Oliver D. Bernuetz's Regions - The Border Marches - A Walk in the Troll Woods

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In their attempt to find a home for the newly minted Amber Clan the scouting party led by Skerri Brightspear met with an impediment in the form of the Brown Boar clan. The Brown Boars have decided to stay in Heortland and fight Pharoah and his allies. They view anyone who will not fight as cowards and traitors. They refuse to allow anyone to pass through their lands in the direction of Dragon Pass. Unless that is they agree to either fight the Brown Boars for the right to pass or join them on a raid on either their neighbours to the south, the Lonisi, who have agreed to peace with Pharoah or the trolls of Troll Wood. Since the Amber Clan has allied themselves with part of the Lonisi Skerri Brightspear was forced to agree to a raid on the trolls. The Brown Boars got to offer three prospects for the raid :

1) A well-established troll village fairly deep into the Troll Woods.

2) A well guarded troll caravan, lots of giant mantises, etc.

3) A new village fairly close to the border between the Brown Boars and the Troll Wood.  Unfortunately the centrepiece of this village is a Zorak Zoran temple.

Fortunately for the narrator the troll caravan wasn't due to show up for another six weeks and the well protected village was too difficult to attack.  This left the third choice.

Blunt sent a total of 100 fyrdmen and 18 warriors while the Brown Boars sent six warriors and 40 fyrdmen.  The warband was placed under the leadership of Ashart Bolison.

Attacking the Village

The attack on the village can be run in three main stages.

1) Approaching the Village
2) Assaulting the Village
3) Attacking the Temple

1) The Troll Woods

The Troll Woods are surprisingly intact considering all the hungry enlo living there.  The dark trolls tend to keep them from feeding on the trees and undergrowth too much plus the presence of feral insects tends to discourage them from entering the woods.  The trees grow close together and the undergrowth is thick though the expected layer of dead matter under the trees isn't present due to insect activity.  The shadows are thick under the trees and seem to resist all light.  Under the trees trolls have five less subtracts due to daylight thus trollkin are -5 and all other uz are at normal.  Humans unfortunately are -5 unless they have a magical or natural light source.  Getting through the woods isn't a problem as the Brown Boars have scouts who are very knowledgeable about this part of the Troll Woods.  They will quickly begin encountering giant insects though, harmless types at first and then increasingly dangerous types.

Getting through the Troll Woods isn't too difficult.  It involves Avoiding the Inhabitants (17) : Know Local Area (Troll Woods); Survive Off the Land (-3), Hide in Cover, Acute Vision (-5), Acute Hearing (-5).

Any Victory: The warband avoid insects on their way to the village.
Minor Defeat: The heroes stumble across insects at close range.    Use the Insect randomizer to determine which kind and number.  All insects will attack mindlessly ignoring the odds.
Major or Complete Defeat: The heroes are ambused by insects.    Use the Insect randomizer to determine which kind and number.  Double the number of the attackers.  All insects will attack mindlessly ignoring the odds.

2) Approaching the Village

As mentioned before the forest surrounding the village is surprisingly intact.  The terrain is fairly rough and rocky.  Near to the stream the going is easier but the stream itself is infested with stingworms who are all too keen on eating manflesh.  Getting to the village without alerting the trolls is pretty much impossible.  Trying to avoid the insects is the main difficulty.   The resulting battle will alert the trollkin. 

Passing along the stream will attract stingworms unless a roll versus a difficulty of 5W is made.  Use Move Silently at base.  It's extremely unlikely that at least some of the fyrdmen will not fail this roll.  Each person who misses this roll is attacked by a stingworm.

Stingworms

Weapons and Armor: Bite or Sting 15^2, Chitin ^2.
Significant Abilities: Ambush 2w, Large 15, Strong 15.
Poison: Debilitating, Painful, Potency 2w.
Tactics: Stingworms lie in wait for prey, often concealed beneath mud, stones, or other debris, or in the water if aquatic. When a suitable target passes by, they lash out suddenly, grab it with their sharp mandibles, and inject their venom with their bite.

The woods themselves are inhabited by various species of giant insects most of which are harmless.  Two that aren't are the giant ticks and feral watch beetles.

Giant Tick

Weapons and Armor: Bite 2w^0, Chitin ^1.
Significant Abilities: Drain Blood 15, Climb 2w, Hear Prey 15, Hide in Cover 5w, Small 12, Tough 18.
Poison: Debilitating, Paralyzing, Potency 12.
Tactics: A tick rushes to attack when it detects prey. It bites with its hooked mouthparts, injecting Paralyzing venom. If the tick is victorious in its initial attack it remains attached, and begins a new contest to Drain Blood from the victim. At the narrator's option, the tick's venom and Drain Blood attack can be run as a single contest with multiple attackers. The tick will remain attached until it reduces the victim's AP to 0 or below, then will drop off and scuttle away to digest its meal.

Watch Beetles

Weapons and Armor: Bite 18^2, Chitin ^3

Significant Abilities: Fearless 5W, Large 15, Run Fast 18, Spot Prey 15, Strong 2W, Track by Scent 2W

There is a 1 in 5 chance that anyone walking through the woods will attract either a tick or a watch beetle. The ticks will either drop down from a tree or jump from a bush onto someone.  The watch beetle will lunge out of cover.  The party will certainly take some casualties from these attackers.

3) Assaulting the Village

Not far into the Troll Wood lies the village in question.  Its name in translation means something like Death Lord Triumphant or something like that.  The woods are surprisingly intact considering the number of trollkin who live in the area.  They're not allowed to eat the plants as the trolls are trying to keep the forest intact since it helps to hide their homes.  The village sprawls along a stream.  Shadows seem to cling to the area and what appears to be piles of refuse line the stream.  These are actually the homes of trollkin.  In the middle of the village there is an cave complex housing the Zorak Zoran temple.   This is where the dark and great trolls live.  There are over 500 trollkin living in the village, three dozen dark trolls and a dozen great trolls.

Tactics

When the Enlo are alerted they will immediately begin arming themselves and will race into their standard mob formation.  As soon as they see an enemy they will charge them in a slavering horde (well, as slavering as trollkin can get).  They fear the uzko far more than they do humans. 

Uzko (Trolls)

Innate Abilities: Acute Darksense 17, Eat Anything 14, Endure Cold 12, Hungry 15, Large 15, Move
Silently 12, Resist Poison 12, Strong 14

Abilities : Acute Hearing 17, Ambush 17, Close Combat 5W (Mace and Shield), Hide 17, Intimidate Enlo 5W, Know Local Area 17, Move Silently 17, Ranged Combat 17 (Sling), Uz Customs 13, Zorak Zoran affinities 2W

Affinities:

Darkness Affinity: (Command Spirit of Darkness, Enchant Lead, Extinguish Flame, Shround in Darkness)

Death Affinity: (Blunt Enemy's Weapon, Command Ghost, Create Skeleton, Create Zombie, Crushing Blow, Ward Against Injury)

Fire Affinity: (Flaming Mace, Ignite Fuel, Ignite Missile)

Hatred Affinity: (Berserk Fury, Find Enemy, Seal Wound (any damage done by the weapon cannot be healed magically), Terrifying Scream, Trap Ghost)

This affinity information was found on Jamie Revell's web site at : http://members.aol.com/ttrotsky/torkani/cults.htm

Death Lord

Fortunately there's only one Death Lord present.   He'll come out of the cave frothing at the mouth.

Innate Abilities: Acute Darksense 7W, Eat Anything 9W, Endure Cold 19, Hungry 15, Large 19, Move
Silently 14, Resist Poison 18, Strong 4W

Abilities : Acute Hearing 1W, Ambush 7W, Close Combat 5W2 (Mace and Shield), Hide 19, Intimidate Enlo 19W2, Know Local Area 7W, Move Silently 17, Uz Customs 3W2, Zorak Zoran affinities 10W

Affinities:

Darkness Affinity: (Command Spirit of Darkness, Enchant Lead, Extinguish Flame, Shround in Darkness)

Death Affinity: (Blunt Enemy's Weapon, Command Ghost, Create Skeleton, Create Zombie, Crushing Blow, Ward Against Injury)

Fire Affinity: (Flaming Mace, Ignite Fuel, Ignite Missile)

Hatred Affinity: (Berserk Fury, Find Enemy, Seal Wound (any damage done by the weapon cannot be healed magically), Terrifying Scream, Trap Ghost)

He wears magical lead chain ^8 and wields two +4 magic lead maces worth ^7 all together.  He has two personal followers who are average uzko.

Enlo (Trollkin)

Innate Abilities: Eat Anything 14, Fear Sunlight 16, Fear Uzko 16, Hungry 16, Move Silently 14, Nimble 17, Resist Poison 10

Abilities : Bully Worker or Food Trollkin 18, Close Combat 17, Dodge 14, Hide 14, Know Local Area 13, Zorak Zoran Affinities 13, Move Silently 17, Ranged Combat 13, Search for Food 14, Uz Customs 13

Weapons: Spear ^1, Sling ^3.
Armor: Leather Armor and Small Shield ^2
Magic: 2 Fetishes, Arrow of Night: Might 12 and Cry of Pain: Might 12

Uzdo (Great Trolls)

Innate Abilities: Acute Darksense 15, Eat Anything 14, Endure Cold 12, Hungry 15, Large 5W, Move
Silently 12, Resist Poison 15, Strong 5W, Stupid 17, Tough 18

Abilities: Acute Hearing 15, Ambush 17, Close Combat 5W (Greatsword), Hide 17, Intimidate Enlo 5W, Know Local Area 15, Move Silently 17, Ranged Combat 17 (Sling), Uz Customs 13, Zorak Zoran Affinities 17

Watch Beetles

Weapons and Armor: Bite 18^2, Chitin ^3

Significant Abilities: Fearless 5W, Large 15, Run Fast 18, Spot Prey 15, Strong 2W, Track by Scent 2W

Stingworms

Weapons and Armor: Bite or Sting 15^2, Chitin ^2.
Significant Abilities: Ambush 2w, Large 15, Strong 15.
Poison: Debilitating, Painful, Potency 2w.
Tactics: Stingworms lie in wait for prey, often concealed beneath mud, stones, or other debris, or in the water if aquatic. When a suitable target passes by, they lash out suddenly, grab it with their sharp mandibles, and inject their venom with bite or sting, depending on the species.

Giant Tick

Weapons and Armor: Bite 2w^0, Chitin ^1.
Significant Abilities: Drain Blood 15, Climb 2w, Hear Prey 15, Hide in Cover 5w, Small 12, Tough 18.
Poison: Debilitating, Paralyzing, Potency 12.
Tactics: A tick rushes to attack when it detects prey. It bites with its hooked mouthparts, injecting Paralyzing venom. If the tick is victorious in its initial attack it remains attached, and begins a new contest to Drain Blood from the victim. At the narrator's option, the tick's venom and Drain Blood attack can be run as a single contest with multiple attackers. The tick will remain attached until it reduces the victim's AP to 0 or below, then will drop off and scuttle away to digest its meal.

Zombies

Half-Rotten Human
Significant Abilities: Close Combat 2W, Stench of Terror 18, Strong 15

Half-Rotten Uzko Zombie
Significant Abilities: Close Combat 2W, Large 15, Stench of Terror 18, Strong 3W

Insect Randomizer

Last updated January 10, 2017

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Email me at bernuetz@mymts.net