Chapter one, part two

The air in the tunnel was stifled with the smell of decaying vegetation, rancid water and things that where unidentifiable.  He hated it, Vailden lived among these scents for over four years and still not grown accustom to the fowl stench. He also despised the company of the trolls that loomed about the lower caverns and back on the surface.  

Shearra-fangx has bin gathering the creatures from all the Trollmoors as well as those fond deep in the network tunnels and caverns that make up the underdark.  Along with them she had brought others including duergars also known as gray or deep dwarves, she had acquired over four scours of them to forge weapons for her growing army.

“Army” Vailden thought. “What a joke.” His thoughts did hold merit. As fierce and hard to kill as trolls where, there over aggressive behavior and great lake of intelligence made them poor solders.  At best they where longer lasting fodder than other simple races.  And yet she focuses on them as apposes to securing any real warriors.  It sickened him to think that he himself, a masterful fighter and assassin has not been used to his true abilities and pushed aside to better accommodate these stupid behemoths.  He wondered if any of the duergars felt similarly about there part in this.  They where craftsmen when it came to the forge, no less than surface cousins, would they not feel some bitterness forging such unimpressive work for those who could not bring out any true potential from them.  But then again they are getting paid.

Continuing on, his way thoughts where given shape as the tunnel veered left and opened up to a large semi ovule shape cavern.  It was a little over Three hundred yards in length and a hundred and half in width, with about a thirty or so foot over head.  This was the main chamber for outfitting the trolls.  Every where the putrid looking things, with long dangling nooses and wart covered faces, were being handed weapons, armor, and leather stitched tunics that where supposedly treated with alchemy to resist fire.  

Vailden new that the last item was more a mental defense than a practical one, for the fear trolls held for fire is well known.  It’s like a natural predator to them, a troll feared little else, with the ability rapidly heal there wounds, grow new limbs even those severed ones that are not reattached can become whole new trolls. It did not mater to them how many pieces you cut them into, but fire that burn and chards the flesh leaves nothing to heal, nothing to grow and thus they fear it; that with can kill them.

It was not the only thing that could though, and Vailden knew that.  As he walked on those trolls who saw him gave way to his path.  He could bring death to them and they know it, the fear on their face showed it as much.  Vailden smiled enjoying the distress his presence has brought to them.  The duergars, who where handing out the equipment also gave an off sided look as he pass. They did not fear him, but none the less kept a wary eye one him, not trusting anyone as most of their kin didn’t.

He came to the other side of the chamber from where he entered and there were now three tunnel entrances where before him. The right one led to other caverns similar to the one was in the left gone deeper to the forges and alchemy labs.  He went through the centre tunnel; it was a back entrance to Shearra-fangx resting chamber.  She was the one who had summoned him back only a few day after he set out to continue his scouting of near by settlements that now are being built around the north eastern side of the moors.  

Since the last retaking of Nesme twenty years ago during the campaign of Obould Many-arrows many humans, perhaps worried about loosing territory to the now establish orc kingdom, have began trying to setup some small villages and farms along the borders their. He was ordered to watch them and report back every thirteenth day.  Something has happened and he knows that in some way he is to blame and he will be made to pay for it.