As they were retreating slow by slow Hathol was firing few arrows at the troll... All of them found the hard armor and fell apart...
Then he saw someone... The other couldn't see so far... It was a rider... He arrived after some time...
Cyllamdir asked who he was and Turgwaith greeted him as an outrider. Hathol didn'tremembered the troll...
The troll suddenly brought his hammer on all of them but they managed to dodge it. Hathol got out his balde and managed to stab the right foot of the troll.
The troll leaned from its pain. Hathol's blade was stuck and he tried to remove it from the troll's flesh. The blade had gone too deep. The troll slowly stand up again and with his right hand he sent Hathol flying away. His blade was free and fell by his side but he hitted his head on a rock.
Someone-he could see him as a shadow had come to his aid. He felt somehing warm on the back of his head... Probably blood.
The shadow was trying to speak but he could not hear him.

_________________
"The stars are veiled.Something stirs in the East. A sleepless malice."-Legolas, The Return of the King

Sulvan was surprised when Cyllmadir noticed an approaching rider. Turning towards the direction he noticed a figure fast approaching that was unmistakeably a Rider of Rohan. This infuriated him as he did not want any interference with his plan for the others, he was so angry, that he almost called Scarr to come and ambush him, but had sense enough not to give away his true colours. To Cyllmadir he said; "I believe it is folly to stay and fight and fleeing would be the sensible approach. However, I believe that sometimes it is best not to do what is sensible. That rider is coming, do yyou think it kind to leave a man who may be coming to aour rescue to die. Nay I think not."

Then he saw Dwalvyn the Dwarf attacking the troll from underneath, but the troll appeared to have bashed him aside a easy as a small child does to a dandileon. Whilst the troll was occupied by the dwarf, Sulvan used this to circle around the bneast, watching the warg riders out of the corner of his eye, hoping the rider would approach fast enough. When he reached the rear of the troll, he thought hard, knowing their hide is tougher on their back and so instead drew one of the poison-laid throwing daggers that he stolen and conncealed right into the troll's groin, then steopped back waiting for the troll to roar from pain, and hoped it would not thrash too much...

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

Grimric noticed the elf calling out to him and angled Freya towards it. He was about to answer when the ranger declared he was an Outrider. The horseman shrugged and rode by in silence. He saw two warriors get knocked aside by the troll and nudged Freya into a gallop. Grimric drew and loosed, his first shot skating across the armour. He noticed the warrior crouched behind the troll, his eyes narrowing, as he quickly drew and loosed another arrow into the creature's armoured torso.

Freya and her rider thundered past the angry troll, barely avoiding its swiping claws, before Grimric twisted in the saddle with another arrow on string. His aim lingered momentarily on the warrior behind the troll before loosing another arrow into the back of the troll's kneecap. The former outrider shook his head clear of his untrusting thoughts and circled left for another pass, loosing his fourth arrow into the troll's pincushioned shoulders.

"Why does this thing just refuse to die?" He muttered, as he notched his fifth arrow. The rider noted that it was the last of the Khandish arrows he had scavenged a week ago and that he had only a score of his own from a year ago. He sighed, sighting before he loosed it into one of the troll's elbows. Grimric lowered his bow, grabbed Freya's reins and directed her on a course periously close to the angry behemoth. Straight past the standing warrior.

"Hie! Hie!" He cried aloud as he urged Freya to run faster, switching the reins to his bow hand and leaning far to the right, hand outstretched as they thundered towards the warrior.

"Grab on!"

_________________
http://knightscharge.wordpress.com/
- My miniature gaming blog, sorry for lack of LOTR content right now.

Kaldor was still taking cover behind a rock, as he popped his head out he spotted Dwavlyn ambush the troll, he was momentarily filled with pride that it was a dwarf who struck the troll hardest, but this pride was cut short when the dwarvish ambassador was struck to the ground. Kaldor rushed towards his friends side and dragged him behind the rock and out of the trolls vision. At this point Kaldor took a moment to take in everything that had happened; he spotted the rider who had began assisting the party. "A man of rohan?" thought the dwarf "I hope he does not share the same distrust for dwarves most of his people do!" The dwarf's line of thought was cut loose by the roar of the troll, Kaldor began to unsheath his knives when he remembered they would be no good against a troll. However, if he someone with a well made weapon could get to the rear of the troll, they could cut the straps holding the armour on, which would mean the bowfire may actually do some damage.

Kaldor tried to think of who could do it when he spotted Hathol, and thought of the elven blade which he carried about. Kaldor did not like the fact that he would have to rely on elvish craftsmanship but it would have to do!
"Oi, Elf!" He cried. Once he had got the elf's attention, Kaldor mimicked the cutting of the strap with his hands. Kaldor then snuck around the rock to behind the troll and let out another one of his gritty warcries before placing a dagger into the back of the beasts leg. The strike did little damage but successfully caused the troll to turn around, exposing his armour supports to the rest of the team. Kaldor would only be able to dodge a swing or two before the troll would knock him down and focus on the rest of the group again.

"Hurry!" Cried the dwarf.

Everything had happened too fast... Everyone was knocked down...
Turgwaith run to Hathol and saw he was alive althought he had lost his feelings...
He placed him slowly on the grass...
He run back and saw the troll swinging and throwing away his comrades...
' We don't have all day...' Turgwaith and took a special arrow from the very back...
" To me, you creature of shadow..." He said and he took the attention he was planning for...
The troll turned to him and walked to get its prey... Turgwaith dodged the hammer of the troll to the right and sent his 'special arrow' to theopen spot under the arm of the troll near it's heart... The troll moved around like dizzy for some seconds... Everyone backed up...
The troll fell backwards... To the ground... Turgwaith run to Hathol and tried to wake him up...
The others tried to see if it was dead... Hathol woke up and Turgwaith got him up... He was holding his head in pain...
They went near the others...
" We must leave fast... I used an arrow that has a special poison found far from Rhun... It doesn't kills but it sent you sleep... A troll will wake faster so we have to leave..."

And then he remembered... The promise he ahd gave to a woman... The wife of his best friend...
People of Rhun but good people... He had promised her to return the crystal with the magnet...
She had gave him the sleeping arrow... " I have to leave, do not ask nor seek me. I will be a shadow in your memory, goodbye and watch because things are not as they seem." And he left towards the west, maybe they could see him as he was leaving. But they would be better without him.

Hathol was bad... His ehad was aching... Turgwaith left... He didn't like to lose one of them... Then maybe the others would be lost later, one by one...
He got his blade and with a sad face without speaking he walked towards the forest to leave to Lothorien...

_________________
"The stars are veiled.Something stirs in the East. A sleepless malice."-Legolas, The Return of the King

Dwalvyn was glad for Kaldor's assistance - for several reasons. He was glad his kinsman was safe, returned and able to give him aid. He saw him flailing about, shouting to one of the elves, then saw him run off shouting. The emissary still struggled for his breath and tried to recover, hoping the troll was no longer a threat if they all stayed far from it.

Seeing the troll come crashing down to the ground, Grimric sat upright in the saddle and wheeled Freya away from the the fallen creature. He watched the pair of warriors walking away from the fight with distrustful eyes but ignored them as he slowly trotted back to the elf that first addressed him when the rider had first arrived. He casually notched another arrow on string, ready to turn the tables on any treachery. Freya pawed at the snow, ready for another brisk run in the cold weather.

"Tis dangerous to travel so near to the dark woods with the winter snows already upon us. The troll proves this beyond a doubt. Who are you, elf, and what drives you so foolishly as to brave a trek so near a dangerous place as this? Speak quickly!"

_________________
http://knightscharge.wordpress.com/
- My miniature gaming blog, sorry for lack of LOTR content right now.

The last few moments happened so fast and were so... unbelievable, that Sulavn could not fully recall all that happened. He thought he saw the troll collapse, he thought he saw Turgwaith and Hathol abandon his enemies, which made him feel more comfortable, and he thought he saw the strange, possibly Rohirric rider rider, approach them, he was talking to one of them, but not himself, yet Sulvan decided to answer any way, though he did not tell the whole truth;

"That troll was no lone troll, it was sent by a Black Numenorean, who must have followed our trail, and he must have sent the wargs too, my name is Sulvan and I do not wish to speak the nature and purpiose that we are here. I will leave that choice to our leader." He looked to Dwalvyn, and also Kaldor, awaiting a response...

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

"Son of earl, we are not your enemies!" Cried Kaldor "Our path is one of great importance for the free peoples, but is also one of great secrecy. We all swore to travel this path with each other and thus none of us could disclose our route with you. All you need to know now is that we are traveling to the north under command of General Hrothgar!" The dwarf hoped that mentioning Hrothgar would help ease the man's mind; for the story of Hrothgar single handedly rescuing a young Rohan lad from goblins was well known.
The Dwarf then continued: "Our party was already small but now finds itself becoming smaller thanks to desertion. I would be more than glad for you and your fine Meeras to join us, that is of course, if the rest of our party should agree..."

Kaldor did not like the man's vicious approach to his companions but he understood the aggression, they were both soldiers after all.

The last few moments happened so fast and were so... unbelievable, that Sulvan could not fully recall all that happened. He thought he saw the troll collapse, he thought he saw Turgwaith and Hathol abandon his enemies, which made him feel more comfortable, and he thought he saw the strange, possibly Rohirric rider rider, approach them, he was talking to one of them, but not himself, yet Sulvan decided to answer any way, though he did not tell the whole truth;

"That troll was no lone troll, it was sent by a Black Numenorean, who must have followed our trail, and he must have sent the wargs too, my name is Albaron and I do not wish to speak the nature and purpiose that we are here. I will leave that choice to our leader." He looked to Dwalvyn awaiting a response...

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

Dwalvyn was still struggling to breath. With both great difficulty and immense inner strength, he slowly pushed himself from the ground and started to stand. He paused slightly one one knee, his head dizzy from lack of air, steadied himself and continued to stand. Once he was upright, he took in a deep breath.

He took a step, then stopped to pick up his walking axe, leaning on it as he continued. He gave the injured troll a wide berth as he approached the rider. He coughed and then wheezed a few words, before clearing his throat and starting again, sounding as if he had been sprinting for some time. "Th ebeast is not yet dad and I would like to reclaim my weapon before we continue. Horseman, it seems you have found our unforunate band and lent the aid you could. What is your name and purpose?" He was direct, but he was always short with his words after sustaining injury in battle. He'd also considered asking of the whereabouts of the two missing companions, but decided it best to wait until the rider was dealt with.

Grimric listened carefully to each warrior who spoke to him, weighing their words against their actions in battle. Kaldor the Dwarf seemed sincere in his explanation and that Hrothgar was involved eased Grimric's suspicions, for such a legendary figure would not stoop to deception and trickery. He also respected Kaldor as a fellow soldier and instinctively felt he was trustworthy. Albaron, his human companion, seemed less sincere and Grimric's suspicions grew for the Rohirrim do not lie, therefore being harder to deceive. The Outrider released his suspicions though for he would have to either trust them all or none at all. The armoured leader, Grimric liked immediately, for though he seemed injured the dwarf did not back down from the mounted Outrider. He thought for a moment, then put away his arrow and unstrung his bow before putting it in a sheath strapped to his pack.

"I am Grimric, son of Freahelm, once an Outrider in service to Theoden, King of the Riddermark." He paused for a moment, recollecting. "I have long since left Rohan and have been unable to find my way back. Now my purpose is my own so long as it keeps me alive and well."

He dismounted from Freya's saddle and stepped closer to the Dwarf leader.

"I see that your band is fewer then it once was and those that are still here are injured. My last camp is not far from here and there we may find some rest. I offer my services to you, Master Dwarf, until you need them no longer." Grimric's tone was less biting as he spoke and he knelt respectfull before the emissary.

_________________
http://knightscharge.wordpress.com/
- My miniature gaming blog, sorry for lack of LOTR content right now.

Dwalvyn listened and watched the man as he spoke and knelt before him. "Grimric, the honour belongs to our party that you would offer us your camp and company. Your assistance will be welcomed and maybe we shall be given opportunity to return the favour, Master Outrider." He pulled the man up by the arm. "No need to kneel before a friend, which I hope we shall become." He looked at the horse, which seemed to be a fine and magnificent beast, but honestly didn't know how to treat it or behave around it, so simply avoided it and tried to avoid meeting its gaze to prevent startling it. He then glanced back at the troll, which seemed to be in a large amount of pain, but anger as well.

Kaldor approved of the outrider's decision to join the party, but his gaze, like Dwalyn's, turned to the troll, who was only a few minutes from stirring.
"I've fought trolls before, i can tell this one is not soon from rising in a great rage, i say we hurry up and get a move on." Before waiting for a reply from anyone Kaldor began marching away from the troll. "Son of Eorl may i ask that you carry our captain as a passenger on your horse, he is badly wounded, even if he won't admit it. I think he will benefit from a brief rest"

Kaldor took out his map and studied it for a moment or two before crying out "Ah i give up" He then handed the map over to Albaron in frustration, Albaron was a ranger after all so it would make sense for him to take up the navigation responsibilities along with Grimric and himself should the party come over any of his familiar trade routes. The party marched for a good many hours before the sun began to set, at this point Kaldor turned to the party and exclaimed: "Today has been filled with physical and emotional strain, if any of you would like to set up camp now i would not protest, however we could make a few extra hours of light walking and still get a good nights rest..."

Sulvan took the map that Kaldor handed to him. Unlike the man he was pretending to be, Sulvan was not from the Norrth, and his many excursions in the north probably only afforded him slightly better knowledge. He was however, quite good with maps, and so he studied it carefully. It took him a moment to find their location, and he was not entirely sure if they were iin fact sewveral leagues further west than that.

Before answering the question that Kaldor asked them, he first said; "I think it would have been wise if we had slit that troll's throat whilst it was unconcious. I heard rumours that Olog-hai can speak fairly well. The beast may well inform its master of our location, and thus I do not think it would be wise to camp here just yet. I think we should have a false trail leading further east, and then we double back round."

"Also," he said, looking up from the map now, "there is something important I need to tell you. You remember that warg that mauled the troll's arm, it had a scar acroos the side of his face. Well, he is an aquantace of mine. I was hunting a Warg in the North, and found it and slew it as there had been rumours of missing children. That warg turned out to be a mother, and Scarr, was her only surviving pup. I raised him, and he answers. I can call him now if you wish, that way you are not startled by the warg that was following us."

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

Dwalvyn was not best pleased about riding the beast that was double his height, but thought it best not to argue - especially since the gestures from Kaldor and Grimric were of friendship. When the discussion of the troll arose, he thought it best to chip in. "If you wish to return and slaughter the beast, by all means do so. It's not going anyway without the use of its legs. If you do go, be a lad and grab my weapon for me." He chuckled and then considered the implications of the following warg. "It is an oddity, no doubting that. It may be useful, but I fear that it could attack us. I suspect it would defend you with its life, but it is a feral beast all the same. On your head be it if mishap occurs."

Grimric nodded as soon as Kaldor made his request and helped the armoured leader up into the saddle. He paused for a moment.

"I've never heard of a Dwarf riding on a horse of Rohan. I guess you'd be the first." He said, grinning before he swung easily into the saddle and rode after the others. The Outrider let Albaron lead the way for he knew not the lay of the land and did not want to lead anyone astray. When the band came to a stop, he rode a little closer so he could hear more clearly. Grimric was about to respond to Kaldor's question when Albaron of the North spoke up about a 'tamed' warg and their leader commented on the oddity. Instinctively, his hand went to draw his sword but it was forced to stop because the dwarven emissary was still in the saddle before him. The Outrider was trying to form an argument against the warg's survival but he allowed himself to remain silent on the matter, for again he had to trust the entire band or none of them.

"So long as your pet," He spat the word angrily "stays well away from Freya, I will not slay it without our leader's permission."

Grimric turned and looked over his shoulder back the way they came.

"I agree on the matter of the troll. Someone should go to back and see if they can silence it, or at the least try to reclaim some of the weapons left behind. I would like to volunteer and I would ask that Albaron go with me astride Freya, since he is still eager to slay the beast. While we are gone, everyone else can continue on like our Ranger suggests and we'll rejoin you once you've made camp." He was loath to travel with this odd Ranger who seemed to be lying and raised a warg, a creature of dire evil, but the Outrider prefered to be able to watch Albaron rather than worry that he'd be causing trouble in camp.

_________________
http://knightscharge.wordpress.com/
- My miniature gaming blog, sorry for lack of LOTR content right now.

"Go back to the troll?!" Cried Kaldor "We have traveling for nearly a whole day, you expect us to go all the way back just to kill an already crippled troll?!?". Upon speaking these words a thought popped into Kaldor's head which would solve everyone's lack of hope for the warg.
"I dislike the idea of a warg following us as much as everyone else, but we are in no position to turn down help, especially from one of the lands most deadly creatures. What if we send the warg to kill the troll? Wargs are fast creatures and it should have no trouble finishing off a crippled troll."