Down the hill, the ogres stare up curiously at the fog cloud, grunting between themselves, their deep rumbling voices carrying faintly on the wind.
“Yeah, guess so.”
“Could be dangerous. Better get ready to fight.”
“Yeah, guess so.”
The two giants let go of the sled they have been dragging and begin approaching cautiously, spreading out slightly.
Alton creep forward some more, keeping low to the ground parrallel to the path and aiming for some more cover, hoping that the two brutes will move past him and allow him to strike at their unsuspecting backs.
Keildrithe stands his ground with head hung low, and continues with his song...
Trees are bare
the earth, it is hard
I wait for winter
Soft winter and snow
Those days are gone
Now I hide where I just can't say
I'll be there, catching your tears
Before they fall to the ground
You, you're walking away
You couldn't stay
You need a change of heart
The bard's voice breaks as he recites the words. He leans on his grandfather's sword, point in the ground.
(I will need a stealth check from Kaj)
Stealth (dex+1, Medium Encumbrance-3)
Kajetan crouches down in the snow, but tumbles forward onto all fours as his back pack over balances him. He curses softly as a cloud of fine snow crystals blossoms into the air.
Nicholai grimaces at Kajetan's fall, but stands still, afraid to help him and make more noise. He glances at the still chanting Keildrithe, deciding that whatever happens next will probably be all up to the bard.
Feeling the protective magic of his diety wash over him, Laithe crouches further down into the snow, watching the ogres intently and poised to strike should they show aggression towards his countryman.
Hearing a noise from Kajetan’s direction, the two ogres begin to lumber forward, snarling, though their progress is slow through the snow.
Though Keildrithe tries to keep an eye on the approaching ogres despite having his head bowed, his mind continually drifts to another time, another place... to another... Grandfather, Lady Ehlonna, I fear not death at the hands of these brutes... I am ready to join you in the afterlife, if I must... And he sings with all his heart, as if the object of the ode stood nearby, listening...
Those days are gone
Now I hide where I just can't say
I'm still there, watching your tears
As they fall to the ground
And I know, wherever you go
I'll be around
I'll be there, catching your tears
Before they fall to the ground
You, you're walking away
You couldn't stay
You need a change of heart
The bard stands in his own world on the track. He can see his breath as he sings, and his stringy hair droops before his eyes. He is at once the image of noble bravery, and the image of sadness, beautiful in its fragility. Of the hopeless romantic who has lost all. Of inner turmoil. Of murderous rage ready to erupt at any moment out of melancholy.
He keeps the point of his longsword in the ground, but is ready to swing it upwards at the first sign of violence from the giants.
Alton squats low to the ground, sheltering from the ogres eyes behind the small amount of vegitation and keeping very still, waiting for the brutes to pass him.
Nicholai shuffles only far enough to the side to gain the little bit of shelter offered by the rock Kaj has chosen as his hideout. He stares at Keildrithe, wanting to tell him to run, but almost as fascinated by the bard's transformation as if the magic of the music had affected him.
The dandy's face is a mask, his teeth gritted and bared by lips pulled back in nervous tension.
Kajetan softly curses himself for not having memorized invisibility today as the sound of the Ogres gets louder. He racks his brain for options and decides his best option is to hope that the bard wins them over, not feeling optimistic he also readies glitter dust to cast if one approaches him directly.
Laithe continues to watch the ogres approach, slowly reaching for his sling and a sling bullet, readying it to hurl.
'Ehlonna, as you guide the birds south at the onset of winter, guide this stone to its target,' he whispers. Calling once more on the strength of his goddess.
:D
The ogres spy the bard as he steps out of the fog cloud, still reciting his ode. They look at each other, grin – a horrid sight indeed – and start forward with renewed vigor … or at least one of them does. The one with the cow’s skull ornamentation and the tree trunk strides forward, pushing over the rubble and snow covered ground, but his chain-clad companion, after looking back at Keildrithe, suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. With a grunt, the brutish humanoid sits down in the snow and stares at the bard, entranced.
The other stops and looks back at the fascinated giant, scratching his head in confusion, and calls out, his guttural voice filled with tones of confusion and urgency as he points towards Keildrithe.
Keildrithe remains still as he continues to recite his ode, repeating the chorus over and over again... emphasizing the line, "you need a change of heart." To the bard's companions, his voice seems to have dropped to an impossibly low bassy rumble... impossible for his diaphragm and vocal chords to produce by normal means.
Using the same "melodic voice" (from an ogre perspective) he has used to recite the ode thus far, Keildrithe addresses the ogre with the cow skull and tree trunk. "Why squish me, when you can listen to sweet song? Have you never felt pain and sadness, greatest of all giants? Have you never felt like you had been cast aside, unwanted, by the small folk and others around you? I feel this way now, and I think your brother cousin does, too... Have you ever heard a small squishy human like me sing and speak in your tongue? You don't want to squish me, for I am one of you -- you need a change of heart... Won't you go on your way before my song is done, and leave me unharmed, big brother cousin?"
Alton stays crouched and hidden, waiting for the ogre to pass him.
Kajetan continues to watch in morbid fascination as the one of the ogres continues to move. He switches his attention to that one, tensed and ready to cast glitter dust if it gets too close to his companions.
Laithe curses inwardly as the ogres start towards Keildrithe, thinking these creatures too thick to appreciate the hedilye's musical enchantment. He is about to break from to stand beside Keildrithe when he notices that he was wrong and one of the ogres had been enchanted by the spell.
However, that present him with a dilemma; should he continue to hold and allow Keildrithe to attempt to work his magic on the other ogre, or should he act while they had the advantage?
He turns inward, trying to divine how Ehlonna would act. A spell of fire sprung to mind, one that had come to him in his evening communion. Perhaps Ehlonna had forseen this encounter and granted him the spell as a result.
Decided, he pulled some wax, brimstone and powdered iron from a pouch at his belt and said the words that would bring the flame into life.
A moment later, a ball of flame appeared on the path just before the lead ogre, unnoticed for a second as it turned back to it's companion. He immediately motioned for the ball to roll into the ogre.
NIcholai raises his eyebrows, impressed with Keildrithe's obvious effect upon one of the giant-kin. The look quickly fades to serious worry when he sees the other grunting at his companion. His fingers flex in preparation, but the dandy hesitates.
Normally this would be the perfect time to strike, to ensure that the uncharmed ogre does not get the opportunity to harm his companion. But Nicholai doesn't want to ruin the bard's chances of entrancing the other ogre. He nods his head in a small bob of determination. He will wait. He has faith in Keildrithe's skills, and will give him the opportunity to finish what he started. He starts to place a cautionary hand on Kajetan's shoulder to warn him to wait as well,...
And a ball of flame bursts into existence between Keildrithe and the ogres.
"Well, Bugger me! So much for waiting!" He murmurs to Kaj as he stands up straight.
Keildrithe eyes widen in shock and surprise as he sees the flaming sphere roll past him towards the lead ogre. He looks over his shoulder in the direction the sphere came from, a deep frown on his face. The song dies on his lips. The bard thought he had at least one of the behemoths entranced, but now the charm would be broken.
Despite the obvious danger, the Karand seems not to care. He turns his gaze back to the ogres, raises his grandfather's longsword in a defensive stance, then stares coldly, fearlessly at the brutes... daring them to come forward...
"Ah now, there's a game I miss! I usually use ten-pins, but I suppose I can settle for two!" Nicholai declares loudly, trying to keep the uncharmed brutes attention away from the bard.
"But you seem to have left it standing Laithe. Here, let me help you pick up the spare!" He cries cheerfully as his fingers waggle in a particular gesture, and focuses a bright beam of burning light from his cupped hand,...
I messed up my redied action, it should of been "if one turns hostile" not "if one comes towards me". So Kajetan can not act until next round, unless one of them turns to Nicolai.
Laithe’s flaming sphere appears and rolls straight into the cow skull wearing ogre, who is taken by surprise at the sudden flames, and fails to move aside, taking the full brunt of the fiery attack.
Kajetan continues to wait, unsure whether he should cast his spell immediately or wait until he or one of his companions is in more immediate danger.
Alton remains hiding, biding his time so that he may surprise and flank the ogres.
Nicolai stands, as the last shreds of his fog spell are blown away by the chill wind, and points at the lead ogre, preparing to blast it with a fiery spell of his own.
Keildrithe breaks off his ode and maintains a defensive charge against the ogres’ inevitable charge.
The standing ogre roars as the flames from Laithe’s spell burn him – the unpleasant smell of burning flesh and hair fill the air – and leaps forward in a charge at Keildrithe. However, in his rage the ogre appears to have forgotten the rubble strewn, icy ground. He plunges forward, falling prone on the ground after only one step.
The sitting ogre shakes his head, the enchantment broken, and likewise roars, climbing to his feet and shuffling over to his fallen companion, preparing to haul the other ogre back to his feet.
Keildrithe reaches into his belt pouch and drops a few withered rose petals on the ground as he sings a lullaby in Karandic.
Nicholai winces as the ogre crashes to the ground.
"Oh, That has GOT to hurt!" He says to Kajetan.
Seeing Keidrithe singing, he nods in understanding and holds his spell, in case the bard's spell doesn't work on the brute.
Keildrithe’s spell fails to have any effect.
With neither of the ogres approaching him, Kajetan decides that he will never have a better opportunity to catch both the giants now they have kindly grouped up. He chants a few arcane words and throws a thimble full of ground mica into the air. It swirls through the air before exploding over the ogres head, like a silent firework. Not an overly religious man, Kajetan still finds himself silently praying that both the ogres get the dust in their eyes.
He fumbles to stagger to his feet as he watches the scene unfold before him, if he heard Nicolai, he does not acknowledge it.
Alton continues to bide his time, waiting for the brutes to pass him before striking, knowing that this will be the most decisive action whilst at the same time cursing his inability to contribute.
Re-dot (Sigh)
Kajetan’s spell causes a small explosion of sparkling dust to burst over the heads of the ogres. The dust coats both of the giants, and the standing ogre yells out in confusion and anger as the dust gets into his eyes, blinding him. The other ogre, still on the ground, has time to look away.
Nicholai slowly slides his feet forward over the treacherous ground. His hands remain raised and ready as he carefully makes his way towards Keildrithe.
The ogre on the ground gives a roar, scoops up a massive double handful of snow, and plonks it down on the flaming sphere, whose flame fizzes out with a wet ~pfft~. He gives a yell of triumph and climbs back to his feet.
His brother continues to wail and paw at his unseeing eyes.
Laithe let's fly his readied sling stone at the first ogre as he regains his feet. He calls on his earlier prayer to Ehlonna to guide it's path.
Before awaiting to see if the stone has struck, he wills a change into his wolf form and lopes over the snow towards the path, standing just in front of Keildrithe's position.
Laithe's flung stone clonks the ogre on the head. He crosses his eyes and snarls at the wolf.
Nicholai continues moving slowly, (slightly jealous of Laithe's four-footed form, although he would never admit that), Until he slides up closer to Keidrithe, then he lets loose with his spell. The fiery ray is aimed so low that it causes a line of snow to melt on the way to it's target,...
Alton still keeps hidden and low to the ground, waiting for at least one of the ogres to move past him before leaving his cover.
Keildrithe stays put, keeping his sword up in a defensive stance. A deep, booming rumble issues from his throat, practically deafening those that stand near him. The words sound angry, yet incomprehensible.
Keildrithe yells out in the Giant tongue: "WE DON'T FEAR YOU, CLUMSY STUPID OGRES!!! FLEE, OR OUR MAGIC WILL TURN YOU INTO TOADS!!!"