Participants: Killian Sahelion, Lazz'Ru, Azzit, Cartoq, Geld, Kayzen
Locations: Watchers' Tribe Village, Dragon's Tail, Watchers' Holy Lands
Loose ends: Rydess' Desert was formerly green and verdant; where did the wolves come from?
Short summary:
A group visited the The Watchers' Tribe, and was warned about the 'Taint', as well as informed about mysterious wolves that seemed to come back time and time again despite being hurt. The party traveled along the Dragon's Tail mountains, met Tarka and his scouting group, and finally fought two groups of these 'wolves', who were actually Trollhounds that regenerate unless hurt by acid or fire. Hoping that this favour improves the relations with the Kobolds, the group recalled back to First Landing.
Full report: Killian
The third record of events which occurred during the travels of Azzit, Cartoq, Geld, Kayzen, Killian, and Lazz’Ru, as transcribed by Killian, with addendums by Cartoq, Kayzen, and Geld.
We set out on our journey heading north from First Landing, towards the Kobold Village. To the best of this one’s knowledge this quest to kill undying wolves has been the first official quest given by the Kobolds and is an encouraging sign.
The first day passed without incident and we approached the village on the morning of the next day. Due to our past relations, the Kobolds let us into their camp in order to speak with Father Lightning. He informed us of the wolves, creatures which despite being peppered with arrows would return the next day without wounds. He also further informed us of the dangers of The Taint, and requested we swear an oath to destroy it wherever we found it. In order to assist us in our coming hunt, a Kobold arcanist applied two runes of potency, enchanting the weapons of Masters Cartoq and Kayzen.
Good stuff. - Kayzen |
We journeyed farther north into the mountains, where it grew quite cold, accompanied by a patrol of Kobold Scouts led by Tarka. We shared a campfire and there were no attackers that night. One of the Kobolds told an old story about how the desert to the north, Rydess’ current domain, was once a place of greenery, water, and life. I do not know if there is truth to this tale, but if so I wonder what occurred to cause the change.
The next day we patrolled the mountains, looking for the wolves. After some time we heard noises of their coming, and hid to ambush them. The Kobolds thought they heard more noises, and set off to investigate them.
We then encountered the first pack of the creatures, 3 strong, which Master Azzit identified as Trollhounds: muscular pack hunters that quickly regenerate unless exposed to acid or fire. Fire is the better option, as they appeared to be vulnerable to it. Master Lazz'Ru attempted to scare them with an illusion of fire, but they seemed to be fearless.
Chopping them fast+hard enough also works. - Kayzen |
Don't try hitting them with cold, they seem immune to it. - Geld |
After a good amount of shooting, burning, zapping, bombing, and wrestling, the Trollhounds were slain. But, we could hear the sounds of battle not far away, where the Kobold Patrol was fighting!
Another 5 of the beasts were engaged with the Kobolds: we rushed off of a small hill to assist them. Masters Azzit, Geld and Kayzen bombarded the hounds with grenades, spells, and arrows, while Cartoq charged a pair of them. I assisted with flames. Lazz’Ru raised an illusion of a stone wall, which did fool the creatures and funneled three of them into a chokepoint. Masters Cartoq and Lazz’Ru were badly injured and dragged down by the beasts, but were luckily not hit again. Continued bombardments of spell and arrow cut down the beasts, and the efforts of Geld and Azzit managed to save a Kobold Scout who was on the edge of death. Tarka scored the final killing blow and the fight was over. Many of us were bitten, but there were no deaths, and I believe we have improved the Kobold’s opinions of our group.
The Kobolds paid us well for our efforts, and we returned back to First Landing via magic.
Cartoq’s Practical Guide to Wrestling Trollhounds Alright, first of all you might ask: why even would you want to do that? Those things are really buff and have a nasty bite to them! Well, dearest reader, these pests have the habit of healing their wounds way too quickly for my taste. So stabbing them won’t be too much of a hassle for them, unless you really REALLY get them good. So if your friends might get eaten by them, a good tactic is to get close and personal. Also you might enjoy it, I don’t judge. But it is a challenge some might seek. Most important thing first: a headlock won’t work. These things don’t really have a neck. Their heads will slip out again unless you already got their shoulders in that headlock. And that kinda defeats the purpose of a headlock. Now to the basics: they are dumb as bricks, you don’t need fancy tricks or the hounds giving you an opening. If you are head to head with one: go in for the classical tackle into clinch. When you get their head over your shoulder, they don’t have too much to bite at. You will also not be able to attack too well, but having them held in place and focused on you is an advantage. To increase your odds of survival, pull them in as close as possible. It is unpleasant and smells like rotting hell, but it is better than getting cramps the following days because these things sink their dirty teeths in you and cause an infection. Speaking from experience. I can also see a classical armbar working a bit, but you know, it requires some up front tripping them. That brings us to our next topic. If you want to trip them, don’t go for the front legs. They bite into whatever is there and manage to support themselves. Also they are incredibly muscular and agile around the front shoulders. Do as you would when catching sheep and get at least one of their hind legs, then you got some control. Now get the second one and cross them over and quickly lift them. They will fail to do anything about it and land on their backs. While you might want to get some coach or trainer to help you spot mistakes in your technique anyways, in this case someone with the ability to conjure up fire is basic safety precautions. Don’t try this alone, then die and bug me afterwards. I just gave you some pointers, bring your own common sense. - Cartoq |