Rank
B
Success
Kill the trolls of Trollmoore. 0/50 Remaining
Killed troll chief Bigstaff.
Failure
Let the trolls live.
Rewards
Gold
Experience
Troll Bane Title
Trollsblood Potion
Consequences
Unknown
Troll Bane
Most people know better than to dive head first into a warren of trolls. You are not most people. When confronted with a community of trolls, you killed them, down to the last child.
+10% to all damage against Trolls.
-10% damage received from Trolls.
+10% resistance to spells and abilities of Trolls.
+100 Fame
+10 CON
Trollsblood Potion
Type
Potion
Rank
Very Rare
Made from the blood of trolls that have ascended into higher forms, such as Demontrolls, this potion offers a substantial increase to your ability to recover from wounds. Unlike the Lesser Trollsblood Potion, which is made from normal trolls, the effects are permanent, and further uses of Trollsblood Potions or their lesser versions will have no effect. May have some side effects.
+20 CON
+20 HP Regeneration
Can regrow lost limbs or organs.
10% chance of having an adverse reaction, resulting in random mutation.
The gold was only about 10000 gp. Nice, but not exactly world-shattering. But at these levels, getting a group together with enough fire on their side to deal with trolls wasn’t that difficult. And ice wasn’t an uncommon element, either, so even though the demontrolls were a surprise, it wasn’t something a reasonably balanced party couldn’t handle pretty easily.
The experience was enough to get me halfway to my next level, and was GREATLY appreciated. Leveling slowed down a lot once you got past 20 or so, unless you got involved in insane events like I had been, before Duskhaven. Now that I was back to ‘regular’ gaming, it would take a lot more work to level up. Hopefully the Troll Bane title would help with that.
The real interesting thing was the potion. We got enough of them for each of us, which was great. Especially since the trolls didn’t have much in the way of loot. Oh sure, they had items, but they were all locked to Troll races. They’d be a difficult sell, unless someone out there had a few troll slaves they needed to equip.
Of course, I should have known that having a high Luck would bite me in the ass one of these days. Luck, after all, increases the randomness, both good and bad. So far, I hadn’t had anything really bad happen, since there’s only so much luck can do when you load the dice.
You have had an adverse reaction to the potion. Calculating mutation…
Trollmind Affliction
Let’s face it, trolls are dumber than a sack of hammers. Unfortunately, you got some of that, as well.
-20 INT, -20 WIS
+100 Infamy
Well, fuck. Losing the INT and WIS hurt, especially since I used a lot of MP on some of my tricks. But it definitely could have been worse. Hell, it would have been worse if I wasn’t a cheat character. Luckily (heh) I was the only one to trigger a mutation.
With the spoils taken care of, I turned my attention to the four naked women. Della had gotten to the succubus in time to keep her from dying, but looking at how she twitched whenever I got near, it was clear she was going to have issues with men for a while. “Yukiko, did we find their gear? Or at least something they can wear?”
Yukiko sighed. “Well, we found their weapons, but their clothing and armor was destroyed. And I doubt they want to wear what is left of the trolls’ loincloths.”
I grimaced at that. “Yeah, I imagine it would be unpleasant.” Checking in my inventory, I was pleased to see that I still had some fabric left over from when I was experimenting with Tailoring. I hadn’t gotten the skill that high yet, but it was still enough to make some simple clothes with what I had here.
Fortunately, making basic clothes was really pretty quick, especially with my stats. Once they were dressed in the matching black knee-length dresses, I asked them what their plans were. Aya, it seems, decided to step up, both since she had had the most time to recover, and to take attention away from the group’s co-leader, the succubus. The leader had apparently been one of the two dead men, who was still waiting on a respawn.
“I don’t know. Probably retreat someplace safe, and wait for the others to respawn. Though we’ll probably log out for a while so Dae has a chance to… relax.”
I nodded to her. “I can get you back to Fathon, or to the remains of Gogruk Hold, where there’s a portal to the Hellion city now. Fathon would probably be best, especially if one of your two missing members can teleport?” Aya nodded, and so I continued, “All right, that makes things easier. I can use the dark portal spell to take you to Fathon. Can’t do anything about your gear, unfortunately, but at least you have your weapons.”
I paused, and then glanced over to the succubus, before looking back to Aya. “If she needs help, I know someone from my old days back in WoD. She works as a therapist for assault victims in the real, and has played enough VR games to know that things like this can get to you.”
Aya blinked in surprise, and looked about to say something when I shook my head. “I’m playing a rat bastard in this game, yes. But the people I’ve done horrible shit to are either dead, and don’t have to worry about the aftereffects, or they attacked me, in which case I’m not exactly sympathetic to them not liking the consequences. You and your friends did nothing to me or mine, so I have no grudges to hold against you. Simple as that.”
She nodded, and took a piece of paper I wrote Doc’s contact information on, slipping it into her inventory. I opened the portal to Fathon, and allowed them to step through, before shutting it behind them. I wished them the best, but I figured that the succubus, at least, was going to be in a bad way for quite a while. Not my problem, though. That was up to her and her friends.
Turning to the rest of my group, I sighed, and said, “All right, we’ve played around here long enough. Let’s go and see what is happening at the orc hold.
It was a three day ride to Black Rock Hold. Finding that tent was a real boon, since it allowed us to sleep in relative comfort, with only one person at a time needing to slip outside to stand watch over the horses and the wagon. The tent’s various settings were very comfortable, except for the Dungeon setting, which was obviously a ‘mixed use’ setting, since it could do both the fun kind of torture, and the not so fun kind. I was pretty impressed at whoever enchanted this thing, honestly. Now I just needed one that could move on its own and was shaped like a police box.
Black Rock Hold is, as one might expect, built around the Black Rock, a massive spire of obsidian shooting out of the rocky cliff to a height of almost one hundred feet. The stories about how the Black Rock came to be are more numerous, and more varied, than the tabloid stories about which celebrity is having drama in their life now. Below the Black Rock are a set of mines, and the Hold, which is where one of the strongest orc tribes in the area lives.
It was just after noon on the third day when we came across the first scouts. They briefly stopped us, since were a large party, and didn’t look like merchants, but when I gave them Shagar’s name, they let us through, though they had one of the scouts run ahead to relay the message. The tribe wasn’t at war, currently, so there was no reason to keep us away. They did, however, make sure we knew that violence would not be tolerated in the Hold, unless it was a sanctioned bout.
Shagar Bloodthistle
Orc Female
Level 50 War Priestess (Priestess) / Barbarian
Titles: Princess, Demonslayer, Devoted, Kinslayer, Thrall, Goblin Bane
We’d just dismounted at the gates of the hold when I saw a procession of orcs coming to meet us. Six of them were simple warriors,
about level 80 or so, and clearly the bodyguards for the seventh. I would have recognized her even without the helpful name identification and the subtle hint on my minimap that one of my thralls was here. She’d grown more powerful since we parted, and she was indeed quite pregnant.
As she walked towards me, I bowed my head, respectfully. “Princess, it is good to see you well. I would have come sooner, but there were a great many things I had to take care of a little closer to home.”
That caused her to smile at me. “Yes, we have heard about your deeds, even here in the Tribeslands. Stopping the undead, finding ancient dragons, and freeing the human city. Now I hear you’ve set up a portal to the abyss built with the bones of a goblin tribe. It seems my son will have quite a lot to live up to.”
I return the smile as I approach her. “Ah, a son?” Then, in a louder voice, I said, “I am glad to hear it. May he grow strong, and bring honor and glory to his tribe.” That got a few cheers from those who heard it, and Shagar nodded to me in appreciation. That last part was for the benefit of our audience, after all.
In my normal voice, I said, “I would dearly love to catch up with you, but first, I should pay my respects to the Chief of the Hold. Also, a merchant in the human lands had a delivery for the Chief that he dared not bring himself due to the danger of the roads, and I undertook the quest as an excuse to see how you were doing.”
Shagar chuckled, and actually batted her eyes at me as she turned, and said, “Well then, we should hurry and introduce you to my Father, so that you can get him his package, and he can see you. I would love to ‘catch up’ with you again, thoroughly, though we’ll have to be careful of the little one.”
Laughing, I followed her through the hold, with my group following. “Indeed, indeed! Well, I think we can figure something out. I would hate to have an unsatisfactory reunion with you.” Along the way, we paused at the stables to arrange stabling and food for the horses (the ones that were living, anyways), and gave me a brief tour of the various parts of the hold. I definitely needed to check the marketplace later. Could be some rare gear there.
It wasn’t long before we got to the Chief’s home. It was fairly obvious which one it was, as it was the only two-story building, resting against the rock, with an excellent vantage on the orcs’ ritual site at the base of the Black Rock. A temple lay opposite the Black Rock from the Chief’s house, clearly symbolizing the two pillars of this tribe.
As we came closer to the chief’s house, a huge orc stepped out of the door, wearing armor that looked ceremonial, yet functional, and carrying a large, double-bladed greataxe. He growled, looking at me with what was surely killing intent.
“So, the incubus worm who defiled my daughter has come crawling to his doom, I see!”
Chapter 81 – About as Expected
“So, the incubus worm who defiled my daughter has come crawling to his doom, I see!”
Pargu Bloodthistle
Ironblood Orc Male
Level 250 War Leader (Fighter) / Berserker (Barbarian)
Titles: Chieftain, Goblin Bane, Troll Bane, Orc Bane, Human Bane, Kinslayer
I was about to say something when a loud CRACK came from behind the chief. My mouth shut as the chief’s eyes rolled up in the back of his head, and he fell forward, unconscious. Standing behind him was an orc female, who bore a resemblance to Shagar. She was holding what looked like a mace made out of the jawbone of a dragon. And it had a bit of blood on it.
“Hush dear. That’s no way to talk to guests!”
Urza Bloodthistle
Feyblood Orc Female
Level 200 War Priestess (Priestess) / High Shaman (Shaman)
Titles: Matriarch, Devoted, Orc Bane, Goblin Bane, Human Bane, Dwarf Bane
I looked to Shagar, and chuckled. “I see that some things transcend all races, even across worlds.”
That got the woman looking at me, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she pointed that mace at me. “And what do you mean by that, young one?”
I held up my hands in surrender. “Only that behind every strong man there’s a strong woman keeping him in line. It seems to be a universal trait, I’ve found.”
Urza’s face broke into a smile at that, and said, “Ooh, I like this one! You be sure to give Shagar plenty more babies, in hopes they keep your wit, OK?”
“MOTHER!” Shagar’s embarrassed yell proved that there was another constant in the universe: parents deliberately embarrassing their children for fun. Manfully, I hid my grin as Shagar turned to glare at me. “And what are you smirking about?”
“Oh, nothing. Just glad to have met your mother. I see where you get your charm from now.” Shagar sputtered, but I turned to Urza, and pulled out the package the merchant wanted delivered. “Before I forget, I took a quest at the guild to deliver this package to the Chief of Black Rock Hold. Since he appears to have suffered an accident and hit his head, perhaps you might be able to close out the quest for me?”
Laughing at the polite misstatement on how Pargu ended up on the floor, Urza nodded, and said, “Yes, I have that authority when my fool of a husband is… incapacitated.” So I handed over the package, resulting in a healthy 1000 GP coming my way, along with a chunk of XP, and my reputation with the Hold increasing slightly.
With that, we all went into the building (Urza dragging her husband behind her in a way that suggested this was a not uncommon occurrence), and sat in what was clearly a feast hall. Urza tossed her husband into the high chair, and took a seat beside him, with Shagar on his other side. I sat next to Shagar, and the rest of the group sat as they wished, though there was a slight ‘negotiation’ as the girls decided who sat next to me, with Yukiko winning the ‘prize seat’.
Food and drink was brought out for us, which was welcome, since our stomachs clearly informed us that it was high time for a meal, with us having not eaten since breakfast. Apparently, grog works like smelling salts to an orc, because moments after the flagon was placed in front of him, Pargu stirred, noticed me, and was about to yell something, when Urza tapped him (lightly, this time) on the head with her mace, causing him to notice the glares of his wife and daughter. The Orc Chieftain, clearly recognizing when the balance of power was not in his favor, decided to content himself with grumbling, and offering me a glare of his own, before reaching out to take a chunk of roasted meat from the plate before him and take a large bite from it.
Dinner got quite a bit less awkward after Pargu stopped treating me like some kind of evil bastard that took advantage of his daughter. Even though that was definitely mostly true, it still made dinner awkward. Changing the subject was easy enough, when Urza asked what we had been doing since we sent Shagar back to them.
This led to story time, as we traded tales of past glories. Some were recently passed, like my own, while others were older, such as Pargu telling us some of the stories of his youth (including how he met Urza). Urza kept Pargu honest in that way that only females can when they’re around boasting males, while my girls did the same to me. The ice melted a bit more as Pargu and I shared a look, and laughed.
Somewhere around the fourth or fifth round of drinks, the topic changed to what our plans were going forward. With a shrug, I said, “Well, I thought to catch up with Shagar, since it had been a while since we’d seen eachother, and then I thought I’d see if there weren’t any interesting tasks that needed doing. If not, heading to the Dwarven lands sounds like the next step. I do need to deliver the heads of those dwarves to the Hardbottle clan, after all.”
Shagar looked surprised, and said, “You mentioned that you had found them, but to have killed them all? I thought they were about the same level as that Paladin. How did you overcome them all?”
I shrugged. “Well, turns out that Moradin really didn’t take kindly to some greedy bastards selling his Chosen into slavery to a demon cult. They were all seriously cursed, to the point that they could use maybe one-fifth of their true power. Just goes to show that one should never disrespect the gods.”
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br /> Pargu nodded at that. “Best to learn that from some stumpy stonebreaker’s mistake than your own. Oh, the gods will look the other way if their people are killed in combat, even a Chosen. That’s part of the way of the world, after all. But deliberately desecrating a shrine to a specific god, or committing a direct betrayal of a Chosen? That is a quick way to earn their ire, unless you are moving at the behest of another god.”
Urza nodded. “Or they’re a Chosen of a god that values lies and betrayals. That kind of god generally takes the view that if they were dumb enough to fall for the betrayer’s lies, then they deserve what happens to them. Of course, they have other hang-ups. Trying to walk a path clear of the gods’ disfavor is a difficult task for any mortal creature.”
Shagar looked thoughtful. “If you were looking for a challenge, then you could always challenge the Cells. It has been a long time since anyone returned from there.” Seeing my interest, she continued, “The Cells of the Vanished Queen is a dungeon not far from the Hold. Like many dungeons, it repopulates itself over time, but the magic prevents any two groups from experiencing the same encounters, for the dungeon shifts with each party that enters it.”
Rules-Free VRMMO Life: Volume VII: The Tribeslands Page 6
