“What always happens. The trolls got greedy. They wanted more and they attacked Paltras. It’s said that they rode in on the backs of giant wyrms and dragons, burning the city alive and tearing down its walls. The male trolls went into violent rages, their skins so hot that swords melted when they touched them. It was a massacre.”
“That’s insane. How were they defeated?”
“Once word of Paltras’s fall reached the other two kingdoms, they formed an alliance out of fear that what was happening to Paltras would happen to them. No kingdom alone could stand against the trolls, but perhaps together, they would have a chance. Before the trolls knew what was happening, the women and children that had been left behind in the forest were slain and put on display around its edges as a message. When the troll army returned home, many of the trolls went mad upon seeing them. It’s said that the troll king surrendered his army that day, his desire to fight completely gone. They had nothing left to fight for with their offspring dead. You see, they care more about family than most of us in their own twisted way. Take away what they fight for and they crumble like dirt. With no clear direction, the troll kingdom fell apart into what it is today.”
“Haha,” Jude bellows. “Ghost stories…that’s all it is. I’m not gonna say no to fortune and fame because of a few old wives’ tales. Not when I’ve got my man Michael here. When we get back, tell your friends that they have nothing to worry about, okay?”
The two soldiers respond with nervous laughter before following the men away from the small valley between our two hills.
When they are far enough away, I stand and motion for the others.
They gather around me, but I can’t stop thinking about the story the soldier told. I finally find out why the trolls are so hated, and it’s for a reason that’s intrinsically human. Greed. In my time with the trolls, I never would have thought them a greedy race, but yet they wanted to expand their empire just like everyone else. They paid the price for it. A price the trolls are still paying to this day.
“What did they say?” Gord thunders as he looks in the direction the men left in. I can tell he is aching for a fight.
“They were talking about the battle at Paltras,” I say. “Is it true?”
Tormara responds, her red braid whipping through the air like a snake. “That they murdered our children and women in cold blood while our ancestors fought to save the princess who had been kidnapped? Yes, it is true,” she snaps.
“Wait, what? They said that the troll kingdom was expanding, that they tried to take over the castle out of greed.”
All four trolls roar at the same time, snarls on their faces. The roar of frustration is so intense that I can’t make any sense of what they are saying.
“One at a time!” I cut them off, and they stare at me in silence. “Will one of you please tell me what happened?”
“I will.” Tormara takes a deep breath, letting some of the anger subside. “In ancient times, the troll kingdom was the strongest on the island. Our queen governed and our king led our warriors in battle and adventure. We had the respect of the dwarves in the north and the humans in the south. As we grew more powerful, resentment began to build among the humans. The dwarves were not worried, content to build and mine in their mountainous fortress, but the minds of men are weak and grow troubled when they are not in control. On many envoys, they asked how we were able to control magic simply by touching it, for they had tried and many had died. When we told them that it was simply our way, they refused to believe, certain that we were hiding a powerful secret from them.
“One day, they sent spies into the troll kingdom and stole away the king and queen’s daughter, believing that the princess had answers that could be coaxed out of her. And if not her, then certainly the royal family would tell all they knew to get their daughter back. When the queen found out, she ordered the king to gather all of our forces and march on Paltras. He was ordered to tear their kingdom to the ground if the princess was not returned. When the king arrived at their gates, Paltras refused to return the princess. Their human king had gone mad and no rational argument could be made to convince him to let her go. He said that if we would not give him our secrets, then he would kill the princess.
“Our king tried to talk to him, but there was no reasoning to be had. When we had no secrets to give, the princess was burned alive.” Fires burn in the eyes the other trolls, angry for a crime none of them were alive to witness. “In a fit of rage, our king attacked the castle, killing everyone inside. When he returned to the forest, the bodies of children and women lined its edges, his queen among them. Many trolls killed themselves in that moment, certain that our race was doomed and unwilling to live a life without their loved ones. On that day, the troll kingdom crumbled. With the majority of our women dead, our population grew smaller and smaller each year, until we split off into the tribes you know today. We were once a mighty and proud kingdom, but now we hide in the shadows.”
A solemn anger radiates from the four trolls before me, and even Limery seems on edge by the story. The truth is that I am, too. I know it’s a game, but the situations, the history, it’s all so reminiscent of real life. And when I look at my party standing before me, the hurt and the hatred feel real, too.
The trolls have had one shitty hand right after another. Even when they were the most powerful kingdom on the island, a lack of understanding caused them to be hated and feared for no other reason than the fact that they were different.
Tormara was right. The minds of men are weak.
The creators at Mythos Games think it’s okay to put prisoners in a game and use their violent tendencies against a misunderstood people because it will make them seem righteous and good.
Let’s see how they feel about it when we fight back.
27. Heaven and Hell
My heart pounds in my ears as we run through the hills. With each lumbering step, the power that flows through my body makes itself known. Trolls are something special, and I’ll be damned if I’m just going to sit back and watch while their society slowly erodes and their people, no, my people, fade away. For once, Gord and I are on the same page. We hunger for reckoning. Our plan is to ambush the group that just left the dungeon, take their items, and make it to Paltras Ruins before they have time to replace their armor and supplies. They’ll also lose a level upon dying, setting them even further behind. After that, I’ll talk with the council and we’ll make a plan for what comes next.
If they want to make us the villains, then it’s high time we acted the role.
Ismora runs ahead of us, her Boots of Swiftness proving useful as she scouts for the group. She comes to a stop and raises a fist, letting us know she found them.
“Does everyone know their roles?” I ask when we all gather. Less than a hundred yards away, the group walks, oblivious to our impending attack.
They nod in affirmation and then we break into our positions. The terrain is jagged and rocky, rolling hills splotched with bushes, and small trees offer just enough concealment for us to attempt an ambush. Gord, Tormara, Ismora, and I, along with my army of horrors, descend upon the group from behind while Yashi and Limery flank them from the sides. Their objective is to cause as much chaos as possible so that we can attack them without being noticed.
As we approach, our footsteps sound like a herd of buffalo. If Yashi and Limery don’t draw their attention soon, then there is no way they won’t hear us coming.
The flick of a bowstring lets me know the battle is on. Yashi’s poisoned arrow soars through the air, penetrating the neck of the footsoldier carrying the spear. He staggers back and forth for a moment before pulling the arrow from his neck. Blood sprays from the wound in an arc. She scored a critical hit! That’ll be one less opponent to worry about. Each spurt of blood grows weaker and I’m certain the soldier is about to die, until a stream of holy light shines upon him and the wound closes.
Yashi fires off another arrow, but this time, the men are prepared. The pala
din rushes forward, blocking the arrow with his shield. He yells something and then a white aura surrounds all four men.
A fireball soars across the battlefield, striking the fighter in the back. He falls forward, losing a sizable chunk of health, the back of his boiled leather armor scorched black. The two foot soldiers make to escape, but a fiery wall erupts in front of them as Limery zooms overhead. He taunts them, calling the men ‘filthy humanses and dirty scoundrelses,’ all the while peppering them with fireballs the size of softballs. A crossbow clanks and a bolt narrowly misses his giant head, forcing him to retreat further into the air.
In that moment, the fighter rises to his feet and sees us coming. The look he gives us is one of pure hatred. As he raises his sword to attack, a wicked grin creeps across his face. This is a man who loves to fight.
“Gather up,” he shouts to the two soldiers and they prepare for our onslaught. “Cedric, take out the bitch up on the hill. The rest of you, follow me. Michael, cast an aura of protection overhead to ward off the fireballs for now.”
The paladin raises his sword and a silverish barrier, almost like glass, appears overhead, repelling Limery’s fireballs as if they were nothing.
We charge at the three men, the soldier with the crossbow having fallen back to target Yashi.
“Gord, take the lead. I’ll be right behind you. Ismora and Tormara, if you see an opening, then make them bleed.”
Gord runs straight ahead, using his shield as a battering ram. He collides with the paladin, knocking him aside and into the spearman. The fighter jumps to the side and does a barrel roll, springing back to his feet. He raises his sword to attack Gord’s blind side, but I use Petrified Staff’s bonus ability to fire a stream of physical energy that hits him square in the chest, knocking him off balance and causing him to miss.
A wave of ten horrors scurries on the group, slowing them and attacking with their razor-sharp claws and teeth. The paladin raises his sword in the air and a beam of holy light tears through the horrors, sending them up in a puff of smoke.
The foot soldier hacks and slashes against the horrors, giving as good as he gets, but his health depletes with each hit he takes until the paladin washes him with holy light, replenishing lost health. Out of the edge of my eye, the soldier with the crossbow makes his way towards the hill where Yashi continuously fires on the larger party.
Gord and the fighter square off in the rear as my staff cracks against the paladin’s shield.
“Trolls! The blight of the earth!” he shouts as his imbued strike slashes through an entire row of horrors. Half of them die, but I immediately cast two more in their place.
Tormara and Ismora pick at the foot soldier who desperately tries to free himself from the horrors surrounding him. The movement speed debuff of Horror of Vitality thwarts his efforts, and the two trolls make short work of the man.
That leaves us five on two while Yashi and the crossbowman play their game of cat and mouse in the distance.
“Ismora, go help Yashi. Tormara, assist Gord. Leave this asshole to me.”
The paladin looks up in surprise at the fact he can understand me, momentarily forgetting about the horrors that surround him. It’s like he just now looked at my stats for the first time.
“You’re a hero? But how?”
“Just lucky, I guess.” I shoot him in the chest with a ranged attack from my staff. I cast another horror and use Claw, but he blocks my attack with his shield. My claws grate against the shield, shrieking through the battle.
“No matter, you will die just the same.”
Limery continues his attacks from above and eventually, a crack forms in the heavenly barrier overhead as the fighter and paladin move back to back.
With at least twenty horrors still alive, my HP and damage are pretty high. I attempt to move in to use Bite, but a blast of light knocks me back, taking out a chunk of health. I cast Horror of Finesse and my next attack heals me even though the paladin blocks it. He’s tough, a great defensive tactician, but our sheer numbers will overwhelm them in the end.
A powerful swing of his sword connects with my ribs and pain flares through my side. I look down to see a massive gash where blood spills down my side.
I retreat as my regeneration takes effect, letting my horrors have the frontline. I need to get back in the fight to use heal, but all I can think about right now is the stinging pain in my side.
A deep yell from beyond the paladin draws my attention and for the first time, I realize the true difference between a hero and NPCs.
Blood streams down Gord’s body. His shield drags against the ground. Something is wrong with his arm, keeping him from lifting it. Tormara looks no better, a gash runs along her face and her clothing is drenched red around her midsection. They both look on the verge of exhaustion.
In a blur, the fighter moves from Gord to Tormara, his blade moving quicker than I can see it. The only evidence he attacked at all is the fresh wounds on both of my party members. He pulls a dagger from his waist and throws it at Gord, lodging it in his ribs.
Gord keels over in pain before removing the dagger and tossing it to the ground. He takes another step towards the fighter when a new pain takes over.
“Poison…” He stumbles and almost falls to the ground.
The fighter twists the pommel of his sword in his hand for show. Tormara attacks with a dagger of her own, but the fighter sidesteps it with amazing speed, leaving a shadow in his place. The shadow explodes and the dagger clatters to the ground. A fireball comes hurling towards his head, but he raises his shield at the last moment, absorbing the attack. The shield glows red, but he takes no damage.
He takes a lunging step and a wave of energy erupts from his sword, knocking both Gord and Tormara to the ground. If I don’t do something soon, they will both die. A death neither one can come back from.
I leave the paladin to my horrors for now, even though his holy attacks seem to be having a greater effect on them.
At full speed, I slam into the fighter from behind, using Bite and sinking my teeth into his neck for a critical attack. I follow up with Claw and rake his side. There’s a grunt of pain just before something stabs into my stomach. I roll to the side and spot a dagger held in a reverse grip in the fighter’s hand. He stumbles to his feet, facing me.
“So you’re the big bad champion of the trolls? Chod, is it? We were all wondering who it was that managed to start a regional event. Looks like the higher-ups have a few tricks up their sleeves.” He lets out a cold laugh. “I bet Glenn would love to have a crack at you. Too bad I’ll be the one popping the cherry.”
Tormara slings another dagger and once again, the fighter moves in a blur, leaving a shadowy trail in his wake.
“I’ve about had enough of you,” he says. With a flick of his wrist, another dagger strikes Tormara just above the heart. She grimaces in pain and grasps at her wound, her health nearly depleted.
I feel my bonus HP dropping as the paladin continues his holy war against my horrors. If I don’t do something now, I’ll lose any advantage I might have.
“Limery, cut him off,” I yell, and a wall of flame erupts between the fighter and the trolls.
I use Berserker Rage and my vision reddens at the edge as power and chaos take control of my body. Quickly, I summon two more horrors and feel my HP grow even more. Without wasting any time, I charge the fighter. I feint a swing of my staff, but instead, fire a bolt of physical damage, taking him off guard. He counters with a quick slash of his sword, but my increased health regeneration barely drops from the attack.
“After I kill you, tell your friends that the trolls are done hiding. You can either make room for us in the world, or we will make it ourselves.”
He wipes away a drop of blood from his lip and spits blood to the ground.
“You have no idea what you’re doing.” He smirks. “You have no idea what we’re capable of.”
I summon a Horror of Vitality right next to him, slowing his movement spe
ed. Limery’s fireball engulfs him from behind.
The paladin raises his sword to perhaps cast a heal, but his spell is interrupted by an arrow finding the soft spot in his armor. He falls forward as my horrors dogpile on his body.
I use the moment to cast Intimidation, and the fighter’s eyes glaze over for a moment. My staff connects with the side of his head, dropping his health to twenty percent, and I follow up with Bite and Claw. Limery casts a giant fireball that swallows the man whole like a hungry sun. By the time the fireball dissipates, all that remains is the man’s armor and weapons.
With the fighter down, I focus my attention back on the paladin. Only glimpses of his armor can be seen beneath the pile of blue and orange miscreants. Gord tries to join me, but I can see the anguish in his face and motion for him to sit. Yashi, Ismora, and I will finish this.
Above the grumbling, gnashing teeth, and claws that grate against the paladin’s armor, I hear the sound of singing. It reminds me of the choirs I heard on the few times my family attended church, usually on a holiday. A gentle, warm hum pervades through the chaos and death.
And then, an explosion of light. My health depletes in an instant as every last horror vanishes in the light, taking my entire bonus HP and Strength along with it.
The paladin takes to his feet, still at half-health. He must have just blown his ultimate ability. It reminds me of every cheesy action movie where the hero rises from the ashes. Cue corny dialogue.
“Is that all you’ve got?” he roars, his blond hair blowing in a breeze only he seems to be standing in.
“Hardly.”
Limery lands on my shoulder, and Yashi and Ismora approach from the paladin’s rear. Tormara stumbles over, clutching her chest and grimacing.
I quickly cast one of each horror and my health and Strength rise a small amount.
“Why don’t we show this asshole what hell feels like?” I say, and in that moment, I know I’m finally one of them.
Everyone, even Tormara, manages to smile.
Sentenced to Troll Page 18
