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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7798635" data-attributes="member: 16069">We D&D.Session #39 Hoard of the Dragon Queen #25 Stupid Idea plus ‘1’. Brothers of the First Light.Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 7Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 7Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 7Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 7&Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 7Secondary PCs.Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 7Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 7Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 7Note, this is session #39 of our game but only session #25 of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario.Oh, and you will have noticed that there are only five PCs present atm, the Brothers of the First Light are Lux (Human Warlock), Lummins (Half-Elf Cleric), Watt (Human Bard), Sgt Bobby (Human Fighter) and Hotlips (Halfling Rogue). It got decided, mostly via e-mail a few sessions back- the Players are going to try to stick to using the same five PCs all of the time. The other PCs- Derek Pilch (Human Druid), Hard Bonk (Half-Orc Monk) & Sgt Harald (Dwarf Fighter) & the two NPC Lizardfolk- Gawp & Ping are elsewhere- back at the Hunting Lodge, or in Parnast, or else, well… somewhere that’s not here.There’s no safety net any more.There was a vote to see who the fifth PC would be- Hotlips won by a mile, for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of her Sneak Attack and her ability to employ it (seemingly) on every Turn- which makes her a killing machine. Also, she’s very sneaky, good with traps and, well… the ultimate (combat-orientated) all-rounder, hence she got the call. She wasn’t chosen for her sunshine personality- although Sandy continues to insist that she was.DM Interlude- WARNING! There’s a lot of chatter in this session, it is however worth ploughing through it to get to the action at the end. I still can’t believe that they did what they did- just… well, read on and find out.Back to the game, and we’re in the Cloud Giant’s ice castle- the PCs have just had themselves a less than relaxing Short Rest (waiting to get attacked) and are now however feeling much less beat up, particularly Sgt Bobby who had taken repeated pastings. They’re situated in the former Red Wizard’s chamber- they’ve cleared the immediate area of enemies, and treasure. They’re next job- after a bit of a creep around by Hotlips to see if anybody’s about- they’re not, is to tidy away the bodies- a bit late but never mind.So, with two on watch and three shifting corpses- swapping over jobs at regular intervals, the Brothers get the slaughterhouse cleared up as best they can. The bodies of the (six) Ogres are dragged in to Rezmir’s former chamber, while the corpses of the other fallen (a variety of Cultists- including Othelstan & Azbara Jos, and the Drakes) are tossed overboard. You heard me right, the bodies are dragged out on to the ice platform (through the disappearing ice wall in the Red Wizard’s former chamber) and then scudded over the side, how’s that for littering- look out below!The PCs have been undisturbed for over two hours by the time they get finished with the clear up- and they’re getting a little suspicious, or else twitchy, but Lux (Sandy) remember is still in charge, her thoughts are that they should attempt to get in an Extended Rest. Audacious- the PCs are up for it, after all it mostly involves doing nothing, and if they get away with it then they’re all back to full speed ahead.Of course, it doesn’t happen.The PCs do however get enough time to have a good look at the two magic items they found on the body of Rezmir, the Insignia of Claws is identified- partially, and will be passed on to Hard Bonk (Half-Orc Monk) when they see him next. The greatsword (Hazirawn) is very interesting, the blade even has a little chat with Sgt Bobby when nobody else is around to hear. This after it has been ascertained that it is magical (a +1 weapon- they think), but perhaps possessed of a dark spirit (I was particularly vague). The blade waits until it is alone with Sgt Bobby and basically says- “Pick me, follow your destiny Luke, etc.” that kind of thing. The Fighter however is a little reluctant, he’s a sword and board kinda guy. Pete, who plays Sgt Bobby, is cautious- and educated in the ways of random magical swords formerly possessed by evil villains, and yet he coverts it. Hazirawn is put away for now, to be revisited when the PCs are out of the mess they’re presently in.As I stated previously- the Brothers don’t get their Extended Rest, at least not yet.About three hours later a whole host of bad guys (maybe, let’s see) turn up- more plume helmed Ogres (nearly a dozen of them), the two Stone Giants (Wiglof and Hulda) and most impressive of all the Cloud Giant- Blagothkus, a twenty-five-foot-tall bearded and straggly-haired (and unkempt) monstrosity.The Players are suitably impressed (and suitably terrified).It goes like this- the host troop in, Ogres first- they march about a bit (badly) and then take up a variety of positions, six of the Ogre flunkies forming a wall of flesh facing the door behind which the PCs are hiding. Actually, the PCs are all watching the goings on having been alerted to the host’s arrival, the Giants are not at all stealthy.Finally, Blagothkus makes an appearance, standing behind the Ogre wall he calls out to get the PCs attention, and then when he has got it, begins firing off questions?It all boils down to- who are you? And what are you doing in my flying ice castle?The DM does his best to impress upon the PCs that there is a world of hurt just outside of the door- if they want to pull the trigger (attack) then be prepared to suffer the consequences.I needn’t have feared; the PCs are as nice as pie- they’d love to chat.Lux is about to tell Blagothkus her lies- she’s Frulam Mondath etc. when Sgt Bobby has a thought, or else revisits an old thought, he’s still convinced (mostly) that Cloud Giants are not Evil (with a capital ‘E’). So, after a brief chat amongst the PCs/Players- and then a few subsidiary questions thrown at the Cloud Giant- they’re trying to get a read of Blagothkus’ demeanour, or mood, or possibly just his alignment, the PCs decide to change their story- to the truth, or else a version of it.Lux and Lummins, as previous, and with Watt and even Sgt Bobby helping out in places, tell the story of the Brothers of the First Light- from Greenest to here, covering a majority of the action in-between, it takes a while. Blagothkus, although at times distracted is content to listen. To make things easier the conversation is mostly conducted in the Giant tongue, and so the Stone Giants also get to listen in. The pair seem to show more interest than the Cloud Giant.And at the end of it all- well, the PCs various Skill Checks are just okay, none of them low, but then again none of them are high- all between 10 and 13, and that’s including bonuses.Blagothkus decides not to decide, or rather he issues the PCs with a warning and also hints a little at his own story- the Cloud Giant is no friend of the Cultists, he has his reasons for allowing them to use his flying ice castle, but he’s not sharing them with the PCs. There are more Cultists aboard the castle, including a Dragon- this last piece of info causes some consternation within the ranks, I’m happy to report that Dragons still have the desired effect upon Players. The Dragon is below- if the PCs can kill or scare it off then they can have half of the Cult loot that’s down there- Blagothkus is keeping the other half. The Cloud Giant, after he finishes this chat with the PCs- he informs them, will go and tell the remaining Cultists in the flying ice castle (but not the Dragon) where the PCs are and what they have done (i.e. slaughtered their Cult colleagues). Basically, the PCs and the Cultists can settle their differences, he’s not getting involved.To get a second audience with Blagothkus the PCs have to do three things (I do this a lot don’t I, it’s only looking back that you (I) notice it, there’s a lot of ‘do N things and earn a reward’, just an observation)-1) Kill or scare off (cause to flee) the remaining Cultists in the ice castle.2) Kill or scare off (cause to flee) the Dragon and secure the loot, hint it’s down below, and-3) Not kill any more of Blagothkus’ Ogre flunkies, oh and also stop throwing corpses overboard.The PCs are unhappy with the deal, but right now they’ll take it. This after Blagothkus allows them ten minutes to discuss the offer amongst themselves- the ten-minute pause turns in to a nearly thirty-minute (mostly OOC) conversation between the Players on a variety of subjects. The primary issue being the fact that if more Cultists come calling then they’ve got the Hit Points but not the spells, Lux is obviously on full complement, however Watt has only one spell slot remaining (2nd) and Lummins two (1x 1st & 1x 2nd).The PCs/Players figure they need to persuade Blagothkus, somehow, to not tell the Cultists that they’re here.And so Blagothkus’ deal is agreed to, however the PCs and in particular the charming trio (Lux, Watt & Lummins) all attempt to engage the Cloud Giant (and the Stone Giants) in a protracted discussion- about anything really. They’re trying to find a way to get on the good side of the Cloud Giant boss.Lummins, casting about for something to say, starts up a conversation about the benefits of worshipping the Lord of Light (Lathander) this in an attempt to soften Blagothkus’ stance. Also, because Rob- playing Lummins, thinks it would be tres cool to convert a Cloud Giant to the Light.At the end of his spiel he makes a Religion check ‘18’ (that’s a roll of ‘19’ minus one, Int is his dump stat), swiftly followed by a Persuasion check- that’s right, a ‘20’ (plus a wedge of bonuses). The table holds its breath, what’s a poor DM to do- I can’t just give it to them on a plate, and so…Blagothkus is interested in Lathander, although reluctant to acknowledge the divinity of anyone/thing other than the pantheon of the Giants- still, the stories Lummins tells are enlightening. He’s going to think about things. It appears that the Stone Giant pair are also on the PCs side- they’re unhappy that the Cloud Giant is working with the Dragon Cultists and say as much.But the grumpy DM (and the even grumpier Blagothkus) is adamant, a deal is a deal- he’s telling the Cultists everything; the Dragon needs to die- and no more killing his Ogre flunkies. IF (in capital letters- big ‘if’) the PCs complete the tasks he has set them then he’d be happy to hear more of Lummins’ stories of Lathander, and while he is being enlightened, he will allow the PCs full use of his flying ice castle. Obviously, he’ll maintain ownership and control of the place but if there’s anywhere the PCs want to go…I’ll be honest- there was a lot of joy in the room when the above deal was made, Pete even kissed me- gah! He needs to shave.So, kill (or scare off) the Dragon and the remaining Cultists, and no more slaying the Ogre flunkies- easy as.Oh, and Blagothkus will order his Ogre flunkies not to get in the way of the PCs, and to only fight back if they’re attacked.Eventually the Cloud Giant departs, although only after finally agreeing (after some more great rolls and roleplay, the bastards never give up) to tell the Cultists about the PCs tomorrow- the Brothers really bargained hard, and at the end all of them were involved in the chatter.They had the poor DM on the back-foot.Even the roleplay seems to be going better atm, with Sgt Bobby (Pete) now helping out and offering titbits of info garnered from many years RPing, mostly about the fact that Giants and Dragons (for the most part) don’t get on. I get that this is a bit ‘cheaty’, employing OOC info, but I’m not going to call Pete out (yet) because the new harmony is uplifting. I’ll have a word with Pete (on the downlow) later (although see below).The PCs, however, are going to get their Extended Rest.Woo- and indeed- Hoo!After Blagothkus (and his Ogres) depart the Stone Giants decide to introduce themselves properly and then hang out with the PCs for a bit- which is fairly cool. Which of the PCs/Players imagined that at the end of the day they were going to be safely ensconced in a Cloud Giant’s flying ice castle and kicking back and relaxing with Stone Giants? The pair, Hulda and Wiglof, are strangely hippyish in their outlook, and with no love of Dragons that’s for sure. Just as Pete, I mean Sgt Bobby, stated earlier- and everyone’s happy.The conversation with Hulda and Wiglof continues, the latter is the boss of the pair- and some sort of seer (perhaps). The Stone Giants are happy (after more good rolls and plenty of RP) to provide the PCs with a few more clues about their present situation-1) They’ve not seen or met the Cult Dragon, but they have learnt that the creature is a vain White, called Cloudchaser. The creature is situated in caverns beneath the Lower Courtyard, they provide directions to the Dragon’s lair.2) They know that there is another high-ranking Cultist (just one?) laired somewhere in or near to the Upper Courtyard (again they provide directions to the area). They fear that the lone Cultist is some form of Undead creature, of what variety they are unaware. They only know, from having spoken to the Ogre guards (their barracks are also in the Upper Courtyard) that the Undead creature is ‘terrifying’, and that it regularly ‘kills and eats’ Ogres. The Stone Giants believe that killing (or scaring off) this creature would certainly impress Blagothkus.3) Furthermore, Wiglof and Hulda promise that they will talk to Blagothkus and try to persuade him to help the PCs (this after yet more good rolls) although at present, they warn, the Cloud Giant is particularly down- his wife, and life-companion, died almost a year ago to the day, hence him being a grumpy bugger.The PCs are a little saddened by the Cloud Giant’s situation- mourning his beloved, they are however very much more delighted at the prospect of crewing on the flying ice castle. Sgt Bobby wants to know if they can schedule a brief stopover in Greenest, him turning up in the flying ice castle would certainly put a patch on the indignities he suffered at the hands of Cyanwrath and the Dragon Cultists back in his home town.We stop for a vote- five to nothing (one vote per PC, therefore Sandy gets two votes- Lux & Hotlips), the PCs promise the brave Sgt Bobby that they will find time to visit Greenest- if they capture (as it were) the castle. Sgt Bobby has a tear in his eye, Pete on the other hand is grinning like a chimp.And so, an Extended Rest- with no interruptions, the PCs remain in the Red Wizard’s former room- they like the idea of the disappearing ice wall escape route, and with Watt & Lux both having the Fly spell they figure they can transport all five PCs down to the ground in an emergency. That’s some good thinking right there.The next morning, after an uninterrupted night’s rest (the PCs did however set watches just in case) the Brothers awake- fresh and new and back to a full complement of powers. Then for the next two or so hours they mooch- that is to say they figure that the Cult bad guy (singular?) knows about them now, so they’re waiting for him/her to make an appearance, they’d prefer the fight to happen here- in the former Red Wizard’s chamber.Nothing happens.The PCs resolve to continue waiting.Nothing continues to happen.The PCs wait another hour.Nothing happens for another hour.And so, after another brief chat that went a little like this- Sgt Bobby “Let’s at least go for a look around?”, Lummins, Lux, Watt & Hotlips “Mm’kay”, the PCs head out for an explore. This is where they go and what they see and do (and discover)-1) The Stone Giants- Wiglof and Hulda are not in their room, Hotlips has a bit of a sneak around inside just to see what interesting things she can see/find- a huge cauldron and an equally huge chest. The Halfling Rogue however choses not to investigate either- all of the PCs like the Stone Giants and are conscious (and thankful) that these guys are on their side.2) A storeroom (sized for Giants) which Hotlips struggles for a while to unlock, I made Giant locks harder to open, they require an added Strength check- which can be assisted. Within- food, lots of it, but nothing of interest.3) Next up over the vast expanse of the Lower Courtyard to the nearest building which turns out to be a stable, Sgt Bobby has to strain to get the giant-sized door open again. Within are two Wyverns- which gets the PCs attention. “WTF is a Wyvern?” asks Sandy (Lux & Hotlips) although Jackie (Watt) was also quick on the draw. The upshot of the explanation is another question- “Why aren’t they Dragons?” which leads to a longer (and much less coherent) explanation- the answer in summary being- “they are Dragons, of a sort, just not real Dragons.” The best explanation comes from Rob (Lummins) “they’re lesser Dragons- the dumb cousins of real Dragons”, which will do for now. The physical differences are also pointed out, of course. The problem here, remember, is three of the guys are ex-Dragon Cultists and not really massive fans of Dragonkind.4) The next question of course is why are their two Wyverns here? Which very quickly leads in to excited chatter about Wyvern flying- this after a brief search turns up saddles and harnesses for the flying mounts. All doubts about the Wyverns (and their Dragon/non-Dragon status) are swiftly forgotten, flying a Wyvern would be “way cool!” Pete sounds like a fourteen-year-old sometimes.Eventually we move on.5) The PCs investigate the Cultist barracks- it’s empty, they’ve killed all the Dragonwings on board the ice castle. It’s also at this point that I explain that the bad guys they were facing (and killing previously) were in fact Dragonwings- and not Dragonclaws as the PCs thought at the time. Remember (again) several of the PCs are ex-Dragon Cultists, they know about the hierarchy of the Cult- Dragonwings are twice as tough as Dragonclaws. The PCs also (with a little help from the DM) figure out that Othelstan was probably a Dragonsoul- which is pretty hardcore. There’s no treasure here, or anything interesting to find, they move on.6) In to one of the towers situated either side of the main entrance to the castle, the PCs head up top for a chat with the Ogres there, shouting ahead in Giantish that they’re friends of the Cloud Giant. The three Ogres (Gork, Honk and Gary) are happy to chat- this after Lux makes nice for a while- “they’re lovely helmets!” Eventually the subject wanders towards the question the PCs most want to know the answer to i.e. the type and nature of the Dragon Cult Undead creature that inhabits the Upper Courtyard- “Oh, the Vampire” Gary the Ogre states, and then shivers. Gary the Ogre’s answer is afforded extra status when Watt, Hotlips & Lux (actually just Sandy & Jackie) all say (actually screech) at the same time- “A VAMPIRE!” It seems everyone has heard of them- and no one thinks the next bit is going to be easy.We break for further chats about the nature of Vampires, and in particular in this fantasy setting, at which point I chose to tame a little of the OOC chatter- reminding Pete (Sgt Bobby) and Rob (Lummins) that their PCs perhaps know a little bit less than they themselves know. To simulate this, I get Jackie (Watt) and Sandy (Lux & Hotlips) to say what they know about Vampires- and then allow the experienced duo to add a little more in-game detail. Gary the Ogre (and Gork & Honk) are pretty much forgotten about- the PCs chat goes on for nearly twenty minutes real-time. It meanders a bit but eventually arrives at the following statements (Lux = Sandy = school teacher, made a list- like she always does)- Vampires hate sunlight, they can’t go out in it- it burns them (maybe); they also hate running water; they can be killed by a stake through the heart (or a silver bullet- dagger? Spear? Etc.); they have a lair/coffin somewhere in which they regenerate; they usually have followers and can summon stuff- like rats and bats; they can turn in to things- like a rat or a bat; they can climb walls and on ceilings- even upside down; they’re very charming and lastly, they’re very tough to kill.Which is a great list, they missed a few but it’s an excellent start- and it worked well to blunt (a little) Pete and Rob’s OOC knowledge.The PCs, after yet more chat, set themselves the following task- they must find the Vampire’s lair, they (very vocally) dedicate themselves to this endeavour. Sgt Bobby and Lux even shout about it for a while- they’re getting very excited. Then once they find the terrible Undead’s lair, they will destroy it- hopefully during the day while the creature is within its coffin.All they need to do is to find the place.Gary the Ogre overhears the kerfuffle, confidently he states- “She (the Vampire) lives in the crumbly old tower in the Upper Courtyard- right at the top, careful- the place is a ruin.” Gary goes on to explain that he, and his fellow Ogres, hate the Vampire (described as a ‘pointy-eared, pointy-toothed nasty old bag’), because she keeps drinking their blood.So, the quest to find the Vampire’s lair is done- that was easy, next stop the Upper Courtyard and then the ruined tower, but first a little more chat with the Ogres. Several only average rolls are supplemented with hard cash- Sgt Bobby discovers that gold pieces can enhance his Charisma checks. Honk the Ogre has heard rumours that there is more than one Vampire- that’s not good. Gork the Ogre knows that the ruined tower can only accessed from above (the inside is filled with rubble)- furthermore he saw Blagothkus (the Cloud Giant) fly up there earlier this morning. The PCs figure this was to inform the Vampire Cultist of their deeds- they’re right.Forewarned is forearmed, as they say- the Ogres however have no more info, the Brothers of the First Light therefore make straight for the Upper Courtyard- a central spiral staircase heads down to the Dragon’s lair, and up to the Upper Courtyard. The stair however is sized for- you guessed it, Giants (or at least for Ogres) so it’s a bit of a hike.Note Blagothkus has indeed informed the Vampire of the PCs presence in his flying ice castle, and that the PCs have slaughtered all of the other Cultists (except the Dragon). The Vampire was not at all impressed with the news- but we’ll get to that (much) later.The Upper Courtyard is very like the Lower Courtyard, although it is at present home to another half-a-dozen plumed helmet wearing Ogres that are practising some incredibly badly co-ordinated drill- at any one time the squad is marching in at least three different directions.[ATTACH=full]113588[/ATTACH]The central structure in the Upper Courtyard has a number of ice towers, although only one is obviously a ruin- cracked and crumbling in places. The windows of the tower have all been sealed shut with ice, the only way in- as Gork the Ogre stated, is an ice platform about seventy or so feet up on which is located a door in to the interior, it’s another thirty feet up from there to the very tip of the roof.The PCs take a while to have a good look around the tower, circling the structure to see it from all angles- then, what do you know, it’s time for another chat.I did say there was a lot of chatter in this session, we’ll we’re almost at the end of that.Just a warning- look away if you’re of a nervous disposition, it’s time for the PCs to try something incredibly stupid, and it was all Lummins’ idea. Here it is- brace yourself.Lummins says, pretty much out of the blue- with no build up- “Why don’t I just put a Wall of Fire around the base of the ruined ice tower- maybe you pair (Lux & Watt) could hit it with a few Shatter spells in the same spot, and then we’ll see how structurally sound it is. Whadyathink?”I’ll be honest, there was a lot of giggling, also a lot of ‘Can we do that?’, and, ‘Don’t you think Blagothkus will be pissed?’ As it turns out the answer to both questions the PCs reckon is ‘yes’.The PCs (crazy) plan is basically this- collapse the tower and the Vampire laired in the upper section will either be crushed and killed in the fall or else will be thrown out in to the streaming sun light- either way afterwards the PCs will wade in and kill the Undead terror.It’s obviously an incredibly bad plan (although I’ve heard worse) but who am I to tell them that. They’ve also not figured out that Vampires can turn in to a mist- Gaseous Form.After only five more minutes of chatter- actually four minutes of continuous giggling and maybe a minute of Sgt Bobby chanting “Do It! Do It!”, well… they do it.Although, get this- they’re going to Shatter the base of the tower on the southern side, so that it falls in that direction- I love that they’ve thought of that, that they have take a (singular) precaution, and thus have fool-proofed their (crazy) plan.For those that are in to the whole verisimilitude thing then the tower is fifty feet wide and a hundred feet tall, with five-foot-thick walls of ice at the base (although remember it’s also a ruin). The structure contains the remains of three collapsed floors worth of ice-rubble. So, quick bit of maths. That’s 100 x 5 x… oh let’s say over 1,000 tons of ice.Come on the ‘20’.There are problems from the start- the Wall of Fire doesn’t reach around the entire structure- so Lummins settles for a sixty-foot-long and twenty-foot-high conflagration curved around the southern side of the tower. An instant later Watt and Lux fire Shatters spells in to the same spot- I get the guys to roll their damage, in the opening moments the ice tower takes 22 Fire damage and 44 Thunder damage.I roll my usual D20 What Happens Next dice- it’s a ‘14’.I report back to the PCs, “The ice tower is steaming furiously as the fire melts away the ice, after the quake of the Shatter spells subsides a small crack appears in the base of the tower, snakes up the side of the structure but only for a second- covering maybe twenty feet, and then… nothing, that’s it.” The disappointment is palpable, what next- any more ideas, but no- the PCs are committed.Lux and Watt hit the tower with two more Shatter spells, while the Wall of Fire continues to burn.Now before this I had in my mind the number 100, just because- 100 HP damage and something happens- that’s all. I know a 100 HP isn’t a lot but there isn’t anyone sat around the table that doesn’t want the tower to fall.I can’t remember if the Players had been drinking, but I’m going to guess that the answer to this would be- ‘yes’.I get the PCs to make their damage rolls again- another 16 Fire & 37 Thunder- the base of the tower has now sustained a total of 38 Fire damage, and 81 Thunder damage- you can see where this is going.I roll my D20 What Happens Next dice- naturally it’s a ‘1’.I lift my DMs screen so they can see it (the ‘1’), the Players parade around the table- each of them needing to witness the dice result for themselves, there’s a lot of sucked in breath.Pete invents a new mantra, it’s basically a rude word beginning with ‘F’ repeated very rapidly, and sometimes loudly- the mantra continues throughout the following-The southern side of the tower Shatters spewing out an avalanche of ice which very quickly turns in to a slushy landslide, studded with half-ton ice boulders, as it passes through the Wall of Fire.Not exactly as the PCs planned.The base of the tower is likewise wreathed in a boiling mist as a quarter or more of the ice rubble within the structure is instantly vaporized.The avalanche of ice plunges down the southern slope and in to the Upper Courtyard. The ice tower shudders, and then staggers- it seems to lean southwards and then yaws sharply and goes back the other way- north-ish.I say north-ish because I rolled a ‘1’ remember.Accompanying the following action is a sound that would possibly serve as the intro to the end of the world (probably alongside Pete’s one rude word mantra), the tower plunges in to a blue ice tower just to the north west- taking out the middle twenty or so feet of the second structure. The blue ice tower, of course, duly collapses. The PCs briefly spy the two frantically waving (and plumed helmet wearing) Ogres atop the structure plummeting to their deaths.The massive ice tower, it’s forces almost spent- with only gravity to guide it, ricochets but only slightly off the blue ice tower and then thumps down in to a structure directly to the north, crushing much of the building.Later the PCs will discover that this building is the (plumed helmet wearing) Ogre’s barracks.Silence, well almost silence- only the sound of the six (plumed helmet wearing) parade ground Ogres being crushed and killed by the top half of the blue ice tower spearing down in to their midst.Then silence, well not quite silence- there is, of course, the slow gurgling slushing shushing sound of the ongoing liquid ice avalanche on the southern side of the (former) structure as the Wall of Fire continues to blaze.Oh, and Pete’s still going strong with his mantra.Lummins stops concentrating on his Wall of Fire, it flickers and then is gone.Lux has a nice line next, she says- “I think I feel sick…”That however is the end of the session.I get some funny looks as I pack up my stuff (we’re at Pete & Jackie’s place) I think it’s because I don’t stop laughing until some time early the next morning.Jackie informs me much later that Pete stopped repeating his mantra some time the day after.See you next week, believe me when I tell you that there were a lot of e-mails back-and-forth between this session and the next.We’re getting very close to the end- the end of everything, perhaps, Blagothkus is not going to be happy.</blockquote>

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