[Continued] - Valorei/Elves - 2 April, 1 VC

[Dram]

Baxtaw- Backs away from the Troll as Varas requested. Varas I do believe that your request has gone unheard from Dorvar.

[Keehnelf]

Round Four Summary:

Enemy Initiative [1d6] = 6

Dorvar wrestles himself somewhat free of the monster's bite, but the creature, though badly injured, remains tenacious, and to the dwarf's horror he sees the fingers on its injured hand begin to grow back from their pulpy stubs! (the troll regenerates 3 HP).

It slashes at him with its as-yet-uninjured claw, catching the haft of his magic axe and tossing it to one side. The edge nicks Dorvar's shoulder slightly as it flies from his grasp into the shallow water on one side of the melee (chooses disadvantage for his crit, deals only 1 damage). Dorvar, horrified and disarmed, is unable to defend himself effectively from the troll's follow-up bite, which goes straight through his armor and into his shoulder. The creature rears upward, the dwarf dangling from its vicious, rot-smelling maw, blood pouring freely from his wounds, and then plucks the body out and tosses it to one side casually, as if inviting the rest of the party to a similar fate. (Dorvar takes 9 damage and is lying on his back at the edge of the water on the opposite side of the melee from his axe, causing the shallow water around him to darken with his blood.)

Troll vs. Dorvar [1d20] = 20, damage [1d6] = 2, troll bite [1d20] = 19 damage [1d10] = 9

Halfred charges in with his short sword, stabbing the creature in the thigh and distracting it for a moment from its thoughts of conquest, just long enough for Varas to reach out and light the monster up with his lit torch. The troll is immediately engulfed, and collapses onto the shoreline where it shrieks in agony as its skin curls and crisps until it looks like a massive, ungainly pork rind.

[Marullus]

Nihilius leaps from Olympia's side, leaving her resting unconscious but stable, and runs to pull Dorvar from the water as soon as he falls.

[Keehnelf]

Dorvar is in very bad condition, but Niles manages to reach him and bind his wounds, preventing too much of his life's blood from flowing away.

[AleBelly]

Varas, enraged at the fall of Dorvar, continues to press his torch into the burned troll until he's satisfied nothing will grow back. He then checks the fallen. Dorvar first , then the others.

[Marullus]

Nihilius rises from Dorvar, leaving him in Varas' care as he approaches. He picks up his staff, commenting to Harold as he does so. "See if your deity will grant favor upon Olympia... we will need both of you in the morning to tend to the wounded before we can move on. As it is, neither she nor Dorvar can travel, I fear." He turns to Halfred. "Master Hobbit, you have a keen eye for things hidden. Can you find a place under the canopy of trees where we can camp tonight which would hide us from the eyes of the sky or lake? It is not wise for us to camp in the open with the threat of an airborne dragon over this territory and with our companions so wounded."

He proceeds to the lake edge, wading into the shallows. He did so to rescue the fallen without harm, so feels confident that far. He pokes about with his staff where he thinks he saw the axe fall, endeavoring to not stir up too much silt. "Come Valorei... I expect you wish your sword returned as well. Baxtaw... elves have sharp eyes, yes? Do you see further concerns between us and that island? I thought I saw a glint of metal upon it, and we would be remiss if we did not investigate it further... perhaps you can move in stealth with Halfred and Varas?"

OOC: What is the hour? How much time before nightfall? Enough to inspect the island? It is pretty small, right? What is the composition of the lake bottom? It is pretty shallow as we saw the troll walk across it without being fully submerged, right?

[Keehnelf]

April 6, 1 VC - 11:00am

Niles and the others manage to recover the magical weapons that had fallen into the pond during the course of the conflict with no real difficulty. The silty bottom of the pond has been stirred up considerably by the conflict, but even eight or ten feet out it seems only hip-deep.

The troll had completely submerged as it made its way across the pond toward the party.

[MonkeyWrench]

Sorry for the absence everyone, last few days have been hell.

Valorei cleans his sword as best he can before sheathing it, rubbing the back of his shoulder where the healed arrow wound had been, "I am still confused on what brought me down... this forest is simply full of surprises no? hehe" He casts his gaze around the group with a cheerful smile before they rest on Olympia and Dorvar...

From there his smile quickly falls into a deep frown, "What happened to them?!" He quickly rushes over, checking the stab and bite wounds on Dorvar and the deep burn wounds covering Olympia. Valorei kneels down beside both of them and sighs, seeing that while badly damaged they are stable. "I am glad that troll was dispatched... I would not like to think of what I would have done to the twisted creature for attacking them this badly." He stands up and faces the group, nodding towards Nihilius, "The young one speaks truth, we will not be moving here tonight. Olympia and Dorvar are in no shape for that, let us finda suitable camp and set up any traps and watches necessary to give them time to heal, I take it the clerics have exhausted their healing for the day?"

[Dram]

Baxtaw- I will look as far as my eyes will let me. Baxtaw looks 360 degrees for any further danger or a place of safety nearby so the wounded can heal safely thru the night.

[Keehnelf]

April 6, 1 VC - 11:10am

Baxtaw scans the island and the waters between the party and it, and spots no sign of danger there. A hundred yards or so the east around the shore of the lake, he spots an overhang of mossy rock upon which a few stunted trees are growing. This overhang leans out over the waters of the lake itself, the sort of edifice that young children might jump off into sufficiently deep water. Its overall shape creates a shelter that could probably house the group along the water's edge and shield them from being spotted from above. However, the bank under the overhang does not look especially large, and if enemies approached from one end or the other it would make maneuvering difficult without having to go into the water. From an immediate inspection, this seems like the most likely spot to establish a ready-made shelter, though it is early enough in the day that branches and undergrowth could be gathered and formed into a camouflaged lean-to.

[MonkeyWrench]

I'm not one to trust conveniently placed things, Val's vote is for the lean-to

[Scott308]

Dorvar will just lie there doing nothing, and go wherever the party chooses.

[AleBelly]

Varas agrees that the lean-to is their best bet. The shiny thing on the island, like all shiny things, intrigues him.

"I'm going to head over to the island to see what that troll was guarding."

He wades through the water without waiting for others to follow. He will take only his sword, leaving his bow and backpack with the party.

[Dram]

Baxtaw- Will follow Varas to the island. He moves slowly looking for any possible trouble. I vote for the leantoo. I will accompany Varas.

[MonkeyWrench]

Valorei waves them both off and begins searching for things to make the lean-to with, "Let us know if you find anything worth while! We will get some shelter set up!"

[Keehnelf]

If Baxtaw is going swimming, his chainmail is going to cause him some problems. Will he leave it behind?

[Enoch]

Halfred seems to have no interest in doing chores while others adventure. He follows the others over to the water's edge, but stops just short of it. He sticks one furry toe in as Varas wades in, then recoils. He looks around, then heads toward the overhang. He leaves his sword sheathed, but his hand is free to draw it if necessary. Moving quietly and sticking to the shadows and underbrush, he approaches.

[Marullus]

Already thoroughly soaked from his repeated trips into the lake, Nihilius leaves his pack and satchel on the shore where they were, takes his staff, and follows the others across the lake. "At least one of us should care about learning as much as looting," he mutters to himself. "Not often we get to study troll detrius for more than its resale value."

[Keehnelf]

April 6, 1 VC - 11:20am

As Halfred approaches the overhang, the wet and spongy ground underfoot seems to come alive, small frogs and grasshoppers fleeing the area with each of the halfling's delicate steps. He nears the sheltered area and sees that a section (about four feet across) of the bank just outside of the ledge's shadow is churned up and muddy, the grass floating listlessly in the gently lapping pond water.

In the shadow itself, he spies what appear to be the mauled remains of a deer or stag, lying in a tangled mess of limbs, with its antlers broken and splintered, heady downward and inches from the water's edge. It gives off no stink of decay, and is mostly intact, if badly damaged, so it must be relatively fresh.

[Enoch]

Being brave for a hobbit but skittish for an adventurer, Halfred immediately looks for a convenient place to hide and watch, and slips silently into it. He ever-so-carefully eases his shortsword out of its sheath, though what he'd do with it against something big enough to do this, heavens only know. Mindful even of the sound of his breath, he begins looking--and listening-- carefully around for other signs of a predator.

It sounds from the description that the water is churned up in the sort of way that settles down within just a few minutes, correct? We're not talking about something that could have been caused by our troll-friend on a previous hunting trip, I assume.