Round 2:
Enemies
Pindleton, <--UP
Urth, Molok, Sohar, Jax,
If it's possible between ceiling heights and ensorcelled Zhents, Pindleton tries flying to the other side of yellow. Then takes a shot at cyan.
Cursing at his miss, he turns his attention to the ones behind the bar. Pindleton tries to pick up any small barrels or large bottles (basically to the limits of his made hand strength) and tries to smash it against the bar and/or one of the Zhents.
The others take aim and fire at the giant polar bear in the room...
Red sees his friend ensorcelled and drops his crossbow, jumping up on top of the table next to Urth and slashing down hard with a flurry of strikes...
In the bear's maw, Cyan struggles for dominance...
While Oboth turns his immaculately clean blades to Molok's throat in retribution...
Round 3:
Enemies
Urth, Molok, Sohar, Jax, Pindleton, <--UP
23
Urth grits his teeth at the strikes and maintains his concentration imprisoning one of the Zhents. "Venemum," he shouts unleashing a green cloud of poison from his sword to envelop his attacker.
The knight's skin hisses and fumes from the poisonous vapors, choking badly the man struggles keep on his feet.
Round 3:
Enemies
Molok, Sohar, Jax, Pindleton, <--UP
Urth,
A bottle of beer with some nasty warm leftovers from last night springs off the table with a mind of its own, sending foul smelling razor sharp glass into Magenta's face and eyes. "Rrrrag!" he shouts dumbly before clicking the trigger, sending a wild bolt way across the room and digging deep into a mounted elf trophy.
With his maul now free, Molok goes after the prone leader of the Zents.
Attack: Can I use Inspiration to re-roll this attack? If so, her it is
Damage: (re-roll 2 ) = 12
Attack:
Damage:
Attack:
Damage: (re-roll )= 15
The great maul had seen blood splatter before, but something about this Zhent trash getting smashed into the splinters of the wood floor made its impeccable surface glisten in the heart of Molok like never before. One, two, three...Cyan caught a glimpse but had to turn his head in distaste.
Round 3:
Enemies
Sohar, Jax, Pindleton, <--UP
Urth, Molok,
Sohar finally hooks the Cyan Zhent's throat with one of his black claws, tearing it almost right out. Jax' missiles twist and flip around Molok's maul to find their target: Oboth's right kidney.
Round 3:
Enemies
Pindleton, <--UP
Urth, Molok, Sohar, Jax,
Pindleton hops down and moves a little closer to the bar. He then uses his mage hand to grab and burning piece of wood from the fireplace, and drop it onto magenta Zhent that he broke the (hopefully full) bottle over.
Pindleton holds his bow at his side and draws his shortsword out and across red Zhent.
The gross old booze ignites as the fireplace log plops into Magenta, turning him into the human torch "Aieee!!!" he screams and runs into the kitchen in the back.
"Logan! Son of a b!#&%!" screams White as he cranks his xbow and trains it on Pindleton...
...the bolt cuts deep into the halfling's side.
Green takes another shot at the bear, his eyes half on the running man on fire...
...but is too distracted to get a good line.
Cyan counter-strikes Sohar-bear with a few practiced swipes...
Yellow once again probes the mental restraints he is confined to...
...and with a gasp at last shakes himself free!
Red, still smarting from the poison attack, slashes out at Urth...
...and manages to connect with a behind the back swing.
Finally, Oboth stands up and continues his showdown with Molok...
...and with an evil grin gives Molok a scarring slash across his neck.
Suddenly you hear screams of women and children from outside, and another Zhentarim knight rushes into the bar... "Sir, you've gotta...oh s$##! What the hell?!" and he draws his blades.
At about the same time you hear the deafening splintering of timber as the ground rumbles and the entire tavern starts shaking. The mounted elk falls from the wall with a crash as the ceiling starts moving up into the air!
A frost giant wearing a hat made from an ancient dragon skull peers down from above booming "Zhentarim scum! I told you what would happen if you ever came back to the North! Now it happens!!" and the great fighter pokes an absolutely enormous axe through the space where the ceiling used to be, crashing down on the knights...
...and pushes Oboth through the floor weakened by Molok, into a little paste there in the foundation.
Cyan looks like he's about to cry "T-Ted, its..its...Harshnag!" those nearby realize he has actually crapped his pants.
Round 4:
Enemies
Harshnag
Urth, Molok, Sohar, Jax, Pindleton, <--UP
Urth grits his teeth when he the blade slips between his armored plate. He shakes his head when his prisoner escapes his mental jail. Then, a frost giant enters the inn!
Seeing Molok damaged and needing him to stay upright more than he can use a fireball in an inn, Urth whacks the Goliath with flat of his blade.
As the rain of splinters from the broken ceiling fall through the sunlight coming from above, daylight breaks on Molok's stone skin and his wounds graft tightly together.
Round 4:
Enemies
Molok, Sohar, Pindleton, <--UP
Harshnag
Urth, Jax,
Molok stares down at the puddle that was once the Zhent leader, then up at the frost giant who has literally torn the roof off the building. Before he can quite register all this happening, he feels the slapping sting of Urth's sword, then the cooling balm of his healing. With a nod to the human, he turns his attention to the warrior beside him.
'Your turn now, I guess." he says in a deep gravelly voice.
Attack:
Damage:
Attack:
Damage:
Round 4:
Enemies
Sohar, Pindleton, <--UP
Harshnag
Urth, Jax, Molok,
The white of the Polar-Sohar's fur oscillates to brown like spinning roof tiles quickly before settling into an oak like covering.
Round 4:
Enemies
Pindleton <--UP
Harshnag
Urth, Jax, Molok, Sohar,
Pindleton makes another thrust at Red...
...but steps off the air wrong and loses his leverage.
The Zhentarim not engaged in melee route shortly after you hear a splashing sizzle coming from the kitchen...
Cyan tries to disengage and throws himself through the glass window...
...succeeding but leaving bloody trails on jagged fingers of the amorphous solid.
Red and Yellow put their backs to each other, their swords in a defensive grip. "Basterds, river scum...these townfolk begged us to come here. Who the hell are you?"
The giant Harshnag booms down again "They are the Stars of Triboar, usurpers of Grudd Haug!" and the great artifact axe again comes down like an avalanche, tearing the floor to pieces but ultimately striking just a hair off...
"OK! Don't...do that! We surrender!" they drop their weapons, clearly scared out of their minds.
"Yeah! The rukking Stars of Triboar, and usurpers of rukking Grudd Haug!" Urth loudly repeats to the Zhents with hallow conviction as he wonders what Grudd Huag is.
Molok raises up his maul once again to strike at the evil Zhent before him, but the fellow throws up his arms and surrenders. A compulsion almost makes him swing anyway, but he stops himself and with a great sigh, leans on his maul, closes his eyes and thanks the gods of his people for his good fortune.
"I am sorry for this unintentional battle my friends. I abhor the Zentrum and everything they stand for. I could not see this poor village under their cruel boot."
The Zhentarim sighs holding up his hands "Look...they paid us to come protect them! Oboth had the contract..." his eyes go to the huge hole in the floor "...we're their only defense against fire giants..." gazing up at he huge frost giant holding the ceiling in his plated hand the man seems to grasp the futility of his argument.
The frost giant called Harshnag speaks "Stars and Usurpers, I was sent to intercept you. I would speak to you, do not be afraid. I am a friend, perhaps." he pauses looking at the two Zhents "What are you going to do with these...humans?"
"They will leave and never return. None of their kind will be found in the boundaries of this town in an hour's time...do I make myself understood?"
He waits to hear the Zhent's answer before turning back to his friends.
"So, you have chosen mercy. Better than what I would have given them. the frost giant offers.
The men seeing their only chance to live quickly nod and route.
"I would speak with you a time." Harshnag continues. A thundercrack echoes across the sky behind him and a heavy rain starts getting soaked up by the loose earth and dry wood. He gently sets the ceiling back down and sits near the door "This is a conversation best had in privacy due to our mutual contacts, but the brunt of it is this: you've repelled Duke Zalto's efforts in the savage frontier. You've slain the hill Giant Lord Guh of Grudd Haug. That is more than can be said of anyone I know of. If you are as serious as ending the threat of these ludicrous assaulters as you seem, I can guide you to your next challenge and glory...I am known as Harshnag, the Grim." the rain falls in the silence as he awaits your response.
Harshnag is a common subject of tavern tales throughout Faerun. He is known as a monster to some and a hero to others. In Waterdeep, he’s remembered as the largest member of Force Grey, a notoriously destructive adventuring company that came to the city’s defense on more than one occasion. Believed to be hundreds of years old, Harshnag wanders the wilderness with greataxe in hand, seeking to lay low his evil giant brethren.
"Well met, Harshnag, the Grim, and thank you for your assistance! Please, lead on. We are most certainly eager to stop these attacks."
"I don't know about you, but I've heard of him. From what I hear, he's quite the foe of evil giants, so I think we can trust him... at least on this. However," Pindleton gestures around them to the destroyed tavern, "He's far from subtle, so we may want to keep him away from... well, the entire town."
History:
"Never heard of him, but that is not a great surprise as my tribe seldom had contact with the outside world. If you say he is OK Pindleton, that is good enough for me."
After letting Bairre know what's happening, you follow Harshnag through the cold rain just outside the walls to the astonished looks of the populace. When out of earshot he starts "Truthfully in the beginning I welcomed my brethren's new brazenness...they offered themselves up freely to my axe." he grins "But no, this is not normal. Something has twisted the Ordning...the traditions that rule our culture. Its time to consult the divine oracle. I know a temple deep in the Spine of the World, built by my ancestors...the Eye of the All-Father. Journey with me to its steps and let us learn how best to end this threat to our North."
"Better than I normally rukking give, too." Urth agrees with the giant.
"Aye, I've heard of you too, Harshnag. And if you seek to end this evil giant threat of the North, then I'll rukking follow you to the Spine of the World and back, by Volkur's beard!"
"Perhaps you see it that way, Hand of Rallathil, but in fact I have been seeking you since word of the destruction of Grudd Haug. No others have struck such a blow as the annihilation of a Giant Lord. There were some who expected you in Everlund, others said farther south. Darathra's eyes put you on the river and I was happy to find you here. You would do well to follow through to Everlund, I think you could get around much much faster...I could wait for you in Mirabar, or we could travel straight to the temple."
Guided by Harshnag the frost giant, the adventurers travel to the Spine of the World, scaling icy mountains to reach a temple built by the giant lords of Ostoria. He isn’t shy about using roads and trails, nor does he blanch at traversing the uncharted wilderness or crossing cold rivers. He expects the characters to keep up but travels at a normal pace so that they don’t suffer the effects of exhaustion of course.
The Eye of the All-Father is hidden under the icy peaks of the Spine of the World and can be reached by way of a mountain pass that starts in the Valley of Khedrun. After two days traversing the desolate valley, Harshnag finds the pass.
The Eye of the All-Father is an underground complex built by giants, which has survived for tens of thousands of years. The giant lords of Ostoria came here for divine wisdom and also for refuge. Harshnag explains he is one of only a handful of giants who know about the temple. He suspects a few ancient dragons may also know of its location...
You reach a towering domed entrance first, a 40-foot-wide, naturally formed stone causeway leading to it. Sheer cliffs plunge hundreds of feet on both sides of the route. The causeway is covered with a foot of snow, in which you can see fresh tracks heading toward the mountainside.
The causeway ends before a stone dome carved from the mountainside. Six 30-foot-tall stone pillars support the dome, which is in no danger of collapse, even if the pillars were to be toppled. Each pillar is carved with a wraparound bas-relief. From north to south, the pillars depict the following scenes:
- A hill giant lifting a rock above its head
- A frost giant chopping down a great pine
- A cloud giant flying among birds in the sky
- A flying storm giant hurling lightning bolts at a ship
- A stone giant climbing a mountain
- A fire giant with chained dwarf prisoners in a cavern
At the back of the dome, a 40-foot-wide, 40-foot-high hallway heads into the mountain. Wind has blown the snow far into the hallway. The snow thins out and disappears after about 100 feet. The tracks of the humans continue east into the dungeon complex...
Harshnag explains he is familiar with the general features and layout of the complex, but not its traps or current denizens.