Act II: The Hall of Snurre Ironbelly the Foul, Fire Giant King

Recap of Act I:

The adventurers have completed their quest to the hill giant steading and discharged the task put before them by the rulers of Heklamar in Act I. They returned home to that fair city, where King Ozrik rewarded them. They now realize that their quest has not ended at the steading. For Humphrey, a mage from the southern guild of magic, has taken up with the adventurers and told them that he too is on a quest.

The dark one, the mysterious character whom Bibi saw in her totem dream, is none other than Thae-Rune Ibn, a Wrathman of the Githyanki, a powerful race of beings who inhabit the Astral Plane, the realm that separates the Prime Material Plane (i.e., the plane of all normal existence) from the Outer Planes (i.e., the many heavens and hells).

Humphrey knows that the dark one carries the obsidian stone, which he believes to be the centerpiece to the Rod of Seven Parts. Humphrey learned this from his late master, who got his information from an ancient tome of history which Humphrey now carries. Humphrey pursues the dark one, and has followed him all the way from Galay, where the dark one stole the obsidian stone from the possession of the guild mages.

But Bibi, a young druid who recently joined the company, also seeks the obsidian stone. The stone has been a relic of her tribe for generations, and she believes it will allow her to control a curse that has been carried by her and her father--lycanthropy.

The party also discovered the Codex of Goil-Ward Adz in Nosra's treasure chamber. The Codex is a log of the Githyanki people kept by their ruler or a high priest perhaps--Goil-Ward Adz. The Codex speaks of the Githyanki people as having been enslaved from the Prime Material Plane millenia ago by the Yllth. It tells of the Githyanki's efforts to invade the Prime Material Plane, which they see as their ancient homeland, and how their plans hinge on finding the Rod of Seven Parts, which will allow them to bring their "Dark Queen" into the Wurld.

The adventurers set out after the dark one from Heklamar by means of a Waypoint Maker, a chain which, when laid out in a fiure "8", will transport those within its rings to a distant location upon the proper incantation. They found the Waypoint Maker, and the proper incantation with a map of some underground complex (drawn on a scroll of flayed human flesh, which Mog now carries) in Nosra's treasure chamber with the Codex. They hope the map is what they think it is--a layout of wherever it is the dark one has fled.

The Hall of Snurre Ironbelly the Foul, Fire Giant King

The adventurers have found a safe place to stow their gear that they don't want to carry into the steading, which includes much of their rations and some equipment. They bring a small amount of food and water with them of course, for they know not what will happen once they enter the hall.

Blade unstows the Dragonslayer he "appropriated" from Bruce and straps it across his back. He makes sure that it hangs a bit lower than his giant slayer. That is how he keeps tab on which sword to pull. Top is for giants, bottom for dragons.

[If anyone questions Blade about where the sword came from Bade will say that he "borrowed" it from Bruce until their quest was over. ]

According to Mog, who studied the skies all night, they are at the Top of the Wurld, in the midst of the vast mountain range that ends the reach of humankind in the northlands. No humans venture into this desolate region, which is inhabited by giants and creatures even more fell. The Top of the Wurld is home to ancient Dragons and other creatures of legend, it is said. Though the adventurers are all very well travelled, none has ever dared travel this land.

The entrance to the hall is on a mountainside about two miles away. The company makes their way slowly, searching out paths between the rocks and crags that are scattered throughout this desolate landscape. Little vegetation grows here, and the coldness of the mountain air wars with the heat rising from vents in the volcanic ground to create a fetid wind that stings the eyes and carries a sulfurous odor.

As they scramble toward their goal, Ghotu's keen eyes note something in the sky. "There," he points. The others see on the horizon what looks like a bird, though its distance is hard to measure. Soon they realize the bird is massive, and that it hunts as it flies.

"Hide!" says Ghotu. The adventurers scatter from their rocky path and take shelter beneath outcroppings and boulders. A great shadow passes over them, and Bibi hazards a peek at the great bird that flies overhead. It is a roc, a creature of myth and of mythic proportions. Its wingspan must be at least a hundred feet, and the sound of its great wings beating the air can be heard clearly as it passes.

When they think the danger is past, they take the path again, scanning the skies more carefully both before and behind themselves.

The entrance to the hall is held by two massive obsidian doors. The gate is a full 29 feet tall and 20 feet wide, and the doors themselves appear to be several feet thick. No guard is seen on the outside.

When the party is about a hundred meters from the entrance, still hidden from view of the doors by the rocks and boulders on the path, Mog says, "Mog will again surveil for guards, as he did at the hill giant fort." The orcish cleric suddenly shrinks down into a small gecko lizard and scurries toward the entrance to the mountain hall.

It is several minutes before the orc returns, or perhaps Mog had been watching them for a while in lizard form. He takes his normal shape again sitting on a rock above them, and climbs down. He takes the map from his pack and unrolls it carefully.

"One fire giant guards the entrance, and he sits behind a curtain here," Mog points to a spot on the map near the entrance [area 1 A on the map, bottom left corner near the entrance]. "Further in, down this hall, stand guard two ettins. Their four heads watch all directions." Here, Mog points to another part of the map, further down the entrance passage [area 2 on the map, bottom left section]. "Mog did not go in farther, because the ettins smelled him. They very wary, like they expect attack. The ettins will hear if we fight the guard at the entrance. He must be killed silently. He has a silver horn too for an alarm."

Mog awaits the others to help devise a strategy for entering the hall. He offers the following: "Mog has a spell that can silence a fifteen foot radius area, about as big an area as the guard room. Mog can also slip back inside the steading, but Mog cannot cast both the silence spell and kill the giant. Mog cannot open the doors mogself, they be too heavy. It will take at least Bronk and one other to open one of the doors."

"I suggest that Mog casts his Silence spell on the doors, while Ghotu and Bronc open them. Once the doors are open wide enough I can slip in and take the guard by surprise. I have my own stealth abilities as well as the elvin cloak to help me slip in unnoticed. Using the element of surpise [backstab bonus], and my giant slayer sword, I'll take care of the guard in one (hopefully) swift attack. Anything beyond that point I am uncertain of how to handle. The Ettins shall prove more difficult to either dispatch or sneak past without detection.

Bibi asks Mog if he was able to see what weapons the ettins had. She thinks that she maybe able to disarm them with warp wood.

"They each had morningstars of black metal, and spears," says Mog. [The hafts of the spears are wood, but not the morningstars.]

"Blade, Mog can cast the silence spell on you. It will last for several minutes, or until Mog wills it gone." [The silence spell will move with Blade, 26 rounds max duration.] Mog shows Blade a hand gesture to make when he wants the spell to end.

Ghotu says to Blade, "Then after you kill the fire giant guard, we should all rush down to the ettins and butcher them under the silence spell, before they can raise alarm. Blade, you'll have to get close to both of them."

Bronk offers Blade the use of his Girdle of Stone Giant Strength. "Me and Ghotu can open the door without it. But, uh, I'll be needin' it back," he says, looking at the Giantslayer sword and winking.

Bronk also says, "How many of them Silence spells you got Mog?"

"Only one. But tomorrow Mog can memorize more." [It takes Mog, and any other spell caster, 15 minutes to regain one spell level. Silence is a second level spell, so it takes a half hour to memorize.]

Bibi says, "I will follow just behind the group [using stealth in case she is out side of the circle of silence] and as soon as I am close enough to the ettins I will cast warp wood and hopefully disable their spears. I will also try to cause the wood to warp around the hand that holds it."

Humphrey addresses Mog: "I may have a supplement to your silence spell, that will surely make killing the Ettins easier." "After Blade kills the Giant, I shall make Ghotu and Blade invisible, allowing them to sneak up to the Ettins and end their pitiful lives. It should make short work of them. As a backup, I can prepare a web spell as well. What do you think Shaman?"

Mog answers Humphrey, "Mog thinks Humphrey should make Bronk and Ghotu invisible, and let Blade rely on his cloak to keep him unseen until they attack the ettins. That way all three can attack the ettins with surprise."

[NOTE FROM DM: Blade has the giant slayer, which allows only double damage on ettins since they aren't true giants--but he also gets his backstab bonus of triple damage, so he will probably do the most damage in a sneak attack. Blade isn't totally invisible with the cloak, but if he moves slowly and makes a stealth roll he can sneak directly up to the ettins. Bronk and Ghotu can attack the other ettin while invisible, hoping their combined attacks kill it. Note also that once you attack, or cast a spell, the invisibility vanishes and you are visible.]

The party continues to discuss the plan, and decides on the following: Mog will cast Silence 15'radius on Blade, while Humphrey makes Bronk and Ghotu invisible. After Blade (hopefully) kills the guard, Bronk, Ghotu, and Blade will move to attack the ettins while invisible as the rest of the party follows at a distance.

Posting Instructions: How shall the company make entry into the steading? The massive obsidian doors are very large and heavy, and require giant strength to open them. Bronk and one other fighter working together will be strong enough to open the doors. A knock spell will also cause the doors to open. Opening the doors by any means will be noisy, and the guard will surely hear and raise the alarm.

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