Ingrahild lands two arrows, and Balmir two hits.
The dire wolf withdraws a bit and tries to get the glitter out of his eyes, and succeeds well enough.
Balmir HP 24/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant +2 natural (barkskin)
Derrik HP 14/41 AC 19/12/19
Mouser HP 44/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 31/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 32/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 55/55 AC 18/12/16
Seeing the Battle unfold, Derrik thinks defensively, reaching into his Haver Sack, Derrik Retrieves a twig . With a Quick flick of his wrist the Twig breaks and fog starts to pour out of it Filling a 10' square.
Smokestick: This alchemically treated wooden stick instantly creates thick, opaque smoke when burned. The smoke fills a 10-foot cube (treat the effect as a Fog Cloud spell, except that a moderate or stronger wind dissipates the smoke in 1 round). The stick is consumed after 1 round, and the smoke dissipates naturally after 1 minute.
HP 25/51
Base Atk +3; CMB +4; CMD 16
Special Attacks channel positive energy 5/day (DC 14, 3d6)
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 6th; concentration +10)
3rd—beacon of luck , invisibility purge , prayer, remove curseD
2nd—aid, barkskinD, blessing of courage and life APG (DC 16), shield other , weapon of awe APG (DC 16)
1st—bless, liberating command UC, magic weapon , shieldD, shield of faith
0 (at will)— detect magic , guidance, sparkAPG (DC 14), virtue
D Domain spell; Domains Protection (Defense APG subdomain), Liberation
Wand of Cure Light 50/50
Wand of Cure Light 35/50
Healing Kit 18/20
Potion of Remove Sickness 2/2
holy water 2/2
soothe syrup APG 2/2
thunder stone 2/2
Orange, blinded, swings at Somer.
Blue changes tactics and attacks Mouser.
Balmir HP 24/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant +2 natural (barkskin)
Derrik HP 14/41 AC 19/12/19
Mouser HP 44/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 31/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 32/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 55/55 AC 18/12/16
Somer steps up onto the beds near Balmir, trying to get some space. The smoke is nice but he will trust his images to take most of the beating.
As he moves he keeps his bow pointed at the orc in orange whispering a spell.
Tam casts displacement on Derrik to help the cleric avoid more enemy attacks, while using the cleric and the doorway for cover to prevent the giant from striking at him with its long reach during the spellcasting.
The giantess hears Tam's arcane mumblings and shouts (in giant) "Spellcasters! bah!" But her tactics seem to remain.."smash dwarf". Even with the dwarf still prone, however, only one swing gets past the dwarf defense.
Balmir HP 19/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant +2 natural (barkskin)
Derrik HP 9/41 AC 19/12/19
Mouser HP 44/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 31/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 32/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 55/55 AC 18/12/16
Blinking though the fog Ingrahild steps to the side and continues to chop away at the closest orc giant. Silent she wishes it had not stepped into the fog.
Laying on his back, Balmir holds his shield up in front of his torso as the giantess strikes at him. Fury and ferocity pump through his veins. His only goal is to bring down the giant. He turns over and gets first to his knees and then stands. He swings the hammer at the giant.
Concealment is fine. looks like I hit 1 of four. [/ooc]
(still blind)
(close enough to destroy another image)
Balmir HP 19/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant +2 natural (barkskin)
Derrik HP 9/41 AC 19/12/19
Mouser HP 44/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 31/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 32/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 55/55 AC 18/12/16
HP 20/51
Base Atk +3; CMB +4; CMD 16
Special Attacks channel positive energy 5/day (DC 14, 3d6)
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 6th; concentration +10)
3rd—invisibility purge, remove curseD
2nd—aid, blessing of courage and life APG (DC 16), weapon of awe APG (DC 16)
1st - liberating command, magic weapon , shield, shield of faith
0 (at will)— detect magic , guidance, sparkAPG (DC 14), virtue
D Domain spell; Domains Protection (Defense APG subdomain), Liberation
Wand of Cure Light 50/50
Wand of Cure Light 35/50
Healing Kit 18/20
Potion of Remove Sickness 2/2
holy water 2/2
soothe syrup APG 2/2
thunder stone 2/2
"Milani her my Prayer, Grant us your Blessings to defeat these vile creatures and bring peace to this land."
Prayer
Report Ad
School enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting]; Level cleric/oracle 3, inquisitor 3, paladin 3; Domain community 3; Subdomain archon (good, law) 3, leadership 3
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
EFFECT
Range 40 ft.
Area all allies and foes within a 40-ft.-radius burst centered on you
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes
DESCRIPTION
You bring special favor upon yourself and your allies while bringing disfavor to your enemies. You and each of your allies gain a +1 luck bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks, while each of your foes takes a -1 penalty on such rolls.
Mouser brings down the large orc as Derrik casts his spell.
The orc swings wildly, still suffering from glitterdust in her eyes. She stumbles back a bit.
Balmir HP 19/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant +2 natural (barkskin)
Derrik HP 9/41 AC 19/12/19
Mouser HP 44/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 31/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 32/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 55/55 AC 18/12/16
Somer keeps moving to get some space while he whispers another spell.
"Kill the other orc, switching to wolf."
with first hit.
Tam races through the fog and ducks out of the way of the giant while he lances another beam at her.
A blast of coruscating light threatens to blind her!
Somer puts an arrow straight in the chest of the remaining wolf, and as the area freezes over, he follows it with an arrow in almost the exact same spot. The triple whammy is too much, and the wolf dies instantly.
Tam follows that performance with a impressive version of his own. The giant howls as she covers her eyes, trying to wipe away her blindness.
The giantess swings at Balmir, who she was already focused on. She slams her axe down so hard it could have split Balmir in half, but luckily her blinded state allowed Balmir to move out of the way without her noticing. She grabs something from her belt - a small vial, it seems.
Balmir HP 19/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant +2 natural (barkskin)
Derrik HP 9/41 AC 19/12/19
Mouser HP 44/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 31/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 32/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 55/55 AC 18/12/16
Balmir ignores the giant's swing and brings the hammer around for another couple of blows.
"Milani knit my wounds and I will save Balmir!" Derrik says as he touches himself with healing energy.
Ingrahild bellows in rage and rushes towards the last orc both axes swinging. Tears are in her eyes thinking of her brother.
"Blasted orcs, fall ya big bastard!"
Balmir's blows are blocked easily, but Ingrahild fairs much better, dropping the second bodyguard. Derrik uses his divine powers to knit his wounds, and feels much better.
Mouser steps into position behind the giantess, and stabs at her.
The giant, rubbing her eyes now that she can see again, splits her attacks among Balmir and Mouser. But she is too disoriented and misses on all attacks.
Balmir HP 19/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant +2 natural (barkskin)
Derrik HP 30/41 AC 19/12/19
Mouser HP 44/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 31/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 32/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 55/55 AC 18/12/16
Seeing his Dwarven companion in trouble Derrik risks channeling his holy might.
HP 50/51
Base Atk +3; CMB +4; CMD 16
Special Attacks channel positive energy 4/5 (DC 14, 3d6)
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 6th; concentration +10)
3rd—invisibility purge
2nd—aid, blessing of courage and life APG (DC 16), weapon of awe APG (DC 16)
1st - liberating command, magic weapon , shield, shield of faith
0 (at will)— detect magic , guidance, sparkAPG (DC 14), virtue
D Domain spell; Domains Protection (Defense APG subdomain), Liberation
Wand of Cure Light 50/50
Wand of Cure Light 35/50
Healing Kit 18/20
Potion of Remove Sickness 2/2
holy water 2/2
soothe syrup APG 2/2
thunder stone 2/2
With single-minded purpose Balmir swings his hammer at the giant.
"Fall down ya big beastie. FALL DOWN!!!!"
Eyes nearly closed in rage she keeps swinging for all she is worth.
Balmir hits once, as Ingrahilde steps in to start helping. She is a flurry of axe attacks, but only one manages to penetrate the tough giant hide.
Mouser-bot stabs again, hoping to hit a sensitive spot. Unfortunately for the halfling, he hits a main artery in her leg, and dumps a few gallons on giant blood on his head, as she quickly looses her lifeforce and drops to the ground.
The giantess is dead.
Moving to a safe place, Derrik heals Balmir and himself.
Balmir HP 28/51 AC 23/11/22 +4 vs giant +2 natural (barkskin)
Derrik HP 39/41 AC 19/12/19
Mouser HP 44/44 AC 20/17/14
Somer HP 31/31 AC 18/14/14
Tamxander HP 32/32 AC 13/12/11
Ingrahild HP 55/55 AC 18/12/16
"Lets step just outside and I will heal us all." Derrik says. "So that was who exactly?"
"It was a giant. And now she's dead. That's all that matters."
Balmir sits and absorbs Derrik's healing. His mind drifts back to that day. That day when he found his family massacred by the giants. The rage and fury that filled him then was almost unbearable and it seemed that the only way to flee that pain was to bring the same pain to the giants -- all of them. But now he had killed a few giants and his own pain wasn't diminishing at all. Balmir's scowl deepened. Was there no way out?
Ingrahild is breathing hard and it is clear that her the blood is still up.
While Derrik goes about the healing Ingrahild moves to the bleeding giant orcs and delivers a killing blow with a double ax strike to the head of each. That done she moves to do the same thing to the giantess.
That done she slumps to the floor shaking.
Somer retrieves the arrows he is able to while watching Ingrahild deliver killing blows where needed. He looks at the giantess.
"Must have been the leader to have guards like this. Do we cut off the head and leave the way we came or make sure the giants story ends here? It will be bloody but we probably need to finish this for Truneau to be safe."
He slowly beings scanning the room with detect magic.
As you pick over the dead, Somer discovers a few items of note, a few are even magical.
handaxe +2
scale mail +1 (Large size)
2 +1 studded leather (size Large)
3 potions of cure moderate wounds
2 potion of aid
2 potion of haste
mwk composite longbow (+9 Str) with 20 arrows
mwk handaxe
2 mwk greataxe
a thunderstone
4 throwing axes
96 gp
You also find, in the center of the table, a half of geode that looks similar to the one you found underneath Trunau.
Tam waits warily for the other shoe to drop - expecting guards or backup to come running due to the sounds of fighting - but it never does.
Finally he moves over by Ingrahild and says, "Hey, we did it. This fight's over. We won. You're gonna be all right."
Her head drops at Tamxander's words.
"All right? Will it be all right while these giants...." a small sob for a moment "They are the enemy of the small.... I... fine. Yes fine."
"There's one less giant to worry about. We'll keep taking them apart bit by bit," replies Tam.
Balmir breaks out of his thoughts when Ingrahild starts to cry. He moves over to the dwarf. It takes a few awkward attempts but then he finally puts an arm around her. After only a few seconds he pulls his arm back. "We're going to be fine. I'm going to make sure of that."
"I am almost out of healing magic, we will need to find a place to rest so that I can replenish my spells." Derrik says helpign with the items they just found. "What about the Orcs?"
With the mystery of the map in the geode fresh on your mind, you do recall there is a fort to clear out. Starting with holing up in the giantess’ room, occasionally orcs will come for questions or orders - finding death as a quick reply. A few you manage to capture and question to get a better understanding of the situation.
First, you discover that there is much infighting between orcs, ogres and the few hill giants that remain. Grenseldek and the ogres rule with a strong hand, but you also find that they have provided some entertainment, in the form of a dwarf fighting in a pit against grizzly bears using only a mithral skiller. Based on the description, Ingrahilde is convinced that this dwarf is her lost brother, Umlo!
Ingrahilde organizes an assault, and you manage to rescue the dwarf from his fate. After you liberate Umlo, he provides you with the exact number of orcs in the fort (a total of 35), and describes their leader, General Karrguk, and his unwilling concubine, the half-orc oracle Droja. Umlo goes on to say that Droja has provided him healing many times, and promised to free him when the time was right. She also foretold heroes might come, and has hopes of being rescued as well. Based on Umlo’s information, you seek out this Droja, taking out a few more orc guards along the way.
Droja fawns over you like you are celebrities, telling you that she has had visions of your past glories (even providing specific details of your exploits during “Battle of Bloodmarch Hill”). Droja confirms that the hill giant was attempting to amass a large dowry to impress someone called “the Storm Tyrant,” and that the orc attack on Trunau was not only to gain the wealth left in the tomb beneath the town, but more importantly, to retrieve half of a strange stone treasure map. This map is said to lead the way to a tomb. Umlo and Ingrahile easily identify the map and the location it points to—the tomb of their famous, giant-slaying ancestor Nargrym Steelhand, which likely contains weapons that can be used against the Storm Tyrant and his giant minions.
When asked about General Karrguk, Droja says, “He is a violent thug. He wants the fort for himself—no giants, unless they kneel to him—but he is afraid to make the first move.”
Regarding the tension between the orcs and ogres in the fort, Droja shrugs and simply replies, “Those brutes can kill each other, for all that I care.” If asked about her loyalties to Grenseldek or General Karrguk, Droja quickly dismisses them, stating, “The giantess is delusional! No one would take her as a bride, and her power is waning.” As for Karrguk, the half-orc says, “I have no love for the general. He doesn’t treat me well—not like you would, if I came with you.” With her help, you are able to rather safely and easily dispatch the rest of the leadership in the fort, and the few remaining inhabitants flee.
You also manage to collect the following treasure:
Potion of cure moderate wounds (4)
Wand of remove curse (9 charges)
Longspear +1
Half-plate +1
Greatsword +1
Composite longbows, +6 Str rating (2)
scroll of mirror image
Headband of alluring charisma +2
2850 gp
Umlo’s gear (which he will retain):
+2 breastplate, a +1 warhammer, two light hammers, a potion of barkskin, two flasks of alchemist’s fire, and a set of thieves’ tools.
And with the fort emptied, you now find yourself ready to embark on the next clear path - the search for the tomb of Nargrym Steelhand.
Recap:
You have learned that the storm giant warlord, Volstus the Storm Tyrant, is gathering an army of giants in a hidden valley in the Mindspin Mountains. So extensive are the Storm Tyrant’s efforts that this army would threaten not only Belkzen (and the town of Trunau), but also the other human nations bordering the huge mountain range, including Lastwall, Molthune, Nidal, Nirmathas, and Varisia.
As you return to Trunau and prepare for your next journey, Halgra and Silvermane are grateful that you plan to travel to the valley to try to stop Volstus before he can assemble his army, thus preventing untold bloodshed and destruction across western Avistan. Fortunately, you now hold both halves of the geode treasure map that leads to the tomb of the fabled dwarven giantslayer Nargrym Steelhand. Adventurers and treasure-seekers have long sought the tomb, as according to dwarven custom, Nargrym was laid to rest with his armor, weapons, and riches—including the magical steel hand that allowed the hero to wield the giants’ own weapons against them. According to the map, the tomb lies on the way to the giants’ valley, and if it still exists, recovering such a cache would prove invaluable in a fight against the Storm Tyrant’s giant horde.
Ingrahilde and Umlo tell you the stories they have heard about their ancestor. Nargrym Steelhand was a famed giantslayer from the dwarven Sky Citadel of Janderhoff in Varisia. He slew many giants to defend Janderhoff ’s mining interests in the Mindspin Mountains—even the fire giant Gunderoth, called Dwarfskinner, who scorched the living flesh from nearly 30 dwarven miners. But though Nargrym’s legend remains strong, the circumstances surrounding his death
were grim and mysterious.
After Gunderoth’s defeat, Nargrym’s own squire and kinsman, Lokmorr Edergun, cravenly stabbed Nargrym in the back out of spite and jealousy. Lokmorr took credit for slaying the giant himself, claiming it had killed Nargrym, and was heralded as a hero. But a priest of Torag named Byrim Forgepride discovered Lokmorr’s crime and confronted the kinslayer about his betrayal and deception. Believing he might still pull off his ruse, Lokmorr turned upon the priest and slew him as well. Although Lokmorr tried again to cover up his dark deeds, he was unsuccessful, and the ruling council of Janderhoff branded his forehead with the mark of the betrayer, struck his family name from the dwarven histories, and sentenced Lokmorr to be trapped alive in the tomb of the hero he had murdered. But Lokmorr’s punishment did not end there, for his brutal acts of blasphemy and murder so offended Torag that the god of the forge cursed Lokmorr with immortality, condemning him to eternal imprisonment in Nargrym’s tomb. Because of these events, many believe that Nargrym’s tomb is cursed; in the centuries since his passing, few have come to his tomb to pay their respects, and the location of the famous giantslayer’s grave has been essentially forgotten.
Tamn spends most of a month slaving over enchanting items for the group, and the dwarves Ingrahilde and Umlo are certainly getting anxious to go find the tomb of their ancestor. But they respect your needs and wait.
Finally, the day comes and you pack up your gear. The location isn't far, so it is about a week before you approach the area as the map indicates.
Aspen leaves rustle gently, glittering like the pale, golden embers of a forge fire. The wood seems peaceful and quiet.
Derrik looks at the other with him, "SO this is the place of your Ancestors?" Derrik Directs the comment to Umlo and Ingrahild.
In town Somer spends a lot of time heading out into the wilderness and hunting more as a ranger then a spell caster. He is determined to be able to use his skill to the fullest even when out of magical energies for the day. During the week long journey he notes the types of trees and really focus on getting more in touch with nature, even trying to identify tracks as he goes.
When they are Some follows behind the dwarves smiling and ready for combat.
Ingrahild nods to Derrik and whispers to her brother.
"Are you ready for this brother? What a journey this has been."
"I see the woods but I don't see a cave or the entrance to a crypt. I'm sure it's here but how do we find it?"
|
Mouser can't stop thanking Tam for all the gear he has made. Mouser waits on the gnome hand and foot, fetching him water or food. The Halfling looks resplendent in all his new gear.
"I feel ready to kill a storm giant all on my own," he says proudly. "But if we think some more gear will help, I'm always on the lookout for treasure."
DC 25 Disable Device to disarm them.