The party consisting of Ulric, Sa'ar, Galdroon, Peck and Alusair began their travel over the Shadow Gap towards Tilverton at an hour after high noon. It is only a short trip before a ruckus can be heard over the next rise.
Sa'ar and Peck scouted forward and returned to tell the party that a band of 10 Zhentarim Soldiers and their Ogre ally had captured a Mountain Lion and were torturing the beast to death. Immediately Ulric surged forward on his mount. Peck grabbed onto Ulric as he passed.
Ulric charged over the rise and landed a blow on the Ogre, causing him to drop the lion on the ground. Peck leaped off of the paladin's horse and landed a blow on the Ogre as well. The Zhentarim scattered, some to their horses to give chase to their mounted enemy, and some went to surround whoever was behind the massive ogre.
The ogre turned around and smacked the halfling with a solid blow, and seeing the Zhentarim about to surround Peck, Galdroon let loose with a fireball which immediately killed 3 Zhentarim and damaged another as well as the Ogre. Galdroon saw the situation getting bleak for Peck and rode forth on his horse.
Ulric had turned around and rejoined the fray by charging 3 Zhentarim. Sa'ar meanwhile slayed the ogre with two arrows in the head. The ogre fell at Peck but the halfling jumped and landed on top of the ogre. He quickly grabbed one of Sa'ars arrows and fired at a Zhent, but missed by a wide margin.
The Zhentarim began falling and the situation getting bleak, four horsemen (not intended) began to flee towards Tilverton. Seeing the problem with Zhents notifying their leadership, Galdroon unleashed another fireball at the riders, slaying them and critically damaging their horses.
Alusair grabbed two horses as Galdroons direction and Galdroon attempted to calm the damaged Warhorses. Sa'ar meanwhile went to the Mountian Lion and began to calm him. Galdroon attempted to heal the horses by sprinkling a potion on the horses.
"Get away from those horses! You nearly killed them with a fireball and now you try to help them?!" an Elf walked out of the woods and yelled at Galdroon, who instantly became defensive and startled. The newcomer, who was named Voxen, scolded Galdroon, healed the horses and tended to the Mountain Lion, who was able to scurry off.
Voxen was apprehensive to most of the party, and they described the Zhentarim which Voxen claimed he had not heard of. He then stated he will travel with the party and learn more about the Zhents who were known slavers. They took the Zhent horses with them, so they were not left unattended to.
That night, the party was discussing to camp or push, Ulric and Voxen's horses began to startle. Ulric casted Detect Evil and saw large figures approaching in the darkness. 3 trolls attacked from one side and 1 troll attacked from the other.
The battle was fierce, with Galdroon opening with Burning hands and Alusair coming to his side. The trolls closed and Galdroon was bitten and clawed fiercely, leaving him near death (albeit at full combat effectiveness). Ulric fought from atop his steed and Peck sneaked attacks at the trolls from the back of Ulric's steed. The trolls were regenerating their wounds, and Voxen stated they must be killed with fire. Voxen then unleashed a spell that caused lightning to come down from the sky!
Sa'ar was by himself with the single troll, who was armored and wielding a large two handed (troll's hands) sword. It charged him, but ended up taking massive damage from a very well placed pair of arrows. Voxen quickly sparked the unconscious body into flame, causing the wounds not to heal.
Ulric charged toward Galdroon to protect him, and on the way Peck, with a spell cast by Voxen, slew a troll with a mighty fire rune attack. Galdroon had a flaming sphere out, burning the trolls who could not avoid its attacks.
Another troll was unharmed, and he lashed out at Alusair, tripped and fell face first into Ulric's Warhammer.
There was another troll who was healthy and fighting Ulric, and the paladin swung low, through Galdroons flaming sphere, into the Troll.
From out of nowhere a large Half orc armed with a glowing sword rides up on a warhorse, jumps off, flies through the air and lands a mighty blow on the troll.
The next round the last troll was still prone, and the group ended up beating him near death. The half orc would unleash a devastating attack, nearly severing the Troll in two. Galdroon finished him off with his flaming sphere.
The trolls defeated, the party located a treasure sack on the Troll leader. They rested and continued down the trail the next morning. Along the way, they came upon a couple building a tavern on the side of the road. The people offered to take the horses off the party's hands, in exchange for 100 gold and free stay when they returned to the Shadow Gap in the future. The party would make it down the mountains to the plains north of Tilverton.
