Forces of Hordes: Trollbloods

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Forces of Hordes: Trollbloods

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Release Date 2010
Pages 116
Preceded by Forces of Hordes: Skorne
Followed by Forces of Hordes: Legion of Everblight
Forces of Hordes: Trollbloods is the second of the Force books in the second edition of Hordes. It updates all Trollblood models in the second edition and introduces a new warlock, Captain Gunnbjorn.

Story

Near Scarleforth Lake, Captain Gunnbjorn is leading a squad on a scout mission, during which they recover the skorne's abandoned weapon stashes and water as well as two of their large fortifications on the lake shore. After inspecting the fortifications, he decides the best he can do is gather additional intelligence until reinforcements arrive.

A month before that, Gunnbjorn stumbled upon the Cygnaran cavalry officer and warcaster Jeremiah Kraye when fighting bog trogs in the Marchfells. Kraye informed him about something peculiar going on with the skorne near Scarleforth Lake, where a lot of trollkin kriels lived, and recommended him to take back that ground quickly.

Gunnbjorn is interrupted by one of his forward scouts who spots a skorne detachment leaving the fortress to quell some trouble. Deducing that he cannot wait for another chance like this and taking these key structures once the skorne return would be exponentially more difficult, he decides to launch the attack when night falls.

Many miles northwest of Gunnbjorn's position, Horthol meets up with a group of long riders and ask them to follow him in preparation for a battle against the skorne. They accept on the condition that Horthol helps them preserve an old herd of bison brought from Khador.

Meanwhile, Beast Master Xekaar is infuriated at how many of the titans he spent years conditioning succumbing to an unknown disease when suddenly one of his subordinates inform him of the trollkin attack. Not planning to disappoint Makeda and Morghoul, Xekaar disregards a Praetorian's suggestion to evacuate.

During the two days after taking over the skorne fort, Gunnbjorn's forces orchestrate several careful ambushes to intercept returning skorne soldiers, but not any significant force. The third day, reinforcements arrive in the form of an army led by Calandra Truthsayer and the long rider band recruited by Horthol. Barely after their arrival, the massive diseased titan herd, goaded by paingivers, attack. Although they manage to kill many trollkin as well as both of Gunnbjorn's pyre trolls, Xekaar knows their strength will be spent quickly, and orders them to be herded to the lake so that their disease will poison it, denying the trollkin of a source of water. When a tormentor points at Gunnbjorn as the trollkin's leader, Xekaar decides to deal with him personally.

Calandra Truthsayer, seemingly aware of Xekaar's plan to poison the lake, shouts at the incoming titans frantically, while Horthol, riding nearby, suddenly leaves the battlefield with his group of long riders. At the same time, Xekaar approaches Gunnbjorn, uses his whip to paralyse him and forces him to look to the north, where the diseased titans are racing toward the lake. However, his plan is ruined by Horthol, who leads a bison herd on a stampede, overrunning the titans and their keepers.

With the help of Calandra and her bouncer, Gunnbjorn shakes off the paralysis. As Gunnbjorn reloads his bazooka, the startled Xekaar prepares to finish his job, while Gunnbjorn's surviving dire troll bomber throws an explosive keg at him. Gunnbjorn pulls the trigger just as the barrel hits while simultaneously invoking Dhunia's power to endure the blast. Xekaar is seemingly killed, but no trollkin knows that he does barely manage to survive.

Following the battle, Calandra declares that Gunnbjorn has managed to avoid his first death as he claims Scarleforth Lake in the name of the trollkin.

Publications
Iron Kingdoms RPG d20 The Longest Night (2001) • Shadow of the Exile (2001) • The Legion of Lost Souls (2001) • Fool's Errand (2001) • Lock & Load: Iron Kingdoms Character Primer (2002) • Monsternomicon Volume I: Denizens of the Iron Kingdoms (2002) • Full Metal Fantasy Volume 1: Iron Kingdoms Character Guide (2004) • Full Metal Fantasy Volume 2: Iron Kingdoms World Guide (2005) • Liber Mechanika (2005) • Five Fingers: Port of Death (2006) • Monsternomicon Volume II: The Iron Kingdoms and Beyond (2007)
Iron Kingdoms Iron Kingdoms Core Rules (2012) • Urban Adventure (2012) • Kings, Nations and Gods (2013) • Monsternomicon (2014) • Iron Kingdoms Unleashed Core Rules (2015) • Iron Kingdoms Unleashed: Skorne Empire (2015) • Wild Adventure (2016) • Immortality (2016)
Warmachine Mark I Warmachine: Prime (2003) • Warmachine: Escalation (2004) • Warmachine: Apotheosis (2005) • Warmachine: Superiority (2006) • Warmachine: Prime Remix (2007) • Forces of Warmachine: Pirates of the Broken Coast (2007) • Warmachine: Legends (2008)
Mark II Forces of Warmachine: Retribution of Scyrah (2009) • Warmachine: Prime MkII (2010) • Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar (2010) • Forces of Warmachine: Khador (2010) • Forces of Warmachine: Protectorate of Menoth (2010) • Forces of Warmachine: Cryx (2010) • Forces of Warmachine: Mercenaries (2010) • Warmachine: Wrath (2011) • Warmachine: Colossals (2012) • Forces of Warmachine: Convergence of Cyriss (2013) • Warmachine: Vengeance (2014) • Warmachine: Reckoning (2015)
Mark III Warmachine: Prime MkIII (2016) • Khador Command (2017) • Cygnar Command (2017) • Protectorate of Menoth Command (2017) • Retribution of Scyrah Command (2017) • Cryx Command (2017)
Hordes Mark I Hordes: Primal (2006) • Hordes: Evolution (2007) • Hordes: Metamorphosis (2009)
Mark II Hordes: Primal MkII (2010) • Forces of Hordes: Skorne (2010) • Forces of Hordes: Trollbloods (2010) • Forces of Hordes: Legion of Everblight (2010) • Forces of Hordes: Circle Orboros (2010) • Forces of Hordes: Minions (2010) • Hordes: Domination (2011) • Hordes: Gargantuans (2013) • Hordes: Exigence (2014) • Hordes: Devastation (2015)
Mark III Hordes: Primal MkIII (2016) • Trollbloods Command (2017) • Circle Orboros Command (2017) • Legion of Everblight Command (2017) • Forces of Hordes: Grymkin—The Wicked Harvest (2017) • Skorne Command (2017)