------- Ohara the Quick and the Trolls -------- To the north mountains create a wall against the earth's end, and it is from that wall that a small contingent of trolls marches with precision and order. Small, yes. But like a finely tuned blade of an assassins dagger, deadly. It is not wonder the guards seem to be taken back when the trolls march into sight. Trolls marching in daylight with armor shining brightly is not a very usual sight. Concealed behind plant growth is a large squadron of Edgekeep guardsmen, led by Ohara the Quick, who have gotten word that the trolls come from an area recently looted by Edgekeep adventurers to reclaim their stolen goods. The trolls neglected to realize, however, that the goods were stolen in the first place. The trolls near and do not notice the people concealed around them and only sense something strange when Ohara the Quick walks out in front of them on the path. The trolls are lined up two by two, following a leader of sorts who now confronts Ohara. "Might I know your reason for traveling these parts so far away from you home?" questions Ohara. In response, the troll lunges for Ohara with a large beaked pole-axe, barely missing pulverizing Ohara's skull. From the bushes fly a course of arrows, most of which bound harmlessly off the troll contingent's armor, but do cause some disruption as two trolls fall, greviously wounded. From the bushes near Ohara a strange occurance takes place for what looked to be the druid Phaedrus jumped out, but in mid jump turned into a large wolf-like being, launching itself at the troll confronting Ohara. Ohara had, in the meantime, rolled to the side and pulled out his blade. The wolf, Phaedrus, snapped his jaws on the protruding chin of the head troll, perhaps aiming for the throat. The troll seemed to like this not at all, and struck Phaedrus' furry side with a spiked gauntlet, seeming only to enrage the wolf. At that instant, Ohara had come up to the side of the head troll and viciously rammed his blade into the opening of armor under the armpit, causing the troll to scream violently. In the meantime, the guardsmen had begun their attack, forcing the trolls into two groups so as to make it easier in the hack-n-slash area. Screaming, a guardsman falls minus an arm, and splashes blood on the ground in a large spray, causing one of the trolls to lose his footing and fall, his heavy armor causing him difficulty in regaining his feet, and then as his neck is pierced by a spear he finds he has no need to get up ever again. From the side, near the vegetation surrounding the area, three guardsmen stand. These men, however, are different, for even though they have the markings of the guard, however they wear robes. From their hands a green fire emerged and connects to form one thick fire. It shoots towards a group of trolls and suddenly explodes into a rain of piercing dart like flame spears, and swiftly causes the armor of four trolls to melt into their skin, causing them great pain, and eventually death. The five remaining trolls, including the leader still in battle, but losing, with the wolf form of Phaedrus and Ohara the Quick, pull themselves together into a group via the deaths of three guardsmen, and try to retreat towards the north, but are met by the working ends of various arrows shot from the archers. Gurgling his last breath, a troll goes down with a long black shaft in his throat. Ohara in the meantime continues to battle the lead troll, who in turn tries to fend off Ohara's vicious attacks and at the same time get Phaedrus off him. Phaedrus, his fur now matted with blood, lets go of the troll's face, and falls to the ground. He turns around and sees Ohara trip over a fallen troll, and watches as the troll leader throws his pole-ax at him. Leaping through the air with more power and spead than just a normal wolf, Phaedrus grabs the handle of the axe with his powerful jaws and deflects the weapon so it doesn't hit Ohara, who stands up and is able to kill the troll leader, now weaponless, but not without a slight struggle that leaves a large wound in Ohara's left shoulder. The remaining three trolls are quickly dispatched by the sheer overwhelming numbers of the guardsmen and the battle is over. Six guardsmen in all fell, and many more were wounded. Ohara suffers a large wound on his left shoulder, and is unable to move that arm because of it. Phaedrus suffers deep puncture wounds to his side and back from the guantlet of the troll and is having great trouble staying conscious. ---------------------------------------------------