Log Date: 9/8/99 Log Cast: StoneHeart, Nightfall, Skywise Log Submitted By: Nightfall Log Synopsis: Nightfall catches a troll in the woods near the Holt, and along with Skywise, confronts her on her presence in their territory. ---------- Path Around the Father Tree This path is used mostly by the elves for travel to the woods behind the great Father tree or to lay traps for small game that can be caught farther north. You can barely see the very top of the huge tree towering above you for the riot of growth obscures your vision. Overgrown clinging vines crisscross the path, though not too low to the ground, having perhaps been coaxed by a treeshaper to grow out of the way of travellers. It is a hot summer morning. The father tree is quiet as elves and wolves alike seek to their dens. Obvious exits: Path Path Clearing StoneHeart emerges from a long trail to the south. StoneHeart wanders through the foliage, grumbling something about the heat, as she tries to find her way through a thicket. Nightfall freezes in her tracks, looking at you intently. Her bow is in her hand, arrows in a quiver at her hip; she is on her way to go hunting, and was not expecting to encounter one of the visiting trolls. [OOC] StoneHeart says, "Just to make sure this is straight....StoneHeart doesn't know anyone lives around here....she's just wandering through. Ran into JE and decided to stay here for a bit while he's off looking for ore...she's oblivous to elves inthe area...." [OOC] Nightfall ah, okay, thought Flashfire had encountered you the other day -- he mentioned you both in a +mail. [OOC] StoneHeart says, "No...he was saying that that was all OOC info... :)" [OOC] StoneHeart says, "You'll be the first LostHolter I've RP'd with so far" [OOC] Nightfall ohhh! Well than change that to "was not expecting to encounter a troll". [OOC] Nightfall btw, is logging. StoneHeart doesn't seem to be paying attention to anything around her but the tangling, tripping foliage. She cusses under her breath, growling loudly about stupid plants. In a low voice, rumbling with a wary growl, Nightfall says "What are you doing here, troll?" The flat tone renders it closer to a territorial warning than a friendly question, and she remains hidden in the surrounding foliage. StoneHeart looks up, her hard black eyes searching around her, "Who's there? Show yourself.." Nightfall remains unmoving, wariness well ingrained. "An elf..." Her tone adds the unspoken 'And I'll stay hidden until I'm more sure of you'. << StoneHeart >> StoneHeart could be called a Northern beauty to those of her kind, but her hard, dark eyes drive all thoughts of that from ones mind. Her coal black hair is long and tied back in a tight braid that hangs well down the middle of her back. Around her head is a wide silver hand, holding back any stray pieces of hair that might fly free. Her long hooked nose has no warts, but one is evident on the right side of her chin. Her grayish lips are set in a stern line as again her eyes draw one to look at them. There is a deep lying inteligence there, a quick wit, and sharp tongue. She is dressed in thick leather britches with knee-high boots that lace up the sides. They are thick-soled and have seen much travel. On her upper body, she wears a blue short-sleeved tunic under a leather vest. But the vest is barely visible under a shaped and sculpted breast plate that covers her chest and back. It has been shaped to fit her, so it leaves nothing to the imagination. Her arms that stick out from her tunic are large for a female troll, well muscled and toned to perfection. Her huge hands could crush things fairly easily if she were so inclinded to do so. As a finishing touch, visible over her left shoulder is the hilt of a rather deadly looking blade, held onto her back with a thick leather sheath and straps. StoneHeart snorts out loud, and begins to move around a tree, putting something to her back, "An elf....how appropriate. Why don't you show yourself so I can see how ugly you are. " Nightfall lets out a low laugh, "Not likely, troll, not until I know why you're in our territory." She does, however, shift slowly and quietly so she's more advantageously placed by a tree. StoneHeart says "HAH! Your territory! I'm free to go where I choose, and I chose to go here. I see no markings to tell anyone that this belongs to you." StoneHearts dark eyes continue to search every inch of the area, every leaf stir, shadow and foliage. Her eyes are quick to dart here and there as if taking in everything. Nightfall chuckles, her tones still coming from low in her throat, deepening her soft voice. "You obviously don't know what you're looking for, troll. Would you know how to tell a human's territory? I think not. Why are you here?" StoneHeart growls, "I know how to tell its a human territory. It stinks, just like you do." She sniffs the air for emphasis, "And as to why I'm here - I'm here as a body guard..." There is an extended, surprised pause, then "A body guard? What body are you guarding?" Nightfall's tones have switched to a more normal tonal level, so it's now clear that she's definitely female. StoneHeart looks around again, "I'm guarding someone - its none of your business who they are..." Nightfall chuffs softly, a scornful sound. "You're guarding another troll? If he can't keep himself alive, he should never have left the tunnels." -She- thought you were guarding a kill, and just weren't clever enough to cut it up and take it with you. :) StoneHeart snorts, "Of course other trolls. That's what I'm paid to do." Nightfall repeats, slowly, "Paid?", trying the unfamiliar word out. In a more normal tone, she asks, "From other trolls?" She's still not sure enough of you to be willing to let you actually see her, but she's not actively hostile. StoneHeart rolls her eyes, as if to say 'Stupid Elf'. "Yes, they pay me in gold and gems to guard them. They are not warriors like myself..." Nightfall snorts scoffingly, "Then they should keep their soft selves in their tunnels." StoneHearts eyes seem to reflect the same feelings as she chuckles harshly, "I don't care who they are, as long as I get paid. " A brief pause, as Nightfall looks around, then "You seem to have lost your troll." Instead of harsh warning, her tone is one of bemused teasing -- she has decided that you are not, at present, a threat to her tribe or herself. StoneHeart snorts, "They're busy...with other things. I'm simply trying to find something worth doing..." She seems bored. Nightfall chuckles softly. "So you're thrashing around in the bushes like a wounded bear? You might find yourself on the sharp end of a human's hunting spear if you continue." StoneHeart snorts aloud again, "HUmans...pah. Killed plenty of them on the way down here. Pale little pansys" Nightfall chuckles softly, bemused and condescending, "Most humans know better than to hunt wounded bear on their own. What will you do if a group of them surrounds you?" StoneHeart snorts, "What's it to you. I don't know why I'm even talking to a putress little thing like you..." You say "The humans have been quiet lately; if they find and kill you, they might start another of their demon hunts." Amusement creeps into her voice, "And you're probably talking to me because you're lost in the woods."" StoneHeart looks around, and snarls, "I am not lost...I know exactly where I am and where I've been.." Nightfall chuckles, "I know where you are -- you're right here. And it's easy to tell where you've been; a blind human could follow the trail you've left." StoneHeart looks around for you, now tryinig to find you for sure, "Where are you? I'll show you how to find my trail...I'll rub your nose in it." StoneHeart looks frustrated, and a bit angry as she searches around trees and looking up in them. Nightfall remains still, though crouched and ready to spring if necessary, "You're in my home territory, troll, and at as much of a disadvantage that I would be in your tunnels." She pauses, watching you thrash. "The humans are probably awake already; you might draw their attention if you're not quieter." StoneHeart snarls, "I am being quiet. Its just those fraggin pointy ears of yours that make you think I'm being noisy..." She actually is fairly quiet for a troll now that she's actually trying to be quiet....but her massive size still causes noise no matter how hard she tries. Nightfall chuckles again, not above mischievous amusement. "If you -were- being quiet, you wouldn't be disturbing the birds and insects." After a brief pause, she does add, "You are being quieter than most humans, though." Nightfall adds in, "You still remind me of a bear." StoneHeart continues to look up in the area trees, "And bears are good predetors where I come from... " You say "They're good predators here as well -- which is why you only remind me of a bear. I've only seen you flounder around in the bushes, not hunt." She pauses. "Though I imagine you must hunt, since you obviously aren't starving to death."" StoneHeart chuckles, a sly grin on her face, "Yes...I am. Boar, moose, deer, bear, and an ocassional...elf" She says the last word with a little taunt. Nightfall chuffs scornfully again, "Should I congratulate you on being able to occasionally catch an elf?" StoneHeart smiles, her face taking on an almost malicious look, "Oh its easy really...just dig a hole, let the snow form up over the top of it. Put spikes at the bottom of the pit and check your traps every few days...You've got to be good not to leave smell or tracks behind." Nightfall remains quiet, but it's a disgusted sort of quiet. "Why hunt elves? We're not very meaty -- and we don't hunt -you-." [OOC] Nightfall er, apparently doesn't remain quiet. 8o [OOC] StoneHeart says, "Is ok :)" StoneHeart says "Then you haven't lived long enough up north. When its all you have to eat, you'll eat anything thats meat, even half starved rodents from the store rooms." Nightfall muses "I've been up north..." After a pause, she adds firmly, "I'm happier here." StoneHeart looks around, "It's almost too warm here for my blood." Nightfall hmfs, "Then go back. After you find the troll you're guarding, of course. StoneHeart grumps and leans against a tree (it creeks slightly at the added weight), and crosses her arms, "Can't..." You say "Can't." Her tone gives the impression that she's rolling her eyes. "You can go anywhere you choose, though; why can't you go home?"" Skywise arrives from the northern end of the path. [OOC] Skywise ahs. [OOC] Nightfall notes that I'm hiding in a bush, talking to/taunting Stoneheart. StoneHeart is in the open area, in a ring of trees, leaning against one. The vegetation has been trampled a bit. [OOC] Skywise nods. StoneHeart grumbles, "I can't go back to my home because I've been banished. They think I tried to take the throne for myself..." StoneHeart notes the tone of hatred and anger in her voice. Nightfall glances up at Skywise's appearance, ** Shh, Stargazer; we've a wounded bear lunbering through the holt. << amusement, and a mental image of Stoneheart stomping the foliage >> ** Aloud, she muses, "Why anybody would want to take a throne... Isn't that the troll-chief's chair?" The branches rustle faintly, about the only clue one will get that there is someone or something there. StoneHeart groans aloud as she realizes you didn't understand what she was saying, "By taking the throne means disposing of the ruler...the 'cheif' and sitting upon it yourself, proclaiming yourself the new King or Queen...or 'chief'. They say I was plotting to do just that...." StoneHeart looks in the area that the branches rustled, her ears picking it up, but barely. Nightfall considers that, then asks, "Why not just challenge the chief? Why take the throne, if it's such a... symbolic gesture?" StoneHeart spits, "Because he is not worth challenging. He is a puny weakling, not fit to rule. He would rather play with his toys than rule like a true king" She doesn't seem to be talking directly to anyone, but seems to be very adement about what she says A voice speaks from the trees. "Then he doesn't belong on this 'throne'. Who is stupid enough to protect such a weak ruler?" StoneHeart looks at the sound of the new voice from a different direction and actually stands back up instead of leaning on the tree. She seems to have gone on guard a bit, unsure of this new addition, "Not I. I am not the only one that feels that way but he has persuation over the others that protect him. I was only in his army...I was never his personal body guard..." Nightfall grins briefly in Skywise's direction, then comments, "He's not worth challenging and not fit to rule; why wouldn't you plot against him?" StoneHeart snorts, "I was, but it wasn't my plot they uncovered. It was SharpTooth and somehow he convinced them that I had done it all...It was a horrible plan to be gin with. Mine was much more subtle. They still don't know about mine....No one nkew, sharptooth just got lucky with who he picked..." Skywise giggles faintly. "The best laid plans..." he mutters. He's obviously amused by this troll. "You don't belong out here." and so a tone of warning enters his voice. StoneHeart growls, "So what if I don't, what are you going to do about it? I'm only here to rest with my charge and then leave when he's ready to leave." Nightfall offers, "There are some caves that would be good for you to sleep in during the day." To Skywise, she adds, ** She doesn't seem interested in us at all -- didn't even realize she was in our territory. ** "What charge?" there comes that overwhelming curiosity springing forth from the Stargazer. ** As long as she stays out here, and keeps her smell to herself. ** he sends back, unimpressed in the long run. StoneHeart snorts, "I've already found the caves. And my charge is my personal deal, and none of your business Pointy-Ear who smells like wolf dung." Nightfall chuckles softly, voice briefly turning magnanimous and condescending, "Of course, brave troll who isn't afraid of a tribe of humans." Her voice switches back to normal, laced with sarcsm, "though how you can smell what you can't even locate is beyond me." StoneHeart narrows her eyes as she smiles slyly, "It's rather hard to pinpoint something when a smell such as your is so overwhelming that it encompasses the entire area." You say "Ah..." sagacious, now. "Then you can't smell the itchweed that you were sitting in..?" [OOC] Nightfall notes that there almost definitely is no itchweed, actually -- but I'm not admitting it. =) Skywise laughs aloud from his tree, smirking at Nightfall, though she may not be able to see. "Perhaps you should move yourself, troll." StoneHeart looks around, "I'm not sitting I'm standing stupid elf...besides, I'm not itching. I've gotten into itch weed before. I'm not some young mump who doesn't know a thing or two. Besides, its awful hard to tell what I'm doing when you've been sitting in a burr bush for as long as you have... The leaves rustle as Skywise bounces a bit on his branch. "You are assuming that I am sitting in a burr bush?" StoneHeart sighs and shakes her head, "Not you fuzzy-butt, her...and points to the bush she suspects Nightfall to be hidding in" Nightfall takes careful aim and tosses a rock high out of her bush, quickly enough that it doesn't pinpoint her location. The rock lands with a thump near a burr bush, bouncing out of sight. "How did you figure out which bush I'm in?" Her tone is one of surprise and alarm, but Skywise can doubtless tell that it's feigned, and hiding amusement. StoneHeart looks over at the bush, at the sound, and moves over to it. And then moves around it, looking for the elf. StoneHeart says "Don't think you can fool me carion breath..." Nightfall chuckles, low tones carrying around the clearing, her precise location still a mystery. "Would I try to fool you? You're a body guard and too dangerous to fool." StoneHeart grumbles, "Now you try tuant me....I'll have you for supper when I catch you." Nightfall says, not very contritely, "If you catch me, you mean. You'd have more luck hunting down the body you're supposed to be guarding -- he's not hunter, so might be dead already." StoneHeart storms around another bush, "Don't you be concerned about my charge...he's my concern not yours. And he's quite capable of taking care of himself.." Nightfall settles herself more comfortably against her tree, keeping a close eye on Stoneheart's progress -- just in case she determines the correct bush. "If he's quite capable of taking care of himself, then why do you get paid?" StoneHeart grumbles loudly, "I don't make the rules, I just do as I'm told. He told me to leave him alone for awhile so I did.." StoneHeart goes around another bush, looking under it Nightfall abruptly springs from her hiding place onto a branch, bounding up until she's high enough to be out of harm's reach, but low enough to be able to talk without yelling. "You might want to work on your stalking, especially if you want to continue eating when it gets cold." Skywise laughs, not far from where Nightfall just ended up. "Maybe we can trade food supplies for some of the worked metal. What do you think?" [OOC] Skywise snugs you both and poofs again. Skywise has disconnected. StoneHeart turns and looks up at the two, "If we are even in the area. But when it truly comes ot food...I'm very good at feeding myself. As far as trading, what do you think I look like...a soft fleshed green troll? They might be great for growing mushrooms and making trinkets but they are as weak as a new born mump.." Nightfall peers down at you. "Actually, I think you look like a large female troll. I thought they were usually kept locked in a room and only let out when the male trolls want them to do something." Her tone makes it more of a question than a taunt. StoneHeart growls as she looks up, "I didn't fit in as a girl-child. I was raised by my father, a great warrior..." Nightfall stands on her branch and hnhs. "I would be glad of that; being locked up in a room all the time sounds awful." She stretches, yawning, then warns, "Don't be surprised if you encounter other elves -- you're in our territory, and we protect our home." She looks at you, your build, and your weaponry consideringly, "I think you understand about that." StoneHeart snorts and watches you get up to leave, then shakes her head, wandering off into the forest. Suprisingly, she makes barely any noise for someone her size as she wanders off...almost making you wonder if before, if it wasn't on purpose..... Nightfall glances after you warily, then vanishes into the trees. Maybe she -did- underestimate you.