Seltyn will move, and get a clear shot.
He mutters arcane words of power and unleashes two fiery bolts at the last giant.
The last giant drops. You all pause. Apart from the noise of the party, and the faint crackling of Seltyn's weird wall of electric ice, there is silence. No alarm is raised.
You seem to still be undetected. Actions?
”Merciful Light, is it over?” Eldric asked. Blood covered nearly everyone and everything, except for his hands, which had been blazing with too much flame. The Paladin looked over the carnage wearily.
Not yet, Eldric. There are more beyond that door. Make what preparations you can, now. We're not finished.
We must act quickly, while our magic is working.
Horek fixes Seltyn with a calm gaze. "I wanted to keep the giants from raising the alarm. We should not be too eager to alert the stronghold to our presence. I believe that we should proceed with stealth, taking out pockets of resistance as we encounter them and keep those we meet from escaping in order to find reinforcements."
We'll see what we're dealing with once we open the door. I hope we can do it your way, Seltyn says to Mazrak.
If they have no prisoners, I can blast them to soften them up.
Mazrak touches the Barbarian Ranger.
Mazrak will cast a spell on Horek.
He will then turn to Seltyn, "Mi Lord, it is not my way. I am here to aid and assist. I will let those smarter than I lead the way."
He will then turn to the party as a whole, "There is something I can do that may aid our situation. I can make one of these dead Hill Giants a Zombie that will fight for us. But I will only do this if you allow it. I would lose my last most powerful healing spell. But it could make a big difference....literally."
I quite like the idea. I have no objection. We need all the help we can get.
Horek considers the idea proposed by the dwarf and finally nods. "Having a giant with us might prove useful outside of combat as well, especially if others of their kind don't realize it's a walking corpse at first glance."
When all is ready, Horek moves toward the door to the south and quietly opens it, peering through the crack to see what lies beyond.
(if needed while opening the door)
Current Buffs:
Horek - Haste (+30' movement, +1 to attack rolls & AC/Reflex Saves, extra attack with full attack action) - for 7 more rounds?
Whisper - Haste (+30' movement, +1 to attack rolls & AC/Reflex Saves, extra attack with full attack action)- for 7 more rounds?; Bull's Strength (+4 STR) - for 6 more minutes or so; Mage Armor (+4 AC) - for 7 more hours or so
Jeeves moves up behind Horek staying at his large size and switches back to his polearm.
"Mazrak, stay close to me. It's likely I'll requiring more healing in the minutes to come."
Mazrak chooses a giant that is mostly intact and starts casting. The light in the room dims and it grows cold. Mazrak holds a large black gem in his hand as his other starts moving. He chants is a voice that is cold and commanding. Black energy spills out of the gem, moving into the dead giant. Then, a hand moves, and slowly, horrible, its wounds still dripping, the giant stands. Mazrak finishes the cast and is in control of the dead hulk. Mazrak feels somewhat stained.
Light returns to the room. The zombie rolls its eyes and moans.
Well, Mazrak. I guess it's "ladies first?"
Zombie hill giant
Move 40
Init -2
HD 12 Hp 66
AC 19 DR 5/slashing
BAB +8 CMB +16 CMD 25
Str 27 Dex 6 Con - Int - Wis 10 Cha 10
Slam +15 1d8 + 8
Fort +4 Ref +2 Will +8
Skills none
Feats toughness
Permanently staggered
Mazrak I have given you control over the zombie
Horek opens the door. In front of you is a corridor, light by torches.
A short distance down the corridor is a crumpled figure, slumped against a wall. It is medium-sized, so no giant. Harsh breathing and a chanting sound can be heard, not a spell, but a prayer.
It is a badly injured orc.
Opening the door, Horek spots the lone orc muttering to itself and apparently oblivious to their presence at the moment. The ranger glances at Jeeves, whispering softly. "This is a good opportunity to learn more about this place. I'll take him alive. It is likely a servant of the giants and might be made to give us information with some persuasion."
If there is no objection, he lays a hand on Whisper's head, indicating that she wait there quietly. Then the ranger moves silently down the corridor and slams the flat of his axeblade against the orc's head, trying to knock it unconscious. If he is successful, he'll drag the body back to the others.
vs Flatfooted AC?
non-lethal
Jeeves nods at Horek and hangs back to let him do his job. He stays behind, hiding nearly all of his huge frame behind the door. He keeps an eye out for Horek, however, in case he needs help.
Mazrak chooses a giant that is mostly intact and starts casting. The light in the room dims and it grows cold. Mazrak holds a large black gem in his hand as his other starts moving. He chants is a voice that is cold and commanding. Black energy spills out of the gem, moving into the dead giant. Then, a hand moves, and slowly, horrible, its wounds still dripping, the giant stands. Mazrak finishes the cast and is in control of the dead hulk. Mazrak feels somewhat stained.
Light returns to the room. The zombie rolls its eyes and moans.
Mazrak will use one of his Onyx gems.
As Horek moves closer he sees violence is not required. The orc is badly hurt (negative HP) and would likely die, even if hit with subdual. He also is semi-conscious. You could question him if you speak orcish, and he likely would answer. You could just drag him back if you wish. He is not going to stop you.
This is an edit, I made a mistake with the AC, it is much lower. Also slightly more HP
Zombie hill giant
Move 40
Init -2
HD 12 Hp 72
AC 10 DR 5/slashing
BAB +8 CMB +16 CMD 25
Str 27 Dex 6 Con - Int - Wis 10 Cha 10
Slam +15 1d8 + 8
Fort +4 Ref +2 Will +8
Skills none
Feats toughness
Permanently staggered
Mazrak I have given you control over the zombie.
I can interrogate him. Make him conscious enough to talk to, and we can see.
Seltyn's no doctor, but he can see that the orc is near dead.
The bad part is that that could take time we don't have. We're losing magic. I doubt this orc can tell us anything useful in the time it would take to talk.
The wizard looks at Mazrak and Elnaril.
Mazrak, send that zombie through the door, and on to the next one, if you can. Don't make it attack until they notice it. Elnaril, if your extend rod still has a charge left, I need it.
Seltyn moves right next to Elnaril.
Elnaril looks at Seltyn as he passes over the rod. "It's the last use for the day, make it count."
Mazrak will then in the Giant tongue tell the Zombie Giant to walk and point in the direction down the hall. Mazrak will follow. When they reach the Orc, he will tell the Zombie to stop once it passes the Orc.
Mazrak will check the Orc.
Mazrak will tell the party, "Blunt forced trauma. Its been likely kicked by a Giant. The Orc has broken bones and is bleeding internally. This Orc will likely die soon. I don't speak Orc."
Let's just leave it. We need to keep moving. On to the next hurdle.
Horek frowns as his companions seem to want to press forward swiftly. Though he understands that their magic spells will expire, as a scout the plainsman knows the value of learning more about the enemy. Still, the primal part of him is in agreement with taking the fight to the giants without hesitation.
Nodding in agreement, Horek calls Whisper to his side and moves forward in the shadow of the giant zombie.
Seltyn moves up closer to the door.
Mazrak commands in the giant tongue to the Zombie to go and open the door in front of him.
Mazrak will then speak, "Someone needs to check around the corner."
Jeeves digs in his belt and pulls out a wand, moving it about and intoning magic-sounding words before touching the orc near his feet. "This sometimes works," he whispers to himself.
Embarrassed, he extends the healing wand to Mazrak to use in his stead.
It felt like everything was spinning out of control. There was so much death...so much blood. It felt like he was in a dream, now that the danger of combat was over. The Paladin muttered prayers to himself, over and over, to calm his mind. Already his comrades were raising the dead. Was this evil? Should he stop it? And what if doing so led to one of them dying? It was hard to tell what was right or wrong, which just increased his overall sense of unease.
”This Giant...does doing this harm it’s soul? It is one thing to put magic into a corpse, but another to disturb the natural progression of the soul...” He finally said.
"I understand your concerns Sir Eldric. And a good or undetermined soul, I would never do such. But this creature is evil. Its soul is evil. It is beyond redemption. But out of respect to you Sir, I will not do it again," Mazrak responds to the Paladin.
Seltyn speaks rapidly, like an elf in a hurry. We can talk philosophy later. Let's just wipe out these giants while we have this advantage, he says, gesturing at the monster Mazrak just created.
I'll try to talk to the orc. I'll go in last, anyway. Seltyn approaches the semi-conscious orc.
In Orcish: How many giants are here? Do they have captives?
In Orcish The giants, many. More than twice a hand of hands. Here they rule. Below, they are opposed. My people are strong. Ancestors guide them. Giants on one side, foul lizardfolk on the other. He coughs for a bit, then recovers
And worse. The unmaker has a shrine there. Beware, young one
He gasps, then goes to his Ancestors.
The Orc breaths his last. You depart down the hall.
One round of talk, one round of move, 2 rounds has passed.
The zombie trundles on, coming to a narrowing of the corridor. It starts to squeeze itself into the 5 foot wide corridor. Another round has passed
Several doors have been revealed
[ooc]Which door do you go through?/check first?
Mazrak will call out in Giant at the Zombie, "Turn around and come back." He will then hesitate to allow someone to listen at the door before commanding the Zombie, " Open this door." Mazrak will points to the door with the red splash. He then takes a step back.
Horek is in agreement with going room to room so as not to leave an enemy presence at their back. He considers the words of the dying orc, once Seltyn translates. "If the orcs are abused by the giants and can be convinced to fight against them, we might seek them out. The giants numbers sound many, and we are few. These orcs that dwell below could become valuable allies, if we promise to help them gain their freedom. But these lizard folk and the unmaker shrine? Maybe the orcs will know more about those."
The plainsman moves to listen to the door, trying to determine if there are enemies beyond, and in what numbers.
Jeeves takes a moment to check the door before waiting for the zombie ogre to open it.
Hearing Horek's comment, Jeeves mutters: "We don't know where the orcs are at the moment, do we?"
Horek glances at Jeeves. "The dying orc indicated his bretheren were 'below' - maybe in caves or in the basement of this structure. We should keep our eyes open for stairs or ramps leading down. Or speak with any other orcs we run across. I had presumed they were allies of the giants, but it sounds as though that might not be the case."
Jeeves nods to Horek. "I will keep my eyes out for them."
Elnaril moves with the rest of the group and says to Horek.
"Parvo has a good sense of smell he can help you and Whisper find where the rest of the giants are."
Good. He can sniff 'em out.
”I heartedly approve of this course of action. Our cause is righteous, but there is no need to spill blood without need, or to turn away potential allies. May Pelor’s light shine upon us as we descend into the dark.”