Before he can even get his feet under, the giant Malaki was attacking collapses under the relentless barrage of attacks.
The second giant slowly clambers to his feet despite several grievous injuries, looking confused and reaching for a club somewhat taller than any of you. With an angry snarl, he swings.
Still bleary and half asleep, his wild swings go wide.
Oskar sends vicious strikes at the giants knees trying to bring it down. There's a smile on his face now that the giant is up and swinging.
Olden steps with the fight, using his training to aid the dwarf as he lashes out with the tip of his rapier.
Luthia turns her attentionto the second giant:
Staggered by Oskar and Olden's blows, the giant finally falls under Luthia's fists. Though the ground seems to shake as he falls, the sound is more than drowned out by the noise of revelry coming from the north.
Malaki quickly leans over and slits both creatures throats from ear to ear, ensuring they are indeed dead and not merely unconscious. He then rifles through their positions for anything of use or that will provide clues as to what is happening. Finally, when his curiosity has been sated, he will slink over to the northern door and attempt to listen to what is going on.
"Someone tall search through the capes and bags! I'm off to check if the fire caught out back and see if Elwë is coming."
Luthia runs up the giant stairs, taking them one at a time where she would normally take two. As she ascends she unclips her two wicked orcish hand axes. Nearing the top she throws her elvish cloak around herself.
If there are no foes up there Luthia will scan the horizon, the palisade if visible and the approach road, keeping an ear out for commotion from below.
All in one round. ;)
Luthia rushes up the stairs and ... finds yet another sleeping giant, this one with a mug of mead almost big enough to be a gnome's bathtub beside him. The roof of the rear building is smoldering slowly, as yet unnoticed. Elwe is nowhere to be seen.
Malaki finds a variety of worthless trinkets and savage trophies in the pockets of the giants. Listening at the door, he hears a drunken voice giving a rambling toast to our mighty host Nosnra, in giantish of course, extolling his virtues (primarily depravity, savagery, and appetite) while other voices bellow agreement. It's hard to tell for sure, but it sounds as though there are at least a dozen giants beyond the double doors, possibly two, or even three times that many.
Oskar.s eyes follow Luthia with a grumpy glare as she dashes up the stairs not sure if she was making a tall/short joke...
He then tries to get at the packs hanging on the wall, perhaps offering Olden a boost up of necessary.
Quiet! Hisses Malaki.
There are at least a dozen, if not three times that number in the room beyond, including our target. With no other exits to the room that I could see from the outside, we must engage them swiftly, and attempt to bottleneck them in the door way. Do we have anything we can throw into the room to burn, to cause smoke and divide our foes? What magics can we summon to our aid?
Pulling out a wide brimmed black silk hat, Malaki pops it on his head and summons its magic, making himself appear as a small Hill Giant in the hopes of distracting his foes long enough for a kill shot.
Luthia considers the drunk, slumbering giant. Seeing as genocide seems to be the order of the day she contemplates the murder she must surely enact.
Rooting through the giants' bags turns up...
A shabby wool cloak, giant sized
30 silver pieces
40' of very strong rope
nothing
2 small boulders
Olden frowns at the find save the silver.
Olden gestures to his single satchel and packs the coins in his bag of holding, offering a thumbs up that indicates he knows its not his alone.
Oskar lowers Olden down once he's down searching the packs and moves to the door to wait for Luthia.
Luthia runs back down the stairs and points up, mimes another sleeping giant and one finger.
Oskar smiles and brandishes his axes, and makes for the stairs, waiting from at the bottom for everyone else.
Olden follows the dwarf to wait for word from the monk.
Malaki stalks over to the others and proceeds up the stairs, motioning the others to follow. When everyone is in position, he makes a slicing motion towards the slumbering brute, then strikes!
Oskar stalks up the stairs after Malaki and waits for everyone.
" On Three? " He whispers gruffly once everyone surrounds the giant.
[Ooc] The damage is including the divine radiance die maxed if that's not correct subtract 8 and add
Luthia strikes with the others with a quick flurry of blows...
OR
OR
Whispering to himself, "Drink deep, my friends." Malaki unleashes a spinning dazzling dance of bladework against the foul creature in front of him, aiming time and again at vulnerable spots upon the humanoid creature. His precision and swift strikes reveal a training one would not expect from a common warrior as each blade rises and falls like an assassin's dagger.
The giant barely manages to open his eyes and grunt from the force of the group's first attacks, before Luthia's and Malaki's second strikes finish him for good. He wears the usual ragged furs and hides, and also a belt with a gem-studded gold buckle.
Aside from the giant, a large iron hoop and bar serves as the alarm system here. You can see the smoke from the roof starting to thicken, and the flames slowly starting to spread.
Olden looks to the others and gestures to the alarm as he whispers, Should we sound it? To get them to chase the smoke or shall we continue throughout the complex?
Luthia examines the belt buckle while considering Olden's comment.
"Hmm. I think it might bring them through to the guard room below, just as easily as it might alert them to the fire.
Personally I'm a little wary of the onslaught of Giants that might come through regardless. Surely some will want to investigate the fire, but a canny leader may suspect foul play and send more scouts to check on the front door..."
"Nice buckle!" While the rest of the party discusses options Luthia takes a moment to remove the buckle from the wide belt and tosses it to whomever is in charge of loot.
Olden will offer his bag to place the buckle in.
Malaki moves back towards the stairs and prepares to carry on, back to the door leading into the main room all the commotion is coming from.
The fire is not catching enough to make for a true distraction. We must strike swiftly, while our foe is not yet aware of our intrusion. I say we move now, throw open the doors and let our blades speak for us. If we lay eyes upon anything flammable, set it ablaze, to further confound them. But no matter what, the time for action is here. We know where this Chieftain is. Let us rip out his heart and end this.
Luhia nods in agreement to Malaki's suggestion.
She looks again out of the tower at the approach road, then squints.
"Is that Elwe?" she points out a green garbed figure stealthily approaching the Steading beside the road...
Oskar nods at Malaki's words. " yes let's get on with it. " he says as he moves to the stairs.
When Luthia spots Elwe he turns back to her. " Well, we had best go meet him down stairs so he doesn't head to the gates or somthin' "
Elwe makes his way to the watchtower, presumably.
Elwë would approach the compound swiftly, weaving in and out of the foliage by the road in order to help conceal his approach while keeping an eye on the giant-sized buildings.
He felt foolish. While the others were speaking, he had decided to quickly scout the immediate area around the camp for any signs of danger. Unfortunately, upon his arrival back, Arial informed him that the rest of their team had left without him, unsure of where he had gone.
He did not enjoy the feeling and as he quickly dashed through the open area between the forest and open doors, he turned that feeling into one of hatred. Giants were a vile race and he wished to be done with them as quickly as possible. Silently he would draw the greatsword from his back with a practiced ease as he steps through the door looking and listening for any sign of his companions.
Elwe, you will see the smoke from the roof as you approach. The first room inside the door contains two slain giants. There are three doors in the north wall; a large double door in the center, and two smaller doors in the corners. All are closed and a stairway leads up.
Elwë would quietly make his way across the room towards the side of the stairs to glance up them for any sign of threats.
Malaki - as you look at the fire, it strikes you that it should be causing a diversion. It's not a huge inferno, but it's putting out a lot of smoke. If anyone were in the smaller building where the fire is set, they'd surely notice.
Elwe - to the best of your knowledge, you remain undetected, and see and hear all the same things the others saw on their approach, plus the fire, the dead giants, etc.
Luthia watches the smoke and inactivity with Malaki for a few moments.
"Seems like if anyone is in the back building they aren't very observant, are dead drunk, or just plain dead. Undead perhaps?"
" I hope we aint burn in' down a treasure store... Or worse a slave prison. "
Once the party is gathered down stairs Oskar looks to the door. " When we open this don't rush in. That way we'll only have to fight a few at a time. " he says quietly. " Everyone ready? "
Luthia considers the prospect of burning slaves alive.
"Hadn't thought of that. Hopefully we can get through to the back in time to see..."
At the door to the loud room:
"Ready! Anyone want to stand on the stairs for clear ranged attacks?"
Oskar looks left and right. " I wonder if those doors lead into the same room? "
He heads over to the left door and presses an ear to it.