If that mist lasts long enough for us to get there, I can bring one of them, of that I'm pretty sure. Just let me use these before you cast it." Reynard says, holding up his vials.
Druamin takes on the form of a mountain goat and prances across the line of sight of the two ogres. Both of them leave their posts and chase after the druid.
x4, P
Amazed the plan work Trox toss the stick he was hiding behind aside and strikes with all his might.
Surprise Round (ongoing):
Druamin-acted (but Kobu has not)
Trox-acted
Skarn-acted
Reynard-
Erond-
Cordwin-
Skarn buries his pick in one of the ogres, while Trox misjudges the thickness and weight of his target's armor--his blade glances off the heavy steel.
As the ogres get into range, Reynard reaches out to rip into ogre #1 with a claw!
Cordwin will launch a bolt at any ogre not in combat.
Surprise Round (ongoing):
Druamin-acted (but Kobu has not)
Trox-acted
Skarn-acted
Reynard-acted
Erond-
Cordwin-acted
Reynard does considerable damage to the already-wounded ogre without dropping it, and Cordwin's crossbow bolt bounces off of its armor.
Erond and Kobu delay.
Round 1:
Initiative order
Erond
Trox
Cordwin
Druamin/Kobu
Skarn
Reynard
Ogres
Skarn keeps hammering, errrr, picking at the ogres...
x4, P
Round 1 (ongoing):
Skarn hits the wounded ogre again.
Druamin prances past his comrades and then once he's led the ogres into the midst of them, he transforms back to his dwarf form.
"Well then. Let's finish this up."
He pulls his axe free from the belt then swings at the nearest ogre.
His swing isn't even close and he scowls. Then he points to the ogre and commands Kobu. "Attack!"
Kobu charges the nearest one and slaps at it with his tail.
Round 1 (ongoing):
Neither Druamin nor Kobu are able to do damage through the ogre's heavy armor.
Trox turns to the closes Ogre and lets lose not worrying about defense, just swinging hard. "Die."
Ohhh, right, I should get 2 attacks!
x4, P
Cordwin will launch two bolts into combat!
Reynard lays into the nearest ogre with the full range of his attacks, ripping and tearing great chunks of flesh from the creature.
Round 1 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Erond
Trox-acted
Cordwin-acted
Druamin/Kobu-acted
Skarn-acted
Reynard-acted
Ogres
Trox and Skarn almost take down the wounded ogre, then Reynard finishes it off and wounds the other one. Cordwin doesn't have any luck getting through the ogre's armor.
Erond continues to delay.
The remaining ogre attacks Reynard twice, but misses both times.
Round 2:
The party kills the last ogre.
Trox cleans his blade and re-sheaths it with a sigh.
[smaller] "Be nice if all he fights went like that. Fast and clean, no calling for help." [smaller]
"Shall we have a look about?"
Skarn looks about.
+2 vs unusual stonework, +1 vs giants
Perception
Trox also Looks around. "I don't notice much."
At the mouth of the cavern, 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. The bones are decorated with crude scrimshaw carvings, many of which feature the seven-pointed Sihedron Rune.
+3 to identify creature abilities and weaknesses
Skarn’s eyes narrow as he surveys the massive skeleton at the mouth of the cavern. He steps forward, wiping some snow off his cloak, and mutters to himself, his voice low but clear.
“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen something quite like this before.” He scratches his chin thoughtfully. “Those bones aren’t from any common beast. No, this is something... far more impressive.” He leans in closer, examining the scrimshaw carvings on the bones, his brow furrowing as he looks for any clues. “It’s a blue dragon, that’s what it is. A mighty beast, but now just a pile of bones. Those markings... it all fits the profile. Could’ve been one of those wyrms that terrorized the land centuries ago.”
He steps back, looking around at his companions. “But there’s more to this. Dragons like this don’t end up dead and forgotten. Whoever did this, they knew what they were doing.” Skarn taps his pick against the ground, clearly uneasy. “Could be some ancient magic, or worse—a trap set by whoever left these bones as a warning. We best tread carefully.”
He turns to the group, his gaze hardening. “Whatever happened to this dragon, it's tied to something bigger than just a skeleton. Let’s keep our wits about us and find out what we’re dealing with.”
Reynard is not familiar with dragon skeletons (these bones are way too big to put in an extract, after all), but will take Skarn's word for it.
As the party advances, Erond detects a magical aura ahead. Its source seems obvious: 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. The medallion is the focus of the aura.
+3 to identify creature abilities and weaknesses
Skarn isn't sure, but thinks this could be one of the fabled rune giants of ancient Thassilon. They haven't been seen for millenia, though, and are generally thought to be imaginary.
Skarn narrows his eyes as he takes in the towering statue, his hand instinctively tightening around the haft of his pick. He studies the details with a mix of awe and wariness.
“Well, that’s something you don’t see every day.” He grunts, his voice tinged with both admiration and caution. “It’s not a living giant, but that statue’s not here by accident. Rune Giants, you know... they’re part of the old legends of Thassilon. Mighty warriors, infused with magic, and some say they had the power to twist the very fabric of reality. Most folks think they’re just stories—imaginary giants made to scare children and give shape to the ruins we find scattered around. But looking at this? Well, I’ve seen enough strange things to know when to take those stories seriously.”
He gestures toward the intricate details of the statue’s armor and the medallion around its neck. “This one’s probably a relic from those days, maybe even the work of one of the Rune Giants themselves—or someone who thought they could wield that kind of power. The markings, the sigils, they all fit the old tales. Whoever made this statue wanted to make a statement.”
Skarn scratches his beard thoughtfully. “It’s a warning, no doubt about it. If this statue is any indication, we might be walking into something far older—and more dangerous—than we expected.”
"It's going to come to life when we walk near it right? That would make sense."
Trox shrugs assuming the most straight forward version of what is sure to be the parties next problem.
Retrieving the medallion (should someone want to do that) will require climbing or flying.
"Should I get that medallion?" Reynard says, beating his mutagen-generated wings once as he points at the medallion.
"Given its size, the metal alone is worth a fortune!"
Reynard flies up and removes the medallion, which weighs about twenty pounds. As soon as it's off, the "statue" collapses into dust, covering anyone on the ground in the vicinity. The armor falls to the cavern floor with a deafening clatter of metal on stone.
As the giant dissolves and collapses in a plume of dust, Druamin leaps back as well as his stocky figure allows.
"Whoa. Don't want none of that giant dust on me. That was wierd. I'm guessing that wasn't just a statue."
Druamin skirts the pile of dessicated giant bits as he moves to the other side of where the giant was. Kobu follows at his heels, the porcupine's paws leaving small footprints in the dust.
"That armor looks valuable but I don't want to have to lug it around. Do you think we could fit it into a magical bag?"
Druamin retrieves his bag of holding and eyeballs the sizes of the armor pieces against the bag's opening.
"Start stuffing!"
The armor will fit in the bag, as long as it can handle the weight.
Trox helps load the bag, unless it it to heavy in which case he makes a different suggestion.
"We could stash it someplace and come back for it when we are headed to civilization. It waited this long."
After a fair bit of grunting and trying to shove the armor into his magical bag, Druamin gives up.
"Ok. This stuff is way heavier than I thought it would be. I'm not going to be able to put it in the bag after all. We might need to go with Trox's idea of just stashing it away and getting it later."