The party explore the Shihalion mountains a range even further to the west of the Edgewere. One night their campsite is attacked by a family of seven forest trolls – a truly unprecedented number – and matters look grave at one point. Grettir finds himself fighting off three of them with his great iron shield. However, the party start to prevail and when a couple of the trolls are slain, the others retreat into the darkness. Although many of the party have taken wounds, Eggo and Gerindar have great healing powers. So in the morning they are all fit to start tracking the trolls back to their den.
The trail is hard to follow – trolls being cunning wights. However, they encounter a friendly satyr – a big strapping fellow called Kanyas – who happily shows them Old Snaggletooth’s lair, though he seems a little unsure why they would want to go somewhere so dangerous. He himself has no great fear of the trolls because he can sense them coming and can outrun and out-dodge them with ease, but he knows they can be quite perilous if they get close. The party enter the tunnels where the trolls live and after some stiff fighting lay them all low. There is much treasure. When they emerge they find Kanyas waiting. He seems a little bewildered when they tell him that Snaggletooth and his clan are all dead. He wonders why they would do such a thing. They were sometimes a nuisance but they weren’t that bad really. Someone mentions treasure and Kanyas looks even more puzzled. Nevertheless, he and the adventurers part on good terms as they head homewards once more.
On the way home, one night encamped by a pass leading eastwards out of the Shihallion, Grettir has a strange dream in which he is a soldier of the Empire, manning a garrison post in the mountains.
Ref: A29
OE Date: June 677
Characters: Ivar, Grettir, Eggo, Zalgorin, Salrod, Gerindar, Marna, Nikkar, Meldor. NPCs:
Real World: When – 3rd Term 1981 ; Where – St Andrews