Arbogast moves in front of Bandobras, to block his offering to the Troll.  While his hand never moves to brandish his axe, nor does it stray far away, for trolls such as this are the terror of Men from the time they are old enough to understand the tales their elders tell.  Still, it seems willing to talk rather than fight, if only for the moment.  If it will talk, he thinks, then it can reason.  And if it can reason...

"Not a hair on their head shall you touch, brute thing!  For they are bound for the high Hall of your Master by the will of one greater and more terrible than you, and their business there must not be delayed by petty graft at His gate!"  



Yeesh, let's hope this works.  I'm going to roll Persuade, based on the way I've phrased it: This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 3d6 : 5, 5, 5, total 15
Rolled 1d12 : 4, total 4.  

You may take the view that it should be Awe instead.  In that case, I'll invoke Arbogast's emerging Shadow-Lore trait for an auto-success.  

Huh.  Bandobras posted before I could get mine in, and the automatic 'review your post' function seems to trip the tampering notification. 

  yea, Paul, it does that. Wish I knew how to fix it. Happened to me a while a back and the best dice roll I've ever seen was rolled. I thought, of course it has to say it was tampered with!

The troll nodded and set his flagon down. Half turning he took a couple of steps to the side and his hand grasped a thick chain. It then turned to look back at Arbogast.

"All the menz think Door Nob is foolish. The Master beyond has gone and Nob doesnt care where. Nob doesnt care who comes or goes, as long as they pay Nob. Nob is the Master of the Gate. There is one who would be Captain, should I call him and his boyz? Or will the little dwars leave the pouch of monies?"

The woodman saw the twinkle in the beasts eye, his bluff didnt work, but he could see that this creautre who had probably been here for time uncounted was focused solely on greed though his club also looked well used.

Stepping out from behind Arbogast, Bandy holds out his purse, jingling the coins inside as he does. "Master Nob, the menz underestimate you don't they. You have stood steadfastly to your duties all this time and now you shall be rewarded. Please take this purse for our toll, and we shall be sure to have another purse, even larger than this, when we return this way. Keep up the good work."

  Not sure if I need a Roll for this but just in case I'll use courtesy 

Damn, thought I was on to something there.

  Well, we're not past the troll yet.

Grimbeorn would never bandy words with such a creature for they are simply the twisted work of the true Enemy of all Free Peoples, no different than the orcs, but his companions seemed intent on doing so.  The young man gripped his axe all the tighter, keeping an eye on the environs for an ambush or some other surprise and minding the denizen's words.

 
 

Awareness -  1d12 : 11, total 11
Rolled 2d6 : 6, 5, total 11

 

Insight -  1d12 : 2, total 2
Rolled 3d6 : 6, 1, 3, total 10

Quote from: GandalfOfBorg on Oct 03, 2015, 02:52 AMGrimbeorn would never bandy words with such a creature

Ha! Good one.

The troll's eyes sparkled as he released the chain and reached for the bag of coins. The beast gave a jerk of his head to indicate that the party might pass and he set about to count the coins he just received without a further thought towards the companions.

Moving quickly the group was able to pass by the troll. As they did so the distinctive smell of Dorwinion wine came from the goblet of the troll. They saw that the corridor had several guard rooms off of the main passage and what looked like two main doors on each side halfway down. These two larger doors apparently led deeper into the keep that stood on each side. The doors were decorated in a way that could only be described as tribal graffiti. At least two different groups of beast were here in the castle. In addition the companions noticed the dead rotting remains of orcs and goblins, swept into the corners and dark places of the passage like dust balls and cast off debris from previous engagements, all in various stages of rot.

The companions were quickly through the gate and out to the far side. All the expectations of a bridge were gone in moments. While the green glow was still before them the rotten timbers and planks that passed for the bridge wove hither and yon through the fog where they could still see it. Each span anchored on a hummock of grass or solid earth. Their path would not be a straight one.

The path was not of a uniform width as they passed. In places they could see where at one time it was wider and would have supported four or five men marching abreast and enough room for at least one wagon. Those days seemed to be long gone as the current bridge was rotted and collapsed in many parts. The sure footing seemed to be more to the center than on the outside, and the companions could tell that while not used frequently someone or something passed along the bridge from time to time.

Radagast rushed the companions along the fen bridges until the castle receded into the mists and the only things they could see was the bridge before them, behind them, and the marsh to either side. At first the companions tried to gauge the green glow of the hill to keep their bearings, but this soon turned futile. In places they knew that they were still going forward but the green glow seemed to move behind them, or on looking up certain that it would be in one place would find it in another.

In places the hummocks were quite large and seemed to have been flatten or paved on the tops, some so large that they took up the entire space that was visible. Not all of them were that large but they seemed to occur wherever a piece of solid ground would provide for one. In some there were the remains of fires, in others the rotted out remains of wagons. Clearly these were rest stops or traffic points to allow wagons and folk to pass each other on the otherwise narrow passage way through the fens.

"How far is it Radagast?" mumbled one of the members of the party in the gloom.

"Over six leagues, by this path" was his response.

This distance seemed to weigh more heavily on the companions when they realized how much farther they would have to go on empty bellies.

The walking in the mist became excruciating to the companions. Each moment they knew only the twisting broken path before them, the clinging foul mists, and the plodding of feet on rotten timbers. After what must have been the passing of a season to those outside of the mists Radagast stopped.

"We should stop here."

The companions found themselves in a mist shrouded island. Another one of the spots with a discarded old fire pit.

"We have walked far into the night and it would be best not to disturb the creatures of the night any further by our trespass."

Each one of the travelers thought that the wizard was mad to stop here in this place. When the wizard dropped his blanket to the ground the others realized how tense they were, tired, and hungry. Silently they prepared to make camp.

The Brown wizard drifted off into the fog and returned a few moment later. His brown hat was in his hand and it was filled with the largest slugs that the party had ever seen, some as large as Bandy's fist.

"This my friends is probably the only wholesome thing here in the fens. There numbers have grown since the dark magician has left. And while they feed on the unwholesome things in the mire I think they are an agent of change and renewal. They also taste good with butter." The Brown Wizard smiled and handed out what he found to each of the companions. Hunger gnawed at them and the first bite was the worst. Bandy and Rorin shared the same thought, that in fact they would have been good with butter, pan fried and they had a deep earthy taste like fine mushrooms.

An unknown amount of time passed in the fens of Dol Guldur.

(Everyone needs to make another Fatigue (TN 14) and Corruption Roll (TN16) for their time here in the Fens. )

Leaving Rorin and the others to build a fire, Arbogast spends some time in the mire, looking for herbs to add to the meal of fried slug.  Even in this dismal place, he finds marshmallow and lemon balm - for sweet, fragrant life may find the strength to grow even in the heartland of the Shadow.  It is a slight comfort to the fellowship as the sounds of strange insects and the lolloping calls of unseen birds begin to fill the darkness around them. 


Travel:

Corruption:

As the slugs are ready, he hands them out to his starving companions - first to Radaghast, with considerable deference, then Bandobras, Grimbeorn, Orophin and Rorin.  But he holds a final slug away from Esgalwen's hands.  "Not you," he says.  "Not a single morsel shall you have from me, friend of Mogdred.  For a year passed while none heard from you - a year in which the Men of Tyrant's Hill robbed and raided my folk.  With my own eyes have I seen you receive instructions from his men, you who searched for your kin for so long yet find but one, and that only after his recent death!  Mogdred prepares for war, that much is clear to me, how can it be otherwise to you?  If you are to have meat tonight, I would have you tell me where his first blow will fall.  On my home at Black Tarn Hall, perhaps?  And while I moulder here, lost in this thrice-cursed bog!" 


Gotta love the slow accumulation of Shadow points... 

Esgalwen trudged along with her companions. She had been surprised how easily they had gotten past the troll. The thought of leaving the foul creature at their flank left the ranger more than a bit on edge. Add to that the unending fog, the dank smell of the fens, and the weighty gloom of this land, even the pure-hearted maiden was feeling weary.

Still she trudged on. She could see that the cold shadow was beginning to take root in her companions... she feared the dark thoughts brooding inside them might undo them before they could see the mission through.  

Fatigue roll (TN 14)




Corruption roll (TN16)





See what the dice say before Esgalwen responds to Arbogast

  I'll look to respond later tonight.

  Fatigue Roll (TN14)




Corruption (TN16)



I'll post again after seeing my rolls.