Hajar will assist his brother in moving the boxes.
Coldtooth joins in moving the crates away from the center of the floor, which reveals a partially-opened trap door.
Looking down the trapdoor, the three see a Fire Giant, both legs broken, his back against the brass wall below. Various pieces of shattered furniture surround him, makeshift weapons.
Looking up, the Fire Giant says "As you can see, I was left here for good reason. Unless you have a sturdy chain, or healing magic, I'm afraid I cannot reach your position, up there in my barracks."
I can heal you Master Giant. But first, what should we call you? Hajar calls down
"Gilbans." wheezed the Fire Giant. "No clan, no surname. The curse of this Palace has taken both."
Hajar will look for a way to get to the Fire Giant, if he can he'll lay hands on the giant and heal him.
Is this better Master Gilbans?
The Fire Giant stood, his wounds mostly healed, but his flames still sputtered here and there on his body. Flexing his legs, and then his arms, Gilbans replied "Do not call me master, my ally! I will have to climb my way back up."
Rearing back, the Fire Giant hammered the wall above his head, making handholds. Using these, the Giant then stretched over to the trapdoor in the ceiling, hauling himself up.
"Well." the Fire Giant said, looking around. "Six outsiders, and one mamluk. You must be highly skilled, or have high magic, to make my brethren flee, rather than fight you here."
Gilbans' clothes are tattered, as if he lost a fight recently.
Gilbans, where might we gain access to the upper reaches of this place.
The Fire Giant ponders a moment, then points to the doors to the East. "There lies the doors to the stables of Bayt al-Bazan. My former comrades, no doubt, are beyond, readying to re-take this room and kill everyone therein."
"If you want to go up," Gilbans continued, "is out these doors, then immediately South there is a long stairs to the upper levels. The only other stairs is far South of here, past the crazed dwarf ghost."
Most Honored Gilbans, could we perhaps barricade that door there, to impede your erstwhile comrades Hajar says as he points to the doors Your mighty strength would be most helpful to that end
Hajar then turns to his allies
And then we head south to the stairs that take us up.
The Fire Giant grunted, saying "Go down and then up, by going around them? It might work."
Gilbans took one of the bunk beds at the far wall, and jammed it against the Eastern door handles.
Walking back to the central double stairs, Gilbans noticed Yazi's greataxe, and shuddered. "Forbidden weapons." he muttered. Glancing at Khayal , the Fire Giant added "You're no better. Forget being enslaved - both of you would be fought to the death, in the City of Brass' streets. If you didn't catch the eyes of the Sultan himself."
The friendly Fire Giant mentioned to the . "Quickly - that bed won't hold a healthy Giant more than a few minutes."
"He's telling the truth. About the direction, I mean." Broadbeard the fire dwarf confirmed.
"Well then, my friends, it seems clear where we should go. Lead the way, brother Hajar. We have dithered (accidentally, of course) for far too long."
A fight in the streets of the Brass city is not what we are looking for. Khayal says flatly.
Khayal takes his place next to his brother Hajar. Kukris drawn and ring glinting in the light of the fires.
Going back down the central stairs, the Fire Giant leads you to another Eastern door, and opens it. Beyond is a dark corridor stretching farther than most can see.
"This used to be our barracks." Gilbans explained, walking into the corridor. "Then the lizards of the Cult of Incarnate Flame took them. We took them back, with casualties on both sides. They're just empty rooms, now."
"I had wanted to propose a ceasefire - a period of no fighting - to the lizards, and was trying to convince my Giant brothers. Just enough time to put some traps into place. To hold our position, and stop the lizards from advancing again. I was beaten half to death for my 'cowardly' efforts, and thrown into that room you found me in." the Fire Giant said disgustingly.
Turning a corner, the Giant held out an arm, stopping everyone. "At the end of this space, the lizards have managed to block access with a dried magma wall. We'll have to scale the wall and immediately turn right into the slave barracks. That's where the upward stairs are. If you're quick enough," Gilbans said, eyeing the adventurers and the fire dwarf, "you'll miss their bows. We'll have to take a chance the lizards won't follow us up the stairs into the Makhzen Stables. Then we sprint for the other stairs."
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Indeed. Hajar says
Master Rayhan, could you summon the magic of flight and use it on Master Gilbans so that he may use rope to pull us up.
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Rayhan says Of course I could. But should I. Rayhan eyes the giant warily
I could also take myself and several of you with me as I teleport up to the ledge
Rayhan will cast Extended Fly on Gilbans if he assents, and then he will Dimension Door himself and 3 others to the top of the ledge. (Whichever 3 doesn't matter, but Hajar trusts Gilbans and so Hajar will remain down while Bartan, Nasir and Yazi head up via DD)
Rayhan can easily determine that Dimension Door will work as normal inside al-Bazan, despite the curse.
Bartan looked apprehensive, Nasir did stretching exercises (causing Bartan and Yazi to lose their concentration), and Rayhan cast Extended Fly on the Fire Giant. Gilbans smiled ferociously as his feet, aflame by their own worth, left the ground.
"Oh sure. Loyal mercenaries have to fend for themselves. But a big guy spewing high-flautin' words? He gets free magic." Broadbeard groused. He peeked around the corner, but could not see far enough in the corridor. "We'd better move fast. The lizards aren't known for keeping captives past dinner." the azer warned.
Rayhan motioned for Bartan and Nasir to follow him as he walked ahead of Gilbans to where Yazi stood as scout for the party. Briefly explaining the plan to her, the wizard took her hand in one of his, while the card dealer and the dancer each took the wizard's other arm. The three disappeared...
Of course, the one in front.
SURPRISE ROUND
Init:
After using this spell, you can't take any other actions until your next turn.
After using this spell, you can't take any other actions until your next turn.
After using this spell, you can't take any other actions until your next turn.
After using this spell, you can't take any other actions until your next turn.
Rayhan, Bartan, Nasir, and Yazi appeared at "the top" of the magna flow. Rayhan and Bartan each saw themselves with part of a massive ballista curving into their torsos before they were shunted away, landing on the other side of the magna wall. Both men took damage from the near-merge.
Yazi and Nasir were slightly luckier, finding open space to reappear. But each was face-to-face with a very ugly lizardman having deep red reptilian scales, smoking breath, and glowing eyes. The lizardmen each held an iron longbow.
Khayal makes a spectacle of his run up to the magma wall ready to test his climbing skills. .
As he barrels forward he lets out a guttural yell in an attempt to keep attention on him.
Bartan grumbles about something called "splinching" and gets ready to fight.
Broadbeard looked at the Fire Giant. "Do NOT 'toss the dwarf'!" he warned the other City of Brass citizen.
In response, Gilbans picked up the azer with one hand, and prepared to fly over the magma wall.
Hajar is still on the ground, waiting on Gilbans to pull him up....
A wall composed of crudely shaped lumps of rough, black stone blocks the corridor ahead to the height of twenty feet. Beyond the wall looms an immense siege engine that looks like a ballista made of brass.
The lizardmen, seeing unknown people in front of them, were surprised. Only one of them had the presence of mind to actually drop their iron longbow and attack the loud intruder.
But the lizardman's clawed hand only scratched the warrior's armor.
ROUND ONE
Init:
In response, Gilbans lifted Hajar up in his other hand, and flew 60 feet down the corridor.
Khayal barely thinks as he climbs the uneven surface , his hands find easy purchase on the dark stone. flinging himself up, Khayal takes a swipe at the lizardman in front of him using the flat of his blade.
Bartan looks up. "My ladies? I... I don't know how quickly I can get up there..."
Khayal's attacks made the lizardman fold like a struck tent, hitting the ground, out cold.
The lizardmen each snarled. Bows dropped as claws came up on each adventurer, but each lizardman also drew in their breath, exhaling on the intruders.
Nasir takes
Yazi takes
The third lizardman took in Khayal's attack, the other adventurers, and the incoming beings of fire flying down the hallway...and shouted as hard as he could. The raspy, deep guttural sounds echoed off of the brass walls.
"INTRUDERS! THE GUARDIANS OF THE FORBIDDEN GATE ARE ATTACKING! THEY HAVE OUTSIDERS WITH THEM!"
With a free claw, the lizardman grabbed a vial from his belt, downing the potion. A nearly-invisible, shimmering field surrounded the reptile.
Rayhan draws his wand of PEWPEWPEW
and he does just that
Broadbeard, clutched in the fire giant's right hand, grumbled "If you want me to use my spear against these lizardmen, fly lower! Or else get us out of here!"
The lizardman facing Nasir took four magic missiles into his side.
Set me down close to the fray Master Gilbans! Hajar calls up to the flying giant
The lizardfolk opposite the dancer had armor to match Shiver's attack. Both attacks failed.
"Eh? But that's not The Plan!" the fire giant protested.
ROUND TWO
Init:
Khayal walks almost lazily over to the other lizardman on the same level before smacking him to in the side of the head with the flat of his blade.
A lazy attack yielding lazy damage.
Khayal's attack appears to go through a shiny white glow before squarely hitting the lizardman. With a surprised hiss, the lizardman takes the blow, still standing up.
Yazi's first attack cleaved the lizardman in half.
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Bartan yells up to Yazi. "Lady Yazi, do you, as they say, 'got this?' I will attempt to come to you, but it may take some time."
Then he starts climbing.
Surprisingly, he is very adept at climbing up!
Bartan glided up the rampart, ending up next to Nasir, as well as a very large ballistia.
The lizardman on Khayal drew up a morningstar, still shouting to the East.
"INTRUDERS! HURRY!
The lizardman on Nasir used its' claws on the dancer.
Concerned, the lizardman took a 5-foot step away from the human . The reptile clutched at its' belt, going for an iron morningstar.
The fire giant flew another 60 feet down the corridor, now that he didn't have to worry about the ballista. Curving up and over the rubble, Gilbans dropped Hajar neatly next to Khayal, almost hovering over the fighter. "You want to fight, I want to fly! Har, har!" the fire giant shouted.
The fire dwarf in the fire giant's fist hurriedly looked around from his higher position.
"Look out, Masters!" the azer called out. "Reinforcements from the left, just as we feared!"