Nobody's heard anything concerning Groetian cults (or any religious drama, for that matter). There are a pair of Desnan acolytes, however, who spin you a wild tale of being attacked by a 40ft-tall giant over near the ruined Windsong Abbey. As for Syl, she returns a few hours later with a rumor about Redcaps taking up residence in the ruins. It seems the Abbey was a dead drop location for pesh smugglers until just a few days ago. The last shipment never made it.
"Drug smugglin' doesn't sound like Groetus but it might be worth checkin' out. The Redcaps will be trouble. They're some of the most violent fair folk. Make sure you're cold iron daggers are good and sharp", Skaar warns.
According to the directions you've been given, the abbey is located approximately 120 miles north of the city. The easiest way to get there is via the Lost Coast Road.
Skaar tracks down a stable and pays for two mounts and associated tack.
"I hope you're alright in the saddle", he says to Syl with a wink. "We've got a long ride ahead of us. It'll be a few days up the Lost Coast Road."
It's an easy journey along the Lost Coast Road, and navigation is aided by the abbey itself. During the height of its use, the building was filled with a pipe-like tunnel system that channeled the sea breeze. Between the hours of noon and midnight, the resulting music can be heard for miles. A mournful tune, the sound fills the air with an aura of desolation, abandonment, and futility - a perfect hymn to Groetus. During the night, as the wind blows in the opposite direction, the abbey is completely silent.
"Did you happen to hear who this abbey was dedicated to when it was in use?" he asks during the ride.
"It was one o' the big Groetan worship places back in the day. That noise was supposed to get people in the right mindset or summat." It definitely makes you feel the full weight of how far you've fallen.
As you approach, you can see that time has not been kind to the abbey. It's brick walls are crumbling. One section has collapsed entirely - perhaps due to an earthquake.
Along the way Skaar looks for recent tracks.
[ooc]The shape out in the water is a ruined dock. It's reachable via swimming, but you don't see anything that looks interesting.
There are many tracks. Many are large enough to be from Giants (strictly outside the walls), but you also see smaller prints from metal-shod boots (leading inside the abbey). Any other tracks are too obscured to make out.
Skaar channels a bit of his divine power for his usual defensive enhancements.
And then ventures inside the abbey through the ruined section of wall.
What was once a magnificent cathedral now lies in ruins, its outer wall almost completely obliterated. The space inside is clogged with rubble, broken beams, and shards of stained glass. Splashes of dried blood and fragments of flesh and bone lie throughout the ruined chamber. As soon as you enter, two many-eyed globs of flesh begin to move toward you while emitting a cacophony of insane babble.
As you've just finished climbing a rubble pile, you're slow to react, and one of the aberrations is upon you.
Skaar growls as the foul spittle gets in his eyes but quickly scrapes it away and puts his huge fists up. "You're gunna regret that!"
You connect once with the blob, but its shapeless form absorbs quite a bit of the force of your blow. It retaliates with many, many tooth mouths.
To your left, Syl slashes away at the other blob, but her blades are having minimal effect. "These things won't stab! Got any ideas?"
Mouther: 14pts damage
Mouther: full
"You've still got some of that liquid fire, right? Use that", Skaar suggests before going back to work on his amorphous opponent.
Your blows splatter the blob across the floor. Working together, you and Syl are easily able to do the same to the other.
After wiping his fists clean on a spare bit of cloth and making sure Syl is unharmed, Skaar ventures west.
You begin traveling down a rubble-strewn hallway. At the end of it, you can see a closed door. Before you reach it, though, you see an open courtyard entrance to your right.
Spotting the entrance to the courtyard, Skaar takes a peek before returning to the hallway and trying the closed door.
The large, stone-paved courtyard is dominated by a 150ft-tall tower constructed of pure white marble. Other than a set of white double doors set at the tower's base, the structure's walls present no windows or openings except for at the peak, which is constructed after the fashion of a lighthouse. The immaculate tower makes a stark contrast with the devastated appearance of the courtyard, whose pavement slabs are cracked and disconnected on the south and covered with ash and soot to the northwest where the great thatched roof of the guesthouse was consumed by a huge fire.
The closed door at the end of the hall is partially ajar and appears to lead to a refractory. Inside, you can hear the loud sound of eating and chatter in Giant. There are multiple Large creatures in here.
Skaar channels a bit of his divinity and then moves forward, trying hard to imitate his high priestess's stealthiness.
Based on the moving shadows, you can determine that there are Ettins inside the room. From the voices, there's two or three of them - although with Ettins, it's hard to be sure.
Skaar holds up thick digits warning Syl about the giants. He gestures for her to circle around.
After giving his high priestess time to get in position, Skaar assumes his giant form and tears the doors off their hinges.
"Giants! You're no longer welcome in this abbey. Stand down and you will be allowed to leave with your lives. Challenge me and you're not gunna be so lucky", the Unfailing Pillar roars as he flexes and pops the joints in his neck.
An elaborate fresco depicting scenes of desolate wastelands and long-abandoned structures decorates the four walls of this dining hall. The refectory is in complete disarray, with smashed tables and chairs and all kinds of cutlery and crockery scattered here and there amid loads of dirt and rubbish.
Inside are three Ettins, who jump in surprise at your dramatic entrance.
In response to your threat, they slowly pick up flails. The largest Ettin (a massive fellow with a severely-bandaged head) instead grabs a pair of axes and motions his two minions toward you.
Not entirely disappointed that the ettins ignored his warning, the Unfailing Pillar puts his huge fists to work where words were not enough. It had been too long since he'd last wrestled with giants.
Your fists thud into the closest giant, but it's going to take a lot more than that to defeat it. In unison, the two ettins strike out with their flails as the axe-wielding leader watches.
In the back of the room, you can see Syl squeezing in through a narrow window slit.
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Between his magical wards and thick hide, Skaar deflects the ettins' flurry of attacks. Before his opponents can recover, the Unfailing Pillar strikes back with his punishing fists.
One of the Ettins is looking pretty banged-up, but they both continue to swing at you. Meanwhile, the leader slowly picks up his picks as he studies your moves.
Ettin: 53pts damage
One of the wild flail swings catches Skaar across the scalp. The wound bleeds sending a trickle of blood down his forehead but doesn't slow the hulking orc down as he continues to punish the ettins.
You drop one of the Ettins as Syl dexterously tumbles into flanking position behind the leader. Before she can strike, though, the giant steps forward and unleashes a pair of powerful blows at you.
Sensing the leader's pick headed straight for his temple, Skaar swiftly shifts his stances and launches a knee at the giant's belly.
Recognizing the leader-ettin's strength, the Unfailing Pillar brings his huge fists to bear on him next.
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The massive Ettin spits out a tooth and grins as he begins another salvo.
Before the other giant can attack, Syl stabs him in the kidney, and he immediately turns his attention to her.
With the leader's attention, Skaar keep up the pressure with another pair of punishing punches.
As he attacks his wounds begin to mend.
Your first blow rocks the Ettin back a step and, for the first time, he shows a glimmer of fear. Realizing he may have bitten off more than he can chew, he attempts to shove you out of the way and rush for the room's exit.
Seeing the ettin leader flee, the Unfailing Pillar steps aside. "Go! Do not come back or you'll get more of the same."
The other giant is quick to follow his leader out the door. Syl, bleeding from a minor head wound and looking a little light-headed. grins. "I don't think we'll have to worry about running into any more of them. Might makes right, and all that."
Skaar grins and touches the healing wand to Syl's brow. "That's my girl."
There's nothing of apparent value in the room, but there's a smaller room to the west that has a pair of spiral staircases ascending to the north and south. Draped over the north banister is an extravagant headdress consisting of a veil hanging from a silvery crown.
After stowing the wand, Skaar considers the headdress. "What do you make of this thing girl?"
Syl frowns thoughtfully as she looks over the room. "That headpiece looks pretty valuable... Too valuable to just be lying around like that. I think it's a trap but don't want to get too close. There's some discolored floor at the foot of the other staircase that looks like its been intentionally weakened."
Skaar spends a moment concentrating - willing the headdress to lift into the air and come to his hand.
Telekinesis:As a standard action you can use telekinesisto lift one unattended object or willing creature within Close range and move it up to 20 ft, + 5 ft per 5 caster levels.
The object levitates as long as you concentrate, have line of sight, and the object remains within Close range. The objects and creatures you may lift are restricted by size; the largest object you can lift is given in the chart below. This assumes the object is made from a dense material, such as stone. Objects made of lighter materials, mostly open space, or reduced to 1/2 weight with the lighten talent of the enhancement sphere count as being one size category smaller, while weightless objects count as being 2 size categories smaller for this purpose.
As soon as the headdress moves, a burst of sonic energy erupts from a cleverly-concealed rune. If you'd tried lifting the item by hand, it likely would have been quite painful.
Skaar takes a moment cleaning off the headdress and then slips it over his head. It reminded him of the ceremonial garb he wore on occasion at the height of his power.