confirm
Sander fired his crossbow repeatedly at the newly arrived giant with the blue shirt. A trio of crossbow bolts sprang from the giant's chest, but it came on, scooping a large rock out of a bag and hurling it at Sander. The halfling saw it coming and dodged...right into a second rock thrown by the white-shirted giant. That one caught him on the side of the head, nearly knocking him from the sky. The third giant foolishly closed the distance to the rest of the group.
(in bold may act)
R5: pyrrhus, storn, sander, chwaer, giants
status:
Chwaer -25
Molly -74(dead)
Pyrrhus -7
Sander -0
Storn -17
giant (red) -0
giant (blue) -50
giant (white) -0
Chwaer turns toward the next giant, her feet slick with blood. She charges, slipping and sliding and almost unable to get her axe around when she arrives. She barely succeeds in not chopping her own leg off.
for
Pyrrhus turns around as Chwaer finished the leader just to see another giant close to him. He repeats his last power word in terran, renewing his blessing of earth and causing the ground to quake . He then moves closer , trying to avoid opening himself to retaliation.
HP 69/69 (+20 for extract)
AC 28, touch 15, flat-footed 25 ** +1 vs. evil
Fort +10 (immune to poison), Ref +12, Will +5 (+2 vs. fear)
CMD 18
Bombs: 5/14; Mutagen: 1/1; Spontaneous healing: 0/20; Blast 0/1; wand 50/50
Sipping jacket: displacement 1/10
Effects: +4 Con (+2 Fort saves), +2 AC, -2 Cha; barkskin (+4 AC), shield (+4 AC), protection from evil, good hope (+2 saves, attacks, ability checks, skill checks, damage rolls); haste (+1 AC, Reflex, +30 ft., +1 attack)
Extracts; Blast Finesse ritual: []
1st (5/day): endure elements [x], expeditious retreat [], enlarge person [], shield [x], stone fist []
2nd (4/day): alchemical allocation [][], barkskin [x], perceive cues []
3rd (4/day) fly [x], invisibility [], invisibility [], displacement [x]
4th (2/day) absorbing barrier [], assume appearance []
Seeing the thing get close, Sander changes tactics, throwing a couple bombs in its direction before switching back to his crossbow .
Getting sick of all this running, Storn clumsily pinwheels before charging across the terrain again.
Pyrrhus recharged his quake ability, causing the nearest giant to fall to the ground. He closed in on it, only to have the giant lash out at him from the ground, catching him in the left side. Chwaer rushed in to take advantage, but stumbled at the last minute, her axe cleaving into the hard earth of the barley field. Storn charged in, competently stabbing the fallen giant with his spear. Sander offloaded a couple of bombs at the giant approaching him, then fired a couple more crossbow bolts. The fire was especially damaging to the frost giant - as could be expected - as were the well-aimed crossbow bolts. It crumpled to the ground, dead before it could reach the source of its misery.
The giant on the ground lashed out again at Pyrrhus, knowing it was doomed, but failed to connect as the wily dwarf once again fond his feet. The last of the giants continued its rush into combat, heedless of the fact that all of the other members of the patrol were either dead of about to be.
Pyrrhus takes 25 damage
(in bold may act)
R6: pyrrhus, storn, sander, chwaer, giants
status:
Chwaer -25
Molly -74(dead)
Pyrrhus -32
Sander -18
Storn -17
giant (red) -29
giant (white) -0
HP 81/69 (+20 for extract)
AC 28, touch 15, flat-footed 25 ** +1 vs. evil
Fort +10 (immune to poison), Ref +12, Will +5 (+2 vs. fear)
CMD 18
Bombs: 5/14; Mutagen: 1/1; Spontaneous healing: 10/20; Blast 0/1; wand 50/50
Sipping jacket: displacement 1/10
Effects: +4 Con (+2 Fort saves), +2 AC, -2 Cha; barkskin (+4 AC), shield (+4 AC), protection from evil, good hope (+2 saves, attacks, ability checks, skill checks, damage rolls); haste (+1 AC, Reflex, +30 ft., +1 attack)
Extracts; Blast Finesse ritual: []
1st (5/day): endure elements [x], expeditious retreat [], enlarge person [], shield [x], stone fist []
2nd (4/day): alchemical allocation [][], barkskin [x], perceive cues []
3rd (4/day) fly [x], invisibility [], invisibility [], displacement [x]
4th (2/day) absorbing barrier [], assume appearance []
Sander heals himself again, the many herbs he's ingested over the years doing their work, and opens fire on the last giant with his crossbow, thrilled that he picked it up. It's not as powerful as his bombs, but he only has so many of those.
Chwaer tries to make up for her stumble but her axe is stuck tilling the field momentarily.
for
for
for
Harmed once more, Pyrrhus rages as the hacks the giant with his axe, while keeping the approaching enemy into consideration.
Pleased he can finally just plant his feet and start stabbing because Storn... Storn has some stuff to work through, he gets to work.
The last of the giant patrol died under the onslaught, and you were able to stop and catch your breath. All around you, the slaves - former slaves - were standing back up or turning to look for more combatants. Xander was striding towards you with a giant-sized grin on his face. "You did it! By Gorum you did it! Six frost giants in less than a minute. I wouldn't have thought it possible. But wait! Weren't there five of you...?" He broke off at your stricken looks as you moved to find Molly's body hidden in the barley field.
Sander breathes a sigh of relief as the last giant falls, and then rushes to Molly's side. He checks to make sure there's nothing he can do, then turns tear-filled eyes to the others.
"We can't leave her here! We have to take her with us, and everyone get out of here! If you have some time to pray, is there anything Gorum can do, Storn?"
Bueller Chwaer looks around at the field of giants and the emerging slaves before her eyes settle on Molly, it worked, but the cost was too high. She hangs her head briefly, saying a prayer to the Dwarven gods to keep Molly safe until they can bring her back.
"Xander, are you or any of the others, clerics? What's the closest town that might have one? You need to take the others and go to the place you told us about. Hide!"
She examines the wounds on the closest fallen giant, "I wonder if we can make this look more like a wild animal than axes, spears, and bolts. The bomb might be hard to explain. Unless there's someplace to hide them ..."
Pyrrhus remains silent as the others mourn Molly's death. He felt his words would make her no justice as he barely knew any of them. Once the talk changes to their future plans, he makes a proposition, caring to sound as respectful as possible. "If we can't take advantage of our momentum, I'd advise that we should guide these men to a safe place, as we are looking for a way to bring Molly back... that if her spirit wishes to return. I do not know much of her story, but sometimes people prefer to rest at last."
As you are standing over Molly's corpse, discussing what to do, an older woman came shuffling out of the pack of slaves. She was obviously among the oldest of them, and not in very good health. What age had left her, the giants and the cold weather had stripped away until she was more bone and skin than muscles. One eye was clouded with a cataract, but her look was determined
"Excuse me, but I may be able to help. I have this." She reached into her mouth and pulled out a tooth. At first it seemed macabre, but then you realized the root was bound in wire. In fact, it looked as if the whole thing had once been a pendant on a thong.
"Kept it on me, though the giants stripped me of everything else. Hag gave it to me, years ago, because...well, because my son died, you see. I went to a hedge witch and begged his life. She gave me a task, and told me that she would restore my son to me when it was done. That task is my shame to keep, but this tooth was the reward. She said it would bring my boy back from the dead, all I had to do was lay face to face with him and bite down, crushing the tooth. But the cost. The cost would be everything that I am. I couldn't do it. Held onto this for years, decades, and never found the need enough."
"But then the giants came, and this old body wore out, and you came and risked your lives for people you don't even know. One of you gave her life for all of us. I want to do the same. Please, let me try."
After you all gave your assent, the old woman lay down on top of Molly, face to face, limb to limb. You heard a crunching sound as she bit into the tooth. Suddenly, a nimbus of pale green light burst from her body, surrounding both the old woman and Molly. Vines grew up from the surrounding earth, cocooning them both in green vines and leaves. Light continued to pulse from within the branches over the course of ten minutes.
Finally, the cocoon of branches collapsed and wilted upon itself. A small figure pushed the wilted vines aside and a gnome with green hair and multi-colored eyes stared around at all of you.
Sander's mouth drops open.
"M- Molly? Or are you the old lady? Or someone else?"
Chwaer's eyes are as wide as saucers, she stands there starting, unsure what just happened.
Storn rips his spear out of the giant and stares back over the battlefield. He pulls his helmet off to reveal terrifying, wild eyes staring out from the chaotic mess of beard and hair that is his face. Standing over Molly's body he begins chanting.
"Sjá þarna, sé ég föður minn
Sjá, ég sé móður mína og systur mína og bræður mína
Sjá þarna, sé ég línuna mína til upphafs
Lo they do call me
Sjá þeir hringja í mig
Þeir buðu mér að taka sæti meðal þeirra
í helguðum sölum Elysium
Þar sem hugrakkir munu lifa að eilífu"
He stares down bleakly at her body. "If we can find a way to brihng her back, we shall see if she wants it. But as of now she is dead, and died the right way. In battle with bravery. She fought and that is all we can hope of an... whuh?"
Storn goes silent as the slave woman comes up bearing the tooth. As the reincarnation spell takes place he looks completely dumbfounded and then even moreso as a gnome emerges from the branches.
"What just happened."
"That's what I'd like to kno- Wait. Why's my voice all squeaky?-"
The Gnome looks down at herself, then notices a lock of her hair and grabs it, holding it up for scrutiny.
"You lot don't just look tall because I'm lying down, do you," she says, her voice toneless and her eyebrows lowering in a threatening manner. "What happened."
The Gnome staggers to her feet, swaying in place for a moment, and looks down on herself again.
She barely manages to grab her belt before her trousers start to sag.
"Well," she says, still in that curiously flat tone of voice, "that's going to get annoying fast."
She looks up - and her jewel eyes widen as she discovers she is looking Sander directly in the eye. She utters a curse in Gnomish - then looks nonplussed.
"What in the name of Sivana's fourth veil did I just say? What happened? One moment I'm full of arrows, feeling my lungs fill with blood, the next I'm digging myself out of compost and down a bunch of sizes! Did you kill those Giants? Did we get the slaves out? Do I need to start kicking people up the backs -- ankle to get some answers around here?!"
Chwaer grips her axe, unsure what's going on, "aye the giants are down, well those giants at least. And the slaves are freed for now. One of them, saved you I think."
Storn stares down at Molly before he lets out loud, braying laughter.
"BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!"
He collapses to his knees. "You died... like a hero... and got sent back to be a gnome....hahahahahahah.... Oh Gods you're so small. Teehee.. you're all fun sized now. Oh Gods a gnome. The eternal battle on Elysium awaited you, but your time was not done because you had to be a gnome for a while."
Storn collapses, tears streaming down his face as he laughs.
"Someone brought me back as a Gnome?" Molly asks Chwaer. "Why didn't they just bring me back as..."
Molly's voice goes flat. "Someone cast Reincarnate on me, didn't they. Sivanah's fourth veil! I've been reincarnated as... Ugh."
The Witch crosses her arms and shakes her head -- then uncrosses them before her trousers can head south again. "Alright. I'll deal. I can deal with this. Just tell me one of these people knows how to alter clothes. And where's the Druid who turned me into a... who brought me back, anyway? Should at least shake 'em by the hand or summat."
You notice the green-haired Witch is still glowering when she says this.
She snaps at Storn when he starts to laugh: "I weren't headed there, were I?! I'm not after brawlin' fer eternity with a load of men with bone fer brains, lettin' their muscles think fer 'em an' reeking of sweaty pork an' rust! You quit laughing at me, 'fore I test out how hard I can still kick and hit!"
Storn continues giggling, ignoring Molly's very sensible comment about how Storn's afterlife is absolutely not her's. "a gnome... tee hee"
"This isn't funny, Storn! She died!" Sanders says, looking back and forth between the two. "It could be worse, Molly, you could have come back as a badger or something. But we can't stay here! Come on, everyone, we need to move in case any more giants are on the way! Xander, you said you know a place?"
Xander seemed as startled as anyone else there, but at Sander's words he straightened. "There are some caves not too far from here that will provide temporary shelter. From there we can move to one of the larger hunting camps that the giants may not have routed yet. Getting anywhere civilized will be hard, but no harder than working from sunup to sundown in this benighted place."
"The biggest problem will be shelter, and fighting off teh cold at night. If you can spare some means of starting a fire - flint and steel, tindertwig, anything - I think we'll be okay. The next problem is food. Plenty of streams and icemelt in these mountains, but game will be scarce. Especially as we have no bows. But, if you can spare some food, that will help as well."
"Either way, we must be going quickly before we run into any more patrols."
"I can set things on fire, no worries," Molly grumbles. "That and conjure up a place to sleep for the most vulnerable. Now. Show me the Druid that brought me back; we'll talk about how to take care of your people. After that: please tell me there's a seamstrwss with your lot. These trousers were not fitted for a Gnome."
While remaining silent for a while, Pyrrhus can't stop himself from pointing Molly some advantages of her new shape. "You are not looking on the bright side, Molly... you are richer now! Since you'll eat and drink less, all your coins are worth more when buying food!"
Once the talk turns to the slaves, Pyrrhus nods to their concerns. "I can provide food and drink if you can stand some tales from my people."
Storn finally settles down and looks Sander dead in the eye - since Storn is seated.
"Sander, to a Gorumite there is nothing funnier than dying in battle and coming back as a gnome."
He finally leans on his stupidly large spear and gets back on his feat. He claps Molly on the back with his giant ham fist. "Good to have you back weird-eye. Don't die again. Gorum may get irritated if I keep praying over your body."
Storn turns to regard the freed slaves. "There was a nice old lady with a bad eye who had a root-tooth or something. She was the one who brought you back."
"I en't richer, 'cause I'm gonna needta have all me clothes altered," Molly grumbles at Pyrrhus.
"Yeah? Which one is she? She hidin'-shy or summat?" Molly asks Storn.
"I en't richer, 'cause I'm gonna needta have all me clothes altered," Molly grumbles at Pyrrhus.
"Yeah? Which one is she? She hidin'-shy or summat?" Molly asks Storn.
"Or you could sell yours and by child clothes... they are cheaper, are they not?"
"My Mum never bought us clothes when we were little," Molly replies. "Dad went out and killed something, and then Mum made us clothes out of the hides and furs. So how'd I know?"
"I think she disappeared when she brought you back," Sander says sadly. "She said it was the cost of casting the spell..."
Even as he talks, he tries to shepherd the freed people into motion, looking back to see if anymore giants are coming.
"But maybe spread out a little bit everyone, so we don't leave a very obvious trail!"
"Wait. She what?" Molly asks, horrified.
Chwaer picks up on Sander's sense of urgency, "you can honor her by living a good gnomish life. Upside, now you can tumble under the giants with me!" She starts walking in the direction indicated by Xander, while keeping an eye out for other giants.
"How the actual flying flipping f*!@ do I honor someone whose name and and life I do not know?" Molly asks, her eyes wild, shocked and distraught. "Why would she go and do a thing like that for someone she didn't even know? What the hell, man? This is serious. This is a f*#&ing life debt, the bad kind. Anyone get her name? The name of her tribe? Her family? Ye GODS, guys! I'm a Kellid, this is serious stuff in my tribe!"
"Her name was Hevja, and she came from somewhere in Belkzin, originally. She wore grief and shame like cloaks against the cold of the world, and I never before saw her give anything to anyone without begrudging it. For some reason, today she decided to cast all that aside and give all for you, freely with no expectation of payment or incurred debt. That was her choice. Yours is what you plan on doing with this gift, or curse."
Xanther was solemn as he said this, but still he was chivvying people down off the main road and towards his safe place.
Storn nods once. "Lucky break for you then Molly. It's quite a life to be a jerk to everyone and then turn someone into a gnome with your root-tooth before vanishing. I'd rather die of a sucking chest wound, but such is my glorious doom. Let's get these folks somewhere safe."
Sander continues trudging along, looking nervously over his shoulder.
Pyrrhus nods to Storn and follows along.
"I did die of a huge chest wound. Well, more of a huge everywhere wound. It's not much fun," Molly notes. She starts to walk and frowns at her slow pace. "Ugh. No offense, Sander, but how do you keep up so well with legs this short...?"
"Short? Our legs are normal size! It's everyone else whose legs are too long!"
Storn looks at the party of two dwarves, a gnome, and a halfling, and him who stands around 6'7 before ludicrous armour spikes.
"I was going to make a short joke but I like my ankles."
Chwaer smirks and tumbles through Storns gargantuan legs, tapping his heels with the pommel of her axe, "smart call." She looks around as they follow Xanther, "how much farther?"
"About another two hours at this pace. We can't risk rushing it, though. Most of the slaves are so hunger weakened that this is about as fast as they can go without falling over. We'll make it, though, as long as we don't run into another patrol. If we do, don't count on any of these folks to fight. The spirit may be willing, but the flesh is deprived. Nothing a few hot meals and warm beds won't fix, though!"
Xander was right. You came on his cave system before the sun had started its descent for the day. And, it was all that he had promised. A narrow opening, far too small for any giant to enter through, led to a larger cavern with a pool of fresh water fed by a rivulet coming through a moss-covered crack in the ceiling. There were a couple of side chambers, but none went very far. The smell of old ashes showed that people had used this place before, though not very recently.
The slaves used what extra clothing and blankets you could scrounge from your packs and supplies and huddled by the fires that you helped Xander get started. The young man appeared to have gained some internal strength simply by being given a job to do, and he set about organizing the more physically fit slaves into work parties to scavenge for food, wood, and the like.
The night passed uneventfully, and in the morning you made your goodbyes. You had saved these people from the giants, likely dealing a morale blow against the evil creatures, but surely alerting them to the presence of some resistance in the area. Now your job would be even more difficult.