#71 - Ogres, a Troll, and an Unexpected Ally

From the Leaves of Memory, the written musings of Loh, druid of the King's Forest

From the doorway, I saw pure chaos. A lush carpet had wrapped itself around Magnus like a coiled, paisley snake. A mad gnome, who I assumed was the forger we seek, was thrusting documents by the fistful into a blazing fire. From one room to the next, this forger's hidden compartments have held endless mystery and surprise. How is it that a forger has the ability or the need to create such a vast magical abode?

Honestly, at this point I was overwhelmed by all the foes we had faced, so I turned my attention to another, more familiar force: the fire that the forger was counting on to hide all evidence of his wrongdoing. I couldn't risk him destroying proof of what happened to my brother and my comrades—after all, it's possible that the images of me and Sah that Lord Szen found at the ir'Valish estate were created by his hand. So I strode into the room and sent a mammoth gust of wind towards the fireplace. The fire extinguished easily, and the forger looked quite angry and surprised.

I had little time to revel in my small victory, however, as a dwarven guard quickly approached me, battle axe swining. As we fought, I saw the forger relight the fire with a spell of flame, then he hopped into the fireplace, and disappear—dastardly magical doors! But the watchword he used to activate the portal was audible to all, and one by one we followed the forger through the fireplace as we had the paintings.

Our new surroundings were far less luxurious than the previous few rooms. Stone walls surrounded us on all sides, and a dark tunnel lay ahead. As Kard and I discussed what to do, it seemed as if Cypher was under some kind of spell. Very out of character for him, he urged us to wait for the forger to return so we could simply talk with him. This advice didn't seem normal for a defender of Brelish justice, but whatever spell had taken hold of his mind soon lifted, and Cypher began barking orders to get us across the tunnel, whose pitch-covered floor separated us from the forger.

At Cypher's command, I bestowed upon Magnus, then Cypher, and then Kard the ability to cling to surfaces like a spider. Then I wild-shaped into a giant wolf spider and followed suit. I've come to love that furry, eight-legged, keen-eyed beast. Blinking is so satisfying when you have eight optical orbs.

Once we had all crossed to the other side of the tunnel, the group headed toward an exit to our right, and fortunately so, as I smelled troll in a tunnel that wound the other direction. I silently hoped that moving away from the troll would keep it out of our path.

The manmade tunnel that we followed led to the mouth of a cave, and a forest widened before us. While I didn't know the exact location, it seemed to be part of my home, the King's Forest. But I had little time to feel excited because all eight of my eyes were instantly filled with the sight of two giant ogres bearing down on Magnus and Kard, lunging from around the bend!

Even more surprising, two arrows that seemed to come from nowhere dealt the ogres a crippling blow. Both howled and dropped to the ground, stricken in the ankles. With the ogres prone, we attacked them mercilessly. To my eyes, it was a flurry of activity. Cypher unleashed a a giant fireball from a spell-scroll and it erupted just beyond the ogres, rendering one of them instantly hairless. The same brute was quickly killed by Magnus, while I leapt up and bit the throat of the still-hairy one. His throat swelled as my spider poison spread through his veins, and he suffocated quickly. Paralyzed but perhaps not dead yet. The dumb creatures were no match for us.

Transcript from the unwritten memoirs of the ogre Vorg:

Vorg was hungry today. Found blue toadstools, made tummy hurt. Got Qog to eat them, too. Funny!

Vorg and Qog told to guard cave again. Stink in there. We not go far inside. Shark man says ugly troll who lives there not allowed to eat Vorg. So that good. Vorg and Qog guard cave good like always. When mean little Shark-man come again, he talks and Vorg forgot to listen. But then a little squeak shows up from INSDE cave—what! we guard it good!—and he talks too fast. Says something about robbers, I guess. Shark-man tells Vorg and Qog to hide and then hit robbers when they come out of cave. Vorg thinks this would be fun. Hit hard to make bones crunch and red go splat!

We not wait long. Loud robbers coming. Qog and Vorg jump and scare little people. But a sharp thing hits foot like faerie spear. HURTS! Vorg rolls to ground and sees Qog also on ground. Qog is so dumb! Lets little arrow-stick make him fall. We roll to get up and squish robbers, but then fire hits Vorg's body and head. Vorg thinks fire comes from little metal war-man with piece of paper. Stupid magic paper! Vorg is HOT! Vorg doesn't feel good but at least it make him SO MAD. War-man robber will get hurt worse now!

Vorg sees Qog get up again, but not-as-little little robber man with big mace hits him good. One time and then another one time, and Vorg roars and then falls into side of hill. Funny, but not-as-little robber man needs to get smashed quick!

Vorg is stronger than Qog and gets up faster. Vorg wants to crunch and bite and rip squishy little robbers real bad now. Vorg not like them at all. Then a VERY BIG SPIDER comes out of cave. It not biting robber men! Comes after Vorg! This not good day at all. Spider bites Vorg and Vorg can't breathe right.

Don't feel so good. Vorg will take a nap and smash little robber men later.

We continued to battle with two men who walked out of the trees. The first was a human, who wielded two short swords, was a clear danger. The second was the our fleeing gnome forger. He blurred his form with a spell and unleashed magic missiles at Magnus, so I scuttled over the second ogre towards him, trying to get a better look—and not a moment too soon, for the troll I had hoped we'd avoid loped out of the tunnel and into our path. More dumb creatures, I thought. But this one was especially hideous, with a third, malformed arm sprouting from one shoulder.

Suddenly, I heard Kard calling out in exalted tones. Then there stood in our midst a towering, glowing, angelic entity bearing a sword and shield and a symbol not unlike the Octogram of the Sovereign Host—conjured into being like an elemental from the outer planes. It lashed out at the troll with a blazing sword, keeping the troll from maneuvering easily towards us. This new force is not one I'd want as an enemy.

The troll, meanwhile, flailed wildly at us, and he knocked the spider-form right out of me. Dar again, I moved as far away as possible, only to turn around and see the troll swipe Kard a potentially mortal blow, then seize him and lift him in the air! Unconscious and dying, the human was mercifully unaware as the troll bit into his arm and tore his right hand clean off—then proceeded to gnash at the stump like a giant turkey leg. There was so much blood.

Elsewhere, I spotted the forger again—he'd relocated magically as Magnus bore down on him—as well as an unfamiliar, new face. A road-weary, but armored human, he seemed not to be the friend of the forger or the other human—though I soon learned that he was the sniper from the trees who felled the ogres when the battle began. I do not know if he is friend or foe to me. Keeping an eye on both men, I watched Magnus deal the final blow to the troll.

Kard's body hit the ground as the troll fell, but miraculously seconds later he came awake, climbed dazedly to his feet, and tried to move away. His wound wept red puddles upon the earth.

The gnome, still blurred by his magic, appeared to have surrendered.