Naldir had mostly remained quiet since the formation of the party. For one, he wasn’t sure of this mixed bunch of adventurers. Also, he was unsure of himself. It had been several years since he had gone on this kind of excursion. He had almost abandoned the party as they were leaving town, as when he went to the tavern to talk to his boss, he almost remained. But he had given his word and Naldir did value that kind of contract, and was not ready to break it. So he gave the tavern keeper his notice, quitting his bar keeping job. As Naldir gathered his few belongings into his pack, the tavern keeper was already posting a help wanted sign. Naldir sighed, realizing that there was no turning back, before rejoining the adventuring party.

The group then began their journey, marching down muck covered paths for several hours. Naldir was surprised by how light his large shield was in his hand. He would of thought that without using it for several years that it would be unfamiliar and heavy, but it felt like an old friend kept close. Naldir’s years of training had left him strong and full of energy. Even as the sun set Naldir was not tiring and felt like he could go for several days more. Even as he sludged through the mud and rain, Naldir was surprised with how well this journey had gone so far. That sense that everything was good was interrupted when a foul smell rolled in over the hills.

At first Naldir thought that they were passing a particularly vile bog. But then it dawned on Naldir what the odour was, as several yells off in the distance confirmed it. Trolls. Naldir had only seen trolls in the northern wild lands of his homeland. They were always an awful and deadly encounter. Many men had fallen beside Naldir to the clubs and spears of a troll. Naldir unintentionally gritted his teeth, his left hand quickly unsheathing his sword.

“Trolls! Ready yourselves!” Naldir shouted as he raised his shield in front of himself.

As Naldir shouted he saw that Nathaniel had cast some kind of spell to turn invisible. At first Naldir thought it was an act of cowardice, but he decided to trust the masked man, hoping that he had some kind of plan. Naldir wished he had a plan. He was out of practise in the art of combat, a fact that could get him killed. As his anxieties washed over his body, Naldir noticed that his shield felt just a little bit heavier in his hand. He once again gritted his teeth as he tried to steel up his body.

“Come on. Focus.” Naldir muttered as he tried to steady his hands and the weapons held within.