Letitia holds her breath for a moment as she watches the spot where the witchfire faded away. Her emotions had been through the wringer during the fight, fearing that the apparition would be too much for them, seeing her companions get scorched by its flames, and facing her own inadequacy when her spell failed to blind it.
She looks at her hands when it seems like the creature was truly vanquished, then generates the healing balm of her hex.
"Well struck," Letitia says finally, and touches Callix's shoulder to discharge the positive energy.
"You too, Samuel. It won't entirely salve your burns, but it's a start." She goes to him and applies the hex to his shoulder as well.
"Phew!" cried Llewellyn as the witchfire was slain, "That could have been really nasty."
He then looked around and noring the giant bane longspear he said, "Mmm this could be useful..."
Llewellyn starts examining the exists to this area.
Excluding the path you entered from to the north, there are four other exits from this large room, three of which are sealed by doors. The only open path leads to the east, where the chamber continues into a smaller corridor before leading into a strange dark forest of some kind.
Peeking through the remaining three doors, you find each one opens to narrow passageways. The two to the east extend straight for quite a distance, ending at another set of doors. However, the southwest passage immediately spirals downward, leading to a lower level. As you stand near the opening, a faint scent of fire, smoke and pine wafts up from below.
Letitia points to the southwest door and the descending passage. "This way is most likely to lead us to the workroom," she whispers.
When assessing the treasures of the witchfire's room, Letitia appears nonplussed with the pipes. "Trade goods for some merchant, this. The enemies we face will ignore the magic of these pipes."
Samuel winces as Letitia's healing hex takes effect, easing the burns on his shoulder. He nods in appreciation, still focused on the aftermath of the battle. As the room falls silent, he reloads his musket with a sense of finality, remarking with a smirk "Burn me once, shame on you... but next time, I'll make sure you don't get the chance"
"Then, southwest it is" he nods and moves to carefully check and open the door indicated by Letitia.
Callix spins her axe in her hand, then homes it as Letitia steps up, "It was a team effort, though it helped that the Drunken Hero was willing to help me strike the ghostly thing."
She nods in appreciation of the healing, then pulls out the wand to complete the job on herself and Samuel.
The staircase spirals downward, each step uneven and worn with age. The air grows colder and more stagnant as you descend into the depths below. The faint scent of pine becomes stronger, mingling with the damp earth and the scent of decay, filling their nostrils as they move further away from the chamber above.
As the party reaches the bottom of the staircase, the room opens up before them, a cluttered and eerie workroom filled with strange artifacts and bizarre objects. The faint glow from the pine-scented fire casts shadows that seem to twist and writhe along the walls.
Standing near one of the crude tables is an alluring young woman, her form heavy with child. She turns toward the group, her wide eyes filled with fear and helplessness. Her voice trembles as she speaks, "Please... I don't know who you are, but you must leave quickly! This place... it's dangerous, it's-"
Before she can finish, there’s a thunderous crash. From behind a large wooden shelf steps a towering frost giant, his cold eyes narrowing at the intruders. With a grunt of fury, he grabs the nearest object-a heavy iron cauldron-and hurls it through the air in your direction. The cauldron crashes against the stone, sending shards of iron and debris scattering across the floor.
The frost giant then grips his greataxe tightly and takes long, menacing strides toward you, his weapon raised high and ready to strike. The woman near the table scrambles away, clutching her swollen belly, clearly frightened.
Callix blinks at the woman, We need to talk to her - she knows--, the thought cut off by the explosive appearance of the frost giant. Well, to do that, we'll need to deal with him..
She starts down the stairs, reaching the floor before stopping, and whispering a rapid prayer to the Drunken Hero. Her spell cast, she taunts, "No, idiot, this is how you throw things at people.", before hurling her axe at the giant, then catching it as it returns to her hand.
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As the frost giant lumbers forward, hurling the cauldron, Samuel's eyes quickly assess the situation. Instead of going for a lethal shot, he shifts his aim lower. His musket steadies, sight trained on the giant's feet.
The Taldan takes a breath and pulls the trigger, the shot cracking through the air as he smirks, muttering, "Time for a giant lug to bend that big cold leg!"
Ashling takes out the FrostThunder hammer and Casts Command (dc 14)
she calls out in Giant Halt! Her eyes flash red as she looks directly at the Giant
Halt: The subject stands in place for 1 round. It may not take any actions but is not considered helpless.
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
Callix's axe strike hits true and Samuel's well-aimed shot further injures the large giant, knocking him down to the ground.
The giant roars in frustration, frozen in place by Ashling's command, his eyes blazing with fury as he glares at the group. His enormous hands grip his greataxe tightly, veins pulsing with restrained rage, but he cannot move. The cauldron he hurled earlier now clatters loudly across the floor, rolling away, moving while he cannot.
The pregnant woman stands off to the side, hands instinctively resting on her belly, watching the unfolding chaos in awe.
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Letitia eyes the woman suspiciously as her warning did not include the enraged giant who was right there. It commands her attention, though as it falls to the ground and succumbs to Ashling's spell, she decides it soon will not be much of a threat.
"Something on which to test your new spear, I see," she says to Llewellyn, deciding not to spoil his fun by hexing it to sleep. She moves down the stairs until the giant is in range of her hex, then strips away his defenses. She doubts it will live long.
"You better accept that nap brute!" Samuel shouts recognizing Letitia's usual gestures as he steps and quickly reloads the cannon with another bullet.
He waits a bit to see if the giant decides to better sleep, but if not, he provides another bullet to him.
"Something on which to test your new spear, I see"
Bearing his teeth, Llewellyn enthusiastically agreed, "Indeed! Get him!"
He made a small gesture with his and and his new longspear burst into radiance and with a word of power he was propelled forwards to strike at the giant, leaving a kaleidoscopic trail behind him!
Callix rushes forward while the beast is down, spinning her axe as she brings it to bear.
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Ashling whips the Frostthunder hammer out and charges in.
Letitia's hex takes hold and the party piles on, landing blow after blow against the frozen frost giant. Only Samuel's ranged attack has trouble striking the large giant, finding the prone giant's positioning difficult to hit.
Letitia was right to be wary of the pregnant woman, it appears. With each compounding hit on the frost giant, her frown deepens. After the last strike is delivered, she screams wildly and steps forward behind Ashling and slashes her across the back twice, screaming "Leave him alone!"
The frost giant, still under the influence of Ashling’s spell but seething with fury, takes the opportunity as the "pregnant woman" steps up slashes Ashling's back. With surprising speed, her claws rake twice across Ashling’s armor, tearing into her flesh with an unnatural burn that seems to sap the strength from the oracle.
Immediately after the attack, the giant lets out a deafening roar and swings his massive greataxe in a powerful, sweeping arc, catching Ashling with a devastating blow in her chest.
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Samuel's eyes narrow as he reloads swiftly, watching as the so-called pregnant woman reveals her true nature, slashing at Ashling "Traitorous rat!" he mutters under his breath, tightening his grip on the musket. This time, he'll make sure his shot lands.
With an skillful movement, he quick reloads the musket with a new bullet.
Callix sighs, Figures... I bet You're laughing about this one, too..., she thinks before saying, "Get her, I'll keep working on the big one."
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"Foul backstabber, you will squeal!" Letitia shouts. While her companions hack at the giant, Letitia moves into range and levies a cruel hex on the woman to transform her partway into a pig.
Swine (Su): The witch can partially transform an enemy into a pig. The effects of the transformation are mostly cosmetic and do not change the creature’s size category or overall shape, but the affected creature takes a –2 penalty on Will saving throws for a number of rounds equal to the witch’s Intelligence modifier (Will negates). At 8th level, the affected creature’s hands (or paws) turn into hooves, preventing it from using claw attacks or taking any action that would require the creature to use its fingers.
Llewellyn growled at the frost giant "Stay down!" as he jabbed at the giant.
From afar, Samuel's musket BOOMS loudly once more, landing another shot on the frost giant.
Callix squares off with the frost giant once more, delivering two solid blows with her axe.
The air ripples as Letitia's hex takes hold. The woman lets out a pained snarl, her hands twisting and warping into crude, hoof-like shapes. She stumbles backward in shock, her claws now useless.
Meanwhile, Llewellyn takes a step closer delivering two strikes with his longspear. The continued assault from the party is too much for the frost giant and it collapses to the ground as blood spills out from the numerous wounds on its large body.
Ashling steadies herself, the aegis of recovery had saved her from the brink as she quickly moves away from the melee area.
The pregnant-swine-woman's fury is palpable, and with a desperate snarl, she growls "This is not O-REEEEEEEEEEE-EEEKKK! SQWEEE-EEE!." She screams, furious at her retrt being interrupted by her partial transformation. She takes a step back and vanishes with a spell, her form fading into thin air.
Samuel breathes a sigh of relief as the frost giant falls, but his focus remains sharp. The woman's escape leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. "Not over, huh? We'll see about that"
His grip tightens on his musket as he watches her vanish. Still, there's no time to dwell; he quickly reloads, keeping his eyes and ears alert for any signs of enemies "We are here only for the book, let's take it and forget about this vile place"
Letitia steps up and bestows her healing hex on Ashling. "This place is cluttered and may have the means for us to detect the pig. Look for flour, salt! Even the cinders from the cookfire, scatter them on the floor!"
"Ashling are you all right?" Llewellyn asked urgently as he cast about trying to spot where the swine woman went, or for anything that might help.
He also tried to consider what manner of creature they were dealing with.
Ashling backs up, draws her bow and casts cure serious wounds on herself
no I'm not, her claws or whatever sap physical might and i saw light at the end of a blackened hallway for a moment
Callix glances around the room, listening for the sound of hooved feet, ready to throw if the pig-hag shows herself.
The party remains tense, scanning the room, their eyes darting between the cluttered shelves and the shadowy corners. Samuel reloads, listening for any telltale signs of movement from their invisible foe.
Letitia channels healing energy into her wounded companion as Ashling cures herself.
Llewellyn strains to listen for movements, but the room is eerily quiet.
The seconds tick by, each one heavier than the last, as the group remains ready, weapons drawn. Callix's hand tightens around her axe, eyes flicking over the shelves and floor, prepared to strike the moment their enemy reappears.
Despite the tension, no sound emerges from the unseen foe.
"Damn witch tricks!" Samuel growls under his breath, his patience worn thin as the silence stretches on "I've had enough of this disappearing act"
With a swift movement, he begins retreating upstairs toward the entrance, his eyes never leaving the room as he keeps his musket raised and ready. Positioning himself in the middle of the doorway, he settles into a guard stance, scanning for any sign of movement "If the pig-woman dares to make a break for it, I will be waiting to deliver a shot she won't easily forget"
Letitia groans in the back of her throat at the elusive foe. She quickly pulls out one of her scrolls and unlocks the magic within, bestowed upon her the ability to see invisible creatures.
In an instant she surveys the room with her enhanced sight.
Letitia points to her location. "There!!"
Knowing what Letita was trying, Llewellyn waited to see if she spotted anything. Still he aimed to be ready.
Letitia's plan is solid and executed just in time. She catches sight of the woman fleeing up the steps near by Samuel, attempting to get out of the room.
At Letitia points, Callix quickly casts a spell, filling the area she pointed at with a blast of loud noise, before rushing forward to bring her axe to bear.
When Letitia points out the enemy is trying to go past him, Samuel swings with his musket in a wide arch trying to bring it back downstairs "These witches and their damn tricks... I'd rather face an army than a ghost with claws"
Seeing the reactions of his friends, and in particular Samuel swiping at something unseen, Llewellyn rushed up the stairs!