The Orc runs up the stairs, towards the doors.  They are large double doors, fitted with dark brownish brass plaques displaying mythical scenes, as well as the names of the donors who funded the temple.  (Many years ago, of course.)

Leanna throws an ax as Heolstor gives chase.

The Orc is hit... wounded.  It turns his head to see what is happening, and gets.. bird.

Heolstor's raven was bright enough to follow the group from overhead as they traveled underwater. Smart bird.

Wounded, and now distracted by Pwyll, the Orc does not reach the doors before Heolstor and Leanna, followed closely by the others, catch up.

Except for one other...

They got the orc!   As well as being prevented from sounding an alarm, perhaps things might be learned from him, as well.

But Petra had another objective in mind...

How near to this place are the forces outside?   Close enough, that if I open the gate, they would see it open?  Or are they further back than that?

If it's feasible to let them in now, Petra will dash for the other end of the temple, and try to get the gate open.

If not, she will join the others instead. 

Heolstor's quickening footsteps brought him up behind the Hun. The Saxon knew that he had to end this last foe as quickly and quietly as possible. So far as he knew, as of yet, no alarm had gone out. He wasted little time as he came up on the orc's heels, reaching out to wrap his arm around the guard's mouth and stifle any cries for help. His blade would come up past his side then, elbow bent back like a coiled spring before shooting forward to plunge Laciersian into the orc's back.

If all this went as planned, he'd hold the guard still til he went motionless, then lay him out quietly on the temple's floor.

Feeling out of his depth Brennus trailed behind Heolstor, his sword drawn but unused. No warrior born he was loathe to strike in case it messed up the strategies of the more experienced members of the party.

He glanced at the statues and shivered unconfortably, wishing they were quickly out of this place.

1 There are doors at the other end of the temple complex , Petra realizes, but she remembers swimming through the canal into the temple pool- under the entrance.  Those doors could only lead back into town.  If there are doors to the outside, they haven’t found them yet.

On the steps leading up to the south side terrace and doors, they dispatch the last Orc in a short fight.  Outnumbered, it did not have much of a chance.   There is a silence broken only by heavy breathing.  It seems the Orcs were slain before they raised an alarm.  They might not have been expecting an attack from within.

Now, surveying the area, they see the pool is the heart of a temple complex. The doors at the north end (bottom of the map) are through the perimeter wall, and lead back into the main town area of Aquae Granni.   The doors ahead, leading south off the terrace, and the doors to the right near the big stairs look like serious doors to grand spaces. They are surrounded by engravings and statues.   The doors off to the left, the east, look smaller and simpler, with no great adornment.

Brennus had been looking thoughtful a few moments before speaking quietly to Heolstor.

"Doors leading outside of the town likely exist.  The “front doors” are the grand public entrance to the temple complex, and would not have been used for everything.  The priests would certainly want their own private entrances, and there would be an entrance or two for servants and workers and deliveries.  No Roman temple would conduct all its “worldly” business through the front door."

He paused a moment, glancing around anxiously. "Let us move swiftly; I am no devotee of this god and I am sure he knows it well."

"Our cause and actions are those that will serve him," she said softly, in response to Brennus' comment. "I think that, while it holds true, not being a devotee will be overlooked."  Gods were not so different from mortals, in that regard, by her experience.  And who could blame them-?  Existence being as tough as it was...

Brennus had a point as regarded the doors.

Petra made her way over to the smaller, simpler doors situated at the east.  Despite the lack of adornment, for any solar godling, it was an important direction.  Being the point of sunrise, as it was.

She glanced silently back to Heolstor, her 'I'm going to open these unless you think it's a bad idea,' look being easy enough to read.

Unless any contesting opinions, she will.  But will do a detect magic spell, beforehand. 

Leanna kicked the dead orc over to its side so she could collect her throwing axe from the corpse. After wiping the blood of it using the clothing of the dead orc, she puts it back on her hip.

She quietly goes to stand by the door and gave Petra a silent nod. She wasn't much of a city person, but when it came to fighting it didn't really bother her all that much.

They explore the doors to the east...

On the east side of the complex, the doors lead to a series of "supporting" chambers, with secondary roles.  The simple, basic things that had to get done.  A chamber full of mops, buckets and rags.  Another, a small kitchen.  It's been in use.  Recently.

And the next door over tells the tale:  it is a dining room.  A communal dining room, for priests, and temple workers, and for certain occasions, the public.  At least, that's what it was.

Two women are working on fashioning loaves of bread, complaining about how little they get, and oblivious to all else.  They do not notice the party.  They look poor, with ragged, dirty clothing.

Meanwhile, the Huns do not stay still.  They hear shouts in the distance, from the direction of the terrace, where the one Orc was running to the doors before being stopped.  And there is one very loud, very deep voice.

The two peasant women are astonished when they are finally spoken to. There is a feeling that maybe, they did know someone was there, and they were deliberately ignoring.  Petra and Heolstor have noticed that, with people who have spent years of servitude under the Huns.  Sometimes, noticing things can get you in trouble.  Better not to notice.  What you don’t know, and never saw, they can’t beat out of you.  Maybe they’ll return the favor and not notice that put some extra food in your pocket.

And they see, in the eyes of the two peasant women, those mixed emotions.  Fear- please, don’t involve us in your trouble making because we don’t want to get in trouble- and hope almost against belief:  are you… is it possible.. fighting back?

The two women, Arta and Gia, are assigned to the “bread detail”, but in this case, for the other Humans still living as slaves here.  The Hun masters have evidently hit upon the logical end to “how much to take from the Humans.”  They take all of it, and give back what they think is enough.  The food detail makes bread loaves and rations them out.

Arta and Gia hear the loud, deep voice, too.  They know what it is.

"Sillok, the Hunter," Gia says.  "If he is coming for you, you must go.  We did not see you.  We never saw you."

She speaks quickly, nervously, knowing that with each minute the party stays here, that fiction will become harder to maintain.

"Sillok the Hunter," Heolstor repeats with a pointed look in the direction of the terrace "I would bet that he's the one we're here for. The one with the sun god's amulet." The Saxon looked to the two women here, the bread makers, for confirmation.

"We're not running anywhere.... But we will leave you to your business. Stay safely out of sight, Arta and Gia." Heolstor made his way back out of the side chamber and back beside the pool, expecting to see their quarry making his way toward them at any moment.

"You know the amulet!" Gia says, excitedly.  "It was worn by a champion of the temple here for ages, passed down Merle's son Riotho when Merle fell, but then taken by the Huns, Riotho would not abandon this place, when so many did.  Fell in the great chamber."

She points to the great doors on the south end, where the parapet and terrace are.  Where the Orc was running to.

The other woman looks shocked that her colleague would say so much.  "Gia!" she says in a scolding hiss.  Just the name, nothing more.. it is all inferred.

Now curious, Gia looks out into the pool area, and gasps.

"You've slain three!" she says.  "Do they... no, it's too quiet.  They do not know, do they?  But they will know, soon.  Twice as big as a tall man, Sillok is, and ten times the strength at least.  He lives there, in the splendor of the temple. Mocking us, mocking our gods.  Hunting Elves.  You must escape before it is too late!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:10, Wed 09 Oct 2013.

"Then Riotho will have his justice today. I am only sorry that his spirit was forced to wait so long." Heolstor promised. "I did not ride from Lucimburic to turn back now, empty-handed and broken like a whipped cur.... My people and soldiers go on without me - so that we can be here. I will not turn back and waste that sacrifice. Either Sillok falls, or I do. Stay here, out of sight." The Saxon cautioned them both, then motioned for the others to follow him as he headed into the great chamber - where the orc had been running before.

Heolstor hadn't drawn his sword yet, but his hand hovered there, palm resting on its well-worn pommel. The Saxon walked with confidence, as if he was meant to be here - and wasn't he? The gods had brought him through fire and blood from Beda. They'd guided him this far.... Now here they were, a band of heros, in the same place as this villain.

That was no mistake, he was certain.

Heolstor entered the great chamber.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:57, Mon 23 Sept 2013.

Gloomily Brennus followed Heolstor, his own weapon drawn though it felt strange and clumsy in his hand. The aristocrat wondered just how he had allowed himself to come to this point - he was no fighter, no lover of Apollo. Gia's warning was still ringing in his ears as quietly moved on.

Heolstor's words to the women were the same sort of assurance she'd wanted to give, and thus she had naught else to add.  Her own resolve was as strong, if for different reasons.  She'd no doubt at all Silok was the adversary Mosanna had apprised her of.

And, indeed, by sacred Vanaheim today was the day he received recompense for his thieving treachery.

Still, such a giant was no mean foe.  Even when compared to some of the other things they'd faced.  Petra unslung her bow, and extracted an arrow from the quiver, ready to nock.  The quiver's enchantment allowed her to add bane for a specific enemy.

The one she held already had Silok the Hunter's name on it.

She too made her way into the chamber.

The main chamber is the largest and most splendidly decorated part of the temple complex.  It is grander in scale and style than the “priestly” temple, off on the west side.  After all, this chamber had to impress the public.  The priests could settle for comfortably spiritual.

On the wall off to the left, a dozen Elven outfits hang as if on display.  Robes... armor, cloaks.  A couple of those outfits may still have Elves in them.

On the other side of the chamber, there are a few fine, plush velvet covered chairs, and a large silver harp.

There are benches, and many have been cast aside, as they got in the giant’s way.  There are two big brass chandeliers, but they have been taken down, and one lies atop a pile of benches by the door.  Evidently, the giant did not like low hanging objects.  There are two huge rosette windows, one of which allows the light in on a raised platform, where an altar has been refashioned into a throne, of sorts.

The throne is occupied by a Giant.

The great double doors and the smaller ones lead into the same large space.  But the smaller doors open into screen walls, arranged so that people could enter and leave without being a visible disruption, during ceremonies.  No such luck from the main door.  Heolstor and the others will be quickly noticed.

Nevertheless, for just a few moments, the Giant’s attention is elsewhere, as an Orc in armor enters from behind him, with news.

”Great one, they are not Elves, they are Humans, it is strange, I do not know what has brought them so far.  We should have heard something from Hrekka, if they came straight from the west, but there has been no message.”

”How many?” the Giant rumbles.

The Orc replies.  “A small troop.  A score?”

”No threat to me.  Send messengers to Hrekka, I want her to know that this group has slipped past her without so much as a word of warning to me, and I am not pleased.”


”I go.”  The Orc says, and turns.  That’s when the Giant turns back, and the brief lull is over.  He very definitely knows he has intruders.

Encountering such a being was no little thing for Petra.

Giants figured prominently in the cosmology and lore the clerics of her faith learned.  Such Jotun were the traditional enemies of the Gods; it was even prophesied that during Ragnarok, the giants would storm Asgard, in one last, climactic battle.

Aye...such as Silok had a long history of perfidy and carnage.  And she would do everything she could to see him toppled from the mock-throne he'd appropriated for himself.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall! 

Petra moved swiftly to a position where she'd an opening with her bow:

"For the Gods you have disgraced, and the mortals you have killed! We come to end your rule here!"

Petra let fly an arrow at their nemesis -- knowing well that one alone could not fell him, no matter what the enchantment.  But the battle for Aquae Granni was now joined.

Heolstor listened to the interplay between orc and giant, drawing what inferences he could from the creatures' words. He did not know who this Hrekka was - but that seemed a question for another day. The challenge that stood before them loomed large, reducing the threats of the future to pale shadows.

And there he sat... atop an altar meant to venerate a god. Heolstor had never held himself in service to Belenus, but he was as much a god of valor as Tiw; there was a vile bitterness to seeing a being that symbolized such virtue dishonored by a murderer... And a murderer he was. If the tales he'd heard from Gia hadn't been enough to make that obvious, the silent chorus that hung limp on the room's left wall sung their own bitter and abruptly severed song. The Saxon could feel his crow's anxiousness, as the worried corvid shifted from side to side on his shoulder uncomfortably. To Heolstor's credit his features remained stolid, despite the size of the task before them.

Heolstor whispered words of power. Preparing himself for the fight to come. He thought to make himself quick-footed, knowing that he couldn't hope to match the giant's strength.

In the final moments before their bout the Saxon clasped Brennus on the shoulder quietly, remembering the younger man's earlier despair. He looked to him encouragingly, smiling with all the calmness his roiling heart could muster, as the orc announced his departure. Then with a nod to Petra and Leanna he stepped forward into the giant's gaze as his half-elven half made her play.

"You would be surprised to learn what we humans are capable of..." Heolstor announced, drawing Laciersian as his feet started to carry him forward. Pwyll took flight from his shoulder, spreading his black wings and leaping into the air to begin circling the room's interior. "...And what we can threaten!"

Heolstor's plan of attack was simple: to get in close, and strike for the monster's hamstrings. If they could bring the beast low, to their own level, they could strike home blows that would cause their foe real worry. It was well that he hadn't brought his shield: better to put all his strength behind each hit, using both hands to hold Laciersian's hilt. Besides... He doubted the thin wood and steel of his shield would mean anything against this foe.

OOC: Heolstor casts "Longstrider" and "Cat's Grace"; increasing his movement speed by 10ft and raising his dexterity by +4 to 20.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:59, Thu 26 Sept 2013.

The giant is not happy with the sudden intrusion.

"Runts," he grunts, and moves to do something about this, as Heolstor casts his spell.

Petra begins the battle, firing off arrows.  Her first deflects off the thick hide and leather armor on the giant's forearm, but the second finds a mark and plunges into his thigh.

But it looks so small, sticking into the giant like that.  Like a little needle.  It will need a lot more, to bring this enemy down.

The giant hurls a piece of broken altar.  It weighs over a hundred pounds, and it tumbles through the air, narrowly missing Heolstor and tumbling past Petra.  Already the Giant is looking for other big things to throw, and has his eye on the benches, which he moves towards.  Getting hit by one of those would not be pretty.

Heolstor darted to the side, legs moving more deftly than they ever had before. He felt the weight of the altar as it crashed down - shaking the ground around it with its mass. No, he was certain now, his shield wouldn't have meant anything here.

The Saxon continued on course. He darted, quick-footed, towards the giant's ankles. He intended to land a two handed strike along their back - an attempt to start hamstring the creature, gods willing.

Brennus followed the more experienced warrior into battle, waiting for an opportunity to strike at the giant should he expose any weak spots. He tried to keep out of sight of the brute, circling to his rear to attack from behind.

She had been tested in battle against hordes of slavering Huns, and demons of the dark Abyss.  But never before a foe who could squash her like a bug with a single blow.

As the broken altar tumbled past, it sunk in there was no margin for mistake in this fight.  No getting by with relatively superficial bruises and cuts, that might be easily healed after.

Realizing what Heolstor was striving to do, she decided to see if she could aid the effort, with a more meaningful strike.

It was no easy target, with the behemoth in motion, and looking to and fro as he was.   But nonetheless, she took aim, and attempted it.

Petra let fly a shaft for one of Silok's eyes.

No one goes head on at the Giant... and that means the Giant turns to face the one he feels is the greatest threat.

It might leave him more exposed to Petra, but this can't be helped.  And Petra puts two arrows into the giant... though not in the eyes, the Giant is turned and those eyes, while the size of apples, aren't easy targets when moving.

The Giant's mace swings towards Heolstor... and somehow, misses, perhaps the Giant underestimated Heolstor's agility.  But it breaks some floorboards in the process- one of which the Giant flings at Leanna, injuring her.

Heolstor finds the Giant's hamstrings aren't that easy to reach when the Giant is attacking him, but he manages to wound the Giant in the leg as he tries.

Meanwhile, Brennus tries to work his way around the other side.

Along the way, Brennus cannot help but notice the Elf trophies hanging as décor on the walls.

Leanna grunted as she got hit by a piece of floor board. After a deep breath she unslings her sword and follows after the warriors. She move to the opposite side of the Giant, hoping to get into a flank with Heolstor.

She swings her sword at his ankles and knees.

Twice lucky. He was faster than he had been, more agile - but how long could his luck hold out? A single crushing blow from that mace and it would all be over. Desperation drove Heolstor as he cooperated to with Leanna and Brennus - trying to flank the beast, in the hopes that at least one of them would be able to strike at the creature's heels.