"Why are you looking? Can you not read my sign? TROLLS KEEP OUT" The voice is slightly angry but the bright light suddenly goes away. Now Verzeg can see a short human beyond the gate, he is wearing a short sleeveless tunic. There is a dagger on his belt but he has not weapon drawn.

Verzeg, usually a bit fearful, ignorantly thinks that as the man isn't armed and armoured he isn't dangerous. He has yet to meet a caster of frightening ability that doesn't need to rely on mere weapons.

"Well," he stammers, "if you writted it or painted it uz can't see it." He says cautiously. "It's got to be scratched or dug."

He lowers his spear so as not to be rude, this isn't his hole after all.

"Can we stay here today mister hooman? We're hiding from the uzko and if they catch us they'll rip us to bits."
This message was last edited by the player at 09:16, Tue 26 Mar 2019.

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 2):

"Hmmm, big trolls. I have no time for them, destroyers and eaters that they are. You may come into my tunnel. They will not get in here without being hurt. Mind you, if you plan on hurting me Issaries's magic will turn on you." He beckons to you and then turns, walking off along the long, straight tunnel.

Verzeg gives a toothy grin, but to be honest with his mouth he has little choice.

He waves to the others and they scamper after him, trying to keep up with his long human legs.

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 4):

As you are entering the tunnel a loud scraping noise comes from behind you. Looking round you see a watch beetle coming out of the entrance way you used to get in. Its large mandibles snapping.

Trolls typically use this type of beetle for hunting.

Knowing that the gate is useless Verzeg fears a pack of beetles are arriving.

"Quick!" He says to his friends, "follow the hooman!" He readies his spear and attacks, prepared to sell his life dearly.

Verzeg Black Beetle rolled 92 using 1d100.  SR6, Spear attack. (86%). Failure

Verzeg Black Beetle rolled 14 using 1d100.  Spear parry, 69%. Success

In reply to Verzeg Black Beetle (msg # 6):

The beetle pushes forward out of the tunnel, Verzeg can see at least 2 more behind it.

He jabs with his spear but the blow misses the mark. The huge snapping mandibles clack shut, about to bite his head but the shaft of his spear deflects the jaws away.

A distant voice shouts "Into the tunnel! They cannot follow you."

Backing up, Verzeg jabs again.

Verzeg Black Beetle rolled 38 using 1d100.  Spear parry, 69%. Success
Verzeg Black Beetle rolled 90 using 1d100.  SR6, Spear attack. (86%). Failure
Movement: Verzeg moves 1m/SR while attacking and runs 4m/SR otherwise for a total movement of 22m
This message was last edited by the player at 19:45, Tue 26 Mar 2019.

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

Verzeg's spear attack misses but the beetle also misses with its attempt at a bite. As he gets into the other tunnel he hears a sudden howling noise, loud and continuous, when the beetle follows him in. As soon as the noise starts the beetle is seemingly cut in half and drops to the floor. Three other beetles charge towards the tunnel. The first loses a leg as it enters. Verzeg sees no more as he flees.

Once Verzeg is out of combat he starts running and doesn't stop

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

He bursts into a large room with wide double doors at the end. The man is stood near the tunnel Verzeg has just left. The other trollkin are cowering behind him. "Stand with you friends for a moment. If anything else comes down the tunnel I have one use of a salamander that will take care of them." The man says. Then he turns to face the trollkin "I am Danzar, Priest of Issaries, pleased to meet you." before turning his attention back to the tunnel.

Verzeg, temporarily safe, aims his pear back down the tunnel and waits for the worst.

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

There is a scraping noise from the tunnel which goes on for some while until the front half of a beetle emerges, you assume the back half is somewhere in the tunnel. As it emerges it seems to get chopped in two.

Danzar turns to face the trollkin, "That seems to be that. Now my fine fellows, apart from these beetles, what brings you into my warehouse?"

Verzeg blinks at the incredible display of magic. Truth to be told, he's more than a little over-awed.

"Well, we're enlo running away." He blurts out plainly, lying never occurring to him. "The uzko kill us when they want and we are slaves from birth. But we thought, 'no more!' So we ran off. We are trying to get over The Great River to a place called Smalltown where the world is made the right size for Little Things. There we'll be able to have our own Upright Country and live our whole lives out, and not fill an uzko belly when we get older."

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

Danzar rolls the word around his mouth "Enlo... en-lo... eenlo." When he is satisfied he continues "This is my warehouse and also a shrine to Issaries. It is guarded by my magic but also by some warriors of Orlanth. We use that tunnel to bring in goods I can trade and supply to certain special friends of mine."

He walks across to a large wooden cupboard and pulls out a bottle of liquor and several leather beakers. He pours each trollkin a cup and hands them round before he starts talking again. "You are safe in here now but if you are going to Smalltown then you will need to leave and head again into danger. I can show you another way out, where the trolls will need to hunt for a while to find your trail. It is in the middle of an area controlled by a band of Humakti and they have no love of darkmen and will not tolerate them in their territory, so that will get your more time. I also offer you this choice, you can stay with me here and work for me. I have need of 3 or 4 assistants and can pay in clacks, or bolgs if that would be your preference."

He looks round at the trollkin to measure their response.

Verzeg takes off his helmet, showing his scarred face. He scratches his nose in thought and turns to the other trollkin.

"The hooman is talking about money." He opens his pouch and takes out a clack, showing it to them. "No Madzeg, don't eat it."

"This is a clack, it can be traded for other things. What the hooman says is that if we do some work for him he'll give us our very own clacks, and we can trade them for things. I have a lot of these things and that's where I got a lot of my stuff, and all my spells and things."

He can see their fear and quickly adds "no, we wouldn't be slaves again, this is kinda different. We can leave when we like, all we have to be is polite and give a certain amount of warning that we want to go. I think that staying quiet for a bit and letting the uzko get bored and leave is a good idea. We would still be going to Smalltown, just waiting a bit and getting clacks in the meantime."

He looks at them for their replies.

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

All the other enlo clamour loudly, excited at the prospect of earning their own copper discs. The feeling seems to be that staying, at least in the short term, is a viable option.

"One other thing I forgot to add, although you seem happy enough to stay, mostly you will be working in here. These lanterns bring the only light so usually it is darker than it is now but Yelm's face is never seen in here and it is always cool. There are many rats and large insects and worms for you to catch and eat." Danzar intejects. "The first job I have for you is one of hunting. There is a pack of rubble runners roaming the cellars here, they keep ruining the food supplies I'm bringing in. It's costing me money and my friends are getting impatient for their supplies."

"Rubble runners make good eating!" Says Verzeg, grinning. "With those beetles out there we'll be fat as ham beetles!"