Just as Verity mentions stabling horses, Thurodim realizes Diggory hasn't come in yet and remarkably quick on his feet considering his huge frame he reaches the front door in but a few swift strides, frantically looking around outside for the cart driver.

Perception: 16

Mala gives Verity a surprised look as she asks about their number.  "Just five of us," she says.  'Did she know that Heran had left them?' It's then she realizes, "Ah! The driver! Dig... umm... Diggory was it?" She looks at the others for confirmation. "You're right, I'd have thought he'd have joined us by now." She starts to stand. "Perhaps I'll go take a look." 

Mala, as you begin to stand, Thurodim has already made his way over to the door, and is scanning the courtyard outside.

Thurodim, in the time you have been indoors, perhaps 20 minutes, the twilight has become almost full night. The growing darkness now surrounds a pool of light which spreads from the inn's windows and it's now open door, and from a lantern which hangs from the front wall of the stable across the courtyard, next to the stable's currently open door. You can see that your cart has been parked up, but your two horses remain in the courtyard, hitched to the cart. Diggory is nowhere to be seen.

Ilithir listened attentively to Verity’s words, smiling in admission when she mentioned she was not the one dinning. He was thankful for how unbothered and cooperative the barmaid was with the topic. Two weeks, he repeated with the voice of his mind. Claw marks. Definitely seemed like the work of a beast, but what beast would tear the chest of its victims specifically? If it was something killing out of hunger then it should have attacked the belly too, if not exclusively. Compared to the chest, protected by the ribcage, the stomach area had nothing but meat and fat. It was far easier to bypass than any bone and offered more to feed upon. Maybe the creature killed out of pleasure? That or it was trained to attack in a very specific manner.

“Someone made us lose the track of time.” He jokingly accused the halfling, with a half-smile. Before the elf could offer to look for Diggory, Mala started to rise from her seat and Thurodim went directly to the door. “You don’t need to call me ‘sir’. My name or just ‘you’ is more than enough. Have your heard something else about the victims? Things who they were or how many they were?”

Mala, seeing Thurodim already at the door, heads over beside him. "Going somewhere all by yourself?" she asks as she appraises the view out the door herself. 

"Worried about Diggory, probably nothing but wanted to make sure." Thurodim rumbles softly, briefly glancing down at Mala beside him with a quick warm smile. He had always found her company comforting, more than she realized perhaps. The massive half-orc then continues towards the stable's open door and peers inside, his darkvision helping him to scan the stable for their missing cart driver.

Another perception if needed: 8

Mala will follow right behind Thurodim, keeping an eye out behind them as they proceed. 

Seeing the others head outside, Ghurr scans the room to see if anyone takes notice. He's long since learned that danger doesn't always come from the most obvious direction.

Perception/Insight (same roll - to see if anyone seems to react to the party looking for Diggory): 13  

He then makes his way to join the others outside if he hasn't noticed anything.

Faera smiles warmly at the half-elf as he winks at her about the exotic beasts.  "Yes, I have heard of Housta, but I have not had the pleasure of any of his parties though.  The senechal was not there?  That's interesting, I wonder what he is up to these days."  She thinks, making things bad in Fort Imma apparently, "Me and my friends over there," she looks in their direction and notices Thurodim, Mala and Ghurr head for the door.  She trails off a bit and watches them for a moment, but then returns to her conversation.

"We are coming from Fort Imma, due to problems we have heard about at Soft's Rest.  Have you heard anything about killings up there?  I am sorry, if this isn't pleasant dinner conversation, we can stop.  But that is our reason for travel."

Faera

They give you a strange look then, the half-elf and the older man. This excitable waif is part of a group sent to put an end to the killings? The young man Dariell looks, if anything, even more enamoured of you. "Yes, it's terrible," he says. "We stayed there last night, and it was the talk of the tavern!"

"What little talk there was" says Waldemar. "These deaths have put a sleepy village all the way to bed. No one goes out alone, the farmland is all but abandoned. I hope you can put an end to this, whatever it is, or there'll be no spring wheat harvest."

"Although I believe your question was whether we had heard anything? Only what was whispered in the Watchman. But it's a small place, the sort where everyone knows everyone, so I'm inclined to believe it. They say the bodies were found in the farmlands, or in the woodland, clawed to death, chests ripped open." He takes a sip of the new glass of wine, seemingly unmoved by the gory nature of which he speaks. "Difficult to know exactly how many have been killed, but it sounded like at least five."

Illithir

"Oh, I hear a different number every time someone passes through there," says Verity. "And the numbers only get bigger! Four, five, seven, ten. Last person said twenty! But they seemed a nervous type, so I think perhaps they got a bit carried away. As for who, farmers mostly, I think, but then that's most of the village. People seem less interested in the who than the how, which is quite sad if you think about it." She smiles sympathetically. "I'd better get back to work. This place doesn't run itself you know!" She stands. "Tymora's Luck be with you. I hope to hear rumours of your daring hunt before long!" 

Ghurr

The movement of the group to the door garners a little attention, as do you yourself - the movement of such a large creature of course catches people's eyes, but much as when you first walked in you just get a glance before they return to their meals, drinks, and conversations. The female dwarf, however, actively jumps when you stand, then turns back to her companion, saying more loudly than perhaps she realises "Why would they let.." before she is quickly hushed by her human friend.

Mala

[Perception: 23]

In the silent darkness, your own check of the courtyard reveals no more than Thurodim was able to see. However, through the distant crashing of the waves at the base of the cliffs a few dozen yards away, you can make out a noise from the stable. It's difficult to make out exactly, but as you get closer, Thurodim in front, Ghurr leaving the tavern and joining behind you, it gets a little clearer, and it sounds like... crunching?

Thurodim

Peering through the door to the stable, which is open by about 2 feet, your eyes adjust to the dim light inside. No sign of Diggory, but at the far end of the stable is a large, green figure. It is hunkered down in a squat, back turned to you, lank grey hair clinging to its bare skin, and from it you can hear wet crunching, slurping, chewing noises.

Thurodim's snarls quietly and assuming the distance to the large green creature is not more than 40 feet he charges the grey-haired beast, Skullcleaver raised over his head.

As he reaches his enemy his strong arms getting Skullcleaver in motion in a wide arc, letting it fall mercilessly over the large green creature as he recklessly charges into it, keeping the momentum of the axe to quickly follow with a reverse strike, then staring down at the creature with a challenging wolven howl.

Bonus action: Rage (While you’re raging, your allies have advantage on melee attack rolls against any hostile creature within 5 feet of you.)
Move action: Charge forward to the beast.
Action: Attack twice with Skullcleaver, raging, attacking recklessly and -5 to attack and +10 to damage, all included in rolls.

Skullcleaver: 13 Slashing: 20
Skullcleaver: 19 Slashing: 27

As you run across the cobbled, hay-strewn floor of the stable, the creature looks up and around suddenly. On top of its broad shoulders you see two heads, one a little smaller than the other, two mouths red with blood. The smaller head continues chewing happily. Four pointed ears twitch at your approach, and two noses sniff the air, as this mutated troll senses your approach.

Your first swing is knocked out of the way with a stretch of one long, wiry arm, but you redirect the blade and bring it down again on the creatures back. It yelps briefly, and stands to face you. You look up, and up. It is at least 10 feet tall, mottled green skin on long limbs, with broad hands that that end in long, razor-sharp claws. A distended stomach filled with, you can see through its legs, the flesh from the mutilated body of a horse. And its two pairs of beady eyes look down at you as the larger head shouts "Not your horse! Brek's horse!", followed by the smaller head "Yeah, Brek's horse!"

INITIATIVE (rolled in encounter builder)

23 - Mala

22 - Ghurr

21 - Two-headed Troll

6 - Thurodim

Mala and Ghurr, your turns.

(Something like this, can't find a good picture of a 5e troll with two heads)

Faera, the three who left have barely been gone a minute when you hear muffled howling and shouting coming from outside. You remember Thurodim howling during the fight with the harpies - this sounds very similar.

Illithir, I'm afraid your passive perception didn't allow you to hear it, sorry!

Faera listens intently on their story from the night before, "The Watchmen, you say?  Do you have a feeling as to how many strong they are?"

She then hears Thurodim from the direction the others went, she gets up quite abruptly, more of a reflex than anything, "I'm sorry, something is going on... I must.." then she turns to Illithir and with a slightly raised voice so he can hear, "Something is going on outside, come on, let's go!"  She nods her farewell to the three and runs out the door.

Ghurr steps out in time to see Thurodim charging into the stable. Ghurr steps quickly after him, catching the end of the trolls statements about the horse.

"No. Bad troll," Ghurr growls. "Horses here not food."

Ghurr's glaive whirls into life as he steps up closer to the troll. He swings in quickly, allowing him to get in an attack even before the troll can attack Thurodim. The long pole arm twirls back after the attack, the butt end swinging up at the pair of heads, then even as it seeks to connect the momentum swings the head of the glaive sweeps back into attack the heads again.

Movement - up to 30' to get within 15' of the troll.

Attack 1: Attack: 27 Damage: 9  

Bonus Action - Pole Arm Master - butt of glaive - Attack: 12 Damage: 7   

Attack 2: Attack: 22 Damage: 11  

Surprise Attack: If troll hasn't taken a turn in this combat yet, and one of the above attacks connect there's an additional 8 damage

Oops forgot advantage from Thurodim's Wolf Totem Spirit rage - assuming two of the attack hit, will just reroll the to hit for the bonus action: 18  

And if it hits, will re-roll the damage dice (from Great Weapon Fighting to reroll a 1 or 2): 7  

Mala draws her two shortswords as she follows rapidly after Thurodim.  As she approaches, she uses her Planar Warrior ability, choosing the troll. (Bonus Action: next time you hit that creature on this turn with a weapon attack, all damage dealt by the attack becomes force damage, and the creature takes an extra 1d8 force damage.) She then makes two swift strikes with one of the swords. 
(Shortsword - Attack 1: 18 Damage: 5)
(Shortsword - Attack 1: 20 Damage: 6)
Planar Warrior Damage: 7, added to the first attack that hits. 

If one of the attacks hits she will use Favored Foe to mark the troll. (When you hit, you can mark target for 1 minute or until lose concentration. First hit each turn, including when you mark it, you increase damage 1d4): 3

Is everyone alright with the positioning of their sprites? Let me know if you'd like it moved.

Under an onslaught of blades from Ghurr and Mala, the troll's skin is sliced open - it's rubbery, and each stroke leaves a clean wound which hardly seems to bleed. What little liquid seeps out is thick, and dark green. As you watch, the liquid settles in the wounds and starts to solidify. You have cut deeply, but the wounds are already beginning to heal.

After Ghurr returns his glaive to a ready stance, the troll turns towards him and shouts from the bigger head "Everything food!", followed by the smaller head "You all food!", and it lunges towards Thurodim standing right in front of it. Its two heads attempt to bite down either side of your neck at the same time, while it's razor claws try to pierce through your unprotected torso.

For result see post 388.