In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 8):

Verzeg's third victim is wielding a short sword but fails completely to prevent the axe slicing him neatly in two.

Rostakos gives chase to the fleeing rubble runner-man but it moves twice as fast as him and is soon disappearing down the tunnel.

As Rastakos disappears down the tunnel Verzeg goes to follow him and then suddenly thinks better of it. Perhaps, he thinks, Rastakos will turn his blade on Verzeg if he cannot find and enemy?
With that in mind he looks at the bundle on the table.

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 10):

The bundle on the table turns out to be a tightly bound and gagged female human. It is s small one by normal human standards so is probably a young one.

Verzeg allows his flaming axe to extinguish itself. He drops it into it's belt loop and takes out his utility knife and quickly cuts the woman's bonds.

"Hooman, listen carefully! Rostakos the Storm Khan is gripped by the fury of the bull. We cannot stay here, if he returns still in a frenzy he'll chop us up into bits smaller than a ham beetle! I am going to lead you away into the dark, but you must trust me and hold onto my hand. We'll see how long it takes for him to calm and then we will rejoin him and we will take you away from this place and to somewhere safe."

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 12):

The girl looks terror stricken, tears streak her face but she nods to show she has understood. She stands and grasps the trollkin's hand waiting to be led. She is a little taller (6cm) than Verzeg and seems to be approaching the right height for an adult female.

Verzeg takes her hand and smiles to show he's sincere, unfortunately displaying battery of imposing teeth and tusks. Still pumped from the effects of the fanaticism he doesn't spare a thought for the wounded scattered about the room and their probably fate when Rostakos reappears. He takes the slight human of into the darkest area he can find, looking also for a small crawl-space if needed should Rostakos somehow detect them.

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 14):

Verzeg finds what seems to be an old fireplace that allows him and the girl to hide in. After a while Rostakos comes back in to the room. He surveys the bodies and quickly beheads any showing signs of life. From his hiding place Verzeg can't see any signs of Beserk still influencing the Storm Khan. Having seen Zorak Zoran trolls fighting under its power he knows what it looks like.

Cautiously, and leaving the girl hidden in the fireplace, Verzeg comes back out and hails Rostakos.

"You look like you're not crazy." States Verzeg bluntly, ready to run should Rostakos fly into a rage.

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 16):

Rostakos looks anoyed but not frenzied. "Whoever it was has escaped. He got outside and I couldn't track his chaos as the whole area out there is full of it. But we have his arm so we just need to look out for an armless man. Anyway, who is this?"

Verzeg rubs his nose with the back of his gauntlet as says "a sacrificial victim." From his initiation of Zorak Zoran he knows too well what a sacrifice looks like. "She was tied up and gagged, I have only just set her free."

Verzeg looks over at the girl and gestures for her to come closer.

"It is safe, there is no harm in him. Do you know who these men were that brought you here?"

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 18):

"No, but I told them Orlanth would send the Bull. That's when they stopped me talking. When they grabbed me they were wearing clothes of Praxian tribesmen but I can't tell the difference well enough to know which tribe."

Verzeg looks around and then checks the bodies for anything worth sharing.

"I am no tracker but I have a good nose. Do you want me to check?"

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 20):

Rostakos nods "That would be most useful, but first we must get this little one back to safety, after we get her to the trader we can come back and you can sniff."

Taking the girl by the hand the burly Uroxi leads her through the tunnels until he finds Danzar. After explaining the situation he turns to Verzeg, "Come on then, let's find out who it is."

Again he leads the way until they come to a different exit, bright sunlight streaming in.

(OOC: Unless you have track by scent roll on the highest of scan, search or track)

In reply to Adrian (msg # 21):

Verzeg sniffs the ground by the exit but the confusion of rubble runners and various other creatures mask any scent that may be there. There is no sign of blood from the injured Krjalki or at least not a sufficient amount to follow, maybe it healed the wound.

In reply to Adrian (msg # 22):

Unhappy that he can't hunt the chaos  monster down for Rastakos, Verzeg consoles himself with the fact that they've saved the hooman from a fate worse than death

"What now chaos-bane?" He asks Rastakos
This message was last edited by the player at 08:19, Thu 14 Nov 2019.

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 23):

"We will go back to Danzar, tonight I will raise my cult and tomorrow there will be a slaughter of foul things in the Rubble."

Leading the way back to the central room where Danzar waits Rostakos explains the situation. "Farewell Darkman, your help is appreciated. Danzar, do me a favour and teach this one Protection for me." He hands a small pouch containing coins to the Issaries priest.

After Rostakos has left Verzeg explains that he already knows Protect 4 but can't keep it in mind.

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 25):

"Is there an item you would prefer instead? I have the money so you may take what you wish up to it's value."

"Could I have some room to make things?" Verzeg says after he gives up trying to equate human money equivalents. "My kin have very poor armour, so I'd like to make some armour like I have for them. Poor Madzeg almost had a limb cut off in that last fight."

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 27):

"That should be easy to do, Linnet here will take you to an abandoned workshop. There are even some tools in there that might be useful."

Verzeg is overjoyed. Having your own space is a sign of status for trollkin. He immediately looks at the room and invites his kin in so they can help to set it up trollkin-style. Bench tops are used for storage while underneath is for living in. Similarly any cupboards are usually seen as living space. Trollkin are used to taking up little room so they all jam in together.

Verzeg goes to Danzar and says "mighty Danzar, you are very good to us kin*. I have left some things back near the Stronglands. When you say it is okay I will go back there and retrieve it."

(*Verzeg doesn't quite understand that he's done himself out of money. He actually doesn't place a great deal of importance to it)

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 29):

"I would suggest that you wait a couple of nights if you can to make sure the trolls have calmed down. If you prefer tell us where it is and we can go during daylight when the trolls are less likely to be on the hunt."

"I would have to come with you as it's in a collapsed house and I'd have to show you which one. My pack beetle should be able to carry most of it."

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 31):

"Rest here tonight and then tomorrow we'll take you with us just before Yelm rises and fetch your stuff."

Verzeg nods. He's suddenly deathly tired and can hardly keep his eyes open. He gathers some food and goes back to where his kin are, watching them while he chews.

"Tomorrow Danzar will take us back to pick up all our stuff and I might trade with him afterwards. Then we have to think about moving on to Small Town like we originally wanted to. Soon the Uz will come looking for us again and it's best if we are not on this side of the river when they do."

He slumps down and pulls off his helmet, resting it beside himself.

"I have a plan. When I first met hoomans they taught me to use a 'boat', which is like a little bridge that moves all by itself. If we can hail a boat on the big river we can trade with the boat-hoomans to get to the other side with our stuff. Boats don't leave tracks or any scent so it will confuse the Uz when they look for us. Also I don't think the Uz go to the other side of the river much so over there we will not have to worry about being taken back."

He nods. They'd all rather die than be taken back and be made an example of to the other enlo to stop any thought of them running off like they had.

"Danzar seems to be pretty trustworthy so far but I think we'll be best off by ourselves. I don't know anything about the other side of the river except that Small Town is there. That's not really true, I do know that there's elfs right across from the Stronglands because I had to kill some once so we have to stay away from there. Somewhere outside the Walls That The Mothers Built there's a whole town of hoomans but the hoomans that I've talked to say that enlo probably won't be welcome there and that not all hoomans are kind like Danzar and some others I've met. Outside The Walls is nothing but a bright hell filled with monsters except down the River. I've been down there and while the food is good there's no place to hide because there's no ruins for some reason. Maybe the Mothers didn't make any there."

Verzeg pauses to strip off the his remaining armour and curl up in his blanket. He stops for a bit to let the kin talk among themselves and while doing so he recites the prayers that fill up his magical crystals.