Move 241:  Exploring the Topknot Caves

Arachne, Azrun, Blacky, Daelen, Rennirolas

Caves--Midday, Day 14

Arachne, Azrun, Blacky, Daelen, and Renn started down one of the tunnels.  After walking in about 30 yards, they had seen nothing remarkable.  The tunnel continued on into the darkness, out past the range of their lights.

Azrun snuck quietly with the rest of the group, "Ummm, should we go on? You know this tunnel is pretty wide. Maybe it's a main corridor further into the underdark. Those other tunnels back the way we came didn't seem as wide, perhaps they're just for the trolls' lair."

"I dunno, all these tunnels look the same to me." Daelen said, examining the walls. After a moment he crouched to look at the floor with some disinterest.

"If the rest of you can stay quiet for a minute I could listen for anything," Arachne suggested.  "Sniff for it, too."

Rennirolas nodded, then moved back up the passageway away from Arachne.  When she indicated that she was finished with her investigation, Renn said, "It would be nice to know if that troll that ran was the sole survivor of the clan.  Do any of you know much about trolls? They cannot have a clan size matching that of orcs or goblins, the surrounding lands simply wouldn't support their numbers," Renn rambled.  "And how clannish are they? Would the survivors of this clan seek refuge amongst the other, or would they leave the other clan to their fate.

"And I wonder how our companions are faring as well," Renn smiled.  "I wonder about a number of things, it seems," the moon elf said with a grin.

"Carmeneren seemed to think there were only two clans down here and that they didn't get along too well." Daelen remarked as he stood up and walked back towards the main cavern.

"I doubt they're down this way, I couldn't find traces of anything moving through here recently, much less a group of creatures as big as trolls."

---

Aloysius, Echo, Jana, Olaf

Aloysius, Jana, and Olaf walked into the tunnel.  Echo was presumably somewhere slightly ahead of them.  The tunnel immediately opened into a large cavern that was thick with green-gilled fungi.  Nothing else appeared to be in the cave.

"Anyone know what that green crap is?" Jana whispered.
 
Aloysius looked down at the growths.  "Mayhap it is a supplemental food source for the trolls," he suggested.  "Afraid am I that my knowledge of such things is limited to species that grow above-ground.  As I recall, Tauster loaned Azrun a book about such things."

"He did?" Echo asked.  "Should we look around some more or move on?"

"Aye," continued Aloysius.  "He let him read the book the last time we visited Tauster with all that treasure.  I don't know if he let him borrow the book as well, or if he just let him read it."

Glancing around at the growths, he added, "As much as I'd like to stay and study this species further, methinks that would best be a task for another day.  Perhaps we should examine one of the other tunnels."

"Yeah," Jana agreed, "let's get going."  She avoided the growths as best she could.

Olaf followed.

Aloysius, the still invisible Echo, Jana, and Olaf left the fungi cavern and went back through the main chamber.  The others were not there; presumably they were exploring the other tunnels as well. They walked slowly into the next tunnel.  This tunnel was longer than the previous one, but by the time they got about 30 yards in, they noted that it was widening into a cavern as well.  About that time, they heard low chanting coming from deeper in the darkness.

Upon hearing the chanting sound, Aloysius became agitated.

"Quickly Janathell!" he implored, "the light stone!  We need to see the area ahead of us!"

"I can see three trolls," Echo's voice told them from somewhere in the darkness in front of them.  "The one casting has two heads."

"Dammit," Jana muttered as she drew her sword.  "Okay, Aloysius, do something to stop the two-headed one, that web thing or something.  Olaf, you and me take them out.  Echo, stay invisible and keep an eye out for more.  Light in three, two..."

Aloysius waited for the area where the trolls were to be illuminated so he could see his target.

"I'll try," he said in reply to Jana's directives.

Olaf said, "I'll summon another flaming blade for the attack."

Olaf began chanting.

As the small group prepared for battle, the chanting continued.  Before Jana could do anything with the light stone in her hand, it went out, plunging them into darkness.  The only light in the cavern now came from Aloysius and Olaf's light stones that were packed away on their person somewhere.  The light was not really enough to see by, but it was enough to be very noticeable.  The sound of two large objects clattering on the cavern floor followed the darkness; the trolls seemed to be throwing something.  Olaf, who had started praying in preparation of moving forward, suddenly stopped.

From the sounds of things out in the dark, the trolls were moving forward.

Olaf whipped out his light stone and hurled it at the trolls. Then he drew his sword.

"Ye gods!" exclaimed Aloysius, a hint of panic in his voice.  "Hold them back, I'll uncover my stone," he said as he took a couple of steps backwards and reached inside his robe.

Jana said, "Watch out; they're throwing rocks.  Big rocks."  She tucked away the stone and grabbed her shield.  Sword ready, moved forward despite the low light to meet the oncoming trolls.
 
Both Olaf and Aloysius pulled out light stones from where they had them stored.  Olaf threw his stone forward at the charging trolls, while Aloysius gently skidded his along the floor, providing plenty of light in the cavern.

The two trolls, both Topknots by the looks of them, that were charging forward grunted but seemed otherwise undaunted by the reappearance of the light.  One of them went after Olaf and the other after Jana.  Both managed to connect with a single claw.  Jana attacked with her sword, but the changing light conditions seemingly threw off her swing as she failed to hurt the troll at all.

Behind the trolls that moved to engage in melee stood a different type of troll than they had seen before.  It was at least as large as the gray troll they had fought earlier and it had two heads.  On each of the heads, it seemed to be wearing a silver tiara decorated with small irregularly shaped pearls.  The two-headed troll began chanting again, but it finished the chant with no obvious effect.

Eyes widening at the sight of the two-headed troll, Aloysius began casting a spell.

Jana winced as the troll hit her, then growled and struck back, swinging twice with her sword.  "Aloysius, do something about that two-headed one."

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