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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Jun 23, 2023 15:34:19 GMT -5
To say he was excited to finally be able to track down the king troll was an understatement. This seemed to be the first big test to see if this was the type of life that Gerhart really wanted. Was the Winged Expeditionary Force his real calling at the end of the day? He had enjoyed the last few weeks. Still....he and Astrid had learned just how fearsome this thing could be. They took some hits when fighting the small ones, can't imagine the big one would be any different. In fact, it would probably be worse. Thankfully, while his reading skills hadn't seen improvement yet he learned an important lesson with Astrid. Bring fire. One of his blades seemed to boil the air around it, that would hopefully be more reliable than just a one time fire breath. He had also picked up a few new tools from the guild, though the travel tool probably wouldn't be super helpful in a cave. It still looked cool though. Gerhart stood at the edge of the camp as the group readied themselves to head out. "I grabbed a couple vials of silver, so if you need that it should be good. I assume I don't gotta warn ya about what these things can do. We gotta be careful."
Quest Name: The Troll King's Horde Participants: Exactly three, one of which must belong to another guild (Fighter's, Mage's or Golden Consortium) Location: Indicated by Hunt Dossier Post Requirements: 10 post per person, 200 words per post Reward: Quest Completion Additional Requirement: One participant must be knocked unconscious at some point during the Hunt Description: After having tracked the attackers back to their abode, and with aide from the other great guilds you and your group have launched your counter attack. Your goal is simple, find and end the source of the threat that has plagued the Winged Expeditionary Force. Now is the time to fight and hunt, as is the way. Inside the massively winding caverns that your scouts had tracked the trolls back to, is a labyrinth of bones and strange bright red mushrooms that are large and seemingly glowing, pulsating even. The smell of iron or fresh blood is evident throughout the space. Although the horde of the Troll King is weakened, many of its members still dot the area. At some point while fighting through the labyrinthian cave, you will come face to face with the massive Troll King himself.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 2, 2023 20:10:59 GMT -5
Taki strode into the camp from her tent, her companions resting within. This hunt would be exceptionally dangerous, and she wasn't keen on putting them in danger after they'd been so helpful. As she approached Gerhart and Astrid, she waved to the pair. She took a deep breath to center herself, letting it out slowly as she checked her gear over to ensure it was in order.
"Greetings to you both, and I'm alright but thank you Gerhart. I've been doing a good deal of training in between tasks and come upon a spell that should make this hunt a bit easier than the smaller trolls had been." Said the shaman, whose eyes started to glow with a misty blue light. With a flourish of her hands, a small seedling appeared on each of their shoulders. "These little ones should help ease any scrapes and minor injuries, so long as they're around." She explained, the light fading as she completed her spells.
Having communed a great deal with the earthen spirits in the area, her magic felt as if it were pressing against her skin the way magma strained against the confines of a volcano. She had other spells she wished to cast in advance, but those would happen as they traveled to the cave. "Do we have a plan, or are we planning to go in with brute force and firepower?" She asked her fellow guildmates.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Jul 6, 2023 19:35:29 GMT -5
After spending some time setting up camps, bases, and defenses in Arid Mesa to protect the scouts, fighters, and laborers, letting them fend off the fearsome beasts in the dry highlands, Astrid left for a short stint to gather more allies before returning for the big hunt. Several groups have collected together, ready to make their way into the caves identified as the main lair. It’ll take more than a scrappy group of WEF newbies to take them all down. One lucky group might even find the source of it all, the Troll King himself, the scourge of the Arid Mesa.
Whispers among the scouts traveled quickly between camps, and the WEF leaders made preparations for this day. To Astrid, it feels somewhat familiar. If she and many others had forewarning about facing Ziev, she imagines that they would be gathered in a similar way. This time, she knows who her partners in troll-fighting will be: Gerhart, a dear friend and someone who operates on a similar wavelength as her, and Taki, a newly made friend with the power of the natural world at her disposal.
As the three of them converge, Astrid gives them each a confident smile. “If anyone’s gonna be me partners, I’m glad it’s a couple a’ folks I know.” Looking Gerhart up and down, she notices the way hot air seems to bend reality around one of Gerhart’s swords. A bit of a smarmy smile crosses Astrid’s face as she says, “I see ya got somethin’ hot this time. Good. I’ve got the same potions as before, too. Taki, ya got some literal firepower hidin’ behind yer nature spirits?”
Adjusting her straps and belts, Astrid huffs. “I feel like I’ve got a ton of extra stuff in me pockets today.” But it will all be necessary. Just ahead of them, the mouth of the underground labyrinth sits agape like the maw of the monsters they’ll be fighting. Three of the trolls on their own were tough enough, and they’ll likely run into more of them on top of the possibility of fighting the Troll King himself. This won’t be easy.
“Who’s ready ta go in ta not-so-certain death?” she asks.
Bringing pets: Book Golem (counts against cap) Spicy Pawsage (counts against cap, in pet pocket)
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Jul 7, 2023 11:41:45 GMT -5
"It's gonna come down to brute force and firepower at some point, but we can at least try and put this in our favor as much as possible." He grins as Astrid notices the sword. "Figured we'd want something a bit more consistent than a one time breath."
Gerhart enjoyed the same feeling of security with Astrid coming with. Taki was new to him and he hadn't seen her fight, but if she was confident enough coming in to this then there was nothing to worry about. This really wasn't a fight where any of them could spend too much time worrying about the other though. Trust would have to be given that they could each handle themselves.
"Let's just hope there aren't too many of the little guys left, I know a couple other groups are hunting around as well, so maybe that's thinned the herd....unless these guys just kind of pop up like mushrooms."
The ranger takes a quick sniff of the air, wrinkling his nose as he does. "The smell of blood is pretty thick on the air, even from this far out." He lets out a breath to collect himself before he starts walking out of the camp and tracking the smell.
"I might need one of those potions just to get a better look in the dark if it can do that. Have my lantern ring here but that would give away our position."
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 7, 2023 15:10:41 GMT -5
"These creatures are blind, they navigate primarily with sound and have a keen sense of smell. You'll be okay to use whatever light sources you like." She said to Gerhart, nodding to Astrid. "Ready to go, let's begin." Taki said, her outfit shifting to a form fitting suit that left her hands, feet and head bare. With an arcane gesture, a pair of small Flame Sprites appeared over each shoulder and slowly orbited the shaman as they started heading in the rough direction of their quarry.
Eager with anticipation and the thrill of facing such a threat in combat, Taki was all too excited to really push the limits of her own magic and ability. This would prove to be a fine test of her growth and skills, and would allow her to discover any weaknesses that she hadn't already accounted for. As they traveled, the shaman concentrated on her Geomagnetic Sense, which spread out along the ground and gave her a mental map of the the surrounding obstacles, creatures, and terrain. She did her best to keep her composure, steadying her breathing and calming her excited state.
The spirits in the area were restless, actively flitting about the Mesa. She listened in on their whispers, soft voices that spoke in simple ideas. They were unsettled by some creature further from camp, skulking about waiting to ambush prey. A determined grin spread across her face, they were closing the distance on their quarry.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Jul 11, 2023 20:31:40 GMT -5
Offering Gerhart one of the viscous transmutation potions, Astrid pokes fun at him. “The breath ain’t one time, yer constitution just ain’t great,” she teases. Taki has a good point though, the trolls are blind, so the most important thing for them is to tread lightly. Given that Astrid and Gerhart are both heavily armored… that isn’t the most likely of things that will happen.
“Last time we tried ta sneak up on ‘em an’ be careful, but I think if we can just find a good spot fer a fight inside, we can set ourselves up ta win.” Astrid looks at the mouth of the cave then at Taki as she seems to be concentrating on something. After a moment, it seems she’s realized something, and the group exchanges a bit of a nod before heading into the labyrinthine cave.
Gerhart pointed out the smell of blood, but it’s obvious even to Astrid’s much less sensitive nose. “Ah, gods, it smells like freshly poured iron in here,” she says quietly, wafting the scent away from her nose to the best of her ability (and with little effect). It’s a creepy tunnel system, one of many that weaves through the canyons of Arid Mesa, and the smell of blood or iron or whatever it is gives everything a foreboding feeling.
Last time she scouted the cave with her replicants, but this time, she’s going to use them to create a lot of noise and distractions for anything they come across, but until they run into a problem, she reserves her mana for that. Taki seems to have some idea of where to go.
Something she thinks would be particularly effective, however, is keeping a couple of charged rocks ready to throw and disorient any monsters, so she reaches down and collects a couple of fist-sized stones while they creep in the darkness. Each rock she charges with a bit of electrical magic ready to be activated at a moment’s notice.
Beist’s transmutation potion (1/2 offered to Gerhart) Night Vision Thunder Bomb (cast twice, once on each rock) Elementalist charges gained: 4
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Jul 12, 2023 21:05:25 GMT -5
"I'd like to see you do it twice after breaking a few ribs." He blows a raspberry at Astrid before giving a soft laugh. "I'm not confident those trolls would be the only thing we find, that's just my thinking....These things are definitely way smarter than I think any of us thought...I wouldn't be surprised if they recruited some others."
Gerhart won't press the issue was they walk, just sharing his thoughts. They were both right that stealth was almost entirely off the table once they found the king. These trolls seemed to have senses pretty on par with his own which was stupidly high.
The overpouring scent made it hard for the ranger to pinpoint any direction to go. It was unsettling out it seemed to spread out everywhere and didn't concentrate in one direction. As if they needed any more proof of just how dangerous this thing is.
"Hold on just a second before we go too much further." Gerhart puts a hand to each of their shoulders, a brief starry cloak seems to wrap around them. "Just a bit of security."[1]
"Now then," He crouches down a moment to look down the path ahead, narrowing his eyes till he spots them. "Footprints."[2] He looks over to Taki to confirm with her scouting as well. She seemed to have a pretty good intuition, so it would be good to have both of them checking in to make sure they were going in the right direction.
1. Armor of Faith (one hit prevention for Taki and Astrid) 2. Genius Tracker
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 13, 2023 6:24:33 GMT -5
Taki held up a fist to signal a halt. She took a deep breath and waved the pair back. Her Geomagnetic Sense trembled, like a hundred flies landing in a spider's web. Without a sound, she turned and ushered them back towards the camp. As they were exiting the tunnel, she finally spoke up. "We're going to need the defenses everyone's prepared for this... it's a huge horde below and it's coming... No time to waste, someone needs to get to the camp and get everyone ready, the other pair of us need to draw them to the field prepared for this. Let's hunt the hunters." She said, her tone deadly serious.
The shaman started moving towards camp again, wanting to keep ahead of the approaching horde. How had so many been gathered at once? Just how powerful was the King Troll commanding such a number? Taki steeled her spirit as she gave the other two freedom to discuss her idea before replying. She was pondering the possibilities, dangers and paths they might all take to overcome this incredible force. It was going to be a dangerous outing, far more than anticipated... She touched each of their shoulders and a tiny seedling spirit appeared.
"They'll ease the small stuff, so long as they don't get hit. A bit of healing in case we get separated in the chaos that's coming behind us. Now... one last trick to get them good and worked up." She explained, then reached into her pocked and grabbed a small pebble from a pouch of 5. Rearing back, she launched the projectile in an arc aimed at the entrance to the Troll lair.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Jul 15, 2023 17:14:12 GMT -5
Fair point. Gerhart certainly took the majority of the beating in the first encounter with the trolls. This time around, Astrid hopes none of them take a significant number of hits, but knowing what they’re hunting, she figures that’s not entirely possible. It’s just important to stay on their toes.
Luckily, Gerhart and Taki both have some sort of preventative measures for their teammates, and Astrid feels a bit odd not being able to offer up much of anything similar. When she was fighting Ziev, she felt some sort of protective spirits that she could summon, but she hasn’t been able to manifest them ever since. Those would certainly be helpful for this kind of thing.
Suddenly, Taki ushers them out of the tunnel and explains why: the trolls inside are on the move. They must have sensed everyone at the different entrances making their way inside. As silent as groups might try to move, there’s only so much anyone can do against the trolls’ sense of smell. The urgency at which things fall into motion brings a rush of adrenaline and anxiety through Astrid.
Finally, she finds her words. “The old farts at camp won’t listen ta me,” she says. “They don’t like havin’ a kid around, but I can help lead ‘em ta the canyon where all the ballista are!”
Seedling from Taki - heals minor damage +1 hit prevention (Gerhart’s Armor of Faith) Elementalist charges: 4
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Jul 16, 2023 19:26:06 GMT -5
"I think our first plan above all the others should be making sure we don't get separated, but everything helps." He smiles at the little spirit. "And don't worry, I have the messages covered."
He motions with his head up to the sky where Halcyon takes a wide circle above the area, "The camp is prepared but if anything...I don't know unexpected happens I can alert Hal and we worked out some quick codes that Thoman can relay to everyone back in camp. Figured that's their best jobs, Hal can't fit down there and Thoman's good at healing, but he's not really a fighter."
"Don't Astrid, we'll make'em listen to us after this." Gerhart smiles and pats her shoulder as Taki throws the pebble. He wondered if getting them more riled up was really necessary, but a little late. Either way it seemed like they weren't exactly bothering with sneaking anyways, so he wasn't complaining.
"Be great if we had someone like Shaa to scare the little ones off and flush'em to the surface, but I guess that'll be up to us......Or man I shoulda thought of this sooner! We coulda asked some of the alchemists to make us something awful smelling to throw off their sense of smell. Oh well, that's just putting off the fight until later, let's just get to it!"
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 25, 2023 17:52:29 GMT -5
Taki summoned her guardians, each appearing between the three adventurers. Their aura would assist with healing, and empower any magics cast within while greatly debilitating any trolls who entered the field. As the tossed pebble struck just inside the lair's entrance, it made a deep thudding noise that echoed through the tunnels below. The shaman could sense the group shift, now focused on the one exit. She backed up and spread out, forming a semi-circle with the others around the hole.
It was only a few moments later that the sounds of heavy, marching feet could be heard coming from the cave below. With an arcane word and a flourish, a pair of Flame Sprites appeared at her sides. They orbited slowly as the shaman found a comfortable position and drew a pair of shurikens from their pouch at her waist. Huffing, grunting vocalizations came from the cave's entrance as the first of the smaller trolls approached.
Before the first troll appeared from the cavernous opening, the Sprites each unleashed a lancing bolt of flame to strike at the first of the trolls. It howled in pain and anguish as the flames burrowed into flesh.
"Whatever we're going to do, the first of them are here and they've got lots of friends. Time to enjoy the mayhem!" Exclaimed the shaman, goading the trolls out to her waiting comrades and spells.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Aug 1, 2023 16:53:04 GMT -5
Admittedly, the stealthy approach probably would’ve put them at a disadvantage anyway, especially given that Astrid and Gerhart aren’t necessarily the quietest in their approaches. While the exit from the cave felt sudden, at least they’re in the open, which puts everyone in a better position to fight the extremely tough enemies that are the trolls. Gerhart and Astrid struggled enough against just three of them before – at least this time they have all the space in the world to have at them.
With a few of them emerging and immediately shot by flames from Taki’s sprites, Astrid decides to take advantage of the flames and throws both of the rocks charged with electricity at them. She releases the charges, and two massive explosions of electricity and concussive force blow the first wave of trolls off their feet.
“Let’s draw ‘em all ta the valley where the ballista are set up!” Astrid shouts. “If we can get the king out here, I can prepare a spell ta hold ‘em down so we can wail on ‘im!” If she can only use that spell she learned from Scern once today, this is the perfect creature to use it on! Lock it in place then obliterate it with the defenses!
Thunder bomb (x2 released) Seedling from Taki - heals minor damage +1 hit prevention (Gerhart’s Armor of Faith) Elementalist charges: 4
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Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Aug 1, 2023 21:31:29 GMT -5
"You two are lucky I'm here, getting things annoyed enough to chase me is a specialty." He grins and motions for them to start heading that way, he wouldn't be far behind them.
The trolls huff and roar, especially after being shot in multiple different ways. Fire singes some hairs while the electricity puts the fur that remains on edge. While they already looked strange, this did not help things. As they beat their chests and start to chase after, Gerhart rushes in to try and cut them off.
"Hold on guys, don't leave without me!" The ranger grins and uses his Guardian Blade to cut at the calf of one, ducking the swipe of another.
He specifically avoids using his scalded blade for the moment, let them heal and think they can keep up on the chase. Gerhart keeps pace with the trolls as they start to chase the group he hopes has started to move towards the valley. It's hard to hold back for a kid who is so used to go as hard as he can as quickly as possible, but at some point in his life he was bound to do something tactically sound.
"Keep going, don't worry about me." He calls ahead before having to stop to block an oncoming punch. A troll seems to have put his focus on stopping Gerhart while the others give chase. "I'll catch up!"
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Post by Shitakibo on Aug 4, 2023 14:58:09 GMT -5
Taki danced across the earth, laughing and jeering at the trolls as their blows cut through the air around her. She ducked, dodged and tumbled through a maelstrom of wild attacks. Withered by her Guardian's auras, the shaman drew back from the entrance. Leading the group out further into the field, the three adventurers sewed all manner of havoc amongst their ranks. Ryu and Keta moved with them, keeping their aura engulfing the trio and those closest.
"Come now you smelly bloodworms, what's the matter?! You couldn't hit your own noses on your face!! Bwahahahahah!!" Taki goaded, laughing even louder as a few of the trolls smashed themselves in the face with defiant roars. With a moment to breathe afforded by the foolish act, the shaman uttered another incantation. Another pair of Sprites appeared orbiting around with the first. Each spouted a bolt of flame, striking a pair of nearby trolls with bright bolts. They shrieked high pitched screams, one dropping as the pair of projectiles tore through it's calf. As it toppled over, several of those behind were pressed into the injured obstacle and piled up. Ever the quick thinker, the shaman's hands appeared to throw something skyward. A moment later, the trolls were impaled by a Crystalline Shard bursting forth from the ground. It's barbed edges and sharp faces punched through the stacked trolls like a gruesome kabob.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Aug 5, 2023 21:27:36 GMT -5
With Taki and Gerhart taunting the trolls and making them especially angry, Astrid figures now is as good a time as any to start preparing the magic to cast Scern’s spell. While she makes a break for the valley, one troll emerges from the cavern with a barbed spear dripping with blood. Shriveled, tiny mushrooms from inside the cave fall to his feet.
With great force, the troll flings the spear over his companions and the two in front of him to the small fleeing snack. His aim is true, and the spear looks as if it will strike Astrid dead center in the back, but at the last minute, a shimmering golden shield of magic appears in the air to block the attack, and the spear splashes to the ground in a puddle of blood. Astrid glances back to see what she just missed and is immediately glad for Gerhart’s magical armor. These trolls aren’t playing around.
A deep, guttural roar escapes the mouth of the cave. Heavy footsteps mark the entrance of the king troll. Much larger than his already large and powerful troll subjects, his shoulders scrape the top of the cave, dusting them with rubble as he steps into the bright sunlight of the day. The troll who threw the spear looks back to see the leader only for the troll king to reach forward and dig his claws into either shoulder of his subject and tear the troll asunder with little effort. A spray of blood shimmers in the sky before some magic stops its fall. The drops of blood gather together in the king troll’s hand, creating a gnarled greatsword that the mighty troll king can wield with only a single hand.
With his other hand, he motions back toward the cave, and dozens of red mushrooms are pulled forward by some magic. Then, they’re drained of all liquid, their husks fall to the ground, and what appears to be blood forms into a series of floating spears around the troll king. These insolent humanoids won’t stand a chance against him. How dare they disturb his slumber! He lets out another roar and sends the blood spears careening forward toward Taki and Gerhart.
Astrid is prepping Scern’s Godkiller this round -1 hit prevention from Gerhart’s Armor of Faith Seedling from Taki - heals minor damage Elementalist charges: 4
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