GM EDDV's Ire of the Storm

Game Master eddv

T'Khan and Makda make short work of the remaining giants leaving the path forward open

"T'Khan come here please." She taps him with her wand of Cure Serious Wounds and then moves to Valin to give him a tap with the wand. "Who knows what's up ahead lets be careful."

CSW: 3d8 + 3 ⇒ (4, 6, 4) + 3 = 17
CSW: 3d8 + 3 ⇒ (1, 6, 1) + 3 = 11

I think it is time for us to be pressing forward. While these giants don't concern me, the more attention we bring the more difficult this will become. And the growing pile of giant bodies certainly isn't inconspicuous...

She picks up her bow and steps forward, after confirming the healing has been complete.

T'Khan pounces on Vera and gives a deep, rumbling purr as he is healed.

Yes, lets press on quickly and find this giant mage and see if we can sort out this problem.

Stopping briefly she heads outside and calls out to Stonebreaker. Stay here Stonebreaker, try to fill this gap in the defences as best you can and then hold this breach against any other giants.

Valin sheaths his sword.

Someone really doesn't want Zoarth to keep doing what he's doing. Let's get to him before he's overwhelmed.

Once inside the keep, you find yourself able to go through the corridors, with air elementals seemingly pointing you towards the correct direction to go.

Soon you find a small housecat who wanders up to you and opens his mouth, qand out comes the voice of a wizened elder, probably Zoarth.

"Please. I need your help. I’m in the central hall holding off the main force, but some… thing is at the foundation. Somehow, it’s causing damage. I don’t know how that’s possible, but please find it and stop it. Any stairway that you find can take you down to it—it’s at the very bottom of the keep.”

"You have our word and our assistance- and we agree, in good faith, to negotiate our price when you later."

Turning, she glances around and heads for the nearest steps and begins what she assumes is the long decent to the lower levels. Her bow remains nocked as she prepares for the next "pathfinder surprise" that she has come to expect on all of her adventures.

Down we go. Let's keep the keep standing.

Mak'da flies forward towards the nearest stairs, Let's go, if we can keep this castle standing then I imagine our giant wizard will be grateful enough to work with us.

You go down the stairs into a room that is swirling with a chilled mist.

Down here in the basement its easy to see the pillars that serve as the foundation for this place, holding it up even in these clouds.

In fact, this area is a chamber of sorts whose the floor, walls, and ceiling are also solid mist. The central portion of the chamber is a column of white mist sixty feet across. Near it is a bizarre creature that looks like a humanoid insect, twelve feet tall with a long tail and a thick, ice-blue carapace. It wields a wickedly barbed spear in both hands and is stabbing it into the misty column. With each blow, a portion of the mist turns to ice and shatters into a thousand brittle bits. Every third blow or so, the entire castle shudders and shakes. A giant with pale, blue-white skin and a scraggly white beard crusted with its own frozen drool guards the creature. The giant stands hunched over and looks toward the staircase with a weird, half-vacant look.

Knowledge Planes Arisira: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (13) + 17 = 30

Arisira can tell that this Frost Giant is possessed by a number of Bone Devils and serves as the vessel for this Ice Devil. She thinks it likely that someone has purposefully bound all of these devils inside of him, possibly as some kind of punishment.

She thinks that, rather than fighting this giant, it should be possible to convince him to put away the Devil, at which point you'd be left with just a fairly simple giant to deal with.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (13) + 23 = 36

In fact she senses that the Frost Giant isn't hostile at all outside of his connection with the Ice Devil and will probably be easy to convince to stand down at that point.

Valin looks at Arisira and asks in a low voice,

Do you want to try and talk him down or should I slay the devil?

Quickly, the halfling sizes up the situation. In a voice that seems much louder and larger than her small stature would indicate.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (18) + 23 = 41

"I suppose I should have suspected as much. Stooping as low as binding up a giant to do your bidding. Giant, what say you? Free yourself from these bonds and seek your freedom! I have no quarrel with you- and no desire to end your existence over something you did not choose!"

Vera waits for Arisira to try to speak with the giant. "I'll do what I can to help free him."

The Giant tries real hard to thin kand the Devil begins to panic, begging him to reconsider.

He focuses really hard and the devil gets trapped back inside the frost giant who looks...completely out of it.

Clarification: The giant has been exorcised and then re-entrapped?

"Knock it off, you sad excuse for intelligent life. Why don't you pick on someone with a few more brain cells? Or are you just that pathetic? Actually, I take that back- you must be that pathetic... "

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (15) + 23 = 38

The Devil has been shoved back into the giant - this giant is still clearly housing no less than 6 devils judging by all the planar anchors on him.

Arisira and Very can try to Use Magic Device or Knowledge: Religion to try to shut those down before the Giant loses the battle of wills again here.

"Do you see those anchors Vera? I think we need to do something about them...

UMD: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (13) + 20 = 33

"I'll do what I can to free him." She raises her mug. [/b]Cayden help me free this creature."[/b]

Know Religion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Would greater dispel magic have a chance to exorcise the devils?
Here is a caster level check on the off chance it can work.

Begone fiends!

Caster level: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22

Mak'da and Vera are ineffective at exorcising the demons but Arisira is able to disrupt the magical runes holding the whole thing together.

In a flash a portal to the Nine Hells briefly appears as about a dozen devils are forced from this frost giant's body.

Once this over he stands there, almost catatonic and drops his weapon.

Is he alright?

"I believe it is safe to approach now, but stay on your guard."

She takes a few, slow, steps forward before approaching at a brisker pace.

"I believe you have been freed, Mr Giant. If I may, and not to be impolite, suggest you take your leave from here while you still have the chance?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (1) + 23 = 24

The frost giant slowly looks Arisira down (not up because thats impossible)

Uhh, where am I? He asks in a dumb voice, clearly bewildered by the turn of events.

"You have found yourself in the basement of a Storm Giant's castle, attacking the foundation... probably not the best place, if I am being honest. Some demons had you all possessed, so I am sure it isn't your fault. But, I think it would be best if you got on out before someone decides you should take the blame"

Diplo: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (3) + 23 = 26

"You are in the basement of Zoarth's castle. He asked us to help you. Let's head back upstairs and see if we can help him with his attackers." Vera says quietly and calmly to the giant.

The Frost Giant nods and listens to Arisira, dropping his greataxe and just slowly walking out of the room.

"Well that was easier than I thought it would be. Should we head back upstairs?" Vera holds her weapon ready, and waits for Valin or Mak'da to lead the way.

Let's get going. He can't help us if he's dead.

Apologies for the radio silence, things have been hectic

Yes, lets find this wizard and see if this has sorted things out.

"Agreed. This should warrant at least a conversation. Keep alert, there are probably still some skirmishes going on about the castle"

Arisira knocks and arrow and then moves back to the stairwells.

As you make your way to the main hall, a very large pale skinned giant with a flowing long white stands in the middle of the hall surrounded by dead hill giants.

Ah thank you - their goal was to keep me occupied while their friend destroyed my keep but you have averted that skillfully. I am the wizard Zoarth - what has brought you to me with such fortuitous timing?

"We've been sent by the Pathfinder Society. We need one of your lineage to help with a ritual for them. We would love to come to an agreement with you for your service."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20

He looks around and interrupts himself Oh right before we go any further, I simply must reward you for your help - by all means help yourself to some of my extra potions over there.

Take three each of any of the following potions: ear’s
endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, displacement, eagle’s
splendor, fly (2), fox’s cunning, gaseous form, invisibility (2),
owl’s wisdom, protection from energy (acid), protection from
energy (cold), protection from energy (fire, 3), see invisibility,
water breathing

He strokes his beard Well, I would certainly be willing to help you with a ritual, but I am afraid it will have to wait. I have utterly no idea why these Hill Giants all came here to attack me and I am afraid if I dawdle I will miss my chance. Of course if you would be willing to investigate for me, I could stay here and start prepping for your ritual, if you don't mind telling me what it is

Valin helps himself to a displacement, a see invisibility, and a protection from energy (fire).

Knew it wouldn't be that easy. Alright. We'll see who wants you dead.

So the trade is some potions, and preparation of our ritual- for investigating and killing Hill giants? One of those sounds much more dangerous than the other, ya know?

The halflng grabs a potion of protection from fire, acid, and water breathing, sliding them into her bag.

"Thank you for the potions, though. I just hope that we dont *need* them. I guess we could start with asking about what you already know about the Giants. Do you have any on-going feuds that we should be aware of?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (6) + 23 = 29

Mak'da sorts through the bottles and grabs up three different potions.

See Invisibility, protection from fire and protection from cold

Have you had any previous trouble with other giants? Made any new enemies recently who might have sent them?

Cat's Grace, Owl's Wisdom, and Invisibility

Vera makes her potion choices, and tucks them away. "Did we find out what the ritual was supposed to be?" Vera asks her companions.
"We'll still help you out of course."

Zoarth chuckles at Veras question. The ritual is kind of an unlock spell. Without it your book is just nonsense. After the ritual the words unscramble and the book of Titan contains unique Giant spellcasting knowledge. Its not too bad but only a Giant Wizard can do it.

He thinks a moment when asked about enemies he stops and thinks and you soon realize this castle is absolutely lousy with cats and the man has a half dozen cats in his beard alone. Honestly No...I dont think so. I have never done anything to make rhe Hill Giants cross with me.

Maybe not the hill giants themselves, but someone else who could send them after you? Or maybe we can track down a survivor and ask.

Mak'da nods at Valin, Good idea, I can probably find any fleeing giant fairly easily. If you cannot think of who might be sending them do you have any idea where the giants are coming from? How would one of them have become possessed by a devil?

The tracking should be easy, its the motivation that is the hard part. As my companion mentions, the presence of devils further complicates the picture for me. Do your pursuits often bring you in contention or proximity to Hell or its occupants?

"What about our ritual. Do you think news of our travels caused this attack?"

He shakes his head I mean like any wizard I have dabbled in all sorts of things including the infernal, but my main focus these last hundred years has been in creating good relations between me and all of these intelligent cats since my divorce. Tracking them down sounds like a good idea though.

Mak'da raises an airy eyebrow at the mention of intelligent cats. Very well, we will find out why these giants are attacking you and put a stop to it and in turn you will work out how we access our magical tome. Is that agreed?

He nods and smiles Of course

One of the cats brings you a sandal from one of the giants that got away and shows you where the trail picks up.

"Best we be getting on, I suppose. How hard can it be to track a giant anyways?"

Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Not so bad now, but it'll get tougher as they keep moving.

Apologies, I missed that there had been an update

Mak'da takes to the air as she begins to track the hill giants. She hops that an elevated view might give her a better chance of spotting the trail, not that she expects that the lumbering creatures are likely to be hard to follow.

Survival: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (20) + 29 = 49

I will leave Stonebreak behind to help guard the castle in case of further attack

"I knew that I could count on you Mak'da. Lead the way, and we will follow the best we can on foot."