Phoxly and Alacian

The vague memories of a village in peril haunt Alacian to this day; the only memories retained from this fateful night are the horsemen and their flames as they lit the village on fire and savagely slaughtered the hundreds if not thousands of innocent souls. Among these villagers was Alacian’s entire family. Confused and alone she hid from them as the raiders tore everything apart before the flames began to engulf her childhood home. She let out a soft call for help, the smoke and crackling flames muffled out her voice. Outside she heard a deafening roar, followed by screams and wall of her home collapsed. Soon, from among the smoke emerged something… she had not expected. She was unsure whether this thing was a member of the raid, or some cruel ending to her youthful life. She panicked as it reached out and threw her over its shoulders like a rag doll.

The hot smoke filled air around her was quickly replaced with a cool night’s breeze as she was whisked away abruptly into the night, tossed around the shoulders of the large creature. Alacian looked back at what used to be her village just before the creature carrying her came to a stop. Panic kicked in again. Was she to be some raider’s whore? She slipped off the shoulder of the large creature and faced for the first time. He looked like an Olog-hai hill troll, a young one barely six feet tall.

“Y-you… oh-kay.” The troll moved closer to her, hunkering down and staring at her concernedly.

Alacian was too shocked to converse with the troll, she simply nodded her head and looked back one last time at the home she once loved.

The troll looked at the village as well, moving closer to Alacian, looking her over carefully to ensure she was in fact unharmed. After a short pause the mountain troll nudged Alacian carefully.

“Me, Phoxly.” He said.

“Alacian…” She said back, motioning to herself.

Phoxly nodded and proceeded to flick his finger at an open gash on his arm, as if testing just how much it really hurt.

Alacian pulled his large hand away from the gash, and tore a piece of her burnt sleeve off to use as a bandage for the Troll. It was the least she could do for the creature.

“I have to go now...” She said calmly realizing that this day had changed everything, and with every step she took away from the village she could put it all behind her, distancing herself from the memories of the home she lost.

No sooner than she began to walk away, she also heard the very noticeable footsteps of the troll behind her. Apparently, she had gained a new friend as well…

With the village behind them, the Elf and the Troll headed westward. The tales of the girl who had befriended this Troll grew far and wide as they made their way west, each coming into their own as they honed their combat skills and grew closer, they were completely inseparable.

“You never told me why you were in our village…”

“Hmph…” Phoxly said shrugging off the question.

“No really, tell me.” Alacian said persistently. “There were no trolls near our village…”

“I recruited by the Olog-hai..” He said in a monotone voice. “I offered shiny and pretties.”

“You were there… for the raid?” The small elf stepped in front of him, facing him squarely.

“No.” Phoxly said.

“Then what?!” Her voice became agitated as she demanded answers.

“It said there was shiny and pretties in the village…” Phoxly sat down on the ground, still as tall as Alacian.

“…they lied to you so you’d fight?”

“Yes.. lied.” Phoxly said softly. “I found a pretty, though.” A toothy smile appeared across his face.

The elf rolled her eyes keenly and gave him a hug. “You found more than that, big guy.” She grinned and climbed on his back.


Phoxly was quite smart for a simple minded Troll, Alacian taught him everything she knew about the lands and even tutored him in their travelings, in return Phoxly allowed the petite elf to ride upon his shoulders.

It was quite a spectacle to see as they traveled through the cities and towns toward Barad’dun, they both grew tired of recalling the story of how they met, the village, and the dark memories that Alacian just told the townspeople and occasional traveler that she made the Troll her pet.

Phoxly accepted this conclusion simply because he wasn’t a people person, and preferred to avoid towns, while Alacian enjoyed the company of people and stayed street smart in their journey by keeping track of the latest gossip and stories.

“Have you heard about the Barad’Dun Troll King?” She said excitedly.

“Okay… I’ll bite.” Phoxly sighed, knowing how much Alacian loved telling stories.

“He’s said to be going to Barad’Dun for some bloodthirsty feud, he has his own group of men that fight with him too, rogues mostly, but cunning and swift!” Alacian’s hands waved in the air to indicate some ninja fighting combatant gesture, as she always did when she told stories.

“ You ‘like’ this Troll King?” Phoxly said defensively.

“Ha, Troll’s aren’t my type.” She said teasingly.

Phoxly shook his head at Alacian.

“Well anyway, he is supposedly looking for more recruits.” Alacian continued. “And according to the western locals, Barad’Dun has been under constant stress from raids and war…”

“Why does this concern us?” The troll said curiously.

“Because… the same raid that destroyed my village…” Alacian paused. “Is making their way for Barad’Dun.”