Readying the spear, Menrozzar simply nods and waits for his allies to give the signal.
Bupkis announces his presence to the giant by firing a aether-enhanced sling bullet at it.
Ivan readies an action to intercept anyone moving to attack the group.
Come on ye ugly bastards, get within' hammerin' range... come on.
The giant looks up annoyed, as the pebble hits him with no effect. Not seeing the goblin, he charges the loud mouthed, dwarf sized full plate. Again the dwarven bell of giant death is rung, with no further effect.
The ogres follow suit, but don't have a direct path to attack someone.
Giants! Daseem could hear that angelic choir once again... When one charged Ivan, Daseem's features took an a manic grin as he cried "GORUM!"
Grin growing even wider he tried to charge the giant in such a way that he would end up flanking it with Ivan. As soon as he could, his wickedly sharp sword flicked out hoping to lop part of the giant off!
After his disappointing initial shot, Bupkis tries to collect himself and focus. He powers up and shoots at the giant again.
Ivan hammers off the kneecap of the giant, and Daseem cuts deep into the giant's leg. This wounds the giant severly, but he stands strong and ready to retaliate. Until Bupkis shoots him out of his boots.
Amira stays in the background. No need for her to get involved here.
Menrozzar and the spear move up beside Ivan as Menrozzar's features change into something a bit more draconic and he roars in rage. before preparing for the ogre's attacks.
High-ho, high-ho, off to work we go.
Ivan runs up and slams into one of the ogres bellies with his hammer.
Yuck, the sound Is like fisting a bowl of custard
Ivan almost disembodies the ogre with one blow. But only almost. The ogre tries to pay that back with a club. But besides the ringing in the ear for sitting inside that tin can, no damage is done.
No one wants to run into Menrozzar's spear. The other ogre attacks Daseem
Roaring, Menrozzar charged forward and stabbed at the uninjured Ogre.
Bupkis shoots the nearest ogre with a devastating strike.
Menrozzar takes down an ogre. And Bupkis splatters Ivan's ogre all over the place.
silver coins.
The other ogre’s sack holds an ancient necklace made from leather, steel
rings, and dire boar tusks. The hill giant has two bags. The first contains a large iron bellows with torn leather gills; a set of masterwork ironworking tools; and three clay tablets. Cormog’s second sack holds his lunch - two dozen bruised apples, a 5-gallon barrel of sour beer, and two
smoked horse leg shanks.
Daseem shrugged when Bupkis splattered ogre all over the place, really it was just too bad they they didn't have a little more fight in them... What was a flesh wound between frenemies?
Unsure of what do do next he asked in a jumbled way, "W-what now? Need more for Bupkis to s-splatter. Gorum smiles!"
Bupkis looks through the sacks and says, "Don't know if this is stuff to take. Have much to carry already." Before going on this journey, he never imagined that he would pass up loot like this. But they had left so much in the chimera's cave already.
Menrozzar studies the clay tablets and the ancient necklace.
Amira tries to get a climpse at what Menrozzar is holding. "That's an odd way to create magic 'scrolls'. I wonder why they didn't use paper or parchment."
"Is that what they are? I couldn't tell. Perhaps they didn't have any paper available. Can you tell what they do?"
"Thats a scroll of knock, a scroll of passwall, and a scroll of stone shape." Amira elaborates. "That could come in handy."
If any of us can use them, that is. Still, None of these louts strike me as the sort to be searching for items of that nature. Not without being told to do so. Ivan responds.
I'm thinking, they might be part of a larger group around here. Or something of that nature.
"I for sure can use everything that is magic. And nothing of that is for combat, so it doesn't hurt if it takes a bit longer." Amira replies to Ivan.
Picking up a hand full of nails she adds "Judging from their collection it's more like collectiong garbage for someone else to check who actually knows." Amira ponders.
"Magic clay writings?", Bupkis says disbelief. "Never hears of that!
"We move on and search for larger giant groups?"
Leaving the place alone and moving further up the river you reach a dead end. A beatiful end though. Yellow pine and spruce trees poke through pale outcroppings of gray stone, spilling down into the open grassy vale below. In the center of the vale is a broad, placid lake, whose bluish green surface ripples and glimmers in the light breeze .
Menrozzar looks over the vale. "It seems very peaceful here. I suppose it's a bit out of the way for a town, but it still seems like a good place to live."
Bupkis enjoys the view, "Out of the way for giants too, I thinks. Good place to live if like to be close to nature. But we search for giant gatherings — none here."
Aye.. likely a decent spot for a mining town.... lets go. Ivan turns and trudges back the way they came. Slightly more terse than normal.
With nothing obvious of interest here, you walk back the way you came. But this time the group takes the path into the side valley. At the end of this valley, the surrounding ridges merge, forming a tapering gorge edged in rocky escarpments. A series of giant, stone-carved stairs climb from the base of the ridgeline to several cave openings that pock the cliff face .
Bupkis flies up to one of the cave openings to investigate.
That cave opening ends after a few yards.
Ivan will take 10 to climb the rope.
Well, that makes nary a lick O' sense... Ivan will walk up to the wall and check it for any hidden secrets.
"Eh! C-climing, bah!" remarked Daseem who disliked how vulnerable he felt with his armour off. Of course if he was going up a giants staircase that was probably necessary even if Bupkis dropped them a rope.
With the help of Ivan, Menrozzar and Daseem, Bupkis explores the other cave openings, until he's satisfied that there's nothing of interest here.
Bupkis finds nothing of interest, but two cave giants hiding in the dark entrance. Already waiting for the intruders, Bupkis is shot off the ledge like a golf ball.
Daseem glanced at Bupkis who was sent flying. Part of him knew that probably hurt like hell but the little one was surprisingly tough so he shrugged and prepared for the excitement that was to come.
Grinning at Ivan he waited for him to charge before growling, "Gorrrum witness!" as he sprinted towards Ivan's target ending a running jump as he lashing out with his holy sword hoping to lop something vital off!
Bupkis picked himself up and flew back up to a spot where he could see the giants.
The giant was laughing at Bupkis flying away comically, but after this hard hit he is not laughing any more. Angrily he swings his battleaxe at Daseem. "<Hehe, shishy humans.>" he chuckles in giant, as Daseem is knocked out.
Ivan calls upon his ancestors protection before rushing to stand over Daseem.
I bet ye couldn't scratch me ye dumber thank rocks bastard. Ivan retorts in giant.
Ivan wins the bet.
Bupkis tries for some payback against the giant that sent him flying 10 second earlier, powering up and hurling a bullet.
Daseem had been so sure he was about to lay the hurt on, and out of caution he even waited for Ivan to go first. But something had smashed into him, wrecking his body and spreading a surprising quantity of blood as he lay there dying.
<--- FAIL
Hoping the giant wouldn't last long enough to go after her too, she pokes Daseem with the magic stick.