Friday, October 5, 2018

D&D Post Game 9-15-18 Part 3


The party made their way into the forest and began to travel in the Frost Peak foothills. This is where they lost their way. They found it increasingly difficult to follow tracks in and through the forested hills. Hour and hours were lost travelling one direction only to realize they were off the trail and needed to double back to where they started. It was several frustrating hours later when the tracks had been lost again, but they found something else. Several large shapes were stomping through the forest moving parallel to the party. It was a party of four ogres carrying large clubs, makeshift axes and a couple of bulky burlap bags. They were headed west and up farther into the foothills. The party leapt on their horses and quickly rode over to attack the beasts.

The adventurer’s leapt to action and laid into the ogres with daggers, pistol, fists and bow.  The surprised ogres didn’t have time to mount much of a resistance since they were ( somehow ) surprised by four warriors on horseback charging them from the woods! What happened next was a glorified dust up with the party sustaining limited damage and the ogres being pasted yet again. These heroes don’t take kindly to giant types and their associated ilk that was for sure. A quick recon of the scene and they party found a well-worn trail leading to a large cave in the hillside ahead. The ogres were carrying more foodstuffs in their rucksacks as well. They guessed that all this food was to fuel the voracious appetites of these large creatures. They quickly mounted up and rode off and up toward the hillside cave.

The party dismounted and approached the large and very fragrant smelling cave entrance ( think wet earth mixed with bad onions  and boys locker room ). As they stood there trying to devise a plan they were unaware that they were being watched from within the cave. See for people and horses standing outside of a cave are very easy to see if you are inside said cave and looking toward the entrance/exit. The group soon heard the approaching heavy foot falls of two rapidly approaching ogre sentries. Well it seemed that all their talking and planning was for nothing. They drew weapons and moved to a more defensive posture. Still it was only just two ogres right?

Well yes it was, but they put up more of a fight then the party expected. The rouge took a horrendous hit to the head neck and chest from a wide arcing swinging club. Even the monk was battered a bit by one of the ogres, but he was able to shake it off with help from a couple of healing potions. The quartet of heroes did their best to sneak through the dimly lit cave until they reached a large and loud chamber.


A trio of hill giants were standing and discussing something. See nobody in the party was able to understand the guttural language the giants were using to converse. Where was a dwarf or ½ orc when you needed one? They always seem to understand the phonetics of giant speak. Well whatever it was they were saying was deemed “bad” by the party. They opted for a plan that involved the rouge and monk sneaking into the large room. They would get as close to the giants as possible. Then they would attack from the shadows. The farmer turned archer and bard would then rush the room and support with ranged attacks. The rouge and monk melded into the shadows as the fighter and bard prepared to rush into the large room at the first sound of combat.

The rouge and monk approached the first of the three giants. The lumbering creatures were completely oblivious of the approaching warriors (I failed every possible perception check for  these guys, active/ passive it didn’t matter what kind of perception was being used. These giants were clueless!). The monk and rouge lashed out from the shadows at the first giant in the trio. He bellowed in agony as his two companions stood in shock at the appearance of a human and dragonman from nowhere. They grabbed for weapons and quickly joined combat. That was when arrows began to fly from the opening of the room. The bard also unleashed a blast of scintillating colors at the farthest giant. His weapon arm went slack as he stood hypnotized by the swirling twirling colors before his eyes.

The monk and rouge did their best to dodge the multitude of furious swings from the two hill giants still in the fight. Still even a glancing blow from a giant is nothing to sneeze at. They soon realized that they could not fight a protracted battle and all survive. Their archer/farmer was almost out of arrows. The bard had very few and useful spells remaining. Just then he unleashed a blast of ear shattering electrical energy at the second giant. They were also splitting attacks between two targets! They had to pull together soon as a team of they wouldn’t survive the day.

The first giant was quickly laid low under the weight of fists, feet from the monk, arrows from the fighter and the daggers of the rouge. As he fell the second giant landed a pair of crippling blows on the monk. The rouge and warrior increased their attacks, but this hill giant was a bit more battle seasoned it seemed than the first. It was putting up much more of a fight.

The third giant was still standing hypnotized by pretty colors.

As the second giant was laid low the rouge and monk had taken heavy damage. They downed a healing potion and then advanced on the last giant. The fighter’s last pair of arrows sank into the creature’s chest. The was enough pain to awaken him from his hypnotic daze. Seeing his two breather dead and a party of warriors before he bellowed in rage and with his club, delivered a devastating blow to the monk. The human crumpled to the ground. The archer fired his last two arrows. He stowed his bow and drew a small hand axe. He moved to join the melee not knowing if it was good idea or not. He was a simple farmer looking to help his family and now he was about to risk life and limb by diving into melee combat with a giant.  The bard holstered his magical flintlock pistol and began to rummage through his backpack looking for an item that could possibly save the day. The monk continued to lay prone a small pool of blood forming under his head.

The giant swung more wildly now. He too was gravely wounded but so was the dragonman in front of him. He also saw the approaching warrior with his tiny axe and the elf who had stopped shooting and casting. His simple mind saw victory and a hearty meal in his future!

The rouge was getting tired of having to constantly dodge the club swings from the giant. He was bleeding from several wounds and was pretty sure a few ribs were broken. Just then he dodged a wide arcing club swing, but missed the fact it was coming back toward him. He was knocked to the cavern floor his head swimming, vision blurring and possibly his ears ringing. No, that wasn’t it. This was a song a delightful melodic song………a song that seemed to staunch the blood flowing from his mouth and ease the pain in his shattered chest.

The elven bard stood at the entry to the room and appeared to be playing a small flute. The giant stood with a dumbfounded look upon his face as the human lying face down in front of him stood and then attacked with his sword and magical fists. The rouge rushed over and added his blades to the battle. The fighter even swung his tiny axe into the giant’s meaty thigh. The giant reeled under the renewed assault from the party. His sudden advantage was lost all over the account of some point-eared magical song. The giant staggered sideways as the monk, rouge and fighter continued to hammer attacks at him. Poison from the rouge’s daggers was now coursing through his veins. The monks various kicks and punches destroyed soft tissue and seemed to make existing wounds worse. Then there was that damned flute playing elf! The music was making it even harder to think. His head was spinning so badly for the mix of all this that he couldn’t keep his footing.

The last hill giant stumbled over the cooking fire in the center of the room spun sideways and crashed into the nearby cavern wall. Dead.

The party had survived, but just barely. They took several hours to rest in the cave. The bard kept watch at the cave entrance as the fighter helped tend to the wounds of the monk and rouge. After some rest they searched the cave and found that this was the only room. There they found the belongings of the giants (boulders, clubs and mostly garbage if you aren’t a giant) and the spoils that the ogres had been bringing them. Food! They found: bags, barrels and piles of vegetables, animal carcasses, kegs of ale, and sacks of perishable dry goods that looked to have been looted from various farms. It appeared that they were hoarding food but why? Was this for someone or something larger with an appetite to match?

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