Post by David on Jan 13, 2015 13:15:42 GMT -5
Taarna and Brock limp back to Bloodstone after dark. They make their way to the Inn of the Clowns for a bite to eat. There, they encounter a stranger from the Highlands interested in helping them "deal" with the giants. His name is Glenn Torbrean and with him is another Highlander, Boodan. The four then go to the Baron's keep where they meet up with Saanau, Aeronne, and Cymoril. It turns out that Wynd and Thundr never made it back to town. The group plans their next move and then heads to the Abby of St Sollars, the Twice-Martyred, for some healing from Alaric, Zomos, and even Cameron. Restored to near full strength, the heroes head back into the night to make another attack against the Bandit army's camp, taking with them Alaric's final apprentice, Barry.
The party arrives at the ledge, the plan to have Glenn weather summon a light snowstorm with clouds and use that cover to then call lightning at the giants. Unfortunately, while the party waits for the snow to arrive a wyvern makes their position and soon after a pack of worgs with ogres and hill giants attacks! Saanau's fireball vaporizes the lesser foes and Glenn's magical quarter staff starts bringing the other giants down. For some reason, Taarna's blows seem particularly ineffective, even weaker than those of the paladin (though he is no slouch!), as if she momentarily forgot how to kill giants. But, when a stone giant and three more hill giants arrive, she recalls her training and starts slaughtering. Saanau delays a second horde of giants using an ice storm. This extra time allows the heroes to finish off the first two giant bands and focus on the third group. Taarna and Glenn charge into battle. She starts hacking away but he's dropped by boulders and only survives due to Boodan's healing skills. Aeronne moves to support Taarna and together with Brock they finish off the giants. Badly beaten, however, the party is no longer in any shape for an assault.
Using nearly the last of their healing, they revive Glenn. Saanau turns he and Taarna invisible and casts a fly on her. The pair fly into the Bandit camp and hide amid the vacant goblin tents. Glenn calls lightning and unleashes it on one guard post, badly wounding the giant inside. This brings wyverns and vrock. One wyvern lands and Taarna slaughters it. Glenn calls another lighting bolt at a demon, forcing it from the sky. Another bolt stuns a vrock which then falls to its death. But at this point, the giants and demons have the heroes position and they're forced to flee. The pair fly up, but Glenn is nailed with another boulder and barely survives. At higher altitude the last vrock and demon come at the heroes. They shred their wings, killing the demon and forcing the wyvern to crash land. Taarna and Glenn then fly back to Bloodstone, catching up with the others en route.
Sometime after midnight the heroes arrive in town. They head to the inn to warm up, then to the Abby for more healing. A nap on Barry, Saanau, Cymoril, and Glenn recharges them and the party heals itself somewhat. They then wait for dawn, expecting not only Wynd and Thundr but also Shang-Lung, Rhom, Tolus, and (hopefully) Ichi. To prevent a surprise assault the heroes create a string of continual light around the entire village using light stones. Before 4am, the light reveals a force massing on either side of Bloodstone. To the north are undead and to the east goblins and orcs.
Aeronne and Cymoril head north. The paladin begins vaporizing a trail through the undead while the champion commands the skeletons to battle other skeletons in different squads. They do well...for a while. That's when five wights attack! Each are level drained. Aeronne flame strikes his group (and himself) and Cymoril hacks her lone assailant down. They then continue to attack the undead only to be ambushed themselves when the invisible, hasted shadows arrive. Aeronne, benefiting from a fly spell from Saanau, soars to safety and continues to destroy undead. Cymoril, however, is not so lucky. She does manage to command a few more of the wights to protect her. Unbeknownst to the heroes, Aeronne has already turned many more of these shadows, sending them scurrying off into the night!
Meanwhile, Saanau fireballs the orcs, incinerating them all. The heroes begin to hack their way through the goblins, Taarna and Glenn cutting a wide path, until multiple squads of hasted, invisible hill giants lead by a stone giant attack! Luckily, none of the giants are familiar with moving together invisibly, which is the only reason the heroes aren't pasted. A hail of boulders badly wound Saanau, who encases herself in a spherical wall of force. This draws off several giants who try to shatter it as well as arrow fire from a squad of goblins. Ultimately, however, the elf is forced to teleport to safety as 12 goblins get past the group and into town. Barry isn't quite as lucky -- a single boulder turns him into red jelly. As it is, although the party slays several of the giants, Taarna drops, Glenn is very badly wounded, and Boodan isn't much better. Although amazingly stealthy, the scout is no match for the several dozen goblins with attack each hero in between waves of giants. Taarna rescues each of the other two before finally succumbing to her wounds. Boodan and Glenn save her and begin heading back to Bloodstone.
The guards in town now awaken Brock, who moves to support Aeronne and Cymoril. Similar squads of hasted, invisible giants begin attacking the paladin and champion. A boulder drops the champion, causing her undead minions to defend her...and attack the giants! This gives Aeronne a chance to drink his potion of growth and start wading in. Unfortunately for Brock, as the cleric tries to save the champion, he doesn't see the squad of wights coming up behind him. Two levels gone. He tries to fight back and loses two more levels. Aeronne ignores his own foes and removes several wights from Brock, but the cleric is now first level. The paladin, meanwhile, is under a withering barrage of boulders from the hasted giants...
In Bloodstone are 12 goblins and two squads of zombies. Aeronne is battling two wights -- one at full strength and the other at 2hps. Brock faces only one wight left, but it is at full +8! About 150' away at the edge of the woods are two hill giants and a stone giant and a similar squad is about the same distance but near the road.
Status:
Saanau: 13 of 65, 7gbs, cast MM / d.invis, IMMx4 / FBx3 / / TP, force
Aeronne: 12 of 75, -1 lvl, -4 STR, used Flame Strike ring, standing FLY
Brock: 7 of
, 8gbs, -6 lvls (-3 lvls perm), cast jump, CLWx4 / STR, aid, remove / / CSW
Taarna: 6 of 92, cast CLWx2
Glenn: 2 of 67, 8gbs, used spear and ring, standing FLY and 18/00
Boodan: 10 of 73, 8gbs
Cymoril: -4 of 58, -1 lvl, -3 STR
The party arrives at the ledge, the plan to have Glenn weather summon a light snowstorm with clouds and use that cover to then call lightning at the giants. Unfortunately, while the party waits for the snow to arrive a wyvern makes their position and soon after a pack of worgs with ogres and hill giants attacks! Saanau's fireball vaporizes the lesser foes and Glenn's magical quarter staff starts bringing the other giants down. For some reason, Taarna's blows seem particularly ineffective, even weaker than those of the paladin (though he is no slouch!), as if she momentarily forgot how to kill giants. But, when a stone giant and three more hill giants arrive, she recalls her training and starts slaughtering. Saanau delays a second horde of giants using an ice storm. This extra time allows the heroes to finish off the first two giant bands and focus on the third group. Taarna and Glenn charge into battle. She starts hacking away but he's dropped by boulders and only survives due to Boodan's healing skills. Aeronne moves to support Taarna and together with Brock they finish off the giants. Badly beaten, however, the party is no longer in any shape for an assault.
Using nearly the last of their healing, they revive Glenn. Saanau turns he and Taarna invisible and casts a fly on her. The pair fly into the Bandit camp and hide amid the vacant goblin tents. Glenn calls lightning and unleashes it on one guard post, badly wounding the giant inside. This brings wyverns and vrock. One wyvern lands and Taarna slaughters it. Glenn calls another lighting bolt at a demon, forcing it from the sky. Another bolt stuns a vrock which then falls to its death. But at this point, the giants and demons have the heroes position and they're forced to flee. The pair fly up, but Glenn is nailed with another boulder and barely survives. At higher altitude the last vrock and demon come at the heroes. They shred their wings, killing the demon and forcing the wyvern to crash land. Taarna and Glenn then fly back to Bloodstone, catching up with the others en route.
Sometime after midnight the heroes arrive in town. They head to the inn to warm up, then to the Abby for more healing. A nap on Barry, Saanau, Cymoril, and Glenn recharges them and the party heals itself somewhat. They then wait for dawn, expecting not only Wynd and Thundr but also Shang-Lung, Rhom, Tolus, and (hopefully) Ichi. To prevent a surprise assault the heroes create a string of continual light around the entire village using light stones. Before 4am, the light reveals a force massing on either side of Bloodstone. To the north are undead and to the east goblins and orcs.
Aeronne and Cymoril head north. The paladin begins vaporizing a trail through the undead while the champion commands the skeletons to battle other skeletons in different squads. They do well...for a while. That's when five wights attack! Each are level drained. Aeronne flame strikes his group (and himself) and Cymoril hacks her lone assailant down. They then continue to attack the undead only to be ambushed themselves when the invisible, hasted shadows arrive. Aeronne, benefiting from a fly spell from Saanau, soars to safety and continues to destroy undead. Cymoril, however, is not so lucky. She does manage to command a few more of the wights to protect her. Unbeknownst to the heroes, Aeronne has already turned many more of these shadows, sending them scurrying off into the night!
Meanwhile, Saanau fireballs the orcs, incinerating them all. The heroes begin to hack their way through the goblins, Taarna and Glenn cutting a wide path, until multiple squads of hasted, invisible hill giants lead by a stone giant attack! Luckily, none of the giants are familiar with moving together invisibly, which is the only reason the heroes aren't pasted. A hail of boulders badly wound Saanau, who encases herself in a spherical wall of force. This draws off several giants who try to shatter it as well as arrow fire from a squad of goblins. Ultimately, however, the elf is forced to teleport to safety as 12 goblins get past the group and into town. Barry isn't quite as lucky -- a single boulder turns him into red jelly. As it is, although the party slays several of the giants, Taarna drops, Glenn is very badly wounded, and Boodan isn't much better. Although amazingly stealthy, the scout is no match for the several dozen goblins with attack each hero in between waves of giants. Taarna rescues each of the other two before finally succumbing to her wounds. Boodan and Glenn save her and begin heading back to Bloodstone.
The guards in town now awaken Brock, who moves to support Aeronne and Cymoril. Similar squads of hasted, invisible giants begin attacking the paladin and champion. A boulder drops the champion, causing her undead minions to defend her...and attack the giants! This gives Aeronne a chance to drink his potion of growth and start wading in. Unfortunately for Brock, as the cleric tries to save the champion, he doesn't see the squad of wights coming up behind him. Two levels gone. He tries to fight back and loses two more levels. Aeronne ignores his own foes and removes several wights from Brock, but the cleric is now first level. The paladin, meanwhile, is under a withering barrage of boulders from the hasted giants...
In Bloodstone are 12 goblins and two squads of zombies. Aeronne is battling two wights -- one at full strength and the other at 2hps. Brock faces only one wight left, but it is at full +8! About 150' away at the edge of the woods are two hill giants and a stone giant and a similar squad is about the same distance but near the road.
Status:
Saanau: 13 of 65, 7gbs, cast MM / d.invis, IMMx4 / FBx3 / / TP, force
Aeronne: 12 of 75, -1 lvl, -4 STR, used Flame Strike ring, standing FLY
Brock: 7 of
, 8gbs, -6 lvls (-3 lvls perm), cast jump, CLWx4 / STR, aid, remove / / CSWTaarna: 6 of 92, cast CLWx2
Glenn: 2 of 67, 8gbs, used spear and ring, standing FLY and 18/00
Boodan: 10 of 73, 8gbs
Cymoril: -4 of 58, -1 lvl, -3 STR