Session 16
Hearing the thunderous stomps coming from the shadows, the party turns to the broken door in the center of the keep. Kristov quickly reaches into his magic sack and throws a poison antidote to Gwyn.
Then, Jabari, Kristov, and Gwyn race over to the doorway to take up positions for a surprise attack.
With just moments to spare, they get in place as a giant, stinking troll lumbers through the door. The stench is so overpowering it makes all three weak in the knees.
Mustering what strength he has left, Kristov smashes his hammer down on the troll and shouts, “Ho, ho, ho! Someone’s been a naughty boy!”
Roaring in pain, the troll lets loose a belch that reeks of swamp gas. The stench stings the eyes of the entire party and causes them to reel back.
Finding her feet once more, Gwyn slashes at the monster with her longsword, slicing him open. Disregarding the pain, the troll tries to rake Jabari with his claws, but the wolfkin can block the attack with his shield.
Kristov tries his best, but the stench overpowers him, and all he can do is crawl to a corner and yell out for healing while he wheezes.
At this point, the troll lets loose with another blast of its swamp breath. The stench causes Jabari and Gwyn to lose their composure entirely. The wolfkin flies into a fit of rage while the swordswoman cowers in the corner of the stables.
Tolu, the archer, tries to comfort the wolfkin and says in a calm voice, “Don’t worry. It will be fine. The gods have everything in their control.”
The speech does little to help Jabari or Gwyn, and they remain uncommunicative in their fits. Meanwhile, the troll lumbers over to the wolfkin and viciously slashes him with its claws. Jabari is wounded in the attack and is infected with a disease from the monster’s rancid claws.
Calling upon the new magic, he has learned, Faus summons all his willpower to cause a rain of loose stone to fall on the troll. Battered and broken, the monster retreats a step. Unfortunately, the spell drains Faus and causes a magical mishap. He is stricken with a mysterious disease. It also affects Aug.
Gathering its wits, the troll lashes out again, striking Jabari and Tolu. In return, Faus throws another rock, causing significant damage to the beast.
Seeing that the troll is on its last legs, Aug runs at it wildly and stabs it in the belly. The wound is enough to bring the troll to its knees, allowing the thief to put the beast down.
With the troll finally vanquished, Aug and Tolu are overcome by the poison from the vines and are paralyzed, unable to move. Jabari and Gwyn, despite seeing the troll die, are still distraught and can’t help their fellows.
Faus races over to Kristov and heals the peddler. So overjoyed with his success, he starts dancing and playing the pipe he took from the demon earlier in the week. The silly dance and song lift the entire party’s spirits, allowing Kristov, Jabari, and Gwyn to fully come back to their senses.
The sorcerer tries to heal Jabari of his sickness, but the wolfkin growls at him, keenly aware that the magic-user is also stricken with his own illness.
Kristov goes from person to person, trying to nurse them out of the worst of the sickness’ effects. He is successful in curing Jabari, but Aug remains sickened. The poor thief later dies in the night.
The peddler looks to return the sorcerer’s favor and attempts to heal him despite the magical disease. Not only is the old man successful, but he also fends off an infection of his own.
The next day, Gwyn and Kristov search the troll’s lair’s interior while everyone else rests. They mostly find refuse and shit but do discover the keep’s forge.
Once everyone else is fully healed, the entire party searches the keep. Tolu is unfortunately still suffering from the poison, but no one has an antidote to give him.
The party determines that the keep is worth salvaging. It takes them almost two days, but they clear out most of the trash and refuse. They discover some copper coins during their labors, a precious vase, a golden diadem, a bronze sarcophagus, and a finely-made waterskin.
Looking out over the cleared-out keep, Kristov knows that it’ll take a master builder to repair the walls. He turns back to the shores of The Tin, and hopes that Sertold returns with good news and a new town for them to venture to…
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