Slaughter of the Steading: I The Steadening
0500 27 Nightal

The undead giants pushed through the wreckage and carnage of the pantry above, clearing a path through the debris for the heroes to ascend.

Kailute led the way longsword ready, as Quilro and Fyrnlocke cased the walls.

There were no traps here, only the detritus of foodstuffs, combat and death.  Barked orders in the guttural languages of ogres and giants could be heard from beyond the door to the north.

Kailute gave a knowing look to DonBrapp, who responded with a curt nod.  Quilro shook his head and rested crossed hands on his moonblade.

The undead giants lurched forward into the doorway, smashing the oaken door off its hinges and into the waiting ogres beyond.  Recovering, the ogres heaved their swords into the zombie creatures, their eyes crazed with disgust and horror.

The dwarven cleric commands his undead squad forward; and for a moment a grim smile crosses his lips at the image of Quilro cutting the throats of so many sleeping hill giants.

Strange licks the leaf, elven goddess of love.

The hill giant leader behind the ogres launches a kettle toward the line of undead giantkin, smashing one in the chest.

Kailute darts through the door and between the undead to strike one of the ogres with two crossing slashes.

One of the ogres lunges at Kailute and slips, presenting his flank for attack and the half-orc ends the monster with a sword thrust deep into his abdomen.
In a blur DonBrapp runs through the chaos and lunges at the hill giant, who had just turned to leave looking to sound the alarm.

The undead giants continue their mindless assault, and in the gore covered floor one of the leviathans slips and shatters an already compound fracture to its tibia, flailing mindlessly in the floor.

Quilro scowls moving through the undead, spinning to swing a two-handed slice against one of the ogres.  The moonblade hums with magical energy as it delivers opens an enormous wound on the hip of the over large creature.

Moving like a tornado of edged weapons the barbarian cuts deep into the thigh and chest of the ogre.

Grappling with the remaining ogre, one of the zombies lands a crushing blow while the other flails to the ground stunned by the force of his misstep.

Stomping into the space with the deliberate march of the dead, the fire giant wielding a pole arm steps forth and stabs over his companions to the dying ogre.

The elf recovers his sword and then executes a backswing that catches the wounded ogre in the shoulder, cleaving flesh and muscle from the creature’s offhand arm.

Staring the retreating hill giant in the eyes, DonBrapp releases an upper swing that destroys the giant’s knee as the head of Buzzkiller disintegrates the joint and the head of the weapon stretches the flesh to contour the hammer’s head.

Lurching forward one of the undead giants trips, and landing with force upon its forehead is stunned.  The fire giant swings a polearm and connects with one of the living zombies as two more ogres charge into the room from the south.

Quilro pulls an ornate wand from within his tunic and levels the mystically carved item at an ogre who upon the uttering of the command word….  Disappears with a whoosh of intraplanar energy, forever gone.

Kailute scouts south along the western passageway of the kitchen, passing the warm but not flaming fireplaces along the wall.  Around the corner two hill giants and a stone giant are lurking in the working kitchen.

“Chickenshits!  Your sub-chief is dead!  Surrender or be slain!”

Incensed, the monsters run after Kailute back around to the north.

“Incoming!” The half-orc shouts, and Quilro shifts his focus to the area to the west.

Fyrnlocke decides the dwarf and zombies have the current fight in hand, and follows Quilro toward the west.

Kailute’s wrists and blade are a blur as he devastates the oncoming monsters with a series of overhand into sidelong sword swings, grievously wounding two.

In an armored blur the dwarf sprints toward the west to assist the half-orc in combat, passing the elf and human thieves.

Leading with his moonblade, Quilro thrusts into the melee and draws giant blood.
In the pantry Durnkin holds reign on the Bloodstone lads as Tanthalas stumbles around in an ornery blather.

Felling one of the hill giants, Kailute cries out “Stone king!  Join your brethren and leave off the path that leads only to your doom!”  Convinced, the stone giant begins to slink back out of the room and down the corridor to the south.

DonBrapp heaves a powerful swing but does not find purchase with any of the many enemies in front of him.

Kailute delivers a devastating overhand cleave that halves one of the giants, and his underswing out slices deep into the next one.

One of the ogres darts in a quick thrust that nicks Kailute’s shoulder.

Quilro lands another thrust adding to the wounds on the ogre that Kailute finishes with the shadowblade.

The remaining hill giant lands a heavy fist on DonBrapp, who curses.

To the north the zombies finally fell the opposing giants and begin to shuffle toward the dwarven cleric.

DonBrapp lands a killing blow on the chest of the hill giant as Kailute fells the final ogre.  Quilro darts around the large table and peers into the corridor beyond.

“To the door!  Protect your leader!”  Quilro hears in a booming voice, muffled by the ornate iron dressed double doors opposite the corridor to the east.

DonBrapp and Kailute mop up the remaining monsterkin in the pantry and kitchen, and Fyrnlock trails behind them his eyes out for following threats.

Breaking once again into the hallway, the enormous oaken doors to along the east side of the wall appear to open into a room of significance.  Mountains, evergreen trees and ornate iron fittings hold the 12’ tall gates in place.  Beyond them the shouts of direction and hasty activity can be heard as defenders seek their places.

Moving from the north, Kailute hears the faintest sounds of fighting further east in the steading and thinks he can make out the voices of orcs crying out in exultant attacks.

Quilro and Fyrnlocke press their ears to the doors as DonBrapp silently calls for his undead to close their distance.

Behind the heroes, the shrill nasal sound of Tanthalas’ voice pierces the anticipatory quiet.  “WELL!  Found the pantry, have we!?”  Durnkin and the Bloodstone lads follow on his flanks as the party lines up before the doors that lead to the great hall.

Quilro examines the walls while Kailute looks about for flammable materials.

Invoking his magic, the elf summons the ability to probe the great hall with his mind.  In the large room several minds set to defending from an intruder, while also harboring fear of what approaches.  A calm and resolute mind stands ready in the northeast corner, while to the far east a strong personality is wracked with concern of failure of Zenghyi, loss of prestige, and death.  Perhaps the turncoat humans might arrive to save them, but fortunes have changed and death may await.

Relaying what he has mentally observed to the party, the zombie giants shuffle toward the dwarf from the northern passage.

“I believe in us.”  Quilro states flatly, nodding at the barbarian.

“ORCS?!”  Tanthalas screeches as the suggestion the party wait for the red-ears.  “Do we not already find ourselves with overmany goblin-kin?”

“I am confident as long as you join the battle by my side.”  Kailute retorts, flipping his blade between his palms while looking directly at the elven pimp.

The elf demurs regarding his value and the inevitable silver his family with reward.

The Bloodstone lads eagerly pull the potions from their pouches at DonBrapp’s direction to imbide once the battle commences.

Kailute and DonBrapp share a silent look, and skirt back to the kitchen as Quilro grimaces in disgust.  The two pull several of the corpses up and the dwarf invokes the ancient dwarven rimes while handling his magical thighbone and the planar rod.  Two ogre and one hill giant corpse arise from the floor to join his undead squad.

Quilro scans the door with his gem of true seeing, and aside from the ornate carvings there are neither traps nor locks.

Kailute hucks his sword into the double doors, which shake and chip with each blow.  Once a hole has been cut into the door, a batlle line of giants and ogres armed with longswords is seen among an enormous feast hall with a smoldering fire in the middle.  Two obese hill giants, a man and woman stand at the far end with the male cradling a ballistae in his arms like a crossbow.

“THEY KILT ME BEAR!” The disgustingly fat female hill giant wails, and a blue skinned cloud giant stands in a corner with a large wand like shaft in his arms.

“Almost a score in there.”  Kailute reports to the group, noting a mix of warriors and servant type giants.

Kailute flips his stone of spell absorption into orbit around his head as Quilro gesticulates the beginnings of an alteration spell.

DonBrapp wills his newest undead forward through the doors as the elf protects himself with a fire shield.

Noting the firepit in the center, Quilro mentally prepares a spell to nearly quench the flames as the zombies push through the door.  As soon as they enter the melee begins between the ogres and undead.

Kailute leaps forward toward the one who looks like a leader with a double handed slice, opening his chest and exposing his ribcage.

Fyrnlocke slips to the north as the fire is nearly extinguished by Quilro’s magic.  His magic feels augmented with a similar tingle that marked his moonblade attacks previously.
Observing the variety of game and other foodstuffs gathered for the feast, DonBrapp reflects upon the lack of humanoid babies and the veracity of elven propaganda.

As the lights extinguish the twang of the ballistae releases a spear sized bolt into one of the attacking undead zombies engaged with the ogres.

Confused shouts and chaos reign as the chamber is magically darkened.
Those with infravision observe one of the hill giant servants stumbling into the firepit and burning itself painfully.

DonBrapp calls forth an enormous gout of flame that blows through the steading roof and knocks two of the ogres from their feet, scorching their flesh and hair.  One is killed instantly while two others take grievous damage to their torso and knees.  They are immobilized on the floor among the debris caused by the blast.

“Grab me another spear!” A giant voice calls out as the remaining undead under Brapp’s control move into the hall.  The human lads watch intently as Tanthalas stands on the table in the giant kitchen.

The zombies appear to be landing the majority of blows against the disheartened line of ogres and giants. The cloud giant in the corner is holding his scepter-wand while calmly attempting to discern the appropriate target.

Surveying the feast hall, DonBrapp mutters “Verdammt!  Thar be a lot of monsters here….    Perhaps the greenskin was on ta sumthin.”

Quilro takes the form of a wren and flies over toward the cloud giant.

Kailute attempts to connect with one of the giants, but instead catches his weapon on the opponent’s armor and is flung twenty feet into the hall.

DonBrapp lowers his head, leaps upon the table and with blinding speed he knifes through the hall until he is directly in front of Snosra the corpulent.  The enormous giant looks down surprised to find the dwarf landing hammer blows upon his knees.  He casually attempts to bring the ballistae crossbow to bear.

The remaining undead giants flank the action into the hall as one of the zombie giants fells another ogre.

Quilro the bird changes back into an elf and is assaulted by the perfumed musk of the cloud giant who is clearly attempting to ward off the noxious scent of unwashed hill giants.

DonBrapp is relentless with his hammer, continuing to batter the hill giant chief who squeals in pain and fright.  Snosra drops his crossbow and attempts to swing with his longsword and misses far wide as the deft dwarf darts to the side.

One of the defending ogres drops his weapon and is fallen upon by two of DonBrapp’s undead cohort.

Fyrnlocke lands a pair of thrusts into one of the ogres as one of the undead becomes entangled with his opponent, unable to strike.

Again the hill giant chieftain attempts to skewer the dwarf; again he misses.  Sensing the tide of battle receding, the cloud giant begins to back away toward the eastern door, closer to Quilro.  The female hill giant attempts to slip eastward as well, but as soon as the doors close behind her a scream is heard, as well as the triumphant calls of orcs.

Fyrnlocke lands two deadly blows upon one of the remaining giants, cutting deep wounds that pump arterial blood.

Quilro slinks forward from the shadows and deftly slides the moonblade into the kidney, up through gut and into the heart of the cloud giant from behind, aided by the magical energy of the sword.  Incredulous, the cloud giant turns behind to observe this unseen assailant.

Several of the servants flee to the south and east from the onslaught of the heroes and their undead minions.

Snosra and his ogre guards land glancing blows on the nimble dwarf despite his layered magical defenses.

In front of Quilro the cloud giant disappears from view, but his general location is belied by his ragged wounded breathing.

The elf invokes a bolt of magical lightning so powerful even he is rocked back on his heels by the discharge.  The previously invisible cloud giant explodes, covering both Quilro and the surrounding area in gore and items sparking with electric discharge.

The hill giant beyond is also impacted by the electric charge, and falls from the enormity of the shock, as does one of the giant manservants.

The air is filled with the acrid odor of ozone and burning flesh.

DonBrapp steps into a planar withdrawal to call forth Vergadain’s healing powers before risking death due to his accumulated wounds.

As the momentum reaches crescendo, the undead giants roll over the remaining defenders ceaselessly advancing and landing gruesome bruising blows upon the remaining defenders.
Snosra looks side to side in fear as Budrag and 15 of his guard burst through the eastern door, weapons high and freshly covered in blood.

DonBrapp lays a hand on Quilro’s shoulder.  “Remember elf, this is the work we do.  It is not who or what we are.”  He states as they survey the chaotic mix of gore and monsters strewn about the feast hall of the giant steading.

“Think of the coin elf.  The coin.”
Then he grimly lowers his hammer and discharges his own lightning bolt into a line of defenders who are scorched and burned by the magical arc.

Snosra steps backward in fear.  The carnage backlit by exploding lightning, his former soldiers slaughtering his kin in a deathless advance, his wife and bear no longer by his side, he is broken.  But there is no direction to run as the Red-Ears have burst through the eastern door.

Dropping his enormous crossbow, he raises his hands.  “Ees yours!  Parlay!  My life!” he pleads, directing any who will listen to cease fighting.

“They surrender!” The barbarian shouts, staying his blade at the ready.

DonBrapp whacks a disengaging ogre attempting to flee, the satisfying crunch of broken bones beneath his weapon.  The zombie thrall finish what their dwarven master started.
Kailute presses his sword into the sub-chief’s chest, pointing him toward Snosra.
In the darkness Quilro sneaks toward Snosra and stabs him in the abdomen, further deflating the hill giant lord.

Another lightning bolt illuminates the devastation, as the remaining ogres and giants cower in the center of the room.  Two more monsters fall under DonBrapp’s magical onslaught.

Fyrnlocke leaps off one of the giant tables and thrusts a reverse double handed stab into the shoulder of one of the remaining giant, piercing his heart.

“Budrag!  We surrender!  We house and fed Red-Ears!’  Snosra calls out, bleeding and weaponless.

“You chain Red-Ears in caves.  You whip warriors.  Promise gold and reaving;  orcs only dig.  You are no war-leader in the eyes of Gruumsh!”  Budrag growls as he and his guards surround the wounded hill giant chief.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:27, Sat 12 June 2021.