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The party retreats a safe distance from the clearing and hunker down to wait, concealing themselves behind natural swales, massive trunks and fallen trees alongside the game trail in what is judged to be the most effective arrangement. Several hours pass, and the adventurers fight to ward off the gnawing hunger rising in their bellies. Before any can give in, however, they are rewarded by the sight of five troglodytes advancing down the trail, coming from the direction of the clearing. All five bear short spears and are accoutered as the first six were. They appear neither completely alert nor totally nonchalant.

Tratiln waits until they are perhaps sixty feet away before beginning to chant the words to his spell. At the last moment he steps out from the behind the tree he had found cover behind and stretched forth his hand. A cloud of shimmering light, like countless dust motes dancing in sunlight, descends upon the brutes. However, either these troglodytes are stronger willed than the previous ones, or Tratiln made some small errors in his casting, for only three of the monsters succumb and sink to the leafy ground in a stupor. The two remaining troglodytes at first are unaware of their companion's comatose state, as their attention is immediated drawn to Tratiln's appearance from behind a tree. An instant later, the rest of the adventurers leap out from behind their concealment and rain death down upon the two conscious troglodytes. Unfortunately, most of the attacks miss, no doubt attributed to the marksmens' desire to loose as rapid a shot as possible. One, however, fall immediately under the combined missile fire of Lanny, Marodin, Saul and Thordin.

Round One

The surviving troglodyte has no time to react before it, too, is brought down under a hail of arrows and sling stones.

Tratiln wipes his brown and whispers, "Shall we dispatch these? I do believe we are out of sleep spells. Perhaps we should set camp and prepare for tomorrow."

Drudsa

"Yes, let us finish them and get prepared. If they sent these guys to look for the previous group they will know there is some danger in the area. Whether they send out more scouts or not they probably won't be such easy targets anymore."

Bouv wrote:Tratiln wipes his brown and whispers, "Shall we dispatch these? I do believe we are out of sleep spells. Perhaps we should set camp and prepare for tomorrow."

Bregalad the elf

Bregalad breathes a sigh of relief. "Well done, Tratiln. Well done, all. Yes, let us dispatch them quickly and then conceal the corpses as best we can." (that is, after they have been searched) "Another battle won. Yet, eight creatures remain -- too many to overcome without magical aid. Let us find a new hiding place, one that is far off the trail." The elf prays the companions see the sun again.

Lanny the elf

Lanny assists with dispatching the sleeping troglodytes and moving their corpses far off the game trail and into the brush. He then looks for a secluded spot away from the trail where the party can camp for the night. Only then will he take a break to eat and drink from his rations.

"I do hope we finish the job tomorrow. My waterskin is mostly empty, and I'll be damned if I will drink from that stream," he says with a bit of a worried grin.

Later on, when the skies start to darken overhead, Lanny will speak to the party:

"Drudsa, Tratiln... get some rest. We will need you up even before dawn to prepare your spells. The rest of us can take turns keeping watch throughout the night, and be up and ready to attack the camp at dawn. So find yourselves a dry patch of leaves, gentlemen, for tonight, we sleep under the stars, as Nature intended..."

Before concealing the bodies as best as they are able to companions, breathing through their mouths so as to avoid the worst of the stench, search the troglodytes, finding another 21 gold coins. In addition, one is wearing a copper wristband fashioned to resemble a serpent swallowing its tail. Bregalad, Lanny and Tratiln recognize it as being elf-made, and estimate its value at perhaps 25 gold.

Bregalad and Lanny lead the party away from the clearing for a mile a so before discovering an easily defensible spot; a rise in the forest floor with spares trees about provides a good spot to camp, and the adventurers settle down for the night after eating a cold dinner. Several hours after dark the stillness of the night is rent by a long, savage uulation, then another, and a third until after what seems to be an eternity all is quiet once more. The cry is unintelligible, but all can feel the anger and sorrow expressed in the call.

Thaumont 6, AC 1000

The party is not molested during the night, and they wake to a gentle rain that lasts no more than half an hour.

Saul gets ready to have a small look around the camp to see if everything is alright. He warns the others he is doing so and won't be more than 10 minutes away from camp in any direction.

Before he leaves he puts on a smile and asks: "Could you guys please start sleeping in a different position? One of you snores loud enough to wake the dead."

Grey Jake will accompany Saul

Drudsa the dabbler "The humanoids will be prepared for us. Maybe they are too primitive to prepare traps but they should have sufficient intelligence and instinct to ambush effectively. Should we take a slightly different route?"

Lanny the elf

Lanny slept very little that night, and it wasn't just the snoring. The uulation of the trogs still rang clearly in his ears. The expression of anger and sorrow was universally understood. He tried to get it out of his mind as he assembled his gear, waiting for the scouts to return.

zebediah wrote:Drudsa the dabbler "The humanoids will be prepared for us. Maybe they are too primitive to prepare traps but they should have sufficient intelligence and instinct to ambush effectively. Should we take a slightly different route?"

Lanny nods his head. "We don't know the full extent of their reaction to yesterday's events. The entire tribe may be on the hunt for us... or they may have fled the clearing... or they may have simply retired to sleep after expressing their sorrows. In any case, the game trail is out of the question. A direct route to the clearing through the woods may be safer, but remember that the trogs may be waiting for us anywhere, and may be hard to see through the trees. Let's be cautious..."

Tratiln enjoys some of his rations and rememorizes his sleep spell once he has gotten his sleep. In the morning, Tratiln will pack up his materials and prepare with the rest of the party to head out, making sure that the fire is well out and won't pose any danger of causing a forest fire.

Tratiln is quite agreeable to Lanny's idea. "Even goblins and kobolds are smart enough to realize when some of their members are missing and can lay simple traps and ambushes.'

frobozz wrote:Lanny the elf

"I do hope we finish the job tomorrow. My waterskin is mostly empty, and I'll be damned if I will drink from that stream," he says with a bit of a worried grin.

Bregalad the elf

Lanny's words and the troglodyte's wails haunted Bregalad's dreams. He, too, could not imagine drinking from the polluted stream, and this caused his heart to feel even more pity for Zahara, who had no choice but to live in the poisonous waters. And then the rain came, and restored hope that this forest would one day be washed clean.

Bregalad the elf

Bregalad also agrees with Drudsa and Lanny's plan.

A circuitous route is taken on the way back to the clearing, following a low ridge that seems to run parallel to the creek but a quarter mile or so to the west. The group circles back around and, when the clearing appears within view, Grey Jake and Saul creep forward to scout.

When they reach the edge of the clearing the two scouts discover that the troglodytes have withdrawn into a small semi-circle at the base of the cliff, in front of the cave opening. There are seven troglodytes arranged in a rough arc with a diameter of perhaps 30'. All are armed and appear to be nervously looking outwards. Given their positioning and alertness, it seems unlikely the group could approach by stealth. An eighth troglodyte is inside the circle, up against the cliff, mechanically copulating with the giant troglodyte, a spear in one hand as he thrusts listlessly with his hips, eyes scanning the horizon as if for danger.

Saul does his best not to laugh at the Trog getting what he hopes is his last lay in this world.

"Jake, what do you think: Should we throw a stone straight at that fucker's head? Or do we just head back and warn the others?"

Drudsa the dabbler

EDIT: Sorry, I posted without noticing that only the scouts were aware of the scene. Please regard the dialogue below only if Jake and Saul return and share the info with the group.

Luis wrote:Saul does his best not to laugh at the Trog getting what he hopes is his last lay in this world.

"Jake, what do you think: Should we throw a stone straight at that fucker's head? Or do we just head back and warn the others?"

Grey Jake says "I think we go back, tell the others, sleep who we can, and then rush them"

Lanny the elf tests the tautness of his bowstring as he listens to the report from the scouts. He reveals a hint of a smile as Saul describes the fornicating troglodytes.

"Well, I would say the grieving period for their deceased kinsmen is officially over, eh Saul?"

As Grey Jake relates the rest of the information on the current positioning of the trogs, Lanny squats down and closes his eyes to try to visualize the situation.

"I agree with Grey Jake. We should cast both sleep spells at once, or else back to back, while several of us simultaneously storm the clearing from one direction, keeping a safe distance from their spears. Our bowmen can then open fire on any trogs still standing. This show of force might convince the remaining trogs to break ranks and flee in the opposite direction, in which case the sleeping trogs will be defenseless. The first chance someone gets to safely move in and dispatch the sleeping trogs, do it. Once the guards are dispatched, we can deal with the big one. We may have to retreat back into the woods to do so safely. What do you all think?"

Lanny then turns to Bregalad. "Brother, I am prepared to call upon my magical energies to aid us in this fight. I do not know if the tribe has a shaman, but my Shimmering Arrow will be ready if one does emerge to try to cast spells upon us. What magical energies can you bring to bear in this battle?"

Tratilnj nods at Lanny's plan. "Well thought out friend. I do agree the element of suprise is in our favor right now. To add to our tactical assault, should we somehow incorporate fire into our plan? I imagine creatures that prefer living in and near rivers might not enjoy getting struck with flaming arrows even less so than regular beings! We could light up one of the lanterns and light an arrow or two using that."