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Message: <blockquote data-quote="S'mon" data-source="post: 1350794" data-attributes="member: 463">Leo's accountThe Frost Giant JarlLeo swore this time it was going to be different. After the last disastrous expedition to the Dosk Heights he was determined he was going to be better prepared. Heracules the cambion had caught the group in a situation straight out of a nightmare. Two Rope Trick spells housing the group as it was sleeping. The only silver lining of that whole situation was that only Aos and Titania had been lost. His brow furrowed. Aos and Titania had been good, strong allies. Combined with the death of Rhianne the Woodswoman, the whole loss had been griveous. The group was determined to go back and have a final accounting with Heracules.  So, he questioned Barak and Sigurd carefully about what little they had seen of the cambion during his appearance in the Rope Trick. The observations they made were chilling. Whilst Leo had not forgotten what a fighting machine the cambion was, it was brought to him with brutal clarity by the accounts of his two companions. His strength, his speed, his footwork, his expertise, his intelligence and the various items looted from the bodies of dead adventurers made him a formidable opponent indeed. Even the strongest of warriors fell quickly to his vicious efficiency. Leo absorbed everything they said. He researched his abilities carefully, consulting with both Dovistar and Barak. There were methods of neutralising the enemy. His new headband was of invaluable help in these matters. Leo now found he could calculate, theorise, devise and evaluate at breathtaking speed. Just as he was finalising his plans, he received a message. A strange, rather odd figure was at the gates of Gaxmoor asking for him. He was described as a tall, handsome man, wearing strange clothes, a large scimitar and shivering in the cold. He was asking for Leo the White. Leo looked in askance at the guard. He had an inkling of who the stranger was but he had no idea why he was here. He accompanied the guard to the gate and saw the figure. It was Ramu Khem, the Aryptian. A stalwart warrior with strange quasi mystical abilities he had proved himself to be a boon companion whilst some of the group had been investigating Gutheron’s Tomb. He had left Gaxmoor to go back to Arypt with his fortune after the disposal of the Harmonic Armour. Leo remembered he was something in the Order of Horus, some Aryptian bird headed god. He wondered what he was doing here. “Ramu”, he said. “Its very good to see you although very unexpected.” “I have decided I wish to explore this northern land. My last stay here has shown me that there is a huge world outside my country. I wish to travel to broaden my mind.”Leo was impressed. Most of the Aryptians he met were insular, arrogant and convinced that their land was pivotal to all that happened in Ea. Ramu was an exception.“Well, if you are interested, we are in the middle of a mission at the moment.”He then proceeded to explain their last encounter in the Dosk heights, describe the cambion and relate the potential Frost Giant threat. Ramu pondered and frowned. “Your mission is just and good. If you will allow, I would like to accompany you. I hope I will be of service.”Leo was pleased. He had hoped Ramu was going to react in such a manner. So far as he was concerned, the more people they could take on the mission the better. “Shall we go to the inn where you stayed last time and I will gather the others and introduce you. I am afraid that many of the people you met are either dead or have gone. Tarquin is still here. Cho has decided she wishes to follow another path. Please bear with me. I will be back in a few hours.”Leo then left and went to the Margrave. A barrage of good news awaited him there. After exchanging pleasantries with the Margrave, Kanor rapidly told Leo his latest news. He looked tired and drawn as if he hadn’t slept for several days. “Leo, could you please come with me to Scornel in a month’s time. We are having a counsel of the Scornic League as to how best to meet the threat of the Mongali.”Leo had several solutions to the Mongali threat. Most of them involved packing and leaving but he kept his thoughts to himself. “My fort at Dendridi was destroyed and burnt by a Red Dragon. It was then seen flying off to the Dosk Heights. The descriptions suggest it was much bigger than Wormscather.”Leo groaned. Heracules and the Frost Giants, Imarr, the Mongali and now this. Just how much more trouble could this city attract. An infinite amount judging by this news.“Yes of course I will go with you to Scornel. As for the dragon, we will deal with it when we can. At the moment, as you know, we are going back after Heracules.”“Ah yes, Saphie was talking about that. Oh, just to let you know. She has just received a knight. A relative of her fiancee.”“Oh, the missing one. Has he been found then?”“I presume so. The fact that Saphie isn’t here enthusing about a journey to Imgart, makes me suspect that the news is not good. Be careful there Leo. Oh, one last thing. Sigurd has had to go back to his kingdom. Something to do with ruling it I think.”“Of course Margrave. Could you let Saphie know that we are meeting at this inn. Ramu Khem the Aryptian is back and we need to discuss various things with the others about going back to the Dosk Heights.”With those words Leo left and collected Xiang at his favourite drinking haunt, Tarquin at the Temple, Barak at the Tower, Red Ivy at the training salle and took them all to the inn. There he introduced all of them to Ramu and they talked about plans to approach the complex. Leo had gone to Carrisqui earlier where he obtained a more detailed map of the layout from Gysshk the Hobgoblin. As they were still discussing their approach, Saphie approached with a stranger. A well armoured, powerful looking man, with a large shield, a sword and an ornate helm. Obviously a warrior. Saphie said. “Hello everyone. This is Helm. He is a cousin of my late fiancee. He would like to come with us to the Heights. He is a Knight of the Griffin.”Saphie had said that as if it was meant to mean something but Leo had never heard of this knightly order. There were so many of these orders though. However, Saphie was composed and dry eyed, suggesting that she had already done her grieving. So, room was made for the two arrivals and plans were discussed. It was decided that the main method of transport was to teleport to an area close to the entrance and fly down to the ledge. From there the best thing was to go in with everything blazing. The rest of the day was spent preparing and the next day everything was ready. As arranged the group teleported to the specified location. Various spells and effects were cast. Then the group flew along the cliffside to the entrance ledge. There had been a development. Large wooden iron bound doors barred the way into the complex. The group debated briefly and then Leo used one of his few items to make an entrance into the rock, which was then used by the others. Looking in, they could see the same set up as previously. There was a hill giant, an ettin, two trolls and a frost giant standing in a large entrance chamber. As the group stepped forward they took the enemy by surprise. Leo sealed off one of the exits from the hall and Barak cast a mighty fireball. When the fire cleared away, the four figures were on the floors, badly burned and dying. The group rushed in and congregated on the exit that had not been sealed. Beyond the exit was another room with a large door on the opposite wall. Half a dozen hardened, fanatical orc warriors formed ranks with disciplined, military precision. They attacked Helm and Ivy. The doors behind the orcs opened and two more Frost Giants appeared, balancing large rocks in their huge hands. As was their wont, they threw these and wounded Red Ivy. Then Saphie this time cast a large fireball, felling the orcs and badly damaging the giants. In a fit of enthusiasm, after seeing the effectiveness of the spells, Ivy charged forward to attack the giants. She was quickly brought down to earth with four sharp blows from the giants, which left her a heap on the floor. Tarquin had to step forward quickly to save her, taking a glancing blow from one of the giants as he did so. The giants then shut the door. Leo called the others and looking at Gysshk’s map, prepared to create another doorway through the wall. The group made ready and the entrance was promptly created. It made a tunnel into the rock. Cursing, Leo made a mental note to visit Gysshk and have a word with him about the accuracy of his mapping. The doors then opened. One of the giants stepped forward, looking healthier and engaged the group’s warriors. It was soon followed by the other. However, they were still hurt and the warriors and Saphie made short work of them. The group examined the rooms quickly and then went back to the entrance chamber. Barak had reported that he had seen groups of orcs, ogres and a frost giantess in the chamber which had been sealed. The group got ready and waited for the wall to go down. They made ready and as soon as it did, two major spells were unleashed. One was a death effect, which felled most of the ogres and one of the orcs. Leo disliked using that effect. It was very expensive. Barak unleashed a lightning bolt at one orc that then forked and struck the other orcs albeit with less power. The warriors then advanced and mopped up the rest. A quick search was made of the small complex of rooms in the area which seemed mainly a dining room, kitchen and pantry. A worked narrow tunnel leading further into the depths was found. Leo sent his prying eyes into it and found several open areas. He sent a couple into another area and they did not return. Thus warned, the group formed up into a single file and followed the tunnel, using a sunrod as a light source. Although Xiang approached the dangerous area cautiously the group did not expect the combination of deathly cold breaths emanating from six wolf like creatures the size of small ponies. Xiang stumbled back several steps, his skin white, his hair and eyebrows frozen. Leo cast his last death effect. It proved quite effective, killing four of the creatures. Helm and Ramu then engaged the final two. Tarquin healed Xiang and Red Ivy  investigated a larger opening in front of the group. Chained to the floor, she found a strange seven headed reptilian beast, slightly resembling a tiny dragon but without wings. All seven head promptly breathed cold on both her and Xiang again, this time enraging him. However, the creature was not as dangerous and the warriors soon dealt with it as well as the remaining two wolf-like creatures. As the party healed, Leo sent another of his eyes to investigate another corridor. When it came back it showed him a closed wooden barrier. The group briefly discussed how to circumvent this when a flicker made Leo whirl around. Calmly, Heracules emerged from a wall just behind Barak. Leo watched in horrified fascination as the cambion stepped up and with a calculated, vicious efficiency hewed into the defenseless magician. Moving with a dancer’s grace he struck the first blow, then a second and Barak fell down, almost hewn in half, with most of his insides over the walls. Whirling in a perfect pirouette he struck another blow and Saphie fell down. Then he reversed his steps and struck two blows into Leo. Leo rocked but still stood. Heracules looked at him in mild annoyance as if insulted that he hadn’t fallen. Leo knew that he couldn’t take any more of this and he immediately cast his transport effect that took him into the entrance chamber. He vaguely hoped that the rest of the group could maybe make a fight of it. Tarquin dragged Saphie into the side cave. Helm engaged Heracules and the rest of the group made ready to receive the other denizens of the complex. These could be heard massing behind the barricade. As it opened, a blast of freezing cold affected Xiang, Ivy, Ramu and Saphie and an ogre mage appeared. Tarquin groaned as he recognised that Saphie had now died, frozen to death. Heracules engaged Helm and efficiently cut him down. He now had a clear path towards the line that was preparing to fight the orcs, which had just emerged from behind the barrier. Tarquin realised that their position was untenable. Heracules was cutting down people as if they had no defences, all their spell casters were dead or gone and they hadn’t even seen the Frost Giant Jarl and his court yet. He stepped forward and teleported with Ramu, Ivy and Xiang back to Gaxmoor. Leo was back in the Tower of the White Way. He quickly made his way to the Temple of Urnus Gregaria, hoping that more of the group had made it back with Tarquin. He was met by the survivors. Again it was a bitter pill to swallow. Barak, his old teacher, was gone forever. Saphie, the Margrave’s sister was also gone as was Helm, whom he did not get to know, but who didn’t lack courage. He would need to talk to Kanor. He had seen Heracules close and had seen his potency as a warrior. He would have to admit that they were completely overmatched. It would be suicidal to go up against the cambion again. More people would be lost. He would have to tell Kanor bluntly that Gaxmoor didn’t have a warrior who could match the cambion at the moment and that they would have to make ready for a winter campaign.</blockquote>

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