Beneath the Steading

Round 1:

Bruce is already attacking as this occurs. His great axe cleaves one hill giant's wrist [17 damage]. The giant's attack is foiled and it misses Bruce, who is already badly wounded. Blood still covers his face from an earlier cut on his brow.

The giant facing Bronk wields a giant sized poleaxe, really a long post with a huge axe head on the end, easily three feet across. It's downward swing misses Bronk, and the blade clangs on the flagstone floor. Bronk's blow also goes wide as the giant recovers its weapon and deflects the barbarian's halberd.

Bibi is just behind the fighters with her bow out. She chooses her shot, her targets clear above the heads of her human-sized comrades. Seeing that Bruce's giant is wounded, she fires at it hoping to finish it. Her first arrow misses, but her second hits it through the neck [natural 20 to hit, 18 points damage]. The giant falls clutching its throat, mortally wounded.

Blade moves toward the door with the stairs, and engages the first hill giant in his way. The brute misses Blade with a clumsy axe swipe, and Blade slashes its arm, nearly severing the hand [28 damage]. The hill giant falls back away from Blade, his axe dropped on the floor.

Ghotu hacks his way toward the door and Nosra, cleaving yet another hill giant in the ranks surrounding their chief and the exit stairs. He takes the giant above the knee with his axe [18 damage]. The giant returns the blow with a large mallet, which glances off Ghotu's shield [Ghotu takes 9 damage, down to 80/111].

Mog, a few feet behind Ghotu, chants briefly in his religious language and aims his rod at the hill giant Ghotu is fighting. Several bolts of light dart to the giant, searing its chest and electrifying it. The hill giant falls to the floor, smoke rising from its body.

Round 2:

Bronk and Blade and Ghotu all advance on Nosra, who slavers at the mouth, eyes red with blood rage. Bronk ducks in and clips Nosra on the leg with his halberd [16 damage], while Blade charges straight in, much unlike his normal tactic of counterstriking. The giant slaying sword guides Blade's hand as it stabs at Nosra, exposing Blade to a deadly counter attack by Nosra but making a successful attack where it would otherwise have missed [20 damage].

Nosra in his battle lust swings at Blade with his spiked club, striking home on the exposed fighter. [Blade takes 31 damage, down to 26/106.] The blow knocks Blade several feet away, among the orcs who crowd into the room from the hall. He is momentarily dazed.

Bibi fires her bow at the rampaging Nosra as Ghotu meets the now wounded chieftain's charge. Nosra's movement takes him out of the path of Bibi's first arrow. Ghotu swings his axe at Nosra, cutting him in the belly [14 damage] then in the leg [15 damage] as he moves by. Bibi's second arrow also misses. She decides she needs "combat" practice with a bow, as aiming and firing in combat is harder than it seems.

Round 3:

The combat is over, the few living hill giants are swarmed over by the orcs and eviscerated. Mog and Bibi do basic first aid on the wounded fighters, and administer healing spells. Mog casts healing spells on Bruce, Blade, and Bronk. Krulek approaches the party, and says, "Thank you white faces for helping orcs. Krulek now lead them away from here, back into the rock hills of Donga-din. May the white faces live long."

The orc woman who is Bibi's friend, Mugga, asks her, "Will you come with us princess?" [That is what Mugga calls Bibi since Bibi healed one of their elders.]

"No, I must stay here a little longer. Do remember when I told you I was looking for something that was stolen from my family? Well, I think this is where I might find it. But I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me." Bibi hugs Mugga and says good-bye.

Bruce says, "We might want to take Nosra's head, to show that we have finished him once and for all. Then we the proof we need to show we've accomplished what we set out to do, and King Ozrik must release us on his words. Otherwise, he might try to set us on a new task. And I don't have time for such things. I must tend to my empire. Beyond that, we ought to continue in these caverns and find as much treasure and magic as we might. We should probably rest for a while, somewhere else, so we can recuperate again."

"What is is that you search for Bibi? I am sure Blade would be willing to help such a young girl search for it."

"I am looking for my families most valued treasure. It was stolen many years ago. But I have been told that the dark hooded one that was here moments ago had the treasure and was taking it to his master. I am hoping that it maybe here."

Mog goes about healing the party members who need it, and asks Bibi, "What be this treasure you seek? And what know you about the dark one? The treasure must be valuable indeed if it brings you into the wilds to search for it." Still helping the others, he watches Bibi from the corner of his eye when she answers.

Bibi feels an innate trust for her new companions but she still fears telling them about the Obsidian Stone. "I'm afraid to speak its name. I know this quest will continue to put me in harms way. In spite of that, this object belongs to my family and is very precious to me. So, I must continue. I also fear that if these people are still here none of us is out of danger yet."

Mog says, "Mog too sensed great power, and evil, in the dark one. Keep you secrets for now. But the time comes when we all must know the danger we face. Mog say there be more to this alliance than just giants."

Bruce looks to Bronk, and whispers, "I hate it when the Orc starts talking like a prophet or some sort of wise man. Trouble always seems to follow." Bruce begins looting the corpses.

Check out the newly updated Trophy Room for running totals of all the creatures killed, experience points earned, and treasure gathered so far on the adventures of . . .