Hairy Minotaur
Explorer
A real tongue lashing
And so I won't........
The party pushes a reluctant Gronar down the hallway and into a wide four-way. To the south lies the only visible room from their vantage point. The room is a thirty by thirty square with a large wooden table knocked over on it's side dominating the center of the room, it's feet point outward towards the party, while sheets of parchment lie strewn about on the floor behind the table.
The back wall is decorated by a rack full of whips, scourges, flails, and other manual torture devices. The rack runs the length of the entire back wall and appears to be completely stocked save for one missing flail.
"Now this is my kind of room!" Lothred exclaims
*snap* *moan*
The cracking sound of a whip followed by a painful sob echoes from behind the overturned table. Gronar and Korg fan out to flank the table, while Finrod inches up directly behind the table. Lothred ignores the strategic placement of giants, and in an unconcerned stroll, makes his way past the on guard Gronar and to the rack of items at the back of the room.
Gronar and Korg peek around the table and find a prone troll laying in it's own greenish blood, with a flail in his right hand, and clutching a writhing small pink tongue in his left hand.
"Fascinating." Lothred declares in his monotone voice
Gronar switches weapons to his long spear, and prods the bleeding troll with the blunt end of the spear.
"Ugh." The troll's head lops to it's right side and slowly opens it's eyes to Gronar. The troll's eyes have a glazed over sheen to them and the troll appears to vaguely sense that it is no longer alone.
"What stinky troll doing?" Gronar demands
The troll weakly holds out the flail to Gronar and in a voice wracked with pain answers: "You turn?"
As Gronar sinks away from the offered weapon, Lothred steps up and accepts the device.
"Gladly." Lothred answers and brings the flail down upon the troll's chest with all his might. The troll howls in pain as blood spatters across the rack wall.
"Do more." The troll instructs, Lothred raises the weapon again only to have his hand stilled by the massive grasp of Korg.
"Elfy no hit stinky troll again." The hill giant chides Lothred
"What? He asked for it, literally." Lothred criticizes
"More." The troll commands
"No, stinky troll get up and tell Korg where elfys are." Korg dictates
The troll pulls itself up into a sitting position and sticks the tongue it holds in it's hand into his own face. The tongue immediately goes to work licking at the torn flesh and spilled blood upon the troll's head.
"Interesting, I must get my one of those. How do you make them?" Lothred asks
The troll points at Finrod and holds up the tongue for Lothred to see. A rippling surge of despair washes over Finrod and Luciann as they realize where the tongue comes from. Finrod lowers his sun sword as his eyes flow down from the wagging tongue to the pooling blood on the floor beneath the troll. His eyes sit suspended on the blood of the troll for a moment then flare up to meet the troll's, Finrod grabs the edge of the desk and hurdles the obstacle. The elf raises his blade as he clears the desk, Gronar and Korg both swing theirs arms out to halt the infuriated warrior.
Both giant's fists slam into Finrod, causes the lithe elf to tumble over backwards and land waist first on top of the desk, Finrod's blade slips from his hands as his breath is knocked from his lungs. Emotion wells up from within as Finrod's anger is left unabated as his body lies perched jackknifed on the desk. Luciann raises his hand to cast a spell, and both giants yell "No!" at the elven wizard.
"We talk to stinky troll first." Gronar explains
The giants push the desk further away from the downed troll and kneel in front of it. Finrod pulls himself up to a sitting position and watches intently the interrogation of the troll.
"What stinky troll name?" Gronar asks
"Duh..." Comes the troll's response as droll dribbles out from the crook of the troll's mouth
"What Duh do here?" Gronar inquires
"Guard." Replies the troll
"What Duh guard?" Gronar continues
"Mistress." Comes the answer
"Huh? What was that last part? Something about a lady. No?" Paquito interjects
"Where mistress now?" Korg asks
"Bath." The troll says as it points to the west.
"Hey, what's in this room?" Ratchet inquires as he pulls down a filthy moth ridden blanket off of the wall to reveal a door in the east wall.
"What in that room?" Gronar asks
"Things." The troll answers
"Shiny things?" Gronar asks
"Magic things?" Korg follows
The troll's gaze quickly shifts back and forth as it searches it's meager brain for the answer.
"Things." Comes the singular reply
"Elfy, open door." Gronar instructs
"Wha.... Me? Are you trying to get me killed?" Finrod protests
"Fine I'll do it." Ratchet says as he turns the handle and gives the door a hard pull.
The door resists the gnome's efforts initially, but soon acquiesces to Ratchet's insistence. The far wall in the room beyond is lined with square shaped marble doors, in six rows of four each. The doors themselves are only four square feet and are adorned with tarnished silver handles.
"Treasure!" Gronar exclaims as he leaps for the door and scopes up Ratchet with the same motion.
Lothred smirks at the giant's hysteria, "Oh I'm sure there are 'things' in there for you to find." The tiefling states.
Luciann, Finrod, Gronar/Ratchet, Korg, and Omar all move up to the room's entrance to get a better look inside.
Omar stops dead in his track as his eyes take in the sight, he watches as Gronar grabs a handle and begins to pull on it to get the drawer open. Only then does he realize what the room's purpose is. "Stop! I don't think you want to do that!"
Graywolf-ELM said:But you can't stop there....
GW
And so I won't........
The party pushes a reluctant Gronar down the hallway and into a wide four-way. To the south lies the only visible room from their vantage point. The room is a thirty by thirty square with a large wooden table knocked over on it's side dominating the center of the room, it's feet point outward towards the party, while sheets of parchment lie strewn about on the floor behind the table.
The back wall is decorated by a rack full of whips, scourges, flails, and other manual torture devices. The rack runs the length of the entire back wall and appears to be completely stocked save for one missing flail.
"Now this is my kind of room!" Lothred exclaims
*snap* *moan*
The cracking sound of a whip followed by a painful sob echoes from behind the overturned table. Gronar and Korg fan out to flank the table, while Finrod inches up directly behind the table. Lothred ignores the strategic placement of giants, and in an unconcerned stroll, makes his way past the on guard Gronar and to the rack of items at the back of the room.
Gronar and Korg peek around the table and find a prone troll laying in it's own greenish blood, with a flail in his right hand, and clutching a writhing small pink tongue in his left hand.
"Fascinating." Lothred declares in his monotone voice
Gronar switches weapons to his long spear, and prods the bleeding troll with the blunt end of the spear.
"Ugh." The troll's head lops to it's right side and slowly opens it's eyes to Gronar. The troll's eyes have a glazed over sheen to them and the troll appears to vaguely sense that it is no longer alone.
"What stinky troll doing?" Gronar demands
The troll weakly holds out the flail to Gronar and in a voice wracked with pain answers: "You turn?"
As Gronar sinks away from the offered weapon, Lothred steps up and accepts the device.
"Gladly." Lothred answers and brings the flail down upon the troll's chest with all his might. The troll howls in pain as blood spatters across the rack wall.
"Do more." The troll instructs, Lothred raises the weapon again only to have his hand stilled by the massive grasp of Korg.
"Elfy no hit stinky troll again." The hill giant chides Lothred
"What? He asked for it, literally." Lothred criticizes
"More." The troll commands
"No, stinky troll get up and tell Korg where elfys are." Korg dictates
The troll pulls itself up into a sitting position and sticks the tongue it holds in it's hand into his own face. The tongue immediately goes to work licking at the torn flesh and spilled blood upon the troll's head.
"Interesting, I must get my one of those. How do you make them?" Lothred asks
The troll points at Finrod and holds up the tongue for Lothred to see. A rippling surge of despair washes over Finrod and Luciann as they realize where the tongue comes from. Finrod lowers his sun sword as his eyes flow down from the wagging tongue to the pooling blood on the floor beneath the troll. His eyes sit suspended on the blood of the troll for a moment then flare up to meet the troll's, Finrod grabs the edge of the desk and hurdles the obstacle. The elf raises his blade as he clears the desk, Gronar and Korg both swing theirs arms out to halt the infuriated warrior.
Both giant's fists slam into Finrod, causes the lithe elf to tumble over backwards and land waist first on top of the desk, Finrod's blade slips from his hands as his breath is knocked from his lungs. Emotion wells up from within as Finrod's anger is left unabated as his body lies perched jackknifed on the desk. Luciann raises his hand to cast a spell, and both giants yell "No!" at the elven wizard.
"We talk to stinky troll first." Gronar explains
The giants push the desk further away from the downed troll and kneel in front of it. Finrod pulls himself up to a sitting position and watches intently the interrogation of the troll.
"What stinky troll name?" Gronar asks
"Duh..." Comes the troll's response as droll dribbles out from the crook of the troll's mouth
"What Duh do here?" Gronar inquires
"Guard." Replies the troll
"What Duh guard?" Gronar continues
"Mistress." Comes the answer
"Huh? What was that last part? Something about a lady. No?" Paquito interjects
"Where mistress now?" Korg asks
"Bath." The troll says as it points to the west.
"Hey, what's in this room?" Ratchet inquires as he pulls down a filthy moth ridden blanket off of the wall to reveal a door in the east wall.
"What in that room?" Gronar asks
"Things." The troll answers
"Shiny things?" Gronar asks
"Magic things?" Korg follows
The troll's gaze quickly shifts back and forth as it searches it's meager brain for the answer.
"Things." Comes the singular reply
"Elfy, open door." Gronar instructs
"Wha.... Me? Are you trying to get me killed?" Finrod protests
"Fine I'll do it." Ratchet says as he turns the handle and gives the door a hard pull.
The door resists the gnome's efforts initially, but soon acquiesces to Ratchet's insistence. The far wall in the room beyond is lined with square shaped marble doors, in six rows of four each. The doors themselves are only four square feet and are adorned with tarnished silver handles.
"Treasure!" Gronar exclaims as he leaps for the door and scopes up Ratchet with the same motion.
Lothred smirks at the giant's hysteria, "Oh I'm sure there are 'things' in there for you to find." The tiefling states.
Luciann, Finrod, Gronar/Ratchet, Korg, and Omar all move up to the room's entrance to get a better look inside.
Omar stops dead in his track as his eyes take in the sight, he watches as Gronar grabs a handle and begins to pull on it to get the drawer open. Only then does he realize what the room's purpose is. "Stop! I don't think you want to do that!"