Stealthing the Steading

24 Nightal

Quilro has returned to the ridgeline overlooking the giant’s timber fortress.  He relates the relative observations about the chimneys, noting the kitchen chimneys along the western side of the steading.
Kailute examines the roofing of the complex from afar, particularly interested in the amount of weight the roof could support.

The heroes keep their eyes focused for activity and threats in the vicinity of the steading.  The walls surrounding the compound are pulled tight by fiber ropes.

After several hours pass, the wind picks up and a bitter flurry begins to fall.  Yipping and howling can be heard from the eastern end of the steading.  Soon, four large hill giants emerge from the gate accompanied by eight dire wolves and a squad of four ogres.  The group mingles to the east side near the gate for a time, and then moves out to the south by southeast, generally in the valley below the party’s observation point.  The dire wolves lead, with the ogres in a skirmish line behind them and the giants taking up the rear.  The wind is blowing toward the party masking their scent.  DonBrapp invokes a quiet prayer in preparation for combat.

The giants are protected by chain, with enormous swords upon their hips and backs and each using a spear as a walking stick.  The two ogres wield clubs while the others have broadswords and are wearing furs against the winter fur.

Quilro transforms to take an aerial position while Kailute deftly shimmies up a tree.  DonBrapp scouts out a location behind trees below to establish a hasty ambush line, the dwarf making a blur with his magical speed.

The winter wolves advance first in a broken skirmish line, and all the monsters appear in lackadaisical discipline.
Approaching the tree Kailute is hidden in, the wolves begin to take the scent of something that alerts them. The ogres and giants behind are loping in a careless manner, ignorant to the growing curiosity of their lupine scouts.
Sensing the time to strike, Quilro deftly slinks below one of the lagging giants and slips his sword silently into the base of its neck as he descends.  The enormous creature slumps to the ground mid-stride.

Two ogres peer up into the tree that Kailute is hiding in, their faces contorted in confusion.

“Red-ear?!?  Make escape from steading. “You return to Snosnra now!  Serve king his food!”

Edging beyond his tree cover DonBrapp releases a lightning bolt into the nearest giant and orc, sizzling their flesh and filling the air with the putrid scent of burning hair.

Lowering his weapon DonBrapp reaches back for his well work sticks…  murmuring praise to the Dwarfmaster of Coin as he hurls them toward the wolves and monsterkin to attack.  Devilishly the serpents fall upon their pray, several injecting painful poison into the monsters bloodstream.  The hill giant is confused and swats unbelievably at the snake attack in the winter mountains.

Kailute kicks his legs from the limb and extends his axe to strike…  but flops heavily on the ground in front of the ogres who look on with bemusing arrogance.

“Red-ears no fly.  Red-ears DIE!”

Fyrnlocke moves to attack with stealth but his sword finds no purchase in the wolves to the rear of Kailute.
Slinking silently forward and inverting his blade the elf slays yet another giant with an unobserved thrust directly through the back to the heart.  DonBrapp looks upon the falling leviathans with a mix of jealousy and disgust.
“I’m never going to hear the fecking end of this…”

The ogres quickly orient to the threat and engage Kailute with their weapons landing several strikes.

The monster patrol belatedly recognizes it is in the midst of some sort of ambush, but is still disorganized and in a minor state of shock given the unlikely snake attacks and the strange makeup of the opposing party.

The holy snakes of Vergadain continue their attacks as the dwarf turns to melee the closest giant.

Quilro turns to face the ogres and nearly stumbles, belaying a swing to steady himself and duck the attack of an opposing ogre.

Kailute lands a precision strike against one of the lumbering giants, slicing its left leg off just above the calf.  The giant drops his enormous sword and falls to the snow writhing in agony.

Fyrnlocke backs up defensively surrounded by a ring of wolves, and the beasts surrounding DonBrapp unleash breath weapons of unspeakable magical cold chilling the dwarf to his bones.  One of the wolves rakes the dwarf with his claws.

Kailute pulls his winter wolf cloak around him to protect another onslaught of magically cold breath weapons.
Fyrnlocke suffers a series of claw and tooth wounds from the winter wolves surrounding him as DonBrapps snakes seek monsterflesh for their fangs.

Quaffing a potion DonBrapp floats upward 60’ above the monsters who gape with awe and fear at the reality of a levitating dwarf above them.

Suffering continued attacks Fyrnlocke manages to block some and delivery a series of counterblows to the furry monsters.

An ogre bludgeons Quilro with the pommel of his blade, learning with some surprise the reciprocal effects of a fire shield spell.

The elf thrusts another strike upon the giant whose face is incredulous at the damage he is receiving from such a small fey creature.

“Why fight?  Why die in mountains?!?” The ogre hisses at Kailute.

DonBrapp angles a lightning bolt at the foes below ripping the air with a furious noise.   His summoned snakes continue their small but relentless assault against the monsters.

Kailute fells one of the ogres with a double attack with his blades.

Quilro brings the other ogre close to death with a backhanded swing.

The dwarf arcs another final bolt that slays one of the ogres and continues to scorch the giant who cries out in fury and desperation.

All of the monsters begin to appreciate the futility of their situation but remain engaged with a single minded dedication to fight or escape.

“What the feck, Elf!  Save it for the cave!”  DonBrapp shouts as he observes Quilro quaffing a potion of healing in the middle of the melee storm.

Only one giant remains after Kailute ends the final ogre, and three winter wolves release their last breaths against the barbarian.  Fyrnlocke finally lands a series of blows on the opposing wolves.

DonBrapp’s frustration turns to laughter as he observes the last giant in the fight screaming and attempting to shake the snakes from his body.  The dwarf lowers directly toward the brute and uses the momentum to add energy to his blow, crushing the enormous skull of the giant and sending it to the ground.

“Ya see that, elf!” he shouts, and begins to loot the corpses until he notices there remain wolves engaged in melee.
Switching to the flat of his blades Kailute cowers two of the wolves into submission.

Staring at the dwarf coolly Quilro downs another of his healing potions.

Fyrnlocke fends off the wolves as the elf destroys the fleeing ogre with a magical lightning bolt.
Those wolves not subdued begin to move away, the control and influence of their masters now evaporated.
The one grievously wounded giant remains on the ground, sporadically thrashing in pain when not moaning in giant.
“Great Shnurr I surrender!  Giant surrender!”  The brute cries.

DonBrapp and Kailute finish the last wolve engaged in battle, and group loosely surrounds the remaining dying giant.
The dwarf gingerly leans in and provides enough clerical healing to prevent the giant from expiring.

Producing a map of the compound, Kailute extracts rudimentary information about sleeping locations within the steading.

“Many giants.  Strong ordnung.  Strong for Zenghyi!” He speaks dismissively of the frost giants living atop a dwarven hole.

After the questions are answered Kailute moves quietly behind the giant and slides his sword into his neck ending his life quickly.

“Shall we advance?”  DonBrapp asks, patting his blade into his palm.

“Eh, perhaps some blessings of Vergadain, dwarf?”  Kailute responds, eyeing his several bite, claw and cold wounds.
Grumbling the cleric begins to make the necessary invocations of restoration magic.

The group establishes a defensive position in their overlook, with Fyrnlocke and Kailute providing overwatch while the spellcasters rest.  Kailute further communes with the wolves to make a connection.

Deep in the night, and using the globe of darkness the group creeps along the western edge of the compound toward the chimneys lining that side of the steading.  All ascend with the rope of climbing like shadows and make their way to the side of the northmost chimney.

Quilro turns invisible and descends via featherfall down the chimney.  He emerges into a giant-sized chimney. Quilro hears the sounds of snoring to the south, and a far away din of boisterous activity to the north.

Moving south toward the snoring he notes two humanoids, an ogre and giant passed out on a table.  Two wineskins and the smell of powerful whiskey assaults the elf.  Creeping forward the elf dispatches both with his blade.

“Elf friend.  Elf friend.  Why have you forsaken me?”  A powerful voice asks within the elf’s head, his dagger reaching back into his psyche.

“I got two!” Quilro whispers up the chamber, and the rest of the party descends into the kitchen to join him.