From the journal of Lythande Syldorei
Year 4710, 15th of Rova
We had received reports of an army slaying settlers within the territory we have claimed for Neotellus. Our investigation led us to a series of tracks, some of a large creature with feet similar in shape to our own, and others that are like the feet of dogs or wolves but larger.
As we followed these tracks, Maria found some effluvia of one of the wolf-like beasts on a tree limb, a greenish opaque stuff that looked very unpleasant. She realized that this was the diseased spittle of a trollhound, thus leading us to realize that the two-legged creature the trollhound accompanied was likely a troll. Reislin then recalled all that she had read of trollhounds, warning us that their spit can cause disease in the victims of their bites, but that otherwise they are no more than large dogs, a bit hardier but not equipped with especially armored or resilient hides. The presence of a troll and trollhounds also explained the tales we had heard of bodies torn asunder. Ripping their victims apart is a particular preference of trolls.
As we continued northward following the troll's footprints we realized we were approaching the great sycamore tree that had once been home to the mites. The trees are without leaves at this time of the year, and the ground is muddy from autumn rainfall. Despite this the troll's tracks vanished. Reislin reminded us that trolls can regenerate their flesh after it is cut, though wounds caused by fire or acid cannot be healed in such fashion.
Then both Maria and Zander alerted us that they had heard a noise nearby. Zander chose to stamp loudly toward the direction from which the sound had come, hoping to drive out whatever had made the noise. A large arrow flew past him coming from a southerly direction, and we heard more noises approaching both from ahead of us and behind our group.
A troll appeared from behind us, surprisingly carrying a bow and wearing leather armor. It ran toward us but veered off to take cover behind a large tree. Two trollhounds burst out of cover and rushed out, the first aiming to attack Zander. Chahana fired her bow at it. The troll fired its own bow at her but the shaft went wide. Zander sliced the hound and it howled in pain. Reislin moved closer to where Zander and Maria stood close together and chanted an incantation to empower their weapons.
The second hound clamped its heavy jaws on Chahana and knocked her off her feet. An instant later its comrade did the same to Zander. Despite being prone on the ground Zander slashed it again and Maria also stabbed it with her sword. I ran to Chahana's side and dealt the second hound a heavy blow. Reislin moved to Chahana's side also and bent to cast a healing spell upon her. The troll fired on Maria but again its aim was poor.
Chahana clambered to her feet, but the hound grabbed her and bore her down a second time, this time wounding her so badly that she fell unconscious and was bleeding badly. I slashed the beast again. The troll had also struck me with an arrow that dealt a harsh injury and I called to the Dawnflower for her healing mercy. I cannot protect my companions if I fall to injury.
The troll now pointed to Reislin and spoke, attracting the attention of the first hound. In response the beast knocked Reislin down. Maria had charged up to the troll and slashed him fiercely. Chahana got to her feet again, defensively warding herself against the trollhound's bite. Her bow had fallen from her hand and she drew a dagger. The hound snapped at her but its fangs did not touch her. I moved to attack the hound again as it now stood over Reislin's fallen form. Reislin cast a spell, tiny missiles shooting from her fingers into the hound's body. The beast collapsed in death.
As Reislin got to her feet, I saw that the troll had caught hold of Maria and was preparing to tear her arms from her body. Her face was pale and she was covered in blood. Chahana picked up her bow and fired an arrow into the troll. I had drawn my boar spear and now ran closer to Maria, sending out Sarenrae's healing energy to her but avoiding allowing it to touch the troll. Reislin also ran closer, overcoming her fear of the troll to cast a curative spell on Maria from a scroll. The troll reacted by striking her and she slumped to the ground, looking deathly pale.
Then the troll shocked us by speaking in the common tongue, saying, "Stupid humans, think they own the land." Zander had moved closer and swung at the troll but his blade glanced off its armor. The troll continued, "No human kingdom, trolls rule this land."
Chahana joined us and poured a healing oil on Reislin's wounds, reviving her. Chahana then dragged her out of the troll's reach. Maria attempted to heal herself with her own magic but as she was still in the troll's grip her spell failed. Reislin drew out another scroll and cast a spell on Maria that energized her. The troll turned its attention to clawing and biting at Zander. Zander fell before him, and Chahana called for us to retreat healing. Then I said to the troll, "If you harm humans we will return with fire!"
The troll chuckled at this and answered that trolls did not fear fire anymore. It swung at Maria but could not touch her. Then it dropped its bow and stepped toward Chahana. Chahana had drawn out a vial and swallowed it. Zander, despite lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, swung his dueling sword to slash the troll's ankle. I turned Sarenrae's wrath upon the evil creature with my spear. Reislin's tiny but effective missiles also struck it. It toppled to the ground, but even then tried to bite me. This effort was too much for it though, and it lost consciousness.
Chahana took a vial of alchemical fire and poured it over the troll's body to prevent it regenerating from its injuries. I gave her more of my goddess's mercy while she did this. When we were sure the troll could not rise again, Reislin examined it with her arcane sight and discovered that there was a fading rune brand beneath its armor that granted it some protection from fire. This is a most curious discovery. Trolls are ordinarily creatures of little wit, using only crude implements and unable to use magic. How did it come by this brand?
Both Zander and Reislin had contracted bloodfire ague from the bites of the trollhounds, so we returned to Lorewynd to seek the aid of the physician there.
Year 4710, 17th of Neth
Settlers along the Thorn River have complained of a river dragon slaying their livestock. We have come to deal with whatever the creature is.
There are signs of a large creature crawling in and out of the river. Reislin planted the sapling rod nearby so that we could avail ourselves of its healing fruits. As we approached the river bank a reptilian head rose out of the water, followed a moment later by another, then more until there were five heads altogether. But we realized suddenly that these heads did not represent five creatures - the five necks were attached to a single body. As the beast rose out of the water and clambered up onto the shore, attracted by Maria's proximity, we realized it was a hydra!
Reislin began to shout advice and warnings to us, telling us that if we severed one of its heads two more would grow in its place. Reislin and Maria had fortunately cast protective spells upon themselves only moments earlier. I drew my spear. Chahana fired an arrow into the great beast's body. Reislin was suddenly surrounded by several duplicates of herself. Zander had disappeared from my sight. Maria cast another spell upon herself and stepped back from the hydra. She called out that hydras are slow-moving, but fast-healing.
The hydra charged her, all five heads snapping at her. I called upon Sarenrae to grant me her favor and moved toward it with my spear at the ready. Maria's body became difficult to make out as Reislin cast a spell on her. Maria stabbed the hydra. Zander suddenly reappeared behind the creature and stabbed it as well. It spun to attack him but its snapping heads did not touch his flesh. It had already begun to look ragged from my friends' attacks.
The hydra grabbed Zander and moved to carry him into the river, but he slashed it and Chahana sent another arrow into its flesh. It fell on its side, no longer aware, but we could see its wounds stop bleeding as Reislin had warned. We all drove our weapons into its body to prevent it from rising again.
When it was deemed truly dead, we decided to take all five of its heads back to Lorewynd as trophies of our success.
4710 22nd Kuthona
The winter solstice has arrived, but we have planned no festivities to celebrate as is the custom among the people of Brevoy and neighboring lands. We must remedy this next year.
Once more we are called to depart from Lorewynd to deal with a danger to our citizens. This time the tales they tell are of creatures as large as houses that have both scales and fur.
The land is white with snow now, but that will not deter us. We have already found the creature.
We heard growls, and Chahana nocked an arrow to her bow. A creature emerged from amongst the snow-laden trees, growling like a bear and hooting like an owl. It was an owlbear. Chahana's arrow struck it in the head, almost between its eyes. Zander moved to flank it while Maria and Reislin protected themselves with magic. The owlbear was already staggered by Chahana's deadly strike, but that did not prevent it from grabbing me in its claws after it dodged my spear blade. Zander then slashed it and it collapsed, though it was not yet dead.
We realized then that its nest was behind it, holding an egg. It had been protecting itself and preparing to feed its young. At that moment we all regretted attacking it, and we recalled the tortured owlbear we had been forced to slay after the Stag Lord's brigands had driven it mad. We wondered if we could remove it to a location where it wouldn't be tempted to slaughter livestock. Chahana suggested we slay the mother and keep the egg to raise the young one as a tame creature, but the rest of us had no heart for that.
In the end we decided to convey the owlbear and its egg to the temple of Erastil to ask Simon for his help. He did not wish to try to make it tame, but suggested we take it to the mud ponds where we had encountered the giant frogs. There it could find game, and Simon thought the warmth might give the young one a better chance to grow strong. Transporting an immobilized owlbear through the wilderness is not an easy task, but we accomplished it.
Some time after we delivered the owlbear to its new home, we decided that we should explore more of the land that lay to the west of the Thorn River. It is not far from Lorewynd and at that time we did not know what lay therein. Much of that territory proved free of harmful creatures or other dangers, and the soil appears to be well suited for farming. But we could not explore it without finding one troublesome situation.
We happened upon a very large thicket of fangberries, which were just beginning to ripen. The edges of the thicket had been picked clean of berries by local wildlife. The rest of the berries were untouched, in part because the bush was so thorny, but also because they were completed cloaked in cobwebs. The spiders within were only about the size of the end of a thumb.
As we had never been able to bring Bokken any fangberries for his potions, we determined that we would push our way past the thorns and gather some. It was our misfortune that once some of us had been pricked by the thorns, this drew the attention of the spiders and innumerable spiders swarmed out to climb within our clothing and bite us with their poisonous bites. In the end Reislin began trying to burn the spiders, which also burned a small section of the fangberry bush. But we still managed to bring Bokken a goodly measure of berries, and we did not entirely destroy the bush in our effort to escape the spiders. Bokken has rewarded us for our efforts by agreeing to give us potions for half the cost he would ordinarily ask.
We have had little news from the other groups who set out to explore to the south and west. Contact with those people has been lost. Maegar Varn and his mercenaries have yet to receive a write of claimancy from Restov for their territory to the east, as their writ depends on making peace with the centaur tribes that live in the grasslands. I hope that the lack of news from the others is only due to none passing through our territory and not because any of them have come to harm. I pray that the Dawnflower will look after Covenant and his comrades as she has looked after me and mine.
Next: part 13, Into the Narlmarches
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