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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tickleberry" data-source="post: 788512" data-attributes="member: 1565">Then the NEXT day . . . .The very next morning, bright and early, what should happen but somebody THUNDERS on the front door. I waited a whole ten minutes for somebody else (namely somebody who hadn't been grieviously injured) to answer the door, but nooo. I had to go down.What do I find there but a GIANT.  Okay, so he wasn't really a giant, but at 6'9" he sure seemed like it, especially when he's built like a mountain. I open up to see what the mountain man wanted. Did I mention the bright blazing red hair? Man's as redheaded as yours truly. Only difference was his eyes weren't as pretty a green as mine, more like a brownish hazel. As soon as I opened the door he took a look at me and said "Where's Lilybo?" Now, Lilybo was hanging in the town square, quite dead, and was surely still being talked about. This guy obviously had to have walked, or ridden through quite a bit of town to get here, and he managed to hear NONe of it? Incredible. Despite the early hour and inconvience he had already caused, I tried to be polite."Lilybo is no longer with us.""Where'd he go? Is he at his other house?"  Mountain Red started looking around like I might be hiding him somewhere behind me. Okay, so he WAS as dumb as he looked. I took the gloves off."Lilybo is dead."  Didn't seem to phase him. "Are y'all now running the business? Sign's still up. He was always good to me when I'd come through town. Sure he ain't hiding at the other house?""Celwyn!" I bellowed. Let the bard deal with the thickwit. I was going back to bed. It was too early to be alive and functioning.Then here came the bard, perky as ever. "Good morning good sir, what can I do for you?"?"Name's Ronco Betide, an' I was hopin' to get this rock changed out. Ol' Lilybo usually give me a good deal when I came through." Ronco pulled out a huge ruby. This had gotten my attention. Wait a minute. Ol' Mountain boy mentioned another house. This might be worth staying up for after all. Who knows what he had hidden at another house, and it would legally be ours now. Hmm. This had possibilities. The bard did the unthinkable, he gave him a straight trade off. I gave him an odd look. Was he feeling well today? He later explained "I didn't loose anything, and we need another bruiser." After the last fight, I'd have to agree. Then Celwyn looks around at all the moneychanger equipment just lying there. He got an odd look in his eye. One I recognized. He spent the rest of the day looking into it and setting it up. I looked into getting my goggles of nightvision. I designed them, and they weren't quite gogglish. Goggles always looked so goofy. I also found out more about this "other house".  Oh, did I mention that Celwyn also entered Ahmed in the town council race? Yeah, and set some insurance so that he gets a "fair" consideration. Let's say he became a very popular candidate (amazing what large amounts of alcohol can accomplish).This other house was well back in the woods. It was quite a mansion. Whilst looking over the new property, something spooked the horses. We managed to keep our seat as a troll came up out of the ground beneath the new guy. Celwyn threw alchemal fire. Celwyn set Ronco's horse on fire.  Ronco axed the troll. Ronco hurt the troll, badly. Celwyn again threw fire. Ronco's horse had enough, and ran off.Within a few more axe blows, and some help from me, the troll lay prone. Spooky (who was still rather new to me, mind you) suggested setting it on fire before it got back up. We toasted it.Celwyn promised to make it all better with him, but Ronco just harrumped. We continued on toward the place, and met flying trolls. They were jumping out of the second story windows at us. One nearly got me.  Instead of ducking or dodging out of the way (as any smart halfling would have) I fire an arrow at it.  It hurt me, badly. Spooky helped me back out of the fight, and by the time I was back on my feet, it was another smoldering pile.  We finally went inside on the north end. We found only a few locked doors, and no traps at all. We did find LOTS and LOTS of troll sign. Ronco was ready to go upstairs, so I followed and covered him with my bow. I checked at all shut doors, doing the usually look for danger routine, and found a troll all unawares upstairs. Ahmed looked ahead to place him, and we ambushed it very well. It died first round (happy to say, I was responsible for some heavy damage that time). As we were tossing flaming remains out the window, double trouble came in. There was an ogre and a troll. Both of them were wearing crowns. One crown solid copper, and the other was silver. The ogre said "I am Lilybo." The troll said "I am Lilybo." Uh-oh. This wasn't good. The troll looked us over and said "I go get troops." The ogre advanced. I had two choices: stand and get torn apart, or dive out the window. I dove out the window. Now, I was thinking about clambering back up, and then shoot from a safe vantage, when the bard came sailing out after me. Then followed the valiant (ahem) ranger, and then Ronco, and as Ahmed sailed out, there was an earthshattering kaboom behind him. The house went up in flames. Ahmed said "You decapitated him on that last swing.""So why blow the whole place up?""To exterminate the rest of them."We got commendations. The crown was caught by Ahmed, and he's been studying it relentlessly. Thinks it might be a crown of leadership. Wonder when my goggles will be ready? </blockquote>

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