Thari's spoon hovers halfway to mouth, eyes closing. "If you're very quiet with Morli singing you can pretend we're at home." The bite is taken and swallowed. Grey eyes open. "Were you there when he sang that song in Khuzdul at Yule three years ago?"
[Frarin(#31050)] Frarin's eyes close briefly, as if taking Thari up on her suggestion to merely taking a moment to listen to the fine baritone voice of Morli break the night. His eyes open again at the healer's question, but he shakes his head. "No, when we were still in Erebor, you mean? I believe my cousin and my brother's family and I spend most of the evening at the Longbeard." He chuckles low.
[Ollie(#15066)] There is a distant tremble in the ground a shuddering - perhaps the earth shifts away from a touch it dislikes. Or perhaps there was simply a rockfall among the hills. The rumble dies away.
Only there is another. And another. The night sounds still.
Ranol walks to the other side of the camp for a few minutes, seeing to the dishes and stretching his legs a bit. When he returns he stands near his two friends, one hand toying with his black beard while he looks up at the star-filled sky. He doesn't notice the rumble at first, but the persistance is enough to draw his attention.
The clan-karl frowns and closes the distance to the lovebirds. "Did you feel that?" He asks in a soft tone as his light blue eyes begin scanning the darkness around them.
[Thari(#31038)]
"The Tavern? My family was at the feast. He--" Thari fall silent and turns to look to the east with a frown. Here Ranol's question is inserted. "Yes...?" the smaller dwarf answers. "I did."
[Frarin(#31050)] "Aye," Frarin begins to say, nodding to Thari, but then both Ranol and the healer sense the movement of the earth, just as the silversmith himself feels the tremble in the soil beneath his boots. Indeed, the gathering around the fire begins to quiet as others take notice of the repeated rumbles. Frarin closes his fiddle case, then twists to look to the bridge and the Trollshaws beyond. His face is wary, a hand already going to the hammer at his side, but he says nothing, merely listening, waiting.
[Ollie(#15066)] The intermittent thunder grows louder... or perhaps it is just that it is closer.
Ranol moves away from the group and towards the bridge, loosening his sword in it's scabbard but not yet drawing it. Once he's put the light of the fire behind him he looks out into the darkness slowly, letting his eyes adjust better to the night shadows around them. As the rumbling continues he pulls his shield from his back and hooks it onto his left arm, preparing himself defensively, at the very least.
[Thari(#31038)]
Thari stands quietly as well and circles the fire, her form outlined against the light. There she finds her helm and her shield. Across the fire she looks as she pulls these on watching Frarin.
[Frarin(#31050)] Frarin rises now, concern plainly evident in his expression. The others around the fire have likewise paused their merriment, song and food stopped as all listen to the approaching thunder. Ranol's movement towards the bridge breaks the stunned silence, for soon the company is preparing for what it doubtless recognises from past experience. Frarin makes quickly for his bedroll and from his pack is pulled a small chain mail coif, which is brought over his head.
Someone begins to gather the ponies to take them away from the thunder. "Thari! How's your leg?" The voice is Frarin's, coming back from the darkness as the silversmith draws his war hammer. He gives Thari a serious look, which says very much that he wishes she were not there but that he will not dispute her part in whatever may come. Then, without a word, he jogs after Ranol.
[Ollie(#15066)] Oliver heaves into view - a black bulk that blots out the stars. He is humming to himself, and dragging something - it scrapes across the stones of the bridge.
A troll. The things of the night have crept away, hiding themselves or frozen in place, hoping to be overlooked.
Ranol glances over as Frarin joins him near the bridge, then turns his attention back towards the newly-constructed crossing. When the large black form becomes visible across the way, the clan-karl slowly eases his sword from it's scabbard as he takes a few steps to place himself at one side of the bridge entry.
[Thari(#31038)]
"Fine," Thari says, in a bit of a stricken voice while watching Frarin. "My leg is fine." Indeed, while pacing before the fire the little dwarf has barely a limp. The axe is pulled from belt, a ruby winking on the haft in blood-hues. The ponies eagerly are led away and this dwarf does not join the others near the bridge, not yet, only watching the shadows below.
[Frarin(#31050)] "It's got something," Frarin mutters to himself, squinting into the darkness. He came make out the black bulk of the troll, but it is the horrible scraping that alerts him to the troll's catch. "It's got something!" This is louder, whispered urgently to Ranol as the clan-karl moves to place himself at the bridge's entry. "If it already has something to eat, it might not bother us." Then a second's pause and more urgently still, "Was everyone in camp? No one was wandering?" A glance back at Thari as if to reassure himself the healer is still safe.
"Aye.." Ranol whispers softly in acknowledgement, not retreating yet. Instead he moves up to crouch alongside some stacked bridge supplies, holding his sword tightly and peering into the darkness. The clan-karl is nothing if not brave. He struggles to identify what the beast has, his eyes straining in the darkness.
[Thari(#31038)]
Dark shapes dot here and there along the slope-- perhaps ten dwarves are outlined by the fire behind them, flickering shadows reaching toward Ollie.
[Ollie(#15066)] Oliver stops, cocking his head. He snuffles loudly at the air. "Not elfs," he says in a gravelly voice, to himself clearly, though his words are loud enough to be heard all the way across the bridge and back again. "Not mens...." He lumbers forwards a few more steps, peering down at Frarin. "Not sheeps..." Behind him, the thing he drags resolves into a length of timber.
[Combat(#13388)] Ollie wields The Squasherator.
[Thari(#31038)]
"Augh!" Thari says quietly. This dwarf puts fists on hips, the blade of the axe sticking up behind like a chicken's ruffled tail-feathers. "Why are they making a stand?" Thari is apparently talking to no one. "Durin save me, I hope I have enough splints."
[Frarin(#31050)] Frarin does not follow Ranol as the guard advances and crouches, instead placing one hand on the edge stone nearest him, hammer still clenched in one hand. He is still apparently waiting to see if the troll will come or ignore them, and his wait is not long. With sudden speed, Ollie is bearing down on the west side of the bridge, making what looks to be a beeline for the silversmith himself.
Taken by surprise, especially with the troll's gravelly muttering - of which Frarin catches only the last bit about 'sheep' - Frarin backs up a quick step or two. And when the troll continues to come, he half turns, knowing full well that Ranol and himself making a stand would be a pathetic one indeed. Scouting mission aborted. Frarin grunts, but his hammer is already up and ready, prepared should the troll attack, even as he retreats towards the main of the company.
A large wooden beam. Lovely. The clan-karl makes a mental note to avoid that at all costs. He tightens his grip on his sword, remaining where he is while the troll is focused on Frarin. If he reveals himself too quickly the flank won't be as effective. In theory.
Ranol watches as Frarin backs off, waiting until the troll is running past him to jump out and attack, stabbing his sword at Ollie's leg in attempt to hamstring the monster. The clan-karl is almost half Frarin's age. Some wisdom comes with time and experience, it seems. Or maybe the dwarf is a little too much of a thrill-seeker for his own good. All that pent-up energy has to go -somewhere-.
[Ollie(#15066)] Oliver is interested, curious. He leans a little farther down, to see what this small thing is that skitters away from him. "Hey," he tells it. "Yer comes back! Doesn't run away from Ollie!" And reaching out a hand for Frarin, hurrying his steps a little, he doesn't even notice Ranol's attack - biting into his club as it does. He gives the length of wood an absent-minded jerk to free it from whatever it has caught on, and continues forward, focused on the other dwarf.
[Thari(#31038)]
Thari spits out a single word-- likely a curse-- and begins to descend the hill toward Frarin and the troll. The smallish dwarf doesn't quite run, but is walking in a hurry, axe swinging beside.
[Frarin(#31050)] On lumbers the troll and, in the darkness, Frarin too fails to notice Ranol's attack, though he might see the clan-karls black shape dart somewhere behind Ollie. The troll is at least interested, rather than hungry or angry, but Frarin rather wisely decides that even a curious troll grabbing him is likely a bad idea. The silversmith's retreating steps cannot carry him fast enough from Ollie, especially with his persistant limp, and with the troll bearing down upon him, he halts his steps to make what stand he can.
Out stretch that rocky gnarled hand and Frarin's hammer is set to swinging. The weapon glints blue in the distant light of the fire as the mallet swings for two of Ollie's enormous knuckles.
Ranol has at least learned not to let go of his blade unless absolutely necessary. He hangs on doggedly as he's drug along for a few steps, finally tugging the sword loose of the wood. He stumbles to one knee from the momentum, a scowl on his face. He rises to his feet again and begins moving towards Ollie's back, closing the distance again.
[Ollie(#15066)] Something flashes out of the darkness, banging into the end of the club that sticks out of Ollie's fist, and the troll blinks, looking down to see what it was. Not sharp, not shiny, not a sword... he shrugs and ignores it, and reaches for Frarin again. "Comes here," he says more determinedly. "Ollie wants ter see yers." A pause. "Oo is yer?" he asks.
[Thari(#31038)]
"Leave him be!" cries Thari in a very stern voice, limping quickly toward the troll. "You're not to pick him up!" The healer reaches out for Ollie's hand with the axe, but it is turned so that the flat of the blade would smack the fingers, much as a spoon might smack a child's hand as she reaches for the cookie-dough.
Ranol tries to take advantage of the troll's fixation on Frarin, darting in again. He hears Thari yelling and really wishes his cousin hadn't approached, but there's little to be done for it now as he's rushing in with another cautious stab of his sword at the back of Ollie's legs.
[Frarin(#31050)] Every finger on Ollie's hand is like a miniature club and the giant moves with the speed of his size. Frarin skips back as his hammer strikes the troll's club instead and Ollie reaches again for him. "Hoh!" The troll's fingers strikes Frarin's side as the silversmith backpeddles, but he is spun around as the fingers clasp thin air, and stumbles a moment. Still Ollie's curiosity continues.
"Not for you is what I am," Frarin says in a tempered voice, though his eyes widen at the sound of Thari's voice. He spares not even a word for the healer for now his attack is to distract Ollie from Thari rather than merely defend himself. The spike of the hammer is turned, and aimed at Ollie's outstretched wrist.
[Ollie(#15066)] Something stings him in the back of his leg, and Oliver half turns to see what it is leaving himself wide open to the treacherous attack from the creature in front. The troll whips back around, missing Thari's swat entirely her voice might penetrate his fixation, but he is busy staring at his hand where a trickle of black blood is oozing up.
A roar of anger bursts out of him, and he whirls back around, dragging his club up and slamming it down at the Enemy Behind who has somehow hit him fore and aft simultaneously!
[Thari(#31038)]
Thari jumps once toward Frarin as he spins, but stills as he recovers. She backpedals once as the troll whirls around, then gives a cry. "Ranol!" A quick step forward, and the pucky healer is driving the blade of the axe toward Ollie's hamstrings. "Leave us alone, master troll!"
Ranol has a fleeting moment of triumph when he feels his blade poke into the tough troll flesh. Then the dwarf is backing up, preparing to attack again. The troll suddenly roars in rage and whips that club around (the same club Ranol had vowed to avoid) and the clan-karl barely pulls his shield up in time to block the blow. As the length of timber slams into the shield, it sweeps the dwarf off his feet and sends a jarring vibration through his arm.
Ranol hits the ground hard, but rolls over quickly and shoves himself back up to his feet, ignoring the ache spreading through his left arm. "Fine!" He calls in response with just a bit too much enthusiasm.
[Frarin(#31050)] The spike of Frarin's hammer meets flesh, but the silversmith is quickly pulling back, and good thing too, for Ollie whirls around in an angry instant and fails to drag Frarin with him. "Hoi!" Frarin cries to gain Ollie's attention, angry now just as the troll's temper suddenly builds. Thari is attacking, that much the merchant can see in his peripheral night vision, but he knows her more by voice than by shape. Ranol's shape, however, is much more identifiable as it flies through the air. With that, Frarin charges again, again aiming the spike of his hammer, this time at the back of Ollie's knee.
[Ollie(#15066)] "Yer leaves Ollie alone," Oliver says grumpily. It's a troll's life, that's for sure. Just out for an evening stroll and everything under the sun has to jump you. But he cheers up a little bit as he sends one of them flying. And ignoring the two still behind, he heads purposefully towards Ranol, swatting at him with his club as if he was golfing. If golf had been invented.
[Thari(#31038)]
"Stop, stop stop!" Thari limps hard toward the troll but is not quick enough to catch up with his huge footsteps and is too lame still to run. "Go to your side of the river and we'll leave you alone!"
Ranol is just regaining his footing and planning out his next attack when that club swings in again. He has time to brace himself, a last ditch defense before he feels that jarring impact again and is on the ground once more. The clan-karl is now losing a touch of that earlier enthusiasm as the troll keeps dumping him into the dirt. He rolls onto his feet again but doesn't run in to attack. No, instead Ranol hurries to try and duck behind a stack of stone blocks that are gathered for the last of the repairs.
[Frarin(#31050)] "Ollie! That's not a very fun plaything, is it?!" Frarin is calling after the troll as Ollie pursues the tumbled Ranol. His war hammer is again black with blood, but the silversmith has taken no time to revel in the victorious hit, for he is again charging. Thari's offer to the troll is paid no heed, not while Ranol is still at the centre of the troll's attention.
"Here we go, Ollie! Over here!" This taunt is yelled even as Frarin runs at the troll's backside again, attempting to lure him away from Ranol. Again the spike swings, this time headed for the back of Ollie's thigh.
[Ollie(#15066)] Something clicks in Oliver's stony brain. He stops dead still just at the end of the bridge and stares at the stones behind which Ranol cowers, club trailing behind... and once more taking the brunt of an attack that the troll remains blissfully unaware of. "Reddenblak," Oliver mumbles to himself. "Makes rocks..."
His face lights up and, no longer trying to attack, he leans down and pries at the stones, pushing them so they roll (sort of) down the slight slope of the bridge behind him. Towards Frarin and Thari, incidentally. And raising his voice to a kind of cooing sound, he calls, "Comes out, Reddenblak! Ollie won't hurts you!"
Ranol can feel numbness spreading through his left arm and shoulder, and the shield is a lot heavier now. He tenses as he hears the troll approach, ready to stab at anything that makes itself a target. But the creature shoves at the rocks instead, and the clan-karl holds off on the attack, figuring maybe the troll doesn't see him?
[Thari(#31038)]
Stones roll toward Thari and Frarin. Thari steps aside for one to roll past, right into the path of another. This stone is round enough to gain some momentum, hit something in the ground, and fly up. It doesn't need to fly very high before hitting the back of the healer's head with a clang on the lip of the helm. Thari collapses with only a very small thud against the ground, now only a heap of shadow.
[Frarin(#31050)] Frarin's hammer sinks into the wood of Ollie's club, but the merchant is already withdrawing it as rocks come flying towards him and Thari. He skips to the side, one small stone striking his knee, but the rest safely rolling past. And with the darkness and the sound of the tumbling stones, he does not notice Thari's collapse. Instead, Frarin is inching around what appears to be a distracted troll, attempting to come to Ranol's side. A wary glance is given Ollie as Frarin moves, but no further attack is made for the moment.
[Ollie(#15066)] There is no reply, and Oliver keeps digging at the stones, heaving them out of the way behind him. A few fly all the way off the bridge, landing with a splash in the river far below. Eventually, the troll is bound to remove enough of Ranol's shield that he'll be able to see him...
"Comes out!" he croons. "Ollie wants rocks! Comes out and talks to Ollie!"
Ranol waits for a moment more in uncertainty, but the sound of all the stones flying is enough to convince Ranol that the troll isn't going to give up and more people are likely to get hurt. He hefts his shield as best he can and quickly backs away from the pile of rocks, keeping his eyes on Ollie as he tries to lead the troll away from the bridge. "Ok.. ahh.. Ollie! There are lots of rocks down at the bottom there.. where those others just fell. Why don't you go and get some?"
[Frarin(#31050)] Well there is nothing for it, the troll is tearing through the rocks shielding Ranol without pause. Frarin pauses with a sharp breath as Ranol shows himself suddenly and begins backing away, but the silversmith does not waste time on pleasantries. In an attempt to distract Ollie long enough for Ranol to come back ashore and leave the bridge to the troll, Frarin lunges at Ollie, the mallet of his hammer swinging at the giant's knee.
[Ollie(#15066)] "Don' want them rocks," Oliver replies. "Wants reddenblak rocks. Yer comes here!" And he makes a sudden dart, as well as he is able for his great bulk, and snatches at Ranol.
Ranol has theories on what 'reddenblak' means and it's not something he wants to experience first-hand. Ollie grabs for him and the troll catches ahold of his shield, wrenching the dwarf back rather sharply. Ranol manages let go, sacrificing the shield to the troll in lieu of his arm getting ripped off. He staggers a step, then full out runs away from the troll, heading for any cover he can pick out in the dark. Maybe there's a good sized boulder or tree.
[Frarin(#31050)] At last! The clan-karl is running for safety and Thari's voice has gone silent, thus the healer dwarf must have relented in attack as well. Only Frarin remains now and he swiftly backs up, swinging the spike of his hammer as he half-turned, more an incentive for the troll to stay away than a real attempt at an attack.
[Ollie(#15066)] Oliver lifts the dwarf to his face, smiling with smug pleasure and anticipation. Teach it to think it could get away from...
The look of astonishment that spreads across his face is almost comical. He turns the shield upside down, then over and over. Then he gives his hand a wary, nearly frightened look.
And it is just at this moment that something slices through the back of his leg. Startled and outraged, Oliver lets out a yelp of pain that swiftly turns into a full-throated roar of rage. Trolls can be very swift for their bulk, and he spins around, smashing at whatever has bitten him with his club.
Ranol jumps down to hide in a natural dip in the landscape, looking back to see the troll once more distracted. He flattens himself down in the grasses to hide, willing to sit this out while he catches his breath. His shoulder feels as if it's on fire, the last grab by Ollie stretching some of his muscles to their limit.
[Frarin(#31050)] Crash! The jarring meeting of club and hammer sends harsh reverberations through Frarin's hands and the merchant grits his teeth against it. There is no possibility of pushing the club up and away, so he instead continues backing up, letting his weapon slip out from under Ollie's. But this is no time for a fight, not while Frarin is alone, solo against a troll. Both hands still clunching the war hammer, Frarin makes a still more swift retreat, covering the ground is surprising speed, even despite his limp.
Players: Frarin, Ranol, Thari, Ollie
Located in: Erebor
