Looking panicked, Mariana stares wide-eyed at the giant and then lets a shot fire off at one of the orcs closest to her.
Once the arrow is launched, she dashes straight back to get away from the giant.
Molly's words seem to have no effect on the giant.
Storn heads southwards, preparing himself to hit the first thing that comes nearby.
The darkness around you, broken only by the lights you carry with you, hides the activities of the many creatures watching the culmination of battle with the giant. The creature moved forward in a hunched, shambling stride, the orcs attached to its limbs pulling and guiding its motions. Yelena stepped forward, her longhammer missing the giant as she swung early. Two of its handlers took minor wounds from the crossbows and bows aimed at it. More effective was the sheet of liquid fire that splashed over the giant and the handler attached to its left arm. The flaming liquid burned off quickly, but left behind nasty open wounds.
The orcs holding the chains to its legs dropped their chains and began hurling javelins at the nearest targets. Both Storn and Molly were hit, the warrior taking a point in the side, while the witch cried out at the searing pain in her left leg. The giant, its blows mostly directed by the orcs holding its arm chains, slammed meaty fists down onto Yelena over and over. The dwarf nearly collapsed at the heavy blows, but her stout nature kept her upright and fighting.
Storn takes 5 damage
Molly takes 4 damage
Yelena takes two hits for a total of 14 damage
Initiatives:
orcs 21
Quill 13
Storn 10
Yelena 10
Sander 6
Mariana 5
Molly 5
current combat hit point status:
Quill -0
Storn -5
Yelena -14
Sander -0
Mariana -0
Molly -4
Molly fires another arrow at one of the Orcs, snarling beastly curses at her injuries the whole time - and reloads.
Roaring his challenge, Storn steps forwards, sweeping his glaive down at the nearest orc.
HP 16/18
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 14
Fort +6 (+2 vs. poison), Ref +7, Will +2 (+2 vs. fear)
CMD 13
Stones: 0/10; Bombs: 5/5; Mutagen: 1/1
Consumables: 3 flasks of acid, handful of tindertwigs, three orc bombs, two alchemist fires
Effects:
Sander edges carefully forward again and launches another container of the alchemist's fire at the giant as the previous container continues to burn.
"Molly step back really quick." With the realization that once again she was going to be on healing duty she draws her wand and waits for Molly to step back, wishing she had mentioned her pains earlier.
Yelena wobbled from the blows, certain that she was about to die. She wearliy swung her hammer, but her swimming vision placed the target a good ten feet to the left of where it ought to be, and all she managed to do was pound sand. Molly, a little too close for comfort, stepped back and fired another arrow into the orc throwing javelins at her. The bolt hit, and the return javelin flew harmlessly wide as Mariana healed Molly's wounds with a quick touch of the healing wand in her hand.
Quill's arrow to the orc closest to him in the chest, sending the creature spinning to the ground. Storn altered his target in mid-charge, bringing a punishing blow down on the orc handler holding the chain for the giant's left arm. the glaive didn't kill the orc, but it was a close thing, and the orc swaying woozily in place, hindering the giant's movements.
Sander bobbled his throw, dropping the flask of liquid fire onto the bank in front of the giant. Both Yelena and the giant were splashed by the burning liquid, and the giant roared in injury. Glancing over at Sander, it spotted the dead orc next to Storn and the badly wounded orc on that side also. It shouted at Storn, flecks of spittle showering down on the big man.
The giant spun with a surprising quickness and lashed out at Storn. The warrior managed to sidestep one crushing blow, but the other caught his firmly on the left shoulder, snapping his clavicle and nearly killing him outright.
Yelena must make a DC14 reflex save to halve 4 damage.
Storn takes 11 damage, which I think puts him at 0 hp, and makes him disabled.
Initiatives:
orcs 21
Quill 13
Storn 10
Yelena 10
Sander 6
Mariana 5
Molly 5
current combat hit point status:
Quill -0
Storn -17
Yelena -16(-18)
Sander -0
Mariana -0
Molly -0
Storn crashes to the ground, roaring in pain. Weakly hanging onto his glaive he realises he's too close to the giant to move without being attacked.
"Keep Yelena healed!" he calls out weakly.
Molly switches targets, aiming her crossbow at the giant's head.
Having shot and spoken, Molly skips a ways back, shouting insults at the giant the whole time.
HP 16/18
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 14
Fort +6 (+2 vs. poison), Ref +7, Will +2 (+2 vs. fear)
CMD 13
Stones: 0/10; Bombs: 5/5; Mutagen: 1/1
Consumables: 3 flasks of acid, handful of tindertwigs, 3 orc bombs, 1 alchemist fire
Effects:
"Oh, gods!" Sander cries, "We need help! Anyone! Is there anyone who can hear me?!"
Oh, gods! We need help! That thing's too big!
He throws one of his remaining two vials of alchemist's fire.
Mariana stepped forward, touching Yelena with her wand and healing the dwarf somewhat. Sander's next-to-last bottle of fire exploded on the giant and his handler. The orc went down in a blaze of liquid fire, and the giant screamed in its fury. It lashed out, trying to get the fire out of its pelt. The orc on its left arm hampered its blow, and Yelena managed to block the other, somehow. In the chaos, no one else managed to even get a blow in, and Storn stood still, making up his mind on his next actions, and trying desperately not to draw unwarranted attacks.
Yelena heals 8 damage.
Initiatives:
orcs 21
Quill 13
Storn 10
Yelena 10
Sander 6
Mariana 5
Molly 5
current combat hit point status:
Quill -0
Storn -17
Yelena -10
Sander -0
Mariana -0
Molly -0
Cursing a blue streak, Molly aims at the giant, fires and reloads, her hands moving with the speed of practise.
Storn says one last, desperate prayer to Gorum before he steps in, thrusting out with his glaive at the giant.
HP 16/18
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 14
Fort +6 (+2 vs. poison), Ref +7, Will +2 (+2 vs. fear)
CMD 13
Stones: 0/10; Bombs: 5/5; Mutagen: 1/1
Consumables: 3 flasks of acid, handful of tindertwigs, 3 orc bombs
Effects:
Sander looks sick for a moment as the stench of burning flesh assails his nose, but then a look of resolve crosses his face.
They brought this on themselves and would certainly do worse to all of us.
Grimly, he waits to see if the alchemist fire and his companions put the giant down -- realizing there may still be yet more fighting this evening -- his final flask of the stuff ready in his palm.
Finally getting into the groove, the companions concentrated their attacks on the giant. Quill's arrow sank deeply into the giant's stomach as Storn crushed its left knee. The giant reeled forward, its broad forehead coming down just in time to meet with Yelena's longhammer. The hammer head cracked the giant's skull, and the creature reeled. Overcompensating for its shattered knee, the giant fell over, crushing the orc tethered to its right arm. Mariana's bow twanged, and the final orc fell, blood leaking from its body into the clear water of the Hopespring pool.
The combat was over, and distant wails of terror and discouragement sounded as the attacking orcs saw their pet giant killed. Trumpets blared as Kurst nad his men rallied and dashed back through the orc lines, trampling many and sending more scattering through the buildings. The tide of the battle seemed to be turning.
Behind the falls, lit by Quill's thrown stone, the hole in the hillside gaped liked an open mouth.
"Quick, we need to light the beacon!" Sander calls, pulling out one of his newly acquired tindertwigs.
Sander whipped out a tindertwig and struck it against a rock on the beacon. He tossed the flaming stick onto the beacon with a smile on his face.
The smile disappeared as a green fire raced across the piled of wood, and with a thunderous explosion, bits of wood and fire burst in all directions. Sander was hurled backwards and into Mariana, while an enormous tower of bright green fire reached for the sky.
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Quill covers his face as the beacon explodes, shielding his face from the heat.
"Ah piddlespot! Those treacherous bastards!" Quill stares blankly into fires, ignoring the burned and burning. His internal hatred of orcs, already quite fierce, burns like the beacon.
Shaking his head, he moves forward to help. He casts Create Water and begin to douse anyone who appears to be on fire.
"Stop burning! Roll!"
Molly shrieks her agony at her fresh injuries and rolls on the ground to put out the flames.
Not expecting the sudden blast, Sander cries out in pain as he's burned in the blast.
Realizing he's on fire, he drops to the ground, rolling to extinguish the flames and trying to find Quill's water.
Once the fire's doused, he stands up.
"Impressive trick, lad," he says to the young-seeming elf. "How'd you learn to do that?"
Storn rips his glaive out of the giant's knee, sending a spray of blood onto the ground before Yelena brings her hammer down, and Mariana's arrow finishes the job. He grips his glaive in both hands, raising it over his head.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! Dauða og blóð!" The beaten, bloodied priest lets out a breath, and tosses his glaive to the side.
"Now, what are w--"
Storn shields his eyes as the beacon explodes, sending several his his companions flying backwards. He stares dumbly at the situation for a moment before he whips off his cloak, and rushes over to try and put people out. That's when he sees Quill spraying water everywhere.
"I am so confused."
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"Impressive trick. How'd you learn to do that?"
Quill casts Create Water again, seeking to douse anyone else on fire.
"Trick?" Quill asks, spraying water on Molly. "Oh, this isn't a trick. I sometimes pray to the great Elf Who Circles the World. He helps me when I need it, sometimes."
Quill looks around to make sure no one else is burning.
"Elf Who Circles the World? What kind of nonsense God is that?" mutters Storn incredulously.
He then looks over the carnage and takes a step towards the giant.
"Now who has the best entrails around here? I need to pray!"
Is thrown down as the flames seem to draw the very breath from her chest. Taking a deep, gasping breath as the pain envelopes her, she begins to roll about on the ground to put out any flames she has upon her form.
Slowly she stands up and looks to the rest of her group. "Is it over yet?" she seems to be pleading.
"I never heard of your god, either," Molly says as she drags herself back to her feet. "But when I pray to Sivanah tonight, I shall ask her to tell him I said to thank him. Now."
The Witch casually - but thoroughly - kisses Quill on the lips.
"That was my thanks to you," she says with a crooked smile before turning away from the Half-Elf. "Battle's shifted, looks like," she says to Mariana. "We've got a few moments anyway. Smoke 'em if you've got 'em. Anything worth looting on those Orcs or the giant?"
Oddly, some of Molly's wounds seem to be healing on their own...
Molly glances at Mariana and does a double-take.
"'Ere, you look done in yourself," she says. "C'mere."
Molly brushes Mariana's cheek with her lips, then grins at her. "Good for what ails you, right?"
Sander scowls as Yelena yells, a hot retort flying to his lips that is lost as the dwarf quickly changes focus. He groans painfully as he stands up, patting out the last of the flames and looking thoroughly miserable.
What is that girl doing? Sander thinks as he watches Molly, a look of paternal unhappiness on his face. I hope she's not just toying around with that boy's heart. I don't think he'll take it well and she seems far too worldly for the lad.
Shaking his head, he asks wearily, "Where to know? Are there more of them?
"And someone should check those orcs and that giant. They might have some equipment we can turn from Trunau's destruction to its defense."
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Quill's ears burn as others make fun of the Elf Who Hunts the World, as if their stupid gods were better. A angry flush rises to his face, a flush that didn't exist even when he was fighting orcs.
"Quill, we can talk about your fruity god later."
Fruity god? FRUITY GOD!!?
Quill's eyes bulge, wondering why his sergeant was being such a ripe old b+++&.
"What? Fruity!? Why..." Quill sputters. "Oh yeah? Well...Torag...Torag smells like yaks!" Quill says, quite pleased with the zing in his comeback. He seems ready to let loose with another...
Kisses Quill on the lips.
Stunned, Quill stares ahead, all his thoughts of verbal retribution gone.
Storn grins as Yelena makes fun of Quill's assuredly fruity God and Molly then makes him uncomfortable.
Young Quill is finally becoming a man. An elven man who is probably ninety years older than me.
That said, Storn decides not to go play in giant guts and instead loots the joint.
Two of the orcs had vials of curative on them, and a vial of acis as well. One had another of those self-sharpening scabbards for a dagger. Between them, there were about 63 gold pieces' worth of mixed coins. The rest of their gear was trash, including the axes and javelins they had been using. The giant had nothing on him but a large breastplate that had been broken in the past, and the pieces tied onto him with ropes. In all, a mediocre haul of loot.
Storn hands the flask of acid to Sanders, and holds onto one potion for himself. He looks at the scabbard and shrugs, passing it to whoever wants it.
"I get this potion. I think my spleen is trying to fall out. Next time we get invaded, make sure the invaders bring better gear. Who do I punch next?"