Seal quickly follows Kufieno because he doesn't want him to get to the giants before him.
Once everybody is up and there are no immediate threats, Seal will pull up Thunderpuss as well.
Lucian goes up quietly but safely.
The party quickly climbs up the next ledge so that Seal doesn't kill everything before they get there!
The upper walk of Skull’s Crossing is relatively clear of rubble, though a three-inch layer of water has pooled across much of its surface. Here and there, sections of the dam’s surface have crumbled away, although this damage appears relatively old. A tower of skull-shaped domes sits at the center of the dam’s walk. To the north surge the choppy waters of the Storval Deep, while to the south, the slope of the dam’s face drops away nearly three hundred feet to a muddy lake below.
Five miserable, tired, and sick ogres work atop the dam, using their hooks against the stone to break it up and toss it down.
Lucian casts burst of radiance on the ogres, calling the light of Desna's brightest star to blind his enemies!
Kufieno darts foward as he casts a spell, then reaches out to touch the nearest ogre.
Stumbling, he misses. Glancing over his shoulder, he glares at Seal, thinking the dwarf tripped him in order to be the one to draw first blood.
Thunderpuss glares back at Kufieno as he slowly draws his paw back from where the rogue started his charge. One is not sure, but the low growl from the big cat sounds like a chuckle. =v)
Rissi unleashes ball lightning upon the lead ogre.
Lucian blinds three of the ogres but Kufieno slips in the water. Rissi's ball of electricity is sidestepped!
Miana moves up and knocks one of the ogres out cold!
---
The ogres raise large chunks of stone and washed-up tree trunks to slam down on the party!
#1: gone!
#2: 14 dmg, blinded
#3: 14 dmg, blinded
#4:
#5:
Taking the blow in stride, Kufieno looks for a flanking position and tries to shock the ogre!
Lucian simply gets behind Miana, and casts guidance on him.
Evanya does the same for Sealman.
Rissi unleashes magic missiles at a giant engaged with Kufieno, as a pair of electric balls crackle at its feet.
"Kreegs! It appears I have missed the lot of you as you cower here on the bridge top. Fear not! You shall meet your dead friends from the fort in Hell soon enough! RAGE, WHO WANTS SOME?"
Seal runs forth with Isoult slung low. As closes in on two of the ogres, the dwarf leaps into the air, arcing the long axe in an upper-cut fashion at the first ogre. As he reaches the zenith of his leap, Sealman brings the long-axe down chopping the ogre beside the first to be cleaved.
---
Rissi's second lightning ball burns an ogre!
---
Kufieno moves in and finishes one of them off! Seal cleaves through two more and Rissi's balls of lightning finish off the last one!
"Flawless victory." [/Shang T'sung]
Sealman routinely chops off the heads of the ogres of the heads and places them among the skull pile. The dwarf smiles to himself as if he's created some form of modern art. He then kicks the bodies off the bridge down into the waterfall below.
After the bodies have been properly lewt'ed, Seal leads the party across the bridge and further into the delves of Skull's Crossing.
"Well done Sealman, everyone! Let's check inside the dam, there may be more of these Kreegs. We need to stop them before their deed is done."
Kufieno will scout ahead if asked.
You enter the central building on the dam and find piles of rubble dominating the landscape inside. A few dead ogres torn limb from limb litter the room and four monstrous trolls shrieking in anger as you enter!
Too stupid to know any better, they quickly clutter around the entrance trying to reach you!
Lucian gazes at the sky, praying Desna.
"Goddess of dreams, grant us your favor!"
Revelling in the prayer to Desna, Evanya echoes it as she lays a soothing hand on Kufieno's shoulder.
Rissi seems pleased.
"Ah, trolls. Good"
A small dot of fire leaps from her fingertips and arcs through the air, to expand into a mighty ball of flame.
Kufieno steps northeast and stabs at the northern troll.
Seal looks nearly insulted at the trolls poor attempt to bite him. He responds with three long looping hacks with Isoult.
Lucian blesses! Rissi burns the trolls! Kufieno finishes one of them off! Seal obliterates the other!
The trolls lumber forward towards The Slaughterhouse.
green: 37 dmg
yellow: 37 dmg
"Ye'ow! That hurt!" Kufieno mutters, as he imbues his blade with arcana power and stabs repeatedly at the troll.
Seal deftly dodges out of the giant-kin's attack. He steps up face to face with the green-tinged troll to only roar in its face.
"For Catorce!"
Kufieno and Seal expertly dispatch of the pesky trolls.
Searching the room you find nothing of interest.
With giant-blood lust not yet sated, Seal swing around the first door and throws it open.
Seal finds that the rooms on either side of the building are thick with green ropy fungus hanging down over the windows. There are several large nests made of the fungus on the floor. This was (or is) obviously the den of several Skulltaker giants or giantkin.
To the south you find an observation deck with three round windows looking out over the southern view from Skull's Crossing. Skull carvings decorate the walls, ceiling, and even the floor. Graffiti covers the heavy double-door.
The side doors lead, respectively, to a storeroom where everything is clogged with the same vinelike fungus and to a room that has collapsed.
"How long have these creatures dwelt here for there to be such disarray. "Below dwells Papa Grazuul." What manner of creature is that?"
"Who?"
Rissi shrugs and points at the graffiti. "I don't know, but he is apparently wet. A scrag, perhaps?"
"How long have these creatures dwelt here for there to be such disarray. "Below dwells Papa Grazuul." What manner of creature is that?"
"It's a dead one. Should we find him, I got Wet Papa. You all take out the minions."
When the party is ready, Seal will lead them down the stairs.
This cold, damp room features a large pool in the floor, the edges of which are caked with pale yellow slime and fungus. The surface of the pool bears a similar film. Additional carvings of skulls decorate the walls here. To the south, an impressive mound of skulls—mostly from humanoids—lies heaped against the wall, where they partially block a large stone double door.
This room is the lair of what must be the Skulltaker chieftain, an aquatic troll named Grazuul.
More fire erupts from Rissi's hands as she launches another fireball at this "Grazuul"
Lucian reacts by blessing his companions with Desna's favor.
As for Evanya, she simply touches Sealman's shoulder, blessing him with guidance.
Deftly bypassing the pool, the quickened Seal bounds in the direction of the scrag. As he draws close, he leaps in the air with an over-head chop o' doom!
"Fish-sticks!"
Kufieno follows Seal's lead and darts around the pool, taking up a flnaking position. He stabs at the troll with his blade.
Rissi remembers that scrags, or aquatic trolls, regenerate just like regular trolls, although this regeneration is stopped by acid or fire damage.
Rissi hits the troll with a fireball! Lucian throws down all sorts of blessings! Seal's chop o' doom cuts deep into the troll's hide and is followed quickly by a deep stab from Kufieno. The troll grunts in pain as the attacks come from all directions!
Grazuul lets out a fearsome roar and tries to bring his trident down on Seal!
Taking advantage of Seal's flanking, Kufieno continues to hack at the water troll.
Seal looks up at Grazuul with a smirk of approval after being stabbed by the trident. He shifts the magical energies that surround him to hack down the fish-troll before him.
In awe as he sees his companions' fighting prowess, Lucian waits until the very last moment to see if the beast goes down before he unleashes more firepower.
Rissi summons a flaming sphere at the feet of the creature.
Grazuul proves no match for The Slaughterhouse, as Kufieno and Seal make quick work of the troll king!
His only gear seems to be his (Large-sized) +1 vicious adamantine trident.
Seal hefts the trident above his head in both hands. He then yells out in celebration like a Sand Person from a galaxy far, far away. After collecting his trophy (to be sold for group funds at a later date) The trollslayer opens the door to the left.
Before Sealman runs off looking for other trolls to slay, Lucian heals him as well as himself.
"Come, we still have *chhhh* witches to find."
