Delendir steps forward, unable to reach Sunday to safe him, he can still finish the loose life of the ogre brute. The ranger shots more arrows, his first attack directed at the ogre's head!
Ghina looks as the arrows pierce through the ogre's skin automatically killing him in the act.
The ranger runs to join the others afterwards and kneels next to Daud, he talks but his words cannot be heard.
Delendir quickly puts an end to the second ogre, his arrows quickly draining the remaining life from it. The large creature topples to the ground without a sound, a plume of snow blowing out in all directions.
No sounds of alarm ring out, it appears that your surprise attack was successful and the enemy is still unaware of your presence.
Delendir grins and makes a sign of thumbs up on the silence area, acknowledging the success of the group at not triggering all the alarms.
While the others deal with Daud, he advances a little into the cave with Ghina to explore "Good job, all. By the stench of it we can be sure this must be the cave of the ogres..."
The half-elf does not venture much further alone, he returns soon as he has a glimpse to share, and waits to see how the rager copes with.
Delendir pushes ahead, using the cover from the snow to help hide his presence. Moving ahead into the mouth of the cave, takes note that this immediate area and the next one beyond do not appear to posses any ogres. At the mouth of darkness, jagged spurs of bone protrude from the stone on either side of the cave entrance, each towering twenty feet in height apparently the ribs of some monstrous behemoth.
[ooc]Move up and into this area when ready./ooc]
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With a bit of an exaggerated sigh, Yavenee walks over to Sunday, healing wand in hand. The witch suppresses a smile as she sets about the familiar task of healing grievous wounds. "You enjoy this don't you?" she mutters with a grin.
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"Maybe, or perhaps it is an ingenious plan to begin a conversation with you." Sunday states in a matter-of-factly, if slightly slurred voice.
As his wounds knit closed he blinks away his unfocused gaze. "Sorry, I'm lucid now. Thank you." he tells the witch with a smile.
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Delendir makes silent signs for the others to approach. "Has the witch finally charmed you boy?" when he talks, the ranger does so whispering the ones close "Look! I wonder what this was... by the size of it I would say this beast was the size of Sandpoint's Cathedral!"
The half-elf touches the bones lining the cave walls "If the ogres were able to kill such a behemoth, they might count with a dangerous champion on their ranks... this might become our last fight if we don't play it carefully"
"Has the witch finally charmed you boy?"
Sunday's eyes widen as he starts frenetically looking back and forth between the ranger and witch.
"Large bones Valonia muses looking up at the almost structure, as she gives Rajah a helpful pat.
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"It has nothing to do with magic." Yavenee whispers smiling. Looking up unto the slightly panicked look in Sunday's eyes she rests a hand on his chest. "I promise."
The witch gives Delendir a look. The ranger should know by now how paranoid he was about being controlled by magic.
Moving forward enough to take in the arched bone structure she frowns.
"Definitely something enormous. Some great giant maybe?" she says with a shrug.
Slowly pushing forward out of the blizzard-like snow and howling winds, the group moves into the safety of the inner mountains cavern.
An enormous statue stands here in frozen vigil-a forty-foot-tall giant with black skin covered by fissures and cracks, like the bed of a dried river. He wears majestic armor, gilded and encrusted with gems, and grips a towering glaive in his armored fists. The giant's face is hidden by a ferocious full helm forged into the sneering grimace of a fanged devil. Around the giant's neck hangs a medallion-a seven-pointed star.
Delendir observes the majesty of the giant. He cannot avoid to spot at the seven-pointed star medallion and points it out "Look! That star again! It must be the Sihedron rune once more... That is perhaps the statue of our enemy, the one that has been attacking our farms and controlling the lamias..."
The ranger performs a quick search around the statue but makes sure not to touch it. After so many adventures facing traps in the underground of many kinds, his hands, ears and eyes have grown experienced enough to know the worst can happen at the moment less expected.
If nothing is found, Delendir just continues sneaking ahead "I think it is better if we leave the statue unperturbed, just in case it animates and attacks us..."
The only items of interest in this area are the gargantuan items being worn or equipped by the creature - A sihedron medallion and a masterwork half-plate armor. Other than that, this room appears to be free and clear of threats and traps as far as Delendir can tell.
Cavern steps lead down southwest for another fifty feet or so. Halfway down there is a small cavern on the right with a deep pit hewn from hard stone that descends into soot and darkness. The stale reek of decay wafts up from the depths below and blows through the corridor.
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As they pushed through the heavy snows Krysta began to shiver, she may be a dragon and less vulnerable to the weather but she was still flesh an...well crystal and blood. When they reached the cave Krysta was more than happy to be in out of the elements. She quickly dug into the rock and poked her head out of the ground as she said, "Ah, much better now."
Krysta followed below until Delendir had the group halt so he could look for traps and she took a moment to look at the rock of the cave curiously for a moment before she took a large chomp out of it. The chewing sound was a grating sound that was nearly as bad to listen to as when she ate the metal bars of those cages. When she finished and swallowed she said, "I've never had rock from this far up before, it tastes different...brisk I think is the word..." She happened to see the big statue about then and looked at it as she asked, "What are you looking at?"
Krysta followed Delendir to the area with the big hole in the ground and scrunched up her snout in distaste, "What is that smell?" She looked at the hole nervously as something about it sat wrong with her. She thought about going down to check it out but decided that she wasn't going to volunteer for the task as she had no desire to go down int the rank depths of the pit if she didn't need to.
Valonia joins the rest of the team in front of the large pit of stone. "Krysta, your senses are better than ours. Can you pick up anything down there besides, I guess, smell?" she remarks, wrinkling her nose.
Delendir pauses from his inspection to face Krysta "Wait, you mean you eat the rocks? And they do have different tastes? Well... mmmmh nevermind, I am not sure I want to know how do you push that off your body Krysta"
"I am looking at the medallion and the half-plate armor. I was guessing if we know someone who might fit and willing to purchase such a large thing" but the half-elf finally skips the idea and heads towards the next section "Anyway I doubt we could sneak through with such a big thing with us"
The ranger looks at the deep pit "We can perhaps throw a torch there to see if it is worth our time, before we decide anyone has to go down" he does not have any torch but just expects it to be a kind reminder for the casters to throw a lighted stone or similar deed.
Delendir examines the surroundings to find tracks and see what kind of creatures usually lurk the area and might make use of the pit.
Krysta preened slightly at the mention of her superior senses by Valonia and crawled from the ground as she cautiously approached the edge of the pit to look down. She was peeking into the darkness to see what was there when Delendir expressed his surprise at her eating rocks.
Krysta turned her neck and looked back at Delendir as she said, "Well of course I eat rocks...well minerals anyway, not just rocks." She looked back down the pit as she continued, "I'm not from here you know, and I don't just mean your world," she looked back at him again as she shifted around the pit for a different view point, "I don't remember it as I was a hatchling when I fell through a rift, but I've been told I come from a place called the World of Earth or something." She looked into the pit from the new vantage point.
Krysta looked back up at Delendir as she moved to a last point to look from and continued, "I eat rocks sometimes, usually I prefer gemstones, after all how do you think I am such a brilliant color?" she gestured at the edges of her body where they were slightly reddish, "that is from the iron bars I ate recently," she gestured to the rest of her that was a deep amethyst color, "and the darker color because of the amethyst vein I ate when I disappeared for a bit after we freed the fort. I knew it was down there, I could sense it, and I needed to eat it to finish growing into my current size."
On edge, Sunday's stay glued to the Witch's movements as she placed a hand on his chest. Finally he raised them back up to Yavenee. "Okay," he says after a breath.
"Something dead," Sunday comments when Krysta brings up the smell. "Hopefully food and not something still moving around."
As she talked about her biology he titled his head, curious as to how all that worked.
Krysta searches the pit, but sees only darkness as it extends out of sight well past her darkvision range. Trying to sense any living creatures likewise leaves her with the sense that it simply goes down too far. It addition to the scent of death, she picks up the scent of ash in the air, but that is all.
While the group is looking around, Delendir follows the tracks into the corridor and is not surprised to see several additional pairs of ogre footprints traversing back and forth. In addition to the ogres however, he also picks up another large creature that is similar to the ogres but somehow different.
His suspicions are confirmed when up ahead he spots two ogres walking down the corridor, conversing loudly among themselves. Walking in front of them is a hunched giant that exudes power and a crude, stupid anger, its filthy fur clothing bespeaking a brutish and backwoods lifestyle.
Hill giants are the most nomadic of all the humanoid giant species, preferring to travel from one settlement to the next in order to raid and pillage. While they prefer temperate climates, they’ll travel far from their preferred environment so long as the raiding is plentiful and successful. They are, as a whole, incredibly selfish creatures and rarely engage in battles they don’t automatically know they’ll win. Hill giants are known for shoving one another at terrifying foes and won’t hesitate to sacrifice a clan-mate to save their own skins. Roving bands of hill giants are common in temperate hills, and their constant aggression makes them one of the more feared dangers in this climate.
Due to their complete lack of awareness of the situation, they have not noticed Delendir in the corridor up ahead yet.
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Smiling at Sunday, Yavenee looks with the others as Krysta peers down into the gloom. hot looking forward to discovering the cause of the stench either, she awaits Delendir's return from scouting.
"You felt through a rift? Why did I not know that story? You really have to explain me that one with a flask of wine or something" Delendir questions the dragon as she goes into the pit "Oh well, you better do not tell people about you eating rocks and all, I don't want a Sczarni poking at your belly to discover what gems lay hidden there" the half-elf offers a caring smile at the amethyst dragon.
-------------
Sensing the danger, Delendir comes back making signs for the others to hide on the pit's cavern. Once gathered he whispers to update everyone "I have no idea what the ogres might use the pit for, but look, I saw something... there are two ogres ahead, but... they are not alone, a hill giant is with them. I have no idea how they are working together on this..." the half-elf quickly prepares his bow and calls Ghina to his side "Look, my family has fought against the giants in the Storval plateau for centuries. This ones in particular love to throw rocks, and to push people back. Make sure you are not near the pit when the fight starts" Delendir points at the pit.
"They are silly, perhaps we can lure him here were we can ambush him" and looking at the pit for the dragon he adds "Krysta, will you surprise them in their back this time?"
"And a soon as Krysta attacks, I can try blinding them." Yavenee suggests.
"That could really work Yavanee. Let's try it. What do you say Krysta? Shall we repeat it like before? Without the silence this time" the half-elf looks at Valonia, and he shows he is clearly tense at the others, trying to think a quick approach to the ogres "I will try to lure them by calling their attention, hide behind the rocks"
Knowledgeable of the giants passion for food, Delendir attempts to reproduce the sound of a cow walking along the entry of the cavern "MOOOOOOOOO!"
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As Delendir expressed hi interest in this "rift" Krysta came through the dragon simply "shrugged" her wings and said, "I don't remember anything about it, only what I was told by someone who used me for a time with the promise of returning me through it." She looked towards him as she continued, "Not much more to...and then stopped as she spotted the ogres and giant coming.
Krysta Listened to the plan that was proposed and nodded her agreement. It had worked out well so far so she figured it was worth another go. [b]"They'r big and stupid..." she paused a moment and then finished, "Let's do this. I'll wait just under the ground to pop out and breathe on them once they all pass come in after I have."
Krysta burrows underneath the ground while everyone takes their hiding spot. The sound of "COW?!" echoes down the corridor. The sounds of shuffling feet can be heard moving over Krysta's hiding spot and towards the group.
[ooc]It is 20' away from Delendir. Do you want to keep letting them come or pop out? If you waiting, give me stealth checks please.
Satisfied they had broke their lines, Delendir steps back slowly, trying to make no noise and performing a quite sign for Ghina to follow along and the others to hide.
Placing some extra space between him and the ogre, the ranger loads a couple of arrows on his bow, ready to fight once the ogre goes around the corner or discovers anyone in the group. Including if Krysta burrows up.
The stealth of both Krysta and Delendir is too much for the large creatures. All three stare into the dark tunnel in the cavern and fail to see what is literally both right before them as well underneath them.
The patience and stealth of the party pays off as Delendir draws the lead ogre further down the tunnel, the large creature calling out in Giant after the hopeful stray cow ahead. Meanwhile, both large creature behind move over and past Krysta and continue to follow further down the tunnel towards the ambush ahead.
Her victims falling for the trap Krysta popped up from the ground behind the closest one and then let loose with a vibrating bellow of sound that slammed into all three of the creatures.
As he hears the booming sound of Krysta's breath, Delendir understands the signal has been given "Your horrors have come to and end ogres!!! This is your end!" and he starts to shot arrows at the advanced ogre.
This is a sign for Ghina, whom quickly understands and follows the flight of the arrows charging forward over the surprised ogre.
As Krysta's rumbling bellow reverberates through the cavern and Delendir starts firing, Yavenee begins to chant and gesture, culminating in a burst of golden motes that envelop the two giants at the rear.
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Due to the gap between the two sets of large creatures, Krysta is only able to catch one gore and the hill giant when she bursts forth from the ground. Both creatures are caught unprepared and neither is able to escape the sonic attack from the small dragon.
All three of Delendir's attacks piece the closest ogre couple along with Ghina who tiredly bites the large creature.
Yavenee's causes the two large creatures in the rear by Krysta to explode in a burst of golden particles which blinds the ogre, but not the hill giant.
The sparkly ogre in the rear spins and attacks Krysta with the now familiar vicious ogre hook. Due to the dragon's amazing dexterity and thick hide, both swipes are unable to cause any damage.
Ignoring the pesky bird, the ogre at the end of the tunnel looks around and sees Valonia to the north near the pit. He quickly moves in that direction and slashes at her twice with his hook, hitting both times .
B:22
R:22
P: 49
As the ogre moves away to slaughter Valonia, Ghina bravely attempts to catch the ogre's club with her talons.
Valonia full withdraws out of the Ogres range.
Sunday quickly rushes the ogre as Valonia retreats, with only his sword unobscured by the sudden crowd of spirits flooding about him.
+10 BaB
+1 Magic sword
+6 Rage
-3 Power Attack
+2 Charge
Ghina's attempt to dislodge the large hook from the ogre's grasp comes close, but ultimately it is too large for her to effect and it still remains firmly seated in the ogres possession.
The ogre thrusts the hook towards the annoying bird as it moves towards Valonia.
Sunday's attack's both strike the large creature in the tunnel corridor and with the damage Delendir already has done it collapses to the ground, dying.
In the rear of the tunnel the hill giant swings his greatclub at Krysta twice. The first swipe goes too high, but the second one connects with the side of her right front leg .
B:22
R:22
"Ouch!" Delendir feels the pain when brave Ghina faces the ogre's club, but he is happy when this distraction allows Valonia to retreat from the ogre's reach unharmed.
The ranger advances forward and around the corner of the cavern, he profits his elven eyes to focus on the bare light that reaches the end of the corridor. Spotting the giant figure attacking Krysta he shots an arrow with his bow.
Ghina flies towards the giants two, but this time she approaches with caution and stays at a safe spot.
Yavenee moves over to Valonia to heal her, getting her ready to re-enter the fight, shouting a warning to Krysta as she does. "Krysta use the ground! Burrow and focus on the blind one!"
Krysta roared in pain and anger as the giant hit her. The blow hurt but she was also sure it was a very lucky one. Krysta stepped into the giant and unleashed a blizzard of attacks. Her teeth snapped out, her claws flashed, and her wins lashed out at it.
Delendir's long range shot find purchase int the injured ogre.
Caught in the bloodlust of battle, the crystal dragon ignores the words of the witch and throws herself full into the hill giant that just attacked her. Three of Krysta's five attacks land on the hill giant, inflicting moderate amounts of damage.
The blinded ogre stumbles forward past Krysta and moves to a flanking position, trapping her between the two large creatures. It swings at her from behind and surely would have hit her had it not been blinded by the witch's hex.
B:41
R:63
Sunday dashes across the hall towards the giant attacking Krysta, spirits flooding in his wake.