As Eldan considers his options, the second dire wolf snaps at Zigil.
The priest's heavy armour protects him from the beast's slavering jaws.
Grodar attempts to attack the more wounded dire wolf.
Grodar ignores the wolf menacing him, and instead lashes out at the one attacking Zigil and lands a solid hit.
Zigil attacks her wolf again. ,
Zigil follows up Grodar's attack with another vicious slash, and one of the wolves falls.
Zigil will move ahead 3 and try to flatten against the rock for some cover against the guy on the rock.
From ahead comes the command, "Feargus! Attack!"
A volley of 4 arrows streaks towards the half-orc from a hidden side passage, followed by a charging wolf.
All of the arrows sink deep into the alchemist, and he slumps to the ground as the wolf arrives.
Giles recognizes both the voice and the wolf, from his farm.
Slei will move to just in front of Garm and attack the last wolf with her longsword.
Slei's slash draws a line of blood across the wolf's flank.
Giles and Zigil continue to burn.
The wolf snaps at the latest source of pain, but Slei quickly evades it and slides underneath the wolf's belly.
"This better do it."
"Good boy Garm!"
Slei's distraction of the wolf is enough to allow Giles and Garm to bring the beast down!
"Finally!" Zigil will spend her next turn putting out her fire.
"I think we should retreat out of range of these bodies and I can do some more healing. I can also spend the last use of the banner."
As Zigil and Giles try to extinguish the burning liquid soaking them, a middle-aged man wearing a militia uniform strides out on to the far ledge, bow drawn. The wolf runs over to him.
"Giles? Grodar? Is everyone alright? Any more enemies?"
Zigil passes out from the pain of the flames, but the rest of the party is able to extinguish the fire on her.
"We seem to be in the clear for the moment. Don't suppose you have any means of healing?"
"I think we have dealt with the threat for now. Might be best to get back to town to assess the damage."
The militiaman comes down to join the group.
"Name's Damon. Already know Giles & Grodar. You may want to check out that half-orc before heading out. Killed them birds and spiders already, so exit is clear."
Damon approaches the party and pours a potion into Zigil's mouth, massaging her throat to make the cleric swallow.
"Got that from the half-orc. He has other things you should check out."
The party examines the body of the half-orc, and detect magic on his gear.
He was equipped with a magical alembic, a magical heart-shaped locket, a formula book, a portable alchemy lab and alchemist's crafting kit, masterwork thieve's tools, masterwork studded leather armour, a masterwork cold iron falchion, a light crossbow with bolts, 2 doses of antitoxin, 2 thunderstones, a tanglefoot bag, 2 flasks of alchemist's fire, 2 flasks of liquid ice, 2 vials of acid, and 6 doses of various poisons.
The tattoo etched on his face is also enchanted.
And he carries a note.
Barring objections from the others, Grodar will take one of the alchemist's fires, one of the liquid ices, and the crossbow bolts.
The opening leads to an open, high-ceilinged, natural cavern with ledges and stairs carved into its walls. Embedded in a fifteen-foot-tall spire of centuries-old bones stands the skeleton of a massive armoured warrior. Though its flesh has long since rotted off its frame, the skeleton still stands proud and regal amid the trappings of battle and mounds of gleaming treasure. The skeleton’s battered halfplate and scarred helmet hint at its many battles, and the warlord’s hands are clenched around a massive stone hammer.
"Get me Uskroth's hammer and rock. I want everything else in the barrow too, but I have to have the hammer and the rock. I think it looks like the rock I already have and showed you. I have to have both rocks to know the way to the giantkiller's tomb, so make sure you get the right one. Then bring the hammer and the rock back to the fort.
Signed,
Grenseldek,
Glorious Chieftain of the Twisted Hearts"
Zigil will take the items no one else wants, except for the poisons and the light crossbow. Whatever the party does not want, we can sell back in town later.
"Let's move back to the the skeletal remains of this Uskroth. Once we get 30 feet clear of the bodies here, I can heal us. Then perhaps we can dig through the mounds of treasure at his feet, and look around for this rock."
To Damon, "I'm Zigil by the way. Your arrival was blessing from Iomedae."
The chests, vases, and other containers around the giant skeleton's feet hold gems, jewelry, and other finery.
As well, there is a well-made breastplate, a well-made suit of splint mail, 4 well-made arrows, 13 crossbow bolts made of sky-metal , a well-made orc double axe, a belt, 2 scrolls, and a red stick.
The skeleton itself is wearing a battered but well-made large suit of half-plate and holding a massive stone hammer. Beneath its helmet, one of its eye sockets contains a fist-sized round rock.
Zigil will scan the items in the treasure with detect magic as well as the giant skeleton's equipment (armor, hammer, helmet, and socket rock).
He will spend a little extra time examining the giant's massive stone hammer and its rock. .
The belt, 4 arrows, scrolls, and wand are magical, as is the armour on the skeletal giant. The hammer has an incredibly strong magical aura, almost overwhelming, of the type that only an artifact could have.
None of the other treasure is magical, including the rock.
wand:
belt:
arrows:
armour:
hammer:
and from the stuff from the orc-alchemist:
alembic:
locket:
And on the hammer.
Zigil is able to determine that the wand contains 7 charges of inflict moderate wounds and the properties of the magical formula alembic (here).
She may try the other items another day, but the hammer is an artifact and beyond low level magic. She does see that it has an engraving of the holy symbol of Minderhal, god of giants, on the head.
Zigil will examine the socket rock, looking for any markings or interesting shapes on it.
Zigil stretches up and retrieves the rock, which turns out to be a geode. The other face of the stone is covered in beautiful purple and green crystals. There is some sort of groove running through the crystals.
She will show the geode to the rest of the party. "Does anyone have any idea what this groove is?" To herself, "... normally, I'm good at grooves ..."
She looks at the treasure and the giant's equipment. "I think we have to carry all of this back to town. It's not safe to leave here. The invading orcs know about it. Especially the hammer and the rock."
“Here, perhaps I can take a look at those items for you. While I am doing that, does anyone know this Grenseldek? Or the fort he might be at? What off this Giant-killer?”
belt: spellcraft: 18 + 12 = 30
arrows: spellcraft: 11 + 12 = 22
armour: spellcraft: 14 + 12 = 26
hammer: spellcraft: 9 + 12 = 21
and from the stuff from the orc-alchemist:
locket: spellcraft: 19 + 12 = 31
Knowledge Local: Grenseldek: 12 + 11 = 23
Knowledge History: Giant-killer: 8 + 12 = 20
The belt is a heavyload belt.
The armour is once-enchanted half-plate, but has further enchantments. It re-sizes itself for any size of wearer. And once per day it can bestow its wearer with the effects of a righteous might spell.
The locket is a true love locket, an item created in pairs. When attuned to wearers with an emotional bond, the lockets allow the partners to monitor each other's status, better aid each other, and share skills. The locket contains a lock of hair.
Eldan is unable to identify the other items today, and the hammer is too powerful to be identified this way.
While Eldan's knowledge does not tell him anything about who this particular giantkiller may be, he does recognize the Twisted Hearts tribe. About 100 years ago, a united tribe of orcs and giants were particularly successful under a hill-giant chieftain named Uskroth, who wielded a stone hammer named Agrimmosh which he claimed belonged to Minderhal himself. They were finally defeated by an army from Lastwall when Uskroth fell in battle to 23 spears and swords in his flesh. Without their leader, the Twisted Hearts tribe fell apart. Their have been rumours that a new Twisted Hearts tribe has been forming recently, with the hill-giant Grenseldek as their chieftain/queen.
Grodar tries to think of anything that might be useful to the matters at hand.
Appraise: 11 + 7 = 18
Knowledge Dungeoneering: 4 + 10 = 14
Knowledge Geography: 17 + 10 = 17
"That crystal looks like a map of the Mindspin Mountains. Looks like the groove is an incomplete route through them."
“Excellent observation, Master Grodar. Now we understand why they want two rocks. It must be a route to a lost treasure they feel is the key to deafting us. It goes without saying we cannot let them get this one. The hammer may be a key to unlocking a gate at the end of the route.
The tattoo is enchanted as a magic item would be though it is on his face and allows him to disguise himself for a period of time. I am not sure if it can be transfered to anyone else.”
Eldan is fairly certain that it cannot be transferred.
"Well, if I had a tattoo like that on my face, I'd certainly want to disguise myself too!" Shakes his head.
"I suppose that whoever wants the belt will be carrying most of this."
Unless anyone else wants to, Grodar will remove the armour and take the hammer from the skeleton.