Underneath the Giants

As the later hours of 25 Nightal presses forth, the group takes a short break in the enormous passages below the steading.

DonBrapp, Durnkin and the other Oriothar dwarves gather to break the break summoned from Vergadain’s favor.

They speak of Oriorthorken, an ancillary hold from Hillsafar Hall.  It is clear that Bloodstone is a top level interest of human miners;  far more wealth exists below that that the dwarves know of and could extract.

The Oriothar clan probably consisted of nearly 700 dwarves, until being overrun by Duergar assisted by fell shadows and horrible fiends not even found within the depths of drow caverns.

The Bloodstone mines appear to be the center of gravity for attacks from below.

The disunity of Damara allowed the outlying baronies to be undermined from within.  There are likely several hundred cells of dwarven warriors hiding, patrolling, and ambushing Zengyis troops throughout the Galenas.

“The act of parting with ones own coin, freely, as a gift…  it is the highest compliment Vergadain can bestow.”  DonBrapp remarks to the assembled dwarves, as Durnkin observes silently.

“What if I were to ascend, and offer myself as an agent of this Zengyi?”  Kailute asks.  All of the dwarves stare silently in reproach.

DonBrapp calls forth his divine healing to those arrayed nearby to ensure the party is able to fight their way back to the surface.

“No feckin’ surprise there, eh dwarf?” Fyrnclocke scowls.

“You look better ready to fight than I, Human!”  DonBrapp retorts.

“I’ve not been this long without a taste of flesh since…  perhaps youth.  It vexes me.  Who has drink to share?” Tanthalas sneers, breaking up the discussion.

The group arrays for camp in the long hallway leading to the pool of water.

“You’re taking a fecking watch, human.”  DonBrapp snorts to Fyrnlocke as he puts his nose into a religious text.

A couple hours into his watch he heads over to the reverent dwarf.

“Heard something.”

“What’d ye hear?”

“Monsters.  Maybe.  Then they left.” Says, and then moves to wake Kailute for his watch.

“KAILUTE!  AWAKE!” DonBrapp hisses before the thief can wake him.

The dwarf relates the information spitefully out of his lost studies as Fyrnlocke bundles his gear beneath his head and retires.  Aside from the slight burble of streamwater to the north the underground is as silent as a giant’s tomb.

Early hours of 26 Nightal, after advising the former prisoners that bathing in the pool of the water to the north is too dangerous.  Crestfallen, the fetid unwashed resign to delaying their cleanliness until they make their way to the surface.

The group makes its way back to the large marshalling area with Quilro in the lead, his sharp eyes surveying the floor and passageways for any indicators of traps.

In the open room, DonBrapp calls forth a weak call of healing for Fyrnlocke.

Peering up the staircase the thief can see it has been filled with furniture.  Cabinets, shelving, smashed tables make an obstacle of pantry objects thrown from above.  A faint flicker of candlelight illuminates the spaces through the debris, but not enough to observe what is in the room.

DonBrapp casts silence upon a small stone, and summons forth his zombie giant cohort to begin removing the furniture and debris from the ascending passageway.

After several minutes of activity the giants begin to clear a path, and the room above comes into some view.   It is clear there is a torch or torches casting some light in the room, but the magical silence precludes any sound from above.

The dwarf pulls the giants back, and Fyrnlocke creeps forward.  He darts back, stating “Feck me.   There’s a bear and monsters up there.  I can hear them.”

“We need to know what lurks up there awaiting.”  DonBrapp stews.

“Give me the damned stone.”  Quilro hisses grabbing the silence stone, and turning invisible.  Crawling up over the furniture, he sees the room is full of ogres and hill giants, one of whom has an enormous polar bear on a chain.

Four giants, two ogres and the bear sniff at the air but do not detect the elf.

Retreating back below the group discusses their strategy.

“Fireball, elf.  Tis time.”  DonBrapp suggests flatly.

“Dwarf.  What are your undead for if not for this.”  Kailute counters, and the cleric gathers all close to invoke a prayer to Vergadain.

The two undead fire giants move effortlessly up the stairs and emerge to engage the waiting ambush above.

With unfailingly grace Kailute springs up the stairs behind them, waiting just before the lip awaiting Quilro’s opening spell volley.

As Fyrnlocke turns to join, DonBrapp grabs his arm in a tender embrace and administers aid.  They share a solemn look of brotherhood before the spell is complete.

The Eldarym flies up nimbly, and poking his torso above releases a somewhat fizzled magical fireball which still bounce around the room torching the skin and fur of polar bear and giants alike.  The entire air is filled with the disgusting scent of burning flesh.

Furious the bear leaps forward to attack the elf raking him with claws and nipping  a bite.  The ogres unleash their spears at the fire giants piercing their undead flesh.

Kailute leaps up and carves a large scarlet wound in the white bear’s fur and flesh, leaving it to mewl in pathetic wounded bear noises.

Howling with anger the bear leaps at Kailute, missing.  An ogre lunges forward, but drops his broadsword stunned.  The two hill giants attempt to engage the half-orc, but both miss and one drops his weapon.  One of the giants becomes entangled with Fyrnlocke as he ascends.

DonBrapp commands his undead henchgiants to push forth and they swing forth toward the opposed hill giants as Quilro invokes a fire shield.

Kailute slays the polar bear and then turns to rend a deep wound in the towering humanoid.

DonBrap, Quilro and Kailute form a loose horseshoe, blocking the remaining undead thrall from coming up the stairs.

DonBrapp moves to the north to create space for the zombie giants to engage and thrusts his hammer at an ogre bludgeoning him with the flattened edge.

Quilro discharges another bolt of magical lightning and the aroma grows more pungent.

Fyrnlocke swings and misses one of the giants, and the living giants return their anger against their undead fire cousins.

Kailute slits two jugular wounds, killing one and severely wounding one of the hill giants.

“Better to surrender now than to die in agony in the coming moments.” The antagonizer preaches.

“MUST WARN SNOSRA!”  One of the giants yells, making for the door to the north.

Fyrnlocke makes another graceless attack, missing his target wide and his magical longsword chipping the rough-hewn wooden walls of the steading.

The giants continue their colossal fight between the living and dead, and the undead throw the living to the ground in victory as the dwarf lands a sickening thud upside the skull of the ogre, sending blood and brain matter flying out the opposite ear canal.

Kailute thrusts at the remaining hill giant, ripping yet another gaping wound as it attempts to retreat through the door to the north.

Two ogres remain unphased and steadfast in their defense of their giant lieges.

DonBrapp runs forward after the departing giant, only to find himself surrounded by hill giants.  Dropping to a knee and releasing a lightning bolt against two humanoids that fizzles in the damp air.

In the destroyed pantry the undead zombies have arrived in force and are making short work of the remaining ogres.
The hill giants in the hall are armored with spiked leather, and a larger more muscular giant has a larger double bladed pole arm.  One lands a sword thrust on the usually unstrikeable dwarf.

“Who is this son of Gruumsh from the cellars to cause Snosra so much trouble?!” One of the ogres yells in exasperation.

“I see you enjoy the slaughter of unarmed orcs.”  The barbarian responds as Quilro thrusts the moonblade straight through the neck of one of the remaining ogre.

“Ah, I see the Eldarym clan is restoring its honor.”  Tanthalas says, rising from the stairs around the corner.
In the hallway the large hill giant uses his pole arm to reach Kailute for a glancing blow.

Quilro slices open one of the giants, and DonBrapp launches another lightning bolt into the hallway.

DonBrapp darts back into the pantry as Quilro is posing triumphantly over the corpse of an ogre.  The undead continue their onslaught until all the ogres are dead.

The two bloodstone lads leap up the stairs until Durnkin pulls back on both, slamming them aside “Hold fast, lads.  This is not yer fight!”

Quilro darts toward the door noticing Tanthalas is uncomfortably close to him.

Poking his head out the door he observes three ogres who swing wildly at him, all missing.

Kailute makes a pair of damaging slices as the sound of howling wargs is heard to the north.

“Focus on your weapons, Fyrnlocke!” Kailute yells, as Quilro signals to retreat back into the room.

Ignoring the elf, DonBrapp releases another lightning bolt down the hallway, singing ogre and giant alike.

Kailute thrusts his sword into a giant in a killing blow, pulling the sword with his dying fall.

DonBrapp makes a sweeping overhand strike but misses.

“We must head back below!” The elf shouts and then deftly retreats back to the pantry.

“Downstairs, all!”  Quilro directs those remaining in the pantry, and Durnkin collars the human boys below.
“Use head on door!” A voice in giant shouts to the south.

Several of the monsters attempt unsuccessful strikes against DonBrapp and Fyrnlocke.

“C’mon guys.  LET’S GO!” Quilro shouts back out the door.

Fyrnlocke nods and retreats past the elf.

“Tell your chief not to play servant to cloud giants!” Kailute yells while yanking his blade from the chest of a felled giant, and then turns back toward the pantry.

Opening the door for the dwarf, Kailute holds the line.

“Haves I done enough, greenskin?”  DonBrapp asks as he moves hesitantly back through the door into the pantry.

Slamming the door behind him as he comes around the corner, Kailute stops to catch his breath.  The group reinforced with the zombies takes a moment to reorient with the undead giants as a defensive line with the heroes behind them.
The sound of a smashing door combined with ogrish cursing is heard from the east.

An ogre bleeding from trauma beneath his iron skullcap enters the room, with larger hill giants stacked up behind him.  The ogre strikes the undead fire giant as Quilro unleashes a thick bolt of electrical energy that arcs to the monsters behind.

DonBrapps undead hordes advance toward the approaching giantkin, landing blows and forming a protective line.
Kailute lays dead the bleeding ogre with a pair of sword thrusts.

The line of undead delivers a slow but steady bludgeoning round of damage upon the attacking giants, holding the line.  One of the ogres attempts to flee, and Kailute cuts him down with a blade in the back.

Quilro dances forward and lands a killing thrust into another one of the opposing ogres.

Upon receiving another blade cut, one of the giants lands a crushing blow against the half-orc, leaving Kailute momentarily breathless.

The larger hill giant steps back, calling for reinforcements as one of the undead slays another of the attacking giants.

“Search the coin!  Hold the line!  Sort the corpses!”  DonBrapp yells as the enemies appear to be pausing their advance against the lines.

The morning of 27 Nightal is approaching as the heroes hold the defensive perimeter in the pantry and consider their options.