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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 2110443" data-attributes="member: 1210">The Alamo6 p.m.The sky is clear as afternoon turns to evening, which is rare here; it usually rains in the afternoon.  Grease sizzles and drips from the cooking nose over the fire.“It doesn’t matter, he’s dead,” insists Naomi.“Oh, I don’t know,” Federico says reproachfully.  “He’s sentient.  That’s a big taboo, big big taboo.”“We’re doing it out of respect,” Naomi tries.“I don’t know,” Federico answers again.  “I’m not doing it at all.”  He turns away.With a sigh and a shake of the head, Naomi turns back to Whisperclick’s succulent nose, dangling over the fire. ***5/14/369 O.L.G., 11 a.m.Two days spent sheltering from a massive storm in a cave have passed.  Now our heroes prepare to leave to continue their explorations.Unfortunately, they have been found out.An ettin and a group of ogres- this time the heat is up even higher than before.  Wolves race beside them.  As our heroes reach cave mouth a great cry rises up, and our heroes find themselves in the fight of their lives.Wolves snap at Beau, almost pulling him down.  They reach our heroes first, being fastest on their feet; and our heroes start a staunch defense, keeping rock at their back and offering only a narrow front.  Blood sprays as Jawbreaker lays about him with his axe.  Federico uses a scroll of slow and catches both of the ogres.  But the onrushing horde makes him blanch.  Timothy catches one of the ogres in a flaming sphere, but it lowers its head and just keeps charging forward.  Ethel, meanwhile, squares off growling against a dire wolf well over her size.  She pulls it down by the ankle and Jawbreaker takes the chance to cut the wolf in half with a mighty blow of his axe!Beau cries out as one of the ogres smashes him with its club.  The ettin, meanwhile, is swinging its huge clubs at Timothy, and one knocks him flying.  An ogrish head rolls on the floor as Jawbreaker finishes it off, but the huge, feral-looking wolves tear and pull at him, trying to bring him down.  Ethel drags one of them off him.  Federico scurries over to Beau and casts a bardic healing spell on him.  The rogue groans and his eyes flutter.  Good enough, thinks the kobold, and reloads his crossbow.  Then he cries out as an ogre swings its club at him, and he scrambles back.  Timothy’s flaming sphere is suddenly right on the ogre, and it gives out a hoarse bellow.  It staggers away from the flames, swatting at the fires catching in its hair and the rude hides that it wears.  Jawbreaker laughs harshly and hacks into its leg, and it totters, then smashes him with another club blow.  He survives the impact, but he’s hurt badly.  The ettin continues to dance with Timothy, slamming him again with another blow.  He staggers away, mumbling incantations, and then touches the two-headed giant with a shocking grasp!  It gasps as all the hair on both of its heads stands up on end.  It staggers back and deals a backhanded strike to Timothy, leaving the little sorcerer on the very edge of consciousness.  He casts false life, desperately hoping it’s enough as the ettin closes in- Only one ogre is still standing.  Ethel is darting in at him, but he’s ready for her.  He swings his club in a smooth upstroke, catching her just below the chin.  She gives out a horrible, agonized yelp- and then no more.  Ethel’s neck shatters, killing her.“No!!” shouts Beau.  “Not Ethel!”  He casts a ray of enfeeblement at the monstrous ogre that laid her low, and the monster staggers.  Then he fires an arrow that lands true in its throat, and it topples over like a felled tree.Timothy cringes as the roaring ettin pulls back its two massive clubs, ready to destroy him- and then there’s the telltale sound of a crossbow loosing its bolt.  The ettin cries in pain as the bolt hits his forearm, tearing all the way through it and shattering bones, and then the giant stumbles... and falls.The last dire wolf’s head flies off with Jawbreaker’s assistance, and then, panting, our heroes shakily sit down.  ”We need to get moving,” Jawbreaker declares after only a moment.”Wait a second,” Beau groans.  “First we need to loot.”Loot they do, though they keep a watch out for other incoming enemies.  They spend only enough time to strip the monsters of obvious valuables, mostly a few coins.  However, they also find a pair of spectacles that radiate magic.  “Let’s dice for them,” Beau suggests.  “We can’t identify them, so we might as well give them to someone so they can try to figure them out.”The group agrees, and shortly they all throw Sandy’s knucklebones.  Timothy rolls best, so he puts the glasses on.  “I like them, glasses make you look grown up,” he declares.  Then he frowns, peering at Naomi.  “You have a black aura.  So do you, Beau.  Why do you have them and no one else?”The two evil members of the group say, “No idea,” at the same moment.Quickly, then, the group flees the cave, trying to find a hidden gully or something in the hills- some place where they can lay low and lick their wounds (which, once again, are considerable).  But as they move quickly, trying to put some distance between themselves and the bodies they’ve left behind, Beau stops and pulls out his bow.“Oh, no,” whimpers Federico, “what now.”“Someone’s spying on us,” Beau answers, and fires up.  There’s a squeaking cry, and then a winged scaly form comes spiraling down out of the sky, landing with a thump in front of them, barely managing to control its fall.“What is it?” wonders Naomi.  “It looks almost like you, Federico.”“But with wings,” adds Thelonious.”It’s an urd,” Federico says in wonder.  “I’ve never seen one before.”“An urd?  A winged kobold?”  Naomi studies the miserable-looking little thing.  It cringes back.  “Not much meat on it,” she comments.“We no eat it,” Jawbreaker says.  He slaps Federico on the shoulder.  “Ask what it want.  We get information.”  Squatting down, he pokes the urd with a stick.“Sure thing, Chief,” says Federico.  “Hey there, buddy,” he says in Draconic.  “What are you doing here?  Do you live on this island?  Why were you watching us?”  The urd cringes again.  “My name is Achtung,” he whines.  “My folk are slaves here.  But we heard that you’ve been disturbing things and they sent me out to beg for your help.”When Federico translates, Jawbreaker laughs.  “Stupid urd,” he guffaws.  “What do you want our help with?” Federico asks.“I don’t know.  I was just sent to see if you would come talk to our chief.”The party confers.  They don’t trust this shifty little urd, not for a second; but they certainly could use a friend or a place to hide, or both.  After some debate- and Timothy’s urging as his advisor- Chief Jawbreaker decides.  “We go with him,” he declares.  “We need place to rest, heal.” “But tell him that if he tries to screw us over, I’m taking a wing and a leg.”  Naomi glares sternly at the urd.  Even without knowing what she has said, he squeaks and cringes.Next Time: To Aid the Urds!</blockquote>

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