"We were brought here for a reason. Maybe the crone needs something from her statues?"
Corum nods at Nasrin's suggestion. "There's only one way to find out. Let's go and see."
Sapphire nods at Corum's suggestion.
First let's take advantage of our new friend's advice and look through these windows, see what might be lurking outside ready to waylay us!
The magus heads over to the window and rubs the condensation from the glass, trying to peek out and see what's out there.
Sapphire moves to the window and strains her eyes against the frozen pane. Like Ratibor she can't see much through the icy glass but there are definitely shapes moving, almost skirting around the Hut but not approaching. There are several of the shapes. And they are very large.
Grayston half listening yawns to himself he starts to think on the words of the ravens. "We can't stand here all day. Let's get out there." He says taking out a potion and downing it in one hoping to help keep himself awake.
Corum nods agreement. "Yep."
He moves to the door and swings it open. He steps outside, axe held in both hands before him.
Sapphire calls on the powers in her blood to become weightless, black sword held ready she glides across the floor behind Corum on silent, invisible wings.
As Del approaches the door, he turns to Ratibor and gives the man a nod and a stiff handshake. "My friend, I must say you are the most welcome thing I've come across since setting foot within this strange hut. I sincerely hope that when we next try to enter, it is with handshakes like this rather than witch-driven bloodshed." And with a final parting nod to the man, Del readies Ruby and steps out of the hut and into Iobaria.
"Iobaria. Hmmm. Well, I will say this about Baba Yaga's odd hut: it's brought me further across Golarion than I ever imagined I'd go!" He inhales deeply and assumes a contented look as he breathes in the fresh air. "Ah. Now then. What horrible monsters are about to come crashing down upon us, I wonder. Ratibor had mentioned centaurs? Maybe it'll be centaurs." He shoots Sapphire a wink before turning to stare at the distant treeline expectantly.
Elleross thanks the warrior for his information and makes ready to leave the hut with the others.
it seems our course is set, we head to these statues and unravel the rest of the Ravens riddle he says agreeing with the others
there is something there we need to find and we need to be on our way. Keep alert when we step outside, we must expect the worst
Moving closer to the doorway he focuses his thoughts and protects himself as best he can.
Imago , speculo, reflexionum! complete my his spell his image suddenly duplicates and splits around him
The party steps out into the startlingly chilly air. Despite the fact the Hut has transported you thousands of miles across the Inner Sea Region, the landscape looks remarkably like that of Iobaria. It is only the mountain ranges in the distance that those of you studied in geography recognise as bordering the distant country that reminds you that this is indeed about a foreign a country as you could imagine.
As you step out onto the porch, Ratibor snatches up his axe and strides forward, shield raised in a defensive posture.
Sorry! he calls. I can't help it, you might turn around. he adds glumly. Careful though, there's definitely something out there.
You find that the Hut now rests in a wide clearing within a mighty pine forest. Screens of trees skirt all around and for now the Hut rests comfortably, it's chicken legs tucked completely beneath the structure, the massive beak closed and silent.
Wary of Ratibor's warning and those shapes that Sapphire noticed earlier, you scan the trees for movement and it is not long before you see clearly what it is that has been circling the Hut.
At the far end of the clearing an enormous humanoid strides out of the trees. This giant looks like a thick, muscular human. It has frost-white skin and long, light blue hair that it wears braided. It wears an enormous chain shirt and a blue steel helmet decorated with massive feathers. It stands at an imposing height, easily 15 feet and hefts a greataxe that must be twice the size of Corum alone.
13.6 +1 for nasrin improved init =14.6
Grayston takes one last look behind him as the warrior takes up his shield and weapon against them. I hope we don't need to retreat. Then moves forward outside of the protch. "Watch out for its reach!" He shouts as he downs another potion bolstering himself and hopefully counteracting his fatigue.
Sapphire soars out in to the clearing, moving to the side so she can make sure she sees everything around the hut in case there are more opponents. Preparing for a fight, her blade bursts in to flame with sparks dancing up and down its length as she utters a spell that upon its completion leaves her body hazy and difficult to focus on.
sapphire soars out into the air. She sees the clearing is enclosed on all sides by tall pine trees but sees no other enemies.
"Oh! A frost giant! That's much more exciting than a herd of centaur, I should have thought of that." Del shakes his head ruefully as he readies Ruby. He snaps off a shot while the giant is still too far away to bring its massive axe to bear.
HP: 37/42
AC: 19 (15 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 20
F/R/W: +7/+10/+6
Grit remaining: 2/2
Hero Points remaining: 2
Regular bolts remaining: 57/80
Cold Iron bolts: 40/40
Ongoing Effects
Vigilant Loading
Gunslinger Initiative
Ruby's bolt whistles across the clearing but slides harmlessly from the thick links of the giant's chainmail.
It simply growls in response.
"Well. Its armor works." Del shrugs at the others with a sheepish grin.
Corum eyes the giant and says :This could be painful if he doesn't go away." Then Del fires at the huge being and Corum laughs. "Well that settles it. He isn't going to kill himself. Come on Nas. Time to hunt."
He moves around thr balcony and down the steps. He takes position on the left of the stair and prepares for battle. Barely holding his fury in check.
Moving toward the doorway of the hut Elleross gazes across the snowy landscape toward the giant and hopes there are not more of them close by.
The door to the Hut remains open and as Elleros moves back toward it, he senses Ratibor bristle just within.
Remaining ready to pounce should the thing decide to attack, Nasrin readies herself at the top of the porch.
The giant stares down the party and then slowly raises a horn slung around it's neck to it's ribs. It unleashes a single deafening blast and then raises it's axe to charge.
It crosses the snowy field in just a dozen massive strides, it's feet pounding into the snow and leaving huge craters there as it does so. As it reaches the porch it brings it's mighty axe down in a massive arc that looks to cleave Corum in twain with one fell swoop!
Hit
Corum brings his own axe up to defend himself and though steel clashes on steel his own bardiche is dashed aside and the giant's greataxe bites deeply into the warrior's shoulder. The wound is terirble, and would have felled an oxen.
The giant roars something then;
Moving away from the raging giant Elleross sees the great spray of blood splatter the snow all around Corum and he k own they face a dangerous enemy.
it is vulnerable to fire and immune to cold! Hit it hard and fast he calls out just before he begins to cast his spell.
Weaving the dark necromantic energies around him his hands begin to stream inky black tendrils as he gestures precisely whilst he calls out the words of power. Altering the spell subtly Elleross enhances it as much as he dare, boosting its power.
....Festucam, ossis,confringes! he draws out a small broken bone from his components pouch and crushes it between his fingers and the dark power he has unleashed suddenly envelopes the giant.
The giant is suddenly wreathed in oily,black,writhing streams of necromantic energy that tear into his body and wrap themselves around him like some great squids tentacles.
the sudden sickening sound of breaking, shattering bones fills the clearing as the spell works its way deeper and deeper into the creature.
Hearing Elleross call for fire Greyston moves forward unleashing one of his bombs lighting the creature up.
Stifling a sharp intake of breath at the sheer speed and savagery of the giant, Sapphire urges her magic to take her as fast as it can towards her foe, before he had a chance to strike again.
Success
Fail
The giant's back arches in pain as Elleros' spell takes hold and, seizing on the opportunity, Greyston sends a fizzing bomb tumbling end over end toward it. It smashes on the thing's armor and in seconds ignites the thing's flammable flesh.
It roars in pain and as Sapphire streaks forward to attack, it instinctively brings it's axe up in a sweeping arc to bat her from the air.
Hit
Hit
The massive blade crunches as it collides with Sapphire and it is all she can do to resist it and not get thrown to the ground with the sheer weight of the blow.
Corum is driven to one knee by the terrible blow. He roars in pain and fury and surges up swinging his axe in a deadly arc under the giant's guard. Reversing the momentum he again sweeps the axe across it's abdomen.
Pa rage
Dam
Pa rage
Dam
Del pops off another shot, hoping that the giant's armor doesn't prove to be totally impervious to his attacks. He quips, "You know, he's shorter than I'd imagined."
HP: 37/42
AC: 19 (15 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 20
F/R/W: +7/+10/+6
Grit remaining: 2/2
Hero Points remaining: 2
Regular bolts remaining: 57/80
Cold Iron bolts: 40/40
Ongoing Effects
Vigilant Loading
Gunslinger Initiative
The girl barks a command and Jagar scrambles off of the porch to close with the giant. He weathers the massive two-legs attack as he moves, knowing that to take this thing down, he has to get in behind it.
for and
Nasrin follows Jagar in, growling deep in her chest. She heft's Manhunter in both hands and thrusts into the giant with it's broad head.
for
The Giant reels from Nasrin’s attack but shakes the big wolf off his leg as it tries to drag him to the ground.
Taking a step back, it swings it’s massive axe once again, hoping to catch as many as possible in the death zone it creates.
Suffering further terrible blows, it is becoming clear that this fight is desperate. Worse, your heart sinks as another two giants appear at the entrance to the clearing, tall and muscular and brandishing further axes.
Suddenly, the Hut itself lurches to life, drawing itself up to it’s full height, screeching deafeningly loud as it stands on it’s fifty foot chicken legs.
The giant before you gapes in dawning horror as first one of those taloned feet comes crashing down and then the other.
Success
The claws rip terrible wounds in the giant’s body, tearing his chainmail asunder before stomping him down into the snowy ground and raking him there like chicken feed in a coop. Held dangling in it’s talon, spewing blood, the giant can only whimper in fear and pain.
[oco]Round 2 – Heroes[/ooc]
As the hut lurches up onto its legs, Grayston heart skips a beat unsure of what is happen as he's thrown into the air, and back into the hut.
Desperately clinging on to the porch railing he steadies himself keeping himself upright. Only to look out at the frozen wastes now 50 feet up in the air.
"Whoa what- WHOA!" Del windmills his arms as he holds his balance, his face screwing up in confusion as the Hut suddenly lashes out with its taloned feet at the giant. He catches Greyston's elbow with one hand, helping to steady the alchemist before leaning out over the railing with a look of bald surprise on his face.
"Well, now that giant looks much shorter!"
From his place on high, he snaps off a pair of embarrassingly errant bolts before shooting a betrayed, wounded look at Ruby.
HP: 37/42
AC: 19 (15 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 20
F/R/W: +7/+10/+6
Grit remaining: 2/2
Hero Points remaining: 2
Regular bolts remaining: 53/80
Cold Iron bolts: 40/40
Ongoing Effects
Vigilant Loading
Gunslinger Initiative
The giant's axe smashes into Corum's chest, cleaving to the bone. The force of the blow shatters his ribs. He coughs up blood as a shard of bone pierces his lung.
He spins around and looks up in surprise as the hut pulverises the giant, picking it up and shaking it like a toy. "YES!" he splutters and blood sprays from his mouth again.
The awe of seeing the hut in action shocks him out of his rage and he realises the extent of hisnwounds. He graps a potion from his pocket and downs it in one. The warm liquid begins to heal his terrible wounds.
He then swings his axe once, cutting deep into the exposed neck of the giant.
Cmw
Pa
Dam
Elleross staggers forward as the hut suddenly lurches upright and he watches it tear the giant to pieces and he shudders at its power and ferocity.
Separated now from the hut and some of his companions he knows he is dangerously exposed and the Giants are coming.
get behind the hut! It is our only hope against these giants he shouts as he runs beneath the hut. Pushing his old legs as fast as possible he breaks into a lurching, limping sprint.
Astonished at what has happened with the hut, Sapphire swoops down to perch on the veranda, clinging to the upright post as if her life depended on it.
Everyone ok? Corum you took quite a hit! Is uh... is anyone controlling this thing!?
Corum spits blood on the snow covered ground. The deep red stark in co trast with the crisp white floor. He shakes his head and grimaces as he tries to rotate his shoulder. He looks up at the warrior woman and says. "B#$@&*d hit harder than anything I've faced. I don't think I can stand up to any more of them for long. Maybe that damned hut can stomp on them some more."
Nasrin leans close to Jagar, "Flee to the woods. Do not let them find you. I will come for you soon." She then casts Longstrider on the massive wolf. As Jagar tears off towards the treeline away from the approaching giants, she shouts to Sapphire, "Get Corum off the ground!" Then Nasrin closes her eyes and forces a shift in her body, her arms become tan and brown feathered wings, her feet become talons. She heaves once and takes to the air.
That being the case I would have moved to bu36.
If I can be in that square j, if not I will move there from the porch provoking an Aoo ,
[ooc] no j, I stepped off the porch. It's only 7 giants....ill be fine
Miss
Miss
The two giants at the entrance to the clearing point and shout to eachother as the Hut simply claws their kin to ragged strips in the snow beneath it, plastering a circle 50 feet across in it's blood.
They begin running forward, pulling lumps of rock from their bags and hurling them in your direction. They smash into the Hut's hoardings but seem to do no damage to the structure whatsoever.
Grayston spots more Giants advancing. "We need to use the hut! The others can't stand against the giants! Can we command this thing?" He shouts out looking to Elleross for the awnsers.
Sapphire shakes her head, half in wonder and half in almost helplessly, she frowns at her blade
Oh shut up do, you saw what just one did, we'd all die and you'd just end up being used as a toothpick if we went with your plan...
she ducks on to the porch.
Do we have any control here? Should we hide? Go back inside!?