"I think I need some better armor, and weapons for that matter..." said with a weary smile.

"We need lots of things," Tanyl says morosely.

"Oh buck up, everybody," Delta chides, pulling out her lute, and tuning the strings.

Running a such thru the neck, to act as a bit of a muffler, she plucked at it, generating quiet but pleasant tones.

"We can do this, things have gotten rough, but we have come out on top so far, and we can see this thru to the end."

She sang a little cheerful ditty about overcoming adversity, sung with the accent of the rough and tumble west country and with a hint of bawdiness. Just a hint, no point upsetting the holy man.

Afterwards she cooked up a hearty meal, gentle on the spices for those still recovering, then spent the rest of the evening sharpening her darts, which she recovered from the battle with the scorpions, and chatting with any who aren't lost in their own thoughts and hand-feeding her little rat friend.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:17, Fri 21 Oct 2022.

Vala grins. "You always know just what to say Delta, and as always I love your cooking."

The warrioress seems quite recovered from her brush with death. "It is true we suffered but I know we can carry on."

The only exit past the scorpions lies to the Northwest, and the adventurers, carefully continue their explorations.  The next four hours prove to be tense, but both tiresome and somewhat disappointing.  Passages and caverns are found and explored, small cave crickets, a small pool of water with tiny white fish, mud and dripping water, and a huge cavern full of normal and squeaking bats, all noted, and the passages end up looping back upon themselves all the way back to the entrance.   No more attacks come, no trolls are found.

Not ones to give up, a long and slow search of the cavern walls for secret passages begins.  It takes another full day, requiring another night of sleeping in the caves before Tanyl's elven senses discovers on what looks like the thumb of some passages that form a hand, a door hidden in the wall.  It is unlocked, untrapped, and opens onto a carved set of stairs leading steeply down.  Far below, torchlight flickers.

ooc:  I decided to advance through some stuff rather than make a slow process of searching the rest of the upper caverns.  Everyone gets a full nights rest so are back to full HPS and Spells.

OOC: Thanks GM!

The corridors are fascinating to the Gnome, having spent much of her life underground. These are different from what she is used to, but she still see's things that are familiar.

If any of the fish seem worthy of more than two bites, she will try to capture a small handful and store them in her special bag.

She would like to sing, sensing that the others might not be so comfortable buried away from the sky and the sun, but stifles the urge as any sound she made would probably echo and attract danger.

Once Tanyl's skills once again saved the day, she peered down the stairs nervously.

"I have to imagine this is the way," Delta said in a low voice.

"Yeah," Tanyl sighs.  "I suppose it is."

He advances down the stairs cautiously.

Getting on her hands and knees, Delta watches carefully as Tanyl descends, a spell on her lips should he need assistance.

The stairs end in a small square foyer, it used to have door which has long past rotted away.  Beyond the door are the crumbling remains of a fort or temple, the walls are half standing, have rubble.  The center once likely housed several rooms but the walls are all collapsed into piles of stone and rotted wood.  Bones are strewn about throughout the large room, along with firepans seemingly randomly placed that cast the room on orange flickering glow.

At the front of what used to be the entrance to the inner rooms, two scaled lizard like creatures lie sleeping.  In the very center of the room, on a large chair made from piled stones, is a large troll.  One of its arms ends below the elbow with bone sticking out, and half its face is sunken in, the eye socket on that side just a black hole.  With its whole arm, it motions for you to come closer.

Much here is puzzling: An injured but not-healing troll . . . beckoning the party over . . . while lizard-things nap?

"Get a torch ready," Tanyl whispers as he cautiously advances a step (but no more) while giving the troll a quizzical look.

The room seems well lit, but Delta lights a torch anyway, then follows slowly behind the elf. There is certainly strangeness here. She drank it all in, cataloguing every detail for a future saga. This was truly a moment fraught with potential...

The troll speaks with a deep voice, in the common tongue.

"Ugh, an elf, and a priest too, now a warrior and a gnome, that's not too bad.  So, are you here to gawk at what's left of the great BoneGnasher, to soak in the splendor of my lush
final home, to make away with my great wealth, or just to try to finish the job others have
started and finally kill the rest of me?"

As he speaks the two lounging lizards stir and open their eyes, but don't move in any other way.

Stepping out from behind Tanyl, Delta lowered her torch and spoke, her sympathy for the Troll clear in her voice.

"We are just looking for an item of importance to deceased man spirit. We would help it rest easier, and it is thought that you have it. Once we have that, we have no further business here, unless you too need help resting easier?"

At least his unease is normal, Tanyl thinks.

Despite his misgivings he doesn't interrupt Delta's attempt at parley.

The BoneGnasher laughs, and its a dreadful sound, and waves his hands around.

"I don't think I have any magical or valuable items, but feel free to look around.  If you find it, I'll trade it to you.....for the elf"

The two lizard creatures flick through tongue and make some hissing noises, perhaps in approval.

"Oh great BoneGnasher, your sense of humor was not one of the things we had learned from the legends of your greatness. Would you like to hear some of tales? I can sing for you, while my friends search for the Hearthstone of the library of the advisor of Timiteus the First, then we can discuss who will whom a favor for it's return home."

Unless sudden action of some sort ensues, the Gnome pulls out her lute, plucks at it's strings to ensure it is in tune, and begins to sing a
song.

The rhythm is simple, almost a cadence, and while the words sing of the Great BoneGnasher, it is mixed heavily with nonsense sounds, as she is making it up as she goes along.

It discusses, in vague terms, the prowess of the troll, and the legend of it's fame, with few details or specifics. It also discusses his wisdom, and his legacy, that he may be remembered, should his song be sung, or forgotten if that chance never came.

The very words of the song seem to ask the question: does he wish to be remembered? Does he wish to live on in the tales of the bards, and the frightened stories of the children? Would such a gift be enough to trade for such a simple thing as a hearth stone?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:36, Sun 30 Oct 2022.

Vala says appreciatively to the sound of Delta's music, hoping the troll has unusually good taste.

Tanyl keeps his distance from the troll and his lizard friends.

Nargion whispers to the others, "If this object is magical, I can cast a spell that might show me its location, should I?"

The lizards watch, flicking their tongues as if to taste the song, while the Troll sits
quiet, nodding a few times, when the song ends, he merely shakes his head.

"An interested offer gnome, but not at all my style, I must say no, but I'll eat you
last as a reward for your cleverness!"

Rising, he let's out a growl of sorts and the three creatures begin to move forward.

"If you do not wish me to sing about your life, we can certainly sing about your death. You will forgive me if I add a few colorful details about how we found you here, in soiled diapers, pleasuring your lizard friends with your mouth, I hope. Such details will get great laughter at your decline into depravity."

If we couldn't do this peacefully, maybe rage will work in our favor.

Raising her hand she tosses a small handful of colored sand in the direction of the foes, centered on the troll, sand which explodes into a spray of dynamic and vivid spray of colors.

Delta responds first fanning bright sprays of color at the approaching foes.  Almost immediately, the two lizards open their mouths as if to roar but instead belch out blackness, a darkness that spreads out leaving the party completely in the dark, as if blind.

Vala curses and draws her sword - but does not swing it yet. The barbarian warrioress tries to rely on her other senses, hearing, sent, touch to get a feel for the place now that her eyes have suddenly betrayed her.

Tanyl grumbles.  He is unaccustomed to being unable to see and his options in such a situation are few.

He draws his sword and dagger and tries to quietly circle to the left.

Startled by the darkness, a shade of night unusually potent, as she can usually see well enough when night descends, Delta reaches into her pouch and pulls out a small pearly stone. Calling upon her eldritch training, she calls forth magical light, though she is uncertain if it will counter the darkness.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:29, Wed 09 Nov 2022.