Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Ghourmand Vale (3.5 campaign)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 9069068" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 27: MOVING OUT</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Ageratum Purslane, halfling rogue 8</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Alistair Mandelberen Pastlethwaite, human sorcerer 8</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Chaevaris Noarunal, elf archer 8</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Harlan Starblade, half-elf paladin 8</p><p></p><p>NPC Roster:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Blue Lichen, stone giantess</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Hauler Bagfull, stone giant</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Krag Splitshriek, stone giant</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Orchid, elf druid 8</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Talus Legturner, stone giant</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 5 July 2023</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>Alistair cast a <em>shrink item</em> spell upon the corpse of the red dragon Akai Uzumaku Shi and transformed it to a piece of cloth he could roll up and pass over to Harlan. "I imagine you might make a fairly good impression on those hill giants if you plop this down at their feet and it restores to its full size," the sorcerer declared. "Then you can say something like, 'Who wants to be next?' - and they might well just surrender right there and then."</p><p></p><p>"It's...definitely a possibility," agreed the paladin, taking the proffered cloth and storing it in a pouch at his belt. Personally, he doubted a force of hill giants was going to just give up that easily, but he didn't want to dampen the sorcerer's enthusiasm. Alistair then cast the spell again, this time on the corpse of Skree Mauldrive. This piece of cloth he rolled up and placed in a vest pocket. "Once we've driven out the hill giants, the stone giants might wish to give him a proper burial," he explained.</p><p></p><p>Chaevaris approached, asking, "Do we head to the stone giant lair now and try to rescue them, or rest up overnight and take the hill giants tomorrow when we're at our full fighting strength?" The question was directed at Harlan, but it was the stone giant leader who answered. "Tomorrow is time enough," Krag declared. "The hill giants will not suspect anything if the dragon spends a full 24 hours hunting us down - those were the conditions of the challenge. Best we strike tomorrow at full strength." Harlan said nothing, as that was what he had decided as well.</p><p></p><p>The group - all five heroes, the three remaining stone giants, and Shushitan the wolf - slept inside the extradimensional dwelling attuned to Chaevaris's magic amulet. The healers among them, Orchid and to a lesser extent Harlan, did what they could to heal up the worst of the stone giants' wounds (as well as those taken by the heroes, primarily among them Alistair and Ageratum), but a good night's rest added quite a lot to their healing efforts. Harlan apologized for the lack of giant-sized accommodations, but Krag waved them away, stating he and his two remaining men were fine on the floor with a few pillows.</p><p></p><p>And thus it was the next day saw the assembled group refreshed and ready to take back the stone giant lair from the hill giants who had conquered it with the aid of the red dragon the heroes had slain the day before. Krag told them what they could expect to find at the quarry: six women and 11 children (the three stone giants with the heroes were all of the adult males remaining from his tribe, the others having been slain in the dragon's "games"), captured and guarded by an unknown number of hill giants, ogres, orcs, and dire wolves. They were only about an hour away from the stone quarry where the Karkaletch Stone Giant Clan laired.</p><p></p><p>Harlan, as usual, rode in the front mounted upon Nova, his celestial pegasus. The other heroes trailed on their own mounts, Shushitan trotting happily alongside his mistress Orchid, who rode Harlan's warhorse law. The three stone giants strode beside the heroes, pointing out the way ahead.</p><p></p><p>They entered a small grove of trees and Chaevaris's keen eyes spotted a set of drag-marks in the path ahead. Someone - a giant, by the looks of the size of the footprints - was dragging along something heavy, accompanied by a quartet of human-sized companions. Holding up a hand for silence, the archer gestured there were enemies ahead and the group surged forward quietly. Soon, they could hear a gruff voice calling out something in the Giant tongue; Krag translated the phrase as, "Pull harder, bitch!"</p><p></p><p>Rounding a corner along the path, the group could finally see who it was they faced: a female stone giant was pulling a makeshift sledge, upon which were lashed several barrels, and sitting upon the top barrel was an ogre. A pair of well-armed and armored orcs kept pace on either side of the stone giant, ensuring she didn't drop her burden and try to flee.</p><p></p><p>Harlan urged Nova into action, and the pegasus dashed forward, rearing up to kick the ogre in the back of the head with a sharpened hoof. Harlan swung his <em>flaming burst longsword</em> from the back of the pegasus, bringing the blade slicing along the ogre's broad back with one strike and then reversing course and catching it again from the other side. The ogre cried out in pain, toppled off the side of the barrel, and landed in a heap face-down in the dirt of the forest path, unconscious from his wounds but stabilized by the power of Harlan's <em>Blood Mirror</em> gemstone.</p><p></p><p>Ageratum urged her pony Munson forward, leaping over the downed ogre to lash out at the nearest orc with a hoof, while the mounted halfling stabbed her <em>silver short sword</em> into the orc's back. Together, the attacks of the little rogue and her pony mount brought the orc down, not only unconscious but already well and truly dead, far beyond Harlan's magic gem's ability to stabilize. Behind her, the stone giants all rushed forward, eager to join in the fray but not as swift as the heroes' mounts.</p><p></p><p>Orchid sent Law rushing forward, and the druid cast a <em>produce flame</em> spell in her hand as they advanced. She threw her first ball of flame at the orc on the other side of the sledge from the one Ageratum had just slain, but the flames missed. Then Alistair brought down not only that one but the orc beside him with a simple <em>magic missile</em> spell, splitting the number of missiles between the two foes. Neither was dead, thanks to the <em>Blood Mirror</em>, but the sorcerer well knew that was only temporary, for their bloodthirsty halfling companion didn't like leaving enemies still breathing behind her.</p><p></p><p>Chaevaris shot an arrow into the back of the last orc's head, killing him instantly. With the foes all brought down, the stone giantess stopped and set down her burden. The three stone giants recognized her at once, calling out "<strong>Blue Lichen</strong>!" It turned out she was the wife of Skree Mauldrive, the giant who had died yesterday taking down the red dragon. "What's all this?" Krag demanded, indicating the barrels lashed to the sledge.</p><p></p><p>"Some sort of stinky hill giant liquor," Blue Lichen replied. "They sent us out to the old hill giant lair to fetch the booze for some sort of celebration they're planning back at the quarry."</p><p></p><p>"Well, that's where we're headed," Krag explained. "Only they won't find they have too much to celebrate once we get there - these heroes here are going to help us liberate our people."</p><p></p><p>"Hang about," interrupted Alistair. "If these barrels are filled with liquor...." He explained he wanted to shrink down four of them after first having set them on fire. That way, Chaevaris could attach them - in harmless cloth form - to four of her arrows, and when they struck their targets, the flaming barrels would return to full size, where they'd then explode, splashing burning alcohol in all directions. Orchid helped him in his task by setting four of the barrels on fire with her still-active <em>produce flame</em> spell. "You know," Ageratum remarked, "when you first started using that spell, I kind of wondered why you wasted your time on it instead of something flashier, like <em>fireball</em> or <em>lightning bolt</em>. But it's been a really useful spell."</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes, which reminds me..." replied Alistair, his face burning red in embarrassment. He reached inside his vest and pulled out a bit of rolled-up cloth. Handing it over to Blue Lichen, he said, "I'm rather afraid this is your husband's body. You'll want to hang onto it, I'm sure, until this business with the hill giants is over." Blue Lichen's stony face looked about ready to burst into tears, and for an awful moment Alistair feared she would use her husband's cloth-form corpse as a handkerchief and blow her nose into it, but she regained her composure at the last moment. "Thank you," she said, stuffing the cloth into her top.</p><p></p><p>"We're about ten minutes out," reminded Harlan. "Now's as good a time as any for any long-term spellcasting any of you want to do." Alistair gathered up everyone's ammunition and cast a <em>flame arrow</em> spell upon it, but the others opted to wait until they were closer to the quarry to do their preparing-for-combat spellcasting. Abandoning the corpses behind them (after Ageratum had ensured they were in fact all corpses), the group pressed on towards the quarry.</p><p></p><p>Once the quarry was within view - and the group was still amply hidden by trees, so they could remain unseen by their foes - the spellcasting began in earnest. Harlan boosted his combat prowess with a <em>bull's strength</em> spell, while Orchid cast the <em>barkskin</em> spell three times: on herself, Harlan, and Ageratum. Alistair cast <em>mage armor</em> and <em>shield</em> spells upon himself, then sent his grackle familiar Ambrose forward to scout the terrain ahead. The black bird flew over the open quarry, spun about, and returned to tell his master what he had seen.</p><p></p><p>The hill giants had made a few modifications to the quarry since Krag and his three companions had been sent out to try to avoid the dragon for 24 hours the previous day. There was now a 10-foot-deep pit in the middle of the quarry, around which the entire hill giant contingent was ringed, looking on at the activities below. Inside this new pit were three stone giant women, each wearing a set of manacles, and seven of the stone giant children, the children all lying in a pile, looking to have been drugged. And snapping at the giantesses were three dire wolves, trying to get past them to eat the unmoving children while the hill giants cheered them on from above.</p><p></p><p>The quarry itself was about 40 feet deep on three sides, with the south side - the direction from which the heroes were arriving - bearing the opening to the quarry at ground level. The ground rose up on either side of the entrance, and there were two cave openings at the back end of the quarry. One of these was at ground level and led down to the lower mines where the stone giants had recently unearthed a series of magma tunnels and veins of rich obsidian; the other was about 20 feet up the north wall of the quarry (and reachable by an inclined walkway paralleling the northern quarry wall) that led to the stone giant habitations. But of immediate notice to Chaevaris was the tall tree at the southeastern corner of the quarry, from which she felt confident she could use her sniper skills to best advantage. Dropping down from her horse Talkacha, she scurried over to the tree, confident that the hill giants were too engrossed in their blood sport to notice her approach.</p><p></p><p>Once at the tree, the nimble archer scurried up it, careful to keep the broad trunk between her and the giants, before climbing over to a thick branch and making herself comfortable - with any luck, she'd spend the entire combat right here. She pulled out an arrow and attached the first of the four shrunken "flaming barrels of alcohol" cloths to its tip, such that when the arrow hit its target (or anything, really) the <em>shrink item</em> spell would be negated and the flaming barrel would return to its full size - and continue its interrupted burn. Lining up her first target, a hill giant facing her way at the far western side of the combat pit, she let fly. The arrow missed, hitting the ground at the giant's feet instead of his chest, but the explosion occurred regardless, splashing the giant's neighbors on either side with burning alcohol. The response of the giants hit was predictable (shock, surprise, and pain) while those of the rest of the hill giants was not what Chaevaris would have expected, for they merely laughed and pointed at their burning fellows, not stopping to wonder where the sudden gout of flames had come from.</p><p></p><p>But the fiery explosion also served as a "combat has begun" signal for the rest of the attacking group. Seeing the flames, the three stone giant males were off like a shot, each gripping the new wooden greatclub they'd scored for themselves by grabbing living branches off of trees back in the forest and stripping them down as they traveled to the quarry. Blue Lichen ran after them, although she hadn't bothered crafting a makeshift greatclub for herself.</p><p></p><p>In the combat pit, one of the stone giant women opted to take matters into her own hands, by going on the offensive. Her rock-hard fist went crashing into the side of a dire wolf's head, staggering it for a moment and at least slowing down its attack for a bit. Seeing her success, another giantess approached and hit the woozy dire wolf on the other side of his head, causing him to regret his current role as a punching bag. The third giantess punched at another wolf whose darting approaches were getting too close to the drugged children for her liking.</p><p></p><p>The hill giants who'd been splattered with the flaming alcohol managed to pat down the fires burning on their hide clothes, while the others enjoyed the spectacle. Only one of the audience of 12 kept his eyes focused on the blood games down below; he punished one of the stone giantesses for fighting back at the dire wolves by throwing a fist-sized boulder at the back of her head.</p><p></p><p>As for the heroes, they too were advancing upon the quarry. Ageratum, wearing her <em>bespoke armor</em> made entirely of magically-hardened plants, ran erratically towards the quarry entrance, dashing and then stopping, trying to take on the appearance of a harmless bush should anyone be looking her way. Harlan had leapt from Nova's back and was charging towards the quarry entrance, casting a <em>bless</em> spell on their four stone giant allies and the rest of his band (except for Chaevaris, who was already out of the spell's range) as he went. Nova, knowing his role, retreated back to the other horses to keep them safe.</p><p></p><p>But of the other mounts, Zephyr was not in hiding, for Alistair had decided he might want the added speed and mobility as he cast his combat spells at the hill giants. His first such spell was an <em>ice storm</em> cast up at the northeastern corner of blood sport spectators, catching a full five hill giants in his blast of falling hailstones. As for Ambrose, though, Alistair sent him back out of harm's way to stay by the other mounts, for he didn't want the little grackle getting hit by any of the hill giant's nasty clubs or thrown rocks, any one of which could easily squash a bird his size in one fell swoop. Ambrose, for his part, did not bother to argue against the idea.</p><p></p><p>Law also broke forth from the other mounts, Orchid urging him forward. Once she had gotten a good look at the hill giants ringing their new combat pit, she was able to cast a <em>spike stones</em> spell directly underneath each of the giants' feet and spreading out away from the pit for a good 20 feet or so. The nearly invisible spikes couldn't be used to actively attack the bottoms of the giants where they stood, but as soon as any of them tried moving they'd be in for a world of hurt. But the druid had similar feelings about Shushitan's survival likelihood in a battle against hill giants and sent him back to help guard the other horses.</p><p></p><p>The dire wolves snapped at the stone giantesses, two of them missing but the third grabbing hold of a tough-skinned wrist wearing a manacle. He tried pulling her prone, but the stone giantess was too large a foe for that to be an easy task and she retained her footing. Up in her tree, Chaevaris took aim at another hill giant and let loose with another barrel-tipped arrow, this one striking the target right in the chest as intended and exploding into a ball of flames which engulfed several of his neighbors. Roars of surprise and pain erupted from the burned hill giants, who were just now coming to realize they were under attack.</p><p></p><p>And now the stone giants had reached the quarry. Hauler slammed his greatclub into the head of the closest hill giant on the west side of the pit, while Talus leaped down into the pit and brought his weapon crashing down upon the skull of one of the dire wolves, knocking him into immediate unconsciousness. Krag remained at the pit's edge but reached down and struck another dire wolf with his own greatclub. One of the manacled giantesses lashed out at the same dire wolf, and between the two of them they managed to kill it for good. Blue Lichen and one of the other manacled stone giantesses managed to bludgeon another of their lupine foes into unconsciousness, this time undisturbed by the hill giants above who were looking about for attackers.</p><p></p><p>The hill giant under attack by Hauler swung his own greatclub at the stone giant, and the one behind him moved to aid his companion but in so doing tread upon the <em>stone spikes</em> and howled in pain, the sudden attack upon the bottoms of his feet ruining his swing at Hauler. Several other hill giants opted to toss rocks at their attackers - or at the stone giantesses in the pit below, just for good measure - but they missed more times than they hit. Krag took a lucky hit to the side of his head but shrugged it off.</p><p></p><p>Ageratum had, by this time, maneuvered herself into throwing range and tossed a kobold shortspear at the wounded giant who had tried flanking Hauler. Her weapon bounced off his thick hide armor so she threw another, with no better luck. Alistair sent Zephyr forward towards the entry to the quarry, casting a <em>scorching ray</em> spell up at the hill giant closest to Chaevaris's perch, and thus the one most likely to be in a position to try to yank her down from her sniper-spot should he catch sight of her. But now the giant had other things to worry about, as he was encompassed by the spell's blasts of fire.</p><p></p><p>Orchid cast a <em>call lightning</em> spell and brought a bolt of flashing electricity arcing down from the skies above. It hit the same giant Alistair had just targeted, but the ferocious foe still refused to fall. Up in the tree, Chaevaris shot the third of her "exploding barrel special" arrows into the broad chest of another hill giant, splashing those around him with flames. Several of the hill giants found themselves on fire as a result, their ragged hides catching aflame.</p><p></p><p>Hauler slammed his club into the hill giant he'd been fighting, as Talus did likewise from below in the pit, striking at the hill giant's knees. Krag went rushing uphill to the east, slamming the wounded and roaring hill giant who'd just been targeted by spells from both Alistair and Orchid. And with all of this going on, the manacled stone giantesses saw an opportunity and started grabbing up their unconscious children, scooping them up in their arms to deposit them upon the south side of the combat pit, the one side not covered by hill giant spectators (and thus likewise not covered by the <em>spike stones</em> spell effect). Some of them took hits from hill giant clubs from above as they did so, but Blue Lichen joined them in their efforts.</p><p></p><p>The hill giant being pounded by Hauler and Talus opted to make discretion the better part of valor, but in his attempts to flee he tore up the bottoms of his feet something fierce on the <em>stone spikes</em> and ended up collapsing forward into unconsciousness, which only managed to impale his face and prodigious belly upon the hard-to-see spikes. The other hill giant nearby focused his attention on hitting Hauler with his greatclub, taking special care not to move from the spot he was on so he didn't tread on any more of those treacherous spikes. Another nearby giant found out about the <em>stone spikes</em> the hard way when he tried advancing to aid in the attack upon Hauler, who had figured out by now not to do any advancing himself, but to let the hill giants come to him.</p><p></p><p>Two other hill giants stepped on the hidden spikes and stopped right where they were, fearful now of moving in any direction. That at least kept them occupied for a bit and out of the present rumble. Another couple of hill giants figured out it seemed safe inside the pit and leaped down into it, to attack the unarmed stone giantesses. They seemed to have no compunctions about attacking unarmed, manacled women with weapons of their own. One of the giantesses fell down under a flurry of such attacks, but she did so knowing they'd at least already gotten the kids to relative safety.</p><p></p><p>One of the hill giants wearing smoldering hides threw a rock at Krag, but the stone giant merely caught the hurled missile and threw it right back at his attacker. Another giant tried the same tactic but his rock missed, sailing harmlessly by the stone giant leader's head. Two other hill giants nearby took a moment to pat out the fires on their worn hides, while another was close enough to whack his club at Krag while he was dealing with the rock-throwers.</p><p></p><p>Ageratum threw another pair of kobold shortspears at the hill giant fighting Hauler, and this time she hit with both, each weapon striking deep. Harlan raced up past the halfling and brought his <em>flaming burst longsword</em> into the side of the same giant, nearly causing the foe to drop right then and there. Alistair cast another <em>ice storm</em> spell at a clump of five hill giants, buffeting them with hailstones from above. This was enough to knock one of the giants out, who them further damaged himself by falling into the <em>spike stones</em> spell effect. Orchid then cast a <em>flame strike</em> spell onto three of the same hill giants, knocking out another.</p><p></p><p>Activating her <em>boots of speed</em> to allow her to get in additional shots over the same span of time, Chaevaris sent a flurry of arrows at a range of targets. Her first shot brought down her first target, dropping him face-first into the <em>spike stones</em> and instant unconsciousness; her second shot hit the targeted giant but failed to bring him down; and her third shot had the last of her "exploding barrel" cloths attached to it, and it knocked out its initial target while simultaneously splashing flaming liquid onto those nearby.</p><p></p><p>Hauler swung his greatclub in rapid succession at the two nearest enemies, killing the first one outright. Talus moved along the edge of the pit, swinging up at a hill giant who hadn't been expecting attacks from this direction. dropping him backwards to be impaled onto the <em>spike stones</em> and into unconsciousness. Krag continued his attacks upon the hill giant closest to Chaevaris's sniper perch, slamming him with his new greatclub. Down in the pit, Blue Lichen helped the other two conscious stone giantesses - each still bound by manacles on each wrist - up and out of the pit, so they could carry the drugged children away to safety. The one who had been knocked out earlier they had to leave there, but she was likely safe from the hill giants with so many other more pressing foes to worry about.</p><p></p><p>Several of the hill giants tossed rocks at their enemies, one going for Krag and another aiming at Talus. One leaped down at Talus, opting to fight him in the pit where it was likely somewhat safer. Another forced himself to ignore the pain from the <em>stone spikes</em> as he moved up to engage Krag in battle. Another managed to get in a swing at Krag before passing out from the blood loss from his own sliced-up feet; he fell sideways into the pit to lie in a heap.</p><p></p><p>Ageratum advanced as close as the pit's edge and threw the last of her kobold spears at a hill giant too afraid to move and be stabbed on the bottoms of his bare feet. It pierced him in his ample belly. Harlan leaped into the pit to help Talus fight off one of his attackers, the paladin's flaming sword-blade cutting through thick hide and prodigious belly fat with equal ease. Alistair targeted one of the healthier-looking hill giants with a <em>scorching ray</em> spell, searing him with the rays of his spell. Orchid brought down another bolt of lightning from the sky and then silently dismissed the <em>stone spikes</em> spell, realizing the hill giants wouldn't know she had done so and also aware that many of the heroes were now right up at the edge of the spell's area of effect in any case and otherwise might accidentally stray onto a few spikes themselves.</p><p></p><p>Another flurry of three arrows came flying down out of the tree, each aimed at the same target, and the hill giant fell over backwards with three arrows sticking out of his chest and a dumbfounded expression on his face. Hauler leaped into the pit and started wailing on one of the hill giants down there, slamming him with his greatclub. Talus did likewise, and between the two of them the hill giant was soon dead beyond recovery. By then, the stone giantesses had gathered up the seven children and were running off with them out of the quarry, over by the edge of the forest where Nova and Shushitan guarded the heroes' mounts.</p><p></p><p>While one lone hill giant stood frozen in fear to the north of the combat pit, unaware that there were no longer any spikes surrounding him, another managed to hit Krag with his own greatclub. Krag had by this time taken quite a lot of damage, but he was still very much in the fight to free his diminished tribe. Ageratum, seeing the fight was all but over at this time, decided to get a head start on the aftermath and drew her <em>silver short sword</em>, ready to start slitting the throats of the hill giants who were merely unconscious, not dead - and heck, even the dead ones, just to be sure. In the pit, Harlan brought down one of the surviving hill giants with his flaming sword, while Alistair, still astride Zephyr to the south of the quarry, cast another <em>scorching ray</em> spell that took out one of the remaining hill giants going after Krag. And soon thereafter, after a few more bolts of lightning from the skies and swinging clubs by vengeance-seeking stone giants, the hill giants had all been taken care of, with nothing left but to ensure the death of those brought into mere unconsciousness. Despite Ageratum's preferred method of overcoming the <em>Blood Mirror</em>'s life-saving properties - a slit across the throat with a well-sharpened blade - the stone giants seemed to prefer to bash in the skulls of their foes with their greatclubs. A shattered head was as good an indicator of a permanent death, in any case.</p><p></p><p>The stone giantesses warned the heroes there were two more hill giants inside the stone giant lair, guarding the rest of their captives, but Harlan assured her they'd go take care of them next. And the two hill giants were no match for the five heroes, falling without much fuss at all. Once they were slain, the giantesses said there were still others of the invading force, but none of them were here at the quarry at the moment; like the team that had been sent ahead to fetch a sledge's worth of hill giant brew, others had been sent back to the hill giants' former lair to fetch their belongings in preparation of moving into the stone giant lair on a permanent basis.</p><p></p><p>"You need have no fears about them," promised Harlan. "Blue Lichen knows where their old lair is located - we'll make that next on our list, to go take them out." Then, turning to Krag, he said, "But I believe the red dragon laired nearby, in the obsidian tunnels you unearthed? I'd like to go check that out first, while we're here." Krag agreed at once, leading the group down into the recently unearthed tunnels, where the red dragon's lair was soon discovered - and plundered, the numerous coins and gems being brought into the extradimensional dwelling tied to Chaevaris's amulet.</p><p></p><p>"And then I believe we have only one more bit of business before we go take out the rest of your invaders on their own home turf," declared Alistair, removing the contract from a vest pocket. He proffered it to Krag to sign, and the stone giant leader did so carefully, holding the undersize pen in his overlarge fingers and dipping the quill into the bottle of ink the young sorcerer offered up before signing the contract with the clerics of Stone Keep for an order of more blocks of stone for their additions. "With our decreased numbers, it'll take a bit longer than normal to get them their stone," Krag admitted, "but we'll see to it that they get what they need!"</p><p></p><p>"Most excellent!" agreed the sorcerer.</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>This adventure brought us right to the cusp of 9th level - we each only need a few scant hundred XP to level up. Naturally, our next adventure will be tracking down the remaining hill giants (plus any ogre, orc, and dire wolf allies, in addition to anything else Dan might choose to pile on), so we can see to the continuing safety of the Karkaletch Stone Giant Clan. But due to some scheduling issues (a vacation and a business trip), we won't be playing through that adventure until 27 July 2023.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 9069068, member: 508"] [B]ADVENTURE 27: MOVING OUT[/B] PC Roster: [INDENT]Ageratum Purslane, halfling rogue 8[/INDENT] [INDENT] Alistair Mandelberen Pastlethwaite, human sorcerer 8[/INDENT] [INDENT] Chaevaris Noarunal, elf archer 8[/INDENT] [INDENT] Harlan Starblade, half-elf paladin 8[/INDENT] NPC Roster: [INDENT]Blue Lichen, stone giantess[/INDENT] [INDENT] Hauler Bagfull, stone giant[/INDENT] [INDENT] Krag Splitshriek, stone giant[/INDENT] [INDENT] Orchid, elf druid 8[/INDENT] [INDENT] Talus Legturner, stone giant[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 5 July 2023 - - - Alistair cast a [I]shrink item[/I] spell upon the corpse of the red dragon Akai Uzumaku Shi and transformed it to a piece of cloth he could roll up and pass over to Harlan. "I imagine you might make a fairly good impression on those hill giants if you plop this down at their feet and it restores to its full size," the sorcerer declared. "Then you can say something like, 'Who wants to be next?' - and they might well just surrender right there and then." "It's...definitely a possibility," agreed the paladin, taking the proffered cloth and storing it in a pouch at his belt. Personally, he doubted a force of hill giants was going to just give up that easily, but he didn't want to dampen the sorcerer's enthusiasm. Alistair then cast the spell again, this time on the corpse of Skree Mauldrive. This piece of cloth he rolled up and placed in a vest pocket. "Once we've driven out the hill giants, the stone giants might wish to give him a proper burial," he explained. Chaevaris approached, asking, "Do we head to the stone giant lair now and try to rescue them, or rest up overnight and take the hill giants tomorrow when we're at our full fighting strength?" The question was directed at Harlan, but it was the stone giant leader who answered. "Tomorrow is time enough," Krag declared. "The hill giants will not suspect anything if the dragon spends a full 24 hours hunting us down - those were the conditions of the challenge. Best we strike tomorrow at full strength." Harlan said nothing, as that was what he had decided as well. The group - all five heroes, the three remaining stone giants, and Shushitan the wolf - slept inside the extradimensional dwelling attuned to Chaevaris's magic amulet. The healers among them, Orchid and to a lesser extent Harlan, did what they could to heal up the worst of the stone giants' wounds (as well as those taken by the heroes, primarily among them Alistair and Ageratum), but a good night's rest added quite a lot to their healing efforts. Harlan apologized for the lack of giant-sized accommodations, but Krag waved them away, stating he and his two remaining men were fine on the floor with a few pillows. And thus it was the next day saw the assembled group refreshed and ready to take back the stone giant lair from the hill giants who had conquered it with the aid of the red dragon the heroes had slain the day before. Krag told them what they could expect to find at the quarry: six women and 11 children (the three stone giants with the heroes were all of the adult males remaining from his tribe, the others having been slain in the dragon's "games"), captured and guarded by an unknown number of hill giants, ogres, orcs, and dire wolves. They were only about an hour away from the stone quarry where the Karkaletch Stone Giant Clan laired. Harlan, as usual, rode in the front mounted upon Nova, his celestial pegasus. The other heroes trailed on their own mounts, Shushitan trotting happily alongside his mistress Orchid, who rode Harlan's warhorse law. The three stone giants strode beside the heroes, pointing out the way ahead. They entered a small grove of trees and Chaevaris's keen eyes spotted a set of drag-marks in the path ahead. Someone - a giant, by the looks of the size of the footprints - was dragging along something heavy, accompanied by a quartet of human-sized companions. Holding up a hand for silence, the archer gestured there were enemies ahead and the group surged forward quietly. Soon, they could hear a gruff voice calling out something in the Giant tongue; Krag translated the phrase as, "Pull harder, bitch!" Rounding a corner along the path, the group could finally see who it was they faced: a female stone giant was pulling a makeshift sledge, upon which were lashed several barrels, and sitting upon the top barrel was an ogre. A pair of well-armed and armored orcs kept pace on either side of the stone giant, ensuring she didn't drop her burden and try to flee. Harlan urged Nova into action, and the pegasus dashed forward, rearing up to kick the ogre in the back of the head with a sharpened hoof. Harlan swung his [I]flaming burst longsword[/I] from the back of the pegasus, bringing the blade slicing along the ogre's broad back with one strike and then reversing course and catching it again from the other side. The ogre cried out in pain, toppled off the side of the barrel, and landed in a heap face-down in the dirt of the forest path, unconscious from his wounds but stabilized by the power of Harlan's [I]Blood Mirror[/I] gemstone. Ageratum urged her pony Munson forward, leaping over the downed ogre to lash out at the nearest orc with a hoof, while the mounted halfling stabbed her [I]silver short sword[/I] into the orc's back. Together, the attacks of the little rogue and her pony mount brought the orc down, not only unconscious but already well and truly dead, far beyond Harlan's magic gem's ability to stabilize. Behind her, the stone giants all rushed forward, eager to join in the fray but not as swift as the heroes' mounts. Orchid sent Law rushing forward, and the druid cast a [I]produce flame[/I] spell in her hand as they advanced. She threw her first ball of flame at the orc on the other side of the sledge from the one Ageratum had just slain, but the flames missed. Then Alistair brought down not only that one but the orc beside him with a simple [I]magic missile[/I] spell, splitting the number of missiles between the two foes. Neither was dead, thanks to the [I]Blood Mirror[/I], but the sorcerer well knew that was only temporary, for their bloodthirsty halfling companion didn't like leaving enemies still breathing behind her. Chaevaris shot an arrow into the back of the last orc's head, killing him instantly. With the foes all brought down, the stone giantess stopped and set down her burden. The three stone giants recognized her at once, calling out "[B]Blue Lichen[/B]!" It turned out she was the wife of Skree Mauldrive, the giant who had died yesterday taking down the red dragon. "What's all this?" Krag demanded, indicating the barrels lashed to the sledge. "Some sort of stinky hill giant liquor," Blue Lichen replied. "They sent us out to the old hill giant lair to fetch the booze for some sort of celebration they're planning back at the quarry." "Well, that's where we're headed," Krag explained. "Only they won't find they have too much to celebrate once we get there - these heroes here are going to help us liberate our people." "Hang about," interrupted Alistair. "If these barrels are filled with liquor...." He explained he wanted to shrink down four of them after first having set them on fire. That way, Chaevaris could attach them - in harmless cloth form - to four of her arrows, and when they struck their targets, the flaming barrels would return to full size, where they'd then explode, splashing burning alcohol in all directions. Orchid helped him in his task by setting four of the barrels on fire with her still-active [I]produce flame[/I] spell. "You know," Ageratum remarked, "when you first started using that spell, I kind of wondered why you wasted your time on it instead of something flashier, like [I]fireball[/I] or [I]lightning bolt[/I]. But it's been a really useful spell." "Ah, yes, which reminds me..." replied Alistair, his face burning red in embarrassment. He reached inside his vest and pulled out a bit of rolled-up cloth. Handing it over to Blue Lichen, he said, "I'm rather afraid this is your husband's body. You'll want to hang onto it, I'm sure, until this business with the hill giants is over." Blue Lichen's stony face looked about ready to burst into tears, and for an awful moment Alistair feared she would use her husband's cloth-form corpse as a handkerchief and blow her nose into it, but she regained her composure at the last moment. "Thank you," she said, stuffing the cloth into her top. "We're about ten minutes out," reminded Harlan. "Now's as good a time as any for any long-term spellcasting any of you want to do." Alistair gathered up everyone's ammunition and cast a [I]flame arrow[/I] spell upon it, but the others opted to wait until they were closer to the quarry to do their preparing-for-combat spellcasting. Abandoning the corpses behind them (after Ageratum had ensured they were in fact all corpses), the group pressed on towards the quarry. Once the quarry was within view - and the group was still amply hidden by trees, so they could remain unseen by their foes - the spellcasting began in earnest. Harlan boosted his combat prowess with a [I]bull's strength[/I] spell, while Orchid cast the [I]barkskin[/I] spell three times: on herself, Harlan, and Ageratum. Alistair cast [I]mage armor[/I] and [I]shield[/I] spells upon himself, then sent his grackle familiar Ambrose forward to scout the terrain ahead. The black bird flew over the open quarry, spun about, and returned to tell his master what he had seen. The hill giants had made a few modifications to the quarry since Krag and his three companions had been sent out to try to avoid the dragon for 24 hours the previous day. There was now a 10-foot-deep pit in the middle of the quarry, around which the entire hill giant contingent was ringed, looking on at the activities below. Inside this new pit were three stone giant women, each wearing a set of manacles, and seven of the stone giant children, the children all lying in a pile, looking to have been drugged. And snapping at the giantesses were three dire wolves, trying to get past them to eat the unmoving children while the hill giants cheered them on from above. The quarry itself was about 40 feet deep on three sides, with the south side - the direction from which the heroes were arriving - bearing the opening to the quarry at ground level. The ground rose up on either side of the entrance, and there were two cave openings at the back end of the quarry. One of these was at ground level and led down to the lower mines where the stone giants had recently unearthed a series of magma tunnels and veins of rich obsidian; the other was about 20 feet up the north wall of the quarry (and reachable by an inclined walkway paralleling the northern quarry wall) that led to the stone giant habitations. But of immediate notice to Chaevaris was the tall tree at the southeastern corner of the quarry, from which she felt confident she could use her sniper skills to best advantage. Dropping down from her horse Talkacha, she scurried over to the tree, confident that the hill giants were too engrossed in their blood sport to notice her approach. Once at the tree, the nimble archer scurried up it, careful to keep the broad trunk between her and the giants, before climbing over to a thick branch and making herself comfortable - with any luck, she'd spend the entire combat right here. She pulled out an arrow and attached the first of the four shrunken "flaming barrels of alcohol" cloths to its tip, such that when the arrow hit its target (or anything, really) the [I]shrink item[/I] spell would be negated and the flaming barrel would return to its full size - and continue its interrupted burn. Lining up her first target, a hill giant facing her way at the far western side of the combat pit, she let fly. The arrow missed, hitting the ground at the giant's feet instead of his chest, but the explosion occurred regardless, splashing the giant's neighbors on either side with burning alcohol. The response of the giants hit was predictable (shock, surprise, and pain) while those of the rest of the hill giants was not what Chaevaris would have expected, for they merely laughed and pointed at their burning fellows, not stopping to wonder where the sudden gout of flames had come from. But the fiery explosion also served as a "combat has begun" signal for the rest of the attacking group. Seeing the flames, the three stone giant males were off like a shot, each gripping the new wooden greatclub they'd scored for themselves by grabbing living branches off of trees back in the forest and stripping them down as they traveled to the quarry. Blue Lichen ran after them, although she hadn't bothered crafting a makeshift greatclub for herself. In the combat pit, one of the stone giant women opted to take matters into her own hands, by going on the offensive. Her rock-hard fist went crashing into the side of a dire wolf's head, staggering it for a moment and at least slowing down its attack for a bit. Seeing her success, another giantess approached and hit the woozy dire wolf on the other side of his head, causing him to regret his current role as a punching bag. The third giantess punched at another wolf whose darting approaches were getting too close to the drugged children for her liking. The hill giants who'd been splattered with the flaming alcohol managed to pat down the fires burning on their hide clothes, while the others enjoyed the spectacle. Only one of the audience of 12 kept his eyes focused on the blood games down below; he punished one of the stone giantesses for fighting back at the dire wolves by throwing a fist-sized boulder at the back of her head. As for the heroes, they too were advancing upon the quarry. Ageratum, wearing her [I]bespoke armor[/I] made entirely of magically-hardened plants, ran erratically towards the quarry entrance, dashing and then stopping, trying to take on the appearance of a harmless bush should anyone be looking her way. Harlan had leapt from Nova's back and was charging towards the quarry entrance, casting a [I]bless[/I] spell on their four stone giant allies and the rest of his band (except for Chaevaris, who was already out of the spell's range) as he went. Nova, knowing his role, retreated back to the other horses to keep them safe. But of the other mounts, Zephyr was not in hiding, for Alistair had decided he might want the added speed and mobility as he cast his combat spells at the hill giants. His first such spell was an [I]ice storm[/I] cast up at the northeastern corner of blood sport spectators, catching a full five hill giants in his blast of falling hailstones. As for Ambrose, though, Alistair sent him back out of harm's way to stay by the other mounts, for he didn't want the little grackle getting hit by any of the hill giant's nasty clubs or thrown rocks, any one of which could easily squash a bird his size in one fell swoop. Ambrose, for his part, did not bother to argue against the idea. Law also broke forth from the other mounts, Orchid urging him forward. Once she had gotten a good look at the hill giants ringing their new combat pit, she was able to cast a [I]spike stones[/I] spell directly underneath each of the giants' feet and spreading out away from the pit for a good 20 feet or so. The nearly invisible spikes couldn't be used to actively attack the bottoms of the giants where they stood, but as soon as any of them tried moving they'd be in for a world of hurt. But the druid had similar feelings about Shushitan's survival likelihood in a battle against hill giants and sent him back to help guard the other horses. The dire wolves snapped at the stone giantesses, two of them missing but the third grabbing hold of a tough-skinned wrist wearing a manacle. He tried pulling her prone, but the stone giantess was too large a foe for that to be an easy task and she retained her footing. Up in her tree, Chaevaris took aim at another hill giant and let loose with another barrel-tipped arrow, this one striking the target right in the chest as intended and exploding into a ball of flames which engulfed several of his neighbors. Roars of surprise and pain erupted from the burned hill giants, who were just now coming to realize they were under attack. And now the stone giants had reached the quarry. Hauler slammed his greatclub into the head of the closest hill giant on the west side of the pit, while Talus leaped down into the pit and brought his weapon crashing down upon the skull of one of the dire wolves, knocking him into immediate unconsciousness. Krag remained at the pit's edge but reached down and struck another dire wolf with his own greatclub. One of the manacled giantesses lashed out at the same dire wolf, and between the two of them they managed to kill it for good. Blue Lichen and one of the other manacled stone giantesses managed to bludgeon another of their lupine foes into unconsciousness, this time undisturbed by the hill giants above who were looking about for attackers. The hill giant under attack by Hauler swung his own greatclub at the stone giant, and the one behind him moved to aid his companion but in so doing tread upon the [I]stone spikes[/I] and howled in pain, the sudden attack upon the bottoms of his feet ruining his swing at Hauler. Several other hill giants opted to toss rocks at their attackers - or at the stone giantesses in the pit below, just for good measure - but they missed more times than they hit. Krag took a lucky hit to the side of his head but shrugged it off. Ageratum had, by this time, maneuvered herself into throwing range and tossed a kobold shortspear at the wounded giant who had tried flanking Hauler. Her weapon bounced off his thick hide armor so she threw another, with no better luck. Alistair sent Zephyr forward towards the entry to the quarry, casting a [I]scorching ray[/I] spell up at the hill giant closest to Chaevaris's perch, and thus the one most likely to be in a position to try to yank her down from her sniper-spot should he catch sight of her. But now the giant had other things to worry about, as he was encompassed by the spell's blasts of fire. Orchid cast a [I]call lightning[/I] spell and brought a bolt of flashing electricity arcing down from the skies above. It hit the same giant Alistair had just targeted, but the ferocious foe still refused to fall. Up in the tree, Chaevaris shot the third of her "exploding barrel special" arrows into the broad chest of another hill giant, splashing those around him with flames. Several of the hill giants found themselves on fire as a result, their ragged hides catching aflame. Hauler slammed his club into the hill giant he'd been fighting, as Talus did likewise from below in the pit, striking at the hill giant's knees. Krag went rushing uphill to the east, slamming the wounded and roaring hill giant who'd just been targeted by spells from both Alistair and Orchid. And with all of this going on, the manacled stone giantesses saw an opportunity and started grabbing up their unconscious children, scooping them up in their arms to deposit them upon the south side of the combat pit, the one side not covered by hill giant spectators (and thus likewise not covered by the [I]spike stones[/I] spell effect). Some of them took hits from hill giant clubs from above as they did so, but Blue Lichen joined them in their efforts. The hill giant being pounded by Hauler and Talus opted to make discretion the better part of valor, but in his attempts to flee he tore up the bottoms of his feet something fierce on the [I]stone spikes[/I] and ended up collapsing forward into unconsciousness, which only managed to impale his face and prodigious belly upon the hard-to-see spikes. The other hill giant nearby focused his attention on hitting Hauler with his greatclub, taking special care not to move from the spot he was on so he didn't tread on any more of those treacherous spikes. Another nearby giant found out about the [I]stone spikes[/I] the hard way when he tried advancing to aid in the attack upon Hauler, who had figured out by now not to do any advancing himself, but to let the hill giants come to him. Two other hill giants stepped on the hidden spikes and stopped right where they were, fearful now of moving in any direction. That at least kept them occupied for a bit and out of the present rumble. Another couple of hill giants figured out it seemed safe inside the pit and leaped down into it, to attack the unarmed stone giantesses. They seemed to have no compunctions about attacking unarmed, manacled women with weapons of their own. One of the giantesses fell down under a flurry of such attacks, but she did so knowing they'd at least already gotten the kids to relative safety. One of the hill giants wearing smoldering hides threw a rock at Krag, but the stone giant merely caught the hurled missile and threw it right back at his attacker. Another giant tried the same tactic but his rock missed, sailing harmlessly by the stone giant leader's head. Two other hill giants nearby took a moment to pat out the fires on their worn hides, while another was close enough to whack his club at Krag while he was dealing with the rock-throwers. Ageratum threw another pair of kobold shortspears at the hill giant fighting Hauler, and this time she hit with both, each weapon striking deep. Harlan raced up past the halfling and brought his [I]flaming burst longsword[/I] into the side of the same giant, nearly causing the foe to drop right then and there. Alistair cast another [I]ice storm[/I] spell at a clump of five hill giants, buffeting them with hailstones from above. This was enough to knock one of the giants out, who them further damaged himself by falling into the [I]spike stones[/I] spell effect. Orchid then cast a [I]flame strike[/I] spell onto three of the same hill giants, knocking out another. Activating her [I]boots of speed[/I] to allow her to get in additional shots over the same span of time, Chaevaris sent a flurry of arrows at a range of targets. Her first shot brought down her first target, dropping him face-first into the [I]spike stones[/I] and instant unconsciousness; her second shot hit the targeted giant but failed to bring him down; and her third shot had the last of her "exploding barrel" cloths attached to it, and it knocked out its initial target while simultaneously splashing flaming liquid onto those nearby. Hauler swung his greatclub in rapid succession at the two nearest enemies, killing the first one outright. Talus moved along the edge of the pit, swinging up at a hill giant who hadn't been expecting attacks from this direction. dropping him backwards to be impaled onto the [I]spike stones[/I] and into unconsciousness. Krag continued his attacks upon the hill giant closest to Chaevaris's sniper perch, slamming him with his new greatclub. Down in the pit, Blue Lichen helped the other two conscious stone giantesses - each still bound by manacles on each wrist - up and out of the pit, so they could carry the drugged children away to safety. The one who had been knocked out earlier they had to leave there, but she was likely safe from the hill giants with so many other more pressing foes to worry about. Several of the hill giants tossed rocks at their enemies, one going for Krag and another aiming at Talus. One leaped down at Talus, opting to fight him in the pit where it was likely somewhat safer. Another forced himself to ignore the pain from the [I]stone spikes[/I] as he moved up to engage Krag in battle. Another managed to get in a swing at Krag before passing out from the blood loss from his own sliced-up feet; he fell sideways into the pit to lie in a heap. Ageratum advanced as close as the pit's edge and threw the last of her kobold spears at a hill giant too afraid to move and be stabbed on the bottoms of his bare feet. It pierced him in his ample belly. Harlan leaped into the pit to help Talus fight off one of his attackers, the paladin's flaming sword-blade cutting through thick hide and prodigious belly fat with equal ease. Alistair targeted one of the healthier-looking hill giants with a [I]scorching ray[/I] spell, searing him with the rays of his spell. Orchid brought down another bolt of lightning from the sky and then silently dismissed the [I]stone spikes[/I] spell, realizing the hill giants wouldn't know she had done so and also aware that many of the heroes were now right up at the edge of the spell's area of effect in any case and otherwise might accidentally stray onto a few spikes themselves. Another flurry of three arrows came flying down out of the tree, each aimed at the same target, and the hill giant fell over backwards with three arrows sticking out of his chest and a dumbfounded expression on his face. Hauler leaped into the pit and started wailing on one of the hill giants down there, slamming him with his greatclub. Talus did likewise, and between the two of them the hill giant was soon dead beyond recovery. By then, the stone giantesses had gathered up the seven children and were running off with them out of the quarry, over by the edge of the forest where Nova and Shushitan guarded the heroes' mounts. While one lone hill giant stood frozen in fear to the north of the combat pit, unaware that there were no longer any spikes surrounding him, another managed to hit Krag with his own greatclub. Krag had by this time taken quite a lot of damage, but he was still very much in the fight to free his diminished tribe. Ageratum, seeing the fight was all but over at this time, decided to get a head start on the aftermath and drew her [I]silver short sword[/I], ready to start slitting the throats of the hill giants who were merely unconscious, not dead - and heck, even the dead ones, just to be sure. In the pit, Harlan brought down one of the surviving hill giants with his flaming sword, while Alistair, still astride Zephyr to the south of the quarry, cast another [I]scorching ray[/I] spell that took out one of the remaining hill giants going after Krag. And soon thereafter, after a few more bolts of lightning from the skies and swinging clubs by vengeance-seeking stone giants, the hill giants had all been taken care of, with nothing left but to ensure the death of those brought into mere unconsciousness. Despite Ageratum's preferred method of overcoming the [I]Blood Mirror[/I]'s life-saving properties - a slit across the throat with a well-sharpened blade - the stone giants seemed to prefer to bash in the skulls of their foes with their greatclubs. A shattered head was as good an indicator of a permanent death, in any case. The stone giantesses warned the heroes there were two more hill giants inside the stone giant lair, guarding the rest of their captives, but Harlan assured her they'd go take care of them next. And the two hill giants were no match for the five heroes, falling without much fuss at all. Once they were slain, the giantesses said there were still others of the invading force, but none of them were here at the quarry at the moment; like the team that had been sent ahead to fetch a sledge's worth of hill giant brew, others had been sent back to the hill giants' former lair to fetch their belongings in preparation of moving into the stone giant lair on a permanent basis. "You need have no fears about them," promised Harlan. "Blue Lichen knows where their old lair is located - we'll make that next on our list, to go take them out." Then, turning to Krag, he said, "But I believe the red dragon laired nearby, in the obsidian tunnels you unearthed? I'd like to go check that out first, while we're here." Krag agreed at once, leading the group down into the recently unearthed tunnels, where the red dragon's lair was soon discovered - and plundered, the numerous coins and gems being brought into the extradimensional dwelling tied to Chaevaris's amulet. "And then I believe we have only one more bit of business before we go take out the rest of your invaders on their own home turf," declared Alistair, removing the contract from a vest pocket. He proffered it to Krag to sign, and the stone giant leader did so carefully, holding the undersize pen in his overlarge fingers and dipping the quill into the bottle of ink the young sorcerer offered up before signing the contract with the clerics of Stone Keep for an order of more blocks of stone for their additions. "With our decreased numbers, it'll take a bit longer than normal to get them their stone," Krag admitted, "but we'll see to it that they get what they need!" "Most excellent!" agreed the sorcerer. - - - This adventure brought us right to the cusp of 9th level - we each only need a few scant hundred XP to level up. Naturally, our next adventure will be tracking down the remaining hill giants (plus any ogre, orc, and dire wolf allies, in addition to anything else Dan might choose to pile on), so we can see to the continuing safety of the Karkaletch Stone Giant Clan. But due to some scheduling issues (a vacation and a business trip), we won't be playing through that adventure until 27 July 2023. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Ghourmand Vale (3.5 campaign)
Top