Post by Dead Greyhawk on May 21, 2006 21:41:41 GMT -5
The Company warily exits the burning steading. Otto is made invisible, to allow him to close with the giants and wield his sword to maximum effect. Al, the most hale of the group, opens the door. A thin line of hill giants blocks their escape, loosely blocking the road. They bombard Al with boulders, striking him thrice and knocking him unconscious.
The Company charges, those unable to do much damage dragging the dead. Otto suddenly appears by one of the hill giants, carving off the giant's arm and leg. Raven and Diego fill one of the giants with arrows. Winthrop, flying as fast as his gargoyle form can, extends the wand of steam before him and catches a third giant in its deadly cone.
The giants are staggered by this ferocious assault. Two of them fall to the ground, dead, and the archers begin peppering the remaining two with arrows, slaying one of them. When Otto turns towards the next giant, the giant flees. Unfortunately for the giant, Winthrop fills the area before him with more steam, and the giant is parboiled.
The path clear, the Company charges down the road, sorely injured and depleted of magic. The light from the burning steading turns multiple colors, purples and an ominous red color suffusing the flames. As the Company reaches the forest, it becomes clear that red mists are rising up through the flames.
The Company is sorely wounded and encumbered and the mists flow ever towards them. Up ahead of them though, a strange creature, short like a dwarf but slight like a human, clad in light armor and covered in foliage and twigs, appears. It waves the Company off the road to the left. The Company complies and a voice hisses out at them, "Humans! Get down. Get down!" With great trepidation, the Company falls to the forest floor as magics are cast near by.
A red cloud-demon floats ominously nearby, skulking through the trees. Otto feels its attention drawn to him and struggles against the urge to leap up and attempt to slay it. The cloud flows past, a mere thirty feet away, and floats away, out of sight.
The gnome, and his compatriots, lead the Company through the forest, away from the road, occassionally pausing and having the Company drop to the forest floor, screening them from sight through the use of magic. Once safe in a small cave, the gnomes congratulate the Company on their great success, the intentional burning of the giant's steading! The gnome who speaks common, Laird Fudurch, cheers the Company for their bravery and offers to lead the Company to the gnomes' hidden vale to recover. The Company agrees, especially once it is clear that the gnomes have beer.
Fudurch explains that his men have been keeping an eye on Nosnra's men and also on Groorg's men. The steading is newly built and the giants have been very active, much more so than in the past. Fudurch confides that the red clouds, the "rain of blood" as he calls them, are fearsome and led to the deaths of many of the dwarf clans. The gnomes must not be taken unaware.
The gnomes lead the Company through the mountains, traveling mostly at dark, for five days. The Company slowly recovers their health and are mainly hale when arriving at the hidden vale. The vale is defended by stout gnomish troops and the Company is given a fine welcome in the visitors' quarters of the gnomish warren.
After freshening up, the Company, some clad in armor, others not, are escorted to the reception hall, where Lord Gwaylar, Fudurch's father, welcomes them and congratulates them on the defeat of Nosnra. Suddenly, Winthrop is attacked by an invisible creature. Both the Company and Lord Gwaylar suspect treachery, with Raven shouting that illusionists can maintain invisibility while attacking and Gwaylar calling for guards as the Company casts wards and detection spells.
As the gnomes and their giant badgers rush into the room, bundling off Lord Gwaylar, Raven, Jasper, and Otto wrestle with the invisible creature, with Otto finally drawing blade and hacking it to death. The invisible creature briefly becomes visible, grey and block-like, a mixture of unnatural shapes and forms, before dissipating into a hissing nothingness. Adrienne, Al, and Oaklock try to calm the gnomes, but Oaklock is threatening death and incineration to any who come close.
The Company surrenders to the gnomes and is incarcerated in much worse surroundings than before. An angry Fudurch visits them and eventually Lord Gwaylar, having sorted through the varied stories, frees them to stay in the buildings outside of the warrens, where the sheep and goats are kept.
The Company attempts to convince the gnomes to join with them, but the experience with Lord Gwaylar has soured the gnomes on them. Laird Fudurch exclaims that the Company will have to prove themselves to the gnomes before they can be truly trusted. The gnomes provide a litany of local dangers, ranging from a young blue dragon ranging the mountains to ogres, hobgoblins, and orcs encamped within a few days journey.
The Company compares their map with Laird Fudurch's comments and decides the ogres at the source of the Davish river may align with one of the marks on their map. They announce that they will aid the gnomes in slaying these ogres and perhaps more before their return. Privately they argue about whether to try to unseat Groorg, who appears to lair in a ruined stone temple, heavily fortified by humanoid troops and potentially now by human clerics, or to head north towards Grugnir's home, to relieve the strain on Sterich. Even worse, Fudurch has said that a large city of giants exists to the west, deep in the mountains, where the giants come and trade, so all of these locations are merely outposts or forts.
The Company hikes out into the Crystalmists, following the high valleys and trails. Their path pushes them ever westward, away from civilization and Sterich, but seems to lead mainly in the right direction. Three days of hiking pass before Otto finds the spoor of goblins on the trail before them. The tracks are fresh and Hugh summons Fido, the onyx dog to track them.
Fido and Otto lead the Company through the mountains, rapidly making up ground, and discover the goblins, seventy strong, negotiating with trolls at a cave mouth. The goblin leaders hold forth slaughtered sheep as some sort of invitation or bribe.
The Company rapidly plans. Winthrop transforms into a gargoyle and summons a wall of fire around him. Rushing up around the corner towards the goblins, the Company follows in his wake. The goblins, shocked and surprised, are burnt with amazing rapidity as Winthrop closes upon them. Almost half of the goblins melt like tallow candles as Winthrop flies over them.
The goblins scatter to the wind, running for the hillsides and fleeing the ravening arc of flame. The trolls also retreat into their cave, but not quickly enough, as Oaklock summons a ball of fire onto them. Raven and Diego ply their bows with efficiency and two of the trolls fall over. The remaining trolls flee into the cave.
Winthrop continues his flying arc, burning more goblins, while the Company forms into three teams. Adrienne, Jasper, and Oaklock keep an eye on Winthrop, kill nearby goblins, and make sure the trolls stay dead. Hugh, Otto, and Diego chase after one troll while Raven, Cedrus, and Al chase after the other.
The trolls' cave splits into multiple passages, but eventually the lairs are found, foul caves reeking with mold and gore. Each troll is caught and burnt, one in its nest, the other among the piles of bones left from its prey.
The trolls' cave yields up a chest and a strange piece of wood, marked and scarred as if by a sharp object. No one can read the marks, but Winthrop suggests that it is language of a sort. The chest has been repeatedly pried open from the back, the lock acting as a crude hinge, and is full of gold coins from Sterich. Under the coins, carefully wrapped in a burlap bag bearing the mark of the Earl, are two flasks, each bearing the Earl's insignia.
The Company sets up camp, seeing this spot to be somewhat defendable, and prepares to camp for the night.
The Company charges, those unable to do much damage dragging the dead. Otto suddenly appears by one of the hill giants, carving off the giant's arm and leg. Raven and Diego fill one of the giants with arrows. Winthrop, flying as fast as his gargoyle form can, extends the wand of steam before him and catches a third giant in its deadly cone.
The giants are staggered by this ferocious assault. Two of them fall to the ground, dead, and the archers begin peppering the remaining two with arrows, slaying one of them. When Otto turns towards the next giant, the giant flees. Unfortunately for the giant, Winthrop fills the area before him with more steam, and the giant is parboiled.
The path clear, the Company charges down the road, sorely injured and depleted of magic. The light from the burning steading turns multiple colors, purples and an ominous red color suffusing the flames. As the Company reaches the forest, it becomes clear that red mists are rising up through the flames.
The Company is sorely wounded and encumbered and the mists flow ever towards them. Up ahead of them though, a strange creature, short like a dwarf but slight like a human, clad in light armor and covered in foliage and twigs, appears. It waves the Company off the road to the left. The Company complies and a voice hisses out at them, "Humans! Get down. Get down!" With great trepidation, the Company falls to the forest floor as magics are cast near by.
A red cloud-demon floats ominously nearby, skulking through the trees. Otto feels its attention drawn to him and struggles against the urge to leap up and attempt to slay it. The cloud flows past, a mere thirty feet away, and floats away, out of sight.
The gnome, and his compatriots, lead the Company through the forest, away from the road, occassionally pausing and having the Company drop to the forest floor, screening them from sight through the use of magic. Once safe in a small cave, the gnomes congratulate the Company on their great success, the intentional burning of the giant's steading! The gnome who speaks common, Laird Fudurch, cheers the Company for their bravery and offers to lead the Company to the gnomes' hidden vale to recover. The Company agrees, especially once it is clear that the gnomes have beer.
Fudurch explains that his men have been keeping an eye on Nosnra's men and also on Groorg's men. The steading is newly built and the giants have been very active, much more so than in the past. Fudurch confides that the red clouds, the "rain of blood" as he calls them, are fearsome and led to the deaths of many of the dwarf clans. The gnomes must not be taken unaware.
The gnomes lead the Company through the mountains, traveling mostly at dark, for five days. The Company slowly recovers their health and are mainly hale when arriving at the hidden vale. The vale is defended by stout gnomish troops and the Company is given a fine welcome in the visitors' quarters of the gnomish warren.
After freshening up, the Company, some clad in armor, others not, are escorted to the reception hall, where Lord Gwaylar, Fudurch's father, welcomes them and congratulates them on the defeat of Nosnra. Suddenly, Winthrop is attacked by an invisible creature. Both the Company and Lord Gwaylar suspect treachery, with Raven shouting that illusionists can maintain invisibility while attacking and Gwaylar calling for guards as the Company casts wards and detection spells.
As the gnomes and their giant badgers rush into the room, bundling off Lord Gwaylar, Raven, Jasper, and Otto wrestle with the invisible creature, with Otto finally drawing blade and hacking it to death. The invisible creature briefly becomes visible, grey and block-like, a mixture of unnatural shapes and forms, before dissipating into a hissing nothingness. Adrienne, Al, and Oaklock try to calm the gnomes, but Oaklock is threatening death and incineration to any who come close.
The Company surrenders to the gnomes and is incarcerated in much worse surroundings than before. An angry Fudurch visits them and eventually Lord Gwaylar, having sorted through the varied stories, frees them to stay in the buildings outside of the warrens, where the sheep and goats are kept.
The Company attempts to convince the gnomes to join with them, but the experience with Lord Gwaylar has soured the gnomes on them. Laird Fudurch exclaims that the Company will have to prove themselves to the gnomes before they can be truly trusted. The gnomes provide a litany of local dangers, ranging from a young blue dragon ranging the mountains to ogres, hobgoblins, and orcs encamped within a few days journey.
The Company compares their map with Laird Fudurch's comments and decides the ogres at the source of the Davish river may align with one of the marks on their map. They announce that they will aid the gnomes in slaying these ogres and perhaps more before their return. Privately they argue about whether to try to unseat Groorg, who appears to lair in a ruined stone temple, heavily fortified by humanoid troops and potentially now by human clerics, or to head north towards Grugnir's home, to relieve the strain on Sterich. Even worse, Fudurch has said that a large city of giants exists to the west, deep in the mountains, where the giants come and trade, so all of these locations are merely outposts or forts.
The Company hikes out into the Crystalmists, following the high valleys and trails. Their path pushes them ever westward, away from civilization and Sterich, but seems to lead mainly in the right direction. Three days of hiking pass before Otto finds the spoor of goblins on the trail before them. The tracks are fresh and Hugh summons Fido, the onyx dog to track them.
Fido and Otto lead the Company through the mountains, rapidly making up ground, and discover the goblins, seventy strong, negotiating with trolls at a cave mouth. The goblin leaders hold forth slaughtered sheep as some sort of invitation or bribe.
The Company rapidly plans. Winthrop transforms into a gargoyle and summons a wall of fire around him. Rushing up around the corner towards the goblins, the Company follows in his wake. The goblins, shocked and surprised, are burnt with amazing rapidity as Winthrop closes upon them. Almost half of the goblins melt like tallow candles as Winthrop flies over them.
The goblins scatter to the wind, running for the hillsides and fleeing the ravening arc of flame. The trolls also retreat into their cave, but not quickly enough, as Oaklock summons a ball of fire onto them. Raven and Diego ply their bows with efficiency and two of the trolls fall over. The remaining trolls flee into the cave.
Winthrop continues his flying arc, burning more goblins, while the Company forms into three teams. Adrienne, Jasper, and Oaklock keep an eye on Winthrop, kill nearby goblins, and make sure the trolls stay dead. Hugh, Otto, and Diego chase after one troll while Raven, Cedrus, and Al chase after the other.
The trolls' cave splits into multiple passages, but eventually the lairs are found, foul caves reeking with mold and gore. Each troll is caught and burnt, one in its nest, the other among the piles of bones left from its prey.
The trolls' cave yields up a chest and a strange piece of wood, marked and scarred as if by a sharp object. No one can read the marks, but Winthrop suggests that it is language of a sort. The chest has been repeatedly pried open from the back, the lock acting as a crude hinge, and is full of gold coins from Sterich. Under the coins, carefully wrapped in a burlap bag bearing the mark of the Earl, are two flasks, each bearing the Earl's insignia.
The Company sets up camp, seeing this spot to be somewhat defendable, and prepares to camp for the night.