Raen steps away from the gushing corpse and finds two small vials in her robe. She imbibes the blue liquid in each, stanching the run of blood from her wounds, though they remain grievous.
She winces involuntarily as she takes to the air again, floating over to inspect the body.
Ushyle watches awestruck as Hamilton finishes the massive creature. She was right, as usual, he says quietly, looking over the steaming corpse.
The room contains a number of musical instruments—ceremonial items important to the worship of one "Zursvaater"—made from precious metals and covered in gemstones. Included among these is a copy of a holy text, Law of the Shield. All together, they are worth 10,000 gp. The other item of value in this room is the altar of Zursvaater. However, it is built into the floor and weighs 1,000 pounds, making it difficult to remove from the room.
Zursvaater is the father of the fire giants, having created them millennia ago by granting them the secrets of fire and metal in exchange for their devotion. He is a secretive deity who instructed his followers to abandon inter-tribal warfare and instead attack other races. According to fire giant folklore, Zursvaater came into being when the greatest volcano sensed the presence of stone giants and formed a humanoid shape to speak to them. He offered them the secrets of metal and volcanic fire in exchange for worship, and they accepted, becoming the first fire giants.
Doxon takes a look at the religious items.
Hmmmm... "Zursvaater". Fire giant god. Torag uses him to keep the forge warm. You gotta poke him in the butt to get the coals really hot.
Doxon also knows a bit about Law of the Shield.
Zursvaater’s faith is simple and direct, and its rules are traditionally inscribed on a steel plate, hence the title the Law of the Shield. The original plate is said to be a powerful artifact that Zursvaater inscribed with his own hand. As the Prince of Steel transformed more stone giant tribes into fire giants, his first priest copied the sacred text onto a more conventional shield for the tribe’s king and queen. It is now a tradition that when a tribe grows too large for its home and some giants leave to found a new tribe, the high priest of the old tribe personally copies the text as a gift to the new tribe’s rulers.
The text itself describes the compact between Zursvaater and the giants who swear their souls to him, and details a few specific prayers, laws of obedience, proper sacrifices, and the god’s plans for conquest. Within those constraints, the giants have free reign to create their own tribal or religious laws. As a result, two distant fire giant settlements may have significantly different regional customs.
Moving gingerly about the room, still wincing at her wounds, Raen considers the fanged helmet inscribed on the floor, as well as the mountainous wall-carvings--perhaps they form some sort of map.
welp
Vael hears the giant fall as he completes his spell. The air elemental that appears looks down at Vael, waiting for a command. Unable to help it, he smiles and says, "Nevermind. Seems the lads did the needful just fine on their own. You can go."
With a whispering gust of wind, it disappears back to the planes.
Flying forward, he does spy a wounded wizard. "Hold still, Raen. I've got some magic that will help."
First, he places a hand on Raen and invokes his hex magic.
... then gives her several potions to drink...
... and finally withdraws a wand and uses a charge.
Tulia watches Raen, deciding to study what she's studying.
Tulia knows that these are really just artistic representations of various scenes in fire giant history. They range from the mythical, to the legendary, to the historical.
"Pretty in their own way, but not a location that matters," she says, sharing what she knows.
|
WP takes a moment and looks at the giant.
"I'm glad it's dead. but if you could let me at least throw a rock at it first before it dies?" He looks at Ham with feigned anger,"That's what a friend would do."
He stays for a moment harvesting a few shards of bone and armor before neatly tucking it in his backpack.
"Thank you," Raen acknowledges Vael's help quietly.
She points at the double doors to the northeast. "Those first."
WP takes a moment and looks at the giant.
"I'm glad it's dead. but if you could let me at least throw a rock at it first before it dies?" He looks at Ham with feigned anger,"That's what a friend would do."He stays for a moment harvesting a few shards of bone and armor before neatly tucking it in his backpack.
You know how I get when I see something like that. I just gotta lance it! I'll try taking three deep breaths next time and counting to ten.
Hamilton's quip gets a smile from the group as Whistle Pig approaches the door. As his eyes turn to the door, the floor below him begins to glow with a circle of heretofore invisible runes! In a flash of light they explode with electricity
The trap isn't overly scary, but before long the party discovers that the damage isn't the intent. The electricity crackles and dances across the door. Whatever is on the other side of the massive double doors now knows you're here! A singular, albeit muffled, shout in Giantish comes from the other side as the door begins to open. A pair of fire giant temple guards stand with swords raised. Standing before them is a quartet of flaming skeletons the size of giants!
Round 1:
Hamilton: Go
Ushyle: Go
Raen: Go
Doxon: Go
Whistle Pig: Go
Vael: Go
Temple Guards: TBD
Raen furrows her brow at the crowd through the door, then relaxes after Whistle Pig takes the prudent, if uncharacteristic, decision to evacuate.
She floats towards the gathered foes, neatly positioned in a convenient funnel, whose reality she soon overlaps with threads from much more frigid climes.
Whistle Pig vanishes as Raen trusts that he also moved. She unleashes a powerful spell of ice on all the enemy!
Fail
Pass
Fail
Pass
Pass
Fail
When the ice clears, Raen sees that her spell didn't quite work as well as expected. There seems to be something protecting them from cold - protected, not immune. The ones who dodged the best seem barely injured at all.
Round 1:
Hamilton: Go
Ushyle: Go
Doxon: Go
Whistle Pig: Move
Vael: Go
Raen: Cone of Cold
Temple Guards: TBD
Orange: 33
White: 6
Yellow: 33
Red: 6
Black: 6
Blue: 33
Doxon summons a divine shield of protection around himself then hastens his mount foraward to the closest fire giant to swing Agrimmosh into his new foe.
Doxon closes distance. The fire giants are blocked, so he opts for a flaming skeleton! As he closes with the undead it swings a flaming greatsword at him! It connects with the war priest for .
Doxon's hit is solid, and the sound of the bones cracking feels good. The creature's busted leg is nearly destroyed. A solid wind would take it out.
Round 1:
Hamilton: Go
Ushyle: Go
Doxon: Hit
Whistle Pig: Move
Vael: Go
Raen: Cone of Cold
Temple Guards: TBD
Orange: 59
White: 19
Yellow: 80
Red: 19
Black: 19
Blue: 59
Whistle Pig vanishes as Raen trusts that he also moved.
Huh.
Gotta stand by my Dwarf-Pal. Charge.
Charge: Vs. Orange yuck. Damage on Hit:
I guess mechanically I'd delay until after Raen's Cone of Cold so I'm not in the way.
Ushyle casts a spell and vanishes from all but Raen's sight, moving up behind Ham and Sammi. He takes the measure of the White giant skeleton and the two fire giant temple guards.
Vael studies the skeletons. "Tulia, do you think a cloud would obscure their vision? Or will the flames burn it away?"
Tulia thinks about it, looking at the skeletons.
Hamilton charges forth, driving into the ribs!
Ushyle follows Whistle Pig's lead and vanishes.
Tulia doesn't know, but those flames are totally real.
Round 1:
Hamilton: Hit!
Ushyle: Poof!
Doxon: Hit
Whistle Pig: Move
Vael: Go
Raen: Cone of Cold
Temple Guards: TBD
Orange: 86
White: 19
Yellow: 80
Red: 19
Black: 19
Blue: 59
"I do hate not knowing," Vael sighs. "Alright, let's try something else."
Having seen how little impact Raen's cold magic had, Vael opts for another element as he flies forward. His eyes turn solid black as he chants, and with a gesture an arc of lightning flashes out, striking the white-boned skeleton! The magic doesn't stop there, leaping out at all the other foes!
Firing through cover, Tulia nonetheless focuses on the giant she can see.
Vael's lightning blasts bone and scorches metal!
Two of the flaming skeletons explode from the spell!
Unexpectedly, the part hears shouting from the western corridor. A trio of fire giants close in, one of them with time to cast a spell! A ghostly greatsword appears by Vael and swings for his neck! for
The remaining two skeletons close distance, and swing their mighty blades at the heroes:
for
MISS
The two giants in the back hurl rocks at the same targets:
for
MISS
Round 2:
Hamilton: Go
Ushyle: Go
Doxon: Go
Whistle Pig: Go
Vael: Go
Raen: Go
Temple Guards: TBD
White: 67
Red: 67
Black: 67
Blue: 107
Ham and Sammi step in, and Hamilton pulls forth his hammer, looking to crack some literal flaming skulls. As he does a boulder cracks into him but magical Mithral lets him keep going.
Adamantine Hammer +1:, Damage on Hit:
Adamantine Hammer +1:, Damage on Hit:
Adamantine Hammer +1:, Damage on Hit:
"Hmm," Raen murmurs in brief alarm. She hurries back towards the new arrivals, carefully skirting Tulia in her efforts to radically bend the weave of reality. The arriving giants are not so lucky.
RED
GREEN
RED
Hamilton's hammer bounds the flaming skeleton to dust!
Raen lets fly a most excellent prismatic spray, , but the spell fails to affect the giant trio "Zursvaater has chosen!"
Round 2:
Hamilton: Kill
Ushyle: Go
Doxon: Go
Whistle Pig: Go
Vael: Go
Raen: Spray
Temple Guards: TBD
Red: 67
Black: 67
Blue: 107
"Well boys, it seems they got reinforcements!" Vael shouts, quickly seeing Raen let loose a powerful prismatic spray. "But I think we may be able to keep this lot occupied for now."
The shaman flies closer, gauging the distance before he too unleashes aa spray of his own!
Tulia flies back and once more takes aim with her crossbow at the lead fire giant!
Whistle Pig sends a pile of stones norther east over the skeletons at the giant in black armor. Three of them strike, but shockingly the giant takes them.
Vael follows up with a most excellent prismatic spray of his own!
PASS
PASS
FAIL
Vael's spell fares slightly better, but Tulia's shot bounces.
Round 2:
Hamilton: Kill
Ushyle: Go
Doxon: Go
Whistle Pig: Hits
Vael: Spray
Raen: Spray
Temple Guards: TBD
Red: 67
Black: 139
Blue: 107
Purple: 40
Orange: 80
Doxon continues his assault on the fiery bone doll in front of him.
Doxon's work is swift and final as the flaming skeleton is extinguished.
Round 2:
Hamilton: Kill
Ushyle: Go
Doxon: Kill
Whistle Pig: Hits
Vael: Spray
Raen: Spray
Temple Guards: TBD
Black: 67
Blue: 107
Purple: 112
Orange: 80
Ushyle looks over his shoulder at the approaching giants. Pincer move. Solid tactics. He is grateful Vael and Tulia and especially Raen are flying, hopeul that the advantage will buy some time.
First things first, though. The invisible half-elf slips up adjacent to White, activates bane versus undead, and strikes.
Ushyle finishes off the last of the skeletons as the remaining giants tighten in around the party.
To the east the giants close in and work individually, rather than as a team:
for
for
In the west, the giants seem to be better at working together, launching two spells and close distance while the third moves and heals some of the damage done thus far.
for
for
for
Round 3:
Hamilton: Go
Ushyle: Go
Doxon: Go
Whistle Pig: Go
Vael: Go
Raen: Go
Temple Guards: TBD
Black: 67
Blue: 107
Purple: 95
Orange: 80
Seeing Raen and Vael threatened, Doxon can do naught but charge the giants looming next to them.
Doxon's charge catches the priest off guard!
He strikes hard with the Hammer of Unmaking! . While the priest resists the magic, the broken bones are hard to ignore. She gives a weakened prayer to Zursvaater.
Round 3:
Hamilton: Go
Ushyle: Go
Doxon: Crit
Whistle Pig: Go
Vael: Go
Raen: Go
Temple Guards: TBD
Black: 67
Blue: 167
Purple: 95
Orange: 80
Ushyle switches his bane to giant, then steps in, starting on Black (moving to Blue if Black falls).
Ushlye sets about his grim task. Rotting petals fall to the cavern floor. The inquisitor turns with the hit, awaiting the crash of another fallen foe. This foe, however, doesn't fall. These are no mere giants, they're the noble elite!
Round 3:
Hamilton: Go
Ushyle: Crit
Doxon: Crit
Whistle Pig: Go
Vael: Go
Raen: Go
Temple Guards: TBD
Black: 185
Blue: 167
Purple: 95
Orange: 80
"Priests," Raen breathes, with some relief. The cuts from summoned weapons sting, but nothing like the gigas. She conjures a mass network of spider's silk to pin the fire god's faithful to their doom.
Her foes ensnared, she drifts out of harm's reach.
Raen levels a spell on the priests as she flies 25' up.
She catches all 3!
Round 3:
Hamilton: Go
Ushyle: Crit
Doxon: Crit
Whistle Pig: Go
Vael: Go
Raen: Web
Temple Guards: TBD
Black: 185
Blue: 167
Purple: 95
Orange: 80
Ham drops the hammer and pulls Heartspit from the ground where it had been stuck. He reverses his grip and tucks the haft under his arm and shakes out his shield cloak. Sammi rears back and comes down again, as Ham thrusts again and again.
Starting with (Black):
Heartspit:, Damage on Hit:
If/when (Black) drops, will turn on (Blue)
Attack The 2nd:, Damage on Hit:
And Attack The 3rd::, Damage on Hit:, :Confirm:, Additional Crit Damage on Hit:
Hamilton continues to practice his craft. His first thrust fells a temple guard. His second nearly fells the other giant, but the follow up spears the giant from under the chin and out the back of his head!
Round 3:
Hamilton: Double giant kill, crit kill
Ushyle: Crit
Doxon: Crit
Whistle Pig: Go
Vael: Go
Raen: Web
Temple Guards: TBD
Purple: 95
Orange: 80
Vael flies back, benefiting from Raen's web. He then funnels his shamanic energy, causing starlight to swirl around Ushyle as he is transposed to a new location.